Havana Syndrome

Why in news?

• According to a joint media investigation, Havana Syndrome is linked to a Russian intelligence unit.

About Havana Syndrome:

• Havana syndrome refers to a set of mental health symptoms that are said to be experienced by United States intelligence and embassy officials in various countries.
• Generally, the word ‘syndrome’ simply means a set of symptoms.
• Origin and Symptoms: It was first reported in 2016 when U.S. diplomats in Cuba’s capital (Havana)reported falling ill and hearing piercing sounds at night, sparking speculation of an attack by a foreign entity using an unspecified sonar weapon.
• Other symptoms including bloody noses, headaches and vision problems were later reported by embassy staff in China and Europe.
• However, the joint investigation suggests the first cases of Havana Syndrome may have occurred in Germany two years earlier than the cases reported in Havana.
• Causes: After the Havana incident, there was a suspicion that the syndrome was a “sonic attack”, which was carried out by Cuba — a country that had been hostile to the US for over five decades.
• However, further study by scientists in the US and medical examination of the victims began to suggest that they may have been subjected to high-powered microwaves that either damaged or interfered with the nervous system.
• The use of microwaves as a counter-intelligence tactic has been experimented with since the Cold War and both Russia and the US have made attempts to weaponize it.

Affected Areas:

• According to US media reports, in the past few years, its officials have reported more than 130 such experiences across the world including at Moscow in Russia, Poland, Georgia, Taiwan, Colombia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Austria, among others.
• In early 2018, similar accusations began to be made by US diplomats in China.
• Status in India: The first such case was reported in the year 2021, when a US intelligence officer travelling to New Delhi with CIA director William Burns reported symptoms of Havana Syndrome.

Swell Waves

Why in news?

• Swell waves inundated coastal areas in central and southern districts of Kerala.

About:

• The phenomenon of Swell waves, referred to as ‘Kallakkadal’ locally.
• ‘Kallakkadal’ is a colloquial term used by Kerala fishermen to refer to the freaky flooding episodes. In 2012 UNESCO formally accepted this term for scientific use.
• During ‘Kallakkadal events,’ the sea surges into the land causing inundation.

About Swell Wave:

• The waves in a fully developed sea outrun the storm that creates them, traveling great distances from the wind source and lengthening and reducing in height in the process.
• These lower frequency waves are called swell waves.
• Swells organise into groups smooth and regular in appearance.
• They are able to travel thousands of miles unchanged in height and period.
• The longer the wave, the faster it travels.
• As waves leave a storm area, they tend to sort themselves out with the long ones ahead of the short ones, and the energy is simultaneously spread out over an increasingly larger area.