Timeframe: 19th June – 25th June 2021
Contributors:
Sabyasachi Karmaker, Musarrat Sarwar Chowdhury, Farhan Uddin Ahmed, and Mahin Abrar Rahman.
1. Economics & Business
Microsoft rises to join Apple in exclusive $2 Trillion Club
Microsoft has officially entered the most elite of clubs: corporations with a market value exceeding $2 trillion. The tech giant is only the second publicly traded American company, behind Apple (AAPL), to reach such a valuation. The company reached the $2 trillion milestone just over two years after it first passed the $1 trillion market cap mark.
Source: CNN
2. Politics
Hong Kong’s biggest Pro-Democracy newspaper prints final edition
On Wednesday, crowds of Hong Kong residents gathered in support outside the headquarters of Apple Daily, one of the last bastions of media resistance to Beijing, as it sent its final edition to print. The paper announced it would close after the arrests of senior leadership this week under the draconian national security law introduced last year. Banks froze the newspaper’s assets to avoid being charged themselves.
Source: Foreign Policy
3. Significant Corona Update
AstraZeneca vaccine effective against variants identified in India
AstraZeneca Plc’s (AZN.L) COVID-19 vaccine is effective against Delta and Kappa variants, which were first identified in India, the company said on Tuesday, citing a study. The study by the Oxford University investigated the ability of monoclonal antibodies in blood from recovered people and from those vaccinated to neutralize the Delta and Kappa variants, the statement said.
Source: Reuters
4. Science & Technology
John McAfee: antivirus entrepreneur found dead in Spanish prison
The antivirus software entrepreneur John McAfee has been found dead in his cell in Spain from an apparent suicide, hours after the country’s highest court approved his extradition to the United States, where he was wanted on tax-related criminal charges that carry a prison sentence of up to 30 years.
Source: The Guardian
5. RMG/ Agriculture
Turkish, Syrian women join forces in agriculture
A women’s cooperative set up in Şanlıurfa, a southeastern Turkish province bordering Syria, provides employment and financial independence for women from both sides of the border. SAF Women Entrepreneurship Agricultural Production and Processing cooperative was set up last year by 17 Turkish and Syrian women, with funds from the International Organization for Migration (IOM). With the support of the local municipality and a university, they built a greenhouse on an area of 2,000 square meters (21,500 square feet). Soon, they enlisted new members and now their numbers have grown to 86. The greenhouse is entirely staffed by women who also personally sell the crops they grow. For them, the cooperative is a way to spend their leisure time as well to earn an extra income for their families. The cooperative’s chairperson, Seher Kılıç, said they started out with a bunch of women “with faith and self-confidence” and in a short time reached out to dozens of other women.
Source: Daily Sabah
6. Social and Education
Myanmar teenager tortured and subjected to mock burial
Security forces in Myanmar have tortured a 17-year-old boy, according to Human Rights Watch, including by subjecting him to beatings and forcing him into a pit, and burying him up to his neck as part of a mock burial. In a new report on Tuesday, the rights group said the teenager was one among many people who have been subject to torture, beatings, and other ill-treatment since Myanmar’s military seized power in a coup on February 1.
Source: Aljazeera
7. Environment
Strong earthquake shakes Peru’s capital Lima
Late Tuesday, a strong earthquake jolted Lima and parts of central coastal Peru, although no injuries or damage were reported. The Peruvian Seismological Center reported a magnitude of 6, whereas the US Geological Survey, which tracks earthquakes around the world, reported a magnitude of 5.8.
Source: NDTV
8. Expert Opinion
Here’s how a progressive alliance would actually work- Neal Lawson
The Director of Compass and author of All You Need to Know About a Progressive Alliance talks about how to create a coherent approach that appeals to non-Tory voters, who are the majority in Britain today.
Source: The Guardian
Disclaimer: The information provided here is obtained solely from the third parties mentioned above. Youth Policy Forum (YPF) is not responsible for any misinformation or misrepresentation.