Junior Digest

Dec 20,2021:Leftist candidate Gabriel Boric has won Chile’s presidential election after an early concession from his far-right rival, José Antonio Kast.

Mr Kast conceded defeat barely an hour and a half after polls closed, and with around half of ballots counted.

With most of the votes counted, Mr Boric won with 56% and Mr Kast trailed with 44% of the votes.

The election has been one of the most polarised in recent decades and comes after mass anti-government protests.

Both candidates offered starkly different visions for the country, and both are outsiders representing political parties that have never been in government.

At 35-years-old, Mr Boric will become one of the world’s youngest political leaders, and the youngest president in Chile’s history.

In a phone call with outgoing President Sebastián Piñera, which was publicly broadcasted, Mr Boric said he would do his “best to rise to this tremendous challenge”.

A former student protest leader, he backed the mass demonstrations against inequality and alleged corruption that rocked Chile in 2019 and 2020.

Once the most stable economy in Latin America, Chile has one of the world’s largest income gaps, with one percent of the population owning 25% of the country’s wealth, according to the United Nations.

Mr Boric has promised to address this inequality by reforming Chile’s pension and healthcare systems, reducing the work week from 45 to 40 hours, and boosting green investment.

Dec 18,2021:Russia has published draft security pacts, demanding that NATO deny membership to Ukraine and other ex-Soviet countries and roll back the deployment of troops and weapons in central and eastern Europe.

The documents, published on Friday, also call for a ban on sending US and Russian warships and aircraft to areas from where they can attack each other’s territory as well as a halt to NATO military drills near Russia’s borders.
The proposals were submitted to the United States and its allies earlier this week and contain elements – such as an effective Russian veto on future NATO membership for Ukraine – that the West has already ruled out.

NATO’s secretary-general emphasized on Friday that any security talks with Moscow would need to take into account the alliance’s concerns and involve Ukraine and other partners.

The White House similarly said it’s discussing the proposals with US allies and partners, but noted that all countries have the right to determine their future without outside interference.

The publication of the draft pacts come amid soaring tensions over a Russian troop build-up near Ukraine that has drawn Ukrainian and Western fears of an invasion. Moscow denies plans to attack its neighbour.

New Delhi, Dec 15,2021: The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected the Maharashtra government’s petition to make public the 2011 caste census data.

A Bench of the apex court, comprising Justices AM Khanwilkar and CT Ravikumar, while dismissing the petition of Maharashtra government, said that it cannot entertain a petition by the state, when the Union government has maintained that the data was unusable and fraught with mistakes.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Union Government, submitted that SECC-2011 was not a census exercise undertaken under the Census Act 1948 and was done on the basis of executive instructions of the concerned Ministry to enumerate the Caste Census of households for delivery of targeted benefits.

The bench further said the fact that the State of Maharashtra was obliged to comply with the “triple test” requirement before enforcing the reservation for OBCs in the local bodies does not mean that the Union Government can be directed to share the information, which they themselves have classified as unusable.

The Court, however, gave liberty to the State of Maharashtra to pursue other remedies available in law for their relief. It also took note of the fact that Maharashtra has constituted a commission for collecting caste data for the purpose of reservation in local bodies.

Dhaka, Dec 15,2021: Indian President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday arrived in Dhaka for his three-day state visit to attend the celebrations marking the golden jubilee of Bangladesh’s victory in its Liberations War and the closing of Mujib year.

President Kovind arrived at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 11:10 am aboard Air India flight AI1. He was welcomed by his Bangladesh counterpart Md Abdul Hamid.

Kovind is accompanied by his wife and daughter, Indian Education Minister, two Members of Parliament and Secretary of Foreign Affairs.

It is President Kovind’s first-ever trip to Bangladesh, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said.

As per the schedule, Kovind will at first visit the National Martyrs’ Memorial in Savar.

He will then visit the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum to pay respect to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Momen said.

Highlighting Kovind’s visit and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this year, the Foreign Minister said, “The President and the Prime Minister of a country touring a neighbouring country the same year is rare in history. The trips are a reflection of the existing friendship between the two countries.”

According to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, the President’s visit on the historic occasion is a reflection of the high priority that both countries attach to the bilateral relationship.

Maine [US], December 17,2021: Scientists at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences have discovered the availability of carbon in Greenland’s waters is shifting poleward and appearing earlier than in previous decades.
The research was published in the journal Progress in Oceanography by lead author Maria Vernet from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego.
This finding will enhance understanding of carbon cycling and nutrient availability in this rapidly warming and changing environment.
Phytoplankton are arguably the most important organisms in the ocean. Directly or indirectly, almost all life in our global waters depends on their activity. In a new study, a team of researchers have mapped how the activity of these microscopic plants affects critical waters around Greenland, which impact important regional fisheries and even nutrient availability around the globe.
The researchers found that the seasonal availability of carbon produced by phytoplankton is shifting poleward and appears for longer than in previous decades. The discovery will enhance scientists’ understanding of carbon cycling and nutrient availability in this rapidly warming and changing environment.
During photosynthesis, all plants convert carbon dioxide into food by harnessing energy from the sun. The food they create, in the form of organic carbon, is critical to life. This process is called primary production and plays a major role in the global carbon cycle. In the ocean, almost all primary production is performed by phytoplankton.
“Everything depends on the carbon produced by phytoplankton, no matter where you are in ocean waters,” said Bigelow Laboratory Senior Research Scientist Paty Matrai, one of the paper’s co-authors. “If there is no primary production, then there is no new carbon being created, and the many animals that depend on it have nothing to feed on.”
Arctic phytoplankton growth patterns have already been significantly altered due to climate change. The fish that feed on them have had to adapt, along with the industries that rely on them. A better understanding of these changes is needed to plan ahead.
The researchers looked at a 10-year time period from 2008 to 2017 in seven regions around Greenland to understand where and when primary production was happening. They found the rates to be higher in southern regions where water is more influenced by the North Atlantic. They also discovered that phytoplankton blooms began in the south around April and in the north around June.

“There is extreme seasonality and great diversity in what’s happening with respect to primary production in these waters,” Matrai said. “Greenland sits at an influential location, and understanding the waters around it may give us unique insights into global ocean processes.”
Greenland is at the intersection of complex interactions between Arctic Ocean and Atlantic Ocean currents, and the waters off its shores are part of both systems. As the planet warms, more temperate conditions, along with the nutrients and organisms that prefer them, are moving up from the south.
Its waters are also a mixing spot for saltwater and melting freshwater. Over 80 percent of its landmass is covered by the Greenland ice sheet. As it melts due to global warming, it sends an influx of cold freshwater into the ocean from the north. This could have significant impacts on the physical and biological processes in the North Atlantic including ocean convection, nutrient availability, and primary production.
The waters around Greenland are notoriously difficult to study. Rough weather, complex ocean conditions, and shifting sea ice make sampling dangerous. Although the fjords on its western side have been better studied, less is known about the fjords and continental shelf to the east.
The researchers used two independent mathematical models to calculate primary production around the island. One was based on ocean color, which can be used as a proxy for phytoplankton and other life, and the other on ocean biology and physical characteristics.
The team also found that most of the carbon from primary production around Greenland sinks, which impacts ocean ecosystems below surface waters. In contrast, scientists have long thought unused carbon that remains at the surface becomes carbon dioxide and returns to the atmosphere.
The study showed that up to 75 percent of the annual production is exported deep into the ocean, with the highest amounts sinking in the regions closer to the Arctic. This means the carbon could play an additional, unexpected role in global cycles because it would be swept into deep ocean currents moving around the planet.
Most organisms live in surface waters of the ocean, where sunlight fuels photosynthesis. Scientists have used this region as the model for how food webs and nutrient cycles operate. However, when carbon produced near the surface sinks, it becomes accessible to a different set of organisms. This opens up new possibilities for ecosystem dynamics and discovery.
The researchers aim to build on these results to understand longer-term patterns of primary production, how they will be affected by climate change, and how that will affect marine life.
“As melting sea ice allows sunlight to reach more ocean waters, it creates additional habitats for photosynthetic organisms and more potential for primary production,” Matrai said. “Better understanding the role of primary production can help us anticipate changes in this critical environment and provide an opportunity to adapt to them.”

Beijing [China], December 15,2021: Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping began their virtual meeting on Wednesday with the former emphasising that he stands against the politicisation of games in regard to the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022, reported Sputnik.
The meeting began at 08:07 GMT. The two leaders are expected to discuss Beijing-Moscow relations, international affairs, energy, and NATO activities.

During the meeting, Putin expressed hopes Beijing Olympics will be held at a high level, emphasising that he stands against the politicisation of games.
The Russian leader also stated that Moscow-Beijing ties real example of relations between states in this century.
Further, Putin said that he expects his next face-to-face meeting with Xi to take place in february 2022 during the opening ceremony of Beijing Olympics, according to Sputnik.

New Delhi , December 16,2021: National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) has awarded a standalone fuel-cell based Green Hydrogen Microgrid Project at Simhadri in Andhra Pradesh, informed the Ministry of Power on Wednesday.
According to the Power Ministry, this will be India’s first green hydrogen-based energy storage project and one of the world’s largest.
”NTPC has awarded a project of standalone Fuel-Cell based Micro-grid with hydrogen production using electrolyser in NTPC Guest House at Simhadri (near Visakhapatnam),” a power ministry stated.
The Ministry said it would be a precursor to large scale hydrogen energy storage projects and would be useful for studying and deploying multiple microgrids in various off-grid and strategic locations of the country.

The hydrogen would be produced using the advanced 240 kW Solid Oxide Electrolyser by taking input power from the nearby Floating Solar project.
“The hydrogen produced during sunshine hours would be stored at high pressure and would be electrified using a 50 kW Solid Oxide Fuel Cell. The system would work in standalone mode from 5 pm in the evening to 7 am in the morning,” it added.
This unique project configuration is designed in-house by NTPC.
“It is a unique project for India and would open doors for decarbonising the far-off regions of the country like Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir etc., hitherto dependent on diesel generators,” it said.
The project is in-line with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for becoming carbon neutral by 2070 and making Ladakh a carbon-neutral territory.

Washington [US], December 16,2021: A study of the impact of national face mask laws on COVID-19 mortality in 44 countries with a combined population of nearly one billion people found that, over time, the increase in COVID-19 related deaths was significantly slower in countries that imposed mask laws compared to countries that did not.
The study that appeared in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published by Elsevier, shows that masks provide a supplementary layer of protection that could prevent unnecessary COVID-19 deaths.
“While several studies before this have looked at the impact of masks on COVID-19 cases, fewer studies were focused on whether mask-wearing may reduce COVID-19 deaths, and no study had looked at the data across multiple countries,” said lead investigator Sahar Motallebi, MD, MPH, from Malmo, Sweden. “The large sample of culturally diverse countries in this retrospective study covers a large population, giving us more evidence towards the life-saving potential of masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The top 50 countries according to the United Nations Development Programme Human Development Index, which measures life expectancy, education, and standard of living, were targeted because of comparability and reduced chance of selection bias.
Four countries in the Southern Hemisphere (New Zealand, Australia, Chile, and Argentina) were excluded to avoid potential seasonality characteristics. The United States and Canada were excluded because public health policies are made at the state/province level and a unified national policy does not exist. Data from the remaining 44 countries were used to model COVID-19 mortality.
Twenty-seven countries with face mask policies and 17 countries without face mask policies, covering a combined population of nearly one billion people, were included in the study.

Investigators looked at COVID-19 deaths between February 15, 2020, the date of the first confirmed death in the targeted countries, to May 31, 2020, when many countries began to lift gathering and movement restrictions. Ten relevant demographic, social, clinical and time-dependent factors were examined. Potential confounders between face mask policy and mortality reduction, such as non-pharmaceutical interventions, were identified.
The 44 countries studied reported 2,167,664 confirmed deaths, 1,253,757 in countries without face mask mandates and 913,907 in countries with face mask mandates. The average COVID-19 mortality per million population was 48.40 in countries with face mask policies and 288.54 in countries without face mask policies, and this was significantly greater compared to countries with mask mandates.
Face mask countries had a significantly lower average daily increase in deaths compared to no face mask countries.
Surprisingly, the countries with no mask mandate started with a lower COVID-19 daily mortality. However, the death rate accelerated so fast in those countries that they not only caught up with the death rate in mask law countries but significantly surpassed them over time.
“To reach its full potential of saving lives, public health research should be practical and pragmatic,” Dr Motallebi stressed. “Our primary objective was to assess lessons learned from the pandemic in order to better prepare for future potential epidemics of airborne diseases before pharmaceutical interventions are available.”
As delays in vaccination continue to challenge health systems across the globe, the study adds to evidence that before, and even after, full vaccination of the population, face masks continue to be a preventive measure against COVID-19.
“Across variants, vaccines may reduce mortality but not necessarily morbidity, and face masks continue to protect against both. So, we don’t have to choose between these two good policies of vaccination and face masks or substitute one for the other when we can and must do both in parallel,” Dr Motallebi concluded.

Amritsar, Dec 19,2021: Punjab government on Sunday said that it has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the sacrilege incident, which took place in Sri Harmandir Sahib on Saturday.

The SIT, headed by the DGP (Law and Order), will submit its report to Punjab government within two days.

Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, who also holds the portfolio of Home, while interacting with the media on Sunday, said the sacrilege incidents are a big conspiracy purportedly to disturb peace and harmony of the state.

He said the youth who committed sacrilege in the Darbar Sahib Amritsar, remained in the Darbar Sahib for about nine hours. The youth had entered the Golden Temple at 1140 hrs. The accused has not been identified yet. No proof to identify the slain accused, including a mobile or identity card was recovered from his possession. Police are collecting complete information about him.

Randhawa said the identity of the slain youth would be ascertained in the coming two days. CCTV cameras of Darbar Sahib are being seen. A team has been deployed to look into the CCTV cameras installed in the markets to ascertain the route and movement of the accused.

The Amritsar Police Commissioner said it was not yet confirmed that the accused hailed from UP, but he was non-Punjabi. At the same time, police have registered a case under Section 307 against the youth accused of sacrilege.

Randhawa said he has held a meeting with the police officers. First, there was sacrilege in Anandpur Sahib. Then Gutka Sahib was thrown into the ‘sarovar’ of Darbar Sahib. During this, a drone was also caught. All this sequence is mesmerising, he added.

He said the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has been asked to form an intelligence wing.

New Delhi, Dec 17,2021: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday urged states to make natural farming a mass movement, saying it will help save thousands of crores of rupees spent each year on importing chemicals and fertilizers.

At least one village in every Panchayat across the country should embrace natural farming, Modi told the National Conclave on Natural Farming at Anand in Gujarat via video conferencing. Reducing dependence on chemical fertilizers and pesticides will reduce the input cost of farmers, he said.

“We have to import huge amounts of chemicals and fertilizers worth thousands of crores. Consequently, input cost goes up, expenses of farmers increase and the kitchen budget of the poor also goes up,” he said.

Farmers from across the country joined the event virtually. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath too did that.

The Prime Minister said that those who will benefit the most from natural farming will be 80 crore farmers, especially those who have less than two hectares of land.

“They spend a lot of money on chemical fertilizers. If they adopt natural farming, their cost will considerably come down.”

Zero budget natural farming refers to farming without taking any credit or spending money on purchased inputs. Desi cow, its dung and urine play an important role from which various inputs are made on the farm and provide necessary nutrients to soil, Modi said.

Zero budget farming seeks to end farmers’ dependence on loans and drastically cut production costs.

The government is implementing Zero Budget Natural farming viz Bhartiya Prakritik Krishi Padhati (BPKP) as a sub scheme of Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) to promote traditional and indigenous agricultural practices.

The scheme mainly emphasises exclusion of all synthetic chemical inputs and promotes on-farm biomass recycling with major stress on biomass mulching, use of cow dung-urine formulations and other plant-based preparations.

While noting that chemicals and fertilizers had contributed significantly to Green revolution, Modi said there is need to look for alternatives.

“Natural farming will play important role in the transformation of Indian agriculture in 21st century,” he said.

A myth has been created that crop yield would be affected without chemical fertilizers, he said. While the truth is contrary to this, he said, underscoring the need for adopting natural farming.

He laid emphasis on re-learning ancient knowledge and adopting them as per the requirement of modern times.

Modi said many experts have reaffirmed that indigenous or native cow has an important role to play in natural farming. Further, they have said that from cow dung and cow urine one can find solutions to not only protecting crops but also enhancing soil fertility.

Speaking at the event, Minister of Home Amit Shah, who also heads the Ministry of Cooperation, said that in order to promote natural farming it is important that farmers get a fair price for their produce.

He said the Ministry of Cooperation is working towards setting up a network of laboratories across the country to do soil testing and certify that the soil is chemical free. The labs would certify organic produce so that they get access to global markets.

New York [US], December 20,2021: Afghanistan’s economy is in “free fall”, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths told a special meeting on Sunday, warning that if decisive and compassionate action is not taken immediately, it may “pull the entire population with it”.
Speaking virtually to the 17th Extraordinary Session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers in Islamabad, Pakistan, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths painted a grim picture of 23 million people facing hunger; malnourished children overflowing in health facilities; 70 per cent of teachers working without salaries; and millions of students – Afghanistan’s future – out of school.
Moreover, this is occurring as the value of the Afghani currency plummets, a lack of confidence in the financial sector destroys trade and the space for borrowing and investment dramatically constricts.
“The need for liquidity and stabilization of the banking system is now urgent – not only to save the lives of the Afghan people but also to enable humanitarian organizations to respond”, he said.
The UN official welcomed the decision by the World Bank’s Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund to transfer $280 million by the end of December to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP).
“This step should be followed by reprogramming of the whole fund to support the Afghan people this winter”, he said.
“Families simply do not have the cash for everyday transactions, while prices for key commodities continue to rise”.

The cost of wheat and fuel are up by around 40 per cent and food now accounts for more than 80 per cent of the average household expenditure.
And as international development support has frozen up, basic social services that all Afghans depend on are collapsing.
Griffiths cautioned that by the middle of next year, universal poverty – reaching 97 per cent of the population – could be “the next grim milestone”.
“Within a year, 30 per cent of Afghanistan’s gross domestic product could be lost altogether, while male unemployment may double to 29 per cent”, he spelled out.
The OIC met to express their willingness to help avert disaster and contribute to the humanitarian endeavour.
“The United Nations stands firmly with you, and in solidarity with the people of Afghanistan”, said the Relief Coordinator, explaining that next year, the UN would seek its largest-ever funding appeal of $4.5 billion “to help the most vulnerable in Afghanistan”.
The plan is a stopgap measure for over 21 million people who need lifesaving assistance and must be funded as “a matter of priority”.
“The crisis is huge. Our humanitarian response is effective and continues to scale up, thanks to generous donor support and your sustained engagement”, he stated.

New Delhi, Dec 14,2021: Home Ministry on Tuesday said there are no plans to amend the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), Minister of State for Home Nityanad Rai informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
In response to a question by several opposition MPs, whether the Government plans to amend the existing Act “in the light of recent evidence about the large number of acquittals and for preventing the harassment of innocent people in wake of misuse of this law”.
Minister of State for Home, Nityanand Rai in his reply said, “Conviction is an outcome of an elaborate judicial process and is dependent on various factors, such as, duration of trial, appraisal of evidence, examination of witnesses, etc. There are adequate Constitutional, institutional and statutory safeguards including inbuilt safeguards in the UAPA itself, to prevent misuse of the law.”
“The UAPA has been amended in the past keeping in view the requirement. Presently no amendments in the UAPA are under consideration,”
The information regarding custodial deaths of the persons in custody under the UAPA is not maintained by NCRB,” he said.
He also said information regarding custodial deaths of the persons in custody under the UAPA is not maintained by NCRB.

Brussels, Dec 17,2021: Leaders of the EU countries have unanimously voted for the prolongation of sanctions against Russia during the EU summit in Brussels, European Council President Charles Michel said on Friday.

“Massive consequences & severe cost will follow if Russia takes further military action against Ukraine. #EUCO leaders unanimously agreed to roll over economic sanctions against Russia. We call on Russia to keep its part of the bargain and proceed with Minsk implementation,” Michel wrote on its Twitter page.

According to the EU Summit, the existing restrictions have a significant economic impact on the Russian economy and deprive Moscow of an access to sensitive technologies.

The sanctions on Russia were introduced over the 2014 crisis in Ukraine and Crimea’s decision to rejoin Russia. The West has accused Moscow of meddling in Ukrainian internal affairs, while Russia has denied the accusations and introduced a food embargo on the states that targeted it with restrictive measures.

New Delhi , December 17,2021: Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Thursday said that the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is developing a Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) with private participation and it will be launched in the first quarter of 2022.
In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today, Jitendra Singh informed that the SSLV will provide a payload capability of 500 kg to a 500 km planar orbit.
The Minister said that the development of SSLV is in the final stages and the first developmental flight of SSLV is targeted during the first quarter of 2022.

He said the government has sanctioned a total cost of Rs169 Crores for the development project including the development and qualification of the vehicle systems and the flight demonstration through three development flights (SSLV-D1, SSLV-D2 and SSLV-D3).
“The hardware and structures for the SSLV development project including the solid motor cases, nozzle sub-systems, mandrels for the casting of solid motors, inter-stage structures, actuator motors and fixtures will be realized through private industry,” Singh said.
The development of SSLV has been primarily envisaged to realize a cost-effective launch vehicle with high launch frequency and quick turnaround capability in order to cater to the growing opportunity in the global launch services market for small satellites.

Manila, Dec 19,2021: The death toll from Typhoon Rai that battered the Philippines this week has climbed to at least 144, local officials said on Sunday.

Bohol province in the central Philippines is the worst-hit with 72 deaths, while Negros Occidental reported 18, Cebu 16, Dinagat Islands 10, Southern Leyte six, among others.

The number of deaths is likely to rise as local officials gather data from the field.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) has yet to update its death tally after saying on Saturday night it had received reports of 31 deaths in central and southern Philippines due to Rai.

Communications are still down in typhoon-ravaged areas, making it difficult for the NDRRMC to contact its regional and provincial agencies.

Bohol Governor Arthur Yap said his province has tallied 72 deaths as reports trickle in from the field.

“Presently, communications are still down. The signal is intermittent,” Yap said, adding that the central Philippine province is still without electricity. He said it might take up to three weeks to restore power in the province.

Yap appealed to fuel suppliers to triple the deliveries of gasoline and fuel, saying the province is dependent on generator sets.

He said the residents of some hardest-hit towns are asking for food and water. More chainsaws are also needed to clear fallen trees and debris. “Many of the smaller roads are still not passable,” he added.

On Sunday, the police posted a video about rescuing 26 people, including nine minors and nine elderly, trapped on a tree for hours in Negros Occidental province.

President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the speedy delivery of food, water, and necessary items such as tents and tarps to the typhoon victims after visiting the affected areas by aircraft.

He also ordered the military and the Philippine Coast Guard to send boats and ships to augment the immediate delivery of needed supplies.

The military will send medical teams onboard two Navy ships to augment the health personnel in Siargao and Dinagat Islands, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said.

Typhoon Rai made landfall on the Siargao Island on Thursday afternoon. It was blowing maximum winds of 195 km per hour and with gusts of up to 240 km per hour when it slammed into the island in Surigao del Norte province.

The typhoon swelled rivers and flooded low-lying areas while cutting through towns and villages in the central Philippines and the northern Mindanao in the southern part of the country.

The NDRRMC said Rai affected more than 700,000 people in nine regions, caused power outages, damaged buildings and houses in these areas. The government is still assessing the typhoon’s damage to crops and infrastructure.

The Philippines is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world, mainly due to its location along the Pacific Ring of Fire and Pacific typhoon belt. On average, this archipelagic country experiences 20 typhoons every year, some of which are intense and destructive.

The World Bank said natural disasters have killed 33,000 Filipinos in the past 30 years, affecting 120 million people.

Madrid [Spain], December 19,2021: Shuttler Kidambi Srikanth on Sunday became the first Indian man to win a silver medal at the BWF World Championships.
Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew defeated Kidambi in the summit clash 21-15, 22-20. The final lasted for 43 minutes.
This is the first time that a men’s player from Singapore has won gold at the BWF World Championships.
The 12th-seeded Indian came out all guns blazing and took an early 9-3 lead, but Yew bounced back, winning the first game 21-15. Kidambi was left with all to do in the second game if he wanted to keep his hopes alive of walking away with a gold medal.
Yew carried on with his momentum and he wrapped up the match in straight games.
On Saturday, Srikanth had created history by becoming the first Indian shuttler to enter the final in the men’s singles category of the BWF World Championships in Huelva.
In an all-Indian battle, former world number one Srikanth rallied to defeat Lakshya Sen by 17-21, 21-14, 21-17 in a thriller that lasted for one hour and nine minutes.

New Delhi , December 16,2021: A total number of 27 satellite missions and 25 launch vehicle missions were successfully accomplished during the last five years from April 2016 to March 2021, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Wednesday.
In reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today, Singh informed that in addition, 286 commercial satellites from domestic as well as foreign customers and eight student satellites from Indian universities were also launched during the aforementioned period.

“Some of the major space missions include a first operational flight of India’s heavy-lift launch vehicle GSLV Mk-III which placed India’s second lunar mission, Chandrayaan-2 into orbit; Advanced Cartography satellite, Cartosat-3; completion of NavIC constellation; launch of South Asia Satellite; launch of heaviest and most-advanced high throughput communication satellite, GSAT-11 and launch of record 104 satellites in a single PSLV flight,” said the Union Minister
Apart from these, three technology demonstrators namely Scramjet engine, Re-Usable Launch Vehicle and test for Crew Escape System were also successfully demonstrated during this period, he added.
Singh said that the Department of Space has charted out short-term and long-term plans in the areas of Space Transportation Systems, Satellite Communication and Navigation, Earth Observation, Space Sciences and Planetary Exploration, Capacity Building and Space-based applications.

New York [US], December 15,2021: Iran does not impose any preconditions or new conditions in the negotiations to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and only wishes to see the restoration of the initial terms of the nuclear accord, Iran’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Majid Takht Ravanchi told a UN Security Council meeting.
“This [restoration of the JCPOA], however, can be realized only if all necessary conditions are met in real terms. Make no mistake; we are not imposing any preconditions or new conditions. We are talking about the same conditions that are embedded in the JCPOA and resolution 2231, the same conditions that form the very foundations of the JCPOA, and the same conditions that resulted in reciprocal commitments of the parties in the JCPOA,” Ravanchi said on Tuesday.
Ravanchi emphasized that the nuclear agreement is “useless” for Iran without full satisfaction of the initial conditions.

“We, therefore, call for the full, timely, unconditional and verifiable implementation of the JCPOA. No more, no less,” he said.
Ravanchi also said any attempts to link the accord’s implementation to irrelevant issues or exploring JCPOA’s expansion or extension of its proposals are absolutely unacceptable and doomed to fail.
The seventh round of the talks on Iran’s nuclear program started in Vienna on November 29 and the main focus was the lifting US sanctions against Iran.
In May 2018, the United States withdrew from the JCPOA – signed also by China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, Germany and the European Union – and reintroduced comprehensive sanctions against Iran. As a result, Iran largely abandoned fulfilling its own obligations under the accord.
In October, Tehran and Washington affirmed their readiness to restore the talks on the JCPOA resumption as soon as possible.

Dec 14,2021:British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday reported the first known omicron death after saying the country faces a “tidal wave” of cases from the new variant that has shown a higher resistance to vaccines.

Long lines formed at vaccination centers across England after the news Monday, with Johnson also announcing booster shots would be available to all adults. The British government raised the country’s coronavirus threat level on Sunday, warning that the rapid spread of omicron “adds additional and rapidly increasing risk to the public and health care services.”

“I’m afraid it is now clear that two doses of vaccine are simply not enough to give the level of protection we all need,” Johnson said in an address to the U.K. announcing a new timeline for the country’s booster rollout.

With the spread of the omicron variant looming, Dr. Anthony Fauci on Sunday told ABC News that preliminary data about omicron show the variant can “evade” some of the protection that vaccines offer but a booster dose “raises the level of protection high enough that it then does do well against the omicron.”

Dec 14,2021:China has warned the United States that it would “strike back” in response to any “reckless” actions, urging Washington to withdraw its recent passing of sanctions targeting people and entities tied to human rights abuses committed by Beijing.

The United States imposed sweeping human rights-related sanctions on Friday against Chinese individuals and entities, adding individuals and entities tied to Myanmar, North Korea and Bangladesh.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin denounced the sanctions as “perverse actions”.

“We urge the US to immediately withdraw the relevant wrong decision and stop interfering in China’s internal affairs and harming China’s interests.

“If the US acts recklessly, China will take effective measures to strike back resolutely,” Wang said during a news conference in Beijing on Monday.
The measures are the latest in a raft of sanctions timed to coincide with Biden’s two-day virtual Summit for Democracy, where he announced initiatives to bolster democracy around the world and support for pro-democracy legislation in the United States.

Moscow, Dec 15,2021: NASA’s Parker Solar Probe became the first spacecraft ever to “touch” the sun’s surface by entering into its upper atmosphere.
“For the first time in history, a spacecraft has touched the Sun. NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has now flown through the Sun’s upper atmosphere – the corona – and sampled particles and magnetic fields there,” NASA said in a statement on Tuesday.
According to the agency, such a milestone marks great new beginnings for the solar science industry. Touching the sun, NASA noted, will help scientists explore the star’s influence on the solar system and uncover more information about its existence.
“Not only does this milestone provide us with deeper insights into our Sun’s evolution and its impacts on our solar system, but everything we learn about our own star also teaches us more about stars in the rest of the universe,” the associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA, Thomas Zurbuchen, added.
NASA also said that the Parker Solar Probe will continue on its journey through the sun’s corona and will go on to provide scientists at the company with information that can not be studied from the Earth.
“Flying so close to the Sun, Parker Solar Probe now senses conditions in the magnetically dominated layer of the solar atmosphere – the corona – that we never could before. We see evidence of being in the corona in magnetic field data, solar wind data, and visually in images. We can actually see the spacecraft flying through coronal structures that can be observed during a total solar eclipse,” Nour Raoufi, the space probe’s project scientist, added.
Parker Space Probe was launched in 2018 with the aim of exploring the mysteries of the sun by traveling closer to the star than any other spacecraft ever before.