About: the world this week, 25 February 2024 to 2 March 2024; The United Nations; Gaza and Israel; Russia and nuclear weapons; Sandeshkhali arrests; Moon Landing; India’s Astronauts; India’s Economy; a Princess in distress; and Japan’s Naked Festival.
Everywhere
In a moment of reckoning, United Nations(UN) Chief Antonio Guterres deplored how the UN Security Council had failed to respond adequately to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, saying the conflicts had ‘perhaps fatally’ undermined its authority. And of course, the disastrous operations of UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East), in the Gaza Strip, being complicit with the terrorist Hamas, runs in our minds.
Guterres said the UN Security Council often found itself, “unable to act on the most significant peace and security issues of our time”. Asked if the Security Council could eventually be considered ‘brain dead’ Guterres quipped, “If the Security Council one day shows that it is incapable of doing anything, then it will be very close to this medical condition.” That’s the best loud-thinking one can hear all week! The UN is certainly in need of a complete overhaul. Wonder, who’s going to do it?
This week there was a stampede in Gaza when dozens of people were trampled to death or run-over when aid trucks had arrived for distribution of food and supplies. There are conflicting reports on what exactly happened. Hamas says that Israeli forces shot and killed at least 100 Palestinians during the rush to get food; Israel says it fired warning shots to try to break up the crowd, which was getting out of control. And the firing caused trucks to leave in panic.
Over the past few weeks, getting aid into Gaza has become increasingly difficult in the midst of the ongoing war, with a complete breakdown in public order. The UN says the Gaza population is close to famine and there are reports of people eating animal feed and grass to survive. But this latest incident may have even bigger consequences. And Gaza is on a deadline. Israel has said that if Hamas does not release the remaining 130 hostages by 10th March, which marks the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramzan, it will begin its ground offensive in Rafah, in southern Gaza, where more than 1.4 million Palestinians are sheltering.
The war in Ukraine has triggered the worst crisis in Russia’s relations with the Western World, since the Cuban Missile Crisis in the year 1962. President Vladimir Putin has previously spoken of the dangers of a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia, but his nuclear warning, this week, was one of his most explicit.
Putin warned Western countries that there was a genuine risk of nuclear war if they send their own troops to fight in Ukraine, and he said Russia had the weapons to strike targets in the West. In Russia signs of opposition, to Putin’s regime, still flicker despite the state machinery working round the clock to snuff out the slightest dissent over the invasion of Ukraine and, more recently, the death in detention of opposition leader, Alexi Navalny. This week, Russia Authorities finally handed over Alexi Navalny’s body to his parents and he was buried at a cemetery on the outskirts of Moscow. His wife Yulia and their two children, who live in exile in the United States, did not attend on fears of being detained.
Sheikh Shahjahan, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader accused of turning Sandeshkhali in India’s West Bengal State into a hellhole of torture, land grab, and sexual exploitation, was finally arrested this week by the State police. He was on the run for over 55 days and was nabbed from a house around 30 km from Sandeshkhali, which is around 85 km from State Capital of Kolkata. A court sent him to 10 days in police custody. Shahjahan ‘dressed for the occasion’ walked to the courtroom with policemen behind him, escorting him like he was a VIP, waving to reporters gathered. Celebrations erupted in Sandeshkhali as the news of Shahjahan’s arrest broke, with residents distributing sweets. The TMC suspended Shahjahan for six years, but his body-language, the arrogance, and nonchalance spoke many things, all at once – a criminal controlling the system.
This week, India developed a swag in its stride, running on the double, to achieve its goal of becoming one of the largest economies in the World. The October to December 2023 GDP growth figures revealed a terrific 8.4%, beating all estimates. India’s growing economy is best amplified by Industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, as recounted by my favourite news person, Minhaz Merchant.
“The Indian Economy, It’s just looking like a Wow. This dynamism and energy of a young country and an ancient civilisation that has found its voice and footing. There is a palpable sense that the country is on the move. India is awash with optimism, pride, and anticipation. This anticipation stems from our country’s accelerated high-growth trajectory”. I think India’s time has come.
Last Thursday, a spacecraft built and flown by Texas-based company Intuitive Machines landed on the Moon’s surface near its South Pole, becoming the first in more than half a century and the first ever by the US private sector. NASA had several research instruments aboard the vehicle. And is well into achieving its goal of sending a squad of commercially flown spacecraft on scientific scouting missions to the moon ahead of a planned return of astronauts to the Moon, later this decade.
Earlier, on 15 February 2024, the Odysseus– nicknamed Odie – lunar lander was launched into space, atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The rocket fired Odie into Earth’s orbit and after burning through its fuel detached itself, leaving the lunar lander to fly solo through space. The robotic explorer then consulted an onboard map of the stars so it could orient itself in space, pointing its solar panels toward the sun’s rays to charge its batteries. Odie then went into an oval-shaped path around Earth, and after about 18 hours into spaceflight, ignited its motors, for the first time, to continue a fast-paced trip toward the lunar surface. The moon then gave Odie a gentle gravitational tug as the spacecraft approached, pulling the vehicle towards its cratered surface. The six-legged Odie made a nail-biting touchdown on 22 February in what was called a ‘white-knuckle touchdown’, meaning ‘alive and well’ but resting on its side instead of fully upright.
Human-error led to a failure of the spacecraft’s laser-based range finders, but engineers detected the glitch, by chance, hours before landing time, and improvised an emergency fix that saved the mission from a probable crash. But initial communications problems following the landing raised questions about whether the vehicle may have been left impaired or obstructed in some way.
The spacecraft was not designed to provide live video of the landing, which came one day after it reached lunar orbit and a week after its launch from Florida. It also took some time after an anticipated radio blackout to re-establish communications with the spacecraft and determine its fate. When contact was finally renewed, the signal was faint, confirming that the lander had touched down but leaving mission control immediately uncertain as to the precise condition and orientation of the vehicle. Odie could have broken a leg on landing too fast, and tipped-over: details are awaited.
Continuing with the space theme, this week, India named four astronauts to travel to space as part of the India’s first manned spaceflight mission in Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Gaganyaan. They are Test Pilots, Group Captains, Prashanth Nair, Ajit Krishnan, Angad Pratap, and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla. The astronauts are already undergoing rigorous training. And the next step would be a demonstration of human spaceflight capability by launching them into an orbit of 400 km for a three-day mission and bringing them back safely to Earth by landing in Indian sea waters.
India’s ambitious space plans, quickly brought back memories of Rakesh Sharma who made history, becoming the first Indian to travel to Space. In April 1984, he along with two Soviet Union cosmonauts flew the Soviet Spacecraft Soyuz T-11, which docked and transferred the three member crew to the Salyut 7 Orbital Station. Sharma spent about 7 days aboard Salyut 7 during which time he conducted scientific and technical studies with the team, practiced Yoga, and had a conversation with the then Prime Minister of India. The journey to space and back lasted about 21 days.
What’s going on with the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton? England’s Royal Family at Kensington Palace said that the Princess is recovering from a successful, planned abdominal surgery, but the meme-makers of the internet aren’t fully convinced. Kensington Palace previously announced on 17th January that Kate Middleton had undergone surgery and would be returning home after a hospital stay, adding that she wanted to keep her medical details private. It was said that she would likely not be able to return to public duties until after Easter. But the fact that she apparently hasn’t even been spotted by British tabloids since Christmas Day 2023 has concerned certain corners of the internet. But, the Royals know how to keep a secret!
For over 1250 years Japan has been celebrating the Hadaka Matsuri, or the ‘Naked Festival’ at the Konomiya Shrine, in central Japan. It’s always been a men’s only festival and this year, for the first time ever, women have been allowed to join. Turns out that there was never a ban on women participating; no one asked; and this time when someone asked, they were allowed, why not?
The ‘naked festival’ has been celebrated by men in an attempt to drive away evil spirits, before praying for happiness at the shrine. The men make a big scramble, rushing to the shrine yelling, “Washoi! Washoi!” – let’s go, let’s go! And clamber over one another to touch the Shin Otoko, or the ‘male deity’ – a man chosen by the shrine. Touching him, as the tradition goes, is meant to drive evil spirits away. However, in the scrabble, women are not allowed.
Hold on… ‘naked men’ and with women participating, ‘naked women’ too? Here, naked is defined as men wearing nothing but the traditional Japanese loin cloth. And the women wear ‘happi coats’ – long, purple robes – and white shorts, while carrying their own bamboo trunk offerings. They stand in two parallel lines and carry the long bamboo sticks wrapped in intertwined red and white ribbons, encouraging their men to make the naked dash!
Japan has one of the fastest ageing populations on Earth. Last year, for the first time, it was found that more than one in 10 people were aged 80 or older. Meanwhile, its birth rate stands at just 1.3 per woman, with only 800,000 babies born last year.
Hope Japan’s population woes are heard by Shin Otoko, and the men are driven to be be productive. Meanwhile, “Washoi Washoi,” the women too, join in the shout.
More naked and clothed stories coming-up in the weeks ahead. Washoi Washoi with World Inthavaaram.
Kumar Govindan's Words 