March 2020

Day by Day Current Affairs (March 18, 2020) MCQs for CSS, PMS

March 19, 2020
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Day by Day Current Affairs (March 18, 2020) MCQs for CSS, PMS
Written by Shahzad F. Malik
WELCOME TO CSS TIMES DAY BY  DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS, YOUR BEST SOURCE FOR UP-TO-DATE AND DAILY TOP CURRENT AFFAIRS 2019 FOR PREPARATION OF CSS, PMS, BANKING, NTS, RAILWAYS AND ALL COMPETITIVE EXAMS.  “DAY TO DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS” BASICALLY IS TOP 10 NEWS SUMMARY ON CURRENT HAPPENINGS OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL IMPORTANCE FOR ALL EXAMINATIONS

March 18, 2020: National / International Current Affairs

1. Submission of COVID-19 test results made mandatory for air passengers

• In an attempt to check the spread of novel coronavirus, the federal government has made mandatory for all passengers travelling to Pakistan to provide a certified copy of the test result for the virus conducted 24 hours prior to boarding the flight.
• In a related move, domestic departures at the airports have been subjected to mandatory screening of passengers for the virus.
• And all aircraft will be required disinfection prior to embarkation of passengers at the point of origin.
• The airlines shall be required to submit a certificate to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) failing which the aircraft will be denied entry into Pakistan.
• A similar mandatory condition will also apply on domestic flights.

2. China will always stand by Pakistan, says President Xi

• Chinese President Xi Jinping said on March 17, 2020 special friendship between Pakistan and China was choice of the history as it had deep roots in the hearts of people of the two countries.
• `We want to see a united and strong Pakistan with stability and prosperity, he said during a meeting with President Dr Arif Alvi here at the Great Hall of People.
• President Xi said no matter how international landscape might change, China would always stand firmly by Pakistan.
• `China will stay committed to our ironclad friendship and will expand our strategic cooperation

3. Pakistani soldier martyred in firing from across LoC

• A soldier of Pakistan Army embraced martyrdom in the Neelum Valley of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) in unprovoked firing by Indian troops from across the Line of Control (LOC), the military`s media affairs wing said on March 17, 2020.
• In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that the Indian army troops responded to unprovoked firing in Shahkot sector along the LoC in Neelum valley with heavy weapons.
• `Pakistan army responded effectively, targeting those [Indian] posts which had initiated fire and inflicted heavy losses on enemy in terms of men and material, added the ISPR.
• It said that during the exchange of fire, the brave 20-year-old soldier embraced martyrdom while valiantly responding to Indian ceasefire violation

4. Creation of posts for culture, tourism authority approved

• The first meeting of board of directors of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority (KPCTA) was held here on March 17, 2020 with Chief Minister Mahmood Khan in the chair.
• The forum approved creation of one post of director general, one post of director, three posts of general managers and other necessary slots for the KPCTA, said an official statement.
• Professionals will be hired against these slots from private sector through competitive process for a specific period, which would be extendable subject to satisfactory performance of the incumbents.
• The meeting also approved organogram, official logo and budgetary allocation for operational expenditure of KPCTA in addition to the procurement of vehicles and other equipment for it.

5. SBP launches Rs100bn scheme to help offset virus impact

• Amid delays in export orders and dampening consumer and producer sentiments, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on March 17, 2020 announced refinance scheme worth Rs100 billion for investors planning new projects to help counter economic slowdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
• Launching the Temporary Economic Refinance Facility (TERF) at the Monetary Policy Committee meeting, SBP Governor Reza Baqir said the banks will extend financing for setting up plants and machinery at a fixed rate of 7pc for a period of 10 years capping per project maximum loan at Rs5bn.
• `Companies will have until March 31, 2021 to open letter of credits to avail this credit facility and can be accessed by all manufacturing businesses except for the power sector, the governor elaborated

6. Tech platforms in joint effort to curb virus misinformation

• The large US internet platforms have unveiled a joint effort to root out misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic, while Facebook announced a $100 million programme to aid small firms impacted by the crisis.
• A joint statement was issued late by Facebook, Google, Twitter, Microsoft and Reddit along with Google owned YouTube and Microsoft-owned LinkedIn.
• `We are working closely together on COVID-19 response efforts,` the joint statement said

7. US-led coalition troops begin leaving bases in Iraq

• The US-led coalition will redeploy hundreds of troops from bases in Iraq including to outside the country, coalition and US officials said on Tuesday, with one calling it a `historic` move.
• The announcement came hours after another rocket attack targeted an Iraqi base where foreign troops are located, the 24th such attack in less than six months.
• `The coalition is re-positioning troops from a few smaller bases,` said coalition spokesman Myles Caggins.
• The first redeployment was taking place on Tuesday from Qaim, the western base along the border with Syria, a coalition official said.

8. Former Najaf governor named Iraqi PM

• Iraq`s president on March 17, 2020 named pro-Western lawmaker Adnan Zurfi, a former Najaf city governor, as the next prime minister, tasked with ruling a country hit by military unrest, street protests and the coronavirus outbreak.Lawmaker Zurfi, 54, is the former governor of Najaf and once belonged to the Dawa party, an opposition force to ex-dictator Saddam Hussein who was ousted in the 2003 US-led invasion.
• Zurfi is an Iraqi-US dual national who would have to renounce his American citizenship to take up the premiership, which is yet to be confirmed by parliament.
• President Barham Saleh said he had nominated Zurfi to replace outgoing premier Adel Abdel Mahdi, who resigned in December amid Iraq`s unprecedented wave of anti-government rallies

9. UN suspends Afghans` voluntary repatriation

• The office of UN High Commissioner for Refugees announced on March 17, 2020 that the voluntary repatriation of registered Afghan refugees in Pakistan has been suspended because of closure of the Torkham and Chaman border-crossing points with Afghanistan.
• This is due to precautionary measures taken by the government to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
• The UNHCR Voluntary Repatriation Centres in Azakhel, Nowshera in KhyberPakhtunkhwa and Baleli, Quetta in Balochistan, are, therefore, closed until further notice. The Encashment Centres in Afghanistan have also been closed.

10. PM fears coronavirus will spread, asks nation to be ready

• The highly successful and competitive HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) folded up unceremoniously after meeting an unexpected and disappointing end here on March 17, 2020 when the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced that the league`s semifinals scheduled for Tuesday and the final set for Wednesday have been postponed due to the growing threat of the coronavirus in the region.
• The PCB announcement came barely two hours before the start of the first semi-final between top outfit Multan Sultans and Peshawar Zalmi at the Gaddafi Stadium here. Both the semifinalist teams were preparing to come out from their hotel to reach the stadium when the postponement news broke out at around 11.30pm. That created a massive amount of confusion among people including players, team officials and the fans as no one was prepared to accept PCB`s abrupt decisions.
• However, half an hour later, the PCB came out with an official announcement that said: `HBL PSL-2020 postponed, to be rescheduled. More details to follow in due course

Day by Day Current Affairs (March 18, 2020) MCQs for CSS, PMS

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About the author

Shahzad F. Malik

Shahzad Faisal Malik is the administrator of CSSTimes.pk and is responsible for managing the content, design, and overall direction of the blog. He has a strong background in Competitive Exams and is passionate and sharing information with others.
Shahzad Faisal Malik has worked as a Graphic Designer/Content Creator at CSSTimes in the past. In his free time, Shahzad Faisal Malik enjoys watching Cricket, writing blogs for different websites and is always on the lookout for new and interesting content to share with the readers of this website.
As the website administrator, Shahzad Faisal Malik is dedicated to providing high-quality content and fostering a welcoming and engaging community for readers. He looks forward to connecting with readers and hearing their thoughts and feedback on the website.

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