Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award renamed after hockey legend Dhyan Chand

The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, the country's highest sporting honour, was renamed after hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand by the Prime Minister on August 6. PM Modi said he had been getting many requests from citizens to name the Khel Ratna Award after Major Dyan Chand. "Major Dhyan Chand was among India's foremost sportspersons who brought honour and pride for India. It is fitting that our nation's highest sporting honour will be named after him,” PM Modi tweeted.

The government's decision comes a day after Indian men's hockey team ended the 41-year wait for an Olympic medal when it defeated Germany 5-4 and secured first hockey medal for the country since the Moscow Olympics in 1980.

The women's hockey team too performed admirably and just missed out on a medal when it lost to Great Britain 3-4 and finished 4th earlier in the day.

The change came at a time when India's hockey teams (both men's and women's) had captured the imagination of the nation with their splendid performance at the Tokyo Olympics. The award, launched in 1992, comprises a medallion, a certificate, and a cash prize of 25 lakh. In this context, it is significant to note that Dhyan Chand won three Olympic golds for the country and his birthday (August 29) is being celebrated as National Sports Day.

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What is the Pegasus scandal?

Last year on July 13, a row erupted over Israeli spyware Pegasus allegedly being used for targeted surveillance on a host of public figures in India.

Pegasus is a type of hacking software sold by Israeli surveillance company, NSO Group. It is said that the spyware is capable of extracting data from phones and can infect devices without the knowledge of users. According to reports, Paris-based media non-profit Forbidden Stories and Amnesty International accessed a leaked database of thousands of phone numbers targeted by Pegasus across the world. It was said to contain data of government clients of Pegasus since 2016. The data was shared with global media groups as part of a collaborative investigation called Pegasus Project. Subsequently, on October 27, the Supreme Court directed a panel of technical experts to investigate whether the government used military-grade Pegasus spyware to monitor politicians, activists, tycoons, judges and journalists.

More authoritarian countries frequently claim journalists, dissidents and human rights activists are criminals or a national security threat making them worthy of intrusive surveillance.

And in many of those countries there is limited or no accountability and oversight on how the powerful capabilities are used.

The spread of encryption has increased the drive for governments to get inside people's devices. When phone calls were the main means of communication, a telecoms company could be ordered to wiretap the conversation (which once meant literally attaching wires to the line).

But now the conversations are often encrypted, meaning you need to get to the device itself to see what was said. And devices also carry out a much richer treasure trove of data.

In the past, ransomware - in which hackers demand a payment to unlock access to your system - was the province of criminal networks. It is now sold as a service on the dark web.

An individual can simply agree a deal to give them a cut of the profits and they will hand over the tools and even offer support and advice, including helplines in the case of problems.

Other techniques - like location tracking and developing profiles of people's activity and behaviour - which once required specialised access and authority are now available freely.

Credit : BBC 

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Which party is leading in Tamil Nadu in 2021?

Last year between March 27 and April 29, elections were held in the States of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Assam and the Union Territory of Puducherry amid a surge in COVID-19 cases across the country. While the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress pulled off a spectacular victory in West Bengal to form the government for a third consecutive term, the DMK-led alliance wrested power from the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu. The Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF got a record second term in Kerala, while the BJP retained power in Assam. In Puducherry, the All India NR Congress (AINRC) which contested part of the NDA along with the BIP and AIADMK, emerged victorious. While Mamata Banerjee returned as CM in West Bengal and Pinarayi Vijayan in Kerala, M.K. Stalin became the CM of Tamil Nadu for the first time. However in Assam, the BJP chose Himanta Biswa Sarma over incumbent Sarbananda Sonowal to head the State. In Puducherry, AINRC founder N. Rangasamy took over as CM. heading a coalition government.

Change of guard: in a departure from tradition, the BJP changed CMS even before their term ended in three of the four States-Uttarakhand Assam, Karnataka and Gujarat-for non-performance, dissidence or other reasons. On March 10, Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat was replaced with Tirath Singh Rawat, who within a few months passed the CM's baton to Pushkar Singh Dhami aged 45 on July 4. Karnataka CM B.S. Yediyurappa. 78, resigned on July 26, and Basava Raj Bommai was made the CM. In Gujarat, Vijay Rupani was replaced by Bhupendrabhai Patel in September. In a surprise move, the Congress also changed the CM of Punjab mid-term-Amarinder Singh was replaced by Dalit leader Charanjit Singh Channi as Punjab CM in September. After his unceremonious exit as CM, Amarinder Singh formed his own party. Punjab Lok Congress, and announced that his party would contest the coming state polls in alliance with the BJP.

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How Cyclone Tauktae got its name and what it means

Even as the country was reeling under the devastating COVID impact, several states had to face the fury of nature in the form of cyclonic storms, floods, landslides and earthquakes. In one of the most tragic disasters in India, over 200 were either killed or went missing in the glacier burst in Uttrakhand's Chamoli district on February 7. Assam witnessed a 6.0 magnitude earthquake on April 28, killing two and injuring over a dozen people. While Cyclone Tauktae which made landfall in Gujarat coast on May 17 killed over 170 people in regions such as Kerala, Karnataka, Goa and Gujarat. Cyclone Yaas hit Odisha on May 26, killing 20 people; mass evacuations from the coastal areas of Odisha and West Bengal resulted in saving a lot of lives.

Over 30 people died in landslides in Mumbai following torrential rains in July. Rains lasting several days triggered floods across Maharashtra in July, leaving over 250 dead and major rivers in spate. Telangana also witnessed flooding caused by heavy rain in low-lying areas. On October 16, flash floods caused by heavy rains in Kerala killed over 40 people, while a few days later heavy rains and landslides in Uttarakhand claimed 64 lives. Cyclone Jawad wreaked havoc across Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Odisha in the first week of December. Environmentalists have warned that climate change and indiscriminate construction in coastal regions could lead to more disasters.

The cyclone has been given the name ‘Tauktae’ (pronounced Tau’Te) by Myanmar. It means 'gecko', a highly vocal lizard, in Burmese dialect. The World Meteorological Organisation and UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (UN ESCAP) led Panel on Tropical Cyclones – a global body which also includes regional specialised meteorological centres (RSMC) as well as tropical cyclone warning centres -- prepares the names of the cyclones.

Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) is among six RSMCs in the world, is mandated to issue advisories and name tropical cyclones in the north Indian Ocean region.

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Has India's deadly second wave peaked?

India is among the most severely affected countries in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The second wave, which began around February 2021 in the country, was more devastating than the first, leaving infected patients gasping for breath. The country witnessed a massive death toll due to the coronavirus, with the numbers surpassing 4.5 lakh as of November 2021. The soaring cases overwhelmed the healthcare system, leaving hospitals struggling to cope. During April-May when the second wave peaked, several hospitals around the country ran out of the life-saving medical oxygen given to critical COVID patients. With patients flooding hospitals, several states faced shortage of beds, oxygen cylinders and other equipment. The Indian Railways ran Oxygen Express trains for transporting Liquid Medical Oxygen to different parts of the country. At judicial intervention, the Centre stepped up oxygen production, set up oxygen plants at hospitals, urged states to make rational use of LMO and imposed restrictions on the industrial use of oxygen.

The rate of decline of cases from the first wave was slow - active cases began declining only from late September last year, a trend which continued till the beginning of the second wave in the middle of February.

The decline appears to have been faster in the second wave, and it is not clear why.

Experts say one reason could be the virus has burnt through a large part of the population.

But then what about the fact that the second wave appears to have been driven by mutant strains to which previously infected people may not be entirely resistant?

Dr Mukherjee said her models indicated cases would come down to between 150,000 and 200,000 by end of May, and by the end of July may return to where they were in February.

But, she said, a lot would depend on how India's states exit from local lockdowns.

Positive rates should be at or below 5% for at least 14 days before a state or country can safely reopen, according to the World Health Organization.

Dr John says if India manages to test an average of 1.8 million samples daily, a positive rate of 5% would mean about 90,000 daily new cases.

"That will be a healthy sign that things are under control," he said.

Credit : BBC 

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Germany's Angela Merkel bows out after 16 years

The Angela Merkel era in Germany came to an end in December 2021. A familiar face, the 67-year-old Merkel served as the Chancellor of Germany for 16 years from 2005. One of the longest-serving heads of government in the EU, Merkel bid goodbye to politics after a fond send-off from colleagues. Her era saw Germany emerge as the fourth-largest economy, next only to Japan, China and the U.S. Her popularity soared during the pandemic, making her the country's best-liked politician. Merkel endeared herself to many across the world with her sheer optimism, when she opened the country's doors to migrants during the Syrian refugee crisis. After serving four terms, she refused to seek a fifth term as Chancellor in the 2021 federal election, paving the way for Olaf Scholz to become Germany's new chancellor. On December 8, she officially handed over the reins to Scholz who took oath in the Bundestag (the German federal parliament)

Merkel said she was bowing out of the EU in a situation that definitely gives me cause for concern as well.

We have been able to overcome many crises in a spirit of respect, in an effort always to find common solutions she said. But we also have a series of unresolved problems, and there are big unfinished tasks for my successor.

That's also true at home, where her record dominated by the crises she addressed and including a pandemic that is flaring anew as she steps down is a mixed bag.

She leaves Germany with lower unemployment and healthier finances, but also with well-documented shortcomings in digitisation many health offices resorted to fax machines to transmit data in the pandemic and what critics say was a lack of investment in infrastructure.

She made progress in promoting renewable energy, but also drew criticism for moving too slowly on climate change. After announcing in 2018 that she wouldn't seek a fifth term, she failed to secure a smooth transition of power in her own party, which slumped to defeat in Germany's September election.

The incoming governing coalition under Scholz says it wants to venture more progress" for Germany after years of stagnation.

But Germans' overall verdict appears to remain favourable. During the election campaign, from which she largely was absent, Merkel's popularity ratings outstripped those of her three would-be successors. Unlike her seven predecessors in postwar Germany, she is leaving office at a time of her choosing.

Merkel's body language and facial expressions sometimes offered a glimpse of her reactions that went beyond words. She once lamented that she couldn't put on a poker face: I've given up. I can't do it.

She wasn't intimidated by Putin's style. The Russian president once brought his Labrador to a 2007 meeting with Merkel, who later said she had a certain concern about dogs after having once been bitten by one.

She was never the most glamorous of political operators, but that was part of her appeal the chancellor continued to take unglamorous walking holidays, was occasionally seen shopping at the supermarket and lived in the same Berlin apartment as she did before taking the top job.

Named The World's Most Powerful Woman by Forbes magazine for the past 10 years in a row, Merkel steps down with a legacy of breaking through the glass ceiling of male dominance in politics although she also has faced criticism for not pushing harder for more gender equality.

Obama said that so many people, girls and boys, men and women, have had a role model who they could look up to through challenging times.

Former President George W. Bush, whose relationship with Merkel's predecessor, Gerhard Schroeder, soured over the latter's opposition to the US-led war in Iraq, said that Angela came in and changed that completely.

Angela Merkel brought class and dignity to a very important position and made very hard decisions...and did so based upon principle, Bush told German broadcaster Deutsche Welle in July. He described her as a compassionate leader, a woman who was not afraid to lead.

Credit : Business Standard

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Barbados ditches Britain's Queen Elizabeth to become a republic

Barbados finally became free on November 30, 2021, when Queen Elizabeth II was removed as its head of state, marking the end of monarchy on the Caribbean island nation. Barbados remained a British colony for nearly four centuries ever since the English ships arrived at the Caribbean in 1625. Barbados gained independence from the United Kingdom in November 1966, centuries after the English settlers turned the island into a wealthy sugar colony thanks to the hard work of thousands of African November 30, and Sandra Mason, 72, lawyer, slaves. Since independence, the country has tried to revive its economy by moving away from agriculture to tourism and industry. The country of nearly 3 lakh people celebrated its 55th Independence Day on diplomat and the last governor-general, was sworn in as the new republic's first president.

Prince Charles' speech highlighted the continuing friendship of the two nations though he acknowledged the horrors of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

While Britain casts slavery as a sin of the past, some Barbadians are calling for compensation from Britain.

Activist David Denny celebrated the creation of the republic but said he opposes the visit by Prince Charles, noting the royal family for centuries benefited from the slave trade.

"Our movement would also like the royal family to pay a reparation," Denny said in an interview in Bridgetown.

The English initially used white British indentured servants to toil on the plantations of tobacco, cotton, indigo and sugar, but Barbados in just a few decades would become England's first truly profitable slave society.

Barbados received 600,000 enslaved Africans between 1627 and 1833, who were put to work in the sugar plantations, earning fortunes for the English owners.

More than 10 million Africans were shackled into the Atlantic slave trade by European nations between the 15th and 19th centuries. Those who survived the often brutal voyage, ended up toiling on plantations.

"I'm overjoyed," Ras Binghi, a Bridgetown cobbler, told Reuters ahead of the ceremony. Binghi said he would be saluting the new republic with a drink and a smoke.

Barbados will remain a republic within the Commonwealth, a grouping of 54 countries across Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe.

Outside the lavish official ceremony, some Barbadians said they were uncertain what the transition to a republic even meant or why it mattered.

"They should leave Queen Elizabeth be - leave her as the boss. I don't understand why we need to be a republic," said Sean Williams, 45, standing in the shadow of an independence monument.

The last time the queen was removed as head of state was in 1992 when the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius proclaimed itself a republic.

Credit : Reuters

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What was agreed at the Glasgow climate conference?

COP26 was the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties, which took place in Glasgow, Scotland, from October 31 to November 12. Leaders from across the world came together and deliberated upon several issues, with setting an emission target for each country remaining the prominent topic. The summit called for a phasing down of coal-based power generation. It targeted global warming not to exceed 1.5 degrees C and got about 140 countries to announce target dates for bringing down emissions to net zero. India announced its net zero target by 2070 (net zero is a state in which a country's emissions are compensated by absorption and removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere) and also urged developed countries to deliver on their promise of climate financing. With the U.S. having rejoined the Paris Deal in 2021, it unveiled a surprise climate pact with China to accelerate climate action this decade.

The agreement pledged to significantly increase money to help poor countries cope with the effects of climate change and make the switch to clean energy.

There's also the prospect of a trillion dollar a year fund from 2025 - after a previous pledge for richer countries to provide $100bn (£72bn) a year by 2020 was missed.

While some observers say the COP26 agreement represented the "start of a breakthrough", some African and Latin American countries felt not enough progress was made.

World leaders agreed to phase-out subsidies that artificially lower the price of coal, oil, or natural gas.

However, no firm dates have been set.

The world's biggest CO2 emitters, the US and China, pledged to cooperate more over the next decade in areas including methane emissions and the switch to clean energy.

China has previously been reluctant to tackle domestic coal emissions - so this was seen as recognising the need for urgent action.

Financial organisations controlling $130tn agreed to back "clean" technology, such as renewable energy, and direct finance away from fossil fuel-burning industries.

The initiative is an attempt to involve private companies in meeting net zero targets.

However, some environmental organisations have said without a greater commitment to ending support for fossil-fuels, this could be little more than a PR exercise.

Credit : BBC

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Who is the 100th Prime Minister of Japan?

Fumio Kishida, former Japanese Foreign Minister, was elected as the nation's 100th prime minister on October 4. The 64 year old succeeded Yoshihide Suga, who was criticised for his inept handling of the pandemic Suga after being just a year in office refused to run for the leadership, thereby paving the way for Kishida to head the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). In the Japanese general election held on October 31, Kishida and the LDP along with its coalition partner Komeito, retained a majority government. Kishida has vowed to combat the spread of COVID-19, reduce the income gap worsened by the pandemic, cut emissions, promote science and innovation, and create a stronger Self-Defense Force to protect the country amid growing threats from China and North Korea.

A former Foreign Minister, Fumio Kishida (64) used to be known as a dovish moderate but turned hawkish apparently to win over influential conservatives in the party. He is firmly entrenched in the conservative establishment and his victory in the party election was a choice for continuity and stability over change.

All but two of 20 Cabinet posts under Mr. Suga will be replaced, 13 of them appointed to ministerial posts for the first time, Japanese media reported. Most of the posts went to powerful factions that voted for Mr. Kishida in the party election. Only three women are reportedly included, up from two in Mr. Suga’s government.

Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi are to be retained, ensuring continuity of Japan’s diplomacy and security policies as the country seeks to closely work with Washington under the bilateral security pact in the face of China’s rise and growing tensions in the region, including around Taiwan.

Mr. Kishida supports stronger Japan-U.S. security ties and partnerships with other like-minded democracies in Asia, Europe and Britain, in part to counter China and nuclear-armed North Korea. He is set to create a new Cabinet post aimed at tackling economic dimensions of Japan's national security, appointing 46-year-old Takayuki Kobayashi, who is relatively new to parliament.

Japan faces growing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea, which last month test-fired ballistic missiles capable of hitting targets in Japan. Kishida also faces worsening ties with fellow U.S. ally South Korea over history issues even after he struck a 2015 agreement with Seoul to resolve a row over the issue of women who were sexually abused by Japan's military during World War II.

An urgent task at home will be turning around his party’s sagging popularity, hurt by Mr. Suga’s perceived high-handedness on the pandemic and other issues. Mr. Kishida is expected to make a policy speech later this week before dissolving the lower house of Parliament ahead of the general election expected by mid-November.

He'll also have to ensure Japan's health care systems, vaccination campaign and other virus measures are ready for a possible resurgence of COVID-19 in winter, while gradually normalizing social and economic activity.

Mr. Kishida said last week that his top priority would be the economy. His “new capitalism” is largely a continuation of Mr. Abe’s economic policies. He aims to raise income of more people and create a cycle of growth and distribution.

A third-generation politician, Mr. Kishida was first elected to Parliament in 1993 representing Hiroshima and is an advocate for nuclear disarmament. He escorted former President Barack Obama during his 2016 visit to the city that, along with Nagasaki, was destroyed in U.S. atomic bombings in the closing days of World War II.

Credit : The Hindu

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What is the AUKUS partnership?

A trilateral security partnership called AUKUS was formed on September 15, to counter the influence of China in the Indo-Pacific region. Under the deal, jointly announced by U.S. President Joe Biden, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, the U.S. and the U.K. pledged to help Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines for deployment in the region. A nuclear-powered submarine enables a navy to reach far out into the ocean and launch attacks. The deal upset China, which is getting increasingly aggressive in the Pacific region, especially in and around the South China Sea. In this context, it is significant to note that the U.S., Australia, India and Japan are also members of a strategic security dialogue known as "the Quad."

Under the Aukus pact, the US and UK will help Australia build at least eight nuclear-powered submarines, the first time that Washington and London will be sharing sensitive nuclear submarine technology with Canberra.

To begin the partnership, naval officials and technical specialists from the three countries will work together over the next 18 months to equip Australia with the technology to deploy nuclear-powered submarines. But given the complexity of the technology, Australia’s nuclear submarine fleet may not be operational until about 2040.

The biggest benefit of nuclear-powered submarines is that they are able to stay submerged longer, with enough fuel to theoretically run for years, which is an advantage in stealth attacks. Conventional submarines that use diesel-powered electric motors have to resurface regularly so that their batteries can be recharged, allowing them to be spotted more easily.

Just because submarines are nuclear-powered, it does not mean that they are carrying nuclear warheads. Nonetheless, the technology is sensitive because US and British submarine reactors use uranium that is enriched at 93 to 97 per cent, and anything above 90 per cent is considered “weapons-grade” uranium with potentially dangerous implications.

There are currently only six countries with nuclear-powered submarines – the US, Russia, China, the UK, France and India – with Australia set to become the seventh under the new pact. The US is the world leader in this area, with 68 nuclear-powered submarines, while Russia has 29 and China has 12, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a London-based research centre.

Credit : South China Morning Post

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When did the Taliban take over Kabul in 2021?

On August 15, the Taliban captured Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, soon after President Ashraf Ghani had fled the country for the UAE. The Islamic fundamentalist group seized power in Afghanistan just weeks before U.S., troops were set to exit the country. Afghanistan was under the Taliban control from 1996 to 2001, before the latter was driven out by U.S. troops as part of its campaign against terrorism following the 9/11 attacks. In 2020, former U.S. President Donald Trump had agreed to a deal with the Taliban to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan by May 1, 2021, and stuck to the pact by gradually reducing the troop levels.

Meanwhile, many regions came under attack by the Taliban. Though new President Joe Biden delayed that deadline, he eventually ordered the complete withdrawal of U.S. soldiers from the country by August 31. Ever since gaining power, the Taliban has re-imposed various restrictions on women such as barring them from most jobs and prohibiting them from travelling without a male escort. Fearing repression by the Taliban, thousands of Afghans surged near the Kabul airport to flee the country. On August 30, the U.S. withdrew its last remaining troops from Kabul, ending 20 years of operations in Afghanistan.

The number of civilians killed and injured in the conflict surged in the first six months of 2021 from attacks by both Taliban and Afghan government security forces, the latter primarily from  airstrikes. The ISKP carried out numerous attacks on civilian facilities, including schools and mosques, killing hundreds, most of them members of Afghanistan’s Hazara community. ISKP attacks continued after the Taliban takeover.

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court sought authorization to resume his investigation but stated he would focus on alleged crimes by the Taliban and ISKP, and deprioritize those committed by the US military and CIA and former Afghan government security forces.  

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How did a ship get stuck in the Suez Canal, and what happened afterward?

On March 23, 2021, a mega container ship Ever Given got stuck diagonally across the narrow Suez Canal in Egypt amid high winds, blocking trade for six days. The stranded 400-metre-long and 200,000-tonne cargo ship led to the hold up of trade worth $9.6 billion, affecting countless businesses and supply chains globally. Over 300 ships carrying tonnes of cargo got stranded on either side of the canal, which connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea and provides the shortest sea link between Asia and Europe. According to reports, about 15% of global trade passes through the canal. Ever Given, operated by Taiwanese transport company Evergreen Marine, was finally freed on March 29 with the help of over a dozen tugboats. The 25-member crew on board the ship were all Indians.

The Ever Given was stuck near the Egyptian city of Suez, about 3.7 miles north of the canal's southern entrance. It was in a single-lane section of the canal, about 985 feet wide.

Its owners originally said high winds in a sandstorm pushed the ship sideways, wedging it into both banks of the waterway. Containers stacked on deck may have acted as a sail.

However, the chairman of Egypt's Suez Canal Authority said Saturday, without giving details, that weather conditions "were not the main reasons" for the grounding, and that "there may have been technical or human reasons," the BBC reported. An investigation is ongoing.

At least 360 ships, carrying everything from cars to oil to grain, wait at the canal’s northern and southern entrances. The AP said an analysis by data firm Refinitiv showed an additional 300 ships were en route to the canal over the next two weeks. Some ships have already diverted to the African route.

CNN said the U.S. Navy offered dredging experts to assist.

Authorities originally disagree on how long the canal will be blocked. The ship’s owner, Shoei Kisen, said its goal was to free the vessel by the night of March 27.

At least 360 ships, carrying everything from cars to oil to grain, wait at the canal’s northern and southern entrances. The AP said an analysis by data firm Refinitiv showed an additional 300 ships were en route to the canal over the next two weeks. Some ships have already diverted to the African route.

CNN said the U.S. Navy offered dredging experts to assist.

Authorities originally disagree on how long the canal will be blocked. The ship’s owner, Shoei Kisen, said its goal was to free the vessel by the night of March 27.

The canal is a 120-mile-long shipping link between the Mediterranean and Red seas that carries 10% to 12% of commercial shipping and about 2.5% of the world’s oil. A German insurer said delays could cost global trade $6 billion to $10 billion a week, Reuters reported.

USA TODAY said the blockage could worsen shipping delays and cause shortages of toilet paper, coffee and other goods.

GlobalSecurity.org calls the canal “strategically and economically one of the most important waterways in the world.”

Credit : USA Today

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Myanmar military seizes power, detains elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi

To the horror of the world, Myanmars powerful military on the morning of February 1 ousted the democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi from power in a swift coup d'etat (a sudden, violent seizure of power from an existing government) and took control of the Southeast Asian country. The chief of the military junta General Min Aung Hlaing announced a year-long emergency before declaring himself the prime minister of the country. Several members of the ruling party, including Suu Kyi, were detained by the junta which sparked protests across the country, resulting in the deaths of over 1.000 people. Suu Kyi was later sentenced to a two-year term of detention in an undisclosed location. (Early this year, the ousted leader was sentenced to four more years in prison.)

The army said it had responded to “election fraud”, handing power to military chief General Min Aung Hlaing and imposing a state of emergency for a year in the country, also known as Burma, where neighbouring China has a powerful influence.

The generals made their move hours before parliament had been due to sit for the first time since the National League for Democracy’s (NLD) landslide win in a Nov. 8 election viewed as a referendum on Suu Kyi’s fledgling democratic rule.

The NLD said Suu Kyi had called on people to protest against the military takeover, quoting comments it said had been written in anticipation of a coup.

Phone and internet connections in the capital, Naypyitaw, and the main commercial centre Yangon were disrupted and state television went off air after the NLD leaders were detained.

Summarising a meeting of the new junta, the military said Min Aung Hlaing, who had been nearing retirement, had pledged to practice a “genuine discipline-flourishing multiparty democratic system”.

He promised a free and fair election and a handover of power to the winning party, it said, without giving a timeframe.

The junta later removed 24 ministers and named 11 replacements to oversee ministries including finance, defence, foreign affairs and interior.

Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and other NLD leaders were “taken” in the early hours of the morning, NLD spokesman Myo Nyunt told Reuters by phone. U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said at least 45 people had been detained.

Credit : Reuters

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Joe Biden sworn in as 46th U.S. president

Seventy-nine-year-old Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States of America on January 20 at a swearing-in ceremony at Capitol Hill, Washington DC, following his victory in the 2020 presidential election over Republican incumbent Donald Trump. A Democrat who earlier served as the Vice-President under Barack Obama, Biden was sworn in as the President by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. On the same day, Kamala Harris, the first woman and the first Asian American Vice-President, was inaugurated. The ceremony included performances by Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez. Upon assuming office, Biden brought the U.S. back into the fold of the Paris Climate Accord and the World Health Organisation, and suspended construction of the U.S.-Mexico border wall. Earlier on January 6, a furious mob of Donald Trump supporters stormed Capitol Hill, hoping to block Congress certification of Biden's win and overturn the mandate.

In his speech, Mr. Biden called for unity. “My whole soul is in this… bringing America together, uniting our people, uniting our nation,” he said, asking every American to join him in the cause.

Racism, nativism, fear and demonization have torn America apart, he said.

“We can join forces, stop the shouting and lower the temperature...Politics doesn’t have to be a raging fire, destroying everything in its path,” Mr. Biden said.

“We must reject the culture in which facts themselves are manipulated and even manufactured,” Mr. Biden said about the rise in the level of misinformation during the Trump presidency, including from the former President himself.

“It did not happen. It will never happen. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever, not ever,” he said about the Capitol violence trying to overturn the election results.

He said he would be a President for all Americans — those who voted for him and those who did not. “We must end this uncivil war, that pits red against blue, rural versus urban, conservative against liberal.”

Lady Gaga sang the national anthem and Jennifer Lopez sang a patriotic song.

Mr. Trump, who had contested the election results and addressed the mob minutes before they attacked the Capitol weeks ago, refused to meet Mr. Biden at the White House and travel with him to the Inauguration as per tradition. However, he had, as per reports, left a personal note in the Oval Office for his successor as is the custom. While he wished the next administration “great luck and great success”, Mr. Trump did not mention Mr. Biden by name. The former President, who has hinted that he may run again in 2024, said: “We will be back in some form.”

Credit : The Hindu

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Pakistan registers most T201 wins in a year

With their 3-0 clean sweep of West Indies in December 2021, Pakistan created a record for most T20 internationals victories in a calendar year. With 20 T201 wins in 2021, Pakistan broke their own record of 17 from 2018.

Pakistan's skipper Babar Azam and wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan have been central to Pakistan's success in 2021. In 25 innings when they opened the batting for Pakistan in 2021, they scored 1,380 runs at an average of 57.50 and a run rate of 8.10. They had six stands of 100 or more and now hold the record for most century partnerships by any pair in T20Is. Four out of these were 150-plus stands, including the unbeaten 152 against India in Dubai during their victorious run-chase that helped them seal their maiden World Cup victory against their arch-rivals.

While the Azam-Rizwan partnership has been central to Pakistan's success, others have also contributed handsomely. The likes of Fakhar Zaman, Asif Ali and seniors Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik have pitched in whenever necessary with their bats. The bowling department has also been a well-rounded unit. While Hasan Ali and Haris Rauf have led the wicket-takers chart for Pakistan in 2021 with 25 scalps apiece, Shaheen Shah Afridi has picked 23 wickets and shadab Khan has claimed 20 in 2021.

Mohammad Rizwan was at his belligerent best in 2021, setting two new batting milestones in T20s in the process. With 1,326 runs in T20 internationals and 2,036 T20 runs in 2021, Rizwan not only became the first player to go past the 1,000-run mark in a calendar year in T20Is, but also the first batter with 2,000-plus T20 runs in a calendar year.

Pakistan's captain Babar Azam d occupied the second place in both these lists that were headed by Rizwan. Azam had 939 T201 runs and finished with 1,779 runs in T20s in 2021.

Pakistan were the only unbeaten side in the Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup played in 2021, winning all five games they played. Pakistan, however, lost to eventual champions Australia in the semi-finals.

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