Former CEO of Mastercard and the new president of the World Bank, Ajay Banga
In response to controversy surrounding climate change, David Malpass, the previous president of the World Bank, resigned before the end of his term. Following his resignation, US President Joe Biden recently proposed Ajay Banga, the former CEO of Master Card, to take over as president of the World Bank. Ajay is skilled at managing economic concerns related to climate change.
What are the risks of Ohio Derailment
On February 3, 2023, a freight train derailed in the East Palestine town of Ohio state in the US. The train was carrying hazardous chemicals. Following the derailment, the train company burnt the carcinogenic chemicals in the freights. This released toxic smoke in the region. Hundreds were forced to vacate their homes. Residents complained of nausea and severe vomiting after the incident.
NTPC ranked top independent power producer
The S&P Global commodity insights recently released the ranking of the top 250 independent energy producers in the world. The energy producers were ranked based on four criteria such as return on investment, revenue generation, total assets, and profits gained. NTPC topped the ranking.
Sikhs and Jews most targeted in hate crimes in US
The FBI recently released its annual compilation of nationwide incidents. According to the report, Sikhs and Jews are the most targeted in hate crimes. There were 1005 religion-related hate crimes in the US in 2021. Of these, anti-Sikhs were 21.3% and Anti-Jews were 21.3%.
Australia defeated India in the women's T20 World Cup semifinals.
The T20 Women's World Cup is being held in South Africa by the ICC. India defeated Ireland to go to the semifinals. It faced Australia in the semifinals. India fought valiantly under Harmanpreet Kaur's leadership. The captain was suffering from a high fever and was doubtful to play the match. Thankfully, she took part in the game and scored 52 runs. Australia entered the field to bat and scored 172 runs losing four wickets. The Indian team had some difficulty reaching the goal. To win the game, the strike rate had to be at least 8.6. India has scored approximately 135 runs and lost six wickets in 15 overs. India's score after 19 overs was 157/7. India was at 163/8 after 19.5 overs when they lost another wicket. And in the final, Australia prevailed by 5 runs.
US presidential campaign of Vivek Ramaswamy begins
Indian-American Vivek Ramaswamy lives in the United States. He is a republican and an anti-environment activist (Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and other Democrats are all Republicans). Those opposed to environmental control are known as anti-environmentalists. He founded a business to outlaw environmental governance programmes. He invests in biotech.
New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell wins ICC Spirit of Cricket Award 2021
New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell has been named the winner of the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award 2021 for his gesture during the New Zealand vs England semifinal in the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup in Abu Dhabi.
Mitchell has become the fourth New Zealand cricketer to win the award after Daniel Vettori, Brendon McCullum and skipper Kane Williamson. Mitchell won the award for refusing to take a single in the T20 World Cup semi-final against England on November 10, 2021.
NASA to retire ISS in January 2031
NASA is planning to retire the International Space Station (ISS) in January 2031 and has laid out a detailed transition plan. The space agency is planning to open the ISS for commercial activities in its final decade of operational life. NASA plans to "deorbit" the ISS and crash it into the Pacific Ocean in January 2031. Before its retirement, NASA is looking forward to a decade of results from research and technology development aboard the space station.
NASA's Artemis 1 mission to Moon delayed till March
NASA's 'Artemis 1' mission, which aims to return humans to the Moon, has been delayed until March. The mission was scheduled for launch earlier in February. NASA informed that the 'Space Launch System' rocket and Orion spacecraft will not be rolled out for testing "no earlier than March 2022". NASA has added additional time to complete closeout activities inside the Vehicle Assembly building before rolling the integrated rocket and spacecraft out for the first time.
Australian Government announces billion-dollar package to protect Great Barrier Reef
A billion-dollar plan has been unveiled by the Australian Government to protect the Climate ravaged Great Barrier Reef. The plan aims to prevent the vast networks of corals from being removed from UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The plan has been announced months after narrowly avoiding the reef being placed on UNESCO’s in danger list. As per the recent study, bleaching had affected 98% of reefs since 1998, leaving just a fraction of untouched. People in Australia are also in favour of action to limit climate change after experiencing strings of global warming-worsened disasters.
World Wetlands Day 2022
World Wetlands Day is observed every year on February 2 to raise awareness about the importance of wetlands and the need to preserve them. The day commemorates the date when the Convention on Wetlands was adopted in 1971. The World Wetlands Day 2022 is significant as this is the first time that the day will be observed as a United Nationals International Day.
World Wetlands Day 2022 theme is "Wetlands Action for People and Nature". The theme aims to highlight the importance of actions that ensure that wetlands are conserved and sustainably used.
New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell awarded with ICC Spirit of Cricket
New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell has been named the winner of the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award. Mitchell won the award for his gesture in New Zealand's semi-final match against England in the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup in Abu Dhabi. Daryl Mitchell has become the fourth New Zealand player to win the ICC award after Daniel Vettori, Brendon McCullum and Kane Williamson. He won the award for refusing to take a single in the high-pressure T20 World Cup semi-final on November 10, 2021.
Xiomara Castro first woman President of Honduras
Xiomara Castro became the first female president of Honduras on January 27, 2022. She is a former first lady of Honduras, as she is the wife of former President Manuel Zelaya who was deposed in a coup in 2009. Castro’s inauguration has brought an end to the 8-year rule of Juan Orlando Hernandez, a one-time US ally, who is currently facing charges of corruption in US courts.
NeoCoV Coronavirus: Wuhan scientists warn of deadlier COVID strain
Scientists in China's Wuhan laboratory have warned of a new strain of COVID-19, NeoCov that reportedly has a high transmission and mortality rate. The new strain of coronavirus is related to the Middle East respiratory syndrome MERS-coronavirus.
As per researchers, NeoCoV carries with it the potentially combined high mortality rate of MERS-CoV, where one in three infected people die on an average and high transmission rate of the current SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.
The study has been released in preprint and has not yet been peer-reviewed. It was published on the bioRxiv website.
NeoCoV: Symptoms, Severity, MERS-CoV relation
The studies show that the current COVID-19 vaccinations are inadequate to protect humans from any eventuality of the infections caused by these viruses. The paper adds that extensive mutations in the RBD regions of the SARS-CoV-2 variants may hold a latent potential to infect humans through further adaptation.
Bangladesh passes bill for Election Commission formation
The Bangladesh Parliament has passed a bill for the appointment of Election Commissioners and Chief Election Commissioner for the formation of the next Election Commission. The bill which was passed by the voice vote gives a legal shield to the appointments of the Chief Election Commissioner and the Election Commissioners to form the EC. The tenure of the current Election Commission will end on February 14, 2022. The bill passed by the Parliament envisages a six-member search committee appointed by the President to recommend the names of the Election Commissioners and CEC. The opposition Bangladesh National Party, however, has criticized the bill for being passed in a hurry.
SpaceX Rocket Junk to crash into Moon in March: Experts
A chunk of a SpaceX rocket, which had blasted off seven years ago and was abandoned in space after completing its mission, is expected to crash into the Moon in March 2022. The rocket was launched in 2015 to put into orbit NASA's Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR). The second stage of the rocket has been floating in space in a chaotic orbit, according to astronomers.
England ends face mask rules and COVID restrictions
England lifted the face mark rules and most of the COVID-19 restrictions on January 26, 2022. The move came after the British Government announced that its vaccine booster roll-out plan has successfully reduced serious illness and COVID-19 hospitalizations. Health officials in Britain have also been saying that they are planning a longer-term post-pandemic strategy that treats COVID-19 more like the flu. Earlier, the World Health Organisation had warned against the dangers of treating Coronavirus like the flu and dropping pandemic restrictions.
WHO Chief warns against the talk of endgame in COVID pandemic
The Chief of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that it is dangerous to assume that the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 will be the last one to emerge and that the world is in the endgame of the pandemic. He further added that the situation remains ideal for more COVID-19 variants to emerge. The Director-General of the UN Health Agency said that if the tools such as vaccines and testing are used in a comprehensive manner, it will be possible for the world to exit the acute phase of a pandemic. He also laid out an array of achievements and concerns in global health over issues such as reducing tobacco use, risks of climate change on human health, and fighting resistance to anti-microbial treatments. However, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that ending the acute phase of a pandemic must remain their collective priority.
Russia planning to install pro-Russian leader in Ukraine: UK
The UK foreign office informed on January 22, 2022 that it has information that the Russian government is planning to install a pro-Russian leader in Ukraine while it considers whether to invade and occupy the country. Former Ukrainian MP Yevhen Murayev is reportedly being considered as a potential candidate for the role.
International Day of Education 2022
The International Day of Education is observed every year on January 24 to mark the significance of education and the role it plays in promoting global peace and development all over the world. International Education Day 2022 is also significant as the day sheds light on the changing patterns of education and the role technology is playing in taking education to the corners of the world.
International Day of Education 2022 makes sure about the rights of every individual to receive education since childhood. The day also brings attention to those regions that lack the accessibility of education due to civil war or unstable government or any other ongoing socio-political scenarios. International Education Day promotes the right to education for every individual.
ICC Awards 2021 winners
The International Cricket Council has continued its tradition of recognizing all the incredible performances in its annual ICC Awards 2021 ceremony. In ICC Awards 2021, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has been named ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year while South Africa’s Lizelle Lee has earned the ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year 2021.
COVID pandemic may get over in Europe after Omicron ends
The director of the World Health Organisation Europe Hans Kluge has said that the Omicron variant has moved the pandemic into a new phase and it could bring it to an end in Europe. Kluge further said that the Omicron variant can infect 60% of Europeans in March. He further added that once the current surge of Omicron sweeping across Europe subsides, there will be for quite some weeks and months a global immunity then it is predicted that COVID may back towards the end of the year. While also cautioning against over confidence, he stated that if a recent fall in case numbers in areas such as the US’s northeast continues, one could see a turnaround throughout the entire country. WHO regional office for Africa also stated that the cases had gone down in the region and deaths have been declining for the first time.
WEF announces annual meeting to be held in person in May 2022
The World Economic Forum has announced its annual meeting to be held in person for the first time during the pandemic. The meeting will be from May 22 to May 26, 2022, at Davos in Switzerland. The annual gathering of the forum has not been held since January 2020 due to the pandemic.
Louie Anderson, an Emmy winning comedian, dies at 68
The Emmy-winning comedian, actor, and game show host Louie Anderson passed away at the age of 68 after battling cancer. He was undergoing treatment after he was diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Anderson was one of America’s most beloved comedians.
Russia-Ukraine conflict: Is Russia planning to invade Ukraine?
Joe Biden warned on January 19, 2021 that Russia will be held accountable if it invades Ukraine. Biden in a clear warning said that it is going to be a disaster for Russia if it invades Ukraine. He warned Russian President Vladimir Putin of significant economic consequences if such an invasion happens, saying that our partner and allies are ready to impose severe costs and significant harm to Russia and its economy.
Biden stated that Putin has never seen sanctions like the ones he has promised to impose if Russia further advances into Ukraine. He though stated that the level of punishment will depend on the level of invasion, suggesting that a "minor incursion" would elicit a lesser response than a full-scale invasion of the country.
Indonesia to build new capital in Nusantara, away from sinking Jakarta
The Indonesian Parliament approved a bill on January 18, 2022 to relocate the country’s capital from Jakarta to Nusantara. The new capital city of Nusantara will be built on Borneo Island, in the forested province of East Kalimantan.
The decision has been taken amid growing concerns over the long-term sustainability of Jakarta amid climate change, as the capital city is rapidly sinking and is very prone to flooding.
Kamala Harris will be my running mate in 2024: Biden
US President Joe Biden said while commemorating his first year in office on January 19, 2022 that Vice President Kamala Harris will be his running mate in 2024 as well. Kamala Harris is the first woman, first Indian-American, the first person of colour to be elected as the Vice President of the United States.
Gaspard Ulliel, Moon Knight actor, dies at 37 after ski accident
Actor Gaspard Ulliel who was cast as the character of Anton Mogart in Moon Knight died at the age of 37 in an incident that happened following a ski incident. Moon Knight is an upcoming Marvel mini-series. Ulliel was hospitalized after suffering a head injury and was not able to recover. He was transported by helicopter to the hospital after a collision on the slopes in the Savoie region. The Cesar-winning actor collided with another skier and suffered serious brain trauma. Local authorities have also opened an investigation into the accident. Gaspard Ulliel was best known for portraying the young Hannibal Lector in the Hannibal Rising. He was also the face of the Chanel fragrance Bleu de Chanel. Ulliel was nominated for a Ceasar Award for Most Promising Actor in 2002 and 2003.
Bangladesh Government to make Unique Business ID mandatory
Bangladesh will make the Unique Business ID mandatory for all the e-commerce activities in the country. All the digital operators in Bangladesh will be required to register with the government using the UBID. The business entities which operate through social media platforms will also come under the purview. According to the State Minister for IT, the use of the mechanism will help in regulating the e-commerce sector which will restore public confidence in the digital business.
A giant asteroid bigger than Burj Khalifa passes Earth
The giant asteroid, bigger than Burj Khalifa, flew by Earth at a distance of roughly 1.98 million kilometres. The asteroid was classified as ‘potentially hazardous’ and ‘Near-Earth Object’ due to its proximity to the planet. The asteroid called 7482 (1994 PC1) was larger than any building on the Earth. Astronomers have been studying the asteroid for over decades and no threat has been deemed so far. At its closest distance, the asteroid will still be five lunar distances, five times the distance between the Moon and the Earth.