Daily Top-10 Current Affairs MCQs / News (March 29, 2022) for CSS, PMS

Table of Contents

6. Crisis-hit Sri Lanka in talks with India for $1.5bn credit

• Sri Lanka has sought an additional credit line of $1.5 billion from India to import essentials, the island nation`s central bank governor said on March 28, 2022, amid its worst economic crisis in decades.
• The country of 22 million people is struggling to pay for essential imports after a 70pc drop in foreign exchange reserves in two years led to a currency devaluation and efforts to seek help from global lenders. Fuelisin short supply, food prices are rocketing and protests have broken out as Sri Lanka`s government prepares for talks with the International Monetary Fund amid concerns over the country`s ability to pay back foreign debt

7. Historic summit with Arab states to `deter` Iran: Israel

• US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the top diplomats of Israel and four Arab states wrapped up a landmark meeting on Monday vowing to boost cooperation which, Israel said, would send a strong message to its arch foe Iran.
• The talks brought together for the first time on Israeli soil the foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco which all normalised ties with the Jewish state in 2020 and of Egypt, a country formally at peace with Israel since 1979.
• Israel`s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said that `this new architecture, the shared capabilities we are building, intimidates and deters our common enemies` first and foremost Iran and its proxies. `They certainly have something to fear,` he said about Iran, a country Israel is fighting in a regional shadow war and which it accuses of seeking a nuclear bomb, a goal the Islamic republic denies pursuing

8. Russia plans attacks on humanitarian routes, says Ukraine

• Ukraine said on March 28, 2022 it was pausing evacuations of civilians from war-scarred regions of the country because intelligence reports suggested invading Russian troops were planning attacks on humanitarian routes.
• `Our intelligence has reported possible provocations by the occupiers on routes of humanitarian corridors. Therefore, for reasons of public safety, we are not opening humanitarian corridors today,` Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in a statement on social media.
• Meanwhile, Moscow said on Monday it was preparing to restrict entry into Russia for nationals of `unfriendly` countries, which include Britain, all EU states and the United States

9. Pakistan seal series triumph

• Pakistan took an unassailable 2-0 lead by winning the second match against Malaysia 18-7 in the International Women Baseball series at Bahria Town here on March 28, 2022.
• Pakistan, who had won the opener 12-0, saw Zahida Ghani and Ume Hani score three runs each while Asia Siddique, Ansa Irshad, Noorina, Sidra Riyasat and Maryam Butt all got two runs with captain Zainab Riaz and Humaira Khan contributing one apiece.
• For Malaysia, Noorina got two runs with Siti Noor Ayesha, Farah bint Ramli, Siti Noor Farheen, Noorul Ain Farah and Afrina chipping in with one run each.

10. Beyond the slap: five other talking points from Oscars

• With due respect to a historic best picture win for `CODA, only one talking point dominated Sunday`s Oscars Will Smith striking Chris Rock. That moment seems certain to launch endless memes, but here are five other talking points from the ceremony: Hosts return the first Oscars with hosts since 2018 had a trio of women helming the show Wanda Sykes, Amy Schumer and Regina Hall-who wasted no time compensating for recent humorless years.
• Leonardo DiCaprio has `done so much to fight climate change and leave behind a cleaner, greener planet for his girlfriends,` said Schumer, joking about his penchant for younger women.
• `Time is due` Oscars producers had promised to highlight not just this year`s nominated films, but classic movies of the past. These included a segment on the 50th anniversary of `The Godfather` which brought Francis Ford Coppola, Al Pacino and Robert De Niro to the stage.