1) World Elder Abuse Awareness Day: 15 June
•World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is observed globally on 15th June every year. This day is celebrated to raise a voice for the elderly who are abused and victimized. The main objective of this day is to provide an opportunity for communities around the globe to promote a better understanding of abuse and neglect of older persons by creating awareness of the cultural, social, economic and demographic processes affecting elder abuse and neglect.
2) Naftali Bennett Takes Charge as Israel’s new Prime Minister
•Naftali Bennett, the former Defence Minister of Israel, and leader of the Yamina party took oath as the Prime Minister of the country. The 49-year-old former tech entrepreneur replaces Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been forced out of office after 12 years (2009 to 2021). (Netanyahu is the longest-serving PM of Israel).
•Bennett will lead a new coalition government, formed with Yair Lapid, head of the centrist Yesh Atid party. The new Coalition government will run on a rotation basis, which means that Bennett would serve as Israel’s prime minister until September 2023, following which Lapid would take charge of the office, for the next two years, until 2025.
3) India slips 12 spots to 55th position in Global Home Price Index
•India has moved down 12 spots in the global home price index to 55th rank in Q1 2021 against 43rd rank in Q1 2020, with a decline of 1.6 per cent year-on-year (YoY) in home prices, Knight Frank, in its latest research report “Global House Price Index” – Q1 2021.
•Global Home Price Index is prepared by the London-based Knight Frank, which monitors housing prices in 56 countries. Turkey continues to lead the annual rankings with prices up by 32 per cent YoY, followed by New Zealand.
4) India’s retail inflation touches 6.3% in May
•India’s retail inflation shot up to a six-month high of 6.3 per cent in May, after easing to a three-month low of 4.23 per cent in April. Inflation, based on Consumer Price Index (CPI), has breached the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) target range for the first time after five months. The RBI is mandated to maintain the crucial number at 4 per cent in the medium term, with a 2 percentage point margin on either side as part of its inflation target.
•National Statistical Office data for retail inflation showed food inflation shot up to 5% in May from 2% in April as prices of protein items such as meat, fish, eggs, oils and fats accelerated. The fuel bill also went up 11.6% as the government increased retail prices of petrol and diesel after state election results on 2 May. Services inflation jumped as costs of health, transport and personal care rose during the second wave of the pandemic.
5) Justice AK Sikri to chair IAMAI’s Grievance Redressal Board
•The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has roped in former Supreme Court Justice (Retd.) Arjan Kumar Sikri to chair the Grievance Redressal Board (GRB), formed as a part of the Digital Publisher Content Grievances Council (DPCGC). The GRB will address content grievances pertaining to any of the DPCGC member’s video streaming services.
•With the addition of Apple, BookMyShow Stream, Eros Now, and Reeldrama, the DPCGC currently has 14 publishers of online curated content as members. Others include which include Amazon Prime Video, Alt Balaji, Firework TV, Hoichoi, Hungama, Lionsgate Play, MX Player, Netflix, Shemaroo, and Ullu.
6) Assam to institute own versions of Bharat Ratna and Padma awards
•The Assam government will present its own versions of the Bharat Ratna and the Padma awards from next year. The cabinet also instituted other civilian honours such as the Asom Bibhushan Award to be presented to three persons, the Assam Bhushan to five, and the Asom Shree to 10 people every year. These 4 awards will carry cash prizes of Rs 5 lakh, Rs 3 lakh, Rs 2 lakh & Rs 1 lakh respectively.
7) 47th G7 summit held in UK’s Cornwall
•The 47th G7 Leaders’ Summit 2021 (Outreach Session of the G7 meeting) took place in a Hybrid format from June 11-13, 2021 at Cornwall, United Kingdom (UK). It was hosted by the United Kingdom (UK) as it holds the Presidency of G7 for 2021. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually participated in the meeting and called G7 summit members for the ‘One Earth One Health’ approach to effectively deal with the coronavirus pandemic globally, and sought the support of the G7 grouping to lift patent protections for COVID-19 vaccines.
8) Cricketer Suresh Raina releases his autobiography ‘Believe’
•Former Indian batsman, Suresh Raina has released his autobiography ‘Believe – What Life and Cricket Taught Me’. The book is co-authored by Bharat Sundaresan, Suresh Raina narrated the journey he has had for India and the golden word (Believe) from Sachin Tendulkar that he etched on his arm as a tattoo.
9) D. Gukesh wins Gelfand Challenge chess title
•D. Gukesh sensationally won the $15,000 Gelfand Challenge chess title and with it, a ‘wild card’ for the elite Meltwaters Champions Chess Tour. He won all four rounds, including the key battle against Praggnanandhaa, and emerged on top after a series of favourable results from the games involving other title-contenders.
