This is the Catchup on 3 Things by The Indian Express and I'm Ichha Sharma.
Today is the 17th of January and here are this week’s headlines.
An estimated 40 crore people are expected to descend on the banks of the Ganga in Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh Mela, which commenced on Monday and will end on February 26. Besides this, 50 lakh pilgrims and sadhus plan to stay in camps for the entire duration of the event. The spiritual festival, held every 12 years, attracts millions of devotees who gather to bathe at the sacred Triveni Sangam, where the Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati rivers converge. It is the world’s biggest religious gathering, with deep links to Hindu mythology wherein participants seek forgiveness for their sins and aspire for Moksha, or spiritual liberation.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Z-Morh tunnel at Sonamarg, a strategic infrastructural project that is key to all-weather connectivity to Ladakh. The tunnel has been renamed as Sonamarg tunnel, after the famous tourist resort that will have round-the-year connectivity after this project. PM Modi inspected the 6.5-kilometre tunnel and interacted with workers who played a role in its construction. The soft-opening of the tunnel was carried out in February last year, but Assembly elections delayed the project’s official inauguration.
The Indian Space Research Organisation successfully docked its SpaDeX satellites on Thursday, after bringing them within 3 meters of each other. Following the docking, ISRO confirmed the satellites were functioning as a single unit. The space agency mentioned that undocking and power transfer checks would follow in the coming days. The docking process had previously been delayed twice, on 7th and 9th of January, due to technical issues. The satellites were launched on 30th December.
On the global front, Los Angeles firefighters faced high winds over the week as they battled two massive wildfires that have caused extensive destruction, killing at least 24 people. The fires, which have scorched an area the size of Washington D.C., were egzazzerbated by Santa Ana winds, with gusts reaching up to 75 mph. Over 8,500 firefighters worked tirelessly to contain the blazes and prevent further spread, as authorities issued a red flag warning for dangerous conditions in the region.
Meanwhile, a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israeli negotiators is set to end the 15-month Gaza conflict, with the deal taking effect on January 19. The agreement, brokered by US President Joe Biden, includes swapping hostages for imprisoned Palestinians in Israel. Biden, who played a pivotal role in the negotiations, views this achievement as a significant foreign policy legacy. While he is credited with ending the bloodiest phase of the Israel-Gaza conflict, he shares this accomplishment with his successor, Donald Trump.
This was the Catch Up on 3 Things by the Indian Express
