The Weekly Focus Edition 38
Myanmar coup:
For those who are not aware a coup d’état took place in Myanmar. It was just a few years ago when the small country freed itself from the authoritarian military and was established as a democracy due to the flying colours of its now detained leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi. Myanmar has seen extremely less light in this dark journey.
Due to this unprecedented and disgraceful act by the military, 6 military leaders have been sanctioned for committing serious human rights violations the list is getting longer as in the past 19 others were also sanctioned. The United Kingdom has also assured that none of their public or private businesses will be trading with Myanmar Military owned companies. Citizens are disheartened all theirs and some detained leaders' struggles for this sacred country to transform into a free-spirited democracy have all gone down the drain as the roads stay melancholic and frightened. Human rights should be completely given to every person. In this darkness let us all hope for democracy to flourish and regain its scintillating place in Myanmar.
To know more about the history of the coup d’etat click on this link. https://www.theweeklyfocus7.com/post/the-weekly-focus-edition-35
By Arhaan Zaveri
OnePlus 9- A Quick Comparison
One plus 9R could be the name of the 3rd model in the OnePlus 9 series this year in March. This series comprises the OnePlus 9, OnePlus 9 Pro, and possibly the OnePlus 9R. It was going to be called the OnePlus 9e or OnePlus 9 Lite in the past but now it's changed. The OnePlus 9R will be powered by the Snapdragon 690 SoC and a 65-inch display with 90Hz. The phone is expected to be 8GB RAM and 128 GB. It will have a dual-camera setup with a 64-megapixel main sensor and 8-megapixel wide sensor. The battery will be 5000mAh. The OnePlus 9 pro is said to be the most premium model. It has an AMOLED display and a 120Hz refresh rate. It has a Snapdragon 888 SoC, and 8GB RAM And 128GB storage. It may have the ability of a triple rear camera setup that has a 48-megapixel main camera, 64-megapixel ultra-wide lens, and a 3.3x telephoto lens too. The battery is 4500mAh. OnePlus hasn't confirmed all of this information.
By Krishnav Bubna
WandaVision Episode 8: The Big Reveals.
Previously on The Weekly Focus, (see what I did there?) I wrote a bit about Agatha Harkness, who we got to understand even more at the beginning of Episode 8. The opening scene revealed she was hunted by her own coven—lead by her mother— for breaking the rules. Her power was greater than the coven’s though, leading them to wither and die; and at the end of the scene she takes her mother’s brooch which may be a source of power and could hold greater significance later.
Later on, we learn about Wanda’s love for sitcoms and more importantly, how her powers originated. In the flashback scene where she first volunteered to be a part of the experimentation with the mind stone (conducted by hydra), we discover she had latent powers all along (Since the mind stone actually reached out to her first). This is crucial and helps us understand a lot more. It also gives insight into ‘chaos magic’- the term Agatha uses in the end (which will be very significant later.)
One of the biggest reveals in this episode was when we see the actual scene of Wanda going to the Sword HQ to take Vision’s body. In this we realise Hayward kind of leads Wanda to bring back vision- although in the end, she CREATES Vision using solely her powers. The scene we had scene in an earlier episode which showed the CCTV footage of Wanda coming in and taking Vision’s body, was clearly not true, and it makes sense that Hayward edited it giving us another reason not to trust him. Clearly, he has his own motives of which we possibly got a glimpse of in the post-credit scene. We see a white
Vision that Hayward and Sword have created which may explain why he wanted Wanda to create Vision/bring him back to life. This shows that he perhaps wanted a reason to create his own Vision. In the comics, several heroes face their anti-heroes (themselves, but evil) which will probably happen to Vision this next episode. We know that Hayward couldn’t completely recreate Vision since that would be near impossible, and, if he did Vision would not be white so…
Also, flashback to Episode 7 where Maria Rambeau gets POWERS and meets (fake) Pietro at the end of the episode- this will all supposedly be followed up on in the LAST episode of WandaVision (Yes there are only 9 as of now tears roll down several cheeks).
Final Note: Maria’s powers in the comics revolve around the absorption of some sort of energy which she did with the electromagnetic spectrum while entering the hex as well, though we’ll see how her powers play out. ANYWAY, I guess we’ll also see how all of this wraps up in the end next week!
By Sanaa Dharamshi
Other News
Pakistan remains on the Grey list in FATF's terror financing list.
The USA crossed the 500,000 deaths, President Biden calls it ‘heart-breaking’
A Boeing 777 had to execute an emergency landing in Russia after another report of an engine failure.
Michael Somer, also known as ‘the father of the nation’ for Papua New Guinea, died at 84. He led the country to independence.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has claimed he has eradicated rural Poverty in china, called it a huge win
The US ends the Green Card ban imposed by Donald Trump, a victory for all immigrants.
Martin Guptil and James Neesham helped New Zealand beat Australia in a final over thriller.
Axar and Ashwin helped India win the Pink Ball test and eliminate England out of the race for the World Test Championship.
In the same test, Ashwin crossed the 400 wicket mark in Test cricket, becoming the 3rd fastest to do so.
Manchester City beat Borussia Monchengladbach 2-0, Real Madrid beat Atlanta 1-0, Chelsea beat Atletico Madrid 1-0 and Bayern Munich beat Lazio 4-1.
Novak Djokovic won the Australian Open for the 18th time.
Football News-
Sitting at the top of the Premier League table with 59 points and 18 wins, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City is looking good for the season. Their rivals, Manchester United, are 10 points behind them. Coming third is Leicester City, third place only because of Goal Difference. In La Liga, leaders Atletico Madrid are now only 5 points above Zinedine Zidane’s Madrid. In the UEFA Champions League, Atletico Madrid played Chelsea. The first leg of the match ended with Chelsea 1-0 up because of a stunning bicycle kick from Olivier Giroud.
Chelsea has finally found some footing and has started to win matches in the Premier League. Now, onto transfer news. Erling Braut Haaland, the 6’ 4” striker from Dortmund is truly a gem. He is wanted by 10 world-class clubs - FC Barcelona, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Manchester City and FC Bayern Munich. Fans claim that he is the successor to Messi, Ronaldo and Ibrahimović and he is only 20 years old!
By Saveer Solanki
Nagamese- A beautiful language
On the eastern frontiers of the country, bordered by Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur and the country of Myanmar, lies the beautiful state of Nagaland. Home to numerous native tribes and sub-tribes, Nagaland has been long known as the Land of Festivals. And it’s only fair, given all the harvest festivals, religious and cultural festivals that are celebrated in the state every year. But what’s more diverse than the festivals celebrated here, are its languages. Nagaland is without a speck of doubt, the most diverse state of India, language-wise at least. There are 16 main tribes in the state (and several sub-tribes) and each has its own distinct native tongue (Angami, Konyak, Lotha, Ao and Sema being the largest ones). These Naga languages in turn have their regional
dialects. Some mutually intelligible, some not. Most of these languages are classified under the Kuki-Chin-Naga branch of Tibeto-Burman. Apart of the indigenous languages there exist several other languages spoken by the non-indigenous citizens and migrants in Nagaland: Hindi, Bengali, Khasi, Nepali, Assamese, Bodo, Manipuri and Mizo, just to name a few. But there’s one language that breaks all tribal and cultural barriers, that is universally understood by the people of Nagaland, Nagamese. The Nagamese creole or the Naga pidgin is an Assamese creole language. In simpler terms, a dialect of
Assamese mixed with English, Bangla, Hindi and the various Naga languages. It has easy to-learn grammar and phonetics and is spoken/understood by almost everyone in the state. Although English is the official language of Nagaland, Nagamese works as the lingua franca. It is thought to have its origin as a language of trade and communication between the Nagas and the Ahoms and later, between the Naga
tribes themselves. By the time the British arrived at the scene, Nagamese had been well established as the medium of communication in the Naga hills. The Dimasa Kachari use Nagamese as their native mother-tongue. Being a spoken-language, Nagamese lacks much written literature, although songs and movies in the language exist. English is the de-facto language in the administrative and educational institutions but even the teachers and officials don’t mind letting out a bit of Nagmese from time to time when English just doesn’t feel right. As my friend Yimso says, “It's like the go to language when you strike up a conversation with someone.” Also, there’s a growing concern that Nagamese might endanger the other Naga languages, though most young Nagas are fluent in English, Nagamese, as well as their mother- tongue. Hindi is the new guy in the neighbourhood, an unwanted addition to the gang of dominating languages in Nagaland, made compulsory in all central and state board schools. But ki kuribo, upay nai
(what can we do, there no other way); Hindi remains encouraged by the Central Government despite the protests from the non-Hindi groups, not just in Nagaland but nation-wide. The Land of Languages, however, has now become aware of its linguistic heritage and efforts are being made to protect and promote the indigenous languages. Even though these languages have always been used and promoted in churches and cultural gatherings, the students can now learn their mother tongues in schools and prizes are being created by the tribal associations to felicitate literary or artistic
contributions. Nagamese too continues to flourish abreast.
- Agniva Maiti
Liked the story? Check out some of her other posts on his blog!
https://bongboyblog.tumblr.com
Up For Air
Author: Laurie Morrisson
Rating: ★★★★
Age: 10+
Review: A must-read for swimmers, this book is written specifically for younger readers, but a soothing, relatable story for others. Fishing through the ups and downs of school- and being bad at academics- and the tunnels to pass to become a better swimmer- without having a chip on your shoulder- Morrison’s simple, yet cautious story surrounds a teenage girl, her best friends (who don’t both end up being too great), her divorced parents, funny stepfather (who tried a little too hard), a way-out-of-league crush, and a pool full of swim mates that promise her deaf ears that together, as a team, they can get through anything.
By Día Makhecha
On 21st February 1848, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels issued The Communist Manifesto
On 22nd February 2017, Jay Z became the first rapper to enter the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame
On 23rd February 1455, Johannes Guttenberg first printed his bible
On 24th February 2020, scientists discovered the first animal that doesn’t require oxygen for respiration
On 25th February 1964, Muhammad Ali claimed his first heavyweight boxing title
On 26th February 1935, Robert Watson-Watt first demonstrated the RADAR
On 27th February 2014, the Swedish Public Employment Service accidently invited 61000 people to a job interview.
By Nirvaan Zaveri
The Canary Islands were named after the dogs, not the birds!
By Vivaan Dharamshi
Edited by Nirvaan Zaveri