Day: December 13, 2022

Know about New Zealand’s law that bans smoking for next generation.

In a bid to curb smoking for the next generation and make the country smoke-free by 2025, New Zealand passed the world’s first legislation prohibiting the sale of tobacco to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009.

According to the Guardian, the number of stores legally permitted to sell cigarettes will be reduced by a tenth, from 6,000 to 600 across the country. The law passed will go into effect in 2023, as New Zealand strives to become “smoke-free” by 2025.

New Zealand’s smoking rate is already at historic lows, with just 8% of adults smoking daily according to government statistic released in November – down from 9.4% last year.

It is hoped that the Smokefree Environments Bill will reduce that number to less than 5% by 2025, with the eventual aim of eliminating the practice altogether.

Know about New Zealand's law that bans smoking for next generation.

In a bid to curb smoking for the next generation and make the country smoke-free by 2025, New Zealand passed the world’s first legislation prohibiting the sale of tobacco to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009.

According to the Guardian, the number of stores legally permitted to sell cigarettes will be reduced by a tenth, from 6,000 to 600 across the country. The law passed will go into effect in 2023, as New Zealand strives to become “smoke-free” by 2025.

New Zealand’s smoking rate is already at historic lows, with just 8% of adults smoking daily according to government statistic released in November – down from 9.4% last year.

It is hoped that the Smokefree Environments Bill will reduce that number to less than 5% by 2025, with the eventual aim of eliminating the practice altogether.

India and Chinese troops clashes on border.

Soldiers from India and China clashed last week along the two countries’ disputed Himalayan border. In 1962, when the countries fought a bloody, high-altitude war over the contested territories, China seized Arunachal Pradesh, which it claims as part of South Tibet, before returning it to Indian control, but the disputed area belongs to and will remain in the integral control of India.

It was the first reported standoff between troops from the two Asian giants since deadly clashes in 2020 strained their already tense relations. 

Both sides were involved with a few soldiers suffering minor injuries. China is yet to comment on the stand off. But Reuters reported an Indian army source saying at least six Indian troops were injured.

“Both sides immediately disengaged from the area,” the Indian army said.

It added that commanders from both sides had held a meeting immediately after “to restore peace and tranquility”.

India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told the parliament on Tuesday that no Indian soldiers had been “hurt or seriously injured” in the clash and that the incident has been “taken up at diplomatic levels”. He added that because of “timely intervention of Indian military commanders, PLA soldiers went back to their positions”.

China and India share a disputed 3,440km (2,100 mile) long de facto border – called the Line of Actual Control, or LAC – which is poorly demarcated. The presence of rivers, lakes and snowcaps means the line can shift. The soldiers on either side – representing two of the world’s largest armies – come face to face at many points.

India and Chinese troops clashes on border.

Soldiers from India and China clashed last week along the two countries’ disputed Himalayan border. In 1962, when the countries fought a bloody, high-altitude war over the contested territories, China seized Arunachal Pradesh, which it claims as part of South Tibet, before returning it to Indian control, but the disputed area belongs to and will remain in the integral control of India.

It was the first reported standoff between troops from the two Asian giants since deadly clashes in 2020 strained their already tense relations. 

Both sides were involved with a few soldiers suffering minor injuries. China is yet to comment on the stand off. But Reuters reported an Indian army source saying at least six Indian troops were injured.

“Both sides immediately disengaged from the area,” the Indian army said.

It added that commanders from both sides had held a meeting immediately after “to restore peace and tranquility”.

India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told the parliament on Tuesday that no Indian soldiers had been “hurt or seriously injured” in the clash and that the incident has been “taken up at diplomatic levels”. He added that because of “timely intervention of Indian military commanders, PLA soldiers went back to their positions”.

China and India share a disputed 3,440km (2,100 mile) long de facto border – called the Line of Actual Control, or LAC – which is poorly demarcated. The presence of rivers, lakes and snowcaps means the line can shift. The soldiers on either side – representing two of the world’s largest armies – come face to face at many points.

International World Braille Day

In honor of Louis Braille, who was born on January 4, 1809, the world observes International World Braille Day every year. The United Nations General Assembly established World Braille Day in 2019 and it serves as the opening ceremony for Braille Literacy Month, a campaign in January that strives to increase public awareness of the value of braille and braille literacy.

Braille is useful for many people, even though it is most often associated with people who are completely blind and who use it as a reading medium. This includes people with severe disabilities, visual impairments, and dual sensory loss.


HISTORY OF WORLD BRAILLE DAY

After its inventor, “Braille,” the term was given. When Louis Braille was a young child, he inadvertently injured himself in the eye with his father’s awl, which caused him to lose his vision. He spent time at the Royal Institute for Blind Youth in France starting at the age of 10 when he developed and improved the raised-dot technique that eventually became known as Braille.

Braille finished his work by creating a code based on cells with six dots that allowed a fingertip to quickly go from one cell to the next while still feeling the full unit with one touch. Braille eventually gained acceptance as the primary method of written information for blind people on a global scale. Unfortunately, Braille was unable to witness the usefulness of his creation. Two years before the Royal Institute started teaching Braille, in 1852, he passed away.

The United Nations General Assembly recognized Braille as a wonderful tool that gave the blind and visually handicapped access to a wide range of opportunities (UNGA). The date January 4 was designated as World Braille Day in November 2018. The next year, the first-ever World Braille Day was marked and recognized as a global holiday.

Six fun facts about braille

1. There is a braille code for practically every language, and braille is used in almost every nation in the globe.

2. The braille’s creator has a fascinating tale to tell. Louis Braille was 3 years old when he accidentally poked his eye with a leather embosser, causing a severe infection that eventually led him to lose eyesight in both eyes. Ironically, a stylus, a device used nowadays to emboss braille by hand, is comparable to an awl.

3. There are numerous ways to type in braille. It can be printed using a braille typewriter or embossed using a slate and styles, which is usually regarded as braille handwriting.

4. Popular tourist destination Castle Sant’Elmo provides more than just a panoramic view of the Italian city of Naples from its vantage point. The stronghold is home to Paolo Puddu’s “Follow the Shape” art project, a braille-embossed railing with a poetic description of the scene. The photo for this blog was taken from an image of this installation.

5. In recent years, more toys—including a Rubik’s Cube, the well-known card game UNO, and LEGOs—have become accessible in braille.

6. A conventional typewriter is not like a braille keyboard. In addition to a space key, enter button, and backspace button, braillers feature six keys, one for each of the six dots in a braille cell.