Tag: Wimbledon

FREEWHEELING

About: A break free commentary on events on our Planet, anchored on the news of the world. Any comments beyond the storyline, are entirely mine, without prejudice -take it or leave it. This is a flight of events from 3 July 2025 to 26 July 2025.

America: the Big, the Rap, the Flash; guilty Russia; Wimbledon Tennis; Israel, Syria, India, Spain, and Moon Landing.

America

The Big

President Trump’s sweeping legislation-over which he and Elon Musk sparred and went to war-the so called ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ was passed by the Republican Party controlled House on 4th July by a razor-thin margin, delivering Trump a major legislative victory. It’s expected that the bill will slash almost USD 1 trillion from Medicaid-which could leave nearly 12 million Americans uninsured by 2034-while locking in tax cuts, mostly for the wealthy, and adding USD 3.3 trillion to the deficit. The bill then headed to the President’s desk for signature and after the great, beautiful scrawl it was made into Big Law.

Meanwhile, exasperated by the workings of Trump and the twists and turns of party politics, Elon Musk announced the launch of a new Political party called the ‘America Party’. It challenges the two-party system of Democrats and Republicans. And Musk said the Third Party will focus on deficit reduction and will be fiscally conservative. The party’s platform is to reduce debt, modernise the military with Artificial Intelligence(AI), cut regulations, and encourage more births -the human population is in decline, and we are heading toward extinction! The America Party would focus on two or three Senate Seats and eight to ten House Districts to serve as the deciding vote on contentious laws, and represent the general will. Musk said the Party would run in the 2026 elections, comparing his strategy to that used by the Greek General Epaminondas in the Battle of Leuctra, “a concentrated force at a precise location on the battlefield”.

Trump brushed it off as ‘ridiculous’ and said, Elon Musk has ‘run off the rails’ and is a ‘train wreck’. Great, big colourful words that only Trump uses best.

A third Political Party or Front, has never made headway in America. Will ‘America Party’ break the two?

The Rap

In September 2024, American Rapper, Record Producer, and Music Mogul, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs was arrested in the Southern District of New York and indicted on charges of racketeering, sex trafficking by force, and transportation for purposes of prostitution. He was held in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

This year, after seven long weeks of star testimonies and vigorous nods and combing of evidence, a jury (of mostly men) found Combs not guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking-the most serious charges against him. But they convicted him on two lesser charges of transporting someone for prostitution. Prosecutors claimed that Combs led a criminal organisation for over two decades, forcing people around him into ‘freak-offs’, and using his status to fulfil his sexual desires. His defense team didn’t deny the drug use or domestic violence but argued the other allegations were overblown. In the end, the jurors said the prosecution failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he forced anyone to engage in non-consensual acts. Combs, who maintained his innocence, pumped his fist in the air and thanked the jurors. Bail has not been granted, as yet, and Combs remains in jail and faces up to 20 years in prison, which will be known in October 2025 when the sentence is to be pronounced. What else remains to be combed?

The Flash

In one of the worst natural disasters in America’s history, Flash Floods in Texas saw water swell like never before and swallow trees, bridges, and roads. By the end, one could see a bridge overwhelmed and overtaken by raging water, and debris slamming into it. That was not rising water: it was a wall of death. 10–15 inches of rain fell in hours. The ground couldn’t absorb it. The rivers couldn’t hold it. Gauges failed. It hit hard and fast. The Guadalupe River rose 26 feet in 45 minutes and crested at 39.50 feet, early in the morning while people were sleeping. This wasn’t ignorance. This was sudden, violent and unstoppable. No one saw the severity of this coming. No one could stop it. It was an act of God.

Over 130 have died in the flash flooding. 27 young girls, teenage counsellors and staff perished after a wall of water surged through Camp Mystic, a Christian Summer camp for girls, being held on the banks of the Guadalupe River, in Kerr County. At Camp Mystic, like elsewhere in the county, residents were reliant on an outdated and patchwork early warning system of alerts. Some were from the National Weather Service (NWS), which many concede, they never received. Other messages came from local authorities, some sent only after an inexplicable delay, which others along the Guadalupe’s banks say they did not see in any case. Investigators of the catastrophic Hill Country flooding may never be able to pinpoint a precise moment that sealed the fate of the camping girls.

While we explore the skies and beyond, we certainly need to take a closer look at dear Earth. By this time, should we not be able to read Planet Earth like the plan of our hand?

Russia is Guilty

On 9th July, Europe’s top Human Rights Court found that Russia shot down a regular civilian flight, Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777, Flight MH17, killing all 283 passengers and 15 crew members. The European Court of Human Rights also delivered damning judgments against Russia in three other cases brought by Ukraine and the Netherlands accusing Russia of atrocities in Ukraine going back more than a decade.

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur-was shot down on 17 July 2014, using a Russian-made BUK 9M38 surface-to-air missile. This was fired during the war in Donbas, Eastern Ukraine, from territory controlled by separatist rebels backed by Russia-fighting the Ukrainian Government.

The Donbas War is a phase of the Russian-Ukraine War which began in April 2014, when Russian paramilitaries seized several Ukrainian Towns. Ukraine launched an operation against the separatists but failed to re-take territory. Due to the armed conflict in the region some airlines had began avoiding eastern Ukrainian airspace, in early March 2014.

The Court said that the evidence suggested that the missile had been intentionally fired at flight MH17, most likely in the mistaken belief that it was a military aircraft. The Court found that Russia’s refusal to acknowledge its involvement in the Flight MH17 disaster violated international law and its failure to properly investigate the matter significantly aggravated the suffering of the relatives and friends of the dead. In May, the United Nations’ Aviation Agency also found Russia responsible for the disaster.

Russia excels at being the ‘grizzly’ bad-boy of the world and gets away with everything?

Wimbledon 2025

This year’s Wimbledon tennis tournament saw new Champions walking the grass carpet and creating new records, new firsts, on a green background.

In a comeback, after recovering from cancer, the Royal Patron of Wimbledon, Catherine-Kate Middleton-Princess of Wales, handed over the Trophies, bouncing on court and making blue and white fashion statements with young Royals in tow. Something to watch besides the balls?

Kate became Patron of the All England Tennis Club in 2016, taking over from Queen Elizabeth. As Patron, she regularly attends the Women’s and Men’s Finals. However, she wasn’t there when Barbora Krejcikova defeated Jasmine Paolini for the women’s title, last year. And she was catching-up, quickly.

This year, the Women’s Singles Title winner is Poland’s, Iga Swiatek who defeated America’s Amanda Anisimova, with a brutal 6-0, 6-0 scoreline, in just 57 minutes. This is the first double bagel in a Wimbledon final, since 1988, and only the second in a Grand Slam Final in over a century. Iga Swiatek is the first Polish woman to claim the Wimbledon singles champion in the Open Era. The defending champion Barbora Krejcikova, of the Czech Republic, lost in the third round to America’s Emma Navarro.

In the Men’s Singles, Italian Jannik Sinner demonstrated superb resilience by recovering from a set down to win his first Wimbledon title. It was a phenomenal performance, toppling the two-time defending champion, Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 6-4. Sinner is the first Italian Wimbledon singles champion in the Open Era, and he now stands as a four-time Grand Slam Champion. He breaks his ­overall tie with an assortment of famous names, including Arthur Ashe, Andy Murray, and Stan Wawrinka. Perhaps, most important, he ends his rival, Alcaraz’s, run of five consecutive wins against him, adding a new dimension to a rivalry that seems set to decide the majority of major tournaments in the near future. This is also Sinner’s first Grand Slam title away from hard courts, after two victories at the Australian Open and last year’s US Open.

Then, there is a ‘sin’ angle. This is Sinner’s first grand slam victory and overall title since his three-month doping ban between February and May this year. Sinner had tested positive for the banned substance Clostebol last year before successfully arguing, during his initial tribunal in August, that the positive test had been a result of contamination, receiving no suspension. After the World Anti-Doping Agency(WADA) chose to appeal the case, Sinner’s team and WADA eventually entered a case resolution ­agreement, essentially a ­settlement, agreeing on the three-month suspension.

The prize money for the Wimbledon Championship is a record £53,500,000 with the Ladies’ and Gentlemen’s Singles, each receiving £3,000,000. The runner-up receives £1,520,000.

Other Stories

The Ukraine-Russia War plods on with US President, Donald Trump, mediated loud ceasefire attempts falling on deaf ears, and failing to inspire Russia. Now, the US is arming Ukraine to the teeth, to fight Russia, tooth and nail!

The ongoing Israel-Hamas War, to avenge the 7 October 2023 barbarism on Israel, rescue the 50 remaining hostages, and obliterate the terrorist Hamas, is still a hard work in progress. Israel is going in for the kill while humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip gets strangulated: the usual blame-game between the United Nations (UN) and Israel. But the UN can do better with tons of aid already in the Gaza remaining undistributed.

Over the past weeks, France said it plans to recognise Palestine as a State at the UN General Assembly Meeting in September, which drew fire from those on the side with Israel. Wait until the Palestine State actually comes into being, said Italy.

In Syria, a fresh wave of deadly sectarian violence erupted with fighting in the province of Suweida between Druze and Bedouin militias-two groups with long-running disputes-as well as government forces ‘joining the party’. The latest violence started on 13 July with the abduction of a Druze merchant. A few days later, Israel launched air strikes on Damascus, Suweida, and Deraa seeking to protect the Druze against government-affiliated forces. One week on, more than 1,100 people have been killed in Suweida. All sides – Druze, Bedouin and Syrian Government forces-have been accused of atrocities, but mainly the Government.

The Druze are an Arabic-speaking ethno-religious minority in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel. The Druze faith is an offshoot of Shia Islam with its own unique identity and beliefs. Half of its roughly one million followers live in Syria, where they make up about 3% of the population. Druze in Israel are largely considered to be loyal to the state, owing to their participation in military service. There are some 152,000 Druze living in Israel and the Golan Heights.

Towards the end of July, Thailand and Cambodia’s decades old border dispute escalated into deadly clashes after both sides accused each other of opening fire, and then exchanged fire along the disputed border. More than a dozen people have been killed and more than 135,000 civilians evacuated from the region. Tensions between the Southeast Asian neighbors have been boiling for months over disputed sections of their 800 km land border, demarcated partly by Cambodia’s former colonial ruler France, and which runs near several archaeologically significant Hindu religious sites that both countries claim.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi set out on a historic 5 nation – Ghana, Trinidad & Tobago, Argentina, Brazil, Namibia-visit, between 2 July and 9 July. This was to fill the period gaps left by other PMs, deepening trade and improving bilateral hand-shake and hugging ties, and attending the BRICS Summit in Brazil. This was also the longest diplomatic visit outside India, in 10 years, by India’s PM.

The first visit to Ghana in 30 years; the first visit to Trinidad & Tobago in 27 years, where India’s PM also picked-up the nation’s highest national award – The Order of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago; the first diplomatic visit to Argentina in 57 years; and in the final leg, the first visit by an Indian PM to Namibia, in nearly 30 years. That’s decades of ‘distance generating love’, and the visit heats it up. Did India get that far from all these countries?

Then on returning, in a brilliant reverse swing, PM Modi topped-up with a visit to the United Kingdom(UK) on 24 July where he signed a landmark Free Trade Agreement between the countries. This will see growth in every part of the UK-delivering on the government’s Plan for Change.The deal will see tariffs lowered so businesses can expand more easily in one of the fastest growing economies in the world-India, while UK consumers will benefit from lower prices and greater choices. India’s PM also welcomed nearly £6 billion in new investment and export wins, which will create 2,200 jobs across the UK. For Britain, eager to score a post-Brexit win, the deal is its most economically significant trade agreement since leaving the European Union. For India, it marks its first major free trade pact outside Asia. For both countries, the agreement signals a long-term economic partnership.

It’s not over, not yet. Before returning to India from Britain, the PM dropped-in at Maldives, to warm-up things up after a period of cold unfriendliness crept-in between the nations over the past year. Cheers to that!

Spain’s Pain: Brutal heat scorched Spain in the first week of July, a blistering reminder of the climate change that is battering the world-stretching finances even a government debt climbs to new heights.

Humans landed on the moon for the first time 56 years ago on 20 July 1969, which is celebrated as Space Exploration Day, the anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. On this Day in 1969, the Apollo 11 crew of America’s NASA, successfully accomplished the first human landing on the Moon, touching down in the Sea of Tranquility. Six and a half hours later, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made history as the first humans to walk on the lunar surface. Armstrong took the first step with that that iconic phrase, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”.

More scorching stories about giant leaps coming-up in the weeks ahead. Watch that step, with Freewheeling.

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2024-29

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

Everywhere

India: Mounting Body Bags

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

America: Die Another Day

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Israel: Fierce Battle

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

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

European Union(EU): Leaders Elected

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

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

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

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

Bangladesh: Reservations – Shaken

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

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

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

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

India’s Karnataka Reservations – Stirred

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

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

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

Air India: Gold

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

Sports: Tennis and Football

Wimbledon

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

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

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

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

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

Eurocup 2024

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

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

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

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

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2024-28

About: the world this week, 7 July 2024 to 13 July 2024: What’s happening in India’s States; India-Russia-Austria bear hugs; the big Wars; NATO meets; Singapore’s insects; and Wimbledon Tennis.

Everywhere

India: Potpourri

The State of The States

In India’s southern State of Tamil Nadu back-to-back killings shook the State. One was in Salem City, where a party functionary was hacked to death by motorcycle-mounted killers wielding knives. Shanmugam, a Political Party Regional Secretary was returning home on his motorcycle from the party office, late in the night, when he was attacked. It appears that Shanmugam worked against the sale of drugs and illicit liquor in the area and hence ‘needed mending’ by the gangsters.

The second was in the State capital, Chennai, where Armstrong, the Regional Head of a National Party was confronted by a motorcycle-mounted killer gang who streamed-in as Food Delivery Boys, armed with machetes, and country bombs (as a back-up). And Armstrong was brutally murdered in the evening near his house at Perambur, on 5th July. The Police made some arrests, but not really the ones responsible. His life was under threat for over a year, and this murder seemed coming.

Then, quick on the heels was a third one, Shankar, another Political Party functionary was fatally stabbed in Cuddalore. And just when we thought the knives deserved a rest, a fourth incident occurred. A rowdy, Vinod, just released from jail, on bail, was having lunch in his home in Dindigul when unknown men broke-in and hacked him to death – making a meal out of him.

Suddenly, such kind of bloody news was all over the place. And older ones were dug-up from the graves. A few weeks earlier in Tirunelveli another Political Party leader, Jayakumar was likewise brutally murdered. And all these Political Leaders do not belong to the ruling Political dispensation. Rings a bell?

The State Government presented a pathetic picture. What does it do? It sacked the incumbent Police Commissioner responsible for Law & Order and brought in another, from down the line. The new one menacingly said he will talk to the rowdies in their language. Expect a violent shake-up of the Police Force in Tamil Nadu – hope the common man understands this language.

Meanwhile, in Maharashtra hit-and-run cases by the wealthy and powerful is on a spirited run. Mihir Shah, the 24-year-old son of a senior leader of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, Raju Shah, driving his BMW car knocked down a couple riding a scooter. The woman who died Kaveri Nakhwa, 45, was riding with her husband, Pradip when the car driver lost control at around 5.30 am. Mihir Shah went into hiding while his family diligently tried transferring the blame to the driver sitting next to him. However, Police arrested him after a few days, quelling some public anger.

Moving to India’s northern most State of Jammu & Kashmir an attack, by Pakistani terrorists, caused five Indian Soldiers to be martyred in Kathua when an Army vehicle was ambushed in the mountainous terrain. The terrorists targeted the Army truck near Badnota Village in Lohai Malhar, about 150 km from Kathua Town. This attack is the fifth in the Jammu region in a month, in a loudly mounting graph of fire from across the border. There is a quietly growing pressure on India to respond in kind, as the ever-increasing body-bags of soldiers return home.

These are also testing times for India’s National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts various competitive entrance exams for admission to higher Educational Institutions, across the country. The NTA has been in the business for over a decade, but this year it comprehensively messed up the National Eligibility-Cum Entrance Test (NEET) – Undergraduate (UG), the gateway for admission to Medical Colleges in the country. Allegations of inflated marking and paper leaks scorched the headlines ever since the results are announced on 4th June. And the issue reached the doors of the Supreme Court of India, which is hearing various pleas, including re-testing and scrapping the Exam.

The NEET is conducted offline, using pen and paper where students answer multiple questions on a OMR sheet. The Optical Mark Reader/Recognition (OMR) sheet is a special pre-printed paper which contains bubbles and timing tracks sensors. Bubbles are filled by candidates and timing tracks help to read the OMR Sheet. Maybe it’s time to conduct NEET online. And NTA has been successfully conducting the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) to India’s prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Colleges, a record worth looking-up to.

Later in the week IIT-Madras, came out with a fact finding investigation on NEET -UG and its report concluded that there are was no mass malpractice. A ‘tested’ wake-up call!

A High Wedding

The seemingly never-ending Wedding Festivities – some called it a Wedding Circus – for the youngest son of Asia’s richest man is one of the biggest shows happening in India. It started a long time ago – about 4 months – and finally seems to be ending this week. Anant Ambani, son of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani and Nita Ambani, ties the proverbial knot with Radhika Merchant, daughter of Pharmaceutical Business Tycoons Viren and Shaila Merchant.

There have been months filled with hair-raising lavish events leading up to the wedding itself. All the glamorous outfits, stunning jewellery, fairytale-like decor and rare performances by Indian and global stars, from every corner of the world, have been splashed all over the media. Anybody who is a who’s who or a somebody, in India or abroad, appears to have been invited.

Imagine a ferocious, screeching Tiger of West Bengal being unable to resist the call, making a dash to the Wedding. And another normally wheel-chair mounted, convicted out-on-bail politician throwing his wheel chair to walk to the Wedding? When not in jail for stealing fodder or otherwise sitting, many say, he plays badminton.

Makes one wonder, how much is too much? There is no paucity of entertainment in India – in all walks of life.

India – Russia: Bear-Hugs and Friends Forever

This week, India’s Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi made his first visit to Russia-since the Russia-Ukraine war-for the 22nd India-Russia Annual Bilateral Summit.

He was received with a bear-tight embrace from Russian President Putin. They rode together on an electric golf-cart driven by the President himself through his plentiful residence, made small talk over a cup of tea, and even whispered to the President’s collection of horses – in the stables.

Russia agreed to discharge Indian Soldiers in its ranks, fighting the Ukraine war, on a request made by India. Then in yet another hug, and a tighter one this time, Russia awarded The Order of St. Andrew the Apostle, to PM Modi. This was for exceptional services in promoting the special and privileged partnership between Russia and India. The over 300-year-old award was first established by Tsar Peter the Great in 1698 in recognition of outstanding civilian and military merit and is Russia’s highest civilian award. Saint Andrew is the first apostle of Jesus and the patron saint of Russia. In a special ceremony in the St. Andrew Hall in the Kremlin, President Putin conferred the award on PM Modi, who becomes the first Indian leader to receive this award.

India-Austria: a Long Overdue Hug

On the return swing, India’s PM visited Austria and was received by the ‘sound of music’ when a western version of India’s National Song, Vande Mataram, was played by an Austrian Orchestra. This is the first time in over 40 years that an Indian Prime Minister is visiting Austria. What took India so long?

Austria is a not a member country of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and its Chancellor Karl Nehammer had invited India for bilateral discussions on improving relations between the countries.

The Others

French Elections: It’s getting complicated

A left-wing New Popular Front alliance won the most seats in the French Parliament, thwarting the far-right National Rally in a stunning turn-around result after Sunday’s second-round vote. The ganging-up of parties fearing the ‘right rule’ seems to have been successful. It’s telling of the times that Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party won every single French department except for Paris in the European Union Parliament Elections, which led to this snap Election being called by President Emmanuel Macron. And after a commanding first round win, Le Pen lost the second round, being relegated to third place. The result means France is plunged into political limbo, with no party reaching an absolute majority, leaving parliament gridlocked.

The New Popular Front won 182 seats, while President Macron’s centrist Ensemble Alliance won 163 seats. The National Rally and its allies won 143 seats. Definitely a surprise result. And the majority required is 289 seats.

Jean-Luc Melenchon, the firebrand leader of ‘France Unbowed’, is a possible candidate for Prime Minister. And Jordan Bardella, the National Rally’s 28-year-old leader missed the chance. He said that France had been thrown into ‘uncertainty and instability’.

Ongoing Wars: No End in Sight

In the Russia-Ukraine war, Russian missiles killed over 41 when it hit a Children’s hospital in Ukraine’s Capital Kyiv. Parents holding babies walked in the street outside the hospital, dazed and sobbing after the rare daylight aerial attack. Russia also rained missiles down on other cities across Ukraine. This is one of the deadliest air strikes in months.

Meanwhile, in the Middle-East, Israel presses on with its Gaza offensive against the terrorist Hamas, with rumblings of a possible cease-fire doing the rounds. The Israeli military expanded its evacuation order to the whole of Gaza City, which saw thousands of Palestinians flee to safer zones.

NATO Meets

In America, leaders of the transatlantic security alliance, NATO’s 32 member countries met this week in Washington for a summit, with further military and financial support for Ukraine high on the agenda. But much of the focus could be on US President Joe Biden as some in his own Democratic Party call for him to drop his run for a second term. For Keir Starmer the freshly-minted British PM this was his first international trip after leading the Labour Party to a landslide victory in Britain’s parliamentary election last week.

President Biden was at his gaffes best when he called Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky as President Putin and Vice President Kamala Harris as Vice President Trump. And when he kissed an uncomfortable looking Italian PM, Giorgia Meloni, he must have been thinking she was Marilyn Monroe? Someone must be turning in his grave.

Singapore: Insects on the Menu

This week, Singapore approved 16 insects for human consumption. The approved insects include various species of crickets, grasshoppers, locusts, mealworms, and silkworms. Restaurant owners believe that sales from insect-based dishes will increase their revenue by around 30%. They are ready to add these items to the Menu card. We could probably see a bee-line to ‘insect infested’ restaurants.

Sports: Wimbledon

The Annual Wimbledon Tennis Championships began in London on 1 July and plays up to the 14th July culminating with the Gentlemen’s Final and the Ladies Doubles Final.

World No 2, Serbia’s Novak Djokovic sailed into the quarter-final with a fluent 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win over Danish Holger Rune who, once in the year 2022, toppled the Serb to win his first Masters-1000 title. But this time Rune was throughly outplayed. The crowds bellowed “Ruuuuune” throughout the match in a deep elongated chant that sounded like booing. After winning, Djokovic thanked the respectful part of the crowd and criticised those he felt disrespected him.

Meanwhile Russia’s Daniil Medvedev knocked out World No 1 Italian Jannik Sinner in a topsy-turvy five-setter. Then, the first Men’s semifinal between Spanish Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev saw Alcaraz play smart tennis to overwhelm Medvedev 6-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 and move to the Finals. And the second semifinal Novak Djokovic outclassed Italian Lorenzo Musetti to set up a showdown with reigning champion Alcaraz in a repeat of last year’s final. Djokovic stayed on course for a record-equalling eighth men’s singles title at Wimbledon with a 6-4 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 victory on Centre Court.

In the Women’s side, Czech Barbora Krejcikova knocked out Kazakhstani Elena Rybakina to make an incredible comeback and reach the Ladies Finals. Krejcikova was down 3-6 in the first set and climbed back to win the next two sets 6-3, 6-4. She meets Italian Jasmine Paolini in the final this Saturday. Paolini also lost her fist set, 2-6, against Croatian Donna Vekic, before taking the next two, 6-4, 7-6 (tie-break) in a marathon game – said to be one of the longest and best ever semi-finals – and reaching her first Wimbledon Finals.

More thrilling stories coming-up in the weeks ahead. Stay and dance with World Inthavaaram.

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2023-29

About: the world this week 16 July to 22 July 2023. The grains of Ukraine; Manipur situation; the new largest office building in the World; Wimbledon Tennis; and AIDS.

Everywhere

Russia and Ukraine

This week, Russia announced that it would no longer allow Ukraine to export its grain by sea. Last year, the United Nations brokered the Black Sea Grain Initiative so that Ukraine’s ships could safely bypass Russia’s blockade and get grain to the rest of the world. Now, Russia says it’s pulling out of the deal because of the crippling Western sanctions. This could destabilise global food prices and push 47 million people worldwide into famine or hunger. The European Union is scrambling to find alternative routes, by rail, through Eastern Europe.

Now, one day after the announcement, Russia attacked a Ukrainian grain Port. And launched a series of missile attacks on other cities.

There was a commotion over the United State’s decision to send cluster bombs to Ukraine after Ukraine warned that it was running out of ammunition in its counter-offensive against Russia. The cluster bombs have arrived and said to be used ‘wisely’ by Ukraine. And the war continues.

Manipur

India’s State of Manipur is in the deadly grip of ethnic violence, and this week pictures of women of one community being paraded naked by another community shook and stirred the conscience of India. The incident happened on 4th May, but the videos were released only on 19th July – one reason mentioned is that the internet was shut-down in Manipur.

The situation in Manipur is not a one-dimensional one. Read World Inthavaarm 2027 https://kumargovindan.com/2023/07/08/world-inthavaaram-2023-27/on early history of the conflict. About the Meities, the Kuki’s, and the Naga communities, and the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). Adding more this week.

Women bear the brunt of violence during communal and ethnic riots and we rarely see the perpetrators brought to justice. And if at all arrested, they promptly get bail. In Manipur, violence against women has been a particularly resonant issue ever since the remarkable grass-roots movement for civil rights, Meira Paibi – Women Torch Bearers- in the 1970s. The Meria Paibi fought human rights violations by the paramilitary and armed forces against innocent people. It’s now run by five women leaders, known as ‘imas’ or mothers.

Going back in time, on 15 July 2004, it was that radical protest by 12 Manipuri women, who disrobed themselves and stood in protest at the historic Kangla Fort in Imphal-then the headquarters of the Assam Rifles-carrying banners with messages painted in red. ‘Indian Army Rape Us’, read one. ‘Indian Army Take Our Flesh’, said another. The women were protesting against the brutal killing of Manorama Thangjam, a 32 years old woman who had been picked up by the Assam Rifles under suspicious circumstances. Manorama’s bullet-riddled body was found near a paddy field, hours later. The case was a flashpoint in Manipur and forced the administration to address human rights violations by the Central Forces during the peak of the insurgency-when the various communities of the Hills and Valleys in Manipur were fighting each other.

Recall that a woman, Irom Chanu Sharmila’s 16 year long hunger strike for the repeal of AFSPA contributed towards changing the discourse on insurgency in the State.

The Assam Rifles is a central paramilitary force responsible for border security, counter-insurgency, and maintaining law and order in Northeast India. It primarily guards the Indo-Myanmar border. And is one of the Central Armed Police Forces administered by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The AFSPA was used sporadically in the hill districts of Manipur to tackle insurgency before being imposed across the whole state in 1980. Resentment against the security forces’ alleged excesses began as early as 1974, when a local woman committed suicide after she was allegedly raped by a Border Security Force officer, who faced no action for the suspected crime.

In March this year, in a significant move, the Central Government had withdrawn AFSPA from certain areas in Manipur, citing ‘significant improvement in the law and order situation’.

There is another angle to the Manipur situation, a destabilising factor: armed insurgents from Myanmar-many of whom have kinship ties with transnational ethnic communities straddling India and its immediate neighbours-slipping into the northeastern states through the porous border and adding to the complexity of Kuki-Meitei clashes and exacerbating the ongoing conflict in Manipur.

To escape the crackdown by neighbouring Myanmar’s military regime, ethnic Kuki-Chin (the Chin are an ethnic community native of the Chin state of Myanmar) people have entered India by thousands since the Myanmar coup in 2021. According to figures from UNHCR -the refugee agency of the United Nations- the ongoing civil war in Myanmar has displaced 1,827,000 people since February 2021, among which over 53000, mostly from the conflict-ridden Chin state and Sagaing region of Myanmar-the hotbed of armed resistance against the junta-have entered India’s northeastern states of Mizoram and Manipur till the month of May 2023.

In the last week of April this year, a random identification drive by the Manipur Government as part of the population commission’s work -which was was set up last year to track illegal immigration- identified about 2180 undocumented Myanmar nationals in the districts of Chandel, Churachandpu, andTengnoupal. These are Kuki-dominated districts along the Myanmar border.

During the recent All-Party meet in Manipur, India’s Home Minister said biometrics of people coming from across the border are being recorded and “for a permanent solution” to the instability in Manipur, “we have set up wired fencing across 10 kilometres (km) of the Manipur-Myanmar border on a trial basis, work tender has been invited for fencing on another 80 km, and a survey for fencing the rest of the Manipur-Myanmar border is being initiated.”

Now to the last angle – the drug angle- without which the complex web of issues behind the ethnic clashes in Manipur will remain incomplete; a reference that has repeatedly cropped up during high-level interactions between India and Myanmar.

Myanmar has become the ‘largest producer of illegal drugs within the infamous Golden Triangle—a tri-junction at the Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand borders that makes its way to India through the porous border.

Supply of drugs from the Golden Triangle remains a persisting problem. In recent times, however, poppy cultivation has proliferated in the hilly areas of Manipur and the Narcotics trade is playing a significant role in the Manipur violence. And drug cartels are utilising large chunks of the hilly districts for ‘quality poppy cultivation’.

While Kuki-Chin ingress has happened in Manipur over decades, what has happened over the past few years is an explosion in poppy cultivation in Manipur’s Kuki-dominated districts backed by drug cartels and insurgent groups with a cross-border network, resulting in huge loss of forest cover: a problem that aggravated since the Myanmar 2021 military coup when the influx of the persecuted Kuki-Chin community intensified. It is believed that a section of these illegal immigrants is being used by the drug and weapon cartels in Manipur.

As Manipur shifts its status from a transit route for drugs to a major producer, fuelled by armed refugees from Myanmar, observers say opium cultivation in Manipur seems to be more integrated within the regional drug economy and connected to other actors, notably from Myanmar.

The present Government of Manipur has tackled the drug menace to a great extent and about INR 1500 crore of drugs were busted in the past few years.

It is evident that a knotty vortex of issues has contributed to instability in Manipur besides the said majoritarianism of one community.

Yet, even though women have led the political discourse on rights, they continue to be prime targets for mobs in times of strife.

Surat

For 80 long years, The Pentagon of the United States of America was the world’s largest office building with about 6.6 million square feet of floor space. Now a new building in India just whacked-off that title: the Surat Diamond Bourse, built in India’s gem capital, Surat, Gujarat, India – about 240km north of Mumbai.

The Belgian city of Antwerp may be known as the world’s diamond trading hub, while most rough stones are mined in Russia or Africa. But it is in Surat, where around 90% of all the planet’s diamonds are cut.

Spanning over 35 acres of land, the sprawling 15-storey Surat Diamond Bourse complex with 7.1 million square feet of floor space accommodates 4,700 offices and 131 elevators. It has been constructed to house the diamond industry – to serve as a one stop shop for over 65,000 diamond professionals, including cutters, polishers and traders. It features a series of nine interconnected rectangular structures emanating from a central ‘spine’, resembling the layout of an airport terminal.

The state-of-the-art building has features designed to consume up to 50% less energy, qualifying it for a ‘platinum’ rating from the Indian Green Building Council. It incorporates a radiant cooling system that circulates chilled water beneath its floors, which will reduce indoor temperatures. Further, solar energy powers the common areas within the building.

The mammoth office space will save people’s time and resources: especially those who travel to Mumbai, with some people have to spend up to four hours, daily, to come from their homes to their offices and back home again.

The project took about four years to complete, including two years of COVID19 pandemic related delay. The building will be officially opened later this year by India’s Prime Minister, and host its first occupants in November.

The Surat Diamond Bourse is designed by Indian architecture firm Morphogenesis, based in New Delhi, following an international design competition. The project’s size was dictated by demand with all offices purchased by diamond companies prior to construction.

The design was also influenced by Morphogenesis’ research into how the Indian diamond trade operates. The series of nine 1.5-acre courtyards, complete with seating and water features, serve as casual meeting places for traders; the landscaped area becomes the ‘traditional bazaar’ where any informal transactions take place outside the office environment. Email orders are probably taken inside, but human-to-human transactions are almost all outside. The courtyards are described a public parks where it is assumed all these activities will take place.

The Moon

India’s Moon-mission spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 is enjoying the ‘space sights’ on its way to the Moon and is in superb health, since its launch last week. India’s ISRO Scientists have been manoeuvring it gradually to longer orbits around the Earth and a 4th such manoeuvre was also completed this week. The last will be on 25 July after which it will be nudged into the lunar transfer trajectory to the Moon. Likewise, it will dance around the Moon before deciding to land.

Wondered why is takes more than 40 days to cover the nearly 3,84,000 km distance between the Earth and Moon when the USA, Russia and China do it under a week’s time?

India does not, as yet, have a powerful enough launcher to take it directly to the lunar transfer trajectory, hence this less costly means of cleverly using the Earth’s gravity to slingshot out of the Earth’s pull and then get into the lunar orbit. And again squeezing every bit of the Moon’s low gravity to make a soft landing.

Tennis

This year’s Wimbledon Tennis Championship in London, which ended this Sunday, served us two brand new winners in the Women’s Singles, and the Men’s Singles.

Czechoslovakia’s ‘much-tattooed’ 24 years old Marketa Vondrousova beat Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur in straight-sets 6-4, 6-4 to clinch her maiden Wimbledon Women’s Singles Title. Vondrousova is also a silver medallist at the 2020/2021 Tokyo Olympics. And she is the first unseeded player to win the Wimbledon Women’s Singles.

She got the first of many tattoos on her arms at the age of sixteen. And some have special significance, such as her lucky number 13, the Olympic Rings, and the quote, ‘No rain, no flowers’ (success does not come easily) above her right elbow. After winning Wimbledon, she and her coach Jan Hernych plan to get a matching tattoo in celebration-they pledged to so do if she won. A tattoo parlour in Prague, Czechoslovakia is their next destination!

But, the best was in the Men’s Singles.

Spain’s 20 years old Carlos Alcaraz beat Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals and went on to stun and end Serbia’s Novak Djokovic’s reign with a classic and enthralling 1-6, 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 match. It was a four hours and forty-two minute battle on the Centre Court of the All England Club. Last year, Alcaraz became the youngest player to earn the year-end World No. 1 honour. And this is his first Wimbledon Title – keeping the World No.1 ranking.

Djokovic holds this year’s Australian Open and French Open Titles and was aiming to equal Roger Federer’s record of eight Wimbledon titles and match Margaret Court’s all time record of 24 Grand Slam victories.

Margaret Court is an Australian former World No 1 women’s tennis player and considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time. Her 24 major singles titles and overall 64 major titles (doubles and mixed-doubles) is the most by anyone in Tennis history. She dominated women’s tennis in the 1960s with a powerful serve and volley game, and retired in 1972.

About, the new Wimbledon Champion, the best comment from Djokovic himself, “People have been talking about his game consisting of certain elements from Roger, Rafa, and myself. I’d agree with that, He’s basically got the best of all three worlds…I haven’t played a player like him ever”.

AIDS

Long before the COVID19 pandemic stole our breath away another not so contagious but nevertheless deadly pandemic ruled the world: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). And we still do not have an effective cure for it since it first came to light in the 1980s.

A new report says that the end may be in sight for AIDS. The Joint United Nations (UN) Program on HIV and AIDS says that Botswana, Eswatini, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe have all reached ’95-95-95’ targets, meaning 95% of the people who are living with HIV know their status, 95% of those people are on lifesaving antiretroviral treatment, and 95% of people in treatment are virally suppressed.

Across eastern and Southern Africa, new HIV infections have been reduced by 57% since 2010. Also since 2010, the percentage of pregnant and breastfeeding women living with HIV who have access to antiretroviral treatment has nearly doubled, and new infections among children have more than halved.

There’s more work to be done, but the UN said the world could end AIDS by 2030 if we stay the course keep-up the investment from World leaders.

More clusters of stories will be fired in the weeks ahead. Stay safe with World Inthavaaram.

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2022-28

About: the world this week, 10 July to 16 July 2022. People burst in Sri Lanka, herd moves in Italy, Tennis, Lions of India’s Emblem, and the father of India’s internet.

Everywhere

People Burst in Sri Lanka

Over the past few weeks we read about ‘cloud-bursts’, when heavily pregnant clouds could no longer hold, and suddenly delivered an ‘avalanche of the elements’ causing stirring changes in our lives, on Earth. How about ‘people bursts’, for a change?

What the quitting United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister said aptly of his country was heard by a Herd in far away Sri Lanka: “A Herd moves by instinct and when a Herd moves, it moves”.

Late last week and growing into this week we witnessed a fascinating spectacle of a real ‘people burst’ in Sri Lanka revolting against the abysmal management of the country’s affairs. People suddenly appeared like ants from nowhere swarmed and overran the Presidential Palace and later, the Prime Minister’s residence: the crowds were so large that any security personnel, police, or other forces were simply overwhelmed, and ‘instinctively’ stepped aside to allow the herd to have its way.

The storming people did not do much damage, other than invade and occupy. Potential Olympic swimmers were seen effortlessly doing back-flip dives in the Presidential Swimming Pool; future Chefs began cooking food in the Kitchens for the people to fill their starving stomachs, and others ran over the Presidential Gymnasium, testing the push & pulls, to stay-fit for the coming weeks, months, and years. They sounded the bugle in unison, “We will not leave until the President and the Prime Minister quit”.

Well, both offered to quit and the President cleverly used the chaos to escape to Maldives and then to Singapore, while the Prime Minister got himself promoted to ‘Acting President’, which now needs to be made legal.

Later, safe in Singapore after a round of shopping in Changi Airport, and after defying calls for his resignation, Gotabaya Rajapaksa finally resigned as President of Sri Lanka through an email to the Speaker, who then made the official announcement. The Ex-President ran fearing being arrested by the new regime, whenever it takes over. Guilt written all over?

Singapore generally does not grant requests for asylum and it remains to be seen where the Ex-President would flee next.

Why wouldn’t the President stay back, face the music, accept mistakes made, and drum-up solutions?

The Herd Moves to Italy

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi offered to resign after his populist coalition partner in the Government, Five Star, withdrew its support in a major confidence vote.

The crisis was triggered when Five Star leader Giuseppe Conte refused to back the government’s Euro 23 Billion package of economic aid for families and businesses, arguing Draghi was not doing enough to tackle the cost of living crisis.

Even though the government comfortably won the vote of confidence in the Senate with the help of other parties, the man dubbed ‘Super Mario’ had warned repeatedly that without Five Star’s support the government could not continue. He said the pact of trust that had sustained the unity government had gone.

Mario Draghi, a former head of the European Central Bank has been leading a unity government since February 2021.

However, Italian President Sergio Mattarella, who had appointed Draghi to lead Italy’s post-Covid pandemic recovery, and save the country from endemic instability, refused to accept his resignation. He has now called on Draghi to address Parliament to provide a clear picture of the political situation. And once the fog lifts, he might stay on – see Five Stars!

Mario Draghi had improved Italy’s sphere of influence and overall was very well-appreciated for the work he was doing. In a recent survey he was among the top three leaders of the world, ranked 3rd on the list of most popular leaders in the world in 2022, after Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador- second, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi – first.

But then this sums it up: “Italian politics is always so hard to understand, we just forgot about it while Draghi was in power,” said an Italian.

Looks like Italy has a President who stays the course and tries to keep a capable Prime Minister governing in Government.

Tennis in Wimbledon

While clouds and people bursted elsewhere there was a volley of tennis balls bursting all over Wimbledon in the United Kingdom. No herds here, only the rogue elements single-handedly crushing through victories.

Serbian Novak Djokovic beat Greek Nick Kyrgios in the Wimbledon 2022 Men’s Singles Final with a score of 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 to win his 7th Wimbledon and his fourth successive title.

In a new role as the quiet man of Centre Court, the relentless Djokovic fended off a noisy Kyrgios in an absorbing Wimbledon final in the broiling heat of the All England Club, with temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius.

Djokovic showed he had no better way to celebrate his wedding anniversary with wife Jelena; to move on from the emotional turbulence of being deported from Melbourne before this January’s Australian Open; and from the disappointment of losing to Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals of the French Open.

Astonishingly, UK’s Andy Murray remains the last man to beat Djokovic on Centre Court, in the 2013 final.

“He’s a bit of a God,” sad the losing Kyrgios.

Meanwhile, in the Women’s Finals, a new Wonder Women, Elena Rybakina, all of 23 years, stepped up when it mattered most to overcome world No.2, Tunisian Ons Jabeur, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 in the Wimbledon final last Saturday. And become the first Kazakhstani player to clinch a Grand Slam Singles Title, and the youngest champion since Petra Kvitova in 2011.

Elena Rybakina said she was incredibly nervous, but she never showed it, and Wimbledon watchers never noticed – eyes were on the balls!

Lions in India

This week India’s Prime Minister unveiled the National Emblem – huge at 6.5 metres (m) height – on top of the upcoming new Parliament Building: a perfect replica of the original Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath except that its size is about 3 times the original. A priest said a hymn at the inauguration, which translates as, “May earth provide for us, bless us, and illuminate our minds”.

India’s Opposition Parties were quick to roar that the Lions looked fierce, showed teeth, were too aggressive, and were not the least stately. And that the Government was attempting to change the Sate Emblem to suit ‘its own designs’.

India’s National Emblem is an adaptation of the Lion Capital of Sarnath, an ancient sculpture dating back to 280 BCE, of Emperor King Ashoka The Great. The original Lion Capital commissioned by King Ashoka, during the reign of the Mauryan Empire is now on show in a Museum in Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh. It is a magnificent 2.15 m tall sculpture – including the base- of four Asiatic Lions standing back-to-back representing power, courage, confidence, and pride; facing the four cardinal directions, North, South, East, and West. The Lions have an open-mouth roaring stance announcing Buddha’s message of Dharma to the world. They are mounted on a base or an abacus with a frieze of sculptures of a lion, a horse, a bull, and an elephant, each separated by wheels or dharma chakras (eternal wheels of law). The four animals are the Guardians of the four directions: the Lion of the North, the Elephant of the East, the Horse of the South, and the Bull of the West. The abacus in turn is mounted on an inverted lotus, the universal symbol of Buddhism.

On 26 January 1950, a representation of the Lion Capital of Ashoka placed above the motto, Satyameva Jayate, ‘Truth Alone Triumphs’, written in Devanagari script and extracted from the Mundaka Upanishad – the closing part of the holy Hindu Vedas – was adopted as the State Emblem of India.

The National Emblem version used all over India was, at that time, sketched by a 21 years old art student, Dinanath Bhargava, of Visva Bharathi, Shantiniketan, who was pursuing a three-year diploma in fine arts. The story goes that for a month, every day, Dinanath travelled the 100 km distance between Shantiniketan and Kolkata only to study the behaviour and mannerisms of Asiatic Lions at the Kolkata Zoo to make a realistic representation. He was handpicked for the job by the then Principal of Kala Bhavan Shantiniketan, Nandlal Bose – a noted artist and painter.

I have no doubt that the National Emblem atop the new Parliament looks exactly like the original Lion Capital atop the Ashokan Pillar- but to a lager scale. The noise being made about it being different is much ado about nothing.

Angles matter, mind it!

A Hero: Father of India’s Second Independence Day

The Internet has become such a sine quo non in our lives that we simply take it for granted, almost like the air we breathe. And fume and burst when it goes down. Step back a moment and ask, who brought the internet to India?

The father of the internet in India is the almost forgotten – how dare we – Brijendra Kumar (B K) Syngal. As the head of the then Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited VSNL, Syngal launched the first ever internet in India in the five cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, and Pune, on 15 August 1995. With this launch, India became one of the first countries in Asia to have a commercial internet service.

But, the euphoria of India’s second Independence Day quickly vanished and turned into a nightmare. Dial-up access, using modems, and bad connectivity, meant delayed connections, busy signals, dropped calls, and ‘an assured disconnection’ every few minutes, all of which shackled the system. Internet tariff charges were astronomical, at best obscene as the pornography a select percentage chose to use the internet for.

Syngal got the signal and said “Quite simply, the charges are too much, the quality of service is poor,” And what Syngal did next was audacious: he called in the media and admitted: “I goofed up. I goofed up big time”. He admitted that his market intelligence was wrong, and that the service was plagued by serious technical problems and that it was a bit of an amateurish venture to start without studying the infrastructure backbone. Syngal then asked India to give him 10 weeks to fix things. “I can assure you that at the end of 10 weeks, possibly before that, you will have a system that India will be proud of,” he said.

Syngal and his team got cracking, created a bank of servers, rang the phone department to improve connectivity, pushed modem makers to ensure quality devices, moved from copper to fibre-based cables, and slashed tariffs by half, and more. He took about eight weeks to get the new system up and running, and stable. And indeed, he did it.

India needed access to physical undersea cable connection to power the internet for which the asking price was more than USD 100 million for a share of the cable. Syngal was told this kind of money was out of question as the country had only a few weeks worth of foreign exchange left. Hence, he negotiated with the cable consortium, and won an agreement to stagger payments. He also successfully secured forex loans. A deal was signed in 1991, and connectivity began three years later. And the rest is history.

R K Syngal was the son of a civil servant father and homemaker mother. The family migrated to India in 1947, during partition. He studied Electronics & Communication Engineering at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) – Kharagpur.

Later on, under the chairmanship of Syngal, VSNL was founded in 1986 as a Government of India owned telecommunications service provider of the Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications. VSNL was completely acquired by the Tata Group and renamed as Tata Communications on 13 February 2008.

In 1998, Syngal and his team joined Reliance where he became Chairman of Reliance Infocomm. He remained with Reliance remained until his resignation in 2001.

Late last week, on 9 July 2022, R K Syngal died aged 82. He came to be known as ‘the father of India’s internet’. It’s awfully sad that India has not recognised him the way it should – unless I’m missing something. How many of us know what he did? Time to go undersea and learn our history to ride on the shoulders of great unknown pioneers before us.

More roaring stories coming-up in the weeks ahead. Stay connected with World Inthavaaram.

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2021-29

About: the world this week, 11th July to 17th July 2021 – a truly ‘incredible’ week. Read on to find out how ‘incredible’!

Everywhere

The Netherlands

Last week I wrote about the assassination attempt on prominent Dutch Crime Reporter-Journalist, and TV Presenter, Peter R de Vries, 64, who was shot, minutes after leaving a TV studio, in a Central Amsterdam Street. Five shots were fired at close range and he was hit in the head. Over the past week, he was struggling for his life in Hospital and this week the fight came to an end – he died due to injuries of the shooting.

Since 2019, Peter de Vries was on the hit list of the Netherlands’ most wanted criminal. Police now need to hunt down the killers and make the most wanted, not wanted any longer.

His family said that Peter lived by his conviction, ‘On bended knee is no way to be free’.

Truth-Unravelers are always on the cross-hairs of those wanting to stay hidden forever. And it’s a dangerous life they live.

America Quits Af’gone’istan

United States (US) President Joe Biden has decided that 31st August 2021 will be the end date for the nearly 20 years war in Afghanistan, days earlier than his original 11th September deadline. The US put boots on the ground after the 9/11 attacks in the US, to end the rule of the deadly Taliban and take down the terrorist Al-Qaeda Organization.

Later, the US along with the North Atlantic Treat Organization (NATO) Allies facilitated setting-up an Afghan Government leading to adopting of a new Constitution, Presidential, and Parliamentary Elections – happening in Afghanistan after at least 30 years. But America’s longest war has claimed the lives of more than 2300 US troops and about 35000 Afghan civilians.

President Biden said, ‘The US cannot sacrifice any more American lives in an un-winnable war. We did not go to Afghanistan to nation-build. And it’s the right and the responsibility of the Afghan people alone to decide their future and how they want to run their country’. I couldn’t agree more. Fighting another Country’s dirty war has never been easy. You set your own targets and move on. What, with Osama Bin Laden finished-off (in Pakistan) and Al-Qaeda ‘reasonably contained’ long ago – that’s victory enough to celebrate.

The US definitely did its best. Together, with the NATO Allies, the US had trained and equipped near about 300,000 military personnel-of the Afghan National Security Force and hundreds of thousands of Afghan National Defense and Security Forces over the last two decades. It ’s now over to them to engage in battle with the Taliban and force an outcome on the seemingly endless, fruitless war.

However, with the official Afghan Security Forces failing to quickly fill the vacuum created by the US Troops withdrawals, the Taliban got sucked-in and began capturing vast swathes of territory. And enforcing its archaic rules and hard-line Islamic Laws. Looks like Afghanistan is going back to where it was twenty years ago.

India has temporarily pulled out its staff from its Consulate in Kandahar, Afghanistan, in the wake of intense fighting near the city.

In other heartbreaking news, Reuters photo-journalist Danish Siddiqui was killed on Friday, caught in a crossfire, while covering a clash between Afghan Security Forces and the Taliban near a border crossing with Pakistan.

Siddiqui was part of the Reuters photography team to win the 2018 Pulitzer Prize of Feature Photography for documenting the Rohingya Refugee Crisis. It was a series described by the judges as ‘shocking photographs that exposed the world to the violence Rohingya refugees faced in fleeing Myanmar’. RIP Danish Siddiqui.

It may be a long struggle, but I wish the Afghans are able to grow the muscle to fight-off the Taliban and gain the confidence to build themselves a strong, developed country.

Cuba

Cuba was discovered by Christoper Columbus in October 1492: he found himself on the Island while searching for ‘that famous route’ to India. Cuba then came under Spanish rule and served as a staging ground for the exploration of the nearby North American mainland. In 1898, the United States having grown in to a powerful nation, defeated Spain, which gave up all claims to Cuba, ceding the Island to the US. Thereafter it was ruled by US popped-up Governments.

In a fiery revolution in 1959, Fidel Castro led a 9000 strong guerrilla army into the Cuban capital of Havana and seized power, nationalising all American businesses in Cuba.

In 1961 Castro proclaimed Cuba a Communist State allying with the then USSR, following the disastrous, abortive US sponsored invasion by Cuban Exiles, in the Bay of Pigs Incident. The US went on to break off all diplomatic ties with Cuba.

There was also the much-talked about Cuban Missile Crisis, when Castro agreed to allow USSR to deploy Nuclear Missiles on the island (obviously targeting the US) but was subsequently resolved, with the USSR removing the missiles in exchange for the US secretly withdrawing its nuclear missiles in Turkey and agreeing not to invade Cuba. That is touted as one of President John F Kennedy’s (JFK) famous acts of adroit leadership.

Ever since, Cubans have been living under a communist government.

Nearly one million people emigrated to the US, leaving the island and its troubles behind. Those who have stayed have dealt with oppression and economic instability, driven in part by US sanctions.

In 2016, President Obama became the first sitting US President to visit Cuba in 88 years. And called on Congress to lift the embargo put in place by JFK. He began gradually dismantling years of sanctions. And eased travel restrictions for Americans, bringing economic opportunity to the island. But in 2017, President Donald Trump stepped-in and undid the changes.

The pandemic’s impact on tourism has added pressure to the already fragile economy. And the country’s been seeing food and medicine shortages as well as rising inflation, which could reach about 500% this year.

Last weekend and earlier this week, thousands of Cubans took to the streets across the island nation, in frustration, to protest chronic shortages of basic goods; curbs on civil liberties; and the government’s handling of a worsening coronavirus outbreak, marking the most significant unrest in decades. They also called for an end to the communist government. At least one person died during a clash between protesters and police. And over a hundred others have been arrested or reported missing.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel blamed the US Sanctions for the abysmal economic conditions in the country.

Earlier this week, President Biden said he stands with the Cuban protesters. But many want him to do more. We need to watch this space.

Space Edge

We have coolly travelled hundreds of kilometres(km) horizontally on Earth so often that a distance of 80 to 100km is ‘no big deal’. Many do it every day, on work or other kinds of travel, which should take a couple of hours to cover that kind of distance on land. But then, look up straight into the sky and say ‘Space’. They say a vertical distance of 80 km or more is the beginning of the edge of Space- a boundary we see all the time but cannot draw a line to.

It’s been difficult to pin the edge of Space at a particular altitude. In the 1900’s Hungarian Physicist Theodore Von Karman determined the boundary to be around 80 km above sea level in what is called the Karman Line. Today the Karman line is set at an imaginary boundary roughly 100 km above sea level.

To get a better perspective, ‘using the space between your ears’, the International Space Station orbits around the Earth at a height of about 400 km above the Earth’s surface. And that is well and truly in Space.

How about testing that boundary, going to the edge of Space to see the voluptuous curves of the Earth?

No better person to do that than UK Billionaire, Entrepreneur, Sir Richard Branson, 70, founder of the Virgin Group of Companies, who did just that on 11th July 2021. Blasting off from the New Mexico Desert in the United States, he flew high above New Mexico in a vehicle named ‘Unity’ that his company, Virgin Galactic, has been developing for the last seventeen years.

Branson was accompanied by Unity’s two pilots, Dave Mackay and Michael Masucci, and three Galactic employees – Beth Moses, Colin Bennett and Sirisha Bandla.

Sirisha Bandla, an Aeronautical Engineer, and a woman of Indian origin, became an overnight sensation in the Indian Media, and some called her the second Indian woman to fly in to Space – after NASA’s Astronaut Kalpana Chawla (who died when the Columbia Space Shuttle crashed during re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere in 2003).

The flight lasted just more than an hour and included roughly four minutes of weightlessness. Branson and the crew returned safely to hug Earth again, after about an hour after lifting-off.

Unity is a sub-orbital vehicle, which means it cannot achieve the velocity and altitude necessary to keep it up in Space to circle Planet Earth. It is designed to give its passengers stunning views at the top of its climb and allow them a few minutes to experience weightlessness.

Unity is first carried, by a much bigger rocket-powered aeroplane, to an altitude of about 15 km from where it is released. A rocket motor of Unity then ignites to blast the vehicle skyward. The maximum height achievable by Unity is about 90km. Passengers are allowed to unbuckle and float to a window for the sights.

Unity folds its tail-booms on descent to stabilise its fall before then gliding home.

Sunday’s flight is the first step in Virgin Galactic’s hopes to begin commercial spaceflights with private customers next year with a reported cost of about USD 250,000 per person for a journey to space. The company has already got the necessary approvals to fly passengers on future commercial flights to sub-orbital space.

Meanwhile, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is waiting in the wings to do a similar stunt…A to Z and beyond? I’m sure the Google Brothers, the Facebook Founder, the Microsoft Founder…and others Founder are looking skywards to cross new boundaries and measure their own curves.

Football and Tennis

The finals of the Euro 2020 Football Tournament was held in England’s Wembley Stadium between Roberto Mancini’s Italy and Gareth Southgate’s England, both coming back from years of being bruised and booted out of winning an International Tournament – 55 years ago for England and 15 years ago for Italy.

England took the lead with a goal in the opening two minutes but Italy poked in an equaliser in the second half. The game played on to a goal-less extra-time period and as a consequence, into the murderous penalty shootouts. In the end, Italy beat England 3-2 to take the Euro 2020 Crown to Rome, and the hero of the game turned out to be Italian goal-keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who made two great saves. Once again it was a bleeding heartbreak for England, failing at the penalty shootouts.

Thereafter English fans went berserk unleashing hooliganism of the worst kind inside and around Wembley Stadium, London, followed by racial abuse of the players who failed in their penalty shots. England has blackened its reputation forever. Unacceptable behaviour. You win some and lose some – you win more in the Game by showing grace in defeat.

Argentina’s Football superstar Lionel Messi has often been pilloried for failing to be part of a Tournament-Winning Argentinian Team despite earning innumerable wins for the Football Clubs he played for. That finally came to and end with Argentina winning their first major title in 28 years last Saturday with Argentina beating Brazil 1-0 win to win the Copa America Cup. Messi picked up his first ever title in a blue-and-white shirt after more than a decade of club and individual honours. He also finished as the tournament’s joint top goalscorer with four goals and was elected joint best player along with Brazil’s Neymar.

In the Wimbledon Ladies Finals, Australian Ashleigh Barty beat Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova in a gruelling three-set match, 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-3 lasting near about two hours. The women’s finals has never gone so ‘incredibly’ deep since 2012. Long hailed as the player with the perfect game for grass, Barty held her ‘incredible’ nerve to take home the Trophy.

This is Barty’s maiden Wimbledon Title and fifty years since Evonne Goolagong became the first indigenous Australian to win the Wimbledon Title. She received the Trophy from the Duchess of Cambridge who came wearing a solid green dress, matching the colours of Wimbledon. That’s style!

I’ve tried to use as many ‘incredible’ words as I could, to match Barty’s ‘incredible-aced’ post-game interview during which she thanked her incredible team.

In the Men’s Finals, Novak Djokovic went on to win his sixth Wimbledon Crown, and a 20th Grand Slam beating Italy’s Matteo Berrettini in a four-set duel, which was pretty straight, after the first set was won by the runner-up.

Overall, there were some ‘incredible’ shots played throughout the Tournament that makes you want to get back to the grass, to eat the shots.

More revealing and ‘incredible’ stories coming up in the weeks ahead. And by the way, Richard Branson said flying to the edge of Space was an ‘incredible’ experience!

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2021-28

About: the world this week, 4th July to 10th July 2021, a wonderful cocktail of coronavirus, happily married-ever-after, spelling, killing, political, death of a tragedy king; and ball game-football and tennis-stories.

Everywhere

Cocktail

It’s July and we have climbed over half the mountain height of 2021. Many had to use Oxygen Cylinders to breathe, to reach this top.

It seems like just the other day, in early 2020, when we first learnt to wear nose & mouth covering face masks-while some specialised in wearing stylish chin masks – wash our hands endlessly, and keep a measured physical distance from one another. The hugs and kisses shrank to ‘cave levels’. And we invented a new form of cave living called ‘Lockdown’.

We then quickly got our outstanding brains to collaborate and challenged the SARS-CoV-2 induced COVID-19 pandemic with brilliant Vaccines in double quick time. Pfizer, Moderna, Sinopharm, Astra Zeneca-Covishield, Covaxin, Sputnik V, Johnson & Johnson… became household names. And suddenly, we all became Google Doctors: never knew being a Medical Doctor was so easy!

When we thought it was almost over, there appeared fresh kids on the block: Waves-we called them. The first outbreak became the first Wave, then the Second Wave…and now we are living in various stages of Waves. Some just cannot figure out which Wave, though!

Then came the Coronavirus Variants furiously mutating to hijack the next available Greek Alphabet: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and now the Delta Variant is the most famous of them all, while other Alphabets are struggling on the sidelines to get noticed. The latest is that the Lambda Variant, at the WHO ‘Variant of Interest’ level, is ‘coming soon’. I hope we don’t run out of Alphabets…and Vaccines.

Never mind the Greeks, and the pandemic, I would love to move on to dance with former US President Jimmy Carter, 96, and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, 93 who ringed in 75 years of rock-solid marriage. Is peanut farming, and all that came with it, the root of their enduring marriage? When Jimmy Carter left the Presidential White House in 1981, he was 56 years old and deep in debt. Forced to sell his Peanut Farm Business, Carter started writing books to generate income. He has published more than 30 books from a children’s book to reflections on his presidency. Maybe a Titanic Jim-Rose love-story is in the works.

There is support coming for Jimmy Carter’s writing:Zaila Avant-garde, a teenage basketball prodigy has become the first African American to win the US Scripps National Spelling Bee. The 14 years old from New Orleans, Louisiana, spelled her way to victory with the word ‘murraya’, a type of tropical tree. To get to that stage she had to spell out ‘querimonious’ (given to complaint) and ‘solidungulate’ (having a single undivided hoof on each foot, as in a Horse). The home-schooled girl said, “For spelling, I usually try to do about 13,000 words, and that usually takes about seven hours”. Despite practising for so many hours a day, she describes spelling as a side hobby. Zaila’s main focus is on becoming a basketball pro. I’m sure she can spell basketball!

Assassinations are back with a bang. Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise, who took office in 2017, was killed during an attack on his private residence early on Wednesday. The attackers, believed to be mercenaries, stormed Moise’s home at around midnight and fatally wounded him. The first lady, Martine Moise, was also shot and quickly evacuated to a hospital in Miami, USA, for treatment. Haitian Police have detained two suspects and killed four others-all foreigners-connected to the assassination. The country has been reeling from violence for weeks and the acting Prime Minister, Claude Joseph, declared a ‘state of siege’.

Haiti’s President of the Supreme Court would normally be next in line, but he recently died of Covid-19. The acting Prime Minister Joseph has to be approved by Haiti’s parliament for him to formally replace the slain President. But without recent elections, the Haitian Parliament is effectively defunct. Throughout his presidency, Moise had repeatedly failed to hold elections at local and national levels, leaving much of the country’s governing infrastructure empty. Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world. And natural disasters like the 2010 earthquake have only worsened the situation. An estimated 60% of Haiti’s eleven million citizens live below the poverty line.

In another assassination-an attempt-prominent Dutch Crime Reporter-Journalist, and TV Presenter, Peter R de Vries, 64, was shot up to five times in a Central Amsterdam street on Tuesday and is fighting for his life in Hospital. He is famous in the Netherlands for exposing notorious criminals and speaking on behalf of crime victims. The attack has sent shockwaves through Dutch society, which has for years watched De Vries on Television, handling-and solving-notable cases, including some of the most illustrious judicial errors in Dutch crime history.

Even before these assassinations, Hackers went on the prowl. And Russian-linked hackers, attacked software provider Kaseya, affecting thousands of businesses in at least 17 countries. They impacted everything from grocery stores to schools. It could be the biggest global ransomware attack ever recorded. The group, which goes by REvil, is known for hacking Brazil based, American meat processor JBS (Jose Batista Sobrinho) back in May- and bleeding the company of USD 11 million. Now, it’s demanding USD 70 million from Kaseya.

Meanwhile, faraway in Space, USA’s NASA, keep flying Ingenuity, which made its ninth successful flight on Mars on Monday, when it remained in the Martian air for about 166 seconds and flew as fast as 5 meters per second.

In another part of Space, nearer Earth, China started space-walking its Taikonauts, outside its work-in-progress Space Station.

Back on Earth, India’s Prime Minister decided that cooperation was lacking in the country and started a brand-new ministry called ‘Ministry of Cooperation’ primarily to kick-off the Cooperative sector, best exemplified by the ‘utterly, butterly, delicious’, taste of India, Amul kind. His Ministers called it visionary: on our part, we need to taste the results to decide. Having bought the butter, the PM went on to re-slice his Cabinet bringing-in fresh faces, rewarding performers with better ‘butter’ positions, and sacking those who slipped on the butter, through the past years. It was a massive shake-up, bold and beautiful, with old-on-old-heads, old-on-young heads, and brilliant degrees-graduate, masters, doctorates… making the grade. Stirred & shaken, India should do ‘butter-well’ in the upcoming days, weeks, months, and years.

Yesteryears ace Indian Actor, Dilip Kumar (born as Mohammed Yusuf Khan) – The ‘Tragedy King’ of Hindi Cinema- gave-up his last breath this Thursday at the ripe age of 98. He is best remembered for the epic roles in the dramatic Devdas (1955) and the historical Mughal-e-Azam (1960). Dilip Kumar is considered one of the greatest actors in the history of Hindi cinema, holding the Guinness World Record for winning the maximum number of awards by an Indian actor. In total, he acted in 65 films over a period of 50 years. With his low-key, naturalistic acting style, he excelled in a wide range of roles augmented by his good looks, deep voice, and superb accent.

Dilip Kumar was romantically linked with famous Indian actress, the Venus of Indian Cinema, Madhubala, for over seven years until they broke-up. Madhubala went on to marry playback singer and Actor Kishore Kumar until her death at age 36, when illness related to a congenital heart disease took her away too soon and broke many an Indian heart.

Dilip Kumar then fell deeply in love with Actress Saira Banu, who was 22 years younger than him, and married her in 1966. The couple did not have children. And lost what could have been a son, in the eight month of a pregnancy, in 1972. Dilip Kumar later married Hyderabad socialite Asma Sahiba, taking her as a second wife in 1981. That marriage ended in January 1983. But he always had Saira Banu with him… till the last.

Over the past weeks Dilip Kumar had been in and out of Hospitals, and he must have seen this coming. RIP Dilip Kumar.

Ball Games

The Sporting World was kicking-up to Open Stadiums without spectators or space-out ones. The Euro 2020 Football Tournament saw some real kicking around and Italy has reached the finals. England beat Denmark, also to reach the finals, which is their first major final in 55 years. It’s an Italy- England showdown on Sunday, 11 July 2021. Time to take sides and cheer your team.

The Wimbledon Tennis Tournament is coming to a close and Swiss Legend Roger Federer,39, got mauled by world No 18, the 24 years old Polish Hubert Hurkacz, who played fluent tennis to win 6-4, 7-6, 6-0 in the quarter-finals. Roger exited quickly and gracefully, waving to the crowd on his way out of the stage where he acted many a winning game – but not this time. Will we see him again at Wimbledon? Au revoir?

Later, Hurkacz was felled in the semi-finals by Italy’s Matteo Berretini who is the first to reach the Wimbledon Gentlemen’s Finals. Berretini plays Serbia’s Novak Djokovic who on Friday funnelled-out Canada’s Denis Shapovalov in the other semi-finals. Djokovic remains on course for a sixth Wimbledon Crown, and a 20th Grand Slam Title to go level with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Coincidentally, it’s Italy’s ‘ball-run of the year’ reaching the finals of major Tournaments in Tennis and Football, both of which are being played on Sunday, 11 July 2021. It’s going to be a hard-working Sunday for many of us fans. What with our legs on a football and the hands on a tennis racquet (and the TV remote, and a glass of…).

While the great oldies battled the grass to try to whack that ball consistently over the net, without forgetting the drawn boundaries, 18 years old Emma Raducanu who entered the Tournament on a wildcard saw the tennis balls as big as footballs, in a dream run.

Ranked 336th in the world, and rated only the 10th best female player in the country, Raducanu became the youngest British woman to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon in more than 50 years, after beating the experienced, in-form Romanian Sorana Cirstea.

Emma Raducanu was born in Toronto and moved to the United Kingdom when she was two years old. Her parents are from Romania and China respectively. Two months ago, Raducanu was sitting her final A-levels, in economics and maths, at a grammar school in South London. She speaks Mandarin, but said in English, ‘I’m just trying to stay here as long as possible’.

The long was cut-short in the next match when Emma sadly lost the match to Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic, when she was forced to retire after suffering from breathing problems, while trailing 6-4, 3-0.

Ajla Tomljaovic went on to lose to fellow Australian Ashleigh Barty in the quarter-finals, who keep her own breath to meet Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova in the Finals clash, happening this Saturday.

Emma Raducanu has left us gasping for breath. Must have been a terrible time retiring hurt after getting this far. I hope she comes out stronger and ‘wilder’ in her next Tournament.

And, of course, I would love to see Roger Federer play again.

More stronger, breathing stories coming up in the weeks ahead.