Daily Top-10 Current Affairs MCQs/News (Jun 23 2023) for CSS

Table of Contents

6. UAE firm to operate Karachi Terminal

• Skipping the normal process of inviting competitive bids, the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) has entered into a 50-year concession agreement with the Abu Dhabi Ports Group (ADPG) of the UAE government to operate the Karachi Gateway Terminal Ltd (KGTL).
• Sindh Governor Kamran Khan Tessori inaugurated the gateway by unveiling the plaque in a ceremony held at KPT.
• The UAE`s ADPG would manage, operate and develop KGTL with an investment of $1 billion.
• The 50-year concession agreement would attract a much-needed investment of over $2bn to expand and modernise shipment facilities and establish a special economic zone and rail connectivity between KPT and Port Qasim.

7. US rolls out red carpet for Modi amid protests

• Even though US President Joe Biden said the relationship with India `would define the next century`, he made a faint reference to the human rights situation under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• Addressing a press conference after their meeting at the White House on June 22, 2023, Mr Biden called religious pluralism a `core principle` for both India and the US and said democratic values `face challenges around the world and in each of our countries`.
• The Indian prime minister defended his record and criticised those who questioned India`s democratic character. `Regardless of caste, creed, religion, gender, there`s absolutely no space for discrimination

8. UN puts Russia on `list of shame` for killing children

• United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres called out Russia on June 22, 2023 for killing 136 children in Ukraine in 2022, adding its armed forces to a global list of offenders, according to a report to the UN Security Council.
• The United Nations also verified that Russian armed forces and affiliated groups maimed 518 children and carried out 480 attacks on schools and hospitals. Russian armed forces also used 91 children as human shields, according to the report.
• Russia has denied targeting civilians since it invaded Ukraine on Feb 24, 2022.
• The report also verified that Ukrainian armed forces killed 80 children, maimed 175 children and carried out 212 attacks on schools and hospitals. The Ukrainian armed forces are not on the global offenders list

9. Israel demolishes home of jailed Palestinian

• Israeli forces on June 22, 2023 demolished the home of a Palestinian accused of killing a soldier in the occupied West Bank, which has been hit by a new outbreak of violence.
• This week, at least 18 people have been killed in the territory, in incursions by the Israeli military, or in attacks by Palestinians or Jewish settlers.
• So far this year, more than 200 people have died in violence linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the vast majority of them Palestinians

10. Google launches startup cloud programme

• Google launched on June 22, 2023 its Startups Cloud Programme in Pakistan, which is aimed at empowering the local up-and-coming technology-driven firms with tools, resources and credits up to $350,000 for AI startups to grow and scale their businesses in the cloud.
• Addressing the participants of the virtual launch ceremony, Google`s Country Director Farhan S. Qureshi said providing technology-based startups with an enabling environment could add $60 billion to the national GDP by 2030.
• Cloud storage helps companies access their data anywhere and anytime regardless of their geographical location or specific devices through the internet