Tag: Scotland

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2024-14

About: the world this week, 31 March 2024 to 6 April 2024: Israel fights; Turkey spins; Taiwan Shakes; Finland shoots; Scotland speaks; India dances; and the Oldest Man in the World leaves.

Everywhere

Israel Fights

No country in the World would like to be in the situation Israel is in today. 130 of its people are being held hostage for over 180 days by the terrorist Hamas following the savage barbarism of 7 October 2023, with no end in sight, of their release. The ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, to outgun Hamas, and to find and bring home the hostages is only getting deadlier – on the scale of destruction and death of people. At home, Israelis are demonstrating that the Government is not doing enough to rescue their loved ones; abroad people are demonstrating for a cease-fire, so that the people of Gaza can get food, supplies, and medical aid. What about the hostages? Releasing them is the sanest solution to this madness.

This week, Israeli forces left the Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City after a two-week intensive operation by its special forces. They left behind a wasteland of destroyed buildings, wrecked infrastructure of the facility, with rubble and dead bodies strewn all over. Hundreds of suspected Palestinian militants were detained and terrorists flushed out – as claimed by Israel. Documents recovered by Israeli forces showed the hospital was used as a base to control the northern section of the Gaza Strip, which has largely been destroyed since the start of the ground invasion in October. The Hospital had been turned into a major operating centre by the Palestinian armed groups – Hamas and the Islamic Jihad.

In summary, more than 32,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military offensive in Gaza. In the 7th October attack, Hamas killed 1,200 people and took 253 people hostage. Israel has lost 257 soldiers in the combat, with the Israeli military publishing the names of those killed in action in the Gaza War.

Then during the week the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) accidentally killed seven foreign aid workers, including a dual US/Canadian citizen, three Britons as well as team members from Poland and Australia, and their Palestinian driver. They were travelling with a convoy that had just unloaded more than 100 tonnes of food aid brought from overseas, working for the aid charity, World Central Kitchen (WCK). Israel’s military voiced ‘sincere sorrow’ over the incident, which ratcheted up international pressure for steps to ease the disastrous humanitarian situation in Gaza.

In another attack elsewhere, suspected Israeli warplanes bombed a ‘building next to Iran’s Consulate’ in Syria killing the Revolutionary Guards Corps commander Mohammad Reza Zahedi and his deputy at an Iranian diplomatic mission in Syria – reviving fears of a wider regional conflagration, and setting a dangerous precedent in targeting diplomatic premises.

By the end of the week the United States of America literally threw Israel under the bus, asking it to work on a ceasefire-fire and make a ‘measurable’ plan for ensuring that aid workers and civilians are not harmed in any way.

One thing is sure, by the end of the Israel-Hamas war, Israel would be the masters of ‘Urban Warfare’ given their precise fighting methods; using high-end technology, and keeping loss of civilian life to the barest minimum – a fact not given the respect it truly deserves.

Turkey Spins

Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan has been having a fairly untrammelled run of his presidency, over almost two decades. That looks to be in jeopardy when this week Turks dealt President Erdogan and his party their biggest electoral blow in a nationwide local vote. It reasserted the opposition – Republican Peoples Party (CHP)-as a political force and reinforced Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu as the President’s chief rival, being re-elected as Mayor by a landslide 51% votes. In capital Ankara, CHP candidate Mansur Yavas, were re-elected by yet another landslide of 60%.

It marked the worst defeat for Erdogan and his AK Party (AKP) in all their years in power, and could signal a change in the country’s divided political landscape. Erdogan called it a ‘turning point’. He and the AKP fared worse than opinion polls predicted due to soaring inflation, dissatisfied Islamist voters and, in Istanbul, Imamoglu’s appeal beyond the CHP’s secular base, analysts said.

Taiwan Shakes

This week, Taiwan was struck by a 7.4 magnitude Earthquake, rocking the whole island and causing several buildings to collapse. The city of Hualien, nearest the epicentre of the earthquake, on the east coast of Taiwan sustained significant damages. Nine people died, more than 900 were injured and about 50 went missing.

The quake hit at a depth of 15.5 km just as people were headed for work and school, setting off a tsunami warning for Southern Japan and the Philippines, that was later lifted.

A magnitude about 7 is considered a major earthquake. And this is Taiwan’s strongest earthquake in at least 25 years.

Finland Shoots

After the long Easter weekend, children had just returned to classes at Viertola School in Vantaa, outside Helsinki, Finland. The school has 800 students from 1 to 9 grade in ages ranging from 7 to 16. Then, in a 6th grade classroom, a 12-year-old boy, of the school, suddenly opened fire with a handgun, killing one and wounding two others. He fled the scene, by walk, but was later caught by the police. The suspect had a gun licensed to a close relative. Police were quick to arrive at the scene and took charge of the situation. Investigations by the Police revealed that the boy said he was a target of bullying, which was the motive for the attack.

In Finland, children over 15 can obtain licenses to use other people’s firearms. In 2008, an 18-year-old student shot dead six students, the school nurse, and his head teacher in the small town of Jokela; and the following year, another student shot dead nine students and a teacher with a semi-automatic rifle at a polytechnic in the western town of Kauhajoki.

Finland is widely known a country of hunters and gun enthusiasts and has 430,000 license gun owners in a population of about 5.6 million. There is no limit to the number of guns one can own.

Scotland Speaks – No Hate

This week a new law against hate speech came into force in Scotland, United Kingdom. The legislation was passed by Scottish Parliament three years ago but was delayed by wrangling over its implementation.

The law makes it an offence to stir up hatred with threatening or abusive behaviour, on the basis of characteristics including, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, and transgender identity. The maximum sentence is seven years in prison.

Critics ague that the new Law will have a chilling effect on free speech making people afraid to express their views. ‘Harry Potter’ Author J K Rowling slammed the new Law calling it ‘ludicrous’. The rights of trans women should not come at the expense of those who are born biologically female. “Biological sex is not included as a protected characteristic in the Law despite women bing one of the most abused cohorts in our society”, she wrote in a newspaper article.

India Dances – Democracy

The great India summer, with its blistering heat, in ruling this time of the year, in the backdrop of the Festival of Democracy being celebrated across the country. In the run-up to General Elections -the world’s largest electoral exercise -beginning on 19 April and ending on 1 June 2024, the campaigning is on a high-pitch. Opinion polls have improved their scores to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) giving it almost 400 Members of Parliament (MPs – along with partners) out of a possible 543, in a third consecutive win. The BJP’s slogan for the coming election is ‘Abki baar, 400 paar’ (this time, above 400). Recall the BJP’s own tally is 303 in the outgoing Parliament – the 17th Lok Sabha – and with Allies it is 350.

In contrast, the opposition is fragmented, harried by central investigating agencies – suddenly catching-up on their crimes. And seems unable to stitch together a coherent narrative on key issues like unemployment, electoral bonds and farmers’ discontent, which could put the Government on the mat.

Late in the week the Congress, which has a hopeless chance of returning to power, released its Election Manifesto, which was described as only capable of doing two things: one, break India on caste lines; and two, bankrupt India on freebies.

The Southern States of India, which send 130 MPs are the laggards in joining the BJP’s dance party, but new winds seem to be blowing strongly, especially in the State of Tamil Nadu. The BJP’s State President, K Annamalai, 39, an Engineer, a former Indian Police Service Officer, and an Indian Institute of Management graduate is creating waves with his blunt straight talk and aggressive posturing. People find him relatable and are coalescing around him, for a change from the parochial control of the regional Dravidian Parties.

In New Delhi, the Chief Minister of the Union Territory, Arvind Kejriwal, was arrested after failing to appear for 9 summons by the Enforcement Directorate, and thrown into jail for being complicit in a liquor scam. He joins two other Leaders of his own Party – one is a Deputy Chief Minister- already languishing in jail for almost a year on money laundering charges. He is doing his best to rule from Jail while his wife, wearing a sombre look on national television, is trying to make him appear like a freedom fighter, while the Law looks on. In India, heat is generated from multiple sources and in Indian Politics the wife has a right-of-way once the hubby heads to jail. Then a remote-control begins working from behind bars. Call it the ring and dance of Indian democracy?

World’s Oldest Man Quits

This week, on 4 April, the world’s oldest man, Juan Vicente Perez Mora, of Venezuela, died aged 114 – two months before what would have been his 115th birthday.

Guinness World Records (GWR) confirmed stating: “After living through both World Wars, seeing the invention of Television, and witnessing the landing of a man on the moon, Juan Vicente also survived Covid-19 in 2020.” GWR had awarded Perez Mora the title of the Oldest Man, on 4 February 2022, when he was 112 years and 253 days. This after the previous oldest man, Saturnino de la Fuente Garcia died weeks earlier.

Perez Mora was born on 27 May 1909 in Venezuela, to Euquitio Perez and Edelmira Mora and was living in the Sate of Tachira – bordering Colombia – when he died. He had 11 children-six sons and five daughters– with his wife Ediofina del Rosario Garcia. They were married for 60 years until her death in 1997. He has 42 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren, and 12 great-great-grandchildren.

The next oldest man living is expected to be 112-year-old Gisaburo Sonobe of Japan, pending confirmation of his birth-date before the title can be awarded, according to the Gerontology Research Group.

Mora credited his longevity to, ‘working hard, resting on holidays, going to bed early, drinking a glass of aguardiente (a distilled alcoholic beverage that contains 29-60% alcohol and made from sugarcane -common in South America) every day, loving God, and always carrying him in his heart’.

GWR’s Editor-in-Chief had this to say: “It’s been an honour to recognise and celebrate the incredible long life of Venezuela’s first ever fully authenticated supercentenarian man. Not only was Sr Perez Mora his country’s oldest citizen and the first South American recognised by GWR as the oldest living man, he is now history’s fourth-oldest male whose age has been officially ratified.” He added, “How remarkable to think that we’ve just said goodbye to a man born before Louis Bleriot flew across the English Channel!”

More solid stories coming in the weeks ahead. Live long with World Inthavaaram.

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2023-13

About-the world this week, 26 March to 1 April 2023: Israel erupts, America continues shooting, an ex-American President is indicted, Scotland gets a new First Minister, a local Party in India gets somewhat whole; and plants talking to each other.

Everywhere

Israel saw unprecedented protests and civil unrest ignited by the Government’s plan to bring in judicial reforms, which aims to rein in the powers of an ‘interventionist judiciary’.

The most significant reform would allow a simple majority in the Israeli Parliament, Knesset, to overturn Supreme Court rulings; to change the way judges are selected, and remove government ministries’ independent legal advisers, whose opinions are binding.

This week, Israel’s Defence Minister was promptly sacked when he said that the Government should stop going-ahead with the new legislation and talk to the opposition and protestors: he was fired for not backing the new law. The President of Israel also called upon Prime Minister (PM) Benjamin Netanyahu’s Government to halt the judicial overhaul.

Early this week, embattled PM Netanyahu finally buckled and announced that he would delay the judicial reforms plan, after protests seemed to be only swelling and getting out of hand.

Netanyahu said he would put-off voting on the remaining legislation until after the Knesset’s Passover recess in April 2023 ‘to give time for a real chance for a real debate’. In a televised address, Netanyahu said that he was aware of the tensions and is listening to the people. But he indicated that the pause was only temporary, and insisted that the overhaul was necessary, reiterating criticism of refusal to train or serve in the military in protest at the planned changes. “Refusing is the end of our country,” Netanyahu said. Israel rests in peace for the moment.

Israeli historian, philosopher, and best-selling author Yuval Noah Harari, of ‘Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind’ fame, feels that Netanyahu may go down in history as the man who destroyed Israel. He added that the PM has divided the country to preserve his political longevity, which has caused rifts that will be difficult to heal. Hope Netanyahu is listening to this one of the Homo Sapiens.

Six people, including three children, were killed in a shooting in Nashville, Tennessee, United States, which just cannot keep its paws off ‘em guns. It’s 129 mass shootings in the past three months and a distinctive American phenomenon. A frightening count says that America also has more guns than it has people!

The Covenant School in Nashville, where the incident took place, is a private Christian school for students in pre-school through the sixth grade, when students are roughly 11 or 12 years old. Nashville police engaged and killed the shooter, a 28 year old woman, Audrey Hale, who was carrying two ‘assault-type’ rifles and a handgun. She is a Nashville resident and was once a student at the school. The motive is unclear and is being investigated. Initial pointers indicate that Audrey had some resentment to having to go to the Covenant School; had a history of mental struggles; and the shooting was planned as a kind of suicidal mission.

This week former United States (US) President Donald Trump was indicted – charged with felony crimes – by a Manhattan Grand Jury in his role of payment of hush money to a porn star. His arrest is imminent. And when it happens, the unprecedented arrest of a former President of the US is likely to be routine with standard procedures for felony offences followed, such as being fingerprinted, photographed, and maybe, even handcuffed.

Donald Trump faces more than 30 counts related to business fraud in the indictment from the Grand Jury – the first time in American history that a current or former President has faced criminal charges. The decision has sent shockwaves across the country, pushing the American political system-which has never seen one of its ex-leaders confronted with criminal charges, let alone while running again for President – into uncharted waters.

The incident pertains to Trump’s role in a hush money payment scheme and cover-up involving adult film star Stormy Daniels that dates to the 2016 presidential election.

Daniels has said she had a sexual encounter – it was consensual sex – with Trump in 2006, the year after he married his third wife Melania. And more than a decade before the businessman-turned-politician-at the time known for a popular reality TV show – became President. Trump has denied the relationship and has said the payment was made to stop false and extortionist accusations.

Stormy Daniels, 44, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford is from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She has been a well-known personality for more than two decades in the adult film business, appearing in and directing numerous videos.

In October 2016, in the waning days before the presidential election that Trump won, Daniels signed a non-disclosure agreement in which she pledged not to publicly discuss her relationship with him in exchange for a USD 130,000 payment. The pact was signed by Keith Davidson, her lawyer at the time, and Michael Cohen, then Trump’s personal lawyer and fixer. The document included a spot for Trump’s signature, but he never signed it.

On expected lines, Trump released a statement in response to the indictment claiming it was ‘Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history.’ We heard similar sounds from someone, of India’s Grand Old Party, didn’t we?

Russian President Vladimir Putin took another step in complicating the attack on Ukraine announcing last weekend that Russia would be deploying tactical nuclear weapons in the territory of a ‘very friendly’ neighbour, Belarus, ruled by his long-time buddy Alexander Lukashenko, also the longest-sitting European President.

Meanwhile, Ukraine said it was seeking an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council over the move.

In February this year, the First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, 52 who was also the Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) quit both positions in a ‘Jacinda Ardern’ moment. This after over eight years of ‘ruling’ Scotland and trying to get its ‘independence’ from the United Kingdom.

This week, Humza Yousaf was confirmed as Scotland’s new First Minister after a vote in the Scottish Parliament. Yousaf was backed by all 64 SNP Members of the Parliament and the 7 of the Scottish Greens, guaranteeing him a majority. The two parties having a power-sharing agreement in the 129 seat Parliament.

Humza Yousaf, a son of Pakistani-Kenyan immigrants, is the country’s sixth first minister, the youngest at 37, and the first Muslim to lead a major UK party.

Following the vote, Yousaf announced Shona Robison – who has been serving as the social justice secretary and was a close ally of Sturgeon – would be appointed as his Deputy First Minister. He also confirmed he would have a ‘Minister for Independence’ in his government, a role he pledged to create during the leadership campaign.

UK’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was looking forward to meeting and working together with Yousaf, but the UK Government has already made clear it will continue to refuse to grant formal consent for another independence referendum.

India saw the week filled with protests by Opposition parties over the disqualification of the Congress Party’s, Member of Parliament, Rahul Gandhi following his conviction in a defamation case by the Courts. Quick on the heels was a notice from Parliament to vacate his spacious bungalow. Last heard, he was hunting for a House while his Party continued setting a bad precedent by ‘challenging the judiciary’.

In India’s Tamil Nadu state, the more than the year-long tussle between ‘Two Joint Leaders’ of a once powerful Party, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) founded by yesteryear film superstar M G Ramachandran (MGR) and later skilfully steered by his protege Jayalalithaa, was finally resolved. At least, for the time being.

Following the untimely death of Jayalalithaa – fondly called Amma – due to illness, while in office both as the General Secretary (the Supremo) of the AIADMK the top position fell vacant. A minister in the cabinet, Edappadi K Palanisamy (EPS) became Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, in some smart moves and did a reasonably good job, for the remaining term – over two years. He bypassed the favourite, O Panneerselvam (OPS) who was himself CM twice when he filled-in for the time Jayalalithaa was convicted by Courts and had to quit office under the Rules. Basically, OPS kept the Boss’ seat warm.

High drama followed the passing of Amma when her close friend and confidante Sasikala almost became CM, but a court conviction of corruption sent her packing to jail.

Then for over the past 4 years, EPS & OPS jointly steered the AIADMK dedicating the position of General Secretary to Amma, as ‘eternal’, until the ‘friends with benefits’ turned sour and EPS became tired of the dual-headed control. All the more after the AIADMK lost at the hustings and bitter rival, the DMK, came to power.

The Two Leaves, symbol of the party, began wilting – under stress. After a series of Court cases, clashes between the widening factions, and Court appeals and re-appeal, EPS was finally announced as elected unopposed and the undisputed General Secretary of the AIADMK. Hope to see the two leaves listen to the party cadres and bloom especially with the Lotus (symbol of the Bharatiya Janata Party) having gained lots of water and land in Tamil Nadu.

EPS announced that said the party would continue its alliance with the BJP for the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections in the year 2024, after rumblings from the BJP about ‘going it alone’. Then there is OPS – a leaf cut off from the stem. Tomorrow is another Day!

Please Yourself

An Israeli research team, Tel Aviv U, has in groundbreaking research, recorded plants ‘talking’ for the first time.

It has been known for some time that plants communicate with one another, but Israeli scientists now say they have identified ‘words’ and have found that different species speak in different ‘languages’, according to a new study published this week in the prestigious Scientific Journal, Cell.

Scientists know that plants communicate in a variety of ways when they are stressed. They might change physically -by wilting or changing leaf colour, become bitter to the taste -to deter herbivores- or emit smells -volatile organic compounds-to tell other members of the family that they are under attack, for example by insects.

It turns out that plants talk in clicks, which sounds something like popcorn popping. The sounds are emitted at a volume similar to human speech, but at high frequencies, beyond the hearing range of humans.

The findings suggest that the world is full of plant sounds and that these sounds contain information — for example about water scarcity or injury. It is assumed that in nature the sounds emitted by plants are detected by creatures nearby, such as bats, rodents, various insects, and possibly also other plants that can hear the high frequencies and derive relevant information.

Perhaps humans can also utilize this information, given the right tools — such as sensors that tell growers when plants need watering.

The research team recorded ultrasonic sounds emitted by tomato and tobacco plants that had been deprived of water, suffered a cut to the stem, or have been left alone. Time for new vocabulary building

More plant stories coming up in the weeks ahead. Listen to the clicks and stay with World Inthavaaram.

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2023-07

About-the world this week, 12 February to 18 February 2023: new normal war and education; a chemical train derails; Cyclone Gabrielle acts tough; the First Minister of Scotland quits; a new illness; Super Bowl and pregnancies; and a famous, beautiful Hollywood Actress dies.

Everywhere

America is suddenly occupied with shooting down ‘Identified Flying Objects’ and also Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) strolling into its airspace, and ‘maybe’ calling them Aliens – it’s becoming a habit and a new trend.

The illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine and the fight-back by Ukraine in the War is growing normal. So is the fact that girls are shut-out of schools and colleges by the Taliban in Afghanistan: denied basic education only because of their gender, which is not done as policy in any other country on Earth-a war on Education. The World needs to do more to stop these two senseless wars.

The Earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria, last week, bore stories of unbelievable grit of survival emerging from the ruins and the rubble; and, once life is extracted, washed-down, and fed food, displayed a beatific smile. Life lives and sustains in the worst of disasters. And goes on.

The contrast between killings in the Russian-Ukraine War – we need to count the dead – and saving lives in the Earthquake, is stunning. Life is precious. Why is the United Nations- strung-together by countries of the world-with the stated purpose of ‘preventing another (world) war, unable to do anything at all – in the War in Ukraine and in Education in Afghanistan? Thankfully its Health and Food programmes are success stories we can talk about in abundance. But the ‘Achilles heel’ is, failing to prevent war, or stop a war that has slipped through and started.

Staying with the United States, while it is fully focused on the sky, for the moment, the news of a deadly train derailment in Ohio State did not fire or climb much of the headlines.

Last week, a train carrying the chemical, vinyl chloride derailed and exploded near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. And a controlled burn of the toxic chemical had to be ignited to prevent a much more dangerous explosion. Thousands in East Palestine, a town of about 5000 people, were evacuated with a warning the controlled burn would create a phosgene and hydrogen chloride plume across the region. Phosgene is a highly toxic gas that can cause vomiting and breathing difficulties, and was used as a weapon in the First World War.

The Ohio derailment can be safely called a catastrophe. And it is a ‘wake-up call’ to the dangers of deadly train derailments. The next one could be cataclysmic. No one died in the accident, but the air is pregnant with danger.

‘Ineffective oversight and a largely self-monitoring industry that has cut the rail workforce to the bone in recent years as it puts record profits over safety’, is responsible for the wreck, said a Railroad Official.

About 4.5 million tons of toxic chemicals are shipped by rail each year and an average of 12,000 rail coaches carrying hazardous materials pass through cities and towns each day, according to the US Department of Transportation.

Going into another line of thinking, just 22 train tank coaches filled with LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) holds the same amount of energy as the Hiroshima Atomic Bomb. An LNG fire is extremely difficult to contain, and shipping it by rail can be extremely dangerous. While we are astonished by the effect that the spillage of five coaches of vinyl chloride has had at the Pennsylvania-Ohio border it would be nothing compared to the effects of a similar derailment of LNG.

The US is definitely heading ‘someplace’. What, with it being ‘attacked’ from the Air- UFO’s and Aliens; on Land – chemical derailments, and people using easily-available guns to primarily shoot down school going children.

Meanwhile, this week, a gunman, Anthony Dwayne McRae, 43, killed three Michigan State University students and left five others in critical condition. He had no known ties to the University and opened fire on two parts of campus. And was later found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. There have been 12 school shootings so far this year, and the shooting at Michigan State marks the first at a college or university this year.

Over the past year we have heard of mighty winds, heavy and incessant rains, blazing heat, and other devilish Weather conditions ‘not seen or experienced in a generation or in decades’. Well, it’s back this year.

Cyclone Gabrielle – the kind not seen in a generation in New Zealand – pummelled much of the country’s North Island causing the Government to declare a National Emergency – only the third in New Zealand’s history.

About a third of the country’s population of five million people live in the affected areas. Many people were displaced from their homes and some were forced to swim to safety after rivers burst their banks and entered their houses. Others climbed to rooftops from where they were rescued . About a quarter of a million people are without power. Falling trees have smashed houses, and landslides have carried others away and blocked roads. The storm’s damage has been most extensive in coastal communities on the far north and east coast of the North Island – with areas like Hawke’s Bay, Coromandel, and Northland among the worst hit.

Down Under neighbour Australia has often gone under water and now the ‘disease’ has spread to New Zealand.

The United Kingdom (UK) consists of the lands of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. With England, Scotland, and Wales being referred to as Great Britain we have one title, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on the Passport.

Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland each have their own government or executive led by a First Minister and a devolved unicameral legislature. England, the largest of the constituents of the United Kingdom has no devolved executive or legislature and is administered directly by the UK Parliament, which also reigns supreme over Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

The First Minister of Scotland is Nicola Sturgeon, 52, who is also the Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), a position she has held since 2014.

This week, in a shock announcement, Nicola Sturgeon ‘in a Jacinda Ardern moment’ called it quits as First Minister as well as Leader of the SNP, saying, “In my head and my heart, I know the time is now”.

This was a bombshell which send shockwaves through Scottish politics. Her Government was in a pivotal moment, in pursuit of SNP’s founding goal, of Scottish Independence in the light of the UK Government’s refusal to engage in plans for a referendum. And the UK Supreme Court has ruled against another referendum on Scottish freedom being held unilaterally, i.e., without the UK Government’s consent.

Nicola Sturgeon departs after facing mounting pressure over her tactics for independence and over transgender rights, though she said she was under no pressure whatsoever over these issues.

Sturgeon became First Minister in the aftermath of the September 2014 referendum, which saw Scots reject breaking away from the rest of the United Kingdom by more than 10 percentage points. However she has been doggedly pushing for another vote, especially in the background of Scotland voting against Brexit in 2016. She has overseen unprecedented electoral success for the SNP as she kept the ‘scent of Scottish Independence’ alive. “I firmly believe that my successor, whoever he or she may be, will lead Scotland to independence and I’ll be there cheering him or her on every single step of the way,” she said.

In less than a month, two prominent world leaders-New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern, and Nicola Sturgeon -have resigned from political office. The similarity in the reasons both leaders have cited will find resonance in much of the world, especially among women in public life. Both have cited exhaustion, the need to step away from constant scrutiny and have a private life. They have also hinted at how dehumanising being a woman in public life can be. Lessons for the world!

Marburg

An illness, which has killed more than nine people in Equatorial Guinea has been identified as Marburg, a highly infectious and deadly Ebola-like virus for which there’s no vaccine, officials announced this Monday.

The outbreak was first detected last Tuesday, affecting people who went to a funeral ceremony in Kie-Ntem province, which borders Cameroon and Gabon. It prompted a local lockdown and restrictions along the border with Cameroon. One of the eight samples which were examined has since tested positive for Marburg virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said. The other results are not yet known. Samples were negative for Ebola, Lassa, Dengue and Yellow Fever.

So far, Equatorial Guinea has reported 25 suspected cases, including 9 deaths. Their symptoms include nose bleeds, fever, fatigue, joint pain and blood-stained vomit and diarrhoea.

The Marburg virus disease is a highly virulent disease that causes hemorrhagic fever and has a case fatality ratio of up to 88%. It’s in the same family as the virus that causes Ebola. Human-to-human transmission is possible through direct contact with bodily fluids, surfaces and materials.

There are no approved vaccines or antiviral treatments to treat this virus.

Please Yourself

Super Bowl

In American Football, the Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season, since 1966.

The Super Bowl is played on the second Sunday in February of the year and is among the world’s most-watched single sporting event and frequently commands the largest audience among all American broadcasts during the year.

This year’s Super Bowl, the 57th, was played on 12th February at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The Kansas City Chiefs won their second Super Bowl in four seasons, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35.

One of the most eagerly awaited events is the half-time of the Super Bowl when Superstar musicians treat the spectators to a spectacular performance. Remember, the 37th Super Bowl made famous by ‘Janetgate’, when Singer Janet Jackson’s breast—adorned with a nipple shield—was exposed by Actor-Singer Justin Timberlake to the viewing public for approximately half a second. The shield made us wonder whether Janet came prepared with a ‘shield’ expecting the ‘Justin’ attack? It went on to create a voluminous discourse over indecency in broadcasting.

This year, singer Rihanna performed live about a dozen of her hits, without controversy, at half-time. It was an epic music show featuring gravity-defying sets – mainly seven LED illuminated platforms that were hung up to 60 feet above the field. Some said it was the most technically advanced show ever, at the Super Bowl.

And once the music died down, Rihanna made an announcement of a second pregnancy with Rapper A$AP Rocky (he has a dollar in his name).

Not to be left behind, the already mother of three, Actress Blake Lively followed suit announcing ‘one more’ with husband Actor Ryan Reynolds.

I read about a couple in Poland who had seven kids and decided to go for one more, but were blessed with quintuplets – that’s a dozen in total! Suddenly it looks like it’s raining babies all over Plant Earth. The human population is surely exploding and may become the next Climate Change problem, will it? And we have a grown-up child activist leading an effort, from the front!

US actress Raquel Welch – a breath-taking natural beauty – who, some say, paved the way for modern-day action heroines in Hollywood films, died at the age of 82, after a brief illness.

Welch became an international sex symbol in the 1960s, widely remembered for playing a bikini-clad cavewoman in the 1966 film One Million Years B.C. She also won a Golden Globe for her role in 1974’s The Three Musketeers. In a career spanning over five decades, Welch appeared in more than 30 movies and 50 television shows.

In the year 1979, Raquel Welch posed for Playboy, but she never did a fully nude shoot. Playboy founder Hugh Hefner later said, “Raquel Welch, one of the last of the classic sex symbols, came from the era when you could be considered the sexiest woman in the world without taking your clothes off. She declined to do complete nudity, and I yielded gracefully. The pictures prove her point”.

Welch married her high school sweetheart, James Welch with whom she had two children, Damon Welch, and Latanne Tahnee Welch (who is an actress). James and Raquel Welch divorced in 1964: she retained James’ last name, Welch, until her death.

She married producer Patrick Curtis in 1967, and divorced him in 1972. In 1980, she married producer Andre Weinfeld, divorcing him in 1990. Welch wed Richard Palmer, owner of Mulberry Street Pizzeria (over 30 years in the business of making Pizzas; claims to be the World’s most famous Pizzeria) in 1999 but then separated in 2003. After this, Welch did not remarry.

She was my ‘Dream Woman’ in the High School and College days. RIP Raquel Welch.

More stories pregnant with life and meaning coming up in the weeks ahead. Deliver your best with World Inthavaaram.