Tag: Israel-Hamas War

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, 2024-30

About: the world this week, 21 July 2024 to 27 July 2024: Microsoft goes hard; the wrath of Israel; new Presidents of the US; Bangladesh rocks; India’s Budget, Testing, and Firing; Nepal plane crash; Paris Olympics; and Dark Oxygen.

Everywhere

Microhard

In one of the biggest technical outages in history, millions of Microsoft Windows users world-wide experienced the Blue Screen Of Death (BSOD), last Friday. Almost all Passenger Airlines around the world faced technical issues that affected booking, check-in, and flight updates. Hundreds of flights were cancelled. Other sectors affected were healthcare, shipping, finance, food chains, and brokerage firms. What caused this?

A mistake in a security software update sparked hours-long global computer systems outages, another incident highlighting the vulnerability of the world’s interconnected technologies. This occurred when CrowdStrike, used in Microsoft Windows, released a sensor configuration update for its ‘Falcon Sensor’ to Windows Operating Systems. Sensor configuration updates are an ongoing part of the protection mechanisms of the Falcon platform. The configuration update triggered a logic error resulting in a system crash BSOD. However Mac and Linux-based systems were not affected.

CrowdStrike’s website says, it is a cyber security service designed to stop internet breeches or hacks. It was founded on the premises that sophisticated attacks targeting the world’s leading businesses cannot be solved merely using existing malware-based defenses. A brand new approach was needed – one that combines the most advanced endpoint protection with expert intelligence to pinpoint the adversaries perpetrating the attacks, no just the malware.

Later, CrowdStrike said the issue has been isolated and a fix deployed. It confirmed that it is not a security incident or a cyber attack. Users running Falcon Sensor for Windows version 7.11 and above, that were online between Friday, 19 July 2024 04:09 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) and Friday, 19 July, 2024 05:27 UTC were affected. Systems running Falcon Sensor for Windows 7.11 and above that downloaded the updated configuration from 04:09 UTC to 05:27 UTC – were susceptible to a system crash.

Global cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike is one of the largest operators in the industry. It is not a household name, but it is a USD 83 billion company with more than 20,000 subscribers around the world, including Amazon and Microsoft.

The Wrath of Israel: Don’t Start a Fire

Late last week the Houthis (an Iran-backed militant group) of Yemen hit Israel’s city of Tel Aviv with a drone resulting in the death of one Israeli civilian and injuring many others. When you do this to Israel, what happens? You invite its wrath!

Israel’s Air Force struck the largest Port in Yemen causing grave damage. The Port was completely engulfed in flames. About 25, F-15 and F-35 aircraft, accompanied by refuelling planes, flew about 2000 km toward the city of Hodeidah in Yemen for the attack. The strike was carried out in eight waves, which destroyed fuel depots and a power station north of the Port inflicting severe damage on the Port.

Bibi in America

During the week, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Bibi) flew to the United States, shopping for ‘good will and support’. He also addressed both Houses of Congress and delivered a masterpiece of a speech. It was mighty impressive that he got an insane number of standing ovations, 55 to be precise – the most standing ovations given to any foreign leader addressing Congress. The applause went overboard, and at one point, the audience began to clap and Bib had to stop them to say, “No, don’t applaud. Listen.” Here are some of the best lines:

This is not a clash of civilizations. It’s a clash between barbarism and civilization.

These protesters chant, ‘from the river to the sea’. But many don’t have a clue what river and what sea they’re talking about. They not only get an ‘F’ in geography, they get an ‘F’ in history. They call Israel a colonialist state.

Don’t they know that the Land of Israel is where Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob prayed, where Isaiah and Jeremiah preached and where David and Solomon ruled?

For nearly 4000 years, the land of Israel has been the homeland of the Jewish people. It’s always been our home; it will always be our home.

And one more thing. When Israel acts to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, that could destroy Israel and threaten every American city, every city that you come from, we’re not only protecting ourselves. We’re protecting you.

In World War II, as Britain fought on the front-lines of civilization, Winston Churchill appealed to Americans with these famous words: “Give us the tools and we’ll finish the job.” Today, as Israel fights on the frontline of civilization, I too appeal to America: “Give us the tools faster, and we’ll finish the job faster.”

Back to the War Front

In an Israel Defence Forces (IDF) operation in Khan Younis, 5 bodies of hostages were recovered from the Gaza Strip and brought back to Israeli territory. It is over 300 days and about 125 hostages are still held in excruciating captivity by the Terrorist Hamas.

Biden Out: Kamala In

US President President Joe Biden, 81 – who is recovering from Covid – and has been ‘rapidly growing old’ in recent times, finally announced he will no longer seek re-election, ending his Presidential campaign less than four months before Election Day. He said his decision was in the best interest of his party and the country. And he quickly endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic presidential nominee, calling on fellow Democrats to come together and beat Republican candidate Donald Trump. This is the first time a US President has ended his re-election bid this late in the game. The last incumbent to make a similar move was President Lyndon B Johnson in 1968.

The US Secret Service: Grilled & Roasted

Over the week, US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle appeared before a bipartisan House Oversight Committee looking into the lapses of the Donald Trump assassination attempt, to answer questions. The committee was allover her with piercing questions, and she cut a sorry figure under the intense grilling. She rankled lawmakers by refusing to provide sufficient details about the incident, being as slippery as an eel and as evasive as a snake. Said one of the members, ’This committee is not known for its model of bipartisanship, and I think today we came together unanimously in our disappointment. We don’t have that confidence that you can lead.” During more than four hours of often contentious proceedings, Cheatle called the 13 July 24 shooting “the most significant operational failure at the Secret Service in decades”.

Later in the week, she could hold-on no longer. She resigned.

Bangladesh Rocks

Bangladesh’s Supreme Court on Sunday rolled back most of the controversial quotas on government jobs which sparked violent protests in the country.

The Court dismissed the earlier ruling that brought back the quotas, directing that 93% of government jobs will be open to candidates on merit, without quotas. A lawyer representing the students said that the Supreme Court, “gave a final solution to this quota system. That is, 93% quota for general people, 5% quota for freedom fighters and their kin, 1% for ethnic minority community, and 1% for third gender and physically disabled”.

India: We built this City

The official commentary on Budget 2024, that was unveiled on 23 July 24, would run something like this: ‘It’s a comprehensive strategy built on nine foundational pillars – agriculture, employment, inclusive development, manufacturing and services, urban development, energy, infrastructure, innovation/research and development, and next-generation reforms. These will serve as guiding principles aimed at fostering broad-based opportunities and sustainable progress across the country. It presents a holistic approach to economic development, balancing fiscal prudence with targeted interventions for inclusive growth and sets a bold trajectory towards a prosperous and resilient India’.

The focus of this year’s Budget was on ‘ four caste’ groups of: Farmers, Youth, Poor, and Women, to hopefully make life better for them.

Set aside that jargon, and let’s roll over. The Government, short of a majority in Parliament, actually stands on two foundation pillars. 1-its own numbers, and, 2-that of the States of Andhra Pradesh (AP) and Bihar plus certain other small Allies. And AP and Bihar got their pound of flesh, when the new Government set sail on the high seas on 11 June 24 following the declaration of Election Results on 4 June 24.

AP got a bonanza of INR 15,000 crore for building its new capital city of Amravathi (It had no capital following bifurcation into Telangana and AP, with Telangana getting Hyderbad as its Capital) a completion of irrigation projects and essential infrastructure such as water, power, railways, and roads. Bihar got big-ticket measures of INR 26,000 crore for various road projects in the state and bombastic plans for new airports and sports infrastructure. In addition, it grabbed another INR 11,500 crore for flood mitigation and taming the mercurial River Kosi, which runs through the State.

The hard-working, honestly tax-paying middle class felt left-out again – timidly thrown under the bus. Though the tax slabs were tinkered with and the standard deduction tweaked, giving them ‘slightly more money’ in their hands, they were disappointed. It was depressing that the tax on Long Term Capital Gains was increased by 2.5% to 12.5% (from 10%) without indexation. And Short -Term Capital Gains from equities and mutual funds to 20%. The Govt rewarded the risk taken to grow their money. What was given by the right hand was quickly grabbed by the left hand. Did something spill down?

The Big Numbers said INR 48.21 Lakh Crore would be the estimated total expenditure by the Govt with a nominal GDP Growth of 10.5%. The Fiscal deficit, which represents the difference between the government’s total income and its total expenditure was plugged at 4.9% with serious intentions to bring in under 4.5% by 2025-26, which is actually very good.

The allocation for Defence was 6.22 Lakh crore; the Rural push was 2.66 Lakh crore; and for Education it was 1.26 Lakh crore, among other outlays.

With the top honchos of the Corporate world complaining about a lack of skills among the ‘educated unemployed’, the Govt heard. It came up with a programme to skill-up 20 lakh young people over a 5-year period. 1,000 Industrial Training Institutes will be upgraded in a hub. One-month wage will be provided to new entrants in all formal sectors in 3 instalments up to INR 15,000, which is expected to benefit 210 lakh youth.

Finally, is a great spin, import duties on gold and silver were reduced to 6% from the earlier 15% leading to India’s Jewels in the crown getting cheaper. And gold prices fell by over 5%. With Indian households owning approximately 11% of the World’s Gold the fall in prices wiped out over 10 lakh crore from the value of gold held by Indians in a single day.

India: We Test Well

This week India’s Supremo Court ruled on the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for Under-Graduate admission to India’s Medical Colleges, which testing was challenged. It said that there was no proof of systematic breach of exam – sanctity preserved, hence no-retest needed, nor a cancellation of exam itself. But 4 lakh candidates will lose 5 marks each over a contentious Physics question. New merit lists were to be notified in two day’s time and the derailed process was put back on track.

India: We Fire Well

In another fighting news, on Wednesday, India quietly and successfully flight-tested its Phase-II Ballistic Missile Defence System from off the Odisha coast. The test demonstrated India’s indigenous capability to defend against ballistic missiles of 5,000 km class. The Target Missile was launched mimicking an adversary Ballistic Missile, which was detected by weapon system radars deployed on land and sea and activated the Interceptor system.

Nepal: Plane Crash

This week there was yet another plane crash in Nepal. I recall writing about two other plane crashes over the past two years in 2023, and 2022. Since 2000, nearly 360 people have died in plane or helicopter crashes in the country.

This Wednesday, a small passenger plane, a Bombardier CRJ-200 aircraft, belonging to Nepal’s Saurya Airlines crashed and caught fire while taking off from the capital Kathmandu, killing 18 people on board and leaving one survivor, the Captain Pilot. The 50-seater plane, carrying two crew members and 17 technicians, was heading for regular maintenance to Nepal’s new Pokhara airport, which is equipped with aircraft maintenance hangars. Eighteen of those on board were Nepali citizens, with one engineer from Yemen.

Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft veered off to the right and crashed on the east side of the runway with its wing hitting the ground.

The crash again focused attention on the poor air safety record of the landlocked Himalayan nation that is wedged between India and China and is heavily dependent upon air connectivity due to its limited road network. Nepal’s aviation industry has a poor safety record – that has been attributed to multiple factors over the years, from unpredictable weather to lax regulations.

The Paris Olympics: On Your Marks

In what will be a unique festival ‘on the water’, for the first time in the history of the Summer Olympics Games, the Opening Ceremony will be held outside a stadium. Athletes will parade down Paris’ famous River Seine, on boats – a floating parade through the heart of the City. The Opening Ceremony is scheduled to begin on Friday 26 July, when the first boats depart from the Austerlitz Bridge.

Going east to west through the city, 10,500 athletes on 94 boats will be ferried down a 6 km route that ends in front of the famous Trocadero, opposite the Eiffel Tower, where the rest of the Ceremony shows takes place, such as the lighting of the Olympic cauldron and the official opening speech by French President Emmanuel Macron. The boats will pass through some of Paris’ most iconic landmarks, including the Louvre and the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral.

Saboteurs struck France’s TGV high-speed train network in a series of pre-dawn attacks that caused chaos on the country’s busiest rail lines and heightened security concerns. Vandals damaged signal boxes along the lines connecting Paris with cities such as Lille in the north, Bordeaux in the west and Strasbourg in the east. Another attack on the Paris-Marseille line was foiled.

In another incident, the Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg airport, located by the French-Swiss-German border, was evacuated due to a bomb threat. It later reopened and resumed operations.

Under the Sea: Dark Oxygen

We are all too familiar with oxygen produced by photosynthesis. But what if there is another source, that too deep under our Oceans?

This week, Scientists found evidence of an additional source of oxygen – raising questions about the origins of life on Earth. For decades, scientists have floated theories about dark matter, which is believed to hold galaxies together by its gravitational pull. The enigma of dark matter continues, and now scientists have discovered what they call ‘dark oxygen’ on the ocean’s floor.

A recent study published in Nature Geoscience-a journal dedicated to Earth sciences research-shows oxygen emitted from mineral deposits 4,000 meters below the ocean’s surface on the seafloor at a depth that is almost half the length of the tallest peak of Mount Everest.

On the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), which spans 4.5 million square kilometres in the Pacific Ocean, there are coal-like mineral rocks, called polymetallic nodules, which typically contain manganese and iron. Scientists have found that these nodules produce oxygen without the process of photosynthesis. The fact that we’ve got another source of oxygen on the planet other than photosynthesis has consequences and implications that are utterly profound.

More oxygen-rich stories coming-up in the weeks ahead. Breathe easy with World Inthavaaram.

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2024-29

About: the world this week, 14 July2024 to 20 July 2024: India fights; Donald Trump fights; Israel fights; Reservations shake & stir Bangladesh and India’s Karnataka; Air India’s Gold; EU Leaders place themselves; Spains reigns in Wimbledon and the Euro-cup.

Everywhere

India: Mounting Body Bags

Terrorists from across the Border-read as Pakistan-are still on the prowl in India’s State of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) and the number of dead Indian Jawans is mounting. This week, four Indian Army soldiers including an officer were killed in an exchange of gunfire during an encounter with terrorists in the Dessa area, Doda District, J&K. Counter-terrorism activities are underway, and it’s time India visibly acts to prevent these attacks, than just express ‘routine sympathy’ for those martyred.

America: Die Another Day

Last Saturday, former US President Donald Trump was at a Republican Party Campaign Rally at Butler, Pennsylvania, when he trumped death and ducked to live another day. A bullet grazed his right ear while he danced his head in his trademark speaking gesture-that saved him. It was a failed assassination attempt. Time magazine summed it up best with the headline, ‘Man of the Ear’.

A 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks drove 70 km from his home in Bethel Park with an AR-15 rifle, climbed-up a warehouse at the venue, and took shots at Trump, while roof-top snipers seemed slow to spot him. When bullets wizzed past him, and after one kissed his ear, Trump went down on his knees holding a bloodied ear, while the Security Service body-blanketed him. A spectator, a 50-year-old volunteer fire-fighter chief, Corey Comperatore, was killed when he dived on his family to protect them-he died a hero. Two others were injured.

Trump emerged from the bottom of the stage, with a fist thumping, ‘fight’-only after finding his shoes, which came loose in the melee. And overnight it became an iconic photo with China quick to copy it on T-Shirts and sell them like hot cookies.

The would-be assassin, Crooks was killed: shot dead by a Sniper, while still on the roof. A clear motive is yet to be established.

Crooks, a ‘high honours’ graduate with an associate degree in engineering science, working in a local nursing home kitchen as a Dietary Aide, at a short drive from his home. The AR-15 style semi-automatic rifle used was purchased by Crook’s father about six months ago, and dad allowed the son to use it, like he had many times before. And Crooks purchased 50 rounds of ammunition on the day of the rally. He had a membership of the gun club in his area for at least a year. He had registered himself as a Republican voter but has made a USD 15 donation to a Democratic Party cause.

On the day of the shooting, Crooks drove his Hyundai Sonata to the rally and parked it outside the rally venue, with an explosive device hidden in the trunk of the car that was wired to a transmitter he carried. He had a bicycle, which he used to scout around the rally site and finally to reach the chosen position. He then scaled an air-conditioning unit of an adjacent building from the ground and pulled himself up onto the roof. He got up eight shots at Trump, about 400 feet away.

The AR (ArmaLite Rifle)-15, is a weapon of war, designed to be lightweight, easy to fire and carry in the field. It’s also a central symbol in the US gun debate; the most popular, and ubiquitous firearm in the US, with close to 25 million in civilian hands.

Law enforcement says, Crooks was identified as suspicious an hour before the shooting and Secret Service deemed him a threat 10 minutes prior to Trump going on stage. But allowed Trump to go ahead, anyway.

All eyes are on the Secret Service to explain how it could have suffered its biggest security failure since President Ronald Reagan was shot at in 1981. As a former president and presidential candidate, Trump receives Secret Service protection by law. And when it comes to campaign rallies, security sweeps around the event’s perimeter are typically routine. The Secret Service’s counter-sniper and counter-assault teams were at the Rally. Yet, a gunman was able to fire his weapon within 400 to 500 feet of where Trump took the stage, leaving many shocked and fearful that there could be more acts of political violence ahead of the November Elections. Of course, a President of the US is given over a thousand times more security than an ex-President. But the security-lapse is alarming and raises many red flags!

Later, turning-up with a neatly bandaged right ear, Trump announced his running-mate and Vice Presidential candidate as the 39 years old James David Vance. Eight years ago, in the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election, JD Vance was a bitter critic of Donald Trump. Publicly calling him an ‘idiot, and said he was ‘reprehensible’. Privately, he compared him to Adolf Hitler. He has since come-around.

Vance, was born in southern Ohio. And rose from poverty to become US Senator and now, a Vice Presidential candidate. Vance defeated Democratic Party Nominee Tim Ryan in the 2022 US Senate Election in Ohio State.

After serving in the Marine Corps, attending Yale Law School, and working as a venture capitalist in San Francisco, Vance rose to national prominence thanks to his bestselling 2016 Book, ‘Hillbilly Elegy’. In that memoir, he explored the socioeconomic problems confronting his hometown and his upbringing in Appalachia. And attempted to explain Trump’s popularity among impoverished working class white Americans.

He met his future wife Usha Chilukuri at Yale and married her in an interfaith Wedding ceremony in 2014: they were blessed by a Hindu Pandit, along with a Bible reading by Vance’s best friend. The couple have three children: Ewan, Vivek, and Mirabel.

Usha is a daughter of Indian immigrants, from a family of academic achievers. Her great-aunt, Shanthamma Chilukuri, 96, is celebrated as India’s oldest active professor. She teaches Physics and lives in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh State, commuting 60 km on most weekdays for her classes at Vizianagaram. And says, teaching is her passion and purpose in life. Usha’s family hails from Vadduru Village in Andhra Pradesh but moved to Chennai when her maternal grandfather took up a teaching assignment at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).

At the end of the Republican National Convention, Donald Trump accepted his Party’s nomination as Presidential candidate. During his acceptance speech, he rolled out a Rambo threat to the terrorist Hamas, “We want our hostages back. And they better be back before I assume Office, or you will be paying a very big price”. Great words indeed!

Israel: Fierce Battle

Last Saturday, news swirled about the possible killing of Muhammad Deif, the second in command of the Terrorist Hamas, in a deadly air-strike by Israel on the compound where intelligence indicated he was hiding. However, Israel has not confirmed whether it indeed killed Hamas’s elusive military leader. Israel seems confident he was at that location to meet with Khan Younis brigade commander Rafa’a Salameh. But it could be possible that Deif left, for some reason, minutes before the strike.

Israeli forces continued pounding areas in the central Gaza Strip, killing and are eliminating tens of Hamas terrorists almost every day. This Tuesday, the military said it had eliminated half of the leadership of Hamas’ military wing and killed or captured about 14,000 fighters since the start of the war, around half the fighting force estimated by the Israeli military. Israel says over 320 of its soldiers have been killed in Gaza. And the fighting goes on.

European Union(EU): Leaders Elected

Ursula von der Leyen, 65, of the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) was re-elected as President of the European Commission following a secret ballot among Members of European Parliament (MEP). She secured the backing of 401 MEPs at a vote in Strasbourg on Thursday – 41 more than required. Von der Leyen, was first elected in 2019. And will now serve another five years at the helm of the EU.

Von der Leyen is German, and worked as a Physician and Research Fellow before becoming a Politician. She is married to Physician Heiko von der Leyen – a Professor and CEO of a medical engineering company. The couple have seven children.

As head of the EU’s executive branch, the President sets the EU’s policy agenda, political direction, and priorities, leads a cabinet of commissioners and represents the EU at international meetings and summits.

The other two big EU jobs will be filled later this year by Antonio Costa, a former Socialist Prime Minister in Portugal, who will head the European Council, which represents the 27 EU governments; and by Estonia’s Kaja Kallas who has stepped down as Prime Minister to become the EU’s foreign policy chief.

Bangladesh: Reservations – Shaken

Bangladesh is on the boil. Thousands of students armed with sticks and rocks clashed with armed police in the capital Dhaka this Thursday. And mobile internet services were cut to quell anti-quota protests that have killed at least 16 people this week.

The nationwide agitation, the biggest since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was re-elected for a fourth time, is fuelled by high unemployment among the youth, with nearly a fifth of the 170 million population out of work or education.

Students have been holding rallies demanding change to a system which reserves a third of public sector jobs for the families and relatives of veterans of the country’s war for independence from Pakistan in 1971 -categorised as war heroes. Some jobs are also reserved for women, ethnic minorities. Government jobs are highly coveted in Bangladesh because they pay well. In total, more than half of the positions-amounting to hundreds of thousands-are reserved for certain groups. And takes the quota system to a whooping 56%.

The students are arguing that the system is discriminatory, demanding a merit-based approach to jobs.

India’s Karnataka Reservations – Stirred

Meanwhile, in India’s State of Karnataka, The State Government brought a bill, cleared on Monday, which requires Private Companies to prioritise local hires for 70 % of non-management roles, 50%of management-level jobs, and 100% reservation at certain lower levels. By every sound of the Bill, it appeared to be glaringly illegal and would not pass the Constitution test. And surely the Courts will chuck it out. But still, India’s Grand Old Party-The Indian National Congress-which rules the State, made a scene of it.

But then, there was a thunderous uproar, with many Bengaluru Companies saying they will move their business out of the State. And the nearby state of Andhra Pradesh began ogling at the opportunity, and turned on an infectious charm, with come hither looks. Karnataka suddenly found its tail settling between the legs and made a hasty retreat.

“The bill intended to implement reservation for Kannadigas in private sector institutions, industries and enterprises is still in the preparation stage. A final decision will be taken after comprehensive discussion in the next cabinet meeting”, said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Wonder where wisdom lies?

Air India: Gold

This week, an Air-India passenger flying on a normal flight from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to New Delhi on flight AI-992 raised suspicion with his continual refusal of in-flight food and drink during the over five hours flight. The airline must have felt slighted that its on-board cuisine wasn’t tickling enough for the man. An alert flight-attendant found this unusual and informed the Captain. And on landing the Passenger was placed under severe watch by Customs. On interrogation, he admitted to concealing gold in his body. He had about 1097 grams – with about INR 69 lakh – of the precious metals hidden in four capsules in his rectum. Indians love their gold, for sure. Never mind where it comes from.

Sports: Tennis and Football

Wimbledon

The Ladies Final saw Czech Barbora Krejcikova outplay Italian Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 2-6, 6-4, to win her first Wimbledon Singles Ladies Title. With the victory, Krejcikova emulated her late friend and coach Jana Novotna, who was Wimbledon Champion in 1998 and died from ovarian cancer in 2017, at the age of 49.

For Jasmine Paolini, 28, it was her second straight Grand Slam final defeat, after falling to Poland’s Iga Swiatek in straight sets in last month’s French Open.

In the Gentlemen’s Finals, Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz beat Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2, 7-6, to win the Wimbledon Singles Title, and now owns 4 Grand Slam Titles (1 U S Open, 1 French Open and 2 Wimbledon) at age 21. He also retains the title he won last year. He outclassed seven-time champion and 24 Grand Slam Title holder Djokovic. Alcaraz is also only the sixth man to win the French Open and the Wimbledon back to back.

Novak Djokovic says of Carlos Alcaraz, “He played every single shot better than I did: the way I felt on the court today against him, I was inferior on the court. He was a better player. That’s it. He played every single shot better than I did. I don’t think I could’ve done much more… he wasn’t allowing me to have free points on my serve. He played with a lot of variety. I’ve never seen him serve that way. I’ve never seen him serve that fast. He must’ve had a really good serving practice day, yesterday. He really outplayed me… he was better than me in every aspect of the game.”

Carlos Alcaraz received the trophy from a classy Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, who came back from her time-out, sizzling in a purple dress. And with daughter princess Charlotte fondly looking over her. The Royals received a standing ovation.

Eurocup 2024

Spain beat England in the European Football Championship, hosted by Germany from 14 June to 14 July 2024. The tournament involved 24 teams, with Georgia making their European Championship debut.

Spain had 65% possession to England’s 35% and double the passes made. England got a lucky draw with Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia and got lucky again in semi-finals beating Netherlands, but were finally outplayed by brilliant Spain.

Spain struck late, to win with a 2-1 victory over England on Sunday in Berlin to capture the trophy for a record fourth time. It was an intense first-half as Spain dominated, but England soaked in the pressure, and held them to a 0-0 scoreline. In the second-half, Spain struck early as Neco Williams scored in the 47th minute to give his side a 1-0 lead. But Cole Palmer equalised in the 73rd minute, bringing England back to the game. Spain substitute Mikel Oyarzabal scored a late winner in the 86th minute as his side won, 2-1.

More earful stories coming-up in the weeks ahead. ‘Fight’ with World Inthavaaram.

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2024-26

About: the world this week, 23 June 2024 to 29 June 2024: Israel readies another battle front; WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange gets freedom; Kenya in turmoil; China returns with goods from the Moon’s far side; and Diamond hunting in India.

Everywhere

Israel

Israel is sounding the world that its intense phase of fighting against Hamas is nearing an end. And in a sense is making strategic future plans. But the war will keep firing-on until Hamas stops controlling the Gaza. One plan is to move Israel’s troops to the northern part where a fight with the Iran-backed militant Hezbollah is brewing. Looks like Israel is gearing up to fight its war on several battle fronts.

Israel said it is interested in a ‘partial deal’ with Hamas that could free some of the 120 hostages still held in ‘horrific captivity’ for over 265 days. Meanwhile, Hezbollah has said it would continue raining rockets on Israel until there’s a cease-fire agreement in Gaza.

WikiLeaks

Julian Assange, 52, is an award-winning Australian editor, publisher, and activist who founded WikiLeaks in 2006. He rose to the limelight in 2010, when WikiLeaks published a series of sensitive leaks from United States (US) Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning. Of footage of a US airstrike in Baghdad, classified US military logs from the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, and US diplomatic cables.

In November 2010, Sweden issued a European arrest warrant for Assange on allegations of sexual assault. He lost an appeal, breached bail, and took refuge in the Ecuador’s Embassy in London, in June 2012. Ecuador granted him asylum in August 2012 on the grounds of political persecution and on fears that he might be extradited to the US.

Julian Assange launched the WikiLeaks Party in Australia-while in confinement in the Ecuadoran Embassy-and stood for the Australian Senate in 2013, but failed to win a single seat. Later, Swedish prosecutors dropped the sexual assault investigation in 2019. And in the same year, Assange’s asylum was withdrawn following a series of disputes with Ecuadorian authorities. Then the London police promptly arrested him. He was found guilty of breaching the United Kingdom’s Bail Act and sentenced to 50 weeks in prison.

The US tried to have Assange extradited, indicting him on charges of violating the Espionage Act of 1917 and conspiring with hackers. And charging him with computer intrusion conspiracy related to the leaks provided by Chelsea Manning – piling up a total of 18 criminal charges. Assange remained in prison in London from 2019 to June 2024, as the US Government’s extradition request was contested in the British Courts.

Now, this June 2024, Julian Assange agreed to a ‘Plea Deal’ with US prosecutors. During a three-hour hearing, Assange pleaded guilty to one criminal count of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified US national defence documents under the Espionage Act, in order to avoid potential imprisonment. But said he believed the US Constitution’s First Amendment, which protects free speech, shielded his activities.

He pleaded guilty in the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands -on the US Pacific island territory of Saipan. And thereafter walked out from court, as a free man.

Under the terms of the deal, US Justice Department prosecutors sought a sentence that allows for his immediate release. He was ordered to instruct WikiLeaks to destroy the information given by Chelsea Manning, providing an affidavit. The US territory in the western Pacific was chosen due to Assange’s opposition to travelling to the mainland US and for its proximity to Australia.

Assange then returned to Canberra, Australia, this Wednesday, in a private jet. His UK and Australian lawyer, Jennifer Robinson, thanked the Australian government for its years of diplomacy in securing Assange’s release after a 14 year saga, in what she called ‘criminalisation of journalism’. It is remarkable that Australia’s ‘quiet diplomacy’ secured freedom for Assange.

Kenya

Kenya is on the boil. Kenyans have been struggling to cope with several economic shocks caused by the lingering impact of the Covid19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, two consecutive years of drought, and depreciation of the national currency.

With this in the background, Kenyan President William Ruto’s Government introduced a Finance Bill in Parliament, which aimed to raise an additional USD 2.7 billion in taxes as part of an effort to lighten Kenya’s heavy debt load. Interest payments alone consume 37% of annual revenue. Parliament approved the finance bill, moving it through to a third reading by lawmakers. The next step was for the legislation to be sent to the President himself, for signing into law.

However, opposition to raising of taxes quietly built-up, descended into unprecedented, never-before seen protests and violence in Kenya. Police had to fire on demonstrators who tried storming Parliament and threw stones at Police lines. The protests began in a festival-like atmosphere, but as crowds swelled, police fired tear gas in Nairobi’s Central Business District and the poor neighbourhood of Kibera. Police also fired tear gas in Eldoret, President Ruto’s hometown in western Kenya, where crowds of protesters filled the streets and many businesses shut-shop, fearing violence.

In chaotic scenes in the capital Nairobi, protesters overwhelmed the police, entered the Parliament compound and set parts of it on fire. Protests and clashes also took place in several other cities and towns across Kenya, with many calling for Ruto to quit and voicing their opposition to the tax rises. Clearly, it became the biggest assault on Kenyan democracy, in decades.

In a televised address to the nation, Ruto said the tax debate had been ‘hijacked by dangerous people’, but persisted with the Finance Bill.

Ruto won an election almost two years ago on a platform of championing Kenya’s working poor. But, has been caught between the competing demands of lenders such as the International Monetary Fund, which is urging the government to cut deficits to obtain more funding, and a hard-pressed population. Opposition politicians called on Ruto to step down.

Feeling the heat, the government then made some concessions, promising to scrap proposed new taxes on bread, cooking oil, car ownership, and financial transactions. But that was not enough for the protesters. The finance ministry says the concessions would blow a 200 billion Kenyan shilling (USD 1.56 billion) hole in the 2024-25 budget, and compel the government to make spending cuts or raise taxes elsewhere.

Then, after all the tough talk, in the middle of the week, President Ruto did a U-turn and withdrew the contentious Finance Bill, saying he will not sign the Bill into law. He said he heard the voice of the people, and has conceded.

But then, Kenyan police had to put up roadblocks on streets leading to the presidential palace on Thursday as some protesters vowed to ‘occupy’ the State House; despite the president’s climbdown on proposed tax hikes that sparked a week of demonstrations.

Raiders of the Moon

China’s Chang’e-6 lunar module returned to Earth this Tuesday, successfully completing its historic mission to collect the first-ever samples from the far side of the moon. The re-entry module landed, via parachute, in the designated zone in China’s Northern Inner Mongolia region just after 2 pm local time. A search team located the module minutes after its landing. And first visuals showed a worker carrying out checks on the module, which lay on grassland, beside a Chinese flag.

The module is expected to contain up to 2 kilograms of moon dust and rocks from the lunar far side, which will be analysed by researchers in China before being opened for access by international scientists.

Diamonds of India

For about 3,000 years, India was the only source of diamonds in the world, until deposits were discovered in South Africa and Brazil. In India, diamond resources are concentrated in the three states of Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.

Madhya Pradesh has 90.17% at 28,709,136 carats, followed by Andhra Pradesh at 5.73% with 1,822,955 carats and Chhattisgarh at 4.10% with 1,304,000 carats, of resources, according to Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM). The total resources of diamonds in the country, as in the year 2015, was estimated at 31,836,091 carats with 756,765 carats gem grade, 840,823 carats industrial grade, and 30,238,503 carats unclassified grade.

The Central Government controlled National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) is the only authorised miner of diamonds in India, which organises and controls the mining.

Panna, a region in Madhya Pradesh, about 400 kilometres away from the state capital, Bhopal, is known for its diamond mines, which have been supplying precious diamonds for thousands of years.

Behind that glitter lurks the dark reality of the local people facing poverty, malnutrition, unemployment, and migration in Panna’s backward Bundelkhand region, which also faces severe distress due to water woes. Rich in minor forest produce such as tendu leaves (used for wrapping the tobacco of cigarettes and beedis) and mahua (a kind of tropical tree), the region is also a natural habitat for wildlife including tigers, leopards, Indian fox, sloth bear, and other animals.

NMDC Panna, is the only diamond mine in the country with more than 74 hectares of mechanised mining. The diamonds come mainly from the Diamond Mining Project at the Majhgawan mine – the only mechanised diamond mine in India, which started operations in 1971. The Majhgawan Diamond Pipe, as it is called, is located at about 15 km from the Panna town. It is equipped with facilities of, Ore Processing Plant, heavy media separation unit, X-ray sorter for diamond operations, and a disposal system.

However, the smaller mines of Panna are open cast mines that use traditional techniques and hand tools. The process involves four steps – digging, collecting soil mixed with small stones, washing the soil away with water, and finding diamonds among the stones. Big rocks are broken with hand tools to get smaller stones.

Hundreds of mine owners and thousands of workers are involved in diamond mining in the region.

In Panna, ‘finding diamonds; involves a specific procedure. First, individuals must obtain a License from the diamond office by submitting photos, proof of Identity, address, and finally paying a fee. The License is valid for one year at the designated mine site. License holders are allotted a 8×8 metre plot for digging. Any diamond found must be submitted to the Govt Designated Office for quality and price assessment before it goes to auction, where the government takes a 12.5% royalty. And there are around a dozen mine sites designated by the district mineral department.

Finding a diamond is not easy, and it may take a lifetime for a person to find a single piece of precious stone, unless Lady Luck smiles on you.

Late last week, on 22nd June, a stroke of extraordinary luck struck a poor farmer who unearthed a dazzling 6.65-carat diamond in the Pati diamond mining area of Panna. The farmer Deshraj and his wife, residents of Gaureya Kakrahati, immediately deposited it at the local diamond office. Inside, a gem expert, meticulously examined the diamond under a magnifying lens, ensuring its authenticity and quality and testing it for its clarity and brilliance, using specialised tools. Then the diamond was carefully placed on a precision scale, the digital display confirming its impressive 6.65-carat size. Deshraj was overjoyed at the newfound fortune. The diamond will be auctioned in the upcoming diamond auction.

Deshraj, who had obtained a mining lease from the diamond office, had previously discovered a 1.35-carat diamond just days before this remarkable find. His perseverance is noteworthy, and it is expected that both his diamonds have been secured and will be featured in the next auction.

The Panna diamonds have not made much of a buzz in India or abroad because the precious stones are ‘average’ quality, But that does not stop the rush to find diamonds. The best stones found in the district usually fall in the ‘G’ Grade on a D-Z scale of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) colour-scale. According to the GIA scale, ‘D’ – colourless-grade diamonds are the highest valued while ‘Z’-light coloured- are of the lowest value. The ‘G’ Grade diamonds of Panna are considered just average. But a stone worth lakhs of rupees or even above a crore of rupees is found once in a while. It is such finds, which receive big publicity, that attracts miners.

One of the most famous diamonds in the world, from India, is the Koh-i-noor Diamond – boasting a weight of 105.6 carats- believed to be have been mined in Kollur Mines, Golconda, Andhra Pradesh State, during the Kakatiya Dynasty’s rule in the 17th century. The diamond, now sitting on the British Crown, has a spectacular history and a thrilling story on how it got to its ‘present position’. The diamond originally weighed 191 carats, but it was re-cut to enhance its fire and brilliance in 1852 by Britain’s then Royal Jeweller.

More precious stories coming-up in the weeks ahead. Find your own diamond with World Inthavaaram.

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2024-24

About: the world this week, 9 June 2024 to 15 June 2024: Israel Rescues; EU Elections; G7 Meets; Terror in India’s J&K; India swears-in new governments; Kuwait fire tragedy; and the French Open Tennis concludes.

Everywhere

Israel’s Operation Arnon

In a heroic rescue mission in the Nuseirat refugee camp, Central Gaza, Israel Defence Forces (IDF) rescued 4 hostages who were kidnapped on 7 October 2023, by Hamas terrorists from southern Israel: Noa Argamani, age 26, Shlomi Ziv, 39, Almog Meir, 22, and Andrey Kozlov, 27. All four are now back and safe in Israel. The stupendous Rescue Operation was renamed ‘Operation Arnon’ after the IDF Officer who was killed during the rescue.

The hostages were held in two residential homes by local civilian families, in Nuseirat, where the IDF does not operate. It is called a camp, but in reality it’s a bustling town. The IDF special forces, YAMAM, entered the neighbourhood, which includes a large market, in civilian vehicles with Gazan registration numbers and raided both houses simultaneously. Meanwhile, the military created confusion by attacking other Hamas locations in the area. Chief Inspector Arnon Zamora was critically injured during the initial raid and later succumbed to his wounds. On the way out, the forces came under heavy rocket and machine gun fire from hundreds of terrorists who swarmed the roofs and streets of Nuseirat. A truck carrying three of the hostages was damaged and became stuck. To rescue the stranded forces, the IDF moved major forces into the market, including helicopters that came under enemy missile fire. The helicopter which rescued the stranded troops and hostages landed near the American pier in Gaza while the trucks, now with armoured escort, reached the sea and were taken back to Israel on more helicopters.

Over 270 Palestinians were killed during the rescue operation, which caused an instant outrage from the world. There are still over 120 hostages, in captivity for over 240 days, waiting to be rescued.

This operation was the third successful hostage rescue operation completed by the IDF since the start of the war, and without doubt the most spectacular one. One of the hostages, Chinese-Israeli Noa Argamani returned just in time for her father’s birthday.

European Union Elections

In the European Union (EU) elections, people in EU countries vote for Members to represent them in the European Parliament (MEPs). Elections take place in all 27 EU countries, every five years. The last elections were held in May 2019. This year, the Elections were held between 6th June and the 9th June. As the only EU institution directly elected by voters across 27 countries, it connects European citizens to the two other big institutions: the EU’s executive branch – the European Commission – and the European Council, which is made up of ministers from governments of EU member countries.

The European Parliament shapes the direction of EU laws and policies by making laws and deciding on international agreements, and the kind. It must endorse the EU’s annual budget, and it can ask the Commission to propose legislation.

MEPs do not sit in Parliament according to nationality. Most of them join ‘Political Groups’ that share similar political values and objectives. A Political Group must have at least 23 MEPs from seven EU countries. Members cannot belong to more than one Group; alternatively they may choose not to join any Group and remain ‘not-attached’.

With this year’s Election results out, the ground beneath the feet of EU leaders has shifted after voting across the EU delivered a clear turn to the right, shaking up governments in member states and leaving mainstream groups at a crossroads.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen claimed victory after her centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) won the most seats of any single group-190 seats out of 720 – tightening its influence in the European Parliament.

Traditionally, the two biggest Groups are the centre-right EPP and the centre-left Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D)- who won 136 seats. But other groups have become increasingly significant, such as the Renew Europe Group with 80 seats, the European Conservatives, and Reformists Group with 76 seats. Until now, the centre-right has tended to work together with the centre-left but the EPP will come under pressure to seek new allies.

Far-right parties having rattled the traditional powers in the European Union, dealing an especially humiliating defeat to French President Emmanuel Macron. Undoubtedly, the star on a stunning electoral night was the National Rally party of Marine Le Pen, which dominated the French polls to such an extent that Macron immediately dissolved the France’s national parliament and called for snap elections. It was a massive political risk since his party could suffer more losses, hobbling the rest of his presidential term that ends in 2027. Le Pen was delighted to accept the challenge. “We’re ready to turn the country around, ready to defend the interests of the French, ready to put an end to mass immigration,” she said, echoing the rallying cry of so many far-right leaders in other countries who were celebrating substantial wins.

With the EU palpably shifting to the right, Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni more than doubled her seats in the EU Parliament.

The move to the right could put the brakes on plans for new climate and sustainability laws and influence social or economic legislation. The EU’s strong backing for financial and military aid for Ukraine could also be affected.

The Group of Seven

Italy is hosting the annual summit of leaders from the Group of Seven (G7) major democracies from 13 June to 15 June. The summit is being held in Borgo Egnazia in the southern region of Puglia – a luxury hotel with a Michelin starred restaurant tucked inside.

The G7 comprises the United States, Japan, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom. The European Union participates in all discussions-represented by the Presidents of both the European Council and the European Commission.

The host country traditionally invites ‘outside guests’ to join some of the sessions. This year, Italy welcomes Pope Francis, the King of Jordan, leaders of Ukraine, India, Brazil, Argentina, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Kenya, Algeria, Tunisia, and Mauritania – which holds the presidency of the African Union.

This Thursday, the G7 agreed on an outline deal to provide USD 50 billion of loans for Ukraine using interest from Russian sovereign assets frozen after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in 2022. This was the centrepiece of the opening day and was attended, for a second successive year, by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He signed a new, long-term security accord with US President Joe Biden after signing a 10-year security accord with Japan, which promised to provide Ukraine with USD 4.5 billion this year -underlining continued strong backing from the West.

Calling the frozen asset agreement a ‘significant outcome’, Joe Biden said it was “another reminder to Russian President Vladimir Putin that we’re not backing down”. The G7 plan for Ukraine is based on a multi-year loan using profits from some USD 300 billion of impounded Russian funds, the bulk of which are blocked in the EU.

The G7 may have a very different complexion next year. Biden faces an uphill battle to win re-election in November, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak looks certain to lose power in a national election next month, while French President Macron dissolved his country’s parliament on Sunday after his party was trounced in the European vote.

However, the display of unity was undermined late in the day, when Macron clashed with the anti-abortion Meloni over a push by Italy to remove any direct reference to abortion rights in the final communique.

The ‘outside guests’ will join the discussions on Friday. Pope Francis is due to speak about the risks and potential of Artificial Intelligence.

India: All Eyes on Reasi

India’s Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) State is returning to peace, for sure, but the sporadic acts of Islamic terror is worrisome and seems to be on an upward trend, especially during Hindu pilgrimages. It’s a tails-up situation for India and perhaps some kind of deadly action is required to prevent further acts of terror.

On 9th June several unidentified terrorists opened fire on a 53-seater Yatri passenger bus carrying Hindu pilgrims from the Shiv Khori cave to Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine in Katra, Reasi, in J&K, causing it to lose control and plummet into a deep gorge. Nine people were killed and 41 were injured. The ambush, by armed terrorists firing between 25 and 30 gunshots indiscriminately, happened at about 6pm in Teryath village. The driver was struck by gunfire leading to the loss of control. Even after the bus fell into the gorge, the firing continued. Ten people, including a two-year-old and a 14-year-old, were killed and 33 were injured. The victims were from Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. At least ten victims had gunshot wounds and empty cartridges were recovered at the scene. The ambush happened about an hour before Narendra Modi took the oath as Prime Minister for a third term.

Two days later, the J&K Police released a sketch of a terrorist involved in the ambush and announced a INR 20 lakh reward for information leading to his capture.

India’s New Governments: Centre & State

India’s new ‘coalition’ Government was inaugurated on the 11th June with Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking oath of office along with his cabinet colleagues. Also during the week, new Governments in the States of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha began work.

N Chandrababu Naidu took oath as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh for the fourth time. Despite having a majority on his own, he gave away the Deputy Chief Minister Post to Pawan Kalyan, the founder of the Jana Sena Party. His is an interesting story.

Pawan Kalyan is an Actor, primarily working in Telugu cinema, known for his unique acting style and mannerisms. He has a large fan base, a cult following, and is one of the highest-paid actors of Indian cinema. Kalyan has been featured in Forbes India’s Celebrity 100 list multiple times since 2013. He is a black belt in Karate and trains in various martial arts, which he depicts in his films regularly. Kalyan is referred to as Power Star by his fans and in the media. He is the founder of the charity, Common Man Protection Force.

Pawan Kalyan entered politics as the youth wing president of his brother, Actor Chiranjeevi’s political venture, Praja Rajyam Party, but he left after it merged into the Congress party. He founded the Jana Sena Party in March 2014.

The Jana Sena Party has contested 140 constituencies in the 2019 Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly elections. Kalyan has contested two constituencies and lost in both to candidates from YSR Congress Party. His party was able to win from only one seat – the first ever in an election.

The Jana Sena Party contested 21 constituencies in the 2024 Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, with Kalyan himself contesting in Pithapuram constituency. He won by a margin of more than 70,000 votes; Jana Sena Party won in all the contested 21 constituencies and 2 Lok Sabha seats.

In the state of Odisha, four-time MLA and tribal leader Mohan Charan Majhi, 52, was sworn in as the first BJP Chief Minister of the State in Bhubaneswar. Outgoing Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, 77, who ruled from March 2000 to June 2024, showed up for the ceremony, in a fabulous gesture of smooth transition of power. He was one of the longest serving Chief Ministers in India’s history.

Kuwait Fire Tragedy

This week 49 people, 45 of who were Indians, were killed in a fire tragedy in Kuwait’s Mangaf area. About 50 sustained injuries. The Indians who died were mostly from the States of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh. The others were Pakistanis, Filipinos, Egyptian, and Nepali workers.

The fire originated in a kitchen of a building, housing 195 migrant workers employed by NBTC Group-an engineering and construction firm. The majority of fatalities were caused by smoke inhalation. Some died after jumping from the building, which was on fire. 93 people managed to escape unharmed. Kuwait’s Fire Force has determined that an electrical short circuit was the cause of the fire.

The NBTC Group is partly owned by an Indian, KG Abraham, 69, who is the Managing Director. Established in 1977, the company operates in UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. Incidentally KG Abraham co-produced a film called ‘Aadujeevitham – The Goat Life ’ that depicted the challenges faced by a worker from Kerala in Saudi Arabia. KGA is also the founder and Chairman of the KGA Group a company that deals in engineering goods manufacturing and exporting. He also owns the Crowne Plaza, a five-star Hotel in Kochi.

The fire is the worst ever Building fire in Kuwait’s history and threw the spotlight on poor safety standards. Calls was made for action on landlords and company owners who violate the law to house large numbers of foreign labourers in extremely unsafe conditions, to cut costs.

The fire is the second largest fire disaster in Kuwait in terms of the death toll. In August 2009 a woman, angry over her husband getting married a second time, had set fire to a wedding tent killing 56 women and children.

Later in the week, the bodies of the 45 Indians were brought back to Kochi, India, by a special Indian Air Force plane and handed over to the families for final rites.

French Open Tennis

The 2024 French Open is a Grand Slam tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was held at the Roland Garros Stadium in Paris, France, from 26 May to 9 June 2024,

The men’s singles title was won by Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, who defeated Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the final to lift his third Grand Slam title. He also became the youngest player to win a Grand Slam across three different surfaces.

World No 1, Poland’s Iga Natalia Swiatek successfully defended her women’s singles title by defeating Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in the final. It was her fifth Grand Slam title and her third consecutive French Open trophy.

Iga Swiatek only recently turned 23 years of age. She hails from Poland that had never produced a singles Grand Slam Champion – until she came along. Young by many standards, and improbable by some others, every vintage of the Polish juggernaut’s tennis is somehow better than the previous. In the finals last Saturday, Swiatek’s dominance bubbled over as she powered past Italy’s Jasmine Paolini, 6-2, 6-1 to become the first woman to win three consecutive women’s singles titles since Justine Henin in 2007.

With the victory, Swiatek becomes the youngest player in history to claim four Roland-Garros women’s singles titles (the only player to do it before turning 25), and the sixth youngest woman in history to claim five Grand Slam singles titles. In 2020, Swiatek won her maiden title in Paris, becoming the lowest-ranked champion in Open era history (at No.54 in the rankings) and the youngest champion since Monica Seles since 1992. Four years later, she continues her reign as the world’s top player – and most formidable on the Parisian clay – by notching her 21st consecutive victory at Roland-Garros. That’s formidable!

More interesting stories playing in the weeks ahead. Watch the world with World Inthavaaram.

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2024-23

About: the world this week, 2 June 2024 to 8 June 2024: Israel and Lebanon; China on the Moon; General Elections – Mexico, South Africa, India.

Everywhere

Israel and Lebanon

While Israel continues its deadly foray into Rafah in the Gaza Strip and the hostage situation remains unmoving, tension is ramping up at the Israel-Lebanon border. This week, the Iran-backed militant organisation Hezbollah claimed responsibility for an attack in northern Israel that left multiple people injured. In another incident, in Lebanon, a gunman wearing what looked like ISIS insignia was arrested after firing shots at the United States (US) Embassy.

With no sign of progress in mediators’ efforts to broker a ceasefire in the Gaza war, Israeli tanks and warplanes blasted central and southern areas overnight, killing over 20 Palestinians. Qatari and Egyptian mediators, backed by the US, have tried to halt hostilities, secure the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinians jailed in Israel, and get aid flowing into Gaza to ease a humanitarian crisis. But there are still no signs of a breakthrough.

Late in the week an Israeli air strike on a United Nations school, packed with displaced Palestinians, in central Gaza, has reportedly killed at least 35 people. Israel’s military said it had conducted a precise strike on a Hamas compound in the school and killed many of the 20 to 30 fighters it believed were inside. Of course, Hamas denied the claim and accused Israel of carrying out a horrific massacre.

China on the Moon

This Sunday China successfully landed on the ‘far side of the Moon’, the dark lunar hemisphere – an unexplored region where almost no one tries to go. The far side permanently faces away from Earth, is technically challenging to reach due to the distance, has a difficult terrain of giant, deep craters, and few flat surfaces to land on.

The uncrewed spacecraft Chang’e-6 touched down in the South Pole-Aitken Basin after completing a multi-stage landing process, announced the China National Space Administration (CNSA). Launched on 3rd May, the mission’s goal was to collect the world’s first rock and soil samples from the area and bring them back to Earth.

The landing was fraught with risks, owing to the difficulty in communicating with the spacecraft once it reaches the far side, requiring the use of a Satellite for the purpose.

China is the only country to have achieved the feat before, landing its Chang’e-4 in 2019. This is the second such mission to collect samples from the Moon. In 2020, Chang’e-5 brought back 1.7 kg of material from an area called Oceanus Procellarum, on the Moon’s near side.

After being launched from the Wenchang Space Launch Center, the Chang’e-6 spacecraft orbited the Moon waiting for the right time to land. The Lander then separated from the Orbiter to touch down on the Moon. During the descent, an autonomous visual obstacle avoidance system was used to automatically detect obstacles, with a visible light camera selecting a comparatively safe landing area based on the brightness and darkness of the lunar surface. The lander hovered about 100 metres above the safe landing area, and used a laser 3D scanner before it began a slow vertical descent. The operation was supported by the Queqiao-2 relay satellite.

After spending two days gathering materials from the Moon’s surface, the lunar probe successfully took off, this Tuesday, to begin its journey back to Earth, carrying the first samples ever collected from the region -in a metal vacuum container. Rocks and soil were gathered using a mechanical arm and a drill to collect about 2 kg of material from a gigantic crater in the South Pole.

Once the samples safely reach Earth, China would become the first country to bring back rock and soil samples from the far side of the Moon, which scientists say could be very different from rock formations on the near side. The CNSA announced the conclusion of taking samples, saying the craft had ‘withstood the test of high temperature on the far side of the Moon’ and was now beginning its return. After taking off, the module then entered a ‘pre-set orbit around the Moon’. The container is then transferred to a re-entry capsule set to return to Earth, landing in the deserts of Inner Mongolia around 25th June.

Elections in Mexico

Mexico has a new kind of President: a woman, a scientist, a noble-prize winner, a mayor, all rolled into one.

This Sunday, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo won a landslide victory to become Mexico’s first female president. She is a climate scientist and a former mayor of Mexico City. She won the presidency with between 58.3% and 60.7% of the vote which is the highest vote percentage in Mexico’s democratic history. Sheinbaum was mentored by outgoing leader Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, whose popularity among the poor helped drive her triumph.

“For the first time in the 200 years of the republic, I will become the first woman president of Mexico,” Sheinbaum told supporters to loud cheers of “President, President”. She is also the first woman to win a general election in the region of United States, Mexico, or Canada.

Victory for Sheinbaum is a major step for Mexico, a country known for its macho culture and home to the world’s second-biggest Roman Catholic population, which for years pushed more traditional values and roles for women.

The Election was the most violent in Mexico’s modern history with 38 candidates murdered during the process. Sheinbaum has vowed to improve security and address massive security problems. Many analysts say organized crime groups expanded and deepened their influence during Lopez Obrador’s term. Sunday’s vote was also marred by the killing of two people at polling stations in Puebla state. More people have been killed – over 185,000 – during the mandate of Lopez Obrador than during any other administration in Mexico’s modern history, although the homicide rate has been inching down.

The ruling coalition was also on track for a possible two-thirds super majority in both houses of Congress, which would allow the coalition to pass constitutional reforms without opposition support.

Opposition candidate Xochitl Galvez conceded defeat after preliminary results showed her taking between 26.6% and 28.6% of the vote.

Claudia Sheinbaum was born in a secular Jewish family in Mexico City. Her paternal Ashkenazi grandparents emigrated from Lithuania to Mexico City in the 1920s. Her maternal Sephardic grandparents emigrated there from Sofia, Bulgaria, in the early 1940s to escape the Holocaust. She celebrates the major Jewish holidays at her grandparents’ homes. Both of her parents are scientists: her mother, Annie Pardo Cemo, is a biologist and professor emeritus at the Faculty of Sciences at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and her father, Carlos Sheinbaum Yoselevitz, was a chemical engineer. Her brother, Julio, is a physicist.

A scientist by profession, Sheinbaum received her Doctor of Philosophy in energy engineering from the National Autonomous University of Mexico. She has authored over 100 articles and two books on energy, the environment, and sustainable development. Sheinbaum has a background in environmental policy, having served as Minister of the Environment for Mexico City and worked on the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which would go on to win a Nobel Prize.

Sheinbaum married Carlos Imaz in 1987 and have a daughter, born in 1988. They separated in 2016. In November 2023, Sheinbaum married Jesus Maria Tarriba Unger, a financial risk analyst for the Bank of Mexico.

Elections in South Africa

Nelson Mandela’s African National Congress (ANC) party has ruled South Africa, in an unbridled run, for three decades. However, this time the ANC faces a mammoth challenge as it needs to form a government with its political rivals: after suffering a seismic blow in last week’s elections, final results of which we declared this Sunday, by the Independent Electoral Commission. For the first time since the end of apartheid in 1994, the once-dominant party will need to make a deal with other parties to form a coalition government.

The Elections were held for the National Assembly, which has 400 seats. 200 seats is required for an outright majority. The ANC won 159 seats with 40.18 % votes; the Democratic Alliance (DA), the main opposition party, received the second-highest number of seats with 87 and 21.81% votes; the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party won 58 seats with 14.58% votes, and the other parties won a total of 77 seats.

In the previous election in 2019, the ANC had won 230 seats with 57.5% of the votes.

A pivotal factor in this Election is former-President Jacob Zuma’s newly formed 5-month -old party, MK-named after ANC’s former armed wing, meaning spear of the nation. He capitalised on widespread discontent within ANC’s traditional voter base, finishing third. Zuma is a fierce critic of current ANC Leader and President Cyril Ramaphosa, ever since he was forced to resign in 2018. This election saw a dramatic comeback by Zuma.

The opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) led by John Steenhuisen is seen as a Party of White South Africans.

The Newly Elected National Assembly will have 14 days to hold its first sitting, when members will elect the President for the next 5 years by a simple majority.

Elections in India: The Dance of Democracy

The counting of votes in India’s General Elections to the Lok Sabha happened on 4 June 2024, and it was a stunning verdict, comprehensively defeating all predictions, be it the Exit Polls or the Opinion Polls. The predicted Landslide, for the ruling party, did not materialise.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which targeted a ‘wild majority’ on its own-about 370 seats-and dared an overwhelming majority of over 400 seats with its Alliance Partners in the 543 seated Parliament, was humbled. The slogan ‘Ab ki baar, 400 paar’ (this time 400 seats) saw it struggle to cross 300.

The BJP won 240 seats-32 short of a majority on its own and the pre-poll National Democratic Alliance (NDA) – led by the BJP -won a total of 293 seats well above the majority mark of 272, required to form the Government. The BJP depends heavily on two of its allies in the NDA, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), a regional party in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, and the Janata Dal (United) – JDU- which rules the northern state of Bihar. Both of them have pledged support to the BJP along with others in the Alliance.

The opposition I.N.D.I.A Alliance (Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance) led by the Grand Old Party of India – the Congress- won 230 seats, more than forecasted. In fact, they consistently said their Alliance would get 295 seats and form the Government. The Congress alone won 99, almost double the 52 it won in 2019 – a surprise jump probably increasing the fortunes of the dynasty, which has had a steel-hand grip on the party, for decades.

The I.N.D.I.A Alliance met in New Delhi and after making some noises and desperate attempts to form a Government, gave-up, and decided to sit in the Opposition.

Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi tendered his resignation on Wednesday to President Droupadi Murmu after a cabinet met and recommended the dissolution of the current Parliament. Later, he submitted letters of support from the NDA partners for the formation of a new Government. Modi and his new cabinet are scheduled to be sworn-in on 9th June, for a historic third term.

The BJP lost most of the ground in rural areas where land and labour reforms are still to be unlocked. In Uttar Pradesh (UP), the party lost nearly half its seats, down to 33 from its 2019 tally of 62, while in Maharashtra, India’s richest state that includes financial powerhouse Mumbai, it slumped to a dismal nine seats from its previous tally of 23. Modi’s own victory in his seat of Varanasi, located in UP and considered one of the holiest cities for Hindus, was subdued: his margin of victory down from nearly 5,00,000 votes at the last general election in 2019 to a little more than 1,50,000 this time.

The saving grace for the BJP was a superlative performance in, the State of Odisha where it swept the Lok Sabha Elections with 20 seats and also won a comfortable majority in the State Assembly Elections – held simultaneously. In a first time ever, it comes to power in Odisha ousting the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Party headed by veteran Naveen Patnaik who has ruled for 5 consecutive terms, for over 24 years. The BJP won 78 seats in the 147 seated Assembly, while the BJD won only 52 seats.

In the State of Andhra Pradesh it aligned with Telugu Desam Party (a master stroke – in hindsight) and the Jana Sena, to win 3 seats, the TDP winning 16 seats, and the Jana Sena winning 2 seats. The BJP also won 8 seats in the Assembly, the Jana Sena Party won 21 seats, and the TDP 135 seats – out of 175 seats. The win also marks the remarkable return of three-time Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu who has styled himself as a development icon when he first became Chief Minister in the year 1995.

The reduced victory and reduced majority in parliament may not necessarily mean reform paralysis: necessary reforms are entirely feasible. Delivering sustained growth at an accelerated pace can only strengthen the government’s hand in the coming years.

Many world leaders have crawled across the finishing line in their third-term elections, and Modi is no exception. The BJP remains India’s single largest party by seats, and Modi has successfully secured a third term with his Allies matching the record of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister.

But the significant loss of seats for the BJP-more than 50-dims the allure of a third term, especially given the campaign targeting 400 coalition seats, making anything less seem like an under-achievement. The drop in seats could be due to joblessness, rural distress, growing inequality between the rich and the poor, among many other things. This 400 seats campaign has backfired, with such a massive majority probably raising fears of constitutional changes and that reservations to the poorest sections might be spiked. This time the ‘Modi Ki Guarantee’ campaign brought back memories of the 2004 ‘overconfident’, India Shining campaign, which saw the BJP lose power to the Congress, despite doing great developmental work. And this time the work done was outstanding, many times over. But it ‘cut no ice’ with the voter. Lots to think about!

By gathering 25 opposition parties to fight one party – the BJP – the Congress increased its vote share by 1.55% (19.67% to 21.22%) and cut BJP’s vote share by 1.22% (37.7% to 36.58%). That brought BJP’s seats down from 303 to 240. Almost all 63 seats lost were from Maharashtra (23) & UP (30).

The BJP could not breach the southern States of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry were it did not win a single seat, but saw a significant increase in its vote share in Tamil Nadu. Kerala was a hint of times to come, with the BJP winning its first-ever seat from Thrissur. West Bengal continued to awfully tough: the expectations were sky-high and the BJP won only 12 of 42 seats.

Maybe it’s back to coalition politics in India. And the Indian voter is a tough customer. Ultimately, Indian democracy came out shining brightly in the dark background of all kinds of accusations, by the Opposition, on the Electronic Voting Machines and other processes.

More dancing stories coming-up in the weeks ahead. Vote for World Inthavaaram.

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2024-22

About: the world this week, 26 May 2024 to 1 June 2024: Israel gets going in Rafah; landslide in Papua New Guinea; a US President is convicted; India’s Elections, the Heat, Rockets, and Sport; and Cannes 2024.

Everywhere

Israel Tunnels into Rafah

Israel pushes ahead, surgically and clinically, deep into Rafah.

An Israeli airstrike, early this week, triggered a fire that killed about 45 people in a tent camp in Rafah, prompting a wild outcry from global leaders who urged the implementation of a World Court order to halt Israel’s assault. The strike set tents and rickety metal shelters ablaze.

Israel’s military said it was investigating a precision strike it carried out against Hamas commanders in Rafah, which could have caused the fire, and was never intended to cause civilian casualties. In Rafah, about 1 million non-combatant residents have already been evacuated and despite best efforts, something could have tragically gone wrong. More than half of the dead were women, children, and elderly people.

Later in the week, the facts about the airstrike and the fire that followed, emerged, making things clear.

The airstrike that targeted senior Hamas commanders was more than a mile away from the safe zone for Palestinian civilians and more than 550 feet away from the shelters Hamas had falsely claimed were targeted in the incident. The munitions used were the smallest possible, far smaller than what other Western Militaries use in comparable situations. The munitions could not themselves have ignited a fire of the size that resulted in the deaths of Palestinian civilians, indicating that Hamas weapons stored in or near the targeted structure—of which Israel was unaware—may have exploded and caused the fire. Footage of the scene taken by Palestinians and uploaded to social media appears to show secondary explosions, further indicating the presence of weapons in the area. A phone call within Gaza, intercepted by Israeli intelligence, contained the admission that the structure targeted by the airstrike served as an ammunition warehouse, that secondary explosions took place. And that the Israeli airstrike wasn’t powerful enough to have ignited the fire. Hamas has been operating from the area since 7 October 2023; a rocket launcher used to fire rockets into Israel was located 150 feet from the targeted structure, suggesting that additional weapons were likely stored nearby and may have caused the fire.

Israel now controls the entire Philadelphi Corridor – a 14 km narrow strip of land between Gaza and Egypt – uncovering a far great number of tunnels crossing into Egypt than previously discovered.

While ‘All Eyes on Rafah’ was trending on social media, in support of Palestine, wonder why the eyes shifted from the 120 hostages, still under captivity for over 230 days. And the barbarism of 7 October 2023, by Hamas, is still livid.

A Landslide

Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a country in the Pacific Ocean that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia -a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean, north of Australia. It shares its only land border with Indonesia to the west, and it is directly adjacent to Australia to the south, and the Solomon Islands to the east. Its capital, Port Moresby, is located along its southeastern coast. The country is the world’s third-largest island country.

PNG is a country of immense cultural and biological diversity known for its beaches and coral reefs. Tucked inside are active volcanoes, a dense rainforest, hiking routes like the Kokoda Trail, and many traditional tribal villages, with their own languages.

PNG regularly experiences landslides and natural disasters but the latest landslide is one of the most devastating it has seen in recent years. Parts of a mountain in the Maip-Mulitaka area in Enga province, in PNG’s north, collapsed in the early hours of last Friday killing more than 2,000 people and affecting up to 70,000 people living in the area. An entire village with shops, a fuel station, a lodge, a church, and a school all went under the rubble.

Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape blamed extraordinary rainfall and changes to weather patterns for multiple disasters this year, including the landslide.

“Our people in that village went to sleep for the last time, not knowing they would breathe their last breath as they were sleeping peacefully. Nature threw a disastrous landslip, submerged or covered the village. This year, we had extraordinary rainfall that has caused flooding in river areas, sea level rise in coastal areas and landslips in a few areas,” Marape said.

“It’s basically a mountain that has fallen on their heads,” said an officer with the UN development programme. Thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate amid further earth slips in the region.

Residents have been using shovels and bare hands to dig through mud and debris almost two storeys high, even as officials said chances of finding survivors were slim. Rescue teams have been slow to reach the site because of the treacherous terrain and tribal unrest in the remote area, forcing the military to escort convoys of relief teams.

Donald Trump of the United States of America

This week, former President Donald Trump earned the dubious distinction of becoming the first US President to be convicted of a crime. A 12-member jury found Trump guilty of falsifying documents to coverup a payment to silence a porn star’s account of a sexual encounter, ahead of the 2016 election. He was found guilty on all counts – 34 of them. Sentencing is set for 11 July, days before the Republican Party is scheduled to formally nominate Trump for President, ahead of the 5 November 2024 Presidential elections. Some said it’s too trivial a matter to warrant such action. And Trump could still go ahead and stand for President.Whatever, ‘Stormy’ times lie ahead, for sure!

India Elections-The End

India’s great Lok Sabha, General Elections finally reached the last phase – the seventh- on 1 June 2024. And it all began on 19 April 2024. The noise, heat and dust of campaigning settles down and candidates go over for a thorough wash, maybe some rest, some may sit on a rock and meditate-making loud plans to develop India- and then appear in their best clothes on 4th June 2024, for the counting and declaration of results. Exit polls will sound the bugle after 6pm on, 1st June.

Great Expectations in the upcoming week. I’m sure it will be a tale to tell. Will it be the best of times, the age of wisdom, the spring of hope? Over to the Voter.

Meanwhile, India’s Prime Minister went into a two-day hibernation at the southern most tip of India at the Vivekananda Rock, Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, to meditate over the future of the country.

The Heat in Delhi

This week, India’s Capital New Delhi recorded its highest ever summer temperature of 52.3 degrees celsius. In addition to climate change, could the heat of elections be a reason? Earth’s average temperature has increased by about 1.2 degrees Celsius since pre-industrial times.

In India, a heatwave is declared over a region ‘when the actual maximum temperature remains 45 degrees Celsius or more’.

Earlier, Rajasthan’s Churu region was reported to be the warmest district of the season at 50.5 degrees Celsius. Now, Delhi has broken that record.

India’s Rockets Rock

This Thursday, Chennai-based private space startup Agnikul Cosmos successfully launched its 3D-printed, semi-cryogenic Agnibaan rocket after previous four attempts had been called off. Agnibaan is a customisable, two-stage launch vehicle that can carry a payload of up to 300 kg into orbit of about 700 km. The rocket uses a semi-cryogenic engine with a mix of liquid and gas propellants, a technology that is yet to be demonstrated by the Government’s own highly successful, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), in any of its rockets. The Agnilet engine is the world’s first single-piece 3D-printed semi-cryogenic rocket engine.

The mission featured a 6.2 meter tall single-stage launch vehicle with an elliptical nose cone and was equipped with advanced avionics, architecture, and autopilot, developed indigenously.

India’s private sector ‘launch into space’ is coming of age, supported by ISRO.

Indian Sport

Over the past few years Indian sport has been doing spectacularly well in all fields.

This time it’s gymnastics. Dipa Karmakar created history becoming the 1st ever Indian Gymnast to win Gold at the Asian Championships. She topped the Vault with an average score of 13.566.

Then, in a great move, India’s Chess wizard, Praggnanandhaa defeated Magnus Carlsen for the first time in Classical Chess. Pragg took down the World no.1 with the white pieces in the 3rd round of Norway Chess 2024. It was a fantastic game by Pragg – he got an advantage out of the opening, and converted in superb fashion. With this win, Pragg now takes sole lead with 5.5/9 points in the event.

In the Indian Premier League (IPL) Cricket Tournament 2024, Twenty-Twenty, finals held in Chennai, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) won their third title defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad by 8 wickets. It was a dominating performance by the winner throughout the Tournament. Previously, KKR has won the Title in IPL- 2012 and IPL-2014. The most successful IPL teams have been the Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians with 5 Titles each.

The Cannes Film Festival

The 77th annual Cannes Film Festival was staged from 14 to 25 May 2024 at Cannes, France. American filmmaker and actress Greta Gerwig served as jury president for the main competition. French actress Camille Cottin hosted the opening and closing ceremonies.

American filmmaker Sean Baker won the Palme d’Or, the festival’s top prize, for the comedy-drama film ‘Anora’, which he had written and directed. It stars Mikey Madison in the title role of an exotic dancer and follows her beleaguered romance with the son of a Russian oligarch.

In a significant milestone for India, Actress Anasuya Sengupta became the first Indian to win the Best Actress award at the ‘Un Certain Regard’ segment of the Film Festival. This segment presents 20 films with unusual styles and non-traditional stories seeking international recognition. She received the award for her role in the film ‘The Shameless,’ directed by Bulgarian filmmaker Constantin Bojanov, which premiered at Cannes on 17th May.

‘The Shameless’, forays into a dark, disturbing world of exploitation and misery. Two sex workers, one who bears the scars of her line of work, and the other a young girl, days away from ritual initiation, forge a bond and seek to break the shackles of their condition. Sengupta plays the central character of Renuka, who escapes from a Delhi brothel after stabbing a policeman to death and takes refuge in a community of sex workers in northern India. There she meets Devika, a young girl condemned to a life of prostitution.

Sengupta was born in a Bengali family in Kolkata, West Bengal. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature from Jadavpur University, but wanted to establish herself as a journalist. She played a supporting role in the 2009 movie ‘Madly Bangalee’. She dabbled in theatre for some time before shifting to Mumbai in 2013 where she started working as a production designer. And eventually she landed ‘The Shameless’ role.

Then, in another lights-on moment at Cannes, Indian Filmmaker Payal Kapadia scripted history as her spellbinding drama ‘All We Imagine as Light’ won the Grand Prix award at Cannes 2024. The film bagged the second-most prestigious prize of the festival after the Palme d’Or, during the closing ceremony. Kapadia’s feature directorial debut received glowing reviews in the international press. It registered its name in the history books after it became the first Indian film in 30 years and the first ever by an Indian female director to be showcased in the main competition. The screening of the film received an eight-minute standing ovation from the audience members.

“All We Imagine as Light”, a Malayalam-Hindi feature, is about Prabha, a nurse, who receives an unexpected gift from her long-estranged husband, who lives abroad, that throws her life into disarray. Her younger roommate, Anu, tries in vain to find a private spot in the big city to be alone with her boyfriend. One day, the two nurses go on a road trip to a beach town where the mystical forest becomes a space for their dreams to manifest. International critics have given the film a thumbs up and praised Kapadia’s storytelling prowess.

Going back into history, the first and only Indian Film to win the top prize of Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, in 1946, was Chetan Anand’s ‘Neecha Nagar’ (a lowly City area) with music composed – in a first – by Pandit Ravi Shankar. It starred actress Kamini Kaushal, Zora Sehgal, and Chetan Anand’s wife, Uma Anand, among others. The movie is about the gulf between the rich and the poor in society. Ironically, the film was never released in India but was telecast on India’s national Broadcaster, Doordarshan in the 1980s.

In 1982, Mrinal Sen was the very first Indian to join the Cannes Film Festival Jury. And his movie ‘Kharij’ won the jury prize. Many of his movies were showcased at the festival. Sharmila Tagore has also attended as a jury member, in 1962 with Satyajit Ray. Between Sen in 1982 and Deepika Padukone in 2023, the Cannes jury had invited filmmaker Mira Nair (1990), novelist Arundhati Roy (2000), actresses Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan (2003), Nandita Das (2005), Sharmila Tagore (2009), filmmaker Shekhar Kapur (2010), and actress Vidya Balan (2013).

More screen stories coming-up in the weeks ahead. Watch the world with World Inthavaaram.

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2024-21

About: the world this week, 19 May 2024 to 25 May 2024: arresting Israel; Death of a President; Elections – UK and India; and irresponsible driving in India.

Everywhere

Arresting Israel

This week, in a public statement, the Prosecutor for the International Criminal Court (ICC), announced that he is asking the ICC to issue arrest warrants against Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The Court has asked ICC member states (called State Parties) to arrest the two Israeli leaders for war crimes committed against the civilians in Gaza, which he says is in the ‘State of Palestine’.

The Prosecutor has also requested, in a separate proceeding, that arrest warrants be issued against Hamas leaders, Yahya Sinwar (Head of Hamas) Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri – known as DEIF -(Commander-in-Chief of the military win of Hamas) and Ismail Haniyeh (Head of Hamas Political Bureau) – war crimes and crimes against humanity, for the ‘7 October 2023 incident’.

The Prosecutor said he was grateful for advice received from, Elizabeth Wilmhurst, Baroness Helena Kennedy, Danny Friedman, Special Advisor Amal Clooney, and Theodor Meron, among a list of other ‘renowned people’ associated with international law.

Amal Clooney, a lawyer and activist, is the wife of Hollywood star George Clooney. People were outraged by her advice and she was slammed on social media for being insensitive to the plight of Israel victims of the brutal massacre of 7 October, and lacking impartiality – the hallmark of a great lawyer.

The Prosecutor of the ICC, in the news, is Karim A A Khan KC, who was sworn in to the job in June 2021. And his job is, ‘trying individuals for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and aggression’.

The Court’s founding treaty, called the Rome Statute, grants the ICC jurisdiction over four main crimes: first, genocide-specific intent in whole or in part of eliminating a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group, by killing its members; second, crimes against humanity-serious violations committed as part of large-scale attacks against any civilian population; third, war crimes which are grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions; and fourth, crimes of aggression – use of armed force by a State against the sovereignty, integrity or independence of another State (Russia, rings a bell?)

As a judicial institution, the ICC does not have its own police force or enforcement body: it relies on cooperation with countries worldwide for support, particularly for making arrests, transferring arrested persons to the ICC Detention Centre in The Hague, freezing suspects’ assets, and enforcing sentences. It is not a United Nations(UN) Organization, but has a cooperation agreement with the UN. State Parties support the Courts, accept ICC’s jurisdiction, and also work to incorporate the rules stipulated in the Rome Statute in their own judicial systems. A country – on its choice – can become a State Party, joining with other State Parties, which gathers once a year to provide oversight management for the Court – establishing a budget, providing funding and electing the Court’s Judges and Prosecutor.

Israel reacted quickly, calling the public statement by the Prosecutor, an absolute outrage. The clear message of the joint announcement being that Israel and Hamas are deemed to be equally culpable for the events of 7th October and the aftermath. Israel added that this is unprecedented in the history of international law.

In another development, the countries of Ireland, Norway, and Spain announced they would recognise the State of Palestine on 28 May 2024. The governing body at the basis of the recognition will be the Palestinian Authority. The three European countries said they wanted to help secure a halt to Israel’s devastating Gaza offensive and revive peace talks that stalled a decade ago.

Israel reprimanded the Ambassadors of Ireland, Norway, and Spain over their intent to recognise a Palestinian State, scorning the initiative as a bid to, ‘resurrect old, failed policies’. It called the Ambassadors for a special screening of the Hamas barbarism of 7th October – not previously shown in the public domain.

Close to the end of the week, Israel found three more dead bodies of hostages, in Jabalya, northern Gaza. All of them were killed on 7th October and their bodes were taken into the enclave by Hamas. The identified were Hanan Yablonka, Michel Nisenbaum, and Orion Hernandez.

At the end of the week the International Court of Justice issued an Order – on a vote of 13 to 2 – calling on Israel to ‘immediately halt’ its military operation in Rafah. Israel called the ruling ‘lack of impartiality’ and carried on its operations. Hamas welcomed the ruling.

A Hardline President Dies Hard

Iran’s President, Ebrahim Raisi, 63, died in a helicopter crash this Sunday. The Helicopter, a Bell 212, was carrying the President, the Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, the Commander of the President’s protection unit, other bodyguards, a Provincial Governor, and the crew – a total of nine. All of them died in the crash.

The charred wreckage of the helicopter was found early on Monday after an overnight search in blizzard conditions. Raisi is the second Iranian President to die in office. In 1981 a bomb blast killed President Mohammad Al Rajai in the chaotic days after the Iranian Revolution.

Raisi was heading to the city of Tabriz in the northwest of Iran after returning from an Iran-Azerbaijan border area, where he had gone to inaugurate the Qiz-Qalasi Dam, a joint project with Azerbaijan. The helicopter went down in Varzeqan region north of Tabriz when it flew into difficulties in heavy fog, in poor weather conditions. It slammed into a mountain peak, and crashed in the mountainous, forested area. Two other helicopters, in the convoy of three, made it safely to Tabriz.

Ebrahim Raisi is a hardliner and formerly led the country’s judiciary. He is seen as a protege of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a possible replacement for the 85 year old Khamenei when he resigns or dies. Raisi won Iran’s 2021 Presidential Election in one of the lowest voter turnouts in Iran’s history. His victory in the closely-managed election brought all branches of power under the control of hardliners, after eight years, when the presidency had been held by pragmatist Hassan Rouhani and a nuclear deal negotiated with powers including the United States.

Since taking office, Raisi had ordered a tightening of morality laws, oversaw a bloody crackdown on anti-government protests and pushed hard in nuclear talks with world powers.

Raisi is sanctioned by the United States over his involvement in the mass execution of thousands of political prisoners in 1988 at the end of the Iran-Iraq war. This earned him the infamous title of the ‘Butcher of Tehran’.

Raisi was born in Mashdad, northeastern Iran, a religious hub for Shia Muslims. He underwent religious education and was trained in a seminary in Qom, studying under prominent islamic scholars including Khamenei. He wears a black turban, which signifies that he is a Sayyid – a descendant of Prophet Muhammad.

In recent times, Iran has been having all kinds of problems beginning with the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini over Islamic dressing issues. In the aftermath the security crackdown the followed and the demonstrations killed more than 500 people and saw over 22,000 detained.

The cause of the helicopter crash is not known, but Iran has a poor air transport safety record: made worse by decades of US sanctions, which have made it hard for Iran to obtain spare parts or upgrade its aircraft.

Supreme Leader Khamenei, who holds ultimate power with a final say on foreign policy and Iran’s nuclear programme, said First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber, would take over as interim president. Presidential Elections to choose Ebrahim Raisi’s successor is to be held on 28th June. Khamenei’s own son, Mojtaba Khameini, 55 could be in the race.

United Kingdom Elections- at the Beginning

This week British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that the UK would hold a General Election on 4 July 2024. Sunak’s Conservative Party is up against Keith Starmer’s Labour Party.

Sunak inherited a mess, but it seems unlikely that he has cleaned up that mess enough to earn the Conservatives another term in Office.

Opinion Polls have placed the Conservative Party way behind the opposition Labour Party. And as things stand, Keith Starmer is set to not only win power but secure a massive parliamentary majority.

India Elections – nearing the End.

This week, the juggernaut of India’s Lok Sabha General Elections rolled-on with the 5th phase on 19th May and the 6th phase on 25th May. That leaves the last and final phase – the 7th – going to the polls on 1st June. The week was reasonably quiet in comparison to the sound and dust of the previous weeks.

Driving in the Fast lane

Late last week in an outrageous incident in the city of Pune a, 17 year old juvenile Vedant Agarwal, son of a Builder, Brahma Realty, caused a fatal accident in Kalyani Nagar in the early hours on Saturday. Illegally (18 years is the age eligible for a motorcar driving Licence) driving a Porsche car at high speed, Vedant lost control, colliding with multiple vehicles. The car dragged one of two persons on a motorcycle and finally came to standstill after hitting another two wheeler and a car. The crash resulted in the immediate deaths of two IT professionals Anish Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta, both 24 years old, who were on the motorcycle. Earlier the boy had left a pub in Kalyani Nagar shortly before the incident.

The next day a Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) in Pune in a bizarre judgement granted bail to the 17-year-old boy. And besides imposing the usual condition of parental monitoring, imposed a unique condition directing the boy to submit a 300-word essay on road accidents after studying all the rules and regulations on traffic at the Regional Transport Office (RTO). The boy was released on bail on executing a personal and surety bond of INR 75, 000. The parents were directed to take care of the boy and ensure that he is not involved in such offences in the future and ‘kept away from bad company’. Going deeper, the boy will assist a RTO officer and study traffic rules for 15 days and submit a report to the JJB. He will visit a de-addiction counselling centre and the counselling report will be submitted to the JJB. He has to consult a psychologist and psychiatric doctor at the Sassoon hospital in Pune and that report is to be submitted within 15 days.

There was immediate and spontaneous outrage on social media, and outcry by the people of Pune on grant of bail – and the conditions – in such a horrific case where two people have been mowed down and killed. This resulted in the boy’s father being arrested and the bail of the boy being cancelled and remanded to a teenage observation home. Meanwhile, the family of the victims suffered in silence.

Then in another twist, a Driver ‘was produced’; as being in the car – and said to be actually driving the car. And conforming the same was the boy and two of his friends! But there are tens of witnesses who dragged the boy out of the driver’s seat, after the crash, and bashed him up on the street!

In yet another finding, the boy’s grandfather who stood surety for bail, and who started the family construction business has underworld connections. The name of convicted (and now jailed) gangster Chhota Rajan who one worked with major crime syndicate boss Dawood Ibramin was doing the rounds. This surely is the proverbial can of worms.

Everyday, somewhere in India such unfortunate incidents keep happening, but the ones which gets gets mass attention are almost always Mercedes, the BMWs, or the Porsches. What about the many lives lost, being responsible, and following and enforcing rules?

More road stories coming-up in the weeks ahead. Follow the rules and drive safely with World Inthavaaram.

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2024-17

About: the world this week, 21 April 2024 to 27 April 2024: the world’s war-front; India’s Charged Elections; an Ex-President’s Woes; and India’s moves in World Chess.

Everywhere

On the World’s War-front

Israeli strikes intensified across Gaza in some of the heaviest shelling in weeks, and the Israeli army ordered fresh evacuations in the north, warning civilians they were in a dangerous combat zone. Non-stop bombardments also continued in the Central and Northern parts – mostly strikes by air and shelling from tanks on the ground.

Meanwhile, the Hamas psychopaths published a new propaganda video of a hostage, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, showing the 23-year-old Israeli-American saying he has been held captive for nearly 200 days. Hersh is seen in the video missing one of his hands. It was blown off from the elbow down when terrorists lobbed grenades into a shelter, where he and others who tried to escape the 7 October 2023 Nova party massacre., were hiding.

On another front, Israel’s military is poised to evacuate Palestinian civilians from Rafah and assault Hamas hold-outs in the southern Gaza Strip city, despite international warnings of a humanitarian catastrophe. Israel is clearly moving ahead with a ground operation. Israel’s Defence Ministry bought 40,000 tents, each with the capacity for 10 to 12 people, to house Palestinians relocated from Rafah in advance of an assault.

In a new streak of ever-growing wokeism in America, mass chaos broke out at college campuses across the United States of America as pro-Palestine protests intensified. Columbia, Harvard, University of Southern California, University of Texas at Austin, and others were swarmed by protesters. Harvard Yard was also been taken over by pro-Palestine protesters who set-up camp after the university threatened to take action. Police had a tough time managing the footloose, unruly, university students as protests turned violent.

Their support should naturally be for Israel and a shout-out to release the over 130 hostages in the captivity of the terrorist Hamas.

In the other warfront in Europe, far from the trenches, at orderly new centres across Ukraine, civilian recruiters armed with laptops and info packs offer patriotic volunteers opportunities to join the war. As Ukraine’s efforts to conscript enough men to fight Russia are stymied by public scepticism, defence officials and military units are embarking on a multi-pronged charm offensive to recruit a citizens’ army to resist the invasion. Candidates can select their precise unit and roles suiting their skills, as well as how long they will serve.

On city streets, billboards of Ukrainian soldiers implore citizens to join up and defend their homeland, offering QR codes for convenience. For e.g., online, the 93rd Mechanised Brigade assures countrymen that ‘everyone can do it!’ in a glossy video campaign showing civilians, such as a chef and tractor driver, switching to analogous army roles as battlefield cook and tank driver.

On another front in Iran, the same day it launched its first ever direct attack on Israel, it embarked on a less-noticed confrontation at home. Police were ordered in several cities to take to the streets to arrest a growing number of women accused of flouting its strict Islamic dress code. Under Iran’s sharia, or Islamic law, women are obliged to cover their hair and wear long, loose-fitting clothes. Offenders face public rebuke, fines, or arrest.

India’s Super-charged Election

This week, on 26th April, India passed the second phase of General Elections-Lok Sabha Elections 2024 -to elect a new Government at the Centre for the next five years. A total of 88 constituencies across 13 states and a Union Territory voted in this phase. The votes were cast in all 20 Lok Sabha seats of Kerala, 14 of the 28 seats in Karnataka, 13 seats in Rajasthan, 8 seats each in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, 6 seats in Madhya Pradesh, 5 seats each in Assam and Bihar, 3 seats each in Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, and one seat each in Manipur, Tripura and Jammu & Kashmir.

This week the high-pitch, ever-decibel growing election campaign revolved around the Congress Party’s wild thinking of introducing ‘Inheritance Tax’ in India. This on the lines of that in America, where the children inherit 45% of the family wealth, on the death of the family wealth creator, and the Government grabs the balance 55%. This comes in the backdrop of the Congress Party’s Election Manifesto talking about tackling growing inequalities in wealth and income through suitable change in policies. Also as a prelude, economic and institutional surveys along with a caste census would be conducted to ‘redistribute’ wealth.

We all know growth is the only way to reduce inequality, but the Congress seems to have other ideas.

Surely a regressive kind of thinking, and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seized the opportunity to take the Grand Old Party of India to the cleaners. The Congress was forced to ‘disown’ a statement made by its overseas In-charge. But I reckon no one was listening – with people looking at safeguarding their wealth.

Another talking point was former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh having said in the year 2009, that ‘minorities, especially poor Muslims, should get priority when it comes to the nation’s resources’. Haunting times for the Congress, indeed.

With five more phases to go we can expect more fireworks in the days to come.

This week the Supreme Court of India rejected a plea for 100% verification of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) Slips with the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM). This comes in the background of the various parties in India – especially the opposition – crying for a return to the old Paper Ballot and Manual Counting System. It also rejected a plea to allow the voter to take the VVPAT slip and deposit it in a ballot box. And it rejected the plea to revert to Paper Ballot Voting.

The Supreme Court added some strictures such as the sealed containers of the Symbol Loading Units should be kept in storerooms with the EVMs for least 45 days post-declaration of results. And gave some futuristic ideas such as, exploring the possibility of machine-counting of VVPAT slips.

Once a voter presses the vote button on the EVM- Ballot, a printed slip is generated in the adjacent VVPAT machine. This shows the choice of the voter, and as is visible for 7 seconds – after which it drops down into a sealed compartment. This enables the voter to confirm that his vote has been recorded correctly.

EVM’s were first used in the State of Kerala in 1982 and progressively used all over India, starting in the late 1990s. The VVPAT was added in 2013 to confirm that electronic voting is accountable and reliable. The EVM was developed for the Election Commission of India by the Government owned Electronics Corporation of India and Bharat Electronics. EVMs are standalone machines built with ‘write once read many (WORM)’ -information once written cannot be modified- are self-contained, battery powered and do not need any networking capability. They do not have any wireless or wired internet components and interface. Hence, impossible to hack or manipulate.

Donald Trump’s Woes

In America, The US Supreme Court weighs Ex-President Donald Trump’s bid for immunity from prosecution. The Supreme Court’s conservative justices signaled support on Thursday for US Presidents having some level of protection from criminal charges for certain acts taken in office as it tackled Trump’s claim of immunity from prosecution for trying to undo his 2020 election loss.

Trump, seeking this year to regain the White House, appealed after lower courts rejected his request to be shielded from four election-related criminal charges. This was on the grounds that he was serving as President when he took the actions that led to the indictment.

With a colourful variety of cases piled-up on him, Donald Trump is spending a lot of time in the Courts. And seems to be enjoying it.

World Chess and India’s Moves

These days hardly a move is made in the world of Chess without an Indian being behind it. This week, India’s 17-year-old Grandmaster Gukesh Dommaraju became the youngest player to win the men’s chess tournament after a draw against his opponent Hikaru Nakamura, in the final day of the 2024 Candidates Tournament held in Toronto, Canada, from 3rd April to 22nd April. It’s an eight-player chess tournament, held to determine the challenger for the World Chess Championship 2024. The event was held alongside the Women’s Candidates Tournament.

Gukesh effectively wrapped up victory in the tournament after American Fabiano Caruana blundered a winning position against Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi to be held to a draw.

The previous youngest winner of the men’s Candidates Tournament was Garry Kasparov, who was 20 when he prevailed in 1984, a year before winning the world champion title against fellow Russian Anatoly Karpov.

Gukesh, who was one of three Indian players in the tournament, will face China’s Ding Liren for the title later this year. World No 1 Magnus Carlsen, a five-time classical chess world champion, relinquished his title last year, citing a lack of motivation.

Gukesh became a Grandmaster at the age of 12, the third youngest person to have done so. If he beats Ding Liren this year, he will become India’s second world chess champion after Viswanathan Anand who won the title five times.

China’s Tan Zhongyi dominated the women’s tournament and will face her compatriot Ju Wenjun for the world title.

Gukesh lives in Chennai, Tamil Nadu studying at the Velammal Vidyalaya school, Mel Ayanambakkam, Chennai. His father, Dr Rajinikanth, is an Ear, Nose, and Throat surgeon, and his mother, Dr Padma, is a microbiologist.

Gukesh won the Under-9 section of the Asian School Chess Championships in 2015, and the World Youth Chess Championships in 2018 in the Under-12 category. He also won five gold medals at the 2018 Asian Youth Chess Championships, in the U-12 individual rapid and blitz, U-12 team rapid and blitz, and the U-12 individual classical formats. He completed the requirements for the title of International Master in March 2017 at the 34th Cappelle-la-Grande Open.

On 15 January 2019, at the age of 12 years, 7 months, and 17 days, Gukesh became the then second-youngest grandmaster in history, only surpassed by Sergey Karjakin with 17 days. Since then the record was beaten by Abhimanyu Mishra, making Gukesh the third youngest.

More fighting stories coming in the weeks ahead. Make your moves with World Inthavaaram.