ohomen171's Journey Through Life: News For August 14, 2020

Friday, August 14, 2020

News For August 14, 2020

ISRAEL

The Real Deal

Israel and the United Arab Emirates reached a historic deal Thursday that will normalize diplomatic relations between the two countries and will take Israeli plans to annex parts of the West Bank off the table, Reuters reported.

The deal, to be known as the Abraham Accords, was sealed in a phone call between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and US President Donald Trump.

Under the agreement, Israel will suspend its plan to annex areas of the West Bank, a move initially supported by Washington but severely criticized by the international community as threatening stability in the region.

The three nations issued a joint statement saying the unprecedented deal “will advance peace in the Middle East region.” While hailed by some in the region, the move was condemned by Iran as “dangerous and illegitimate,” the Jerusalem Post reported.

Israel and the UAE will meet in the next few weeks to sign bilateral agreements and exchange ambassadors. The agreement, meanwhile, is considered a foreign policy success for Trump as he seeks reelection in November.

INDIA

Prodigal Daughter

Indians hailed the choice of Democratic Senator Kamala Harris as US presidential candidate Joe Biden’s running mate, expressing pride that one of their own would be chosen for the presidential ticket, NPR reported.

Harris, who has an Indian mother from Tamil Nadu, became the first person of South Asian descent to appear on a US presidential ticket, a move praised by Indian officials and citizens.

“It is a moment of pride for Indians and Tamil Nadu especially,” tweeted Thiru O. Panneerselvam, deputy chief minister of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

Still, some were less than pleased over her nomination due to Harris’ stance on Kashmir. Last year, India removed the special autonomy for the Muslim-majority state of Jammu and Kashmir putting the region under the central government’s direct control.

“[Kashmiris] are not alone. We are all watching,” Harris said as a presidential candidate during the Democratic primaries in September.

Nevertheless, her uncle Gopalan Balachandran – who lives in India – said that he hopes his niece would “do her best” to strengthen the US-India relationship after November’s elections, NBC News reported.

LEBANON

Keeping the Peace… Sort Of

Lebanese lawmakers approved a state of emergency Thursday that will give the army sweeping powers even as civil rights groups worry that the measure will lead to a crackdown on protesters who want the country’s elite swept away, Al Jazeera reported.

Thursday’s move will allow the army to curb free speech, free assembly and freedom of the press while also allowing it to detain anyone deemed a security threat. Activists fear the military will crack down on mass demonstrators who are trying to bring down the political class. While protests began late last year, they resumed in force after explosions at the port on Aug. 5 that killed 200 and injured more than 6,000.

In the past week, security forces have been caught using excessive force against protesters: More than 700 people have been injured during the anti-establishment rallies.

Karim Nammour of the Legal Agenda civil rights group argued that the state of emergency was imposed by the ruling elite out of fear of public reprisal.

“The ruling regime knows that it is weak and unpopular on the streets, and they are afraid because the fingers are pointed at them…,” he said.

DISCOVERIES

The New Touch

Singaporean scientists have developed an electronic skin to recreate a sense of touch that is similar to a human’s natural ability, according to Reuters.

Known as Asynchronous Coded Electronic Skin (ACES), the fake skin is made up of a network of sensors connected to a tiny chip. The novel device can distinguish 30 different textures. The artificial intelligence algorithm allows it to learn quickly.

Researcher Benjamin Tee said that the idea for the skin came after watching “Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back”: In the movie, the main character, Luke Skywalker, loses his hand in a lightsaber duel, which is then replaced by a robotic one that can experience the sense of touch.

Tee explained that the “smart skin” is actually better than biological hands and detects Braille letters with more than 90 percent accuracy.

“Humans need to slide to feel texture,” he said. “But in this case, with just a single touch, (it) is able to detect textures of different roughness.” Tee and his team hope that the skin can be used in future prosthetics to recreate a sense of touch that feels pain, temperature and texture.

“When you lose your sense of touch, you essentially become numb… and prosthetic users face that problem,” said Tee.

Click here to see the new touch.