Daily Top-10 Current Affairs MCQs / News (January 02, 2022) for CSS, PMS

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January 02, 2022: National / International Current Affairs

1. Govt in no hurry to pass mini-budget before IMF meeting

• The government looks all set to convene a session of the Senate next week to formally lay before it the controversial Finance Supplementary Bill 2021generally known as the mini-budget to fulfil a constitutional requirement, expecting that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will defer Pakistan`s review until its next board meeting, scheduled to be held in the last week of January.
• The approval of the Knance bill, seeking to amend certain laws related to taxes and duties, and the State Bank of Pakistan (Amendment) Bill 2021, is necessary to ensure Pakistan`s sixth review of the $6 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) is cleared by the IMF`s Executive Board, which is scheduled to meet on Jan 12 to decide about the disbursement of a nearly $1bn tranche.
• A senior cabinet member told Dawn the government might convene the Senate session on Monday (tomorrow) to allow Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin to lay the Finance (Supplementary) Bill2021 before it, as required under Article 73 of the Constitution

2. Pakistan`s positivity rate stays above 1pc

• As local transmission of the most transmissible variant of Covid19, Omicron, is now being reported from all across the country, Pakistan`s positivity rate remained over 1 per cent for the second consecutive day on January 1, 2022.
• Earlier positivity rate had remained less than 1pc for almost two months and it was being believed that Pakistan may not be forced by the virus to go for restrictions again.
• Since Pakistan started releasing the data regarding positivity rate in March 2020, the rate has remained over 1pc.

3. Pakistan, India exchange lists of prisoners, nuclear facilities

• Over 600 Indian prisoners are being held in Pakistan, while 355Pakistanis are languishing in Indian jails, according to the lists exchanged by the two countries on Saturday.
• `Today, the Government of Pakistan shared with the Indian High Commission in Islamabad a list of 628 Indian prisoners in Pakistan, including 51 civilians and 577 fishermen,` the FO said in a statement.
• New Delhi, meanwhile, shared with Pakistan`s High Commission in India a list of 355 Pakistani prisoners in Indian jails, including 282 civilians and 73 fishermen

4. Stampede at Hindu shrine in held Kashmir kills 12

• Twelve people were crushed to death in a stampede at a religious shrine in occupied Kashmir in the early hours of January 1, 2022 as tens of thousands of pilgrims massed to offer prayers, officials said.
• The disaster unfolded in darkness at around 3am on the packed route to the Vaishno Devi shrine in the disputed region, visited by millions every year as one of Hinduism`s most revered sites.

5. Government gives PCB green light to build stadium in Islamabad

• The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was given an approval by the government for the construction of a brand new cricket stadium in Islamabad by 2025.
• The decision was taken in a meeting held between PCB chairman Ramiz Raja and Prime Minister Imran Khan here.
• Pakistan is set to host the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy and Ramiz, since his election as the board`s chief, has been vocal about the state of international cricket venues in the country not being according to the required standard

6. At 21-month high, inflation hits 12.3pc

• Prices of consumer goods continued to rise in December as inflation edged up to 12.3 per cent from 11.5pc, the largest increase recorded in nearly two years, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) data released on January 1, 2022.
• Inflation measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI)has increased to its highest level in 21 months driven by a record rise in global oil prices, undermining earlier gains.
• It may be noted that the recent rise in oil price prices was the highest ever in the country`s history, which is expected to lead to an increase in the cost of food items due to higher transportation charges

7. France bans plastic packaging for fruit and veg

• A ban on the use of plastic to package a range of fruit and vegetables came into force in France on January 1, 2022, to the dismay of the sector`s packaging industry.
• Environmentalists have long campaigned against single-use plastics as pollution worsens globally while President Emmanuel Macron has backed the move defending a `pragmatic` approach.
• The October decree covers for example the sale of under 1.5 kilos (3.3 lbs) of apples.
• However, the full legislation will not be applied until 2026, allowing firms to adapt, including on the sale of red fruits considered fragile

8. EU moves to label nuclear, gas energy as `green`

• The European Union has drawn up plans to label some natural gas and nuclear energy projects as `green` investments after a year-long battle between governments over which investments are truly climate friendly.
• The European Commission is expected to propose rules in January deciding whether gas and nuclear projects will be included in the EU `sustainable finance taxonomy` This is a list of economic activities and the environmental criteria they must meet to be labelled as green investments.

9. UK sets New Year`s day temperature record

• Britain experienced its warmest New Year`s day on record after temperatures rose above 16 degress Celsius (60.8 Fahrenheit) for the first time on January 1, the country`s Meteorological Office said.
• The mercury climbed to 16.2C in St James`s Park in central London, according to a provisional Met Office reading, easily beating out the previous record of 15.6C set in Cornwall in 1916. The unprecedented warm start to the year follows the UK seeing its hottest New Year`s Eve on record, with several locations in England breaking previous highs set in 2011.

10. New York resumes crystal ball drop

• New York: About 15,000 revelers stood shoulder to shoulder as New York resumed its ritual of welcoming the new year with a ball-drop.
• A 6-ton ball, encrusted with nearly 2,700 crystals, descended above the crowd who cheered the year 2022 with chanting, singing and wild hugs.
• It was as close to normal as it could be in a city now in the grips of a new Covid mutant. Yet, the crowd was far fewer than the tens of thousands who participated in this world-famous ceremony at New York`s Times Square

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