WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2024-40

About: the world this week, 29 September to 5 October 2024: Hydra-headed Hezbollah; US Election Debates; India State Elections; Hurricane Helene; SpaceX’s Dragon docks with the ISS.

Everywhere

Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Iran

Last week, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out a brilliant, precise strike on the terror organisation Hezbollah’s central headquarters, embedded under residential buildings in the heart of Dahieh, Beirut, Lebanon. Hassan Nasrallah, 64, the leader of Hezbollah – was without-doubt – the target of the attack. Initially, there were confusing reports that he had survived, however, after several hours, his death was confirmed by both Israel and Hezbollah. Nasrallah suffocated to death from toxic gases inside his secret bunker after it was demolished by about 80 tons of ‘bunker-busting’ bombs. A number of other commanders, including Ali Karaki, the commander of the southern front, who had all probably come over for a meeting, were also eliminated in the strike. This is a significant, game-changing development in the region terrorised by Hezbollah-which is solidly backed by Iran.

Hassan Nasrallah himself became the leader of Hezbollah after the Israelis knocked-off the previous leader, Abbas al-Musawi, in 1992. Nasrallah is well-known for his strident anti-Israel actions and has repeatedly called for the end of the State of Israel. He also has the blood of United States (US) citizens on his hands with Hezbollah being involved in numerous anti-US terrorist attacks in Beirut: the suicide truck bombings of the US Embassy in April 1983, the US Marine barracks in October 1983, and the US Embassy Annex in September 1984. Naturally, the US ‘welcomed’ his elimination.

Nasrallah played a pivotal role in various attacks and wars against Israel. In particular, the 2006 Lebanon War against Israel solidified his status as a resistance leader in the Arab world. He was also involved in regional politics, supporting the Assad regime in Syria during the Syrian Civil War. Under him, Hezbollah transformed from a guerrilla group focused on resisting Israel into a significant political player in Lebanon, holding seats in the Lebanese Parliament and participating in government coalitions.

Nasrallah believed that Islam holds the solution to the problems of any society, once saying, “With respect to us, briefly, Islam is not a simple religion including only prayers and praises, rather it is a divine message that was designed for humanity, and it can answer any question man might ask concerning his general and personal life. Islam is a religion designed for a society that can revolt and build a community”.

Israel has done the world a huge favour, and after Osama Bin Laden was killed in a special military operation by the United States, Hassan Nasrallah was one who deserved the same treatment.

Nasrallah’s immediate successor, Hassan Khalil Yasinm was also ‘instantly’ taken down by the IDF. This is a culmination of a recent trend in which Israel has repeatedly targeted Hezbollah’s leadership structure and has wiped-out the entire command structure.

Hashem Safieddine, a cousin of Nasrallah is now Hezbollah’s new leader. The third since Nasrallah was killed. Wonder, how long he will last, but there is chance that all Hezbollah members will become leaders, one by one. But this is a hydra-headed problem, cut one head off another grows, and takes its place.

In Greek mythology, the Hydra is a gigantic water-snake-like monster with about nine heads, one of which is immortal. The monster’s haunt was in the marshes of Lerna, near Argos, Greece, from which it periodically emerged to attack people and livestock. Anyone who attempted to behead the Hydra found that as soon as one head was cut off, two more heads would emerge from the fresh wound.

The destruction of Hydra was one of the 12 Labours of Hercules. For that and other labours, Hercules enlisted the aid of his nephew Iolaus. As Hercules severed each mortal head, Iolaus was set the task of quickly cauterising the fresh wounds so that no new heads would emerge. When only the immortal head remained, Hercules cut it off too and buried it under a heavy rock. Further, he dipped his arrows in the monster’s poisonous blood to be able to inflict fatal wounds. It’s now up to Israel to find the cauterising fire… and the poison.

Israel’s breathtakingly ballsy strike on Hasan Nasrallah has opened up the possibility of a brand new Middle East: one where Iran doesn’t call the shots. Israel is making the moves the West hasn’t for decades: demonstrating that aggression will be countered with complete evisceration.

This week, Israel also begun the ground invasion in Southern Lebanon-a limited ground operation-against terrorist targets and infrastructure of Hezbollah. The start was bloody with eight Israeli soldiers being killed in combat as its forces pushed into Lebanon.

What has Iran got to do with all of this? Iran has probably crossed many a red line in supporting, arming, and providing safe haven for terrorists such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthi’s of Yemen, in an anti-Israel stance known as ‘The Iran–Israel proxy conflict, The Iran–Israel proxy war or Iran–Israel Cold War. In the Israeli–Lebanese conflict, Iran has supported Lebanese Shia militias- the Hezbollah. In the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Iran has backed Palestinian groups-the Hamas.

In turn, Israel has supported Iranian rebels, such as the People’s Mujaheedin of Iran, conducted airstrikes against Iranian allies in Syria and assassinated Iranian nuclear scientists in a long history of tit-for-tat tactics.

Israel’s Prime Minster made a direct appeal to the people of Iran to throw out their tyrant rulers and work towards peace with Israel. But then someone else seems to have heard-got the opposite message-and on Tuesday Iran dispatched about 200 ballistic missiles into Israel, earning the wrath of Israel and the world. The war now grows in yet another direction.

Israel countered the aggression of the ‘Iran missile rain’ with perfect activation and synchronisation of its famous missile defence systems: The Iron Dome detonated the short range missiles within the 70 km range; The David’s Sling system dealt with the mid-range missiles up to about 300 km; and then the Arrow system, which can literally detonate missiles that can fly outside of the earth’s atmosphere in a range of about 2,400 km! The United Kingdom and the United States fell behind Israel and helped shoot-down some of Iran’s missiles.There were no deaths reported on the Israel side except for a lone Palestinian, in the West Bank.

Iran is definitely a menace in the region – a nation gone astray. They need to be dealt with, in a calibrated and wise manner. Maybe Israel (and the US) are upto the task this time around. Meanwhile, the world waits for Israel’s ‘promised’ response.

Towards the end of the week, in yet another attack, Israel not only eliminated Hezbollah’s new leader, but also the entire Shura Council, the committee that nominates Hezbollah leaders.

US Elections: Debates

This Tuesday’s vice-presidential debate between running-mates, Republican J D Vance and Democrat Tim Walz felt like a civil and relatively restrained conversation about the issues at the top of American voters’ minds going into the 5th November election. In that, it was unlike the two fiery presidential debates earlier this year.

If Vance was picked because he puts ideological meat on the bones of Trump’s conservative populism, during the debate he put a polite, humble face on them, as well. And the debate’s lasting impact may be to convince members of his party that the young, only 40 years old, Ohio Senator has a future in national conservative politics, given his ability to clearly advance their ideological priorities on the brightest of stages.

The overall view was that Vance trumped over Walz and made meat of him.

India’s State Elections

Elections in India’s State of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) ended on 1st October, which was the third and last phase for the 90 member Legislature. The first was on 18th September and the second on 25th September. Counting of votes will be on 8th October. This is the first assembly election since J&K’s special status was revoked and fully integrated with the rest of India. However, J&K remains a union territory and statehood is expected to happen sometime after the assembly elections.

The State of Haryana goes to the Polls in a single phase on 5th October for 90 seats. Counting of votes will also be on 8th October.

It’s a coincidence that it’s 90 seats in both States. Going by opinion polls the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-at the Centre-is unlikely to win in any of these States. Despite the fact that in J&K, it should be rewarded for bringing back peace after abrogation of J&K’s special status under Article 370 of India’s Constitution. In Haryana anti-incumbency again the ruling BJP is high. The results could be knocking.

Elections seem to be taking place all the time in India, and the Government is hell-bent on pushing through its new legislation of ‘One Nation One Election’ through the Parliament benches and making it law. That’s a work in progress.

Hurricane Helene Devastates

Hurricane Helene, a large, deadly, catastrophic, and fast-moving tropical cyclone, the strongest on record to strike the Big Bend region of Florida devastated parts of southeastern United States(US). It is the eighth named storm, fifth hurricane, and second major hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season. Helene developed gradually from a mid-September disturbance in the western Caribbean Sea within a broad area of low pressure known as the Central American gyre. And then Helene moved inland for the kill.

Some of Helene’s deadliest, most catastrophic flooding unfolded in western North Carolina. It turned the western part of the state into a ‘post-apocalyptic’ landscape.

At least 130 people have died across six states and the death toll can rise. Many more remain missing, perhaps unable to leave their location or unable to contact family where communications infrastructure has been washed away.

Among the demolished towns was the tiny hamlet of Bat Cave, about 160 km west of Charlotte, where in what climate scientists are describing as a 1,000-year event, the Broad River rose to unprecedented levels, washed away homes and broke through the town’s bridge. “It’s so overwhelming. You don’t even know how to fathom what recovery looks like, let alone where to start,” said a survivor.

SpaceX Docks with ISS

This week, SpaceX’s Dragon Spacecraft successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS), and when it returns after a few months it is expected to bring back stranded Astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore. The incoming spacecraft had two astronauts in the driver’s seat(s), with ‘space’ for the returning two.

Astronauts Nick Hague, the Dragon Crew 9 commander and cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, the Crew 9 mission specialist were given a ‘weightless welcome’ when they met the others on the Space Station, after crossing over.

The space station’s population has temporarily increased to 11 after this Sunday saw the arrival of Crew 9. The orbital residents spent Monday unpacking Dragon and handing over mission responsibilities as the next quartet prepares to return to Earth.

More docking stories coming-up in the weeks ahead. Weigh the world more with World Inthavaaram.

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2024-39

About: the world this week, 22 September to 28 September 2024: A new war front; Sri Lanka’s new President; India sparkles; and sweeps the Chess Olympiad.

Everywhere

A New War Front

A new front has certainly opened, in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, with Hamas’ partner-in-crime, the Iran-backed Hezbollah, operating out of Lebanon, being surgically attacked by Israel. This, takes off from last week’s Pager-attack on Hezbollah, when over 1500 militants were severely impaired – blinded, or body parts severely damaged.

Israel destroyed hundreds of Hezbollah targets on Monday in airstrikes, which killed at least 300 people in Lebanon’s deadliest day in decades. After some of the heaviest cross-border exchanges of fire since the hostilities began, Israel warned people in Lebanon to evacuate areas where it said the militant Hezbollah was storing weapons. After almost a year of war against Hamas in Gaza on its southern border, Israel is shifting its focus to its northern frontier, from where Hezbollah has been relentlessly firing rockets into Israel, in support of Hamas, since 8th October 2024. And towards the end of the week, Israel called for its Reserves to join the fighting.

Over the week, every day you read about some Hezbollah Commander being taken down in a precision strike-somewhere in Beirut. On Friday, Israeli hit the main headquarters of Hezbollah in Beirut: remains to be seen if its head is alive or at least scratched!

Sri Lanka: Recovering

Two years ago, in the year 2022, Sri Lanka’s economy collapsed plunging the country into its worst financial crisis in decades, and causing unprecedented upheaval. What followed was lethal unrest, with unruly crowds going on a mass rampage across the country. This eventually led to the ruling Rajapaksa family giving-up power-fleeing the country-and Ranil Wickremesinghe hurriedly being sworn in as acting President, to bring the economy back on track. He then went on to being formally elected, by Parliament, in a secret ballot-winning 134 to 82-to serve the remainder of the Rajapaksa Presidential term, which was to end this November 2024.

In the two years that followed, Sri Lanka’s economy made an unexpectedly rapid recovery under Wickremesinghe’s astute management and belt-tightening measures. After securing an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the currency stabilised, the central bank rebuilt foreign-exchange reserves, and inflation fell to singled digits. By the first half of 2024, the economy had grown by 5%. The government successfully restructured its domestic debt, followed by a restructuring of its bilateral debt, i.e., government-to-government loans mostly from China, but also from India and Western counties, including the United States. Just days before the current election, an agreement was reached with international bondholders to re-configure the remaining sovereign debt.

The hard and ‘dirty’ work done, in August 2024, President Wickremesinghe called for Elections to the Presidency, announcing that he himself would run for re-election as an independent candidate. Despite the stupendous achievements in the most trying of times, Wickremesinghe was eliminated at the end of the first phase of vote counting in the Presidential Elections held late last week. He finished third with only 17.26% of the vote. And was overtaken by both Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the opposition leader Sajith Premadasa. Wickremesinghe’s unpopularity stemmed largely from the harsh, but necessary, austerity measures implemented under the IMF-backed stabilisation program.

As no candidate could secure a majority in the polls, the elections moved to the second phase of preferential vote counting, where only two leading candidates remain in the competition. Under the electoral system, voters cast three preferential votes for their chosen candidates. If no candidate wins 50% in the first count, a second tally determines the winner between the top two candidates, using the preferential votes cast.

This week, on Sunday, Sri Lankans finally elected Marxist-leaning Anura Kumara Dissanayake,55 – popularly known by his initials, AKD – as the new President, putting faith in his pledge to fight corruption and bolster a fragile economic recovery. He was sworn-in as Sri Lanka’s ninth President, by Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya, early this week. And he quickly named party colleague, College Professor and first-time lawmaker Harini Amarasuriya as the new Prime Minister. Sri Lanka has an ‘executive Presidency’ with the President being in-charge of running the country.

AKD heads both the National People’s Power (NPP) alliance, and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and won the run-off in the second round of counting of preferential votes. It was the first time in Sri Lanka’s history that the presidential race was decided by a second tally of votes.

Dissanayake led from start to finish during the counting, knocking out incumbent President Wickremesinghe and opposition leader Sajith Premadasa. At the end of the first round, AKD had 42.31 % of the vote, and Premadasa 32.76%. A count of the second preference votes took Dissanayake past the required 50% plus, for a clear victory.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s rise to the presidency in Sri Lanka as a candidate of the NPP coalition is nothing short of unalloyed magic. Dissanayake has been JVP’s leader since 2014, and the party has participated in two parliamentary elections under his leadership. In 2015 it secured 4.8% of the vote share, and in 2020, the JVP alliance secured 3.8% of the vote. In the 2019 presidential election he had secured a mere 3.2%.

AKD’s popularity probably has an oblique explanation: the COVID19 pandemic and the poor management of resources by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa after 2019 pushed an unprecedented number of Sri Lankans into poverty. AKD, as the head of the JVP presented himself to the people as a politician who spoke their lingo, understood their problems, and empathised with them. With his pro-working class stance and sharp critique of the political elite he captivated the hearts and minds of Sri Lankan masses, more so after the important role the JVP played in the 2022 protests that toppled the Rajapaksa regime.

However, for Sri Lanka’s Tamil minority, AKD’s election offers little hope. During the campaign AKD rejected devolving more power to the Tamils living in the North and East. And investigating incidents during the civil war- which saw the elimination of the Tamil Tigers-that United Nations investigators said could amount to war crimes. Tens of thousands of Tamil civilians had died during the final months of the defeat of the LTTE – Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

But AKD’s coalition, the NPP, has just 3 of 225 seats in the current Parliament, prompting him to dissolve Parliament to seek a fresh mandate-this week the new President did just that- and cleared the way for a snap general election. The parliamentary election will be held on 14th November 2024, and the new Parliament is scheduled to convene on 21st November. The last general election in Sri Lanka was held in August 2020. Lawmakers are elected for a five-year term.

Rooted in Marxist ideology, the JVP was founded in the 1960s with the aim of seizing power through a socialist revolution. But after two failed armed and bloody attempts in 1971 and 1987-89, which resulted in the loss of tens of thousands of lives- a dark phase-the party shifted toward democratic politics and has remained so, for over three decades. The election results is the first major win for the JVP. It also heralds a new era for the party, which has radically transformed itself and let go of its extreme left ideologies such as the abolition of private property.

Until this election, the JVP remained a minor third party in Sri Lanka’s political landscape. While power alternated between the alliances led by the two traditional political parties – the United National Party and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party – or their descendant parties.

Unlike most of Sri Lanka’s past Presidents, Dissanayake was not born into a political family. Instead, his is an agricultural background; while his father was a low-level office worker. Dissanayake was the first student in his school to go to university. But AKD is no outsider. He was first elected to parliament in 2001 and has remained an MP since then. He even had a stint as Agriculture Minister between February 2004 and June 2005, besides other positions in Parliament. I reckon he has enough experience to count upon.

AKD is married to Mallika Dissanayake and has one son.

India: Hugs, Chips, Cuts, and Washes

India’s Prime Minister returned from a trip to the United States where he hugged President Biden, among others, and participated in the QUAD Summit: the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue- a strategic security dialogue between Australia, India, Japan, and the United States that is maintained by talks between member countries.

US President Joe Biden hosted the QUAD leaders in his hometown of Wilmington for what could be the final meeting of the Indo-Pacific partnership established during his presidency.

True to call, Biden went blank immediately after his speech as he couldn’t remember who to call next for the address. “So I want to thank you all for being here. And now, who am I introducing next?” Biden asked after completing his speech. After a brief and awkward pause, Biden asked again, “Who’s next?” clearly snapping at one of the staff.

Meanwhile, in one of the most consequential outcomes of the Indian PM’s US visit, was the agreement between the US Space Force and two Indian startups Bharat Semi and 3rdiTech to manufacture semiconductors in India for the US and Indian armed forces. That’s a landmark achievement.

3rdiTech is India’s pioneer and exclusive Imaging Sensor Fabless Company. It’s India’s solution for specialised chips that power camera systems, from mobile phone cameras to rearview cameras in automobiles; from Earth observation satellites and fighter aircraft observation systems to specific advanced missiles. Essentially, every camera worldwide relies on these image sensor chips. Much like semiconductor giants, Qualcomm and ARM, 3rdiTech operates as a fabless company, focusing on chip design while not manufacturing them. 3rdiTech excels in crafting custom chips, also known as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), tailored for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) purposes. 3rdiTech has now emerged as a significant player in the aerospace sector.

Vrinda Kapoor the CEO of 3rdiTech put it this way, contrary to popular belief that semiconductor manufacturing is the most valuable sector, the real power lies in owning the intellectual property for chip design.

A fabless company is a semiconductor company that designs and markets semiconductors, but outsources their fabrication to a third party. The term ‘fabless’ is a combination of the words ‘fab’ (fabrication) and ‘less’.

In shocking, unsettling news in India, a 29-year-old woman was found murdered in her home in Bengaluru, with her body dismembered into close to 50 pieces and stored in a refrigerator. The case has parallels to the gruesome murder of 27-year-old Shraddha Walkar in Delhi in 2022. Investigations are ongoing.

The Lord Venkateshwara Tirupathi Laddu Prasadam controversy continued to dominate headlines with some celebrities shooting their mouths off with unwarranted, insensitive comments. And believers rushing to call them out. This week, the Temple was literally washed-off the effects of animal fat being used in making the Laddus, and ‘purity restored’.

Chess Olympiad: India Triumphs

In a golden moment for India, its men and women’s teams won Gold Medals in the 45th Chess Olympiad organised by the International Chess Federation (FIDE), for the first time, in Budapest, Hungary, from 10 to 23 September. A record-breaking 188 teams in the Open Section and 169 in the Women’s competition gathered in the Hungarian capital to do battle on the Chess Board.

India took home all 3 trophies: the Hamilton-Russell Cup, for winning the Open Chess Olympiad; the Vera Menchik Cup for winning the Women’s Olympiad; and the Gaprindashvili Cup, a special trophy awarded for the best combined result in the Open and Women’s sections.

The men’s team of Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi, and Harikrishna Pentala, with Srinath Narayanan as the captain, consistently led throughout the tournament, winning 10 matches and drawing just one. Before the last round, India was 2 points ahead of China: and in the final round, India just needed a draw to clinch the gold medal, or for China not to win their match. However, India bulldozed the Chess Board with a win, defeating Slovenia.

Gukesh played outstanding chess and had a phenomenal tournament, scoring 9 points in 10 games and earning the individual gold medal on the Top Board. Arjun Erigaisi was another hero scoring 10 points in 11 games and winning individual gold on Board Three. Both significantly improved their FIDE ratings and are close to clearing the 2800 bar – a notable achievement in Chess.

Not to be left behind, India’s women’s team had a very strong start, leading the event after 7 rounds, having won all their matches. They stumbled in round 8, losing to Poland and then drawing with Team USA, but made a strong finish. Going into the final round, India was tied for the first position with Kazakhstan, and the race for the Gold medal was down to the wire

The team of Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali (sister of the Praggnanandhaa – of the men’s team), Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal, and Tania Sachdev, with Abhijit Kunte as the captain, demonstrated excellent composure and delivered, winning the final match against Azerbaijan At the same time, Kazakhstan drew with the USA, 2-2, making India the sole winners of the event.

18-year-old Divya Deshmukh, a new addition to the team, was unstoppable throughout the event. She played all games, scored 9.5 points, and secured the crucial victory in the final match. The Individual gold on Board Three was a well-deserved award for her.

The fight for silver and bronze medals was fierce in both sections. Five teams tied for second place. In the Open Section, Team USA, the event’s rating favourite, defeated China in a hard-fought final round to join them at 17 points. Defending champions Uzbekistan narrowly beat France, Serbia triumphed over Ukraine, and Armenia narrowly defeated Iran, all to join the pack at 17 points. The tiebreaks favoured the USA, which claimed silver, and Uzbekistan, took home the bronze.

In the women’s section, Kazakhstan delivered a strong performance throughout the event, fighting for gold until the very end, and ultimately claimed silver. Four teams – USA, Spain, Armenia, and Georgia – tied for third place, but the tiebreaks favoured USA, which claimed the bronze medal.

In the end there was one Super Mom, ‘filled with teeth’ and smiling from ear-to-ear, Nagalakshmi: the mother of superstars Praggnanandhaa and Vaishali. She was the cynosure of all eyes! When asked how she wishes to celebrate the ‘twin victory’ she said, “I’m going to the Temple”. There is a God waiting.

Chess great, Garry Kasparov called Team India, ‘Vishy’s Children’ referring to India’s Chess Superstar, Vishwanathan Anand, who has been a mighty inspiration in Indian Chess.

More winning stories coming-up in the weeks ahead. Celebrate with World Inthavaaram.

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2024-38

About: the world this week, 15 September to 21 September 2024: Pager Bombing; SpaceX Mission returns home; Trump trumps another attack; floods in Central Europe; India-Asian Hockey Champions; and an animal assault on the Hindu faith.

Everywhere

Pager Bombing: Beepers are Here

A war being fought in the smallest, most-densely populated, and tightest regions of Earth seems to be having the loudest, widest, and largest boundaries anywhere in the world. And expanding at an exponential rate. Years ago we thought Carpet Bombing-in another Desert War-was amazing technology. This week we learnt about ‘Pager Beeper-bombing’. This is the kind of jaw-dropping action we would expect to see only in the movies – James Bond for one, with those fancy throw-away gadgets. Is war shifting to a completely new battle-ground: cyber and remote attacks designed to cripple the capacities and capabilities of a persistent adversary?

Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah have been engaged in cross-border warfare in parallel with the Hamas-Israel Gaza war, with Hezbollah pumping rockets into Israel at will. This caused a different kind of hostage situation with Israel being forced to evacuate its citizens in the regions bordering Lebanon leaving many homes and start-up offices empty. Perhaps, Israel decided enough was enough and wanted to take warfare to the next level. But then, Israel has never admitted to its stealth warfare techniques. Is seeing believing?

This Tuesday, hundreds of Hezbollah operators’ communication devices exploded in a synchronised detonation across Lebanon. At least 37 people were killed and more than 3,500 Hezbollah fighters, medics and Iran’s envoy to Beirut were wounded when the Pagers they use to communicate, simultaneously exploded. Many lost their eyes or had their fingers blow off. The ‘hacking’ of the Pagers is the biggest security breach Hezbollah has experienced in nearly a year of conflict with Israel. Ambulances could be heard rushing through the southern suburbs of the capital Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold, amid widespread panic. Pager devices also exploded in the south of Lebanon. And a deadly ‘electronics device’ fear gripped Lebanon.

The Pagers that detonated were the latest model brought-in by Hezbollah about 5 months ago. Hezbollah’s leadership had ordered its fighters not to use mobile phones, fearing that they could be easily tacked and precision attacks launched to eliminate them. Hence, the conscious ‘switch’ and downslide to a ‘previous era’ Pagers.

The Pagers, in the news, detonated within 4 seconds after receiving a written message-either in front of the person who unlocked them or in front of someone who did not. It appears that explosives were planted next to the battery in each Pager with a switch embedded to detonate them remotely. How was this done?

The Pagers were made by an European Distributor, BAC Consulting, for manufacturer Gold Apollo of Taiwan. Obviously, the supply chain of a batch of pagers destined for Hezbollah was infiltrated and the implants made. Or, as some reports suggest, Israel itself was secretly involved in the manufacture through a front-end Company. Given that this was done about 5 months ago, the Pagers were allowed to be quietly distributed among the militant cadre of Hezbollah and used without causing any kind of suspicion. Multiple images from Lebanon, shared on social media, showed damaged Gold Apollo Pager model AR924.

Gold Apollo founder Hsu Ching-kuang said that his firm had signed a contract with BAC to use the Gold Apollo brand after a relationship was established about three years ago. At first, BAC only imported Gold Apollo’s Pager and other communication products. Later, the company told Gold Apollo they wanted to make their own Pagers and asked for the rights to use the Golf Apollo brand. Hsu said that Gold Apollo had encountered at least one anomaly in its dealings with the distributor, citing a wire transfer that took a long time to clear. Taiwan has no record of Gold Apollo Pagers being shipped to Lebanon or the Middle East. Gold Apollo shipped about 260,000 Pagers from Taiwan, mostly to the United States and Australia.

After the first day of Pager explosions, walkie-talkies began exploding in a similar manner, the next day. And then laptops, radio systems, houses, cars, motorcycles, and home solar systems followed suit.

It is assumed that Israel was behind the attack: a joint operation between Israel’s intelligence service, the Mossad, and the Israeli military. The Lebanese government condemned the attack as ‘criminal Israeli aggression’.

Later in the week, Israel went more physical, destroying probable rocket launch stations in Lebanon. And in a precision strike in Beirut, killed Ibrahmin Aqil, Hezbollah’s armed forces’ second-in-command.

Apparently, with means of electronic communication being made ‘beepingly dangerous’, militants need to meet in person to make plans. And then it becomes easier to take them down. The war just got deadlier.

SpaceX Polaris Dawn Returns Home

This week, SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn crew returned home, capping off a five-day mission to orbit the farthest from Earth -which included the world’s first commercial spacewalk-by splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico. The Crew Dragon capsule carrying the four astronauts landed off the coast of Dry Tortugas, Florida. This return marks the conclusion of the third trip to space for the specific Crew Dragon capsule powering the Polaris Dawn mission.

After the Spacewalk, the remainder of the crew’s time in orbit was spent carrying out nearly 40 scientific experiments, including some that sought to better understand space adaptation syndrome-a type of microgravity-specific motion sickness.

Mission Specialist Sarah Gillis, a trained violinist, who had brought her violin along, delivered a rendition of ‘Rey’s Theme’ from ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens.’ Gillis’ music was sent back to Earth using SpaceX’s Starlink as a test of the satellite network’s potential to provide in-space connectivity. Mission Specialist & Medical Officer Anna Menon also took time to read a book she coauthored-called ‘Kisses From Space’-to her family as well as a group of patients from St. Jude Children’s Hospital, as part of a fundraiser.

Trump trumps Another Attack

Former United States (US) President Donald Trump survived another attempt at knocking him off, physically – call it an assassination attempt.

Trump had gone golfing in his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, when a Secret Service Agent sweeping the area saw a rifle barrel poking out of the bushes, about hundred metres away from Trump who was on the fairway of the fifth hole. At that point the suspect never had Trump in his line of sight and did not attempt to fire any shots. The Agent opened fire and the suspect fled the scene. Police quickly caught and arrested the gunman, who was later identified as a 58-year-old man, Ryan Wesley Routh from Hawaii. Authorities recovered an AK-47-style rifle with a scope, a camera, and two backpacks from the bushes where Ryan Wesley had been hiding for nearly 12 hours in an apparent attempt to assassinate Trump. He was promptly charged with two gun-related crimes this Monday.

Questions were raised about how an armed man was able to get so close to Trump, just two months after another gunman grazed his ear with a bullet during a 13 July Rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump’s visit to West Palm Beach was not on his public schedule and it was not clear whether Ryan Wesley knew Trump would be there.

“All of a sudden we heard shots being fired in the air. I guess probably four or five,” Trump said. “Secret Service knew immediately it was bullets, and they grabbed me… We got into the carts and we moved along pretty, pretty good. I was with an Agent, and the Agent did a fantastic job.” Praising the Secret Service Agents, he added: “We do need more people on my detail.”Perhaps the best way to keep Trump safe is to get him elected as President, again – with the full force of the security service around him?

Central Europe Floods

This year floods in Central Europe caused by record heavy rainfall generated by ‘Storm Boris’ and an extremely humid Cyclone, ‘Genoa Low’, began in Austria and the Czech Republic; then spread to Poland, Romania and Slovakia, and then onwards to Germany, Hungary, and Italy.

In southwestern Poland, Boris dropped almost half a year’s worth of rain in just three days. Residents and emergency workers raced to secure river banks in the historic Polish city of Wroclaw on Tuesday, as they prepared for flood waters to reach them.

The Czech-Polish border areas are among the worst-hit since the weekend, as gushing, debris-filled rivers devastated historic towns, collapsing bridges and destroying houses.

Flooding killed seven people in Romania, six in Poland, five in Austria, and three in the Czech Republic. Tens of thousands of Czech and Polish households were without power or fresh water. Wroclaw, the third largest city in Poland, prepared for peaking water along the Oder and Bystrzyca rivers.

Polish authorities have filled 80% of a giant reservoir near the Czech border, aimed at cutting water levels and preventing flood peaks from coinciding on the Oder and Nysa Klodzka rivers, as happened in the disastrous 1997 floods in Wroclaw.

Asian Champions Trophy Hockey: India

India retained its Asian Champions Trophy crown with a 1-0 win over China in the final held in Moqi, China, on Tuesday evening. Jugraj Singh scored the only goal of the match in the 51st minute, after a frustrating game for India, as they came up against a well-organised, stubborn ‘China Wall’ defence.

The first quarter saw an inspired performance from Chinese goalkeeper Wang Weihao, who was the sole reason the contest remained goalless for a greater part of the game. He made a couple of excellent saves from Sukhjeet Singh, thwarted Manpreet Singh from close range, and also made excellent saves off shots from Raj Kumar Pal and Nilakanta Sharma.

India could not win ‘goal-scoring chance providing’ penalty corners: they won only a couple in the first half, and none at all in the second. As the game ploughed-on and they were unable to break the China Wall, India began to show some frustration at umpiring decisions. And that began to tell on their hockey too, as passes were beginning to be rushed, and also basic skills were not executed well enough.

Eventually, the decisive moment came with nine minutes to go, and it was a moment of some scintillating hockey from start to finish. It began with Captain and ‘drag-flick specialist’ Harmanpreet Singh advancing deep into Chinese territory down the left flank. He didn’t stop his run halfway through, and fully went through to the baseline. From there, he found Jugraj around the penalty spot, and his finish to Wang’s left was unerring into the bottom corner.

This was India’s fifth Asian Champions Trophy title, and once again reaffirmed their status as the foremost hockey nation of the continent. That gulf between them and China- the lowest-ranked side at this competition-didn’t really show that much during the game, even though the hosts were content to sit back and defend in numbers.

India’s captain Harmanpreet delivered once again: seven matches, seven goals from penalty corners -second most in the tournament behind South Korea’s Jihun Yang. By his high standards, finishing second-best goalscorer in the tournament might feel a bit underwhelming but in terms of his tactical moves and how big a role he played in tough moments shows he’s clearly India’s best.

Overall, the Olympic bronze medallists were the deserving winners-they were the only team to win all seven matches they played, they conceded the least number of goals, and they scored the most. It was a dominating performance by India that underlined their no. 1 status in Asia.

India has won the Asian Champions Trophy five times, Pakistan three times, and South Korea one time.

Hindu Faith Under Attack

In an atrocious assault on the Hindu faith it has come to light, through Laboratory Test Results, that Pig Fat, Beef Tallow and Fish Oil are being used in making the sacred Tirupati Laddu Prasadam (a vegetarian religious offering-divine grace of God). Tirupati, in India’s Andhra Pradesh State, one of the most religious places for Hindus, is visited annually by crores of devotees to seek blessings of Lord Venkateshwara – the presiding deity. And most of them take home the Laddus to distribute to loved ones. Serving prasadam made from animal fat instead of pure vegetable ghee is an absolute insult to the Hindu faith where cows are considered holy and worshipped. This is a developing story: more, next week.

More stories sticking out in the weeks ahead. Live and keep the faith with World Inthavaaram.

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2024-37

About: the world this week, 8 September to 14 September 2024: Wars; America Debates; SpaceX walks in Space; Typhoon Yagi; India – West Bengal, Pappu, Manipur; Paralympics 2024 – the end.

Everywhere

Ukraine; Israel

This Tuesday, Ukraine targeted Russia’s capital Moscow, in its biggest drone attack so far, killing at least one person, wrecking dozens of homes, and forcing around 50 flights to be diverted from airports around Moscow. On its turn, Russia said it had destroyed about 20 Ukrainian attack drones as they swarmed over Moscow.

In the Israel-Hamas War, reports say that Israel offered Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar, a safe exit from Gaza in return for release of all the remaining hostages, in a bid to end the war. But it was turned down. And the war goes on.

This week, Israel launched multiple strikes on southern Lebanon, killing a senior Hezbollah Commander. In another daring raid, Israeli commandos obliterated a missile and secret weapons production facility in Syria, near the Lebanese border. The operation involved Air and Ground Forces. More than 18 were killed and dozens injured. And Hezbollah keeps firing rockets into Israel.

America Debates

WARNING: Debate victories do not always translate into election wins.

In the first-and perhaps only-US Presidential Debate, Vice-President Kamala Harris sparred with Ex-President, Donald Trump this Tuesday, on tackling issues like abortion, immigration, the economy, and foreign policy. The Debate was hosted by ABC News in Philadelphia’s National Constitution Centre.

The overwhelming opinion on the outcome was that Harris won the Debate, with Trump ‘willingly’ taking the bait and walking into traps laid for him. It was a poised and prepared Kamala Harris that met a crabby and thin-skinned Donald Trump. Harris effectively needled Trump on his deepest insecurities while painting a clear choice for voters. When Trump spoke dismissively of Harris, she systematically dismantled his rhetoric. This line by Harris probably sums it up, “You’re not running against Joe Biden. You’re running against me”. Make my day?

The ABC News moderators were criticised for not ‘moderating enough’ and leaning towards the Harris side, doing fact-checks on Trump’s statements and not on Harris’.

When Harris challenged Trump’s obsession with rallies, he countered in his trademark style, “People don’t leave my rallies. We have the biggest rallies, the most incredible rallies in the history of politics”.

Giant Leap in Space

This Tuesday (oh, what a Tuesday of the week!) SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn Mission kicked off, launching a four-person crew of civilian astronauts into orbit. And hours later they made history, reaching the highest orbit around Earth. The SpaceX Crew Dragon Spacecraft carrying the crew reached its peak altitude of 1,400.70 km, which surpassed the 1,373 km record set by NASA, in the early days of Space ventures, in the 1966 Gemini 11 Mission. Elon Musk’s SpaceX continues to scale greater heights!

NASA’s Apollo Missions have traveled farther, but did not enter a traditional orbit around Earth as they were destined-straight- for the moon. The Polaris Dawn mission also marks the farthest any human has journeyed since the final Apollo mission in 1972.

Then, in a ground-breaking moment, the crew successfully carried out the first ever commercial spacewalk, on the third day in space, when the spacecraft was orbiting at 732 km above the Earth’s surface.

Billionaire Jared Isaacman, the 41 year old founder of Shift4 Payments and Commander of the mission, exited the Spacecraft, performed designated tests, and returned to the Spacecraft in about 12 minutes. He was then followed by Mission Specialist, Sarah Gills, a SpaceX Engineer who also egressed the Spacecraft, did the same tests and returned, without incident.

Isaacman and Sarah conducted a series of mobility tests, carefully moving arms and legs through various positions to assess the Special Space Suit’s (EVA – ExtraVehicular Activity – suit) flexibility and comfort in the vacuum of Space. The Spacewalkers remained tethered to the spacecraft using a specially designed ‘Skywalker’ handrail system for stability.

The other two crew mates, Mission Pilot Scott Poteet and Mission Specialist and Medical Officer Anna Menon stayed and watched from inside – monitoring vital support systems throughout the operation. The whole process lasted about 46 minutes and the Spacewalk itself was for about 20 minutes.

When the hatch was unlocked and opened, the entire Spacecraft was depressurised and exposed to the vacuum of Space – a dangerous, and historic milestone. On the return when the hatch was closed, the Spacecraft re-pressurised, cabin oxygen and pressure levels normalised and confirmed, the crew were able to remove their EVA suits.

Meanwhile, late last week, on Friday evening, Boeing’s ‘impaired’ Starliner capsule returned from the International Space Station (ISS), concluding its nearly three-month ‘diseased stay’ in space. It flew back to Earth with an empty cabin, leaving behind two astronauts, it had carried, Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams who must now remain on the ISS for another five or six months – waiting for a SpaceX Mission to bring them home. They were left behind as it was considered too risky to use the Starliner, which had problems with its Thrusters and a leaking helium system, which could not be resolved.

Before the capsule departed, Butch and Sunita wished the spacecraft, nicknamed ‘Calypso’, luck on its journey home. As the Starliner dropped through Earth’s air, a set of parachutes-which Boeing redesigned and tested as recently as this January-slowed the capsule before the vehicle deployed airbags for a gentle touchdown on terra firma. Starliner is the first US-made spacecraft to parachute to a landing on the ground rather than typically splash down in the ocean. Boeing hopes that approach will make it easier to recover and refurbish the spacecraft after flight.

The decision not to bring-back Butch and Sunita appears to a good one, as on the return a new thruster failed, and the Starliner experienced a temporary blackout of its guidance system during reentry. However, the undocking from the ISS and the landing on Earth were successful. Over to that, ‘Space between the ears’ – for Boeing?

Vietnam

Late last week, Asia’s most powerful typhoon this year, Typhoon Yagi, battered the north of Vietnam killing more than 200 people – and about 125 missing. In the capital Hanoi thousands had to be evacuated, especially those living near the swollen Red River – the principal river of northern Vietnam – as its waters rose to a 20-year high, flooding streets. Yagi brought gales and heavy rain as it moved westwards after landfall last Saturday, causing the collapse of a bridge, while it scythed through provinces along the banks of the River. A flash flood swept away an entire hamlet in Lang Nu, in the Lao Cai province.

Across the country, the typhoon and subsequent landslides wreaked havoc on many factories and flooded warehouses in coastal export-oriented industrial hubs east of Hanoi, forcing closures, with some only expected to resume full operations after weeks. The disruptions threaten global supply chains as Vietnam hosts large operations of multinationals that ship mostly to the US, Europe, and other developed nations.

India

West Bengal

In Kolkata, West Bengal State, Doctors are continuing to protest and cease work, seeking justice for the brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College, a month ago, and water-tight safety measures at work. The Supreme Court of India appeared to be taking sides when it gave an ultimatum to the striking Doctors to return to work by 5pm on Tuesday or face the wrath of the Government. Meanwhile, State Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee invited the Doctors for talks, which was rejected. Never mind, the Doctors still refused to get back to work.

The mainstream protests appear to be organic and non-political, with people spontaneously rising-up to agitate over the abysmal state of affairs. A prominent Member of Parliament and an ex-IAS Officer, Jawhar Sircar, of the ruling party of the State resigned in disgust over the mishandling of the entire Case. The pressure is mounting, even as India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in investigating, and is yet to throw up a decisive final report. The CBI cleared gang-rape allegations and identifies the accused- already in Police custody-Sanjay Roy as the sole culprit, based on evidence to this effect.

Manipur

Peace continues to elude the ethnic strife torn state of Manipur ever since clashes between the valley-based Meitei community and the hills-based Kuki community, triggered by a reservations issue in May last year.

This week violence erupted again following a sophisticated drone and rocket attack by Kukis. Drones were used to drop explosives in a few places. Overall, at least eight people have died and many injured in the fresh wave of violence.

Student protestors marched to the Raj Bhavan – where the Governor of the State resides -demanding the resignation of the Sate Police Chief and the Security Advisor among other demands. The march had to be tear-gassed by Police when stone pelting and other kinds of violence began.

Curfew was imposed, internet shutdown and more paramilitary forces were rushed to troubled spots to quell violence.

A Loose Cannon Ball: Lobbying Abroad

India’s Opposition Leader, of the Congress Party, Rahul Gandhi, fondly called ‘Pappu’ (an innocent kid) is on a tour of the United States and he is living up to his nickname, and much more. His claim that Sikhs in India are not allowed to wear Turbans and Kada (metal bracelet) and worship in Gurdwaras, in India, while the only time they had to hide their Sikh identity was during the 1984 anti-Sikhs pogrom (under his late father, Rajiv Gandhi’s Prime Ministership) stirred the proverbial hornet’s nest. Now the damage: Khalistani Separatist Groups have endorsed Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on Sikhs being unsafe in India and are using it to justify their call for a separate Sikh state. The Khalistan movement is outlawed in India a considered a grave national security threat.

Pappu also raked up caste divisions in India and why he wanted a Caste Census to be done to ‘measure-up’.

Instead of promoting India abroad, he seemed to defame India. And the ‘select’ people he met -and interacted with -during his visit, only reinforced an anti-India bias – a hatred for India. A case in the point is Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who has introduced many anti-India resolutions in the US Congress and violated India’s sovereignty in visiting Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir on the invitation of Pakistan. She has also been peddling hatred against Hindus in India.

During our school days we were taught to understand ‘puns’ with the popular example, ‘An Ambassador LIES abroad for the good of his Country’. Well, here is a person, that too a responsible law-maker, spewing hatred abroad, for his own good?

Paralympics 2024: The Closing

This Sunday France bid goodbye to the Paralympics 2024 with an explosion of fireworks, laser beams, breakdancing, and a thumping set, by the giants of French electronica. It was the biggest party it had ever thrown.

The big surprise of the night-and one of the best musical performances -was the blind Malian singers Amadou and Mariam performing a stunning rendition of Serge Gainsbourg’s anthem about goodbyes, Je Suis Venu te Dire que Je M’en Vais (I came to tell you, it’s goodbye ) at the base of the ballon-borne Paralympic flame, just as it was extinguished.

The rain Gods, which blessed and soaked the Opening Ceremony with a downpour or rain came back for another round of washing. The skies opened completely drenching the athletes who valiantly danced to the music as flames warmed the occasion by constantly bursting into the sky from the stage.

India limped to the end of the Paris Paralympics 2024 with a haul of 29 medals – 7 Gold, 9 Silver, and 13 Bronze – which is nearly half of the 60 medals won by India in all its 13 Games so far. In its 11 Paralympics till 2016, India had won 12 medals. India’s performance at Tokyo Paralympics 2020 marked a quantum jump with 19 medals. It has gone up by 10 more at Paris.

China led the Medals table with 220 medals followed by Britain with 124, and the United States at 105. Overall India was at number 18.

More stories to soak-in coming up in the weeks ahead. Keep your umbrella, stay with World Inthavaaram.

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2024-36

About: the world this week, 1 September to 7 September 2024: Dead Hostages; Russia rains missiles; US School shooting; Bangladesh festers; Indian plane hijack story – true and false; Sexual Assault in India-Hema Committee Report; Paralympics 2024 – India sprints

Everywhere

War World

The unhinged brutality unleashed by Hamas goes on. Israel Forces found the bodies of six hostages, Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, and Sergeant Ori Danino, in a tunnel in Gaza. They were all taken hostage on 7 October 2023, and murdered by Hamas terrorists, in captivity: shot in point-blank range in the back of the head, about 48 hours before they were found. Heart-breaking and gut-wrenching agony.

Israelis poured out on the streets demanding their Government do better. And go for a ceasefire to get back the remaining hostages. In this darkest hour, US President Joe Biden rubbed salt into festering wounds, saying Israel’s PM is not doing enough. And Britain ordered certain arms supplies to Israel be stopped. Israel was devastated – punished for no fault of theirs. And what are allies for? Later, the US called on Britain to cancel its decision to freeze 30 arms export licenses to Israel.

In the other war, Russia this week launched one of its deadliest strikes on Ukraine. A Russian missile strike hit a military educational institute and a nearby hospital- killing at least 50 people and injuring more than 200. The attack happened in the city Poltava, about 300 km southeast of Kyiv. Ukraine said the ballistic missiles hit their targets within minutes of each other-giving people little time to find shelter after the sirens were sounded. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed that Russia will be held accountable.

United States School Shooting

This week in the United States, there was yet another school shooting incident-and the first mass campus shooting since the start of the school year. A 14-year old boy, Colt Gray, killed two fellow students, two teachers, and wounded nine others in shooting spree at Georgia’s Apalachee High School, in Winder. Colt Gray was armed with a semi-automatic weapon. After the shooting, he was quickly confronted by school deputies and immediately got on the ground and surrendered. A motive is yet to be established.

Bangladesh: Off a Tangent?

Bangladesh under its interim leader Muhammad Yunus is walking on water. The Nobel Laureate sought to downplay the issue of attacks on minority Hindus in his country calling it ‘exaggerated’ and questioned the manner in which India projected it. He had this to say, “I have said this (to India’s Prime Minister), also that this is exaggerated. This issue has several dimensions. When the country went through an upheaval following the atrocities by (Sheikh) Hasina and the Awami League, those who were with them also faced attacks”. Quick on the heels of ‘this exaggeration’ was shock and outrage in Bangladesh after a 17-year-old Hindu boy was lynched in front of soldiers and police. Utsav Mondal was accused of blasphemy by Islamists following a response to another boy who castigated Hindu practices. He entered a police station for protection, but the mob followed and beat him to death – Law enforcement watched, and did nothing.

Hijacking a True Story

The True Story

On 24th December, Christmas Eve, in the year 1999, Indian Airlines flight IC 814, from Kathmandu to New Delhi with 178 passengers and 11 crew members on board, was hijacked shortly after take-off from Nepal’s Tribhuvan International Airport, by five armed terrorists, belonging to the Pakistan-based militant group Harkat-ul-Mujahideen. The terrorists were, Ibrahim Athar, Shahid Akhtar Sayed, Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Mistri Zahoor Ibrahim, and Shakir.

The hijackers initially demanded the release of 36 militants held in Indian jails, along with USD 200 million in cash and the remains of a deceased militant, Sajjad Afghani – who was arrested in 1994 and killed in July 1999 while trying to escape prison. The hijackers forced the plane to change its course multiple times, initially diverting it to Amritsar, India, then to Lahore, Pakistan, and later to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where 27 passengers were released. Eventually, on the morning of 25th December, the aircraft left Dubai and landed in Kandahar, Afghanistan, which was then under Taliban control. Kandahar had one serviceable runway, a sort of Air Traffic Control, and a couple of shanties. The rest of the airport was in a shambles, without power and water supply – under Taliban rule.

While in Amritsar, the hijackers, anticipating a commando action, first stabbed a passenger (to death), Rupin Katyal – who was just-married and on his honeymoon with his wife, in Kathmandu- to show that they meant business, and then forced the pilot to take off.

After final negotiations, on 31 December 1999, India agreed to release three high-profile militants: Maulana Masood Azhar, Ahmed Omar Sayeed Sheikh, and Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar in exchange for the release of the remaining passengers and crew members. All other demands stayed still-born. The hijackers, however, were allowed to escape to Pakistan, where they remained at large (Later, some of them were knocked-off by ‘unknown men’).

The Netflix Series: IC 814 – The Kandahar Hijack

Indian Filmmaker, Anubhav Sinha’s IC 814 – The Kandahar Hijack, a six-episode mini-series streaming on Netflix, has been hauled over the coals for not sticking to facts. It is not just about the names of the five IC 814 hijackers, passengers of that flight, others-in-the-know have called out the series for several inconsistencies, including the role of ISI, Indian Intelligence and the portrayal of the hijackers.

At the top of the list is the failure to highlight the real names of the terrorists, which seemed to be a bid to conceal the fact that the hijackers were Islamic terrorists. In the series, the hijackers are referred to as Chief, Doctor, Burger, Bhola, and Shankar. Many on social media expressed anger and frustration over the names Bhola and Shankar, accusing the filmmaker, of deliberately choosing Hindu names for the hijackers, rather than their actual Muslim names. Reports say that Bhola and Shankar were codenames used by two of the hijackers during the actual hijack.

There was a shrill outburst on social media and other forums, following which Netflix agreed to put a declaimer and mention the actual names. In mounting anger, many deleted their subscription of Netflix for its anti-Hindu bias in a ‘Boycott Netflix’ trend.

Sexual Assault in Kerala: Hema Committee Report

In the year 2017, on 17th February, a popular Malayalam Actress was abducted by five unidentified men, while returning from a film shoot, near Kochi, Kerala State. She was sexually assaulted in a moving car for over two hours, and the men filmed the assault. Later, they dropped off the actress at noted Malayalam Actor-Director Lal’s (M P Michael) residence. Lal insisted that the Actress-the Survivor-inform the Police and file a case. And the Police began investigations.

The actress identified a Pulsar Suni, who worked as a driver for several celebrities, as one of the assaulters. The investigations ran deep and revealed that Malayalam Actor Dileep had orchestrated the attack to ‘teach the Survivor a lesson’.

Dileep was married to Actress Manju Warrier from 1998 to 2015. After the Wedding, Manju quit acting, despite her own flourishing career, while Dileep’s fame reached superstar status. In 2015, Dileep and Manju Warrier divorced, the apparent reason being Dileep’s affair with Actress Kavya Madhavan, which was reportedly broken to Manju by the Survivor. In their messy divorce, the Survivor took Manju’s side, and they have remained close friends. Then in the year 2016, Dileep and Kavya married. The story is that Dileep planned the entire assault in revenge -to settle scores with the Survivor- and filmed the assault so that he could blackmail her.

After the Survivor identified herself on social media, the Film industry witnessed a major upheaval, which led to the formation of the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC). The WCC filed a petition to investigate the challenges faced by women in the Malayalam film industry following the heinous sexual assault on the Survivor. Based on their petition and following public outcry, the Government of Kerala established a three-member committee – the Justice Hema Committee – in February 2017. This was headed by retired Justice K Hema – the committee was named after its head. It also had on board former Actress Sharada, and retired IAS officer K B Valsala Kumari.

The Justice Hema Committee submitted its report to the Kerala Government on 31 December 2019. The report, was kept under wraps for five years, and certain sensitive portions were redacted to protect individual privacy. It was argued that publishing the report in totality would harm the industry. Finally, the findings were made public on 19th August 2024. The Report took the country by storm disclosing instances of sexual harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam film industry. The original report had 295 pages, but 63 pages were redacted before its release under the Right to Information Act (RTI), as widespread repercussions were expected.

The Hema Committee Report has revealed horrid tales of sexual abuse, illegal bans, discrimination, drug and alcohol abuse, wage disparity, and inhuman working conditions, especially for women. The Cinema industry is male-dominated and has become an exclusive Boys’ Club. In particular, the Malayalam film industry is under the control of a powerful lobby of male producers, directors, and actors who ‘dominate other persons’ working in cinema. The report describes the situation in cinema as ‘very shocking’.

The Report has identified at least 17 forms of exploitation experienced by women working in 30 different categories within the Industry. It emphasised that women were being asked to make certain ‘adjustments’ and ‘compromises’ – euphemisms for sexual favours – to secure or retain opportunities. It added, that these two words are very familiar among women working in Malayalam cinema, who ‘are asked to make themselves available for sex on demand’. The ‘Casting Couch’ syndrome?

Several Malayalam female actors and junior artists have accused Directors, Actors, and an Actor-turned MLA of sexual harassment, and misconduct.

On 27 August 2024, following the release of the Hema Committee report, the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) dissolved its entire executive committee for the period 2024–2027 and resigned ‘en masse’. Actor Mohanlal, who had by then secured his second term as President of AMMA, was the head of the executive committee, which decided to step down. Mohanlal was criticised for having ‘lost his ability to respond’.

The Oscar Wilde quote, ‘Life imitates art far more than art imitates life’, finds mention in the Report. How Kerala and its film industry reacted to the shocking actress abduction and assault case in 2017 could also be extrapolated of the dictum.

With much focus on sexual assault and rape in India, in recent times, how are other countries, say France, doing?

Sex & France

In a horrifying story coming out of France, a man, Dominique Pelicot, is on trial, accused of using sleeping pills to drug his wife of 50 years, in order to rape, facilitate, and film her rape by at least 51 other men. The abuse went on for nearly a decade, without the woman’s knowledge.

This awfully disturbing case has igniting scrutiny-peeling off layers-over how France handles and defines sexual assault. Under the country’s laws, rape is officially defined as an ‘act of sexual penetration’ committed through ‘violence, coercion, threat, or surprise.’ Legal experts say the wording should specifically and explicitly name that without consent, sex is rape, and that consent can be withdrawn at any time. They also advocate for laws to clarify that consent isn’t possible if a sexual assault occurs when someone is in a state ‘impairing’ their judgment.

Offenders find enough loopholes to penetrate sexual assault laws, and France isn’t alone. Earlier this year, New York lawmakers attempted to pass a bill that would prohibit those on trial for rape from using a survivor’s voluntary intoxication as part of their legal defense, but it has been held up in the state assembly. Marital rape wasn’t deemed a crime in all 50 states of the United States until 1993. Even post ‘Me Too’ numerous issues remain in the language of sexual assault laws. Many hope that the ongoing trial in France will draw attention to the use of drugs to facilitate abuse and highlight problems around legal language – and that the verdict has outcomes that reverberate internationally.

Paralympics 2024: India’s Medal Sprint

India appears to develop its best fighting spirit when handicapped: excelling in para athletics. What the normal Olympic team could not, it being done by the Paralympic Team, to acclaim. It’s raining medals for India in the Paris Paralympics 2024. That’s a lot of healing.

Previously, India won 31 medals across Paralympic Games with the most successful Paralympics being Tokyo 2020, with a haul of 19 medals – five gold, eight silver and six bronze. This time, India has-up to this Friday-won 27 medals with six gold, nine silver, and twelve bronze medals, which is India’s highest ever medal tally in a single Paralympic Games.

Kumar Nitesh won the country’s second gold medal (the first was by Avani Lekhara, in shooting) in the men’s singles badminton. Sumit Antil became the first Indian male athlete to win back-to-back gold medals in the same event after his victory in the men’s javelin throw. He also set two Paralympic records in the process with throws of 68.55 m in Tokyo and 70.59 m in Paris. Nishad Kumar and Yogesh Kathuniya won silver medals in the men’s high jump and the men’s discus throw respectively, in a repeat of their Tokyo 2020 performance. Thulasimathi Murugesan won the only Indian silver medal in women’s badminton. Suhas Yathiraj won a silver medal for the second consecutive Games in the men’s singles para-badminton event. Ajeet Singh Yadav and Sundar Singh Gurjar won the silver and bronze medals respectively in the men’s javelin throw. This was Gurjar’s second medal after he finished third in the same event in the previous Games. Sharad Kumar won his second Paralympic medal, a silver in the men’s high jump. Sachin Khilari won India’s fifth athletics silver medal, finishing second in the men’s shot-put.

Preethi Pal who won India’s first ever track medal in athletics by winning a bronze medal in the women’s 100 m became the only Indian multi-medalist in the Games after she won her second bronze in the women’s 200 event. Rubina Francis won India’s fourth shooting medal with a bronze in the women’s 10 m Air-pistol event. Sheetal Devi became the youngest Indian Paralympic medalist, at 17 years, after she won a bronze medal in the compound archery event along with Rakesh Kumar. Manisha Ramadass and Nithya Sivan won bronze medals in women’s badminton events to take the Indian medal tally in the badminton events to five. Deepthi Jeevanji won the bronze medal in the women’s 400 m race and became the youngest – at 21 years – Indian track medalist at the Paralympic Games.

Mariyappan Thangavelu won the bronze medal in the Men’s High Jump event making it three consecutive medals wins in three editions of the Paralympics: bronze this year 2024, silver in 2020 and gold in 2016. Mariyappan is the son of a daily wage-earner in Tamilnadu At the age of five, he suffered permanent disability when he was run over by a drunk bus driver while walking to school: his right leg was crushed below the knee, causing it to become stunted. Despite this setback, he completed secondary schooling and pursued sports.

Dharambir set an Asian Record of 34.92 m to win the country’s fifth gold in the men’s club throw final, equalling that in Tokyo. In the same event, Pranav Soorma won silver with a throw of 34.59m. Praveen Kumar won India its sixth gold medal in the men’s high jump clearing 2.08m. He won his second consecutive Para Games medal, improving upon a silver in the previous edition in Tokyo. Kapil Parmar won India’s 25th medal – a bronze -in the men’s -60kg Judo, a first for India.

Harvinder Singh became the first Indian archer to win gold beating Poland’s Lukasz Ciszek 6-0 in men’s recurve open final. He had won bronze in the same event in Tokyo 2020. Harvinder, 33, is pursuing a PhD in Economics. When he was about one-and-half years old, he contracted Dengue Fever and due to a medical mishap lost proper movement of both his legs, permanently impairing his mobility.

The Paris Paralympics features 4,400 athletes from around the world competing in 549 medal events across 22 sports, and concludes on 8 September 2024.

More revealing stories coming up in the weeks ahead. Stay covered with World Inthavaaram.

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2024-35

About: the world this week, 25 August to 31 August 2024: a cool Israeli hostage rescue; the tale of Ukraine’s F-16s; the father of Telegram; caught in Space; and India at the Paris Paralympics 2024.

Everywhere

Israel Rescues

Last week, ceasefire talks to end the war in Gaza appeared pregnant, with a result almost swelling in sight, in sure-footed talks, which took place in Cairo, Egypt. However, an agreement could not be reached, and it was a return to ‘business of war-as usual’. Neither Hamas nor Israel agreed to several compromises presented by mediators. In the end, of course, the talks were described as ‘constructive’; and the process will continue, hoping for a break-through, some day.

This week, Israel launched ‘pre-emptive’ strikes to thwart a probably much larger Hezbollah barrage of rockets and drones, than the hundreds it launched into Israel this Sunday. Israel’s military ferociously struck Hezbollah launch sites with around 100 jets in one of the biggest clashes in more than 10 months of border warfare with the Lebanon-based, Iran-backed Hezbollah-a diehard supporter of Hamas.

Also, this week, Israeli special forces rescued a hostage, Kaid Farhan Elkadi, 52 – a Bedouin Arab who was kidnapped by Hamas on 7 October 2023- in a complex operation in the southern Gaza Strip. Acting on intelligence, while combing a network of tunnels in southern Gaza, Israeli forces found the hostage, alone, without his Hamas captors. Elkadi is the eighth hostage to be rescued alive in Gaza by Israel since the beginning of the war, in four separate operations-but he is the first to have been rescued alive from inside Hamas’ tunnel network underneath Gaza.

Meanwhile, Israel has agreed to a series of pauses in the fighting in Gaza, in September to allow young children in Gaza to be vaccinated for polio.

Juice & Moonfish

Over many months, Ukraine had lobbied hard to secure the United States made F-16 Fighter Aircraft to boost its defences (and also to strike at Russia). And finally, a few weeks ago, the F-16’s did arrive.

Two Ukraine Pilots had become the face of the campaign to get the F-16s. One was Oleksiy Mes, known as ‘Moonfish’ and the other was, Andriy Pilshchikov, known by the call sign ‘Juice’. It was an uphill battle, but Juice and Moonfish pulled through it together. They were young and enthusiastic, spoke good English and were willing to fight to get the US jets into Ukrainian skies. Flying the F-16 was their dream and when Juice died in a plane crash during a combat mission last August, Moonfish made it his goal to fulfil it.

This week, Moonfish himself was killed in a F-16 crash while repelling one of the biggest ever aerial attacks by Russia on Ukraine. The death of Moonfish is a major blow, as he was one of the few pilots trained to fly the ‘just-arrived’ F-16’s. The Ukrainian Defense Forces do not believe pilot error was behind the incident. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Ukrainian Air Force used the F-16 to destroy missiles and drones launched by Russia on Monday.

Rest in peace, Juice & Moonfish.

Telegram’s Father

Telegram is a messaging application boasting over 900 million users. It was founded by Pavel Durov-who is also its CEO-in the year 2013. Telegram is ranked as one of the major social media platforms alongside Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, and WeChat. It is hugely popular in Russia, Ukraine, and other former Soviet Union countries.

Pavel Durov, 39, was born in Leningrad, Russia, and graduated from St. Petersburg State University. He now resides in Dubai, where Telegram is headquartered. And he is a dual citizen of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and France.

Telegram was banned in Russia in 2018, after Durov refused to hand over user data to the government. But, subsequently the ban was lifted in 2021. This served to ‘telegram’ tensions between Durov and various national governments over data privacy and content control. Durov left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with Russia’s demands to shut down opposition groups on the VK (VKontakte – meaning, In Contact) social network he founded when he was 22. He quit VK after a dispute with its Russia-linked owners and turned his focus on Telegram, which he founded with his brother Nikolai Durov. Given Pavel Durov’s social media skills, he is often cast as, ‘Russia’s Mark Zuckerberg’.

Telegram, has faced significant scrutiny over its moderation practices. It has been criticised for not effectively dealing with criminal activities and illegal content. Specifically, there are accusations that Telegram has been used to facilitate drug trafficking, distribute child sexual content, and commit fraud. Despite these claims, Telegram has consistently denied any failures in its moderation processes. The company argues that it does its best to comply with legal requirements and to maintain a safe platform for users. Telegram offers end-to-end encrypted messaging and allows users to create channels to disseminate information to followers. Its apparently unbreakable encryption has made Telegram a haven for extremists and conspiracy theorists.

This week, Telegram was in the spotlight after Pavel Durov was arrested when his private jet landed at Le Bourget Airport, north of Paris. French investigators had issued a warrant for Durov’s arrest as part of an inquiry into allegations of fraud, drug trafficking, organised crime, promotion of terrorism, and cyberbullying.

The allegations are that he failed to properly moderate the app’s content, allowing it to be used for illegal activities. And that Durov did not act to curb the criminal use of his platform. Telegram’s ability to let users create large groups and channels is part of what makes it popular, but it also means that harmful content can spread more easily.

This situation is unusual because, while social media leaders often face criticism from governments, it’s rare for one to be arrested over content issues.

In April 2014, Durov publicly refused to hand over data on Ukrainian protestors to Russian security agencies, and to block, the now dead, Russian Opposition Leader Alexi Navalny’s VK page. In 2024, Durov said Telegram should remain a neutral platform and not a player in geopolitics.

Pavel Durov is a libertarian, teetotaller, and vegetarian; he maintains an ascetic lifestyle and promotes freedom from personal possessions. He is not married. And claims to have fathered more than 100 children through sperm donation in 12 nations, since the year 2010. That’s an ‘encrypted Father’ written all over!

Caught in Space

The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest human made object ever to orbit Earth with a pressurised volume of approximately 900 cubic metres and a mass of over 400 metric tons. The ISS has been in orbit for about 25 years, and over 270 Astronauts have visited the Station during various periods. It can carry a crew of between 3 and 13, depending on the number of people and passenger vehicles during handover periods. It continually hosts a crew of seven.

Like a Lego set, each piece of the ISS was launched and assembled in space, using complex robotics systems and humans in spacesuits connecting fluid lines and electrical wires. Building the ISS required 36 US Space Shuttle assembly flights and 6 Russian Proton and Soyuz rocket launches. More launches are continuing as new modules are completed, become part of the ever ‘growing’, gigantic orbiting complex.

The ISS’s greatest accomplishment is as much a human achievement as it is a technological one-how best to plan, collaborate, and monitor the varied activities of the Program’s many organisations. An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the ISS. The main are, the USA, Russia, Japan, among others. It is also the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.

ISS orbits at an altitude of between 370 and 460 km above Earth. It tends to fall towards Earth continually, due to atmospheric friction and requires periodic rocket firings to boost its orbit and get back on track. The ISS has an orbital inclination, which enables it to fly over 90% of the inhabited Earth.

Over the years, America’s NASA has been hooking up with private players to achieve its Space goals and ‘to spread the technology, and the risk’. To that end, Boeing and SpaceX came in handy: both were awarded billion-dollar contracts to provide commercial space flights for NASA’s astronauts.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX was quick off the starting blocks. In 2012, SpaceX’s Dragon cargo spacecraft made history when it became the first private spacecraft to berth with the ISS. And in March 2019, its Crew Dragon-the company’s spacecraft designed to carry astronauts into space- completed its first test mission to the ISS. Since then, Dragon has continued carrying cargo to the ISS. In 2020, SpaceX launched two NASA astronauts to the ISS aboard the Crew Dragon, making SpaceX the first private spaceflight company to send a crewed spacecraft to space. Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken left Earth for the space station on 30 May 2020 and safely returned home on 2 August 2020.

Meanwhile, the other kid in Space, Boeing was testing its Starliner Capsule and, finally getting its act together, launched Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, to the ISS, aboard the Starliner Capsule on 5 June 2024. Starliner’s launch to orbit was not perfect, having been delayed due to a minor helium leak, but its docking to the ISS was what most worried operators. Basically, during docking, the capsule experienced malfunctions in 5 of its 28 reaction control thrusters. Starliner also experienced problems on its way to the ISS, including helium leaks, which pushes fuel into the propulsion system. Several thrusters also did not work properly. Both NASA and Boeing therefore decided to extend the Starliner astronauts’ stay aboard the ISS while they troubleshooted the complication. And a solution hasn’t yet been defined. Safety is of concern because of a key issue with Starliner’s propulsion system-namely, its thrusters.

This week, NASA announced its final decision on the return of Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore aboard the ISS whose original eight-day space jaunt had turned into a nebulous multi-month excursion. They will return home not earlier than February 2025. Furthermore, NASA and Boeing jointly decided that Williams and Wilmore will not head back to Earth aboard the same Starliner capsule that brought them to the ISS. Rather, they will climb aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon for their descent back to Earth. A vessel dedicated for the purpose, the Crew-9 mission, will be modified to accommodate the Starliner astronauts. That capsule will only launch with two crew members in order to create space for Wilmore and Williams when the time comes to return to Earth, and it will also be reconfigured to carry more cargo, personal items, and Dragon-specific spacesuits for the Starliner duo.

SpaceX has since completed nine such flights with its Crew Dragon. Crew-9 would mark the tenth. Meanwhile, Boeing’s Starliner will return to Earth ‘un-crewed’, when it is technically ready to make the return journey home.

With the mission extended, a steady supply of oxygen and food is critical. NASA regularly conducts resupply missions delivering the essentials. Prolonged life in space accelerates destruction of red blood cells, which leads to anaemia. To combat the effects of weightlessness the crew follows a rigorous exercise routine called the Advanced Resistive Exercise Device, which simulates weightlifting to help maintain muscle and bone health.

Where is India in all of this? Only one Indian has ever been in Space until now, Rakesh Sharma, who flew in a Soviet Spacecraft, Soyuz T-11, in 1984 and spent 8 days in Space, aboard the Russian Spacecraft.

Recently, India’s Subhanshu Shukla and Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair were selected for the first ISRO-NASA mission to the ISS scheduled after October this year. Shukla will be the ‘Prime Astronaut’ (Nair will be the back-up) for the Axiom-4 Mission by a private space company called Axiom Space that will be launched by a SpaceX rocket. The Axiom Spacecraft would remain docked with the ISS for 14 days carrying cargo and supplies, besides the load of 4 Astronauts-Shukla from India and three others from Poland, Hungary, and the USA.

India at Paralympics 2024

It’s now customary that the country, which hosts the regular Summer Olympics also hosts the Paralympics, in the same year, following a formal agreement between the International Paralympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee, to this effect.

With Paris having successfully conducted the Summer Olympics, it is now running the Paralympics between 28th August and 8th September, at venues in and around Paris.

India’s armless archer Sheetal Devi finished second in the women’s individual compound open ranking round with a stunning performance to directly make a round of 16 entry. Sheetal Devi, 17, from the State of Jammu & Kashmir who shoots with her legs-as she was born without arms-scored a total of 703 points out of a possible of 720. She was second, just one point behind Turkey’s Oznur Girdi who scored 704 points.

India won its first Gold Medal through Avani Lekhara in the 10m Air Rifle SH1 event. She becomes the first ever Indian athlete (male or female) to win back-to-back Gold Medals-in Tokyo 2020 and now in Paris 2024. She is also the first to win three Paralympic medals. She was 11 years old when a car accident left her with a spinal cord injury resulting in paralysis from waist down. Continuing with shooting, Manish Narwal won silver in the Men’s 10m Air Pistol SH1 Final. He suffers from a congenital infirmity in his right hand since childhood. Then, Mona Agarwal clinched bronze in the 10m Air Rifle. She is handicapped by Polio and cannot walk, confined to a wheelchair.

On the track, India’s Preeti Pal won a bronze in the women’s 100m final- the first for India in Paralympics track history. She suffers from an irregular leg posture since childhood. Six days after she was born, her body had to be plastered because of her weak legs and being prone to infections.

That’s Gold, Silver, and Bronze(s) for India!

More shooting stories coming up in the weeks ahead. Stay armed with World Inthavaaram.

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2024-34

About: the world this week, 18 August to 24 August 2024: Wars; America’s Presidents; India grapples with sexual assault, India’s PM visits Poland and Ukraine; Bangladesh crisis; and Antimicrobial resistance.

Everywhere

The Wars

The wars of the world seem to be adding up every week, without end in sight. Ukraine is basking in its counter-offensive against Russia, wading into Russian territory, holding on, and shouting out loud that the famous Russian retaliation is after all a, cry-wolf!

In the Gaza War, this week, Israel retrieved bodies of six hostages from the Khan Younis area in southern Gaza. They were found dead in a tunnel. And are part of the Israeli civilians that Hamas had kidnapped alive on 7th October 2023, held hostage, tortured in underground tunnels, and obviously executed.

Cease-fire talks are going on furiously with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken flying around. Israel appears close to accepting a proposal, keeping the release of the remaining hostages in mind, but Hamas remains the bad boy, thinking about the ‘day after’. Unconfirmed reports say that the Hamas Chief, Yahya Sinwar insists on guarantees for his own safety-that he should not be assassinated-as part of any agreement to release hostages. He once roared that it would be an honour to die fighting Israel.

America

This week, ahead of the United States Presidential Elections, the Democratic National Convention was held in Chicago City to uphold the candidatures of Vice President Kamala Harris for President, and her running-mate Minnesota State Governor Tim Walz for Vice President(VP). And a formal acceptance of the nominations by respective candidates happening during the Convention.

President Biden gave an emotional speech as he made the case for ‘President Kamala Harris’. He praised his choice of Harris as his VP, saying it was the best decision of his career. The Obamas spoke about why Kamala Harris should win. While the former President gave his speech in a generic uplifting manner, the former First Lady talked black & white.

Meanwhile, outside the Convention hall, thousands of protesters gathered to show dissatisfaction over Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war.

India

The outrage in India continues over the rape and murder of a 31-year-old Post Graduate trainee Doctor while on night-duty at the RG Kar Medical College, Kolkatta. Protests continued this week and the streets are screaming for justice.

India’s Supreme Court stepped in on a ‘suo motu’ basis, slamming the events after the murder: the Hospital immediately calling it a suicide, speedily cremating the body as if to bury the crime, and lodging a First Information Report (FIR) well after the post-mortem of the unnatural death.

The Supreme Court constituted a 10-member National Task Force to formulate a protocol for ensuring safety of doctors and healthcare professionals. And appealed to the striking Doctors to ‘trust the SC’ and resume their duties. Later, the Doctors agreed and called-off the strike, but protests by others continue.

Then in another incident in the State of Maharashtra massive protests broke out in Badlapur when two four-year old girls were sexually abused by a school, house-keeping staff, sweeper, a 23-year-old male, who was subsequently arrested on a complaint by the parents. The assault occurred in the girls’ toilet, which lacked female staff supervision. The incident came to light when one of the girls visibly frightened, told her parents that an older male at school, whom she referred to as ‘dada’ (Marathi for elder brother), had undressed her and touched her inappropriately. The parent then went on to make a complaint. The school suspended the Principal and three staff members as the protests escalated. Parents of the children and local citizens blocked the railway tracks at Badlapur Railway Station and also ransacked a local Police Station demanding strict punishment – a death penalty for the accused.

Stepping back, the cases of rape and sexual assaults in India have been astoundingly high. Blame it on India being an underdeveloped country or our hardwired genetics playing its part? And, we now have social media and democratised data access to report incidents. Will a death penalty work as a deterrent? Solid studies show that, without doubt, it is the ‘fear of getting caught’ that reduces criminality. Taking a higher view, India must sort out investigation of crime and enforcement – separating them. India is crying for Police and Judicial reforms: delivery of justice should be quick -on the double. Recall the Ajmer sex scandal which came to light in the year 1992. More than 100 girls aged between 11 and 20 years were victimised by a gang, whose members befriended them and shot their photographs in compromising situations, and later raped them. This week, 6 of the 18 accused were sentenced to life imprisonment – after a whopping 32 years!

Four years ago, I wrote about Police Reforms in India. Here is a link for any further reading:

https://kumargovindan.com/2020/08/15/shake-well-before-use-indian-police-reimagined/

This week, India’s Prime Minister (PM) set out on a visit to Poland and Ukraine to improve bilateral ties and discuss global issues. The Poland visit was the first by an Indian PM in 45 years. Amazing that it took so long for an Indian PM to reach Poland. And it is the first trip by an Indian PM to Ukraine since the country gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

India and Poland share a social relationship going back to World War II when Maharaja of Nawanagar, Jamnagar, Gujarat, Digvijaysinghji Ranjitsinji Jadeja – called the Dobry Maharaja (the Good Maharaja)- provided shelter and homes for Polish refugees escaping the wrath of Hitler’s invasion of Poland. You can read that story here:

https://kumargovindan.com/2021/08/28/world-inthavaaram-2021-35/

Naturally, India’s PM paid homage at a memorial of the Dobry Maharaja in Warsaw and recalled the special relationship. He also touched upon the Kabaddi Connection between the countries. The game of Kabaddi had reached Poland, and they have taken it to great heights, with the country becoming the European Kabaddi Champion for two consecutive years. And Poland is all set to host the World Kabaddi Championships, for the first time, this 24th August. Kabaddi is quite popular in Poland as it resembles the European game of Tag, and Wrestling.

Tag is a playground game involving one or more players, who is ‘it’ chasing other players in an attempt to ‘tag’ or mark them out of play, typically by touching with a hand, thereby making that person ‘it’.

India’s PM said he will ‘share perspectives’ on the peaceful resolution of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia during his visit to Ukraine, which comes more than a month after he travelled to Russia. The PM added that for decades India’s foreign policy was to maintain a distance from all countries. The situation has changed. Today India wants to maintain close ties with all countries. Hence, the many firsts coming up…and the list may get longer.

India’s support for Ukraine has been patchy and may be this is an opportunity to show substance and explain why India does what it does – a Bharat first approach.Could India have an ace up its sleeve – balancing Russia and Ukraine?

Towards the end of the visit, India’s PM listened to Ukrainians speak Hindi – being taught in the country. And presented four BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita & Maitri) Cubes to Ukraine. The BHISHM cubes are an easy-to-use, mobile medical facility that can be swiftly deployed to save lives in the most challenging circumstances.Each BHISHM Cube is self-contained consisting of medicines and equipment for the first line of care in emergency situations. It also includes surgical equipment for a basic Operation Room that can manage 10-15 basic surgeries per day. The Cube has the capacity to handle about 200 cases of diverse nature such as trauma, bleeding, burns, fractures, etc. It can also generate its own power and oxygen in limited amounts. A team of experts from India have been deployed to provide initial training to the Ukrainian side to operate the Cube.

And of course, to match the Russian bear-hug, Indian and Ukrainian leaders hugged each other, awfully close.

Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, with the new Interim Government in place, normalcy appears to be only limping-back, but Islamist violence against Hindus continues. And the situation is as if hanging in some kind of a balance. Wonder what comes up next!

On 20th August in the district of Thakurgaon mobs set fire to Hindu homes, leaving devastation and fear in their wake. This incident is not an isolated one, but a continuation of a sinister pattern of persecution that has gripped the Hindu community in Bangladesh for decades. Just days before, Bangladesh was rocked by the murder of Haradhan Roy, a Hindu councillor, and his driver. The senseless killing is believed to be motivated by Roy’s religious identity and his position of influence within the community. This was soon flooded by another disturbing incident where Gautam Chandra Paul, a respected Hindu Teacher was forced to resign from his position solely because of his faith.

The systematic erasure of Hindus from the social, political, and cultural fabric of Bangladesh appears to a work in progress. The numbers tell a story of their own. In 1941, Hindus constituted approximately 28% of the population in what is now Bangladesh. Today, that figure has plummeted to less than 9%. This sharp decline is the result of a calculated campaign of violence, intimidation, and forced conversions aimed at driving out the Hindu population. It highlights a disturbing trend of religious persecution. Despite the gravity of the situation, there is a deafening silence from certain media and political quarters who have sought to downplay these incidents; dismissing them as sporadic acts of violence rather than acknowledging them as part of a broader, systematic issue.

AMR

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is a term used to describe micro-organisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites evolving over time and becoming resistant to antimicrobials-drugs used to treat infections caused by such micro-organisms. As a result existing medicines become ineffective and infections persist in the body, increasing the risk of spread to others, and making it harder to treat and contain diseases.

Antimicrobials include antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals, and antiparasites. Micro-organisms that develop antimicrobial resistance are also called ‘superbugs’. The misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in humans, plants, and animals are the main drivers in the development of drug-resistant pathogens.

AMR is considered as a ‘silent pandemic’ and according to a study published by ‘The Lancet’ in January 2022, it was directly responsible for 1.27 million global deaths in 2019 and contributed to 4.95 million deaths.

India is the largest consumer of antibiotics globally in terms of absolute volume. Studies have reported poor prescription quality, including un-indicated prescription of broad-spectrum antibiotics without evidence of bacterial infection. These findings are of particular public health relevance considering India reports high antibiotic resistance in bacteria that cause certain common infections.

Under the guidelines of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Global Action Plan, India launched its National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (NAP-AMR): a five-year plan (2017–2021) that outlines strategies to curb AMR in the country. The plan aims to tackle AMR in both human and non-human sectors, including agriculture, fisheries, animal husbandry, and the environment. The plan’s first five strategic priorities align with the Global Action Plan while the sixth priority highlights India’s role in containing AMR internationally. The plan also includes state-level action plans to ensure action at the ground level.

The States that have launched their State specific Plans are Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, and Delhi. The State of Kerala stands-out in making pioneering progress in AMR.

The Kerala Drug Control Department launched tests in the first week of January 2024 called Operation Amrith (AMRITH – Antimicrobial Resistance Intervention For Total Health) to prevent the overuse of antibiotics in the State. Pharmacies must keep accurate records of antibiotic sales as per this initiative. Additionally, a poster mentioning ‘antibiotics not sold without a Doctor’s prescription’ should be displayed. If not complied, strict action would be taken against pharmacies and medical stores that supply antibiotics without a Doctor’s prescription. Operation Amrith is aimed at conducting surprise raids in retail medical shops for detecting Over-The- Counter(OTC) sale of antibiotics and also a Toll Free Number is provided for lodging complaints against medical shops. Once a complaint is received, it will be transferred to the corresponding zonal office for verification and immediate departmental actions will be taken, if violation is detected.

The Government of Kerala was the first state in India that came up with the state action plan on AMR, KARSAP, in 2018. Aligned with India’s National Action Plan, Kerala’s plan reflects a multi-sectoral approach. Besides human health aspects, it aims to address animal and environmental dimensions of the AMR problem, which is crucial for effective containment of AMR. Delhi-based think tank, Centre for Science and Environment, had actively contributed to the Kerala action plan and has been an implementation partner in the state’s AMR containment efforts.

It’s time other States hear Kerala’s clarion call and get their act together.

More viral stories coming up in the weeks ahead. Stay safe with World Inthavaaram.

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2024-33

About: the world this week, 11 August to 17 August 2024: Ukraine invades Russia; Israel holds; Trump and Musk on X; leaving New Zealand; a horrific rape and murder in India; India-events; mpox is here; Paris Olympics-goodbye.

Everywhere

Ukraine’s Invasion of Russia

Last week, Ukrainian soldiers smashed through the Russian border in a surprise attack aimed at improving future negotiation options, slowing the advance of Russian forces into Ukraine, and disorienting them.

This week, Ukraine’s forces captured the town of Sudzha in Russia’s Kursk region in the biggest foreign incursion into Russia since World War II, putting Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on the defensive. Ukraine, carving out a slice of Russian territory gives it a foothold for further advances, revealing the weakness of Russia’s border defences and prompting it to evacuate at least 200,000 people while it rushed in reserves and imposed a security lockdown. You just cannot go about bombing your own people, can you?

The Ukrainian assault on Russian has dramatically changed the narrative around the two-and-a-half-year-old war. Previously, it was Russia that had been advancing in eastern Ukraine since the failure of Ukraine’s 2023 counteroffensive.

Wonder on which side the dice is loaded?

Israel Holds On

Israeli forces pressed on with operations near the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis amid an international push for a deal to halt fighting in Gaza and prevent a slide into a wider regional conflict with Iran and its proxies.

This week Hamas said it would not take part in a new round of ceasefire talks in Qatar, but mediators are expected to consult with Hamas, afterwards.

On another angle, there is a suspended animation on Iran’s revenge act on Israel, while Hezbollah and even Hamas keep pumping those rockets-a never-ending fire -into Israel. Will Iran dare attack Israel?

Trump and Musk: Birds of a Feather

This week, Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump sat for a friendly two-hour interview with Elon Musk on social media platform X, after technical problems delayed the start of the event for more than 40 minutes. Musk, who has endorsed Trump, was quick to blame the difficulties on a Distributed Denial-Of-Service (DDOS) attack, in which a server or network is flooded with traffic in an attempt to shut it down.

Trump and Musk chatted on X for over two hours. Trump recapped his assassination attempt, promised the largest deportation effort in US history if re-elected, boasted about his relationship with foreign leaders like North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, and the kind. Musk often praised the former President and seemed to even pitch himself as a potential Trump administration official. Their ‘bird chat’ played out as 1.3 million people listened-in at one point, according to an X counter.

Leaving New Zealand

People are leaving New Zealand in record numbers as unemployment rises, interest rates remain high, and economic growth is anaemic, government statistics revealed.

Data released by Statistics New Zealand showed that 131,200 people departed New Zealand in the year ended June 2024, provisionally the highest on record for an annual period. Around a third of these were headed to Australia.

While net migration, the number of those arriving minus those leaving, remains at high levels, economists also expect this to wane as the number of foreign nationals wanting to move to New Zealand falls due to the softer economy. Data shows that of those departing, 80,174 were citizens, which was almost double the numbers seen leaving prior to the COVID19 pandemic.

New Zealand’s economy is struggling after the central bank hiked cash rates 521 basis points in its most aggressive tightening since the official cash rate was introduced in 1999. The economy had an annual growth of 0.2% in the first quarter, unemployment rose to 4.7% in the second quarter, and inflation remains high at 3.3%.

Furthermore, Australia has been recruiting and offering relocation packages in areas such as nursing, policing, and teaching where they have skill shortages attracting New Zealanders, who do not need visas to work there. And with the New Zealand government having undertaken a significant downsizing of its public services, it has left many skilled workers looking for jobs. Well, that’s available aplenty across the border.

India: A Rape and Murder Most Foul

A 31-year-old woman trainee post-graduate Doctor working on night duty, was found dead last Friday at the RG Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkatta – a 138 year old premier Medical Institution in the State of West Bengal. In the morning of 9th August, the mauled body was found in the seminar room on the fourth floor of the emergency department building: first spotted by a security guard. Her laptop, bag, and mobile were found nearby. On the fateful night, the Doctor a second-year chest medicine trainee had dinner with her colleagues and later retired to the seminar room for some much-needed rest: there being no separate ‘on-call’ room.

When the incident came to light, the Principal of the College, Dr Sandip Ghosh appeared to shamelessly indulge in victim blaming, calling the death a case of suicide, and attempted to brush aside the incident. The parents of the woman Doctor resisted, leading to the police to investigate and confirm that she had been raped and murdered. Subsequently, the Police arrested a suspect, a civic volunteer, Sanjoy Roy, 33, through electronic footprints at the scene and the Hospital premises. He is an outsider who had free access to the different departments of the Hospital.

Civic Volunteers are a band of about one lakh so-called do-gooders, put together by the State Government. Initially, they were deployed as Traffic Wardens, to manage traffic, during festivals. Over the years, this army of youngsters has been co-opted by the Police who use them liberally, such as to collect legitimate fines (and bribes too?) These Civic Volunteers gradually became a law unto themselves, pitching in with their services for the ruling party, the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), whenever required. And this is not the first time a Civic Volunteer has been linked to an unnatural death in West Bengal.

The initial autopsy said the woman Doctor was murdered after being sexually assaulted, between 3 am and 6am. Her neck bone was found broken: she was first strangulated and then smothered to death. Her body was found in a half-naked condition with her spectacles broken. Further analysis, such as the amount of semen, suggested the involvement of multiple people. Her entire body bore marks of injury-not a single inch was spared-an examining doctor termed it as the most gruesome he has seen in his entire lifetime.

Doctors in India’s crowded and often squalid government hospitals have long complained of being overworked and underpaid, and say not enough is done to curb violence levelled at them by people angered over the medical care on offer.

Thousands of doctors marched on Monday in Kolkata and the surroundings to denounce the killing at the government-run hospital, demanding justice for the Doctor and better security measures. Hospital services were disrupted in several cities on Tuesday after the doctors’ protest spread nationwide. More than 8,000 government doctors in the western Maharashtra state, home to the financial capital of Mumbai, halted work in all hospital departments except emergency service.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the investigation hours after an order by the Calcutta High Court, which came down heavily on Dr Sandip Ghosh, saying it was ‘disheartening’ that he was not ‘proactive’. The court also flagged that the former Principal was given the same role in another college hours after he resigned and said he must be immediately relieved of duties and sent on leave.

The incident brought back memories of Aruna Shanbaug, a junior nurse at King Edward Memorial Hospital, Mumbai who was brutally assaulted by a ward boy, in November, 1973. She was left blind, deaf, and paralysed, and lived on for 42 years on life-support at the Hospital. She was cared for by fellow nurses before she passed away in 2015. He death spurred important legislation on safety and euthanasia in India.

Also, recall the Nirbhaya Case when in December 2012 a 23-year-old woman- a physiotherapy intern-was brutally gang-raped and assaulted in a moving bus in New Delhi, while returning home. The savage brutality of the incident stirred and shook India to the core. The six men involved were caught and convicted, including one juvenile. Four were hanged to death, one died-apparently suicide-in jail. And the juvenile was released after a 3-year jail sentence in a reform facility- maximum for juveniles under law.

Back to Kolkatta. In a further aggravation of the situation, when doctors were peacefully protesting, vandals armed with sticks, bottles, and bricks, usurped the night unleashing about 40 minutes of mayhem. The mob coursed through the campus ransacking critical care units, turning the medicine store room upside down, throwing around life-saving drugs, injections and other supplies. Were they trying to wipe-out evidence? The protesting doctors were forced to run to safety, and the Police were found wanting, yet again. Special forces had to be called-in to quell the violence.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) called for a 24 hour nation wide stir -withdrawal of services-beginning on Saturday, in support of the woman Doctor and her family, and to highlight the shabby handling of the crime situation by the College Authorities and stalling of the Police investigation after the first day.

Calls for the ‘woman’ Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, who handles the health and home portfolios, to quit, grew shrill. Shockingly, she announced a protest march against ‘her own Government’ pressurising the CBI to ‘complete the investigation on the double and hang the culprit by Sunday!’ Unbelievable that a leader can indulge in politicking and act without empathy.

The incident will remain a devastating memory and a shameful blot on West Bengal. Violence is endemic to the State, long beset by insurgency, social upheaval, mass migration, and violent mobilisation for political control. It has a long, deadly history of political violence, which has persisted over many decades: deeply impacted life and stained the fabric of society in the State, in complex ways. Could this be a turning-point?

Bangladesh Flux

There is cautious optimism as Bangladesh grapples with the aftermath of its student-led protests and the cataclysmic events that led to the exit of former Prime Minister Sheik Hasina from the country. Attacks on Hindus and minorities appear to have climbed down. Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus who lead the interim government used the opportunity to rid himself of most of the cases piled on him by the previous Government. And then began the return in kind. A murder investigation has been opened into Sheik Hasina over the police killing of a man during civil unrest. Six other top figures in the previous government are also being investigated.

Later in the week, Yunus called up India’s PM to assure him of safety of Hindus and minorities in Bangladesh.

India: Melange

India celebrated its 78th Independence Day on 15th August with India’s Prime Minister, in his usual vibrant, colourful head-gear, raising the national flag for the 11th time in a row. He laid down plans for the year in a long speech, from the ramparts of the Red Fort in New Delhi. This time, the PM sported a multi-coloured Rajasthani Leheriya print turban. And the theme of this year’s celebration was Viksit Bharat @ 2047 (a developed India by 2047).

India’s ISRO successfully launched its third developmental flight of Small Launch Vehicle (SSLV) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on Friday and successfully injected a Satellite it was carrying into its exact planned orbit. ISRO only gets better after each adventure into Space.

India’s Election Commission announced Elections in the State of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K)-the first Assembly elections in over a decade – and in Haryana State, which was ending a term. The J&K Elections will be held in three phases on 18th, 25th September, and 1st October, while the Haryana Elections will be on in a single phase on 1st October.

Mpox

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the mpox outbreaks in Congo and elsewhere in Africa a global emergency – Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHIC)- with cases confirmed among children and adults in more than a dozen countries. And a new form of the virus, called ‘clade 1b’ is spreading mainly through sexual networks. Few vaccines are available for treating cases.

This PHIC determination is the second in two years relating to mpox. WHO said that the current upsurge along with the spread of a new sexually transmissible strain of the monkeypox virus is an emergency not only for Africa but for the entire globe. It is caused by an Orthopoxvirus and first detected in 1970 in Africa.

Mpox, previously known as monkeypox has been detected in 13 countries this year, and more than 96% cases and deaths are in Congo. Cases are up to 160% and deaths have swelled up to 19% compared to the same period last year. So far, there have been more than 14,000 cases and 524 deaths.

Unlike the previous mpox outbreaks, the new form causes milder symptoms making it harder to spot. People might also sicken others without knowing they are infected.

Paris Olympics 2024: Goodbye

Hollywood movie star Tom Cruise was chosen as the showstopper of the Closing Ceremony of the Paris Olympics, and he did not disappoint. Maybe it was also a stunt to establish a connection with the next Games. Known for performing all of those dangerous stunts in his movies, he did the same at the closing ceremony, giving it a Hollywood touch. Tom Cruise jumped off the roof of Strate De France, one of the largest stadiums and landed on stage, in a jaw-dropping moment. The audience welcomed him with cheers. And the ladies even manhandled him-landing tons of kisses!

Paris has set new standards for the Olympic Games by hosting most of their games at iconic landmarks such as Place de la Concorde, the Eiffel Tower, the Chateau de Versailles and the Grand Palais. They also brought top celebrities for the grand opening ceremony including Celine Dion and Lady Gaga.

The next Summer Olympics will be held in 2028 in Los Angeles, USA and then in Brisbane, Australia in 2032. India is considering bidding for the 2036 Olympic Games.

It will exciting to see how the Summer Games will be hosted in the City of Angels, LA: its Mayor Karen Bass, who was present said, “will really show the diversity and the international character of our city. And we do have Hollywood, so I expect a lot of magical opportunities, which might begin at the closing ceremony.”

In the final Medals Tally, the United States of America led with 40 Gold, 44 Silver, and 42 Bronze -Total of 126 medals; followed by China, 40 Gold, and 91 overall; Japan, 20 Gold and 45 overall; Australia 18 Gold and 53 overall. The hosts France won 16 Gold, 26 Silver, 22 Bronze, and overall 64.

India won a total of 6 medals: 1-Silver and 5-Bronze. Overall, one medal less than the previous Games.

More sensational stories cruising-in, in the weeks ahead. Stay alert and on stage with World Inthavaaram.

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2024-32

About: the world this week, 4 August 2024 to 10 August 2024: Britain’s riots; US Elections-running mate; Taylor Swift-not fearless; Bangladesh coup; war fronts; and the Paris Olympics – focus on India.

Everywhere

Britain: Rioting Right

Violent protests erupted in towns and cities across Britain following last week’s knife attack, which killed three children in Southport, north of Liverpool. The protests spread across the country, including Liverpool, Bristol, and Manchester, resulting in dozens of arrests as shops and businesses were vandalised and looted. Several police officers were injured in the line of duty.

The stabbing attack was seized on by anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim groups as misinformation spread that the suspected attacker was an immigrant and a radical Islamist. This stoked further outrage. Police said the suspect was born in Britain and are not treating it as a terrorist incident.

On Sunday, hundreds of anti-immigration protesters gathered by a hotel near Rotherham, northern England, where Britain’s Interior Ministry was housing asylum seekers. The protesters, many wearing masks or balaclavas, threw bricks at police and broke several hotel windows, before setting a large bin close to the hotel on fire.

The new Government, fresh from a superb win at the hustings, scrambled to control the worst disorder in the United Kingdom in more than a decade. Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the protests and riots as “far-right thuggery” and said perpetrators would face the full force of the law. The target of the attacks were Muslim communities, mosques, and other minorities. With this crisis running on the streets of Britain, the honeymoon period of the new Government is all but over.

Who is behind the thuggery? Faceless. Plans to engage in violent gatherings have been spread on social media, encouraging attendees to shield their faces or use coded language that stirs up anger at immigration without explicitly calling for violence. Naturally, the Govt is looking at social media as an instigator. Mind that ‘misinformed’ tweet, you could get yourself arrested!

United States Elections: Running Mate

This week US Vice President Kamala Harris decided on her running-mate, choosing Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota. Walz is currently in his second term as Governor and chairs the Democratic Governors Association. He previously served 12 years in Congress. And prior to that, Walz was a high school teacher and football coach and served in the Army National Guard, reaching the rank of Command Sergeant Major, one of the highest ranks an enlisted member can attain. As a first-time campaigner, he opposed a ban on same-sex marriage and supported abortion rights. Walz fell out of favour with the gun lobby over his support for gun safety actions as Governor. Walz supports In Vitro-Fertilization (IVF) having himself ‘become productive’ after struggling to become a parent along with his wife of three decades.

Taylor Swift: Not Fearless

US singer-songwriter Taylor Swift is in the Vienna, Austria leg of her blockbuster Eras tour scheduled to play three shows in the European city from Thursday to Saturday. But Organisers cancelled the shows over a possible terrorist attack after Austrian authorities said they foiled a terror plan in Vienna. The extraordinary decision-which came at significant cost to Vienna’s businesses-has devastated fans and renewed focus on the vulnerability of huge concerts as soft targets for terror networks and spree killers.

Police in Austria have questioned three teenagers suspected of plotting a suicide attack at the Taylor Swift show, sparking renewed concerns over the indoctrination of young people online. Foreign intelligence agencies helped authorities uncover the plot. That’s the world swiftly singing together on intelligence gathering.

The Bangladesh Drift: the Churning

Bangladesh is at a historic turning-point. Well, it has been in this place many times before, at about the same cross-roads. And they keep coming on the trot.

The student protests of the past weeks over reservations in government jobs, dangerously changed track and galvanised into a force that toppled the Government of Prime Minister (PM) Sheik Hasina, 76. In January this year, she won a landslide mandate for the fourth consecutive time in the General Elections. Her party, The Awami League won 224 seats, out of the 300 under direct elections. That’s about 15 years in continuous power and a total of 20 years as PM. Most Opposition Parties had boycotted the Elections, apparently making the win easier.

The seemingly harmless and peaceful demands by University students to abolish quotas in civil service jobs that began in July transformed beyond recognition. This despite the Supreme Court calling-off the strangulating quota system. However, the creeping death toll reaching over 300, due to the brutal crackdown on the protesters, turned the Government into an authoritarian one to preserve peace. Enough reason for people to spill on to the streets. And with most of the Opposition in various modes of arrest, this seemed the only outlet for anger against the Government. The PM repeatedly cut-off internet access in parts of the country, imposed a nation-wide curfew, and labeled the demonstrators as ‘terrorists seeking to destabilise the nation’. Well, they lived up to the label.

Sheikh Hasina blamed the Pakistan basedJamaat-e-Islami, its Islami Chhatra Shibir student wing, and other associate bodies for inciting the student violence. And in an official circular imposed a ban on Jamaat-e-Islami under an anti-terrorism law.

With protests spiralling out of control, the Army served a 45 minute ultimatum to Sheik Hasina to leave the country. She found a helicopter and flew into the safe-haven of India, landing at a military airfield, Hindon, near New Delhi, and was met by India’s National Security Advisor after which was taken to a safe location.

Meanwhile, protesters reached the PM’s house and raided all that was inside, dusting-up her blouses, bras, and what not? One even paraded her Sari and wore it.

It was awfully painful to see people climb up the statue of the Father of the Nation and try to hammer him down. Almost killing him a second time. Recall, Sheik Mujibur Rahman-the founding father of Bangladesh and the father of Sheik Hasina- was shot in point plank range by the same Army, which entered his home, and killed almost the entire family in a horrific turn of events in 1975. That was the first Army coup of Bangladesh. Hasina herself was in Germany at that time and after years of struggle lived to become PM one day. Her sister too escaped the carnage, at that time.

Bangladesh Army Chief, General Waqar-uz-Zaman quickly took control and announced the formation of an Interim Government. Meanwhile the President of Bangladesh Mohammed Shahabuddin, ordered the immediate release, from House-Arrest, former PM Khaleda Zia who was also Bangladesh’s first Woman PM and leader of the Opposition, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Bangladesh’s unicameral parliament was also dissolved. What is the President’s role in Bangladesh?

Bangladesh has a unique system of transfer of power; at the end of the tenure of the government, power is handed over to members of a civil society for three months, who run the general elections and transfer power to elected representatives. The President as the ceremonial head of the state has limited powers. He can grant pardon to a man sentenced to death penalty or lessen the punishment. In certain instances, he also performs some legislative and judicial functions.

On another front, Hindu and other minority communities were ruthlessly attacked amounting to ethic-cleansing and heading towards genocide, showing another diabolical motive of the unfolding drama in Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council said that about 200 to 300 Hindu homes and businesses have been vandalised since Hasina resigned. About 15 to 20 temples have been looted.

Towards the end of the week, the Protestors agreed to Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus becoming Leader of an Interim Government. Student Leaders of the so-called ‘Gen Z Revolution’ said they have not met all of their goals, and after Hasina’s resignation, the group wanted to ‘abolish fascist systems forever’. The leaders say they won’t accept a military-led or supported government.

Professor Muhammad Yunus, 84, who was in France over a minor medical procedure, flew in to Bangladesh’s capital Dacca, and was sworn-in on Thursday. Tucked inside his new cabinet are Nahid Islama and Asif Mahmud, students who led the anti-government protests. Yunus kept up to 27 critical portfolios with himself. One man show?

Muhammad Yunus known as the ‘banker to the poor’ aims to bring stability to Bangladesh. He answered the call of student protesters to temporarily lead the restive country following weeks of deadly anti-government demonstrations.

Yunus is a social entrepreneur and banker who won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his pioneering microfinance work as founder of the Grameen Bank that helped alleviate poverty in Bangladesh and was widely adopted around the world.

He is also a longtime critic of Sheikh Hasina. Over the years, Yunus was embroiled in multiple legal cases said to be unfairly targeted by the authorities. They include a defamation suit, a food safety case, and allegations of tax irregularities. In January, a court in Bangladesh sentenced Yunus to six months in prison for labor law violations. In a separate case, he was indicted in June on embezzlement charges. All of which was denied by Yunus.

India’s Prime Minister, under pressure to protect persecuted Hindus, had this to say, “My best wishes to Professor Muhammad Yunus on the assumption of his new responsibilities. We hope for an early return to normalcy, ensuring the safety and protection of Hindus and all other minority communities. India remains committed to working with Bangladesh to fulfill the shared aspirations of both our peoples for peace, security and development”.

Yunus’ first speech acknowledged the attack on Hindus and minorities and appealed to the protesters to trust him to bring law and order under control. If not, he threatened to step-down as Interim Leader.

Israel and Ukraine: the fight is on

The two steadily ongoing war fronts are that of, Ukraine-Russia in Europe and Israel-Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Middle East.

In the first front, this week, in a surprise turn, Ukraine Forces pushed further into the Kursk region of Russia in a cross-border incursion with the intent of diverting Russian forces and to disrupt and demoralise them. Ukraine intends to hold-on to the territory as long as they possibly can.Will a tit-for-tat work?

In the second front, Iran mulls scrapping plans to take revenge on Israel for killing Hamas’ Political Head on its soil, in exchange for a Gaza ceasefire. In the background US, Qatar and Egypt hit the negotiation acceleration pedal urging Hamas to resume talks, after the killing in Iran.

Paris Olympics 2024: Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together

The Olympic Games is running on the Paris, France, stage from 26 July to 11 August.

In Tennis, Serbia’s Novak Djokovic struck gold in the Men’s Singles Tennis beating Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz 7-6(3), 7-6(2), in an enthralling neck-and-neck final.

Novak Djokovic is the only player in tennis history to win every big event in the game of Tennis. This is the first time in his career that he has won an Olympic Gold, adding to his ever-expanding chest of 24 Grand Slam titles. Alcaraz missed out on a gold medal in his maiden Olympics appearance.

In Hockey, India beat Britain in penalty shoot-outs, 4-2 after a 1-1 tie in the regular game. Indian Goal-keeper Sreejesh became an overnight sensation over his heroics of the day-saving many goals on the field and blocking a crucial one in the shoot-out. The Great Wall of India-shouted fans, who then went treasure hunting into this Home Sate of Kerala and dug up stories of what went into building of the wall. India faced Germany in the semi-finals but despite a valiant fight succumbed 2-3. Then, bringing some cheer, India went on to beat Spain 2-1 to clinch the bronze medal. This is Indian’s second consecutive win having won the bronze in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, beating Germany.

India’s gold medal winning hope Neeraj Chopra secured a Javelin final spot with a throw of 89.34m. His best throw was 89.94m at Stockholm in the Diamond League Games, last year. In the finals, Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem threw a stunning 92.97m to win the Gold and break the Olympic Record of 90.57 established in Beijing 2008. Neeraj threw 89.45 to get the Silver. The Bronze Medal throw reached 88.45m.

This is a back-to-back Olympic Medal for Neeraj who had won the gold in Tokyo Olympics with a throw of 87.58m. In that competition Arshad Nadeem had finished fifth with 84.62m. This is Pakistan’s first ever medal in this event at the Olympics.

In Wrestling, India’s Vinesh Phogat defied huge odds to earn herself a sure chance of a medal in the 50kg event. She became the first Indian Woman to reach an Olympic final in Wrestling. Sakshi Malik is the only other wrestler, who had clinched a bronze medal in the Rio 2016 Olympics. In her opening match Phogat stunned reigning Olympic Champion, Japan’s Yui Susaki; then beat former European Champion, Ukraine’s Oksana Livach in the quarters, and Pan American Games Champion, Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman in the semi-finals to reach the finals. She was to take on USA’s Sarah Hildebrant for the Gold. But then, in a sudden twist and a heart-break, on the day of the finals, Phogat was disqualified for being overweight by a beggarly 100 grams in the 50 kg weight category. Competition rules say wrestlers must stay in their weight category on both days of the tournament. After Phogat’s disqualification, only the gold and bronze medals were awarded in the event. India has made a legal appeal and there could be yet another twist.

Now, a flashback. In May 2023, Vinesh Phogat was detained by police in New Delhi while attempting to march to India’s new parliament building, just as it was being inaugurated. This was during a protest against Brij Bhushan Singh, the wrestling federation chief, over allegations of sexual harassment and intimidation. Phogat was later released.

In the run-up to the final, Phogat’s fellow wrestlers hailed her journey as both a personal and collective triumph for India’s wrestling community who have long complained that authorities failed to take their allegations seriously.

At the end of the week, Aman Sehrawat, 21, won the Bronze Medal in the Men’s Freestyle 57 kg bringing some cheer to India. He became the youngest Olympic medalist in Wrestling.

Vaulting to other events, Sweden’s Armand Mondo Duplantis broke the men’s Pole Vault world record for the 9th time with a jump of 6.25 m to cap a gold medal-winning streak. The 24-year-old has won every global men’s Pole Vault title since claiming his first Olympic gold in Tokyo.

In the Medals Tally, USA leads with 33 Gold and overall 111 medals, followed by China, Australia, and Japan. India had a total of 6 medals: 1-Silver and 5-Bronze. In the previous Olympics Tokyo Olympics, India had won 7 medals: 1-Gold, 2-Silver, and 4 Bronze.

More medal stories coming-up in the weeks ahead. Run, jump, or swim to glory with World Inthavaaram.

This is my Blog where I essay stories on life about and around me, on subjects that stir and shake me up, as I turn, and make life's pages count: hoping to inspire you to live your own story!

Everywhere

Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Iran

US Elections: Debates

India’s State Elections

Hurricane Helene Devastates

SpaceX Docks with ISS

Everywhere

A New War Front

Sri Lanka: Recovering

India: Hugs, Chips, Cuts, and Washes

Chess Olympiad: India Triumphs

Everywhere

Pager Bombing: Beepers are Here

SpaceX Polaris Dawn Returns Home

Trump trumps Another Attack

Central Europe Floods

Asian Champions Trophy Hockey: India

Hindu Faith Under Attack

Everywhere

Ukraine; Israel

America Debates

Giant Leap in Space

Vietnam

India

West Bengal

Manipur

A Loose Cannon Ball: Lobbying Abroad

Paralympics 2024: The Closing

Everywhere

War World

United States School Shooting

Bangladesh: Off a Tangent?

Hijacking a True Story

The True Story

The Netflix Series: IC 814 – The Kandahar Hijack

Sexual Assault in Kerala: Hema Committee Report

Sex & France

Paralympics 2024: India’s Medal Sprint

Everywhere

Israel Rescues

Juice & Moonfish

Telegram’s Father

Caught in Space

India at Paralympics 2024

Everywhere

The Wars

America

India

Bangladesh

AMR

Everywhere

Ukraine’s Invasion of Russia

Israel Holds On

Trump and Musk: Birds of a Feather

Leaving New Zealand

India: A Rape and Murder Most Foul

Bangladesh Flux

India: Melange

Mpox

Paris Olympics 2024: Goodbye

Everywhere

Britain: Rioting Right

United States Elections: Running Mate

Taylor Swift: Not Fearless

The Bangladesh Drift: the Churning

Israel and Ukraine: the fight is on

Paris Olympics 2024: Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together

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