13th September 2020
Shorts:
News at a glance
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Trump's Nobel prize nomination
Yes, you heard that right. It is shocking that he has been nominated for one. But for the second time? Donald Trump has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018, as well as this year, by none other than Norwegian politician Christian Tybring-Gjedde on both occasions. Tybring-Gjedde claims that he is not an active Trump supporter, but adds that "The committee should look at the facts and judge him on the facts - not on the way he behaves sometimes."
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In 2018, the politician nominated him on the basis of Trump’s work in reconciling North and South Korea. If Trump does get awarded the prize in 2021, it will be for his role in the peace deal between UAE and Israel.
We will not know the winners of the Peace Prize for another thirteen months, but critics have already begun likening Trump to Hitler and Stalin, both who have been notoriously nominated for the prize.
Sources: BBC
The aftermath of the El Dorado wildfire.
Source: nytimes.com
Trump's nomination for the 2021 Nobel Prize may not be a PR stunt for this year's election, but it's safe to say that this has surely turned heads and raised eyebrows all over the world.
Source: bbc.com
West coast wildfires
Around 100 fires are blazing in the Western US, as states grapple with the loss of life and property due to these fires. Recent photos show the skies to be orange in the worst-hit areas, as a consequence of the smoke.
Research points to climate change as the root of the problem, as rising temperatures have led to a 20-year drought in California. While climate change is not the cause of the fires, it aids in setting the conditions ideal for the fires, such as dry land. In California itself, more than 2.3 million acres have been burnt due to almost a dozen fires in the state.
The recent El Dorado wildfire was caused by a gender reveal party gone awry. A smoke emitting pyrotechnic device led to flames in the El Dorado Ranch Park, which soon spread throughout neighbouring areas.
Sources: BBC, NY Times
Indian Economy
Boasting of the fifth largest economy last year and the fact that they overtook UK, India’s GDP has long since plummeted to an abysmal 23.9% contraction in the first fiscal quarter of the year. The devastating downfall for this developing nation has hindered the progress of its growth greatly.
Within the span of three months, India’s GDP was slashed by a quarter of its size due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Experts say that the prediction of the GDP expansion has gone up from 8.7% to 10.6% for this
quarter, but it is only because of the drastic change in the base price. Our finance ministry expects a V-shaped recovery from this collapse in the economy.
Some people blame PM Modi for this fall, however, it was bound to happen during this worldwide pandemic. The struggle to mitigate the effect of this pandemic comes at the back of poor financial and social planning on the side of the government.
Sources: Economic Times, Monetary Control, Investopedia
Fau-G: AN Indian App
Post the massive conflict with China at the Galwan Valley, PM Modi launched his ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ campaign to promote boycotting of Chinese products and replace them with Indian counterparts. In line with this initiative, the Indian government launched FAU-G, Fearless And United Guards, an app that would serve as a replacement for PUBG which was supposedly Chinese by origin.
This game was based on real-life scenarios faced by the Indian Security services. The app is expected to launch by the end of October, featuring a Galwan Valley backdrop as an exclusive.
In his tweet, Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar expresses his full support for the PM’s endeavour, as he promotes the newly released app. He says the players will “learn about the sacrifices of our soldiers” when asked to comment on the name of the game.
Could this be an effective replacement for PUBG? Only time and users can tell.
As gaming becomes more popular in the younger generations of our country, the government hopes that this app will help still in them a sense of pride and respect for the soldiers of our country.
Sources: Economic Times
Lebanon:
A time of catastrophe
-Devansh Mishra
It’s a calm and peaceful day in Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon. A typical Tuesday morning, when you’re trying to take care of your family and the household. Exhaustion drains you, as you amble into the living room to get much-needed rest. Your husband is in the kitchen cleaning things up, while your child is playing in his room. You feel a slight tremor in your house, but shake it off, convincing yourself it was just your imagination. Within half a minute, windows and doors are shattered, while you are lying under tones of rubble. A giant mushroom cloud erupts in the forsaken sky.
And then, there is silence.
This was the story of most people living in Beirut on the 4th of August.
A massive destruction of property, belongings, and welfare of the people ensued. People’s lives are uprooted, and survival looks unlikely. Thousands of lives were taken away.There were around 200 dead and 6500 injured, with many more trapped under the debris gasping for air.
Figuring out the cause of the explosion immediately began, and the search revealed it to be a large amount of ammonium nitrate stocked up in an abandoned firework factory. This stash had been confiscated by Lebanese authorities from a ship about six years ago, and it was lying there without proper safety measures, waiting to explode. The cause of the detonation of this stash is still unknown, but it certainly was a devastating event.
As a result of this explosion, an earthquake occurred, which measured 3.3 on the Richter scale, as measured by US authorities. There were two tremors, the first being almost benign and causing no apparent harm. The second one was much more strong and powerful, felt even in northern Israel and Cyprus, both of which are almost 250 kilometres away from Beirut.
Lebanon struggles to grasp its reality, worsened by the impact of both the explosion and the pandemic.
Source: CNN
Sources: NY Times, Wikipedia, Sciencemag.org, Al-Jazeera
Thus the blame game began, as there were widespread protests in the street against the authorities. The people demanded the government to step down after this horrifying disaster that brought the nation’s capital to the ground. Consequently, the Prime Minister of Lebanon along with the entire cabinet stepped down from their posts. They have taken responsibility for the event, and have formed an interim government to wait for the next members of the cabinet. “We are taking a step back to stand with the people, to wage the battle for change with them,” says former Prime Minister Hassan Diab.
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A genuinely saddening moment in Lebanese history, this tragedy comes amidst the global coronavirus pandemic and an economic downfall in the nation. However, the people of Beirut have risen to display their strength in an act of solidarity and power. People across ages have come together with dustpans and brooms, to help the city when it most severely needs it. Streets are filled with people trying to clear out debris and look for missing people. Lebanon has risen to the occasion to portray the true spirit of humanity, and it needs your prayers and good wishes now more than ever.
The hypersonic missile:
India's new weapon or Spacecraft?
-Akshaj Balaji
Before the 7th of September, only three countries had hypersonic missile capable vehicles. Now the nations of Russia, USA and China welcome India to the elite and exclusive club of countries. India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation or DRDO successfully tested a hypersonic missile capable vehicle on Monday and hope to develop an actual missile by the end of 5 years using test results from this prototype. This missile will play a vital part in India’s future military as it has an astoundingly precise targeting system.
The successfully tested Scramjet engine used in this vehicle is also a significant breakthrough for the country as they withstand high temperature and pressure conditions and benefit the future of weapons and space programs. This new vehicle is capable of exact attacks on targets and will be extremely useful for India’s military.
The engine is again, only successfully tested by Russia, China, and the USA. This engine uses air-breathing technology which is the engine that uses the vehicle’s forward motion to compress incoming air for combustion without a rotating compressor. This Supersonic Combustion Ramjet, or Scramjet engine, therefore, makes space travel significantly cheaper and more efficient at travelling at hypersonic speeds.
This missile is capable of travelling about six times the speed of sound. The Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV) has multiple uses. Like mentioned, it can make space travel more cost-efficient. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) uses hydrogen as fuel and the oxygen from the atmospheric air as the oxidiser making space travel significantly cheaper.
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While considering the military applications of this missile, the military has already been using the predecessor to the scramjet engine, the ramjet engine, for high altitude cruise intercontinental missiles. The old engine was only capable of travelling to up to Mach 3 but the new scramjet engine can travel at Mach 6.
The missile is launched on 7th September
Source: CNI
This new missile could also have an impact in India’s nuclear arsenal. By using this hypersonic technology, the DRDO can develop more capable nuclear missiles to widen their nuclear arsenal as both Pakistan and China's nuclear threat grows by the day. This new technology can also be used in the making of highly-skilled, precise and efficient intercontinental ballistic missiles.
To record the missile through its journey and to ensure all protocols went at plan, the DRDO monitored the missile during the test using multiple tracking radars, electro-optical systems and telemetry stations. A ship was deployed in the Bay of Bengal to monitor the missile’s performance during the cruise phase of the hypersonic vehicle.
With China’s growing threat in Ladakh in recent times, this move comes at a crucial time for India. As peace talks with China over the border dispute are going nowhere, India’s entry into the hypersonic club comes at a critical time for India. They can give a scare to the Chinese military while also having an acceptable retaliation if they attack.
Now that the country has developed a new engine, the government needs to use it to benefit the nation. Granted, the DRDO must develop some high altitude and cruise missiles for defence against China’s growing threat, but they must also focus on the broader picture of space exploration. It is up to the DRDO to decide the fate of the usage of the hypersonic missile vehicle in the future, now that India is one of only four countries with this technology.
Sources: The Print, TOI, The Hindu, National Herald, ISRO.gov.in