Daily Top-10 Current Affairs MCQs / News (March 18, 2021) for CSS, PMS

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March 18, 2021: National / International Current Affairs

1. China gifts another 500,000 doses of Covid vaccine

• As the vaccination process gains momentum, China on March 17, 2021 gifted another 500,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine to Pakistan while the first consignment of the privately-imported Russian vaccine reached Karachi.
• Meanwhile, Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar has claimed that over 41,000 people have been vaccinated in a single day, out of which 28,424 are senior citizens.
• The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), on the other hand, reported 2,351 cases and 61 deaths in the last 24 hours with the number of active cases rising to 22,792.

2. Zaheer Babar made new chief of Pakistan Air Force

• The government on March 17, 2021 appointed Air Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu as the new chief of Pakistan Air Force (PAF).
• PAF`s media directorate, while announcing the appointment, said: `Government of Pakistan has appointed Air Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu as new Chief of the Air Staff wef 19 March, 2021.
• Zaheer Babar Sidhu has been elevated to the rank of air chief marshal (ACM). He would succeed ACM Mujahid Anwar Khan, who is retiring on Thursday.
• ACM Sidhu is currently serving at the Air Headquarters as Deputy Chief of Air Staff (Administration).

3. EU to help Pakistan alleviate Covid-19 impact

• The European Union will support three projects to be undertaken by civil society organisations with assistance worth 7.23 million euros to alleviate the socio-economic impact of the Covid-19 outbreak on the communities and increase the voice of the youth in society.
• Ambassador of the European Union Androulla Kaminari signed three contracts in Islamabad on Wednesday with the representatives of the main implementing partners: Aga Khan Foundation, Norwegian Church Aid and Deutsche Welthungerhilfe. The projects were selected through a call for proposals launched in April last year and focused on Punjab, Sindh and Gilgit-Baltistan, an EU press release said

4. Kuwaiti foreign minister due on two-day visit today

• The Kuwaiti foreign minister will arrive here on Thursday (today) on a two-day visit to Pakistan.
• Minister of Foreign Affairs and State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Dr Ahmed Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah is visiting Pakistan on the invitation of Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
• The Kuwaiti foreign minister will lead a delegation comprising senior officials from the ministries of foreign affairs, health, interior and trade and industry, the Foreign Office said on March 17, 2021

5. Islamabad police introduce e-police desk

• Capital police have introduced high tech e-police desk system for registration of complaints without any human interaction and to get them resolved through prompt action.
• Inspector General of Police (IGP) Islamabad Qazi Jamil ur Rehman formally inaugurated the e-police desk in Super Market here on March 17, 2021. DIG (Operations) Afzaal Ahmed Kausar, SSP (Operations) Dr. Syed Mustafa Tanveer, SP City Zone Umar Khan, notables of the area and media personnel were also present on the occasion. Islamabad police chief appreciated the efforts of SSP (Operations) Dr. Syed Mustafa Tanveer over his efforts to introduce this new system and said that citizens can lodge their complaints without any human interaction.

6. ECC approves stipulated eligibility criteria for houses under NAPHDA

• The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet on March 17, 2021 approved the stipulated eligibility criteria and payment mechanism for cost subsidy against 100,000 housing units to be constructed during phase-I under the Naya Pakistan Housing and Development Authority (NAPHDA) by the end of the year.
• Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, chaired the meeting of the ECC. Chairman, Naya Pakistan Housing and Development Authority (NAPHDA) presented a revised eligibility criteria for selection of applicants, modalities for payment of cost subsidy and mechanism for release of funds with reference to the special incentive package for Housing and Construction sector, announced by the Prime Minister in July 2020

7. Afghan peace dialogue begins in Moscow

• Russia is hosting a second round of Afghan dialogue aimed at breaking the deadlock in the Doha peace process from 18th March in Moscow, diplomatic sources confirmed.
• The dialogue under Russian Foreign Ministry would be attended by US officials, as well as Pakistan, Kabul government, China and Taliban representatives.
• Russia’s Special Representative on Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov had visited Islamabad last month and invited Pakistan besides seeking Islamabad cooperation in pushing forward the Doha based stalled peace process. Prime Minister’s Special representative for Afghanistan Ambassador Muhammad Sadiq would represent Pakistan in the Moscow conference, Ambassador Sadiq reached Moscow

8. US sanctions 24 Chinese, HK officials ahead of talks

• The US sanctioned an additional 24 Chinese and Hong Kong officials over Beijing`s ongoing crackdown on political freedoms in the semi-autonomous city, just ahead of the Biden administration`s first face-to-face talks with China.
• The step reflects Washington`s deep concern about the erosion of Hong Kong`s autonomy following changes to its election system endorsed by China`s ceremonial legislature last week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Wednesday.
• Foreign financial institutions that deal with the 24 officials would be subject to US sanctions, the State Department said

9. `Tough` to meet May 1 deadline for troop pullout from Afghanistan: Biden

• US President Joe Biden said on March 17, 2021 that it would be `tough` to withdraw the remaining US troops in Afghanistan by May 1, as was agreed to by the Trump administration.
• In an interview with ABC`s Good Morning America, Mr Biden said he was still `in the process` of determining when the forces should leave.
• `The fact is that this was not a very solidly negotiated deal that the former president worked out. And so, we`re in consultation with our allies as well as the government, and that decision`s going to be -it`s in process now,` he said.

10. Gunman kills six Asian women, two others in Atlanta spas

• Six Asian women were among eight people shot and killed at spas around the US city of Atlanta on March 16, 2021, raising fears that it might be the most violent chapter yet in a wave of attacks on Asian-Americans.
• A white man is in custody on suspicion of staging all three attacks, police said as a Georgia state Democratic Party leader suggested the attack matched a pattern of violence on Asian-Americans during the pandemic.
• Authorities have identified Robert Aaron Long as a suspect in all three shootings.

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