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March 24, 2019: National Current Affairs
1. Pakistan showcases military might
• Though a high level of vigilance exists on the borders with India, Pakistan`s armed forces still managed to present an impressive show of their might during a colourful Pakistan Day parade at Shakarparian grounds here on March 23, 2019.
• The well-rehearsed event featuring troops from the three armed services, fighter aircraft, tanks, missiles, radars and other military equipment was the main programme of the countrywide celebrations held to commemorate the 79th anniversary of the adoption of a resolution by the All India Muslim League on this day in 1940 in L ahore, which is seen as the first step towards creation of Pakistan as a separate homeland for the Muslims of the subcontinent.
• Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad was the guest of honour at the show which was also attended by Defence Minister of Azerbaijan Gen Zakir Hasanov Asgar Oglu, besides President Dr Arif Alvi, Prime Minister Imran Khan, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, members of the federal cabinet and the services chiefs Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Gen Zubair Hayat, Chief of the Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan and Naval Chief Admiral Zafar Mehmood Abbasi.
2. President confers 58 military, 66 civil awards
• On the occasion of Pakistan Day, President Dr Arif Alvi conferred 58 military and 66 civil awards on personalities from different walks of life for their meritorious services in various fields at an investiture ceremony at President House on March 23, 2019.
• According to an official handout issued by the Presidency, the awards in military categories included Hilal-i-Imtiaz (45) and Sitara-i-Basalat (13).
• The awards in civil categories included Nishan-i-Imtiaz (2), Hilal-i-Imtiaz (7), Sitara-i-Pakistan (2), Sitara-i-Shuja`at (4), Sitara-i-Imtiaz (15), President`s Award for Pride of Performance (7), Sitara-i-Quaid-i-Azam (1), Tamgha-iShuja`at (23) and Tamgha-i-Imtiaz (5).
• The recipients of civil national awards included 10 foreigners from Germany, Romania, Belgium, Canada and the US.
3. Karachi among top 10 cheapest cities across globe
• Karachi has been named among the world`s top ten cheapest cities by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) the research and analysis division of the Economist Group.
• The megalopolis called home by nearly 15 million people has remained in the top 10 cheapest cities consistently over the past decade, even ranking as the cheapest city a few times.
• The Worldwide Cost of Living 2019 report pointed out that although the best value for money at least by Western standards is traditionally offered by South Asian cities and certain Middle Eastern cities, cheap did not always mean cheerful. `Put simply, cheaper cities also tend to be less liveable,` the report noted.
• For instance, the cheapest city this year, Caracas in Venezuela, `saw a significant worsening of economic conditions in 2018, with hyperinflation and a breakdown in public services fuelling growing social unrest`, the report stated.
• The second cheapest city this year is Damascus, Syria, which has remained a stronghold of the militant Islamic State group that declared its caliphate in the war-torn country in 2014. The US-backed Syrian armed forces announced victory over IS on March 23, 2019.
March 24, 2019: International Current Affairs
4. Kurdish-led forces proclaim end of IS `caliphate`
• Kurdishled forces pronounced the end of the militant Islamic State (IS) group`s nearly five-year-old `caliphate` on Saturday after flushing out diehard fighters from their last bastion in eastern Syria.
• Fighters of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) raised their yellow flag in Baghouz, the remote river side village where militants of a variety of nationalities made a desperate, dramatic last stand.
• The SDF`s victory capped a deadly six-month operation against the final remnants of the `caliphate` which once stretched across a vast swathe of Iraq and deadly six-month operation against the final remnants of the `caliphate` which once stretched across a vast swathe of Iraq and Syria, and held seven million people in its sway.
• World leaders hailed the victory as a major landmark in the fight against IS and its ideology, but warned that the group that spurred a spate of global terror attacks was far from defeated.
5. Italy, China sign new `Silk Road protocol
• Italy signed on March 23, 2019 a `non-binding` protocol with China to take part in Beijing`s new `Silk Road` of transport and trade links stretching from Asia to Europe.
• In doing so, Italy became the first G7 country to sign up for the massive project which has sparked unease in the US and the European Union as China aspires to a greater world role.
• Visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte attended a ceremony held for the signing of 29 memorandums of understanding which Italian media said were worth $5.6 billion to $8bn.
• Also signing the accords were the chairman of China`s chairman of the National Development Commission He Lifeng and Italian deputy prime minister and Minister of Economic Development Luigi Di Maio.
• Italian financial daily Il Sole 24 Ore said the value of the Chinese investments could rise substantially but would for now be limited to the strategic ports of Genoa and Trieste.
6. China to give Sri Lanka $989m to build new highway
• China has agreed to provide a loan of $989 million to Sri Lanka to build an expressway that will connect the island nation`s tea-growing central region to a China-run seaport on the southern coast, the island`s finance ministry said.
• The Export-Import Bank of China has agreed to provide a loan covering 85 per cent of the contract price for Central Expressway Project Section 1, whose total cost is $1.16 billion. The loan is the single largest loan approved by the bank for Sri Lanka, according to a statement from the finance ministry.
• The loan agreement was signed on March 23, 2019 by finance ministry Secretary R H S Samaratunga and Cheng Xueyuan, China`s ambassador in Sri Lanka on behalf of the Export-Import Bank, at the Ministry of Finance in the capital Colombo.
7. Dubai projects NZ PM`s image on iconic skyscraper
• Dubai has projected the image of New Zealand premier Jacinda Ardern onto its iconic Burj Khalifa, the world`s tallest skyscraper, in thanks for her response to last week`s mosque shootings.
• Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum praised Ardern`s `support to the Muslim community` after a white supremacist gunman attacked two mosques on March 15, killing 50 people.
• A photo from Dubai`s Public Diplomacy Office showed Burj Khalifa lit up with a picture of Ardern in a hijab, warmly embracing a Muslim affected by the tragedy, under the word `peace` in Arabic and English.
8. World powers agree to ensure Afghanistan no longer poses threat
• The world`s three major powers the United States, Russia and China have agreed to ensure that Afghanistan never becomes a source of threat to any of them, according to US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad.
• In a separate statement, the US State Department said on Saturday the three powers had also agreed to ensure that Afghans exercised their right to decide their own future.
• Representatives of the three countries met in Washington on Thursday and Friday to coordinate their strategies for restoring peace and stability to Afghanistan. This was their first joint meeting since the United States started holding direct talks with the Taliban militants. `The parties exchanged views on the current status of the Afghan peace process and discussed common efforts to bring peace, prosperity and security to Afghanistan, the State Department said.
9. Tyrannosaurus rex found in Canada is world`s biggest
• The towering Tyrannosaurus rex discovered in western Canada in 1991 is the world`s biggest, a team of paleontologists said on March 23, 2019, following a decades-long process of reconstructing its skeleton.
• Nicknamed Scotty for a celebratory bottle of scotch consumed the night it was discovered, the T. rex was 13 metres (yards) long and probably weighed more than 8,800 kilos (19,400 pounds), making it bigger than all other carnivorous dinosaurs, the team from the University of Alberta said.
• `This is the rex of rexes,` said Scott Persons, lead author of the study and postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Biological Sciences.
March 24, 2019: Sports Current Affairs
10. South Africa seal T20 series despite Udana heroics
• Isuru Udana`s astonishing 84 for Sri Lanka wasn`t enough to stop South Africa from clinching their Twenty20 International series with a 16-run win in the second match at the Super Sport Park on March 23, 2019.
• Udana thrashed his not out score off 48 balls to take Sri Lanka from a seemingly hopeless position to one where they had an outside chance of winning.
• It initially looked easy for South Africa, who scored 180 for three after being sent in, with Reeza Hendricks hitting a fluent 65 and Rassie van der Dussen a powerfully struck 64.
