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The famous Greek island of Santorini has been put on high alert after a series of moderate earthquakes hit the area, sparking fears that a larger earthquake could be on the way. The earthquakes hit across the weekend, with over 200 small quakes shaking the island since Friday. Several were over a magnitude of 4, and dozens of others have reached a strength of magnitude 3-- the strongest quake hit on Sunday afternoon with a magnitude of around 4.6. Santorini is one of the largest cogs in Greece's tourism industry, attracting over 3 million visitors per year. The island is part of a massive supervolcano lying beneath the water, which once produced one of the largest eruptions ever recorded. In 1600 BC, the islands that currently form a disjointed ring around the caldera of the volcano were connected, making a circle around the caldera with only one point of entry into the center. Santorini was a thriving Minoan hub, with the major port city of Akrotiri on the south side of the island. However, around that time, the volcano exploded in a massive eruption, wiping out all signs of Minoan civilization on the island. The eruption threw around 6.7-9.8 cubic miles of dense-rock equivalent (DRE) into the atmosphere, giving it a Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) of 7-- the second-strongest level on the scale. The resulting underwater pyroclastic flows caused the caldera of the volcano to collapse in on itself, devastating the islands around it. The explosion caused most of the inward-facing slopes on the surrounding islands to collapse as well, leaving the sheer cliffs that Santorini has today. Ash blanketed the entire region, preserving the city of Akrotiri similar to how Pompeii was preserved by Mount Vesuvius' eruption in 79 AD. The eruption also sparked large tsunamis of around 29 feet in the surrounding area, meaning that it devastated not just Santorini, but most of the Greek islands, including Crete. Now, as seismic activity increased, fears of another explosion began rising, but scientists have cooled those fears with evidence that the earthquakes were not caused by the volcano. Santorini lies on a fault line between the Aegean Microplate and the African plate, which is what created the volcano in the first place. Despite that, they are urging residents of Santorini to take extreme caution over the next few days, as a larger earthquake could be on the way. Due to the precarious position of many of Santorini's settlements, as they are perched on steep cliffs, an earthquake of magnitude 6.0 or more would devastate the island. Schools have been closed across Santorini, as well as the nearby islands of Amorgos, Anafi, and Ios, and authorities have instructed hotels and homeowners to drain their pools-- the weight of a large volume of water could weaken the foundation of the building in the event of a large quake. Residents are also being advised to take caution in outdoor areas, as rockslides could occur on some of the steeper cliffs. Upcoming Events: International Day of Human Fraternity (Tuesday, February 4) Alpine World Skiing Championships Begin (Tuesday, February 4) Invictus Games Begin (Saturday, February 8) Super Bowl (Sunday, February 9) Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): The title of the smallest egg in the world fluctuates between two different types of hummingbirds: the bee hummingbird and the Vervain hummingbird. The smallest egg on record, though, was 0.39 inches long (10 mm), weighed only 0.01 ounces (0.365 grams), and came from a Vervain hummingbird. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Staying in a hopeless and miserable situation doesn’t make you loyal, it just makes you miserable. (The Weeknd) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Presage (verb, PRESS-ij) - To presage so mething is to give or be a sign that it will happen in the future. Presage is a formal synonym of foreshadow , foretell , and predict . In a Sentence: The sudden gloom and ominous dark clouds clearly presaged a nasty storm.

United States President Donald Trump signed a slew of executive orders yesterday that will introduce heavy tariffs on Canadian, Mexican, and Chinese goods later this week, likely raising the prices of many everyday items for American customers. The tariffs will go into effect on Tuesday in the early hours after midnight, and they affect the United States' three largest trading partners: Canada, Mexico, and China. Together, these three countries make up around 35% of the country's $3.83 trillion in total global imports and around 41% of the country's $3.07 trillion in global exports. The executive orders state that a 25% tariff will be placed on all Canadian and Mexican goods, apart from Canadian energy products, which will only be subjected to 10% tariffs. Chinese goods will also face 10% tariffs, and Trump has maintained that there will be no exceptions to the tariffs. Trump claims that the tariffs are the only way to stop the illegal immigration and illicit drug smuggling business at the border, and he has refused to end the tariffs until these issues are fixed. However, Canada and Mexico are unsure on what to do about these problems after negotiations with the US, leaving them frustrated and confused. Now, Canada and Mexico are planning to strike back with tariffs of their own, although that may go worse than expected. Specific clauses within the executive orders Trump signed include that he has the right to increase the tariffs if Canada and Mexico retaliate, leaving the two countries in a tough position. Fighting back with tariffs of their own could incite a trade war between the three neighbors, but Canada and Mexico have confirmed that they are ready to strike back with their tariffs. Due to this, American consumers may take a hit financially, as prices are expected to rise across the country. The majority of American oil comes from Canada, meaning that gas prices could rise in the coming weeks, and many of the United States' fresh fruits and vegetables come from Mexico. This could lead to a jump in avocado prices, tomato prices, and much more. Unfortunately, many experts predict that companies may see this as an opportunity to jack up prices even more under the disguise of tariffs. This could lead to an uptick in inflation, which has just begun to slow down in recent months. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): The world's most-visited country is France, with over 100 million international tourist visitors in 2023. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): You are just as likely to solve a problem by being unconventional and determined as by being brilliant. (James Dyson) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Disputatious (adj, dis-pyuh-TAY-shus) - Disputatious is a formal word used to describe someone who often disagrees and argues with other people (in other words, someone inclined to dispute). It can also describe something marked or characterized by arguments or controversies, or something that provokes debate or controversy. In a Sentence: The podcast is hosted by a disputatious pair whose sparring has drawn legions of listeners.

Norwegian police have taken control of a Russian-crewed ship in the Baltic Sea due to growing fears of suspected sabotage once again. Yet another fiber-optic cable was cut this week as the latest in a string of recent incidents involving Russian and Chinese ships. This time, a cable connecting Sweden and Latvia was cut, and Latvian authorities were quick to communicate with patrols in the area. The Norwegian coast guard, which was in the area, quickly surrounded a suspect ship, and it was brought to the Norwegian port of Tromsø, located in northern Norway, on Thursday. The ship was confirmed to be the Silver Dania, a cargo ship registered in Norway, and it is owned by the company Silver Sea. The crew onboard was all-Russian, adding to Norway's suspicions, and they were traveling in between the Russian cities of St. Petersburg and Murmansk. Silver Sea has cooperated with authorities, though, and they have maintained that they had nothing to do with the sabotage to the undersea cable. However, on the other hand, Sweden arrested a completely different ship known as the Vezhen, which is owned by the Bulgarian shipping company of Navigation Maritime Bulgare and was flying a Maltese flag at the time of arrest. The ship has been brought to Karlskrona, a port town in southern Sweden, where the crew is being interrogated. Unfortunately, incidents like this have become common in the Baltic Sea, and the long list of ships involved continues to grow. In 2022, the crucial Nord Stream gas pipeline that carries gas from Russia to Germany was blown up by several explosions near the Danish island of Bornholm. In November of last year, two fiber-optic cables connecting Lithuania and Sweden and Finland and Germany were cut , and the Chinese ship Yi Peng 3 was considered a suspect after being in the area and was taken into custody by authorities. On Christmas Day, an underwater power line and four communication cables traveling between Finland and Estonia were cut , and drag marks were confirmed in the area just after a ship carrying Russian oil was arrested. However, no company or ship has admitted to sabotaging any cables, and this type of hybrid warfare is extremely tough to price. This means that while the European Union has strong suspicions that these ships belong to Russia's so-called "shadow fleet," they technically have no solid proof to confirm that Russia or China are at fault. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): The world's largest stadium is located in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. The Rungrado 1st of May Stadium seats up to 150,000 people and hosts games like soccer matches and major national events. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): What stress really does, though, is deplete willpower, which diminishes your ability to control those emotions . (Roy Baumeister) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Encroach (verb, in-KROHCH) - To encroach is to gradually move or go into an area that is beyond the usual or desired limits, or to gradually take or begin to use or affect something that belongs to, or is being used by, someone else. Encroach is often followed by on or upon . In a Sentence: Conflicts between people and bears increase as humans continue to encroach on bear territory.

All 67 people onboard the devastating airborne collision between a passenger jet and a military helicopter over Washington D.C. have been confirmed dead after an extensive search-and-rescue operation, and several investigations have begun into the cause of the crash. In case you missed it, the crash occurred just before 9 pm local time on Wednesday night in the Washington D.C. area. American Airlines Flight 5342, a Bombardier CRJ700, was a relatively small flight carrying 64 people from Wichita, Kansas, and it was due to land at D.C.'s Reagan National Airport (DCA) at around 9 pm. The plane was told by local air traffic control to move to another runway, and the plane accordingly shifted its path to make a landing attempt. However, as the plane came in on its landing attempt, the plane collided with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter, with the pair of aircraft exploding in a fireball before falling into the Potomac River. Sadly, it is the United States' worst aviation disaster since 2001. Read more into the initial crash here . After an extensive search-and-rescue operation by hundreds of first responders, it was confirmed that all 64 people and the three soldiers aboard the helicopter were killed. Anyone who survived the crash would have quickly died due to hypothermia in the freezing Potomac River, which was a mere 34 degrees Fahrenheit (1 degree Celsius). At least 28 bodies have been pulled from the wreckage, and rescue operations are continuing on attempt to find the remaining bodies. Now, both black boxes -- the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder -- have been recovered by authorities, and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is currently analyzing them to find out the true cause of the crash. However, speculation is everywhere. The military has come under intense scrutiny in recent days after the crash, as helicopter crashes seem to be more common than they should be. In the past 11 years, there have been twelve crashes of the Army's Black Hawk alone, and those crashes have killed a combined total of 47 soldiers. Flying a military helicopter is extremely difficult, though, with extreme precision and skillfulness needed to successfully fly the aircraft. In addition to that, the airspace around DCA is severely affected by light pollution due to its proximity to the city, posing another challenge for military helicopter pilots who usually wear night vision goggles. Radio messages from local air traffic control confirmed that they had established contact with the helicopter, and the pilot of the helicopter stated that he had the passenger jet in his sights. The air traffic controller requested him to wait for the plane to go by, but there was no reply. The crash occurred just moments later. Now, the pilot is also coming under scrutiny-- is it possible that the crash was because he did not move the helicopter out of the plane's way? As of right now, it is impossible to know, with the NTSB still investigating the black boxes after they were discovered yesterday. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): The flush toilet was invented in 1596 by Sir John Harrington, the godson of Queen Elizabeth I. While he invented it for her, she refused to use it because she thought it was too noisy. Due to this, the actual first patent for the flush toilet was granted to Alexander Cummings in 1775. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): A fool is known by his speech; and a wise man by silence. (Pythagoras) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Audition (noun, aw-DISH-un) - An audition is a short performance to show the talents of someone (such as an actor or a musician) who is being considered for a role in a play, a position in an orchestra, etc. In a Sentence: Auditions will be held next week for the spring musical.

A Black Hawk helicopter belonging to the United States Army collided with an American Airlines flight over Washington DC last night, and fatalities have been confirmed as a massive search-and-rescue operation begins. The incident occurred just before 9 pm local time on Wednesday night in the Washington DC area. American Airlines Flight 5342, a Bombardier CRJ700, was a relatively small flight coming in from Wichita, Kansas, and it was due to land at DC's Reagan National Airport (DCA) at around 9 pm. However, before it could make a landing attempt, the plane collided with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter, with the pair of aircraft exploding in a fireball before falling into the Potomac River. The plane, as a regional jet, was carrying 60 passengers and 4 crewmembers, while the helicopter had three members onboard and was on a training flight. It has been confirmed that several figure skaters were onboard the jet because of the US Figure Skating Championships taking place in Kansas, including former world champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who won the championship in 1994. While the airspace above DCA is extremely busy and tough to navigate, as it contains both passenger planes and military aircraft, incidents like this are not common due to the fact that air traffic control is directing planes across the area. In addition, due to its close proximity to the White House and the Pentagon, the airspace around Reagan National Airport is some of the most controlled airspace in the country, further lessening the chances of a crash. Normally, local ATC prevents crashes like this from happening by pointing out aircraft that may not be visible-- and they did just that on Wednesday night. It has been confirmed that a radio exchange took place between ATC and the Black Hawk just seconds before the crash, with air traffic controllers directing the helicopter to move out of the way. The controller explicitly informs the Black Hawk of the CRJ in the area, and confirms that the helicopter pilot has the jet in sight. Then, the controller instructs the helicopter to move behind the CRJ, and the pilot responds by confirming that he has the jet in sight. However, just moments later, the radio goes dark after the planes collide in midair, with a chorus of gasps erupting in the ATC tower after they witness the crash. Controllers then began informing other pilots across the airport of the collision, which led to the complete closure of the airport. Reagan National is still shut down, with the airport expected to open around 11 am local time. Now, over 300 first responders are searching the Potomac River for survivors, despite the river's freezing temperature-- a bone-chilling 34 degrees. The wreckage of the plane and helicopter have been found in the river, which is around 8 feet deep in that area. Unfortunately, due to the situation, not many survivors are expected to be found, as many who survived the crash may have quickly died afterwards due to hypothermia. In such cold water, humans can die within half an hour, with an estimated maximum survival time of up to 90 minutes. Unfortunately, so far, no survivors have been found, but several fatalities have been confirmed. Officials have not released a preliminary estimate of the death toll, though. Investigations into the crash are also taking place, and they have yielded some important results. Using flight tracking data, it has been determined that the heliopter was traveling south on the Potomac, passing the Lincoln Memorial and the National Mall before colliding with the jet, which had been flying in the opposite direction. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): Even if you’re incredibly ticklish, you may have noticed that tickling yourself doesn’t actually work. When we try to tickle ourselves, a part of the brain called the cerebellum predicts the sensation. That prediction cancels the response of other brain areas to the tickle. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them. (Kahlil Gibran) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Facetious (adj, fuh-SEE-shuss) - Facetious is used to describe something, such as a remark or behavior, that is meant to be humorous or funny but is sometimes instead annoying, silly, or improper. It can also be used to describe someone who is joking, often implying that they are doing so inappropriately. In a Sentence: The emcee delivered several facetious quips throughout the night that the audience found in poor taste.

Today is Lunar New Year, primarily celebrated in eastern Asia. 2025 is the Year of the Snake, which is all about shedding old patterns and embracing new beginnings. Happy Lunar New Year to all of our readers who celebrate it! The entire stock market took a major hit in recent days after the arrival of a revolutionary new Chinese AI known as Deepseek. Here's what happened and why the tech industry as a whole took such a massive hit. DeepSeek, an artificial intelligence chatbot similar to OpenAI ChatGPT, had been in the works for a while before its release. Chinese hedge fund High-Flyer began funding the project in late 2023, and by 2024 they had released their first open-source large language model. Then, on January 10, 2025, DeepSeek released their first free AI application, and within two weeks, it had blown up in popularity. On January 27, DeepSeek-R1 surpassed ChatGPT as the most downloaded free app on the app store, and suddenly, the United States stock market took a plunge. Nvidia, one of the world's most advanced chipmakers, has risen up the charts in recent years as well, and just three days ago, they had the highest market capitalization of any company in the world. Based out of Silicon Valley, the United States began restricting exports of Nvidia chips to China to prevent their development in the AI industry. In addition, Nvidia sells their current H100 chips at around $25,000 each, and their upcoming Blackwell chips are expected to fetch between $30,000 and $40,000 apiece. However, DeepSeek gave out some crucial information upon their release to the United States which changed the AI industry. DeepSeek claims that they created their new AI with a mere $6 million, which is just a fraction of the $100 million OpenAI spent on developing ChatGPT. Furthermore, DeepSeek confirmed that the model was also built with less advanced chips and requires much less data center power to operate. This shocked the stock market, as everything they believed came crumbling down. Practically every major tech company in the United States, from Amazon to Microsoft to Oracle, spent billions on Nvidia chips-- in fact, Microsoft alone bought over 485,000 Hopper chips from Nvidia. They had been building up their massive data centers and charging customers massive amounts of money for their AI services, but tech companies have started to realize that the key to AI is not money-- it is innovation. Now that DeepSeek has confirmed that it is possible to create such a model with relatively small amounts of money, experts say that companies will most likely bring down their AI spending and begin working with what they have. Due to this, chip stocks like AMD and Nvidia took a massive hit; Nvidia alone lost over 18% of its value, shedding almost $600 billion in market cap in one day to create the largest-ever drop in market cap for any company in history. The other Magnificent Seven tech stocks, which consist of Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, and Tesla have also spent large amounts of money on AI development, leading their stocks to take a major hit. However, Apple remained relatively unscathed, as they have spent much less than their competitors on AI development. Now, companies are expected to ramp up their AI development efforts, focusing less on spending and more on innovation. The arrival of DeepSeek has proved that the market for artificial intelligence is massive but extremely competitive, and companies will need to rapidly release new, more intelligent models if they are to stay alive in the AI race. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): Men are much more likely to be colorblind than women. This is because the genes responsible for the most common type of colorblindness are found on the X chromosome. Even if women have the genes on one of their two X chromosomes, a properly functioning gene on the other one makes up for that loss. If men inherit the gene on their only X chromosome, they’ll become colorblind. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): You can’t sit on the sidelines of life. (Charles Barkley) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Sward (noun, SWORD) - Sward is a literary word that refers to an area of land covered with grass. In a Sentence: The hikers emerged from the forest to find a green sward dotted with yellow and purple flowers stretching out before them.

Rwanda-backed rebels have invaded the Democratic Republic of the Congo, taking the city of Goma as they storm through a small eastern area of the country. The rebels are a militia known as M23, which stands for March 23 Movement. The group is made up primarily of Tutsis, an ethnic group of the African Great Lakes region who reside in the Rwanda-Burundi area. In 2012, they took control of Goma, but were defeated by Congolese and UN forces just months later after losing some Rwandan support. Since then, the organization has not been seen much, until now. Goma is one of the largest cities in the eastern part of DRC, a region known as North Kivu, with a population of over 2 million. It is located along the small strip of the DRC that borders Rwanda, and the area is rich in various valuable materials, including copper, cobalt, gold, and diamonds, making it extremely appealing economically. Due to this, many groups have attempted to take control of Goma and the surrounding region in the past, specifically during the 1990s, but M23 has emerged as the strongest rebel group to do so. M23 began their incursion earlier this month, invading the area north of Goma. This forced thousands of people from surrounding rural areas into the city of Goma to escape the intense fighting, which included gunfire and bombings. Then, they stormed the city on Monday, taking control. As soon as they took over, they closed down Goma's airspace, trapping everyone inside, and have established that they plan to hold the city for a long period of time. Rwanda has denied that they back M23-- Rwanda claimed that M23 was a Congolese rebel force with no correlation to them and that they would need to put up defense measures across the border as well. Nevertheless, the DRC has cut all ties with Rwanda, and countries all over the world have condemned Rwanda for their alleged actions. Now, a humanitarian crisis is unfolding in the city, as thousands of refugees from the surrounding areas have fled into the city. Over 6 million people have already been displaced, and the latest bouts of fighting could further exacerbate that crisis. People have been trapped in Goma with no food, water, or shelter, and humanitarian aid cannot arrive due to the shut airspace, forcing many individuals and families to flee into neighboring Rwanda. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): It is impossible to burp in space. When you burp on Earth, gravity keeps down the solids and liquids from the food you just ate, so only the gas escapes from your mouth. In the absence of gravity, the gas cannot separate from the liquids and solids, so burping essentially turns into vomiting. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): There are some things that you can fulfill with money , but at the end of the day these are not the things that make you happy . It is the small things that make life good. (Sebastian Vettel) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Edify (noun, ED-uh-fye) - To edify someone is to teach them in a way that improves their mind or character. In a Sentence: The commencement speaker hoped that her words would edify the graduates, and give them hope and encouragement.

The United States has managed to deport dozens of Colombian citizens after an intense political battle between the two countries over the weekend, with President Donald Trump threatening visa restrictions and massive tariffs to force Colombia to accept the deported migrants. President Donald Trump began his immigration crackdown as soon as he took office, signing a slew of executive orders to block illegal immigration and end the process of catch and release. He has also been attempting to stop birthright citizenship, which is enshrined into the Constitution via the 14th Amendment, but the justice system has halted those efforts. On Sunday, two military planes departed from the United States to drop deported Colombian immigrants back to their home country, but Colombia rejected the flights and refused to give them permission to land. Colombian President Gustavo Petro claimed that they had rejected the flights because the deported Colombians had not been treated with "dignity," citing a video of another flight carrying deported immigrants -- who were bound by their hands and feet -- to Brazil. He continued on to state that migrants were not criminals, and they should be treated like civilians as they return. However, Trump took immediate action. As the flights returned to the US, he quickly announced visa restrictions, a 25% tariff on all Colombian goods, and more scrutiny within customs inspections on all Colombian products. He also included that the 25% tariff would be raised to 50% in one week, crippling Colombian trade. Trump stated afterwards that it was "just the beginning," confirming that Colombia would need to accept the deported migrants for the restrictions to end. Petro responded with an equivalent 25% tariff on American goods, but the Colombian government agreed to Trump's terms just hours later. The United States government confirmed later on that Colombia had accepted the deal, agreeing to "unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens" from their country. While Sunday's events could have had significant consequences for US consumers, as the prices of coffee and other goods would have risen steeply, Trump seemed to be focused on other initiatives. The White House under Trump has maintained that America must command respect, as shown in the president's slogan, "Make America Great Again," and yesterday's affair confirmed that he will not hesitate to take major action against other countries to achieve his goals. Upcoming Events: International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust (Monday, January 27) World Interfaith Harmony Week Begins (Saturday, February 1) World Wetlands Day (Sunday, February 2) Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): When helium is cooled to extreme temperatures, just a few degrees away from absolute zero (-460 degrees Fahrenheit or -273 degrees Celsius), it turns into a superfluid, meaning it can flow without friction. That means it can climb up and over the sides of a glass, defying gravity, and it can leak through molecule-thin cracks in a container. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Jealousy is all the fun you think they had. (Erica Jong) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Circuitous (noun, ser-KYOO-uh-tus) - If something—such as a path, route, or journey—is described as circuitous, it is not straight, short, and direct, but rather takes a circular or winding course. Circuitous can also describe speech or writing that is not said or done simply or clearly. In a Sentence: He took a circuitous route to town, stopping at several of his favorite shops even though it added minutes and miles to his trip.

What is Republic Day? Why is it celebrated? Let’s find out. Intro Republic Day (Gantantra Divas) is a federal holiday celebrated in India to celebrate the enactment of the current constitution of the Republic of India. It is celebrated on January 26 of every year. History When India gained independence, it had two heads: a head of government and a head of state. The head of government was Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, a native Indian, but the head of state was still the monarch of the U.K., King George VI. Wanting the British to not be in the new government, the government created a new constitution, and it took effect on January 26, 1950. The queen was no longer the head of state, and was replaced by the position of president. This day is remembered as the first Republic Day. Celebration The day before Republic Day, an awards ceremony is held to distribute three awards: the Padma Vibhushan, the Padma Bhushan, and the Padma Shri. These are the second, third, and fourth highest honors that a civilian can get, respectively. Then, on Republic Day, a big parade is held on the Kartavya Path, a famous road located in the capital of New Delhi.  Fun Facts January 26, 2024 marks India’s 75th Republic Day. Every year, a head official from another country will be invited as a guest to the parade. Preparations for the parade start in July of the previous  year! Republic Day is a federal holiday, meaning most of the populace gets a holiday from school/work. We hope everyone celebrating has a great Indian Republic Day! Image credit: https://timelinedaily.com/india/no-changes-made-to-oci-rules-says-ministry-of-external-affairs

Hamas has released an additional four hostages as part of their ceasefire deal with Israel, who have sent them over 200 prisoners of war in exchange. On January 19, a 42-day ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas took effect, finally bringing some temporary peace to a region that had been stricken by war for over 15 months. The deal was negotiated by Egypt and Qatar in the Qatari capital city of Doha and consists of three phases. The first phase contains the aforementioned 42-day ceasefire and has secured the gradual release of 33 Israeli hostages from Gaza. Meanwhile, Israel will release over 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and withdraw their forces from the strip. Details on the second and third phases have not been released yet, as those phases will be negotiated later on during the first phase. A day later, the first three hostages were released by Hamas, while Israel returned 90 Palestinian prisoners. Aid also began pouring into Gaza, which is still experiencing a dire humanitarian crisis as starvation and dehydration continue, and disease is on the rise. The next hostage exchange was scheduled for yesterday, and the entire operation was mostly successful. Four female hostages were returned to Israel in exchange for over 200 Palestinians, many of which were in prison for attacking or murdering Israeli citizens. However, Israel has exiled those criminals abroad, meaning that they will never be allowed to return to their homes in Jerusalem. The four women were all teenagers who had been recently inducted into the military when Hamas attacked on October 7, 2023, storming the Nahal Oz base just across the border from Gaza City. Over 50 soldiers were killed at the base, and a total of seven soldiers were kidnapped by Hamas. The entire exchange was facilitated by Hamas operatives, who were clothed in military uniforms and black masks to conceal their identities. The hostages were sent over to the Red Cross, who brought them to Israeli forces. Unfortunately, there was one issue with the exchange. Israel later stated that there was another 29-year-old female citizen, Arbel Yehud, slated to return with the other four soldiers, but she had not been released. Later on, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement (PIJ) claimed that she is alive and that they are holding Yehud captive, putting the matter out of Hamas' hands. There is no evidence to prove their statement, though. Despite this, Israel has confirmed that they will continue to block Palestinians from returning to their homes in the northern part of the Gaza Strip until the missing hostage is sent back to Israel. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): Scientists believe that the extreme temperatures and intense pressures within planets like Uranus and Neptune can crush carbon atoms, causing it to rain diamonds. They have also discovered that it can occasionally rain diamonds on other gas giants like Saturn as well, and this could be a normal phenomenon throughout the universe. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Life isn’t about finding yourself; it’s about creating yourself. So live the life you imagined. (Henry David Thoreau) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Nomenclature (noun, NOH-mun-klay-cher) - Nomenclature is a formal word that refers to a system of names that is used in specialized fields and especially in science. Nomenclature is also used more broadly as a synonym of name and designation . In a Sentence: It took Faith, a trained herpetologist, a while to become familiar with the nomenclature used at the entomology conference.