1. Israel will become the World’s First Mask-Free Country from June 15

• Israel will become the world’s first mask-free country in the Corona period. Here the rule of applying masks in closed places will end from June 15. This was announced by Israel’s Health Minister Yuli Edelstein. The rule of applying masks outside has already been abolished in the country.
• However, most restrictions related to foreign travel have not yet been lifted. For example, travel to nine countries is still banned. There is a rule of quarantine for travellers coming from these countries. His corona test is also being done.

2. UAE, Brazil, Albania, Gabon, Ghana elected to UNSC

• UN Security Council elected Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana, and UAE as non-permanent members for the 2022-23 term. All ve countries, elected unopposed, will begin their term from 1 January 2022.
• The election for the non-permanent members of the Security Council is held through secret ballot and candidates require a two-thirds majority in the General Assembly to get elected.
• India, Ireland, Mexico and Norway had begun the term as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council from 1 January 2021. In the election, Ghana obtained 185 votes while Gabon received 183 votes.
• The United Arab Emirates received 179 votes and Albania got 175 votes. Gabon, Ghana, and the United Arab Emirate were elected from the African and Asian States seats. Brazil is elected from Latin American and Caribbean Group seat and the Eastern European Group seat went to Albania.

1. Cabinet approves Deep Ocean Mission of Ministry of Earth Sciences

• The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the implementation of  “Deep Ocean Mission”.
• This mission is proposed by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), to explore the deep ocean for resources and develop deep-sea technologies for sustainable use of ocean resources.
• The 5 year Mission will be implemented at an estimated cost of Rs. 4077 crore in a phase-wise manner.
• The first phase will be carried during 2021-2024, at an estimated cost of Rs. 2823.4 crore.
• The main objective of the Deep Ocean Mission is to support the Blue Economy Initiatives of the Government of India.
• Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) will be the nodal Ministry for implementing this multi-institutional ambitious mission.

2. UK and Australia agreed on historic free trade agreement

• A new free trade agreement with the United Kingdom will deliver more Australian jobs and business opportunities for exporters, bringing both countries closer together in a changing strategic environment.
• Prime Ministers Scott Morrison and Boris Johnson have agreed on the broad outlines of an Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
• The FTA is the right deal for Australia and the United Kingdom, with greater access to a range of high-quality products made in both countries as well as greater access for businesses and workers, all of which will drive economic growth and job creation in both countries.
• Australian producers and farmers will receive a significant boost by getting greater access to the UK market.

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 honors 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.

2.  Rajasthan govt will set Vedic Education and Sanskar Board

• The Rajasthan government will soon set up a Vedic Education and Sanskar Board to revive the knowledge of Sanskrit scriptures and Vedas. The board is likely to be formed in the next four to five months.
• A committee, formed to define aims, objectives and functioning of the board, has submitted its report to the state government, Minister of State (MoS) for Sanskrit Education Subhash Garg mentioned, adding modules will be presented before the board based on the report.
• He stated the Vedic board would come into function after approval from Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

1. India ties with Russia as 4th largest forex reserves holder

• As per Reserve Bank of India’s data, the foreign exchange reserves of India has crossed  $600 billion marks for the first time.
• The Forex reserve of India increased by USD 6.842 billion to $605.008 billion in the week ended June 04, 2021.
• This is the lifetime high of India’s foreign asset. With this, India has tied with Russia as the fourth largest reserve holder in the world. The forex reserve of Russia is calculated to be $605.2 billion.

2. 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.

3.  Wholesale inflation hits record high of 12.94% in May

• The wholesale price-based inflation accelerated to a record high of 12.94 per cent in May, on rising prices of crude oil and manufactured goods. The low base effect also contributed to the spike in WPI inflation in May 2021.
• In May 2020, WPI inflation was at (-) 3.37 per cent. In April 2021, WPI inflation hit double-digit at 10.49 per cent.
• The annual rate of inflation, based on monthly WPI, was 12.94 per cent for the month of May 2021 (over May 2020) as compared to (-) 3.37 per cent in May 2020.
• The Office of Economic Adviser, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade is releasing index numbers of Wholesale Price in India (Base Year: 2011-12) for the month of May 2021 (Provisional).

1 . IIT Roorkee prof bags NSG award for ‘blast-resistant’ helmet

• Shailesh Govind Ganpule, an assistant professor at the mechanical and industrial engineering department (MIED), was conferred the award with the ‘NSG Counter-IED and Counter-Terrorism Innovator Award 2021′ for developing a “blast-resistant” helmet.
• This was the second edition of the annual award by NSG. Ceremony held at the National Security Guard (NSG) campus in Maneswar, near Gurgaon.
• The ‘Blast-Resistant Helmet’ designed by Prof. Shailesh Ganpule is an advanced version of conventional helmets to protect military personnel from IED-induced blast waves with a technology readiness of 4.
• The ‘NSG Counter-IED & Counter-Terrorism Innovator Award’ is instituted by National Security Guard for deserving innovators who have made an outstanding contribution towards innovation in Counter IED and Counter-Terrorism fields to safeguard national security.

2. Environmental Organisation ‘Familial Forestry’ wins prestigious UN Award

• The 2021 Land for Life Award has been won by Familial Forestry of Rajasthan, a unique concept that relates a tree with a family, making it a green “family member.”
• The UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) organises the Land for Life Award every two years to recognize excellence and innovation in efforts towards land in balance. The theme for the 2021 Award is “Healthy Land, Healthy Lives”.
• The Land for Life Award was launched at the UNCCD COP (Conference of Parties) 10 in 2011. and is considered as the world’s highest reward regarding land conservation and restoration.
• Familial Forestry is an environment conservation concept by climate-activist Shyam Sunder Jyani, an Associate Professor for Sociology in Rajasthan, who has been campaigning for Familial Forestry for over 15 years.

3. LTI Awarded Snowflake Global Innovation Partner of the Year

• Larsen & Toubro Infotech, a global technology consulting and digital solutions company has been recognized as the Global Innovation Partner of the Year by Snowflake, the Data Cloud Company.
• LTI received this prestigious recognition during Snowflake Virtual Partner Summit.
• The award represents a key milestone for the strategic partnership between LTI and Snowflake and will strengthen collaboration between the companies to empower enterprises with innovative solutions and services.

1. 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.
• The Grievance Redressal Board will aim to provide independent adjudication on content grievances escalated to it.
• The members of the GRB include prominent personalities from the media and entertainment industry, online curated content providers, experts from various fields — including child rights, women rights, and media laws.

2. Mukesh Sharma appointed honorary member of WHO’s Technical Advisory Group

• Mukesh Sharma, a faculty at IIT Kanpur, has been appointed as an honorary member of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Global Air Pollution and Health – Technical Advisory Group (GAPH-TAG).
• Members of the Technical Advisory Group are selected across the globe and appointed by the Director-General, WHO. Sharma, associated with the civil engineering department at IIT Kanpur and an air quality expert, has melded rigorous research with policy engagement.
• The Technical Advisory Group is an advisory body to provide technical guidance and inputs to support the WHO’s efforts and work in the fields of air pollution and health issues.
• It also helps with how member countries could achieve the sustainable development goals (SDG) related to air pollution and health such as SDGs 3.9.1, 7.1.2 and 11.6.2.
• The United Nations adopted the SDGs in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure peace and prosperity for the people and the planet.

1. Microsoft names CEO Satya Nadella as chairman

• Microsoft Corp, named Chief Executive Officer, Satya Nadella as its new chairman. He took over as the software giant’s CEO in 2014, succeeding Steve Ballmer.
• He is credited with bringing new energy to the company, founded in 1975. The company also appointed former chairman John Thompson as a lead independent director.
• The top-level executive change comes just over a year after Gates stepped down from the board, saying he would focus on philanthropic works of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, one of the world’s biggest charities.

2. Govt appoints Aashish Chandorkar as director at India’s WTO mission

• The government of India has appointed a private person Aashish Chandorkar as Counsellor in India’s Permanent Mission in the World Trade Organisation for three years. For the first time, a private person has been appointed at the Mission.
• Chandorkar is director of Bengaluru-based policy think tank Smahi Foundation of Policy and Research. The WTO is a 164-member multi-lateral body, which deals with global trade. India is a member since 1995.

1. Federal Bank enlists Infosys for Oracle CX implementation

• Federal Bank has expanded its strategic collaboration with Oracle and Infosys, to offer an enhanced customer experience through Oracle CX (Customer Experience) platform.
• The collaboration will focus on creating a comprehensive integrated Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution across marketing, sales, customer service, and social listening to strengthen Federal Bank’s operations, and to deliver connected, data-driven, and intelligent customer experiences across all touchpoints.
• Federal Bank will launch a 360-degree view of the customer portfolio in a single application for its users, to achieve a ‘Single Source of Truth’.

2. ADB inks USD 484 million loan with GoI to upgrade road network in Tamil Nadu

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India have signed a $484 million loan, to improve transport connectivity and facilitate industrial development in the Chennai–Kanyakumari Industrial Corridor (CKIC) in Tamil Nadu.
• “The project is key to providing seamless road connectivity across industrial clusters, transport gateways and consumption centres, and help reduce logistics and production costs for CKIC’s targeted industries to boost their competitiveness.
• About 590 km of state highways in the CKIC influence areas will be upgraded that cover 23 of the 32 districts between Chennai and Kanyakumari.
• CKIC is part of the East Coast Economic Corridor (ECEC) of India, which stretches from West Bengal to Tamil Nadu.
• ECEC connects India to the production networks of South, Southeast, and East Asia.
• It must be noted that ADB is the lead partner of the Government of India in developing ECEC.

1. ICICI Bank launches ‘ICICI STACK for Corporates’

• ICICI Bank has announced the launch of ‘ICICI STACK for Corporates’, a comprehensive set of digital banking solutions for corporates and their entire ecosystem including promoters, group companies, employees, dealers, vendors and all other stakeholders.
• The wide range of 360-degree solutions enables corporates to seamlessly meet all banking requirements of their ecosystem in an expeditious and frictionless manner.

2. LIC CSL launches prepaid gift card in collaboration with IDBI Bank

• LIC Cards Services (LIC CSL) has launched a contactless prepaid gift card, ‘Shagun’, in collaboration with IDBI Bank on the RuPay platform.
• The purpose of this card is to expand the gift card market with an intent to promote cashless ways of gifting and present a wide range of end-use choices and in a future foray into the market of e-gift cards.
• NPCI partnered with LIC CSL & IDBI Bank for the launch of the Shagun Gift Card on RuPay network.
• Shagun card, in the initial phase, will be available to LIC and its subsidiaries for official use. The card will be used to facilitate awards and special rewards during official conferences and functions.
• The Shagun gift card offers customisation in the form of flexible loading of any amount ranging from Rs 500 to Rs 10,000. With this card, the customer can perform multiple transactions within the validity of 3 years.
• They can also use it to shop online, pay utility bills, book tickets for air, rail, bus, and so on through various mobile wallets and E-commerce portals or apps using this card. The contactless (tap & go) feature of the card is aimed at transforming the transaction experience for users.

3. Centrum gets RBI’s in-principle nod to take over PMC Bank

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has given “in-principle” approval to Centrum Financial Services Ltd (CFSL) to set up a small finance bank (SFB), which will take over the beleaguered Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative Bank (PMC Bank). It will get 120 days to commence operations.
• The amalgamation with PMC Bank is a separate process that would involve notification of the scheme by the government.
• The first year the partners would put in Rs 900 crore, which will be used for starting the business and acquiring PMC Bank. The second round of equity funding of Rs 900 crore will happen in the following year.

1. 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. 

2. India ranked 14th in World Giving Index 2021

• India has been ranked at 14th spot among 114 countries in the World Giving Index 2021, by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF).
• This rank is up from its 10-year global rank of 82. The World Giving Index ranking has been topped by Indonesia, followed by Kenya, Nigeria, Myanmar and Australia in the top five respectively.
• Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) is an international organisation based in the United Kingdom, that promotes giving to transform lives and communities across the world.
• World Giving Index offers a unique glimpse of global trends in generosity, and people from which country are most likely to engage in social activities for the benefit of their communities and to champion the growth of global giving.

3.  India ranked 2nd in share of central bank surplus transfers.

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was second in terms of reserves transferred to the government as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) for the fiscal year 2020-21. Turkey has been ranked first.
• RBI has transferred Rs 99,122-crore surplus to the government for FY21 which is 73% higher than the Rs 57,128 crore paid out in 2019-20.
• The surplus transferred by RBI constitutes 0.44% of GDP, while that of the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey constitutes 0.5% of GDP.

1. 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.

2. Wrestler Vinesh Phogat clinched gold medal in Poland open.

• Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat won the gold medal in the 53 kg category at the Poland Open. It is her third title of the season.
• Earlier, She had won gold at the Matteo Pellicone event (March) and Asian Championship (April). She defeated Ukraine’s Khrystyna Bereza in the final.
• Khrystyna Bereza won the silver medal at the Poland Open. Earlier, Indian wrestler Anshu Malik pulled out of the 57kg competition due to fever.

1. ‘Home in the World’ Book: by Amartya Sen’s memoir

• One of the world’s leading public intellectuals of our time, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has penned his memoir ‘Home in the World’.
• The book will be published in July by Penguin Random House. In this book, Sen shares how it was Rabindranath Tagore who gave him his name Amartya.
• He also reminisces the conversations at Calcutta’s famous Coffee House and at Cambridge, and Marx’s, Keynes’ and Arrow’s ideas all of which shaped his views.

2. 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.
• The cricketer shared a glimpse of his cricket career which included success, failure, injuries, setbacks, and how he came out on top of it.
• He revealed how the BCCI, senior players, and scholarship from Air India helped him grow as a cricketer during student life.
• He also revealed that it was great to be named as the best fielder in India by former South Africa great Jonty Rhodes and learned from the experience of playing with the likes of Yuvraj Singh, Mohd Kaif, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid.
• In the book, he narrated the importance of hope, love, work, and camaraderie that made him one of the most revered white-ball batsmen in the world.

1. Weyan village in Bandipora, India’s first to inoculate all adults

• Weyan, a village in district Bandipora (J&K) has become the first village in the country, where the entire population above 18 years has been vaccinated.
• The vaccination in Weyan village was covered under the J&K model, a 10-point strategy to inoculate everyone who is eligible for the shots at a faster pace.
• The Union territory also achieved 70 per cent vaccination for those in the 45+ age group despite the initial vaccine hesitancy, almost double the national average.
• The village is located only 28 kilometres away from Bandipora district headquarters, but a distance of 18 kilometres has to be covered by foot as there is no motorable road

1. Facebook launches ‘Report it, Don’t share it!’ initiative

• Social media giant Facebook has launched a new initiative ‘Report it, Don’t share it!’ that encourages people to report child abuse content on its platforms and not to share it.
• The initiative ‘Report it, don’t share it’ is in collaboration with civil society organisations like Aarambh India Initiative, Cyber Peace Foundation and Arpan. 
• To report content where a child is at risk, call 1098 and report it to the Childline India Foundation. If the content exists on Facebook’s family of apps, it can be reported on fb.me/onlinechildprotection.
• Facebook also partnered with Bollywood actress Neha Dhupia who runs a community ‘Freedom to Feed’ on Instagram, which is a safe space for women to speak about breastfeeding and have an open dialogue about the challenges surrounding it. But the community has evolved to become a space for discussing diverse aspects of parenting too.

1. Defence Minister Approves Budgetary Support of Rs 499 cr for innovations

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved the budgetary support of Rs 498.8 crore for iDEX-DIO (Innovations for Defence Excellence – Defence Innovation Organisation) for the next five years.
• The funds will be used to provide financial support to nearly 300 start-ups, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and individual innovators with a larger goal of ensuring self-reliance in the defence sector.
• The scheme is in sync with the government’s push to cut imports of military hardware and weapons and make India a hub for defence manufacturing.
• Facilitate rapid development of new, indigenized, and innovative technologies for the Indian defence and aerospace sector in shorter timelines.
• Create a culture of engagement with innovative startups, to encourage co-creation for defence and aerospace sectors.
• Empower a culture of technology co-creation and co-innovation within the defence and aerospace sectors.

1. RBI allows prepaid mobile recharges through Bharat Bill Payment System

• According to RBI, The scope of the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) will be expanded by August 31 this year by adding ‘mobile prepaid recharges as a biller category.
• BBPS is an interoperable platform for recurring bill payments operated by the National Payments Corporation of India.
• In May, 213.59 million bill payment transactions were carried out through the BBPS channel. BBPS was started in 2014 as a platform for repetitive bill payments.

2. Policybazaar gets insurance broking licence

• Policybazaar has got approval from regulator IRDAI to undertake insurance broking, a development that will help the company augment business and expand its bouquet of services.
• With this development, the company will surrender its web aggregator licence to the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) and undertake business including insurance aggregation under the broking umbrella.
• The broking licence will allow the company to venture into segments which it could not do in the past like claims assistance, offline services, and establish Points of Presence network. Policybazaar has a market share of 25 per cent in the life insurance segment while 10 per cent in health insurance.

1. 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.
• The theme for the Summit –‘Building Back Better’.
• The UK invited Australia, India, South Korea, and South Africa(jointly called ‘Democracy 11’) as Guest Countries to the 2021 summit.
• The 47th G7 Leaders’ Summit has been called the 1st ever net-zero G7as all have committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 (or at the latest with ambitious reductions targets in the 2020 decade).
• PM Narendra Modi participated in the1st Outreach Session of the G7 Summit, he was the lead speaker for the session titled ‘Building Back Stronger – Health’, which focused on global recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and on strengthening resilience against future pandemics.
  2. 2021 NATO Summit Held in Brussels, Belgium
• The leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)held a face-to-face summit on NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.
• The 2021 Brussels summit of NATO was the 31stformal meeting of the heads of state and heads of government of the alliance.
• The summit of the 30-member NATO group was held as a part of S. President Joe Biden’sfirst foreign trip since he took office.
• All the leaders agreed on the “NATO 2030”agenda, a comprehensive initiative to make sure that the alliance remains ready to face future challenges.
• The agenda also states that NATO will strengthen political consultation and the resilience of society, reinforce defence and deterrence, sharpen the technological edge, and develop its next Strategic Concept in time for the summit in 
• The bloc agreed on a new cyber defence policy, to ensure that the bloc has strong technical capabilities, political consultations, and military planning in place to “keep its systems secure.”
  3. PM Modi Virtually Addresses 5th edition of VivaTech in Paris
• Prime Minister,  Narendra Modivirtually addressed the 5th edition of VivaTech. VivaTech is one of the largest digital and startup events of Europe, held in Paris every year since 
• PM Modi was invited as a Guest of Honourto deliver the keynote address at VivaTech 2021, which has been organised from 16-19 June 2021 in Paris. During his address, PM Modi invited the world to invest in India based on the five pillars: Talent, Market, Capital, Eco-system and, Culture of openness.
• Other prominent speakers of the event include the President of France  Emmanuel Macron,Prime Minister of Spain Mr. Pedro Sanchez, and Ministers/MPs from various European countries.
• VivaTech is jointly organized by Publicis Groupe, a prominent advertising and marketing conglomerate, and Les Echos, a leading French media group.
• The event brings together stakeholders in technology innovation and the startup ecosystem.
• It includes exhibitions, awards, panel discussions and startup contests.

1. European Space Agency to Launch ‘EnVision’ Mission to Venus in 2030

• European Space Agency (ESA), is now developing its own probe to study Venus, for holistic view of planet from its inner core to upper atmosphere.
• The mission dubbed as “EnVision” will probably be launched to the planet in early 2030.
• EnVision probe of ESA will determine how and why Venus and Earth evolved so differently, even while being in the habitable zone to the Sun.
• ESA will undertake this mission with contributions from NASA.
• EnVision spacecraft will carry a range of instruments to study the planet’s atmosphere and surface, monitor trace gases in the atmosphere and analyse its surface composition. NASA would provide a radar to image and map the surface.

2. IIT Ropar develops India’s first power-free CPAP device ‘Jivan Vayu’

• The Indian Institute of Technology, (IIT) Ropar has developed a device dubbed ‘Jivan Vayu’ which can be used as a substitute for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine.  Jivan Vayu can deliver high flow oxygen up to 60 Litres Per Minute (LPM).
• This machine is India’s first such device that functions even without electricity and can work on both kinds of oxygen generation units like O2 cylinders and oxygen pipelines in hospitals.
• Earlier these provisions were not available in existing CPAP machines.
• CPAP therapy is a treatment method for patients having breathing problems during sleep called sleep apnea.

3. European Space Agency (ESA) will launch world’s first wooden satellite

• The European Space Agency (ESA) has planned to launch the world’s first wooden satellite.
• It is going to be launched from New Zealand. It will be launched from a Rocket Lab Electron rocket by the end of 2021. The satellite is the brainchild of Jari Makinen.
• The satellite, WISA Woodsat, is a nanosatellite. It is 10cm on each side, length, height, and width.
• The sensors of the satellite have been developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) and designers have placed the wood in a thermal vacuum chamber to keep it dry.
• A very thin aluminium oxide layer has been used to minimize the vapour coming from the wood and to protect it from the erosive effects of atomic oxygen. The non-wooden external parts are made up of aluminium rails.

1. World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought: 17 June

• World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is observed on 17th June every year. The day is celebrated to raise awareness of the presence of desertification and drought, and highlight methods of preventing desertification and recovering from drought.
• “Restoration. Land. Recovery. We build back better with healthy land” is the theme for 2021 World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought.
• In 1994, the United Nations General Assembly declared June 17 the “World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought” to market public awareness of the difficulty.
• The World Day to Combat Desertification may be a unique occasion to remind everybody that desertification is often effectively tackled, that solutions are possible, which key tools to the present aim lay in strengthened community participation and co-operation in the least levels.

2. Sustainable Gastronomy Day: 18 June

• Sustainable Gastronomy Day is observed on 18 June globally to focus the attention of the world on the role that sustainable gastronomy plays in our lives. The day was designated by UN General Assembly on 21 December 2016.
• Gastronomy means the practice or art of choosing, cooking, and eating good food. In other words, Sustainable gastronomy takes into account where the ingredients are from, how the food is grown and how it gets to our markets and eventually to our plates.
• The day reaffirms that all cultures and civilizations are contributors and crucial enablers of sustainable development.

3. National Reading Day: 19 June

• The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) celebrates National Reading Day annually on 19 June. The Day is celebrated to honour the father of the ‘Library Movement in Kerala’, the late P.N. Panicker, whose death anniversary falls on June 19.
• In 2021, 26th National Reading Day is being celebrated. The week following June 19 will be observed as Reading Week and the entire month till July 18 will be observed as Reading Month.
• The first Reading Day celebration was held in 1996. On June 19, 2017, Prime Minister launched the 22nd National Reading Month Celebrations and called for unity to spread the message of ‘Read and Grow’ among all the citizens of the country by 2022.