The Weekly Focus Edition 35
Myanmar Coup
Myanmar is a small country located in south-east Asia neighbouring India, China, Thailand, Laos and Bangladesh. Recently, a coup d’état occurred. After Myanmar gained independence from Great Britain, the country was in military rule until 2011 when Nobel peace prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi’s party NLD won the elections by a landslide. For those who are not aware of a coup d’état, it is a sudden violent overthrow of the current leader, a coup is generally started
by the military, armed forces or the police. The coup occurred as a new session of parliament began. Ms Suu Kyi is under house arrest and she has been charged with possession of unlawful communication devices breaching import and export laws. Several other NLD officers have been detained. Currently, the military is in power and the head of state is commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing. He is a powerful political figure in the country and one of the high ranking military officials. We hope for a peaceful transition of power and wish he has a great term.
By Arhaan Zaveri
The much-awaited India vs England series
There is no better way to find the world test championship finalist with a classic India vs England series. New Zealand qualified for the finals because the Australia vs South Africa series was called off. India needs to win the series 2-0, 2-1, 3-0, 3-1 or 4-0 to go to the lords to play the final on 18th June. England needs to win the series 3-0,3-1 or 4-0 to qualify for the series and any other results will lead to Australia qualifying. The squads for the series are-
India:
Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (Vice-captain), KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Md. Siraj, Shardul Thakur.
England:
Dan Lawrence, Dom Sibley, Joe Root ©, Ollie Pope (WK), Rory Burns, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Moeen Ali, Ben Foakes (WK), Jos Buttler (WK), Dom Bess, Jack Leach, James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Olly Stone, Stuart Broad
The schedule is as follows-
1st Test- 5-9 Feb
2nd Test- 13-17 Feb
3rd Test- 24-28 Feb
4th Test- 4-8 March
Playing 11 for the first test
India-
Rohit Sharma
Shubman Gill
Cheteshwar Pujara
Virat Kohli
Ajinkya Rahane
Rishabh Pant
Washington Sundar
Ravichandran Ashwin
Shabaz Nadeem
Jasprit Bumrah
Ishant Sharma
England-
Dom Sibley
Rory Burns
Dan Lawrence
Joe Root
Ben Stokes
Jos Buttler
Ollie Pope
Dom Bess
Jofra Archer
Jack Leach
James Anderson
By Krishnav Bubna
Farmers protest Updates
The Farmers protests against the new laws have escalated in the past days. After the Republic Day violence, a few farmer unions left the protests citing the civil violence, but the rest continued to protest. Celebrities such as Rihanna and Greta Thunberg tweeted about the protests in support of the farmers. Some say the move will spread awareness of the situation in India, but others say that the celebrities don’t have much knowledge about the laws and should stay out of the matter. Nationalists were later seen burning posters with pictures of the celebrities on them. The government repeats its claims about the farm laws being good for farmers and India and stated farmers are vital for India. #IndiaAgainstPropoganda and #IndiaTogether were trending on Twitter. Meanwhile, opposition leaders met the farmers on the Delhi border to boost their morale. This is a political game, and both sides will want to end on the better side of this outcome.
Other News
The Union Budget announced on 1st February considered revolutionary, Market soars.
Sweden to introduce a ‘Vaccination Certificate’ for travel.
The head of the Olympic organizing committee says women ‘talk too much’, receives heavy criticism for his sexist remark.
The number of Covid-19 vaccinations surpasses Covid-19 cases globally.
Microsoft ready to cooperate with Australia’s new laws about news offers Bing as an alternative for Google as they threaten to remove services from Australia.
Sri Lankan Cricket coach Mickey Arthur tests positive for Covid-19
Joe Root slams another century on the first day of the India vs England Test match
Chelsea beat Tottenham in the Premier League clash
Over 1097 people register for the IPL Auction including Arjun Tendulkar, but only 61 spots to be filled.
All players and staff to play the Australian Open test negative for Covid-19.
Tech News
Instagram has added a new feature called recently deleted.
Hackers are stealing personal data on iPhones via fake users.
Huawei is realising a foldable smartphone on 22nd February.
Sony has said they have received a 20% profit from the Ps5.
The PS5 officially releases in India, sold out within seconds.
Fangirl
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Rating: ★★★★
Age: 13/14+
Review: A heart-warming story of twin sisters experiencing their freshman year at the same college- but can two very different personalities work well in the same environment? This book answers more than that. The antagonist, Cather, fumbles through her introverted stages, leaning on her self-written fan-fictions, her father’s special mac and cheese, and a boy to get through the time. Watch as the sisters fight, forget, fall in trouble- and not always together. A simple, dare-I-say cliche story of a Nerd and the Bad Girl. Highly recommended for bookworms, fangirls, YA addicts, and everyone that fell in love with To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.
By Dia Makhecha
On 31st January 1865, the 13th amendment was passed and slavery was abolished.
On 1st February 1972, the first physical scientific calculator was invented.
On 2nd February 1653, New York (New Amsterdam at that time) became a city.
On 3rd February 1966, the Soviet Luna 9 softly landed on the moon making it the first soft landing on the Moon.
On 4th February 2004, Facebook was launched.
On 5th February 1972, Bob Douglas was elected in the Basketball Hall of Fame becoming the first African American to accomplish it.
On 6th February 1992, the people of northern Nordic countries start celebrating their existence on this day.
The tongue is the strongest muscle in the human body!
Written by Vivaan Dharamshi
Edited by Nirvaan Zaveri