Timeframe: 5th-11th February 2021
Contributors:
Oishee Eerada Maudud, Sabyasachi Karamker, Shanjida Hossain, Purbasha Prithvi and Farhan Uddin Ahmed.
1. Economics & Business
Bitcoin surges after Tesla reveals that it has invested in it
On Monday, 8th February 2021, Tesla revealed on its annual report that it bought $1.5 billion of Bitcoin, which sent the cryptocurrency to a record high. Tesla claimed that this was done as a part of an initiative to invest in assets such as digital currencies and gold bullion. The company also said that it planned to start accepting bitcoin as a medium of payment “in the near future”.
Source: The New York Times
2. Politics
Dozens of former Republican officials in talks to form anti-Trump third party
Dozens of former Republican officials, who view the party as unwilling to stand up to former President Donald Trump and his attempts to undermine U.S. democracy, are in talks to form a center-right breakaway party, four people involved in the discussions told Reuters.
Source: Reuters
3. Significant Corona Update
Easing coronavirus restrictions now would be “incredibly risky” due to new variants, as per Dr. Richard Besser
According to Dr. Richard Besser, former acting director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, dismissing precautionary measures now would be “incredibly risky”. He also added that the more this virus spreads, the more variants there are going to be. And if the vaccines are not effective against some of these variants of coronavirus, all progress in tackling covid-19 can be undid. However, as per a recent Axios-Ipsos poll, 66 percent of the Americans surveyed said that they think there is “no big risk in returning to pre-Covid life”. But 76 percent of the people who were vaccinated still believe coronavirus to be a major risk.
Source: CNN
4. Science & Technology
Mars Mission From the U.A.E. Begins Orbit of Red Planet
On Tuesday, the United Arab Emirates became just the fifth nation to successfully send a spacecraft to Mars when its robotic probe, named Hope, began orbiting the red planet. It is the first interplanetary mission undertaken by an Arab country. Once in orbit, the spacecraft can begin its study of the red planet’s atmosphere and weather. The mission is to spend at least two years studying how dust storms and other weather conditions near the surface affect the speed at which Martian air is leaking away into outer space.
Source: The New York Times
5. RMG/ Agriculture
India’s Modi invites protesting farmers for talks on farm bills
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday invited protesting farmers for talks to address growers’ concerns about three new agricultural laws that seek to deregulate the country’s vast farm sector.
Source: Reuters
6. Social & Education
The US is seeing a massive spike in anti-Asian hate crimes
Hate crimes against Asian Americans are on the rise in the U.S. An August 2020 UN report found that there were more than 1,800 racist incidents against Asian-Americans in the United States over an eight-week period from March to May 2020. And the violence has continued into 2021.Many blame the Trump administration for inciting this violence; Trump and numerous other members of his White House staff embraced racist and xenophobic anti-Asian rhetoric language early on in the pandemic, repeatedly referring to COVID-19 as the “China virus” and the “Wuhan virus.”
Source: The Cut
7. Environment
India glacier crashes into dam, causes massive flooding, deaths
At least 31 people are dead and 165 are missing after a flood hit northern India on Sunday. The flood was caused when a portion of the Nanda Devi glacier snapped off Sunday morning, releasing water trapped behind it. Experts said the disaster could be linked to global warming, and a team of scientists was flown to the site Monday to investigate exactly what happened.
Source: The USA Today
8. Law and Crime
Fathers in Finland will get parental leave like mothers
Paid paternity leave, compatible with maternity leave, will be prolonged to almost seven months in Finland. Minister of Health and Social Affairs declared it to bring to boost gender equality and bring an increase in birth rates.
Source: The Daily Star
Kashmiri father charged under anti-terror law for demanding his son’s body
A 16-year-old boy Athar Mushtaq, and two other young men have been shot on December 30. The police described the incident as a gunfight against the terrorists. Authorities buried their body at a remote graveyard far from their ancestral villages.
Under a policy started in April 2020, Indian authorities have buried over 150 alleged Kashmiri rebels in unmarked graves, denying their families proper funerals.
Now, the family members of the boy have been charged under a harsh anti-terror law for holding a campaign demanding the return of his body under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Source: The Observer
9. Expert Opinion
It is expected that the operations will not take a toll on civilian lives: Tasneem Tayeb
Operations will continue in Yemen to fight the terrorist elements namely the al-Qaeda and ISIS. There will be pressure on the US, especially from the powerful international arms sale rackets. But the US must make sure that this ends before more lives are lost.
Source: The Daily Star
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.