Tag: Paralympics2024

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2024-37

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

Everywhere

Ukraine; Israel

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

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

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

America Debates

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

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

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

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

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

Giant Leap in Space

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Vietnam

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

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

India

West Bengal

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

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

Manipur

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

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

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

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

A Loose Cannon Ball: Lobbying Abroad

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

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

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

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

Paralympics 2024: The Closing

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

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

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

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

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

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

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2024-36

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

Everywhere

War World

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

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

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

United States School Shooting

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

Bangladesh: Off a Tangent?

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

Hijacking a True Story

The True Story

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

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

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

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

The Netflix Series: IC 814 – The Kandahar Hijack

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

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

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

Sexual Assault in Kerala: Hema Committee Report

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sex & France

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

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

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

Paralympics 2024: India’s Medal Sprint

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2024-35

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

Everywhere

Israel Rescues

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

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

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

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

Juice & Moonfish

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

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

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

Rest in peace, Juice & Moonfish.

Telegram’s Father

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Caught in Space

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

India at Paralympics 2024

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

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

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

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

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

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

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