The Weekly Focus Edition 88
The Russia Ukraine Conflict
The Russia Ukraine conflict is an extremely abysmal conflict that has already been extremely violent and dire. The numbers show that near 200 people have died and more than 100 injured in Ukraine. Russian forces have taken over the Chernobyl nuclear plant and are extremely close to the capital Kyiv. In a late-night message, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said, "We're all here defending our independence, our country, and it will stay this way." Sanctions were thrown at Russia by NATO nations led by the USA. Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the UN, commanded that Russian forces return back. The Ukrainian Foreign Minister announced that France is willing to supply military aid to Ukraine, but Russia still has an astronomical advantage. Ukrainian President Zelensky had a bold reply to the US who offered him a chance to evacuate he said, “The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride.” Zelensky is visiting the front-lines and sticking with his people. The situation does not look good in any way and all we can do is pray for a better tomorrow.
What the Russian Invasion means in the long term
As noted in the article above, the situation in Ukraine is terrible as over a hundred thousand Russian troops invade Ukraine. Having already taken multiple areas of the country, there is no doubt the Russians will end up winning this war, despite the brave efforts of the outnumbered Ukrainian military. Russia has justified themselves by saying that the eastward NATO advance has worried the Russians, and having a NATO member right on its borders was a threat to its own country, and although he might be acting for the Russian interests, nothing at all justifies his attacks against civilians and residential buildings, which has killed over 200 civilians and potentially hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers.
The worldwide economic sanctions imposed on Russia have severely affected the Russian economy, with the Ruble falling to its lowest point ever against the dollar. Sanctions will continue to be imposed on Russia in the near future, which will definitely dent their economic capabilities, but will not prevent the occupation of Ukraine. Sadly, this war is set for a long and bloody finish with the Ukrainians willing to fight till the death for their country, showing admirable courage. A peaceful end to this conflict is highly unlikely, and another such invasion in the near future seems to be possible.
Cosmic Dance
Astronomers realize proof for the tightest-knit supermassive part couple discovered to date. The 2 large bodies are countless times the mass of our sun and separated by a distance of roughly fifty times that between our sun and Pluto. Once they merge in roughly 10,000 years, the large collision is predicted to shake the house and time itself, causing gravitational waves across the universe. The astounding new analysis was revealed within the Journal of Astronomy Letters today. The evidence, collected over decades, shows the cosmic event happening inside a ferociously energetic object referred to as a quasar. Quasars are active cores of galaxies during which a supermassive part is siphoning material from a disk skirting it. In some quasars, the supermassive black hole creates a jet that shoots out at near the speed of light. The heavenly body discovered within the new study, PKS 2131-021, belongs to a taxon of quasars known as blazars during which the jet is informed towards the Earth. Astronomers already knew that quasars may possess 2 orbiting supermassive black holes, however finding evidence for this has proven difficult.
India win the series against Sri Lanka, pick up 10 consecutive wins since the loss against New Zealand in the T20 world cup last year
The UEFA Champions League final will now be played in Paris instead of St. Petersburg owing to the Russian invasion
F1 cancel the Russian Grand Prix, decision welcomed by drivers
Other News
Various EU countries back the exclusion of Russia from the widely used SWIFT global payments system.
The USA gives a further 350 million dollars worth of aid and weapons for Ukraine amidst the current conflict.
Over 120,000 Ukrainians have fled to Poland alone, more refugees expected.
India abstains from the resolution condemning Russia over the attack, remains neutral in the conflict.
British Airlines ban Russia from its airports and airspace, Russia does the same in a tit-for-tat move
Fact or Fiction
1) The most expensive coin in the world was sold for more than $7 million.
2) A record-breaking 92 countries competed in the 2018 Winter Olympics.
3) Kosovo is the youngest country in the world.
4) More than 52% of the world's population is under 30 years old.
5) There are more than 23 time zones around the world.
6) Nearly half of the world's population watched both the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cup games.
7) It's estimated that Canada has more islands than any other country.
8) There are 43 countries that still have a royal family.
9) California is home to the "Artichoke Capital of the World."
10) All giant pandas in zoos around the world are on loan from China.
Book name: A Good Girls Guide to Murder
Genre: Mystery, Murder
Age rating: 14+
★★★★★
This book is amazing. Period. Pippa, a 17 year old girl chooses to unravel a hometown 'murder' from 5 years back as a school project- and we all know how this ends- except one thing: you're wrong. Pippa, along with Ravi, the alleged murderers older brother, begin unscrambling a misty story wrapped around the Class Clown and the Princess. However, things get a little too real when the characters start getting death threats (and face actual deaths)- instead, right at what the reader supposes is the crux of the book, the author plunges them into another plot twist - and another and another. Grabbing the smallest clues, stalking the strangest people, getting lost, getting found- all before the due date, this book is absolutely jaw dropping and I suggest it for all ages (above the limit).
Written by Vivaan Dharamshi
Edited by Nirvaan Zaveri
Article 1 by Arhaan Zaveri
Article 3 by Krishnav Bubna
Fact or Fiction by Nikunj Gupta
Review by Dia Makhecha
Answers:
1) Fact
2) Fact
3) Fiction (it isn’t Kosovo, it’s South Sudan, who gained independence as recent as 11 years ago)
4) Fact
5) Fiction (it’s actually 24 time zones, maybe because of the 24 hours that we have in a day and hence we either skip a day or rewind a day when crossing the international date line)
6) Fact
7) Fiction (even though a whole part of Canada is just islands, it is Sweden that has more islands than any other country)
8) Fact
9) Fact
10) Fact