The Weekly Focus Edition 31
Mayhem at the Capitol
A plethora of Donald Trump’s supporters stormed into the US Capitol on Wednesday, causing a city-wide curfew in Washington. These angry civilians were wearing MAGA ( Make America Great Again) hats which were Trump’s electoral slogan, many were even spotted without wearing face-masks in spite of the pandemic. The police secured the Capitol and locked it down. Mr Trump urged the supporters to protest as he claims the 2020 Presidential elections were rigged. Protesters wanted to reject the election and wanted Republican Lawmakers to support Trump in his supreme court fight and overturning president-elect Joe Biden. The protestors gathered at the Ellipse where Donal Trump addressed them near the afternoon on Wednesday. Huge banners and signs exclaimed “Save America March the crowd also played tunes such as ‘Macho Man’ and ‘Billie Jean’. Following Trump's speech, protestors yelled “Whose Capitol? Our Capitol''.
Protestors manoeuvred their way above the scaffolding and infiltrated the initial security layer. The police had no choice but to increase the security, additional layers of barricades and protection around the premises. Starting his speech Donald Trump Jr. (son of President Trump) stated “Hello Patriots!” creating a scandal globally. Many Trump supporters showed a sense of anger towards the election and criticized the ballots and counting of the votes. However,
The Weekly Focus does not take sides, we hope that the Capitol is safe and the conflict gets sorted immediately.
By Arhaan Zaveri
How has this pandemic affected sports
This Covid-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of life and sports is no exception. It has had a significant impact on sporting fixtures. It has affected the athletes and also media coverage. Big leagues around the world were postponed and the Summer Olympics have been postponed to next year which is one of the most-watched sports around the world.
There are 3 main incomes for sports leagues: broadcasting, commercial and matchday revenue (ticketing and hospitality). In leagues, teams have their own identity, employees, fan bases, but the fixtures are set by the league. All major sports leagues are reliant on the broadcasting income. If this goes on for too long this will have a terrible effect one of which is- there would be a temporary shutdown of leagues which would mean the broadcasting income would not be there. This would impact the whole industry because there would be no matches played which meant no TV deals and no matchday income and no income would mean no clubs so this can have an effect which can change these athletes lives and also the owners of the clubs and franchises would lose a lot of money.
The industry is trying to capitalize on the missing content. Sports broadcasters are showing classic games, archived content, documentaries, esports and niche competitions to try and hook the consumers. Sporting channels have removed the paywall for their joint streaming subscription service. The broadcasting partners are luckily understanding the situation of no leagues taking place.
This might have a long term effect on the form of the players as staying away from the game for months is not good for athletes. Even though they would be doing high-intensity workouts at their home but that will not be much when they return to their respective sports. This will also highly affect the new generation of that sport because their training would also stop and they would also get unfit for the sport as their exposure to the sport was also less so it will be hard for them to cope up.
By Krishnav Bubna
Space Race 2.0
Mars will be seeing 3 visitors in February from NASA, China and UAE. UAE’s probe is expected to reach Mars on the 9th of February. The next day China’s Tianwen 1 orbiter- rover is expected to arrive, and on the 18th February, NASA’s Perseverance rover will land in an area where scientists have a hint of microbial life once existed. All of these probes were launched in July 2020. The probes will be studying the planet for about 2 earth years. China's probe has a more complex structure than the others. NASA’s Perseverance rover, nicknamed Percy is NASA’s 11th probe sent. This probe is perfect for landing in the area which has hints of life. As of January 3, the Tianwen-1 probe was 81 million miles from Earth and 5.15 million miles from Mars, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA). NASA’s Perseverance rover, nicknamed Percy, will land much faster than Tianwen-1, thanks to its ample experience from previous missions.
By Krishnav Bubna
Manchester City beat Manchester United in The Manchester Derby
Kane Williamson scores another double century in less than a months time.
A hero rider Santosh was resuscitated by his opponent after an accident.
Smith scores a ton, Labushange scores 91 and Australia score 338 after a rain hit first day. India finish the day at 96-2 after Shubhman Gill scored his maiden half century.
Tech News
TCL to showcase next-generation of Mini-LED displays at CES 2021.
The FCC listing contained Redmi Note 10 Pro.
Mi 11 coming soon to India, Mi 10i to make the brand more approachable.
Other News
Bird flu outbreak has been recorded in four states, Centre issues advisory to contain the spread.
South Africa to buy 1.5 million vaccines from Serum Institure.
Donald Trump's social media handles on Instagram and Facebook removed, videos removed on other platforms such as Twitch, Tik Tok, Snap Chat and Twitter.
There will be no additions for the night curfew in Mumbai.
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris officially certified as the winners of the election by the congress, Trump finally concedes.
The Da Vinci Code
Author: Dan Brown
Rating: ★★★★★
Age: 13/14+
Review: You will never look at the Mona Lisa the same way again- trust me, you won’t. This thriller is one of my personal favourites, another Robert Langdon story that dances around dead scientists, painting with secrets, undiscovered maniac groups, and a young girl with blonde hair. As you travel around the world with this novel, you shall realise how every page holds boundless questions, indefinite answers, and so much more, leaving you gasping for breath. Brown politely includes much-disputed events and talks in this lightning-paced thriller perfectly bound for all ages above that mentioned and all readers and lovers of fiction or nonfiction. Its startling finish will leave you waiting for more.
On 3rd January 1925, Mussolini made himself the dictator of Italy.
On 4th January 1959, Luna 1, a spacecraft became the first to leave Earth’s gravity.
On 5th January 2016, a schoolboy by the name of Pranav Dhanawade became the first ever to score 1000 runs in an innings.
On 6th January 1912, Alfred Wegener proposed his theory of Pangea and continental drift.
On 7th January 1610, Galileo observed the first 3 moons of our Solar System’s biggest planet.
On 8th January 1835, the US national debt decreased to 0$ for the first and last time to date.
On 9th January 2007, Apple lead by Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone.
Some cats are allergic to humans!
Written By Krishnav Bubna
Edited By Nirvaan Zaveri