News in Short

• Working long hours behind a desk might raise the risk of undiagnosed high blood pressure, or hypertension, even when readings are normal, a new study suggests.
• The increased risk of hypertension might be related to long hours sitting. Due to sitting, it's possible that people who work long hours are not as active.
• About one in five people with masked hypertension never showed high blood pressure in a clinical setting, potentially delaying diagnosis and treatment.

• The magnetic North pole, that we know as the ‘N’ on the compass is now drifting from the Canadian Arctic towards Siberia at record-breaking speed, according to researchers.
• Due to fluctuations in the flow of molten iron within the Earth’s core that affects Earth’s magnetic field, the North pole is never truly stationary and has traveled around 2,250 kilometres since it was discovered in 1831. 
• Its movement eastwards was always within acceptable limits, allowing scientists to keep updated with the newer location. But in recent times the speed of movement has increased considerably.
• Magnetic poles can actually flip if they move far enough out of position and this is something that has happened every few hundred of thousands of years. It can have serious impact on lives on earth.

• Scientists have discovered what could be the world's oldest forest, which potentially has rich information on the link between forests and climate change.
• The title of world's oldest fossil forest had previously been given to a site in Gilboa, in the Catskills region of upstate New York, dating back about 385 million years.
• The new site is an old quarry in the same region, just 25 miles (40 kilometers) further east, near the town of Cairo.
• The trees could help understand how forests modernized, at a time when carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere were getting lower and temperatures were dropping.

• Cricketer Virat Kohli has emerged as the highest earning celebrity of 2019, according to a top 100 celebrity list released by international magazine Forbes India.
• Virat Kohli has managed to beat Bollywood biggies like Akshay Kumar and Salman Khan to bag the numero uno position.
• Alia Bhatt and Deepika Padukone are the only actresses who have made it to the top 10.

• The Centre is considering a 15-year residency requirement for obtaining government jobs, seats for professional courses in public colleges and ownership of land in Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh.
• There would be no such condition for industrial houses to buy land for setting up business ventures and construct quarters for their employees.
• However there are some plans to have exceptions for certain categories. These categories could cover central officials and their children, and students from other states and UTs who may have cleared their Class 10 or Class 12 board exams in J&K or Ladakh.