Daily Top-10 Current Affairs MCQs / News (December 31, 2021) for CSS, PMS

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December 31, 2021: National / International Current Affairs

1. 17pc tax on number of items proposed; Tarin dismisses inflation fears

• Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin presented in the National Assembly on December 30, 2021 the Finance (Supplementary) Bill 2021 envisaging withdrawal of sales tax exemptions worth Rs343 billion on machinery, pharma and imported food items.
• The bill also proposes an increase in rates of federal excise duty, income tax and sales tax on services in the federal capital territory.
• Mr Tarin explained that sales tax on machinery and pharma sector is adjustable and refundable. He said the levy of 17 per cent sales tax on several hundred items, which would directly or indirectly affect the people, would raise around Rs71bn for the national kitty.
• The withdrawal of tax exemptions includes Rs31bnonluxurygoodsand Rs31bn on business goods

2. Local govts term ends today

• As local bodies complete their tenure on December 31, 2021 (today), mayors, chairmen and other elected representatives held on Thursday a concluding ceremony in the Town Hall.
• The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf`s (PTI) Punjab government had dissolved the local bodies constituted under the Punjab Local Government Act (PLGA) 2013 in May 2019 soon after coming to power.
• However, the Supreme Court ordered restoration of local government institutions after declaring their dissolution as unconstitutional.
• In October, the local government representatives assumed the charge after the Punjab government formally issued a notification to implement the orders of the Supreme Court for the restoration of the local government

3. Tech-based design devised to hold census

• The government has devised a modern and technology based design to hold fresh census in 2022 that involves geo-tagging of each structure, tablet-based and self-enumeration system to fetch improved quality of data.
• Sketchy details of the plan for the upcoming census emerged at the third sensitisation workshop of the series in connection with the forthcoming 7thPopulation and Housing Census 2022, the first-ever Digital Census of Pakistan, organised by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics at the Institute of Business Administration on Thursday

4. KP govt to build, rehabilitate minority worship places, housing colonies

• The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has approved a Rs513 million project to construct and rehabilitate 109 worships places and residential colonies of minorities across the province.
• Officials told Dawn that the Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) in its meeting approved the project, which will benefit a large number of the province`s minority population.
• The details available with Dawn show that the highest numbers of 19 projects have been allocated to Peshawar.
• In addition to this, 10 projects are located in Kohat district, 17 in Lower Chitral, nine in Abbottabad and 11 in Mardan

5. Sindh cabinet modifies rules for recruitment of police officers

• The Sindh cabinet on December 30, 2021 discussed and decided recruitment rules to create police cadre in the provincial service.
• The provincial government, which had earlier gone into a deadlock with the federal government over appointment and transfer of PSP officers, in the meantime drafted recruitment rules for senior officers, from superintendent of police (BS-18) to additional IGP (BS-21).
• The meeting, held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, was attended by all provincial ministers, advisers, special assistants, acting chief secretary and other relevant officers.

6. 45 journalists killed in 2021 around globe

• A total of 45 journalists were killed in connection with their work in the year 2021, research done by the International Press Institute (IPI) revealed on December 30, 2021.
• Seven of the killings took place in Mexico, six each in Afghanistan and India and three in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
• The sombre tally reflects the continued risks of doing journalism and reaffirms journalist safety as a global challenge.
• The IPI in a statement called upon the authorities to end impunity for these crimes and to ensure the protection of journalists, who must be able to do their work freely and safely

7. Electronic monitoring of vaccinators, registration of vaccinated children made mandatory from next month

• The Sindh health department has made use of electronic monitoring of vaccination and vaccinators and registration of vaccinated children mandatory under the immunisation outreach programme from Jan 2022, according to project director of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) Dr Irshad Memon.
• He told Dawn the other day that directives to this effect had already been issued to all district health officers (DHOs).
• He said the step was taken to effectively address complaints that vaccinators shirked their job and used political clout to stay away from work.
• Around 4,500 vaccinators are engaged in immunisation which covered 11 antigens until 2021. From January onwards, rubella vaccine will become part of the immunisation coverage, raising total number of antigens from 11 to 12.

8. Taliban chief orders fighters not to `punish` ex-officials

• The Taliban`s supreme leader has ordered fighters not to punish members of Afghanistan`s former regime for past `crimes` days after a video of an army commander being beaten went viral on social media.
• The order, tweeted on Thursday by group spokesman Mohammad Naeem, also urged Taliban authorities to discourage Afghans from leaving the country as they would not be respected abroad.
• `Don`t punish employees of the previous regime for their past crimes,` Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada was quoted as telling followers in Kandahar, the birthplace of the hardline Islamist movement. The Taliban chief who has not been filmed or photographed in public for years said a general amnesty announced after the Islamists took power in August should be honoured

9. Iran conducts space launch amid nuclear talks

• Iran announced on December 30, 2021 it has carried out a new space launch, in a move likely to irk Western powers amid tough talks on reviving a 2015 nuclear deal.
• Tehran successfully put its first military satellite into orbit in April 2020, drawing a sharp rebuke from Washington.
• Western governments worry that satellite launch systems incorporate technologies interchangeable with those used in ballistic missiles capable of delivering a nuclear warhead.
• Iran insists its space programme is for civilian and defence purposes only, and does not breach the nuclear deal or any other international agreement. UN Security Council Resolution 2231 of 2015, endorsing the nuclear deal, imposed no blanket ban on Iranian rocket or missile launches

10. Pakistan crash against SL in U-19 Asia Cup semi-final

• A dismal chase means Pakistan is no longer in the race for the Junior Asia Cup title.
• Having bowled out the Sri Lankans for 147, Pakistan could only manage 125 before being all out in the final over of a low-scoring semi-final in Dubai on December 30, 2021.
• Sri Lanka will now face India for the title after the latter romped past Bangladesh by 103 runs in the other semi-final in Sharjah. Pakistan had won Pool `A` while Bangladesh were the winners of Pool `B`.
• Spinners Treveen Mathwew (4-31) and Dunith Wellalage (3-31) did the damage against Pakistan, with six of their batters failing to reach double figures

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