Cocos (Keeling) Islands

• The Cocos (Keeling) Islands lie in the eastern Indian Ocean, about 2,900 kilometers (1,800 miles) northwest of the Australian city of Perth.
• It comprises of coral atolls and islands, the archipelago includes North Keeling Island and the South Keeling Islands.
• The territory’s administrative headquarters are on West Island in the southern atoll.
• Climate: Warm and humid climate.
• Vegetation: The vegetation consists chiefly of coconut palms, which were formerly cultivated for copra on plantations.
• The northern atoll consists of Australia’s most remote Commonwealth National Park, the Pulu Keeling National Park.
• On North Keeling and Horsburgh islands, coarse grass serves as a ground cover.
• The inhabitants of this Island are predominantly the descendants of the original plantation workers, mostly of Malay origin.
• Administration:  An administrator appointed by the Australian governor-general is the senior governmental official in the Cocos. The islands became an Australian territory under the Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act 1955.

 

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Worldcoin Project

• It is an initiative to create a digital network in which everyone can claim some kind of stake, and join the digital economy.
• This venture runs on a simple model: allow your eyes to be scanned in order to prove your human uniqueness, and receive some crypto and an ID (called a World ID) in exchange.
• Using a device called “Orb,” Worldcoin volunteers known as ‘Orb operators’ scan a person’s iris pattern to collect their biometric data and help them get a World ID through the World app.
• With the app, scanned participants can collect a cryptocurrency called Worldcoin [WLD] at regular intervals or make transactions with their World ID where possible.
• This process is called “proof of personhood” and makes sure that people do not sign themselves up multiple times in exchange for crypto.
• Worldcoin claims it is building the “world’s largest identity and financial public network” open to people worldwide.
• Worldcoin lists 18 locations — largely in Delhi, Noida, and Bangalore — where Orb operators are scanning people’s eyes.

 

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Dengue

• It is caused by the dengue virus (DENV)
• It is transmitted to humans through the bites of infected female mosquitoes, primarily the Aedes aegypti mosquito.
• The severe form of dengue fever, also called dengue hemorrhagic fever, can cause serious bleeding, a sudden drop in blood pressure (shock) and death.
• It is more common in tropical and subtropical climates.
• Symptoms: The most common symptoms are high fever, headache, body aches, nausea and rash.
• Most will also get better in 1–2 weeks but in severe cases it can be fatal.
• Treatment:
  • There is no specific treatment for dengue.
  • Early detection of disease progression associated with severe dengue, and access to proper medical care lowers fatality rates of severe dengue to below 1%.
  • The dengue vaccine CYD-TDV or Dengvaxia was approved by the US Food & Drug Administration in 2019, the first dengue vaccine to get the regulatory nod in the US.