Author: Shaswati Doley

Mightier than the iconic Hubble, James Webb Space Telescope is ready for launch The decade delayed launch by NASA, James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), is prepared to be launched this Christmas Eve (Friday), rescheduled after two delays in 2021. It will take off at 12:20 UTC on December 24 from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on an Arianespace Ariane 5 ECA rocket. NASA: James Webb Telescope to be launched on December 24 Starting with an initial budget of $500 million, now a $10 billion project, this telescope is put on a make-or-break mission to unravel the mystery of the…

“Durga Puja breaks the division of class, religion and ethnicities as crowds of spectators walk around to admire the installations, states UNESCO”. The 16th session of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage held virtually from December 13 to 18 conferred “Durga Puja in Kolkata” on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The official statement released by UNSECO states Durga Puja as being seen as the best instance of public performance of religion and art, as thriving ground for collaborative artists and designers. It is characterized by large-scale installations and pavilions in urban areas and traditional Bengali drumming…

Spider-Man: No Way Home snaps box office record, earns Rs 32.67 crore on opening day.  Spider-Man: No Way Home, the much-awaited and third film in the Spider-Man series of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, was released on December 16 (Thursday). The box-office collection of the Tom Holland-starrer film closes the day with an impressive Rs 32.67 crore on its opening day, surpassing the opening day record of Akshay Kumar-starrer film, Sooryavanshi. Action-comedy king director, Rohit Shetty’s film Sooryavanshi was the biggest opener of this year after the havoc of the Covid-19 pandemic, with a record of Rs 26.50 crore on …

External Affairs Ministry affirmed the participation of the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in New Delhi today.   The Third Central Asia Dialogue commences today in New Delhi. It will be a two-day event witnessing the participation of the foreign ministers of five countries- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, as affirmed by the External Affairs Ministry.    External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will be hosting the event; critical areas of concentration are connectivity, trade and development with the member states, and Afghanistan’s current plight.  The Central Asia Dialogue  Since millennials, Central Asia and India have maintained a long-term partnership in energy, natural…

Pakistani wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan becomes the first batter to set a world record of 2000 runs in the final T20 series on Thursday. After a back-to-back win in the T20 series, Pakistan knocks West Indies by seven wickets in the finals, sweeping the series 3-0, held in the Karachi National Stadium. Opening players Captain Babar Azam and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan laid a strong foundation of 60 runs in the first six overs. Winning the toss to bat first, West Indies scored a whooping 207 runs. Trailing down this score, team Pakistan beat this target with seven balls to spare. Rizwan…