The Weekly Focus Edition 50
Cyclones- How are they named?
Earlier this week, Cyclone Tauktae ravaged the Indian West Coast, and another Cyclone named Yaas will hit the east coast of Bengal and Odisha on 27th May. But, how do cyclones form, and how are they named?
First, what is a cyclone? By the dictionary, a cyclone is when a circular storm forms over the tropical seas near the equator. The eyes of these cyclones, which are in the centre, are met with clear skies and hot temperatures. The World Meteorological Department has a list of names for cyclones, but they are normally named by the regional WMO members. For example, Tauktae was named by Myanmar, and Yaas has been named by Oman. If a particular cyclone causes extreme damage and death, the name is retired. Tauktae means Gecko which is a type of animal commonly found in Myanmar and Yaas means a Neem Tree. Next in line for a cyclone in the North Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea or the Bay of Bengal is Gulaab, suggested by Pakistan.
Naming a cyclone helps the scientific community identify which storm is which, and is much easier than calling a cyclone a few numbers and letters in a random sequence. They create awareness and remove confusion if two cyclones happen in a short period of time, just like what’s happening in India now.
China’s Tianwen-1 lands its rover on Mars
China became the second nation to arrive on the surface of Mars only a few days ago. Tianwen-1, a Chinese spacecraft, landed a rover on Mars named Zhurong to help research the Martian atmosphere. Only the United States has historically successfully landed on Mars, so this is a significant scientific and technical breakthrough for China. (The Soviet Union technically landed on Mars in 1971, but its Mars lander only sent out radio signals for 14 seconds before becoming silent.) “Thanks to your bravery in the face of obstacles and achievement of innovation, China is now among the leading countries in planetary exploration,” Chinese President Xi Jinping said, congratulating those involved in the project. While this is a significant technological achievement for China and a significant milestone in humanity's space exploration, Beijing's achievement also serves as a reminder of the heightened space competition among the major space powers. In July 2020, China launched its Tianwen-1 Mars mission from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Hainan Province, using its heavy-lift carrier rocket, Long March 5. Until entering Martian orbit in February 2021, the mission, which included an orbiter, a lander, and a rover, was said to have performed four trajectory correction manoeuvres. After the United States, the Soviet Union, the European Space Agency, India, and the United Arab Emirates, China is the sixth country to successfully send a probe to Mars (UAE). The UAE's Hope Probe, the most recent of these flights, also made it to Mars orbit in February.
Other News
Modena vaccine approved in South Korea, becomes the 4th approved vaccine.
Harry and Meghan to set up a community relief camp in Mumbai.
Australian students skip school, protest over the government’s decision to fund a gas power plant, deem it unhealthy for the environment.
Footage from 2019 showed an Unidentified Flying Object near a US Navy Ship fly in the air until disappearing
US President Joe Biden was urged to send vaccines to India by multiple members of Congress.
Former Runner Milkha Singh tests positive for COVID-19 says he is in ‘high spirits”
Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s father passes away due to liver cancer.
Indian women to play their first Pink Ball test match this year, also get BCCI contracts in a huge move for women’s cricket.
A 15-year-old youth football champion who was murdered 15 years ago trying to stop a fight in his school was added to the FIFA 21 game to pay tribute.
Indian wrestlers to get personal coaches for Olympics
I killed Zoe Spanos
Rating: ★★★★★
Age: 13+ (death, murder)
Find it here: Amazon India
Author: Kit Frick
Genre: Young adult, fiction, murder mystery
Review: How can I begin reviewing this book? Its unholy sense of Death and suspicion lurking at every corner- at every next page- pulls in the reader to its tiny, holiday home, where our main character spends her summer holidays babysitting a wealthy couple's 8-year-old daughter. Here’s where Normal leaves the novel. The protagonist finds herself shockingly identical to a girl- who went missing just a while back. She begins remembering chits of this girl and what she was and Frick forces the reader to believe that our main character killed Zoe Spanos- but the truth, the real, raw, truth, took me by storm- and I’m sure will shock you to death too. Three things: (1) There wasn’t just one murder, there were two; (2) The murderer is nearer than you wish to believe, yet further away than you think and; (3) Don’t read this book before you sleep…
On 16th May 2013, scientists successfully cloned human stem cells.
On 17th May 1792, the New York Stock Exchange was formed on 70 Wall Street.
On 18th May 1974, India tested an atom bomb becoming the 6th nation to explode an atomic bomb.
On 19th May 1995, Balamurali Ambati, the world’s youngest doctor, graduated at the age of 17.
On 20th May 1990, the Hubble Telescope sent its first photos of space back to Earth.
On 21st May 1927, Charles Lindbergh completed the first solo flight over the Atlantic.
On 22nd May 1993, the first modern sighting of the Loch Ness Monster occurred when Aldie and John Mackay saw a figure resembling a whale.
Oranges were originally Green!
Due to School Examinations, the next 3 Editions of The Weekly Focus including this one will only have 2 articles, and the "Tech News" segment will also be dropped.