Daily Top-10 Current Affairs MCQs / News (December 22, 2021) for CSS, PMS

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December 22, 2021: National / International Current Affairs

1. Freight train launched to link Istanbul with Tehran, Islamabad

• A freight train service was inaugurated here on Tuesday with an aim to boost trade between Pakistan, Iran and Turkey.
• Minister for Railways Azam Khan Swati, along with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood, inaugurated the Islamabad Tehran-Istanbul (ITI) freight train at Margalla railway station.
• Ambassadors of Turkey, Iran, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan were also present on the occasion.
• The freight train service will play a vital role in improving the economies and lives of citizens of ECO member states by maximising economic efficiency and reducing the cost of doing business.

2. PM takes veiled swipe at US for Afghan turmoil

• Prime Minister Imran Khan on December 21, 2021 made veiled criticism of the United States for creating in Afghanistan a humanitarian crisis that is affecting millions of people and allowing it to worsen.
• `A man-made crisis is being created despite knowing that it can be averted if (Afghanistan`s) accounts (in the US) are unfrozen and liquidity is put into their banking system,` PM Khan said while speaking at a ceremony held at Foreign Office to celebrate the successful holding of the extraordinary session of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation`s (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers.
• The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan caused by drought and decades of conflict has been aggravated by the economic crunch resulting from US sanctions and assets freeze after Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan

3. PA resolution supports Tableeghi Jamaat

• The Punjab Assembly on December 21, 2021 unanimously passed a resolution in support of the Tableeghi Jamaat, which had been banned by Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
• The resolution taken up out of turn was moved by PML-Q`s Khadija Umar. It said that the Tableeghi Jamaat is a political, engaged in preaching of Islam and has no connection with terrorism acts.
• PML-N`s Samiullah Khan and PPP`s Hassan Murtaza objected to the use of the word `only` preaching outfit, saying there are other organisations that are preaching Islam in the country and abroad.
• On their insistence the word was omitted from the resolution before its unanimous adoption

4. Mini-budget likely to be tabled in winter session

• Both the houses of parliament are set to begin their winter sessions from December 22, 2021 (today) as the government plans to present a `minibudget` involving fiscal adjustments and expenditure cuts worth about Rs600 billion as part of an understanding with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and opposition parties vow to resist the move with full force.
• The Ministry of Finance has already reportedly prepared the draft of the Finance (Supplementary) Bill 2021, but it is not part of the agenda of the National Assembly on the opening day as it is expected to be presented by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance Shaukat Tarin after becoming full-fledged federal minister for finance following his election as senator on Monday on a seat vacated by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Senator Ayub Afridi from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

5. Bureaucrat gets petroleum division`s permanent charge

• The government on December 21, 2021 assigned permanent charge of the Petroleum Division to Ali Raza Bhutta.
• A notification issued by the Establishment Division said Mr Bhutta `a BS-22 officer of Pakistan Administrative Service, presently posted as Secretary Power Division, is transferred and posted as Secretary, Petroleum Division`.
• The Power Division`s charge has been assigned to Syed Asif Hyder Shah.

6. Pakistan programme launched at University of Oxford

• The Oxford Pakistan Programme (OPP) has been launched at the University of Oxford to promote various Pakistan-related activities there.
• Its soft launching was held here in Islamabad on Monday night, which was attended by a number of bureaucrats, scholars and media persons.
• The initiative included graduate scholarships for deserving students, visiting fellowships for Pakistani faculty members and special lectures on Pakistan.
• The organisers of the event said that OPP has also drawn strong support from the University of Oxford, the Pakistan High Commission in London, and the British High Commission in Islamabad

7. Madagascar minister swims 12 hours to shore after helicopter crash

• A Madagascan minister was one of two survivors to have swum some 12 hours to shore on December 21, 2021 after their helicopter crashed off the island`s northeastern coast, authorities said.
• A search was still ongoing for two other passengers after the crash on December 20, 2021, whose cause was not immediately clear, police and port authorities said.
• Serge Gelle, the country`s secretary of state for police, and a fellow policeman reached land in the seaside town of Mahambo separately on Tuesday morning, apparently after ejecting themselves from the aircraft, port authority chief Jean-Edmond Randrianantenaina said. In a video shared on social media, 57-year-old Gelle appears lying exhausted on a deck chair, still in his camouflage uniform

8. US ready to infuse liquidity into Afghan economy

• The United States is working with various UN agencies to find ways for infusing liquidity into the Afghan economy, the US State Department said.
• The announcement, made at a news briefing in Washington, followed another statement by a State Department official in Islamabad on Monday, saying that the United States would show greater flexibility on financial sanctions imposed on Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover.
• Earlier this week, thirty-nine lawmakers sent a letter to US secretaries of state and treasury, asking them to help rebuild Afghanistan`s failing economy and to unfreeze the country`s assets. The United Nations has also backed this call

9. Pakistan lose thriller to Korea, fail to make ACT final for first time

• Pakistan got off to the perfect start but couldn`t get the ideal finish.
• In an end-to-end semi-final of the Asian Champions Trophy, Pakistan ended up on the losing side of an 11-goal thriller against South Korea at the Maulana Bhasani Hockey Stadium here on December 21, 2021.
• South Korea`s 6-5 win set up a title clash for them against Japan, who later overpowered India 5-3, on Wednesday.
• Pakistan, who took a 1-0 lead in the third minute against the South Koreans, will play archrivals India in the third-place playoff before the final

10. Dr Shamsi passes away after brief illness

• Renowned haematologist Dr Tahir Shamsi passed away on December 21, 2021 after a brief illness, his family and friends said.
• They added that doctor Shamsi had last week suffered a brain haemorrhage and was admitted to a private medical facility, where he had undergone a surgery but his condition remained critical.
• He was put on ventilator after the surgery but he could not survive and died on Tuesday morning

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