Junior Digest

Gros Islet [St Lucia], July 13,2021: A vintage knock from Chris Gayle aided with skipper Nicholas Pooran’s calm approach helped West Indies thrash Australia by six wickets in the third T20I on Monday (local time).
With this win, West Indies secured T20I series victory over Australia with two more games to go.
A quality death bowling from West Indies had restricted Australia to 141/6 before the hosts chased down the total comfortably with 31 balls to spare.
During the run chase, Gayle also became the first player to smash 14000 runs in the shortest format of the game.
Chasing 142, West Indies got off to a bad start as Mitchell Starc struck in the first over dismissing Andre Fletcher for four runs.

Lendl Simmons and Chris Gayle then stitched a 38-run stand for the second wicket before Riley Meredith removed the opener reducing West Indies to 42/2 inside the powerplay.
However, Gayle continued smashing the ball as he found his form to bring up his first T20I fifty since 2016. He smashed three consecutive sixes to get to his half-century.
Meredith dismissed Gayle in the 12th over but the damage was done as West Indies just needed 33 runs in eight overs. Pooran and Andre Russell in end guided the hosts to a series-clinching win over Australia in the 15th over.
Earlier opting to bat first, Australia scored just 141 runs despite a good start. Matthew Wade and skipper Aaron Finch stitched a 41-run stand for the first wicket in five overs.
However, the visitors kept losing wickets at regular intervals as the batsmen never really looked comfortable during the innings.
Australia were 80/4 in 12 overs and Moises Henriques (33) and Ashton Turn (24) revived the visitors’ innings but failed to get to a decent total.
Brief Scores: Australia 141/6 (Moises Henriques 33, Aaron Finch 30; Hayden Walsh 2-18); West Indies 142/4 (Chris Gayle 67, Nicholas Pooran 32; Riley Meredith 3-48)

Imphal, Jul 12,2021: Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari on Monday said the government is ready to finance all development works provided there is early clearance from Environment and support from the people.

Speaking during inauguration and foundation stone laying ceremonies for 16 National Highway Projects worth about Rs 4148 crore at City Convention Centre, Mr Gadkari said vision is important for completion and implementation of any project.

‘Transport by water was the cheapest one and we need to rely more on ethanol fuel. Gadkari who arrived here today inaugurated four completed projects including Makru Bridge and laid the foundation stones for 12 new projects,’ he said.

Gadkari said projects worth Rs 5,000 crore have also been sanctioned for the state and the Detailed Project Reports (DPR)will be completed within six months and the work will start in a year’s time.

He said expansion of Highways in the state will be recommended under the Bharatmala Phase ll .He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is giving highest priority to the north east and road infrastructure will

contribute in development of Manipur and make it socially and economically strong. The Minister said water ,power ,transport and communication are the four most important things for development of industry ,for generating employment and eradicating poverty. He said Manipur is a very beautiful state with immense potential for Tourism .

Mr Gadkari sought the cooperation of all the stakeholders for resolution of problems and completion of projects in a time-bound manner. He said the details of all the projects will be put on website.

Washington, Jul 15,2021: The United States will soon appoint an envoy for international religious freedom in near future, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday.

“We are looking forward to appointing an ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom in the coming weeks. We will continue to work closely with civil society organizations to combat all forms of religiously motivated hatred,” Blinken said at the International Religious Freedom summit in Washington.

Religious freedom is co-equal with other human rights, he added.

“When that freedom is jeopardized, the others are too,” he said.

Blinken underscored that religious freedom represents a vital component of US diplomacy.

Kathmandu, July 14,2021: Sher Bahadur Deuba sworn-in as the new Prime Minister of Nepal on Tuesday.
Deuba administered the oath of office by President Bidya Devi Bhandari administered at a ceremony at the latter’s official residence, Sheetal Niwas this evening.

Earlier today the President’s office had issued a notice stating that Deuba has been appointed as the PM as per the Supreme Court’s Monday verdict.

However, to the surprise of many the notice did not reveal the Article under which the appointment was being made.

The Supreme Court in it’s order had specified that Deuba would be made the PM in accordance with Article 76 (5) of the Constitution.

Deuba had made it clear to the President that he will not take the oath unless the notice is rectified and the article specified.

Bhandari agreed to Deuba’s terms and appointed him pursuant to the aforementioned article.

Deuba, who has earlier served four terms as Nepal’s PM will now have to gain the trust of House of Representatives within 30 days, as provisioned by the Constitution.

Jul 14,2021: Australian scientists say they have developed pain-free blood sugar testing for diabetics, a non-invasive strip that checks glucose levels via saliva.

For diabetics, managing their blood sugar levels typically means pricking their fingers multiple times a day with a lancet and then placing a drop of blood on a testing strip. Understandably, some diabetes sufferers avoid the painful process by minimising their tests.

However, this latest test works by embedding an enzyme that detects glucose into a transistor that can then transmit the presence of glucose, according to Paul Dastoor, professor of physics at the University of Newcastle in Australia, who led the team that created it.

He said the tests create the prospect of pain-free, low-cost glucose testing which should lead to much better outcomes for diabetes sufferers.

“Your saliva has glucose in it and that glucose concentration follows your blood glucose. But it is a concentration about 100 times lower which means that we had to develop a test that is low cost, easy to manufacture, but that has sensitivity about 100 times higher than standard glucose blood test,” Dastoor told Al Jazeera.
Since the electronic materials in the transistor are inks, the test can be made through low-cost printing.

“The materials that we work with are remarkable, they are electronic inks that can act as electronic material, but the difference is that we can print them at massive scale using a reel-to-reel printer, the same that you use to make newspapers,” Dastoor said.

The project secured A$6.3 million ($4.7m) in funding from the Australian government to establish a facility to produce the test kits should clinical trials be passed.

Dastoor says the technology could also be transferred to COVID-19 testing and allergen, hormone and cancer testing.

The university is already working with Harvard University on a test for COVID-19 using the same technology.

Moscow, Jul 12,2021: Mixing diffirent COVID-19 vaccines is a “dangerous trend” and could lead to chaos, WHO Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan said Monday.
“There are people who are thinking about mixing and matching. We receive a lot of queries who say they’ve taken one and they’re planning to take another one. It’s a little bit of a dangerous trend here where we’re in a data-free, evidence-free zone as far as mixing and matching,” Swaminathan told a press briefing.
Swaminathan noted the limited clinical data on mixing and matching COVID-19 vaccines, citing the UK-based trial of a mixed dosing regimen using AstraZeneca and Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccines, but said that the issue could cause chaos in other countries.
“It will be a chaotic situation in countries if citizens start deciding when they should be taking a second, or a third, or a fourth dose,” the WHO’s chief scientist said.

HAVANA ,Jul 13,2021: Cuba blamed historic protests that took place over the weekend on U.S. “economic asphyxiation” and detained some of the highest profile activists, while the Biden administration said it supported the Cuban people’s right to demonstrate.

The streets of Havana were quiet on Monday, although there was a heavy police presence and the capitol building, where more than a thousand had congregated the day before, was cordoned off. Outages in mobile internet – the only way many Cubans have of accessing the web – were frequent.

Thousands of Cubans joined street protests from Havana to Santiago on Sunday in the biggest anti-government demonstrations on the Communist-run island in decades. They were protesting against the country’s dire economic crisis and handling of the pandemic, but many went further, calling for an end to communism and chanting “freedom.”

At least 100 protesters, activists, and independent journalists had been detained nationwide since Sunday, according to exiled rights group Cubalex – some at the protests but others as they tried to leave their homes.

“It’s becoming impossible to live here,” said Havana resident Maykel, 21, who declined to give his surname for fear of retaliation. “I don’t know if this can happen again, because at the moment, Havana is militarized.”

“Still, Cubans are losing their fear,” he said.

Others Reuters spoke to said they hoped there would be no more protests, citing fears of violence, and saying they would prefer there to be more dialogue.

The protests erupted amid both Cuba’s deepest economic crisis since the fall of former ally the Soviet Union and a surge in COVID-19 infections that has pushed some hospitals to the edge of collapse in a country that prides itself on its healthcare system.

The tightening of decades-old U.S. sanctions under former U.S. President Donald Trump and the pandemic have exacerbated shortages of food and medicine, as well as power outages.

A minority of counter-revolutionaries were fomenting unrest, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said in a more than four-hour-long televised address alongside his Cabinet. Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez blamed U.S.-financed mercenaries.

In Washington, U.S. President Joe Biden said the United States stood with the people of Cuba who were “bravely” asserting their right to peaceful protest, while Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Cuban officials should not blame the protests on U.S. sanctions.

Baghdad [Iraq], July 13,2021: The death toll from the fire at a COVID-19 hospital ward in Iraq’s Nasiriyah has increased to 54, the health department of the southern province of Dhi Qar has said.

“The number of casualties from the fire at the Imam Hussein Hospital in Nasiriyah has reached 54,” the health department said in a statement.
According to preliminary information, the fire was caused by an oxygen tank explosion. The firemen have localized the conflagration, however, some coronavirus patients remain trapped in the hospital building.

Jul 15,2021:Taliban fighters in Afghanistan seized control of a major border crossing with Pakistan on Wednesday, one of the most important objectives they have achieved so far during a rapid advance across the country as U.S. forces pull out.

Video released by the militants showed their white flag with black Koranic verse flying in place of the Afghanistan flag above the Friendship Gate at the border crossing in the Afghan town of Wesh, opposite the Pakistani town of Chaman.

“After two decades of the brutality of Americans and their puppets, this gate and the Spin Boldak district were captured by the Taliban,” a fighter said to camera.

“The strong resistance of the Mujahideen and its people forced the enemy to leave this area. As you can see, that’s the Islamic Emirate flag, the flag that thousands of Mujahideen shed their blood to raise.”

The crossing, in the Spin Boldak district south of Afghanistan’s main southern city Kandahar, is the landlocked country’s second busiest entry point and main commercial artery between its sprawling southwest region and Pakistani sea ports. Afghan government data indicate that the route is used by 900 trucks a day.

Afghan officials said government forces had pushed back the Taliban and were in control of the district. But civilians and Pakistani officials said the Taliban remained in control of the crossing.

Washington, Jul 13,2021: The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) added a new warning on the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, saying the vaccine has been linked to a serious but rare side effect called Guillain-Barre syndrome.

Guillain Barre syndrome is a neurological disorder in which the body’s immune system damages nerve cells, causing muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis, the FDA said on Monday.

The syndrome has occurred in some people who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. In most of these people, symptoms began within 42 days following injections of the vaccine, said the FDA in a letter.

The chance of having this occur is very low, the agency said.

About 100 preliminary reports of Guillain-Barre syndrome have been detected in vaccine recipients after the administration of 12.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in the United States, The Washington Post quoted the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as saying in a statement.

Of these reports, 95 were serious and required hospitalization, and one was dead.

The cases have largely been reported about two weeks after vaccination and mostly in men, many aged 50 and older, according to the CDC.

Johnson & Johnson said Monday it has been in discussions with the FDA and other regulators about rare cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome.

The chance of having this occur is very low, and the rate of reported cases exceeds the background rate by a small degree, the company said in a statement.

New Delhi, Jul 14 (UNI) Commerce and Textile Minister Piyush Goyal has been appointed as the Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha.

The appointment became public after Parliamentary Affair Minister Pralhad Joshi congratulated Mr Goyal for the new role on Twitter on Wednesday.

Mr Goyal’s appointment came ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament.

Mr Goyal replaced Thawarchand Gehlot, who was recently appointed as the Governor of Karnataka.

Jul 12,2021: Chanting “freedom” and calling for President Miguel Diaz-Canel to step down, thousands of Cubans joined street protests from Havana to Santiago on Sunday in the biggest anti-government demonstrations on the Communist-run island in decades.

The protests erupted amid Cuba’s worst economic crisis since the fall of the Soviet Union, its former ally, and a record surge in coronavirus infections, with people voicing anger over shortages of basic goods, curbs on civil liberties and the authorities’ handling of the pandemic.

Thousands gathered in downtown Havana and along parts of the seaside drive, their shouts of “Diaz-Canel step down” drowning out groups of government supporters brandishing the Cuban flag and chanting “Fidel.”

New Mexico,Jul 12,2021: Richard Branson completed a daring, barnstorming flight to the edge of space Sunday, rocketing through the atmosphere in the spaceplane he’d been yearning to ride for nearly 20 years.

The suborbital trip gave the British billionaire, his three crewmates and two pilots a glimpse of the Earth from more than 50 miles up and a few minutes of weightlessness before the vehicle they were traveling in, SpaceShipTwo Unity, glided back to Earth and a landing on the runway at Virgin Galactic’s facility here in the New Mexico desert.
A festive gathering of space industry executives, future customers and other well-wishers were on hand to witness Sunday’s launch, which was live-streamed in a presentation hosted by late-night television comedian Stephen Colbert.

Among those present was fellow billionaire and space industry pioneer Elon Musk, who also is the founder of electric carmaker Tesla Inc.
Virgin has said it plans at least two further test flights of the spaceplane in the months ahead before beginning regular commercial operation in 2022.

July 11,2021: At a speed of 1.6 million kilometres, a powerful solar storm is approaching the Earth. The storm will hit the Earth on Sunday or Monday.

A report by Spaceweather.com claims that the storm has originated from the Sun’s atmosphere. This would have a significant impact on the region of space dominated by Earth’s magnetic field.

“THE SOLAR WIND IS COMING: Later today, a high-speed stream of solar wind is expected to hit Earth’s magnetic field. Flowing from an equatorial hole in the sun’s atmosphere, wind speeds could top 500 km/s. Full-fledged geomagnetic storms are unlikely, but lesser geomagnetic unrest could spark high latitude auroras.

Because of the solar storm, there will be a view of fascinating celestial lighting for people living at the North or South Pole.

Spaceweather.com added that the outer atmosphere of the Earth could be heated, due to solar storms, which could have a direct effect on the satellites.
This could cause interference with GPS navigation, mobile phone signal and satellite TV. The current in power lines can be high, which can also blow transformers.
As per the US space agency, NASA, the speed of the solar storm could increase from 1.6 million kilometres per hour.

New Delhi , July 13,2021: Chief Executive Officer of Google Sundar Pichai has warned about threats to the free and open internet in several countries where the flow of information is being restricted.
In an interview with BBC on Monday, Google’s boss said that “many countries are restricting the flow of information, and the model is often taken for granted.” He also addressed controversies around tax, privacy, and data and argued that “artificial intelligence is more profound than fire, electricity or the internet.”
Referring to different laws being followed in countries relating to online content which makes “different internets” for different countries,”… it is more a step back… I think a free and open internet is a tremendous force for good and we take it for granted a bit…,” he said in response to a question about “different internets” – a reference to countries having increasingly disparate laws about online content and what kind is “offensive”.

“In each country now there is a debate what speech is OK and what should be allowed… in some ways I think we pull back from the bigger picture (which is that) many countries around the world are restricting the flow of information and drawing much more rigid boundaries,” he said during an exclusive interview to BBC at the Google headquarters at Silicon Valley in California.
Remembering his roots, Tamil Nadu-born CEO of both Google and its parent company Alphabet has said that India is deeply rooted in him and a big part of who he is.
“I’m an American citizen but India is deeply within me. So it’s a big part of who I am,” Pichai said.
He also urged “countries with strong democratic traditions and values” to stand up against the potential fragmenting of the internet while speaking to BBC.

Jul 14,2021:Protests that followed Zuma’s arrest last week have widened into looting and an outpouring of generalised anger over inequality that persists 27 years after the fall of apartheid.

Poverty has been exacerbated by severe social and economic restrictions aimed at blocking the spread of COVID-19.

Security officials said the government was working to halt the spread of the violence and looting, which has so far spread from Zuma’s home in KwaZulu-Natal province to Gauteng province surrounding the country’s biggest city Johannesburg.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced late on Monday he was dispatching troops to help overwhelmed police halt the unrest and “restore order”.
Death toll climbs to 72 as violence continues

The death toll from five days of violence in South Africa has risen to 72, police said Tuesday, despite President Cyril Ramaphosa’s deployment of troops to quell the unrest.

“The total number of people who have lost their lives since the beginning of these protests …has risen to 72,” police said in a statement.

Most of the deaths, the forces, said “relate to stampedes that occurred during incidents of looting of shops”.

Others were linked to shooting and explosions of bank automatic cash machines.

Jul 13,2021: Growing military tensions around Taiwan as well as economic and technological rivalry between China and the United States threaten peace and stability in East Asia as the regional power balance shifts in Beijing’s favour, Japan said in its annual defence white paper.

“It is necessary that we pay close attention to the situation with a sense of crisis more than ever,” the paper said in a new section on Taiwan. “In particular, competition in technological fields is likely to become even more intense,” it said about the U.S.-China tussle.

The defence review, which was approved by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s government on Tuesday, points to China as Japan’s main national security concern. Beijing’s recent uptick in military activity around Taiwan has Tokyo worried since the island lies close to the Okinawa chain at the western end of the Japanese archipelago.

Chinese President Xi Jinping this month pledged to complete the “reunification” with Taiwan and in June criticised the United States as a “risk creator” after it sent a warship through the Taiwan Straits separating the island from the mainland.

Japan’s deputy prime minister and finance minister, Taro Aso, this month in a speech reported by Japanese media said Japan should join forces with the United States to defend Taiwan from any invasion. Aso later said any contingency over Taiwan should be resolved through dialogue when asked about the remarks, which drew a rebuke from Beijing.

As the military rivalry between the United States and China deepens, their economic competition is fuelling a race to take the lead in key technologies, such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence and quantum computing.

The emergence of the rival technology camps poses a challenge for Japan because its economy relies as much on business ties with China as it does with the United States. Japan will also have spend heavily to keep up with government funding for technology development in the United States, China and Europe.

U.S. Senate lawmakers recently passed the Innovation and Competition Act of 2021, which authorises $190 billion spending on technology including $54 billion to increase chip production. House of Representative lawmakers are debating a separate proposal that also promises generous funding, the “Ensuring American Global Leadership and Engagement Act,” or EAGLE Act.

The Japanese annual security review for the first time also includes a section on threats posed by climate change, which it says will increase competition for land and resources, and may trigger mass movement of climate refugees. An increase in disasters linked to global warming could also stretch military capabilities, it adds, while Arctic Sea ice melting could lead to the militarisation of northern waters.

Jaipur (Rajasthan), July 14,2021: Eleven cases of Kappa variant of COVID-19 have been detected in Rajasthan, said State Health Minister Raghu Sharma on Tuesday.

Addressing a press briefing last week, Dr VK Paul, Member-Health, NITI Aayog had said that the Kappa variant of COVID-19 is a “variant of interest” and it is not a new variant as cases have been reported in the country before.
He further informed that Kappa variant is of much less intensity and was earlier reported in February and March.
“If cases are detected, this means that the variant has stayed in the country. Kappa is much less in its intensity. Our watch will continue. Kappa variant was earlier reported in February and March also,” said Dr Paul.