Friday☕️

12 Sep 2025 — 5 min read

Trending:

On September 11, 2025, the situation in Nepal began stabilizing after multiple days of intense violence, with the Nepali Army regaining control of Kathmandu and other major cities through deployments enforcing curfews and security measures, following the resignation of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and several ministers. Negotiations are underway between youth protest leaders and military officials to form an interim government, potentially led by a neutral figure like a former chief justice, amid a reported human toll of at least 31 deaths, over 1,000 injuries including three police officers killed, the escape of thousands of prisoners from facilities, and the destruction by fire of a luxury hotel in the capital, alongside damage to government buildings and infrastructure.

The stabilization follows youth-led protests, primarily by Generation Z, initially triggered by a social media ban but expanding to address corruption, nepotism, economic stagnation, and calls for political reforms in Nepal's democratic republic. The events have drawn international concern, with foreign missions urging restraint and neighboring India monitoring diplomatic implications, highlighting ongoing challenges in governance and public trust. This incident reflects a broader global trend of governments restricting social media to control information flow, while platforms' algorithms create filter bubbles that reinforce specific narratives.

Economics & Markets:

Geopolitics & Military Activity:

On September 11, 2025, China's Fujian aircraft carrier departed southward from its shipyard in Shanghai, diverging from its prior eight sea trials conducted in the Yellow Sea, with an empty flight deck absent of aircraft mockups or flags, signaling the completion of testing and its likely imminent commissioning into the People's Liberation Army Navy. Military observers and analysts indicate this voyage points to the vessel heading toward a southern base, such as Yulin Naval Base in Hainan, and confirm it meets all operational requirements, marking a key step in China's naval modernization as its third aircraft carrier.

The Fujian, also known as Type 003, is China's first fully domestically designed and constructed supercarrier, launched in June 2022 with a displacement exceeding 80,000 tons, equipped with electromagnetic catapults for advanced aircraft operations, and capable of supporting up to 60 fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. This vessel represents a technological leap over China's earlier carriers, the refurbished Liaoning (Type 001) and the domestically built Shandong (Type 002), both using ski-jump ramps, and underscores Beijing's ambitions to enhance blue-water naval projection amid regional maritime dynamics.
In comparison, the United States operates 11 fully nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, far outpacing other nations in this advanced category. China now has three conventionally powered carriers, while Russia maintains one aging conventional carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, which has faced operational challenges. Other countries include France with one nuclear-powered carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, and the United Kingdom with two conventional carriers, illustrating the U.S.'s leading position in global naval carrier capabilities.

Environment & Weather:

Space:

On September 11, 2025, Russia successfully launched the Progress MS-32 cargo spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan using a Soyuz-2.1a rocket at 18:54 Moscow Time, representing the 185th Progress flight and the 93rd resupply mission to the International Space Station. The uncrewed spacecraft carried about 2.8 tons of supplies, including food, water, fuel, scientific equipment, and spare parts, for the Expedition 73 crew, with docking planned at the ISS's Poisk module on September 13 following a two-day journey. The launch proceeded without reported issues, highlighting continued international collaboration on the ISS amid broader geopolitical challenges.
The Progress MS series is an upgraded version of Russian resupply spacecraft developed by RSC Energia, based on the original Progress design from 1978, incorporating improved avionics, solar arrays, and automated docking systems for consistent deliveries to space stations. These vehicles can carry up to 2.6 tons of dry cargo, 420 kg of water, and 1,700 kg of propellant, while also performing orbital reboosts for the ISS and disposing of waste by deorbiting after missions that generally last several months.

Statistic:

History:

Water treatment has roots stretching back thousands of years, with evidence of early filtration practices appearing in ancient civilizations. In Egypt and India, people filtered water through sand and gravel, while boiling was also a common method to kill pathogens. The Greeks and Romans advanced these techniques by constructing aqueducts and settling basins to transport and clarify water for their cities. Although these early methods were rudimentary by modern standards, they laid the foundation for understanding that clean water was essential for public health and survival.
In the modern era, water treatment evolved rapidly with the discovery of microorganisms in the 19th century, linking contaminated water to deadly diseases like cholera and typhoid. This breakthrough led to the widespread adoption of sand filtration, and later, chlorination, which drastically reduced waterborne illness. Throughout the 20th century, technological innovations such as advanced chemical treatments, membrane filtration, and UV disinfection expanded capabilities further. Today, water treatment is a sophisticated science that combines physical, chemical, and biological methods to ensure safe, reliable water supplies, addressing not only pathogens but also chemical contaminants and emerging pollutants like pharmaceuticals and microplastics.

Image of the day: