Rough Drafts PDF
Rough Drafts PDF
Rough Drafts PDF
This week has been marked by several notable events in the U.S. and around the world. Some of the top
stories include:
- The wet winter in California has eased the drought conditions, but also increased the risk of spring
floods and landslides. A backyard pool was left hanging on a cliff edge after heavy rains eroded the soil
beneath it.
- The Biden administration told the Supreme Court that climate lawsuits against big oil companies
belong in state courts, not federal courts. The move could have implications for dozens of cases seeking
to hold fossil fuel producers accountable for their role in global warming.
- The former chief executive of Americanas, one of Brazil's largest online retailers, testified before a
watchdog agency after an accounting scandal that led to his resignation last year. He denied any
wrongdoing and blamed external auditors for failing to detect irregularities.
- A senator urged the Federal Aviation Administration to boost its air traffic control staff as travel
demand rises amid the pandemic recovery. He said that understaffing could lead to delays and safety
issues for passengers and airlines.
- Three former staff members of a Virginia hospital were charged with murder in connection with the
death of a Black man who died after being restrained by security guards in 2019. The case sparked
protests and calls for justice from civil rights groups.
- The Federal Trade Commission asked social media and video streaming companies to provide
information on how they handle misleading ads on their platforms. The agency said it wants to
understand how consumers are exposed to fraud and deception online.
- The French bulldog became the most popular purebred dog breed in America last year, breaking the
Labrador retriever's 31-year reign, according to the American Kennel Club. The breed is known for its
wrinkled face, bat-like ears and friendly personality.
- U.S. farm and food groups urged Congress to pass legislation that would give President Biden authority
to negotiate new trade deals with other countries. They said that trade promotion authority is essential
for expanding market access and boosting competitiveness for U.S. agriculture.
- North Dakota's Supreme Court declined to revive a state law that would ban most abortions after six
weeks of pregnancy, when a fetal heartbeat can be detected. The law was blocked by a lower court as
unconstitutional in 2013.
- First Republic Bank saw its shares fall despite securing an unprecedented rescue deal from Wall Street
firms after suffering heavy losses from its exposure to Archegos Capital Management, a hedge fund that
collapsed last week due to margin calls.
These are some of the top news stories of this week that reflect various aspects of politics, business,
health, environment, culture and society.
The world has witnessed many important events and developments this week. Here are some of the top
headlines from around the globe:
## Europe
- France's president Emmanuel Macron has forced through his controversial pension reform plan
without a parliamentary vote, sparking protests and strikes across the country. The reform will raise the
retirement age from 62 to 64 and introduce a new points-based system for calculating pensions.
- Poland has become the first NATO member to pledge fighter jets to Ukraine amid rising tensions with
Russia over its military buildup near the border. Poland will send four F-16s and two C-130 transport
planes to support Ukraine's air defense and humanitarian operations.
- A secret document obtained by CNN reveals Russia's 10-year plan to destabilize Moldova, a former
Soviet republic that is divided between pro-Russian and pro-European factions. The document outlines
Moscow's strategy to undermine Moldova's sovereignty, democracy, economy and security through
propaganda, cyberattacks, corruption and covert operations.
- A Russian fighter jet crashed into a US drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday, causing both aircrafts to
fall into the water. The US released footage of the incident, which it called "unsafe and unprofessional".
Russia claimed that its jet was defending its airspace from an "intruder".
- A fire broke out at a security building in Rostov-on-Don, Russia's southern city that hosts a military
court where several high-profile trials are taking place. The fire was reportedly caused by an electrical
short circuit and did not affect the court proceedings.
- A Dutch political party that supports farmers' protests against environmental regulations has won a
surprise victory in local elections. The Farmers' Defense Force (FDF) party gained 26 seats in provincial
councils across the country, making it the fourth-largest party nationally.
## Middle East
- Four Palestinians were killed and several others wounded in an Israeli raid in Jenin, a city in the
occupied West Bank. The Israeli army said it was targeting two senior militants who were behind recent
attacks on Israelis. Palestinian officials said one of the dead was a 16-year-old boy who was shot while
throwing stones at Israeli forces.
- More than two tons of natural uranium is missing in Libya, according to the UN nuclear watchdog. The
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it had been trying to locate about 2.5 tons of uranium
ore that was stored at a facility near Sabha since 2011, when Libya descended into civil war following
the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi.
- Child detainees in Iran are subjected to flogging, electric shocks and sexual violence, according to
Amnesty International. The human rights group said it had documented dozens of cases of torture and
ill-treatment of children as young as 10 who were arrested for participating in protests or expressing
dissenting views online.
- Iran and Saudi Arabia have signaled the start of a new era of dialogue after years of hostility and
rivalry. The two regional powers held their first direct talks since 2016 in Baghdad last month, discussing
issues such as Yemen's war, Iraq's stability and Lebanon's crisis.
## Africa
- Cyclone Freddy has killed at least 326 people and displaced thousands more in Malawi, Mozambique
and Zimbabwe. The storm brought heavy rains and floods that destroyed homes, crops and
infrastructure. Malawi was hit hardest by Freddy, with 190 deaths reported so far.
- Anti-black racism has surfaced in Tunisia after President Kais Saied dismissed his prime minister and
suspended parliament last month. Critics have accused Saied of staging a coup and undermining
democracy. Some supporters of Saied have used racist slurs against black Tunisians who oppose his
actions or belong to rival parties.
- Idris Elba has launched a continent-wide partnership with Nigerian media mogul Mo Abudu to
empower African stories
and talents. The British actor and producer said he wanted to create more opportunities for African
filmmakers
## Americas
to Mexican migrant
The year 2022 was full of amazing innovations that changed the world for the better. From
breakthroughs in science and technology to new ways of living and working, here are some of the most
remarkable inventions that made headlines in 2022.
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a game-changing new instrument to see the cosmos.
Launched on December 25, 2021, JWST is the successor of the Hubble Space Telescope, but with a much
larger mirror and more advanced instruments. JWST can observe infrared light that is invisible to human
eyes, allowing it to peer deeper into space and time than ever before. JWST will help us answer
fundamental questions about the origin and evolution of galaxies, stars, planets, and life.
## 2. DeepMind AlphaFold
DeepMind AlphaFold is a revolutionary artificial intelligence system that can predict the three-
dimensional shape of proteins from their amino acid sequences. Proteins are essential molecules for life,
but their structure is often unknown or difficult to determine experimentally. AlphaFold uses deep
learning to solve this problem with unprecedented accuracy and speed. AlphaFold can help scientists
understand how proteins function and interact, as well as design new drugs and therapies for diseases.
## 4. You.com
You.com is a new search engine that aims to provide users with more control, privacy, and trust online.
Unlike other search engines that track users' data and show ads based on their profiles, You.com does
not collect any personal information or show any ads at all. Instead, You.com relies on user feedback
and community ratings to rank websites based on their quality, relevance, and credibility.
## 5. NordVPN
NordVPN is a virtual private network service that offers users an extra layer of security and privacy on
the internet. NordVPN encrypts all data traffic between users' devices and its servers,
making it impossible for hackers, ISPs, or governments to spy on their online activities or access their
sensitive information. NordVPN also allows users to access geo-restricted content by changing their IP
address to one from another country.
## 6. BMW iX Flow
BMW iX Flow is a concept car that can change its color according to its driver's mood or environment.
The car uses e-ink technology similar to e-readers to display different shades of black
and white on its exterior surface. The driver can choose from various patterns or create their own using
an app on their smartphone.
## 7.OpenAI DALL-E-2
OpenAI DALL-E-2 is an artificial intelligence system that can generate realistic images from natural
language descriptions or queries. For example,
if you ask DALL-E-2 to draw "a cat wearing sunglasses", it will produce several images of cats with
different styles of sunglasses. DALL-E-2 builds on its predecessor DALL-E,
which was released in early 2021 but could only generate low-resolution images.
Withings Body Scan is a smart scale that can perform health body scans at home using bioelectrical
impedance analysis (BIA). BIA measures how electrical currents flow through different tissues
muscle mass,
bone mass,
hydration level,
and heart rate. It can also detect potential health risks such as diabetes,
cardiovascular disease,
or obesity.
Kandao Obsidian Pro is a professional-grade camera that can capture stunning panoramic videos in
12K resolution.
allowing it
One of the most remarkable achievements of 2021 was the development of messenger RNA (mRNA)
vaccines against covid-19. These vaccines use a novel technology that has never been used before in
therapeutics, and they have shown remarkable efficacy and safety in preventing severe disease and
death from the coronavirus. mRNA vaccines work by delivering genetic instructions to our cells to
produce a harmless piece of the virus's spike protein, which triggers an immune response that protects
us from infection. mRNA vaccines have several advantages over traditional vaccines, such as faster
development, easier modification, lower cost, and higher scalability. mRNA vaccines could also
transform medicine by enabling new treatments for various infectious diseases, such as malaria, HIV,
and cancer.
## GPT-3
Another impressive achievement of 2021 was the creation of GPT-3, a large natural-language computer
model that can generate coherent and realistic text on almost any topic. GPT-3 is powered by deep
learning, a branch of artificial intelligence that uses neural networks to learn from massive amounts of
data. GPT-3 was trained on billions of words from thousands of books and most of the internet, giving it
an unprecedented ability to mimic human-written text with uncanny realism. GPT-3 can write anything
from essays and stories to code and lyrics, as well as answer questions and converse with humans. GPT-
3 is not only a remarkable demonstration of machine learning's capabilities but also a potential tool for
various applications such as education, entertainment, research, journalism, business, and more.
One of the fastest-growing social networks in recent years is TikTok, a video-sharing platform that allows
users to create short clips with music, filters, stickers,
and other effects. TikTok has attracted hundreds of millions of users worldwide with its addictive "For
You" feed,
which uses sophisticated algorithms to recommend personalized videos based on user preferences,
behavior,
and feedback.
to large audiences
politics,
and society,
learn,
and think.
in the universe
In 2021,
astronomers discovered
a spiral pattern
suggesting
the presence
the disk.
This finding could provide new clues into how high-mass stars form
and evolve,
Archaeologists have long assumed that iron tools replaced bronze tools in Europe around 800 BC,
However,
a recent study revealed that steel tools were used in Europe earlier than previously thought.
The researchers analyzed metal artifacts from an ancient settlement in Switzerland dating back to 900
BC
This suggests that some ancient Europeans had mastered steelmaking techniques long before iron
became widely available.
These are just some examples of recent trends in science and technology that are fascinating and
impactful.
We hope you enjoyed reading this blog post and learned something new.
References:
: https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/02/24/1014369/10-breakthrough-technologies-2021/
: https://scitechdaily.com/
: https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/science-and-technology/oecd-science-technology-and-innovation-
outlook-2023_d54e7884-en