Daily Top-10 Current Affairs MCQs / News (March 13, 2021) for CSS, PMS

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March 13, 2021: National / International Current Affairs

1. PTI turns tables on PDM in Senate poll

• In an election that ran into controversy with the detection of spy cameras installed in and around the Senate polling booth even before voting had started, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-led ruling coalition candidate Mohammad Sadiq Sanjrani on March 12, 2021 defeated opposition candidate Yousuf Raza Gilani to retain Senate chairmanship for another term.
• The opposition, which otherwise enjoys a clear majority in the upper house of parliament, faced the dramatic upset when it emerged that among the lawmakers who opted for Mr Gilani, at least seven `wasted` their votes

2. Two-week ban on wedding ceremonies, public meetings

• The Punjab government on March 12, 2021 banned for two weeks wedding ceremonies (both in marquees and halls), sports activities and public meetings in Lahore and other cities where the coronavirus positive rate exceeds five per cent.
• The Jashan-i-Baharan in the city has also been cancelled with immediate effect.
• Chief Minister Usman Buzdar chaired a meeting of the cabinet committee for the eradication of corona virus and expressed concern over the increase in the number of patients in Lahore and other cities

3. Pakistan joins UN drive for vaccines available to all

• Pakistan on March 12, 2021 joined the United Nations’ new campaign to ensure the availability of COVID-19 vaccines everywhere and everyone.
• Pakistan Permanent Representative to the UN Munir Akram said in his tweet that it is vital to control the pandemic for quick recovery of the virus-hit world economy. In another tweet, Ambassador Akram added: “We must fully support the COVAX Facility by funding the 20B shortfall.”
• COVAX is a global initiative intended to secure equitable access to vaccines and is led by the World Health Organization, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, among others

4. Minister occupies PAC slot against parliamentary norm

• In a rare occurrence in the parliamentary history, a provincial minister is also occupying the top slot of Public Accounts Committee-Il of the Punjab Assembly.
• Syed Yawar Abbas Bukhari, PTl lawmaker from PP-1 (Attock), was appointed minister for Baitul Maal and Social Welfare on Dec 21, 2020, while he had already been elected chairman of the Public Accounts Committee II. He had chaired a sitting of the committee even after his induction into the provincial cabinet instead of relinquishing charge of the panel`s chairmanship.

5. Afridi first member from tribal areas to win top Senate position

• The newly elected deputy chairman of the Senate, Mirza Mohammad Afridi, is the first parliamentarian from the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas to occupy the coveted post in parliament.
• Hailing from Khyber tribal district, Mirza Afridi was elected member of the Senate as an independent candidate in 2018 elections. After the polls, he joined the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, but later switched over to the Pakistan Tehreek-i-insaf (PTI) the same year.
• Mirza Afridi, who belongs to Sepah clan, a sub-tribe of Afridi tribe, is a Lahore-based business tycoon who has investment in textile and electronics.

6. Turkey, Egypt hold first diplomatic contacts since 2013

• Turkey on March 12, 2021 said it had established its first diplomatic contacts with Egypt since 2013 and was ready to improve relations with other rivals as it seeks to break its isolation.
• Ankara and Cairo had a dramatic falling out when Egyptian President Fattah al-Sisi ousted the Turkish-backed Islamist leader Mohamed Morsi. The two regional powers have since sparred over a range of issues and found themselves on opposite sides of the war in Libya.
• But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been extending olive branches to his rivals in the face of potential sanctions from the European Union and a tough new diplomatic line from US President Joe Biden

7. With eyes on China, US and allies launch vaccine plan

• The United States, India, Japan and Australia on March 12, 2021 announced a joint drive to ramp up the Covid-19 vaccine supply in Asia, mounting a challenge to China in the first-ever summit of the four like-minded powers.
• US President Joe Biden, who has vowed to reinvigorate alliances in the face of growing worries about China, met virtually with the three nations` prime ministers and told them that the so-called Quad format would become a `vital arena` for cooperation.
• `We`re renewing our commitment to ensure that our region is governed by international law, committed to upholding universal values and free from coercion,` said Biden, who like the others made no explicit, but plenty of implicit, mentions of China

8. UN launches Urdu campaign to facilitate vaccination

• The United Nations has launched its first-ever campaign in Urdu and nine other languages to ensure a fair and equitable distribution of Covid-19 vaccines, as Pakistan too joined the effort, underlining the need for global cooperation in defeating the pandemic.
• The United Nations has launched a global initiative for providing vaccines to all those who need it under a campaign called Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access or COVAX

9. Experts recreate a mechanical cosmos for computer

• Researchers at UCL have solved a major piece of the puzzle that makes up the ancient Greek astronomical calculator known as the Antikythera Mechanism, a hand-powered mechanical device that was used to predict astronomical events.
• Known to many as the world’s first analog computer, the Antikythera Mechanism is the most complex piece of engineering to have survived from the ancient world.
• The 2,000-year-old device was used to predict the positions of the Sun, Moon and the planets as well as lunar and solar eclipses.

10. Zulu King Zwelithini dies at 72, hailed as `visionary monarch`

• Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini, who saw himself as the custodian of his people`s culture and was praised by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa as a `visionary monarch`, died on March 12, 2021.
• Zwelithini, who was 72, died in hospital, the royal family said. He had been admitted to hospital in KwaZulu-Natal province last month to be treated for diabetes.
• Though his role was largely ceremonial, Zwelithini was revered by his people and had vast influence over millions of Zulus

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