International Current Affairs

Tsang Yin-hung has created a new world record by climbing the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest in just 25 hours and 50 minutes, becoming the fastest woman to scale the peak. The 45-year-old beat the earlier record of 39 hours and 6 minutes, which was set by a Nepali woman climber, Phunjo Jhangmu Lama.

The 46-year old Chinese Zhang Hong has scaled the tallest peak in the world from the Nepal side, becoming the first blind man in Asia and the third in the world to climb Mount Everest.

Shavuot is observed by Jews across the world. It means “weeks” in Hebrew. The day is referred to as the “Feast of Weeks”, which celebrates the Jews receiving the Torah (the Jewish bible) from God on Mount Sinai. It is also the end of a 49-day count called the Omer that starts during Passover, the holiday where Jews participate in seders and remember how they were freed from Egyptian slavery. Other Jewish holidays are Hanukkah, Passover, Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur.

Every year on May 25th, World Thyroid Day highlights this important gland in the body that causes widespread disease across the globe. The day also educates the public on the role of the thyroid in their overall health. The thyroid is a small gland located at the base of the neck. This butterfly-shaped gland produces two hormones: triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4). Although the thyroid is a tiny gland, it plays a huge role in one’s health.

Iron Dome is a mobile air Defence system developed by Rafael Advanced Defence Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries. It is used for countering rockets, artillery well as aircraft, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles. In the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, both sides launch air strikes and rocket attacks. Recently, videos in media showed rockets fired from Gaza being countered by the Israeli Iron Dome air defence system, like hitting an invisible shield.

Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder characterized by less oxygen-carrying protein- hemoglobin and fewer red blood cells in the body than normal. May 8 is observed as World Thalassemia Day every year. The day commemorates the struggles of the patients suffering from this genetic disorder.