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Japan’s births fell to record low in 2024
The number of babies born in Japan fell to a record low of 720,988 in 2024 for a ninth consecutive year of decline, the health ministry said, underscoring the rapid ageing and dwindling of the population. Births were down 5% on the year, despite a range of steps unveiled in 2023 by former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to boost childbearing, while a record number of 1.62 million deaths meant that more than two people died for every new baby born. Although the fertility rate in neighbouring South Korea rose in 2024 for the first time in nine years, thanks to measures to spur young people to marry and have children, the trend in Japan has yet to show an upturn. Behind Japan's childbirth decline are fewer marriages in recent years, stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, said Takumi Fujinami, an economist at the Japan Research Institute.
AI in healthcare likely to contribute $30 bn to India's GDP by 2025
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare is projected to contribute $25-30 billion to India's GDP by 2025, enhancing accessibility, diagnostics and treatment outcomes, according to a report by Deloitte. Government-backed initiatives like the IndiaAI Mission and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, are setting the stage for a digitally empowered healthcare ecosystem, ensuring responsible AI integration and enhanced data security, it noted. As per the report -- "Digital Healthcare- Top 10 Myths Debunked Digital Health & AI", AI adoption in healthcare has surged past 40 per cent, surpassing sectors such as FMCG (30 per cent) and manufacturing (25 per cent).
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Prior infection with seasonal flu may guard against severe bird flu
Previous infections with seasonal H1N1 flu may boost immunity and reduce the severity of H5N1 bird flu, according to a study. The study, published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, may help explain why most reported human cases of H5N1 bird flu in the US have not resulted in lethal outcomes. Researchers from the universities of Pittsburgh and Emory conducted a study to decode the potential of viruses to spread between people. Using a ferret model, they found that pre-existing immunity influences infection severity. It protected them against severe disease and death by a strain of H5N1 bird flu -- currently circulating in wild birds, poultry, and cows. On the other hand, ferrets without prior immunity had more severe illness and fatal outcomes.
US launches private lunar lander to deliver NASA science instruments
American company Intuitive Machines has successfully launched its second lunar mission to deliver science payloads of NASA to the moon. The mission, codenamed IM-2, lifted off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 7:16 p.m. EST (5.46 a.m. IST). After the launch, Intuitive Machines’ lunar lander, Athena, will spend approximately one week in transit to the moon before landing on the lunar surface no earlier than March 6. The lander is loaded with scientific instruments and will carry NASA science investigations and technology demonstrations to further understand the moon's environment, and help prepare for future human missions to the lunar surface, according to NASA.
1984 Anti-Sikh riots: Life sentence to former Cong MP Sajjan Kumar
A Delhi court has awarded life imprisonment to former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar in a murder case connected to 1984 anti-Sikh riots, saying his old age and illness weighed in favour of a lesser sentence instead of death penalty.
Special judge Kaveri Baweja's verdict came over the killings of Jaswant Singh and his son Tarundeep Singh on November 1, 1984. The judge said the offences committed by Kumar were undoubtedly brutal and reprehensible but underscored certain mitigating factors, including his age of 80 years and illnesses that "weigh in favour of imposing a lesser sentence, instead of death penalty". The offence of murder attracts a maximum of death penalty whereas the minimum punishment is life imprisonment.
The judge went on to add that the case at hand was part of the same incident and could be seen in continuity of the incident for which the Kumar was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Delhi High Court on December 17, 2018.
He was then found guilty of having caused the death of five persons during a similar incident of rioting post the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The judge therefore awarded life imprisonment to Kumar for being part of the mob which set afire the house of the victims and "brutally killed" the two victims aside from looting their belongings.
The judge fined Kumar with approximately Rs 2.4 lakh. All the sentences were ordered by the court to run concurrently.
Nanavati Commission report: According to a report of Nanavati Commission, constituted to probe the violence and its aftermath, there were 587 FIRs filed in Delhi in relation to the riots that saw killings of 2733 people. Of the total, about 240 FIRs were closed by police as "untraced" and 250 cases resulted in acquittal.
Only 28 cases of 587 FIRs resulted in convictions, in which about 400 persons were convicted. About 50 were convicted for murder, including Kumar.
Kumar, an influential Congress leader and an MP at the time, was accused in a case over the killings of five persons in Delhi's Palam Colony on November 1 and 2 in 1984. He was awarded life imprisonment by the Delhi High Court in the case and his appeal challenging the punishment is pending before the Supreme Court.
Centre launches Statistics Hackathon for empowering youth
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) is launching an exciting data-visualisation hackathon titled “Innovate with GoIStats”, centred around the theme “Data-Driven Insights for Viksit Bharat”. The hackathon aims to inspire India’s young and brightest minds to utilise the vast official statistics generated by the National Statistics Office (NSO) for creating innovative data-driven insights, according to an official statement. The Hackathon will take place on the MyGov platform, from February 25 to March 31. Students pursuing undergraduate or post-graduate studies or doing research can participate. The top 30 entries, selected by a panel of expert evaluators from the industry and academia will get prize money, with one first prize of Rs 2 lakh, followed by two second prizes of Rs 1 lakh each, two third prizes of Rs 50,000 each and 25 consolation prizes of Rs 20,000 each.
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Delhi HC says no to early hearing on plea over DeepSeek ban in India
The Delhi High Court refused to grant an early hearing on a plea for blocking access to DeepSeek, an AI chatbot developed by Chinese entities, in all forms in India. A bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela said there was no urgency in the PIL and it not deserve a priority hearing. After the petitioner's counsel said it was a sensitive matter, the court asked him not to use the platform if it was so harmful. “These kinds of platforms have been available in India for a long time. Not only DeepSeek but there are several such platforms available. Don't use it if it's so harmful. There is no ground for early hearing,” the Bench said.
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