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13 Jan 2025 — 4 min read

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Today, January 13, 2025, the Maha Kumbh Mela began in Prayagraj, a city in Uttar Pradesh, India. This major Hindu festival, held every 12 years, takes place at the meeting point of the Ganges, Yamuna, and Saraswati rivers. Millions of participants attend the event to perform ritual bathing in the rivers, a practice believed to cleanse sins and bring spiritual benefits. The festival is a significant part of Hindu culture and attracts both local and international visitors.
The event will continue for six weeks and is expected to draw over 400 million people. To accommodate the massive crowd, a temporary city has been constructed, covering 4,000 hectares, and includes facilities such as tents, restrooms, and medical services. As one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, the Maha Kumbh Mela highlights the scale and importance of this centuries-old tradition.

Economics & Markets:

Geopolitics & Military Activity:

Over the past 24 hours, the Israeli Air Force carried out airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. These strikes hit a rocket launch site, a military facility, and routes along the Syria-Lebanon border used to transport weapons to Hezbollah. The Israeli military stated that these actions were in response to threats posed to their forces and rear areas, which they said violated agreements between Israel and Lebanon.

The attacks occurred during a fragile ceasefire agreement that was established on November 27, 2024. The agreement was intended to stop hostilities and required Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon within 60 days, with Lebanese forces taking over security. However, both sides have accused each other of breaking the truce, and tensions remain high. The international community continues to call for both parties to adhere to the ceasefire and prevent further conflict.

Environment & Weather:

The National Weather Service Los Angeles has announced a Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) Red Flag Warning for Ventura and Los Angeles Counties, highlighting an extreme fire risk due to powerful northeast and east winds combined with critically low humidity. These conditions, expected to persist from Tuesday, January 14, at 4 a.m. through Wednesday, January 15, at noon, will feature wind gusts ranging from 45 to 70 mph and relative humidity as low as 8–15%. The affected areas span parts of Ventura County and western Los Angeles County, which have already been impacted by ongoing wildfires.

These dangerous weather patterns are expected to exacerbate the spread of existing fires and create conditions for new outbreaks. The combination of dry vegetation, strong winds, and low humidity makes it likely that any spark could result in rapid fire growth, posing a significant threat to life and property. Residents are being urged to avoid activities that could ignite fires and to prepare evacuation plans. The NWS also recommends having multiple ways to receive emergency updates as authorities remain on high alert for worsening wildfire conditions.

Space:

Yesterday, January 13, 2025, China launched ten CentiSpace-1 satellites into low Earth orbit using a Jielong-3 (Smart Dragon-3) rocket from a sea platform in the Yellow Sea. These satellites, created by the company Future Navigation, are designed to improve the accuracy of China’s BeiDou navigation system. The launch is part of a larger plan to deploy 160 satellites to enhance global navigation services.