February 2019

Day by Day Current Affairs (February 18, 2019) | MCQs for CSS, PMS

Current Affairs MCQs 2019 Daily Updates
Written by Shahzad F. Malik
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February 18, 2019: National Current Affairs

1. Saudi Crown Prince accorded rousing reception

• Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman arrived here on February 17, 2019 on his first official visit to Pakistan as the heir to the throne amid high security.
• Seven memorandums of understanding (MoUs) envisaging over $20 billion of Saudi investment were signed between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in different fields at a ceremony soon after his arrival in the federal capital.
• The issues of immigration clearance of Haj pilgrims, over 2.5 million overseas Pakistanis in Saudi Arabia and over 3,000 Pakistani prisoners in Saudi jails were also discussed and the crown prince assured Prime Minister Imran Khan, during a reception at PM House, that he would do his best to address these problems.
• Prime Minister Khan held aone-on-one meeting with Prince Mohammad followed by the inaugural session of the Supreme Coordination Council (SCC), a body to boost bilateral cooperation in different fields. The meeting was co-chaired by the prime minister and the crown prince.
• Later, a reception was hosted in the honour of the crown princeat PM House.
• According to the Foreign Office, Pakistan`s highest civil award, Nishan-i-Pakistan, will be conferred on the crown prince at an investiture ceremony at the Presidency on February 18, 2019.

2. Supreme Coordination Council set up

• Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on February 17, 2019 said that visa relaxation announced by the government for Saudi businessmen would boost economic activities in Pakistan.
• The minister said a high-powered Supreme Coordination Council (SCC) had been established to boost political, diplomatic and trade ties between the two countries.
• The first meeting of the SCC would be held during the Saudi crown prince`s stay in the country.

3. Four FC men martyred in Panjgur attack

• Four personnel of Frontier Corps were martyred in an attack in Panjgur district of Makran division on February 17, 2019.
• Unidentified armed men opened fire on FC personnel during the change of shifts at two check-posts located in a mountainous area on the outskirts of Panjgur town.
• Attackers took away weapons of the FC men.
• Soon after receiving information about the attack security forces rushed to the scenes of the occurrences.
• They shifted the bodies to the hospital and launched a search operation in the area to arrest the attackers.
• The deceased were identified as Lance Naik Abdul Rehman, Sepoy Nasibullah, Sepoy Noman and Haq Nawaz.

4. JeM remains a banned entity since 2002: Pakistan

• The Foreign Office has said that Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) remains a proscribed entity in Pakistan since 2002 and the country is implementing its obligations on sanctions.
• FO spokesman Dr Mohammad Faisal, in a statement in response to claims made by the Indian external affairs ministry on Feb 15 about Pakistan foreign secretary`s briefingto diplomatic corps, said Pakistan had rejected Indian allegations because these were made within a short time following the attack in Pulwama and without carrying out any investigation.
• `These knee-jerk and pre-conceived accusations were nevertheless consistent with well-rehearsed tactics from Indian playbool( after such incidents in the past,` Dr Faisal said. As for Indian assertion about `JeM`s claims of responsibility` and `video of the attacker`, he questioned the selective and self-serving standards that India adhered toin this respect.
• Pointing out a clear dichotomy in Indian position, the FO spokesperson said: `On one hand, India accepted the unverified social media content as gold standard. In contrast, India chose denial when confronted with voluntary confessions and acceptanceof responsibility by its serving naval commander Kulbhushan] Jadhav for perpetrating terrorist violence in Pakistan.

5. FATF group to review Pakistan`s performance today (February 18, 2019)

• A four-member Pakistani delegation will be witnessing on February 18, 2019 a review in Paris of its performance by an expert group of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on its compliance with global guidelines against terror financing and money laundering.
• The Pakistani delegation is led by Finance Secretary Arif Ahmed Khan
• The Asia-Pacific Group (APG), an associate firm of the Paris-based FATF, will present Pakistan`s report and responses to queries it was asked last month to the International Country Risk Guide (ICRG) Political Risk Services(PRS) group. The FATF plenary and its various group meetings will be held from Feb 18 to 22.
• `Pakistan is not a member of the ICRG-PRS group and hence it will not formally participate in the meeting,` a senior government official said, explaining that the APG was taking the Pakistani delegation along to be present on the sidelines for any input if required on the spot. The APG and the Pakistani team had a preliminary session on Sunday to review Pakistan`s updates.
• The Pakistani delegation is led by Finance Secretary Arif Ahmed Khan and comprises the director general of the Financial Monitoring Unit (FMU), a director of the foreign affairs ministry and a legal expert. The delegation would separately engage with members of the FATF and ICRG for diplomatic efforts to counter Indian moves to tarnish Pakistan`s image by propagating allegations of its involvement in the recent killing of its paramilitary personnel in India-held Kashmir.

February 18, 2019: International Current Affairs

6. Saudi Arabia signs warship deal with French firm

• Saudi Arabia signed a preliminary agreement on February 17, 2019 with France`s Naval Group to build warships in the kingdom, as part of its efforts to develop domestic manufacturing capabilities.
• Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI), the kingdom`s state defence company, made the announcement at the IDEX military exhibition in Abu Dhabi, a show piece event for Saudi Arabia`s close ally the United Arab Emirates.
• Saudi Arabia, among the top five defence spenders in the world, has been fighting a costly war in Yemen since 2015 in support of the internationally recognised government against the armed Houthi movement.
• The latest agreement includes building warships, frigates, corvettes and related items in Saudi Arabia through a majority SAMI-owned joint venture with the French firm.

7. Iran launches sub capable of firing `cruise missile`

• Iran on February 17, 2019 launched a new locally-made submarine capable of firing cruise missiles, state TV said, in the country`s latest show of military might at a time of heightened tensions with the US.
• The launch ceremony, led by President Hassan Rouhani, took place in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas.
• `Today, the Islamic Republic of Iran is fully self-reliant on land, air and sea,` Rouhani said.
• Named the Fateh (Farsi for `Conqueror`), Fars news agency said the new submarine is Iran`s first in the semi heavy category, filling a gap between the light Ghadir class and the heavy Kilo class submarines that the country possesses.

February 18, 2019: Sports Current Affairs

8. Indian group walks away from PSL deal

• The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on February 17, 2019 that IMG Reliance had refused to telecast matches of the HBL Pakistan Super League from February 18, 2019 onwards.
• The announcement of the new broadcast partner is likely to be made on February 18, 2019 following the signing of a fresh agreement.
• `We have been informed by IMG Reliance that they will be unable to partner with us for the remaining PSL season 4 games and PCB has reserved all its rights. The PCB always had a contingency plan in place and we are confident we will be in a position to announce the new partner on Monday after the completion of formalities,` Wasim Khan, the PCB`s managing director, said in a statement.
• The PCB has also noted the recent turn of events and expresses its extreme disappointment as we have always believed and emphasised that sports and politics should be kept apart.
• History tells us that sports, particularly cricket, have always played a key role in building bridges between people and countries.

9. Hasan, Wahab in devastating form as Peshawar rout Lahore

• It was a one-way traffic in the HBL Pakistan Super League on February 17, 2019 night as Hasan Ali and Wahab Riaz combined to help Peshawar Zalmi steamroll Lahore Qalandars by seven wickets at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
• A.B. de Villiers, the retired South African legend, must have wished for a happier ending rather than a crushing defeat on his 37th birthday.
• Leading the side in the absence of injured Mohammad Hafeez, de Villiers just watched helplessly as Lahore were blown away inside 16 overs for only 78 the second lowest total in PSL history after their own 59 last year, also against Peshawar.

10. Watson, bowlers star as Quetta drub Islamabad

• Quetta Gladiators put another clinical performance to early pace in the HBL Pakistan Super League by cruising to a seven-wicket win over defending champions Islamabad United in Dubai on February 17, 2019.
• Quetta`s second straight triumph at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium was set up by incisive bowling of Sohail Tanvir and Fawad Ahmed and the belligerence from the bats of Shane Watson and Umar Akmal.

Day by Day Current Affairs (February 18, 2019) | MCQs for CSS, PMS

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Shahzad F. Malik

Shahzad Faisal Malik is the administrator of CSSTimes.pk and is responsible for managing the content, design, and overall direction of the blog. He has a strong background in Competitive Exams and is passionate and sharing information with others.
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