# Srilanka

• Srilankan president Gotabaya rajapaksha who fled Srilanka and took refuge in the Maldives early on Wednesday, ahead of his promised resignation, appointed prime minister Ranil wickramasinghe as acting president.
• Late on Wednesday, a Gazette notification was issued by the president appointing Mr. Wickramasinghe to “exercise, perform and discharge the powers, duties and functions of the office of president” with effect from Wednesday.
• Meanwhile, anti government protestors broke into the main state television station and briefly took over broadcasts on Wednesday.

# Vaccination

• As part of the Azaadi ka amrit mahotsav, free precautions doses of Covid-19 vaccines will be available for all citizens above 18 years of age at government vaccination centres for 75 days from July 15.
• Union Minister of information and broadcasting Anurag singh Thakur announced after the union cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
• According to government data, 96% of India’s population has been administered the first dose, while 87% has taken both doses.
• India’s cumulative Covid-19 vaccination coverage exceeds 192.2 crore.

# Gender gap index

• India ranks 135 among a total of 146 countries in the Global gender gap index 2022, released by world Economic Forum on Wednesday.
• The country is the worst performer in the world in the “health and survival” Sub index in which it is ranked 146.
• The global gender report 2021, which includes index, says it will now take 132 years to reach gender parity.

# I2U2

• The US believes that I2U2, a group comprising India, US, Israel and UAE can become a feature of the West Asian region, just like the Quad is for Indo-pacific.
• The idea was articulated by US National security advisor Jake Sullivan on board Airforce one, enroute to Israel with US president Joe Biden.