About: the world this week 23 July to 29 July 2023 – Heat and Fire; Odessa; Spain’s Election; Iraq & Sweden; a coup in Niger; Greece fires; Chandrayaan-3; Singers O’Connor and Tony Bennet; Swift Quake; Movies, ‘Barbenheimer’.

Everywhere

The Odessa Fire

Russia has been launching near-constant attacks on the Ukraine Port City of Odessa, off the Black Sea, since it withdrew from a landmark grain deal – which allowed Ukraine’s grain production to safely leave Port – last week. Russian missiles strikes badly damaged The Transfiguration Cathedral, which is an UNESCO world heritage-listed historic centre. It is Odessa’s largest Orthodox Church and was consecrated in 1809. In the year 1939, it was demolished by the then Soviet Union, and rebuilt in 2003.

The destruction is enormous with half of the cathedral left without a roof, and the central piles and foundation were destroyed. All the windows and stucco moulding were blown out.

UNESCO has been urging Russia to cease attacks on Odessa, to no avail. The city’s historic centre was designated an endangered World Heritage earlier this year, despite Russian opposition.

Spain’s Hot Summer Election

This is Spain’s first general election of modern times held in the searing, fierce heat of mid-summer, when many Spaniards are usually on holiday, probably exploring the world in there own Armadas.

Spain went to the polls in a Election that offered a choice of two starkly contrasting visions: the Socialist Left and the Conservative Right.Two extremes: that’s becoming the norm across many countries in recent times.

Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez, who is Prime Minister (PM) since 2018 hoped the government’s social reforms and its handling of a strongly performing economy will win over voters. His Spanish Socialist Workers Party has been lagging in polls behind the conservative People’s Party (PP) led by Alberto Nunez Feijoo, who wants to roll back many of the socialist reforms of Sanchez.

In the results that were declared this week the conservative Right coalition, which was expected to win, secured only 169 seats. The socialist Left won 153 seats – 122 by Sanchez’s Party and 31 by Minister Yolanda Diaz’s, Sumar.

Both the Left and the Right were far from an absolute majority of 176 seats in Spain’s 350-seat Parliament.

The PP obtained 136 seats – 47 more than 4 years ago. The far-right Vox Party scored 33 seats – 19 less than in 2019 – which adds up to a total of 169 seats in a coalition. With the Vox Party achieving a result worse than in 2019, Feijoo’s chances of forming a PP majority coalition government with it were dashed. If the Vox Party had done better and helped form a government, it would have meant the first far-right involvement in government since ‘Francoist Spain’ under the dictatorship of Francisco Franco Bahamonde, which ended in 1975.

On its part to obtain the 176 seats, Sanchez’s party would need a total of 23 more seats, and their traditional allies in Parliament – all regional parties- together have 19 seats.

The election results have created uncertainty with regards to the future of the next government – causing a possible deadlock. Now they march to the King of Spain to discuss government formation.

PM Pedro Sanchez called the early election after his Party and its far-left partner, Unidas Podemos, were defeated in local and regional elections in May. The move seems to have paid off, though slightly below expectations.

Meanwhile, the King of Spain’s fabulously tailored suits were the hot buzz during the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament: winning praise for the excellent tailoring. And I enjoyed the threads on the science behind them. Some skills His Royal Highness could use to stitch together a government?

Iraq and Sweden: Burning

Last week, Iraq kicked out Sweden’s Ambassador and asked its own Affairs in-Charge in Sweden to pack and return home, amid heightened tensions between the two countries over burning of the Holy Quran.

Last month, Sweden granted permission to an Iraqi refugee to burn the Quran during broader anti-Islam protests outside a Stockholm mosque. Then last week, another planned Quran burning protest was scheduled to take place by the same refugee, who stomped on the holy book. Iraqi protesters responded by storming and setting fire to parts of Sweden’s embassy in Baghdad. Now, Iraq is threatening to sever diplomatic ties with Sweden amid the turmoil and has revoked a Swedish telecom giant’s license to operate in Iraq. For the moment, it’s a tit-for-tat state of affairs between the countries.

How does Sweden allow the burning and the stomping?

Sweden has one of the world’s strongest legal protections for freedom of expression. Sweden’s Constitution guarantees the right to freedom of expression on any subject, including ‘expressions of opinion that question religious messages, or that can be perceived as hurtful to the believer’. It also scrapped its blasphemy laws in the 1970s. That’s the stage!

Niger Coup

African nations are no strangers to coups and this week it was Niger’s turn.

Niger is a vast, arid country on the edge of the Sahara desert and one of the poorest nations in the world.

On 26 July, soldiers said they have ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, closed the country’s borders, and dissolved Niger’s Constitution. In a national TV address, security forces said the inevitable: ‘a deteriorating security situation and bad governance’ led to the coup. The announcement was made by Colonel Major Amadou Abdramane, alongside nine other uniformed soldiers behind him: “We, the defence and security forces… have decided to put an end to the regime you know”.

President Bazoum is a key Western ally in the fight against Islamist militancy in West Africa. Two neighbouring countries, Mali and Burkina Faso, have experienced coups triggered by jihadist uprisings in recent years. In both countries the new military leaders have fallen out with France, the former colonial power, which also formerly ruled Niger. A French connection?

Greece Fires

Greece has been bracing itself for intense heat last weekend, with meteorologists warning that temperatures could climb as high as 45 degrees Centigrade (113F).

People had been advised to stay home, and tourist sites – including Athens’ ancient Acropolis – was shut during the hottest days. It turned into Greece’s hottest July weekend in 50 years.

In the Greek Island of Rhodes, thousands of people were evacuated from homes and hotels after wildfires engulfed large parts of the island. More than 3,500 people have been evacuated by land and sea to safety. A further 1,200 were evacuated from three villages – Pefki, Lindos, and Kalathos.

Meanwhile, firefighters are continuing to battle dozens of wildfires. The island has been battling wildfires fanned by strong winds since last Tuesday, as Europe deals with a challenging heatwave.

What sparked the fires is yet to be ascertained: arsonists? climate change?

Meanwhile, Greece rightfully declared it is at war with the flames.

On the sidelines, The United Nations stepped-in to say, ‘The era of global warming has ended. The era of global boiling has arrived’. And warnings of unbreathable air and unbearable temperatures is what lies ahead. And Scientists hurried to add that this month is the hottest ever in 1,20,000 years.

India Onwards to the Moon

India’s Chandrayaan-3, which took off from Earth on 14 July on mission to land on the Moon is heading in the right direction. Orbit raising manoeuvres to gradually lift the spacecraft and leave the Earth’s gravity and orbit have been successfully completed. And the next firing, to kick it into the Trans Lunar Orbit on the way to the Moon is scheduled on 1st August. Chandrayaan-3 is following the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) script to the dot, as it inches closer to the Moon.

Singers No More

This week on 26 July, Irish singer, Sinead O’Connor, 56, was found unresponsive in her London Apartment and subsequently declared dead. The death was not teated as suspicious and the medical reason is yet to be ascertained.

The feminist firebrand known for her trademark bald-head appearance was best known for her 1990 song, ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ written by Prince – the track made O-Connor a global star, partly due to its iconic video.

Two weeks ago, O’Connor had told her fans that she had recently moved back to London after a 23-year absence – and she was very happy to be home.

Sinead O’ Connor’s debut album, ‘The Lion and the Cobra’, was released in 1987 and charted internationally. He second studio album, ‘I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got’, 1990, became her biggest success selling over seven million copies worldwide. It’s lead single, ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ was named the number one world single in 1990, by Billboard Music Awards.

O’Conner had a troubled past and spoke of being sexually abused by her parents as a child, saying she was in agony. She consistently spoke out on issues related to child abuse, human rights, racism, organised religion, and women’s rights. She struggled with her mental health and had been dealing with the loss of her 17-year-old son, who died by suicide last year.

In 1999, O’Connor was ordained as priest by the Latin Tridentine Church – not recognised by the main stream Catholic Church. In 2017 she changed her name to Magda Davitt. After converting to Islam in 2018, she became Shuhada Sadaqat.

O’Connor had four children and was married and divorced four times.

Last week saw the passing of another music legend, American jazz and traditional pop singer, Tony Bennet, 97, who died in his home. He had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and was suffering from it for many years.

He won 20 Grammy Awards; sold more than 50 million records worldwide; earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; broke the Guinness book of World records for the oldest person to release an album of new material at the age of 95 years and 60 days; among many other remarkable achievements in a long singing career.

His signature song, in 1962, ‘I left my heart in San Francisco’, lingers in the heart!

In other swift music news, Singer Taylor Swift is on a music tour. And after two nights of earth-shaking dancing at Swift’s ‘Eras’ tour concert at Lumen Field, Seattle, USA, enthusiastic ‘Swifties’ caused seismic activity equivalent of a 2.3 magnitude earthquake, according to a seismologist. The ‘Swift Quake’ has been compared to the 2011 ‘Beast Quake’, when Seattle Seahawks fans erupted after an impressive touchdown by running-back Marshawn ‘Beast Mode’ Lynch.

Please Yourself

Amid the ongoing, no-end-in-sight Hollywood Writers’ and Actors’ Union strike two much anticipated movies hit the theatres late last week: ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’. Fans got to watch Greta Gerwig’s take on life in plastic and Christopher Nolan’s biopic on the scientist behind the atom bomb. The two films, dubbed ‘Barbenheimer,’ had already sold over 40,000 tickets combined worldwide before release. Though the Unions Strike threaten to hurt the film industry, which lost around $7 billion during the pandemic, the shows must go on. Oppenheimer and Barbie are expected to bring in USD 40 million and USD 80 million respectively in their opening weekend.

This week Barbie did fabulously well at the Box Office -the famous pink was splashed all over Town- and appears to be on its way to becoming a blockbuster success.

Barbie is a fantasy comedy film directed by Greta Gerwig and written by Gerwig and Noah Baumbach. It is based on the Barbie fashion dolls by Mattel. The film follows Barbie – played by Actress Margot Robbie – and Ken – Ryan Gosling- on a journey of self-discovery.

While Barbie dolled-up the Box-Office, Oppenheimer got itself entangled in a ‘spiritual bomb incident’ over the way the Hindu Holy book, Bhagavad Gita was read and portrayed in a scene in the movie.

More pink and other colourful stories coming-up in the weeks ahead. Stay cool with World Inthavaaram.