Timeframe: January 8 to January 14, 2022
Contributors: Affan Bin Saber, and Farhan Uddin Ahmed
To read Bangla, click here.
1. Politics
Peru anti-government protests spread
Protests against Peruvian President Dina Boluarte’s government that have left 47 people dead since they began a month ago spread through the south of the Andean country on Wednesday.
Protests and road blockades against Boluarte and in support of ousted President Pedro Castillo were also seen in 41 provinces, mainly in Peru’s south.
The unrest began in early December following the destitution and arrest of Castillo, Peru’s first president of humble, rural roots, following his widely condemned attempt to dissolve Congress and head off his own impeachment.
The protest, mainly in neglected rural areas of the country still loyal to Castillo, are seeking immediate elections, Boluarte’s resignation, Castillo’s release and justice for the protesters killed in clashes with police.
Source: AP News
2. Economics & Business
Plastic product export rise by 41%
In the first six months of the current financial year, the shipment of plastic products rose 41 percent year-on-year to $100.17 million orders flowed in following the post-pandemic recovery, and manufacturers expanded to new locations
The earnings are compared to $71.06 million in the July-December half of a year earlier., PVC (polyvinyl chloride) bags fetched $16.66 million in July-December, up 37.23 percent year-on-year, according to the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB). Bangladesh currently produces 142 types of plastic items and exports intermediate products such as film plastic, household items, and garment accessories. Compares to Tk 35,000 crores in the previous three years, according to industry people, Sales in the domestic market reached Tk 40,000 crore in the last fiscal year.
The government has set a target to earn $200 million from the exports of plastic products.
Source: The Daily Star
Sony and Honda announced their new car brand
Car manufacturer Honda and tech company Sony joined forces last year to reveal their new joint brand Afeela which plans to develop and manufacture electric cars.
Sony Honda Mobility chief executive Yasuhide Mizuno revealed a prototype of the company’s first car at a presentation during the Consumer Electronics Show which looked like a mid-sized sedan and revealed more detail about it. It is said to be manufactured at a honda factory and will be available to preorder in 2025 with deliveries starting in 2026.The company is working with Unreal Engine graphics technology from Epic Games, the company that produces Fortnite, to design interfaces for the vehicle
“At the heart of this mobility experience is the word ‘feel,’” Mizuno said, explaining that focus will be on sensing and interacting with people.
Source: CNN
3. Environment
Earth’s ozone layer on course to be healed within decades, UN report finds
The hole in the Earth’s ozone layer, once the most feared environmental peril facing humanity, is set to be completely healed over most of the world within two decades following decisive action by governments to phase out ozone-depleting substances, a new UN assessment has found.
The loss of the ozone layer, which risked exposing people to harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun, is on track to be completely recovered by 2040 across the world, aside from the polar regions, according to the report. The poles will take a little longer – the ozone layer will fully bounce back by 2045 over the Arctic and by 2066 over the Antarctic.
Following alarm over the loss of ozone in the 1980s, the ozone layer has been steadily improving in the wake of the 1989 Montreal protocol, an international agreement that has helped eliminate 99% of ozone-depleting chemicals, such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) that were used as solvents and refrigerants.
Source: The Guardian
4. Science & Technology
DoNotPay’s ‘first robot lawyer’ to take on speeding tickets in court via AI
Startup DoNotPay, which bills itself as “the world’s first robot lawyer,” plans to take on two speeding ticket cases in a US court next month, with its AI instructing the defendants how to respond to
their assigned judges.
DoNotPay’s plan is to have the defendants wear an earpiece with Bluetooth connectivity in the courtroom, likely an AirPod or hearing device, with the AI whispering instructions on what to say in the defendants’ ears.
This will be the first time AI is used in court, according to CEO and founder Joshua Browder. DoNotPay is keeping the exact dates and locations of the hearings under wraps in case state bars try to intervene.
Source: USA Today
Disclaimer: The information provided here is obtained solely from the aforementioned third parties. Youth Policy Forum (YPF) is not responsible for any misinformation or misrepresentation.