Daily Top-10 Current Affairs MCQs / News (February 19, 2022) for CSS, PMS

Shahzad F. Malik

2 years ago

Daily Top-10 Current Affairs MCQs / News (February 19, 2022) for CSS, PMS

WELCOME TO CSS TIMES DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS, YOUR BEST SOURCE FOR UP-TO-DATE AND DAILY TOP CURRENT AFFAIRS 2021 FOR PREPARATION OF CSS, PMS, BANKING, NTS, RAILWAYS AND ALL COMPETITIVE EXAMS. “DAY TO DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS” BASICALLY IS TOP 10 NEWS SUMMARY ON CURRENT HAPPENINGS OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL IMPORTANCE FOR ALL EXAMINATIONS

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February 19, 2022: National / International Current Affairs

1. Bill on penalties for bankers clears Senate panel

• A Senate panel on February 18, 2022 unanimously approved a bill that envisages punishments for executives of banks and financial institutions for discriminating against anybody, including politically exposed persons (PEPs), in the provision of banking services.
• A meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance, chaired by Senator Talha Mahmood, also directed the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to submit a written statement within three days on the status and details of $250 million repatriated to Pakistan by the National Crime Agency (NCA) of the United Kingdom.
• The `Banking Companies Amendment Bill 2021` was moved in the Senate by Mr Mahmood himself after different members, on several occasions, raised the issue of banks` discriminatory attitude towards parliamentarians, such as refusal to open bank accounts or issue credit cards, etc

2. PM to inaugurate `Rashan Riayat` disbursement today

• Prime Minister Imran Khan is likely to visit a utility store in Islamabad to inaugurate the roll-out of `Ehsaas Rashan Riayat` for low-income families on February 18, 2022.
• The country`s first ever targeted commodity subsidies programme is in line with the prime minister`s vision to provide relief to the masses and target government subsidies.
• At the retail outlet, the prime minister will witness the digitally enabled `Ehsaas Rashan Riayat` disbursal to eligible families.
• Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection Senator Dr Sania Nishtar will brief him on the salient features of end-to-end digitised programme, which is the first of its kind worldwide

3. Political parties bag only 37pc of votes in first phase of LG polls

• In what speaks volumes about the minimal influence of political parties at the grassroots level, their combined vote bank was as low as 37pc in the first phase of the local government elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa against the independents` share of 63pc.
• The most worrisome aspect of the conduct of the elections was the unprecedented poor quality of the preparation of election results by returning officers and the negligence of the higher authorities of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
• Pattan shared these findings with media persons at a press conference on February 18, 2022

4. Govt, Bank of Khyber agree to launch Rs12bn SME refinancing initiative

• The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and Bank of Khyber on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to launch Rs12 billion refinancing schemes to meet the capital and modernization needs of the province`s small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
• The schemes are likely to be available for SMEs in the second week of next month and will be executed by the BOK in coordination with the industries department.
• BOK managing director Ali Gulfaraz and provincial industries secretary Zulfiqar Ali Shah signed the MoU during a special ceremony, where provincial finance minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra and special assistant to the chief minister for industries Abdul Karim Khan Tordher were also present

5. 1,800 MHz spectrum rationalised successfully

• The telecom sector regulator for the first time has streamlined the spectrum allotted to the telecom companies by rationalising the 1,800 megahertz (MHz) spectrum.
• The rationalisation plan for the 1,800 MHz spectrum band was issued by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) in consultation with the Frequency Allocation Board (FAB) at the time of additional spectrum auction in September last year.
• While the rationalisation has been completed, its implementation will take time due to the alignment of the existing equipment with the new setup by telecom companies. The benefits of this move will be visible to telecom customers in some time.
• Earlier, various spectrums of 1,800 band were scattered among the four telecom companies operating in Pakistan.

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6. Delhi indignant over Singapore PM`s `criminal` remarks

• India has complained to Singapore about a remark its prime minister made on the number of Indian parliamentarians facing criminal charges, an Indian official said on February 18, 2022, in a rare instance of friction between the Asian allies.
• Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong made the remark in Singapore`s parliament on Wednesday during a debate about accusations of lying levelled at a member of Singapore`s opposition.
• Lee, referring to parliamentary standards, mentioned India, suggesting a decline there since its first prime minister after independence from Britain in 1947, Jawaharlal Nehru, was in charge

7. Iran nuclear talks nearing `decision point`

• Several world powers have indicated that a deal at least in principle to revive the Iran nuclear accord may be just days away, but experts warn that failure still cannot be ruled out.
• The 2015 accord had offered Tehran sanctions rehef in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme, but the US unilaterally withdrew in 2018 under then-president Donald Trump and re-imposed heavy economic sanctions, prompting Iran to start ramping up its nuclear activities.
• The outline of a new deal appears to be on the table in talks which have been held in Vienna since late November between signatories Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States indirectly

8. UAE, India sign `milestone` pact to boost economies

• The United Arab Emirates and India signed a `milestone` economic deal to boost trade and investment on February 18, 2022, as the countries seek to bolster their economies after the coronavirus pandemic.
• Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the UA E`s de facto ruler, and India`s Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a virtual summit to witness the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, among other pacts. The deal`s signing `is a milestone event in our bilateral relations`, the official Emirati news agency WAM quoted Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar as saying.
• `It will open new opportunities in both trade in goods and services, and will lead to enhanced investments.` WAM said the pact is `expected to usher in a new era of economic cooperation and unlock greater avenues for trade and investment`

9. Pro-Moscow fighters start evacuating civilians from Ukraine`s east

• Spiking tensions in eastern Ukraine on Friday aggravated Western fears of a Russian invasion and a war in Europe, with a humanitarian convoy hit by shelling and pro-Russia rebels evacuating civilians from the conflict zone.
• The Kremlin declared massive nuclear drills to flex its military muscle, and President Vladimir Putin pledged to protect Russia`s national interests against what he sees as encroaching Western threats.
• But immediate worries focused on eastern Ukraine as pro-Moscow rebels in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, which form Ukraine`s industrial heartland called the Donbas, announced they had started evacuating civilians to Russia. The announcement appeared to be part of Moscow`s efforts to counter Western warnings of a Russian invasion, and paint Ukraine as the aggressor instead

10. Pakistan Super League At long last, Kings savour victory

• After Mir Hamza sent back both Lahore Qalandars openers, Karachi Kings could sense their time had come.
• Finally, a first win of a dismal campaign seemed on the horizon.
• Having lost the opening eight games of the round robin stage, Babar Azam`s men were already out of the race for the playoffs. Their remaining two games, starting with the one against Qalandars on Friday night, were a chance to salvage some pride.
• They did, and most importantly, in the Lahore Karachi grudge match of the HBL Pakistan Super League at the Gaddafi Stadium

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