Daily Top-10 Current Affairs MCQs/News (Mar 18 2023) for CSS

March 18, 2022: International Current Affairs MCQs

Table of Contents

6. WHO foresees end to Covid emergency this year

• The Covid-19 pandemic could settle down this year to a point where it poses a threat similar to flu, the World Health Organisation said on March 17, 2023.
• The WHO voiced confidence that it will be able to declare an end to the emergency some time in 2023, saying it was increasingly hopeful about the pandemic phase of the virus coming to a close.
• Last weekend marked three years since the UN health agency first described the situation as a pandemic though WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus insists countries should have jolted into action several weeks before

7. Erdogan lifts objections to Finland`s Nato bid

• President Tayyip Erdogan said on March 17, 2023 that Turkiye`s parliament will begin ratifying Finland`s Nato bid, but not that of Sweden, removing the biggest remaining hurdle to enlarging the Western defence alliance as war continues to rage in Ukraine.
• Speaking in Ankara alongside Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto, Erdogan said Helsinki won Turkiye`s blessing after taking concrete steps to keep its promises to crack down on what Ankara sees as terrorists and to free up defence exports.
• Ankara will continue discussions with Stockholm on terrorism related issues and its Nato membership bid would depend directly on measures taken, he added.
• The parliaments of all 30 Nato members must ratify newcomers.
• Finland would represent the first enlargement since North Macedonia joined the trans-Atlantic pact in 2020

8. ICC issues war crimes arrest warrant for Russian president

• The International Criminal Court on March 17, 2023 announced an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin on the war crime accusation of unlawfully deporting Ukrainian children.
• The Hague-based ICC said it had also issued a warrant against Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia`s presidential commissioner for children`s rights, on similar charges.
• The Kremlin dismissed the orders as `void`. Russia is not a party to the ICC so it was unclear if or how Putin could ever be extradited.
• War-battered Ukraine welcomed the ICC announcement, with the nation`s chief prosecutor saying the `historic` warrant for Putin was `just the beginning` In London, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said the UK welcomed the ICC`s decision, adding that investigations into alleged atrocities in Ukraine must continue

9. Macron govt faces no-trust vote over pensions fight

• French President Emmanuel Macron`s government on Friday faced no-confidence motions in parliament and intensified protests after imposing a contentious pension reform without a vote in the lower house.
• The situation presents Macron, who has only made occasional public comments on the matter, with one of his biggest challenges less than one year in to his second and final mandate.
• Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne on Thursday invoked Article 49.3 of the constitution to impose the pension overhaul by decree, sparking angry demonstrations nationwide that saw 300 people arrested, according to the interior ministry

March 18, 2022: Sports Current Affairs MCQs

10. Pakistan Super League Qalandars upstage Zalmi to set up another title clash with Sultans

• A partisan home crowd at the Gaddafi Stadium had gone quiet as Lahore Qalandars looked to be faltering in another chase. Having lost all four of their matches while batting second this season, the defending champions looked headed for another defeat in Eliminator-2 of Pakistan Super League against Peshawar Zalmi on March 17, 2023 night.
• A spot in Saturday`s final against Multan Sultans beckoning the winner, Qalandars fans had seen the back of top-order lynchpins Fakhar Zaman and Abdullah Shafique, their side reduced to 69-3 in their chase of 172. They needed a partnership and it was there that opener Mirza Tahir Baig and Sam Billings combined for a brisk 50-run stand that steadied their innings and helped their fans find their voice.
• Tahir had seen his opening partner Fakhar perish trying to go big; bowled by Azmatullah Omarzai in the second over, debutant Ahsan Hafeez depart for 15 when attempting to hit out and only succeeding in getting an edge off Wahab Riaz that was snapped up by keeper Haseebullah Khan. He then played his part in a horrible mix-up that saw Abdullah run out for 10