Daily Top-10 Current Affairs MCQs / News (June 16, 2022) for CSS, PMS

Table of Contents

6. UN decries Taliban over `systematic oppression` of women

• The UN rights chief on Wednesday slammed the Taliban`s `institutionalised systematic oppression` of women and girls in Afghanistan, warning they face a `critical` situation.
• Since the Taliban returned to power last August, Afghanis have been `experiencing some of the darkest moments of a generation`, Michelle Bachelet told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
• She decried especially the `scourge of gender inequality` since the Taliban takeover, despite promises they would pursue a softer version of the harsh Islamist rule that characterised their first stint in power from 1996 to 2001.
• But many restrictions have already been imposed

7. EU signs gas deal with Egypt, Israel to end dependency on Russia

• Israel and Egypt plan to boost gas exports to Europe under an agreement signed during a Cairo visit on Wednesday by the European Commission president as the bloc seeks to wean itself off Russian gas.
• Ursula von der Leyen also pledged relief worth 100 million euros ($104 million) for food security in Egypt, which has been reeling from grain shortages as a result of the Ukraine war.
• `Russia`s war against Ukraine has exposed our European dependency on Russian fossil fuels, and we want to get rid of this dependency,` von der Leyen told a joint press conference with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi

8. China will keep backing Russia, Xi assures Putin

• Chinese President Xi Jinping told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a call on June 15, 2022 that Beijing would keep backing Moscow on `sovereignty and security`, according to state media.
• China is `willing to continue to offer mutual support (to Russia) on issues concerning core interests and major concerns such as sovereignty and security,` Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported XI as saying.
• It was the second reported call between the two leaders since Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine on February 24. China has refused to condemn Moscow`s invasion and has been accused of providing diplomatic cover for Russia by blasting Western sanctions and arms sales to Kyiv

9. Indian forces kill two in held Kashmir

• Indian forces killed two people in held Kashmir on June 15, 2022, one of them suspected of gunning down a bank manager this month, police said, part of a stepped-up operation that has triggered an exodus from the Muslim-majority region.
• `Indian troops killed two [alleged] militants this morning in a gun battle; one of them, Jan Mohammad Lone, was involved in the killing of a bank manager, said Vijay Kumar, the police chief of occupied Kashmir.
• Fighters entered a branch of the Ellaquai Dehati Bank in Kulgam town this month and killed the manager, who came from the desert state of Rajasthan, and had only been posted to the branch four days earlier.
• A little-known group, known as the Kashmir Freedom Fighters, claimed responsibility for the attack, warning outsiders not to settle in the India-held valley

10. Babar, Imam claim top two ODI batting spots

• For the first time, Pakistan batters are occupying the top two positions in One-day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals as per the latest rankings of teams and players issued by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on June 15, 2022.
• In ODIs, captain Babar Azam and compatriot opener Imam-ul-Haq are at the first and second places, respectively, leaving behind India`s batting greats Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma at third and fourth ,respectively.
• The 26-year-old Imam top-scored in the recently-held three-match ODI series against the West Indies in Multan, amassing 199 runs (three half centuries) averaging 66.33.
• Right-handed Babar in the said series totalled 181 with the help of one century and a half-century, averaging 181