What’s Happening Around?

In the pic: Dr James Kottor with Mrs. Monica Thomas (Kanjirappally) during the grand KCRM Convention held at Kochi in Feb 2015) CCV Archives 

James KottorBy dr.james kottoor

          Ever so many things – far too many things,  good, bad and ugly, more than what you can dream of or digest – are happening  around the globe daily.  Has it ever struck you or have you made a study of it? Nothing ever happens until it happens to you.  It happened to me, so I was forced to think of it yesterday, while struck 12 hours at a stretch in a plane from Chicago to Abu Dhabi, listening to TV broadcasts from BBC, CNN, CNBC, EUROVISION etc.

          Earlier there was either no WIFI in planes or current news broadcasts were not easily and clearly accessible. At lest I never experienced or experimented it. So it was a shocker for me. Hence  for  the benefit of those like me.

             Most of the news started with the announcement about the lifting of  sanctions against Iran by President Obama and  by other countries  ushering in  the Ache Din for Iran’s  economy. Lifting of sections was consequent on Iran’s    undertaking not to produce a Nuclear weapon, as an added threat to world peace.. Iran is the second largest country in gas production. Some of it, India is planning  to import thrush a pipeline trough our undependable neighbor Pakistan.  So Iran will start large scale production although the bad news about it is the price of oil went below $28 a barrel yesterday.

            Another good news yesterday was the victory of a Woman president in Taiwan. It brought smile on  US and Japan which want to strengthen their ties with Taiwan to reduce security concerns coming from China. But it is bad news for China which does not want Taiwan to wriggle out of its total control. Taiwan won’t  and can’t break away completely from China, because its main import is from China. Besides keeping good relations with US, Japan and China will only bring diplomatic dividends for all.

            A third good news was the visit of Pope Francis to the Jewish  Synagogue  in Rome. It was very refreshing to see a smiling Francis thronged by appreciating top brass of the Jewish Synagogue. Seeing it one was forced to think regretfully of the days when Catholic church  preached and practiced anti-Semitism once upon a time. But don’t tell that to hard core conservatives who stick to the belief that the Catholic Church will not and cannot commit mstakes.

ISIS strikes in Indonesia

                     Another eye opener was the success of ISIS to carry out its first terrorist attack on an Asian Country, Indonesia, also the biggest Muslim Country. Contrary to the general perception and talk of the town, it was good to hear the news announcer say that Indonesia Is a very tolerant country which gets along very peacefully with its minorities. There was wild public protests and demonstrations against the massacre executed by the Islamic state.

      Simultaneously there was an exemplary good news announcement from UK about a Public Cemetery completed and inaugurated for the 27 Indian Muslims who laid down their lives to defend  the then Great Brittan ( now a little England) in the first and second world wars. Nineteen of them died during the first world war. They were among the thousand Indian Muslims who went by ship  first to Mercies and further. Most of them never had a chance  even to step foot in Britain. But they laid down their lives for UK. Think of the great human brotherhood they exhibited and the lack of it now between religions.

Scandals of Match fixing in world of Tennis was another news. This is done by various syndicates – the Russian Syndicate, the North Italian Syndicate, the Sicilian Syndicate – all involving millions of Euros. We are all too familiar with match fixing in Cricket due to which many hate Cricket. What is the fun in a game when the game-element or the suspense of the final outcome is suspended or predetermined even before the game starts. The wonder is, even after knowing this (match is fixed), the Indian masses will die to watch any game, especially cricket.

Then there was reports about debates between presidential candidates in Democratic and Republican parties in US. Public debates between candidates give the common folk an idea of what nice or nasty things they may expect if and when any one of them become  the top executive. Hilary Clinton affirmed that now around 90 deaths by gun happen daily in US. If true the ISIS, which every one in the world is trying to wipe out, is not the worst terrorist activity happening in any  country today.   From next week on wards debates in both the parties would be to finalize who will be the final contender for the top post in US. In God and guns they trust, perhaps more in guns.

                  In Europe the burning political debate is about immigration. Angela Merkel of Germany is is receiving a lot of protests, not against her exemplary open door policy, but against her failure to prevent  unruly elements from the North African Muslim immigrants who  surrounded  many German girls and even sexually attacked them on the eve of the New Year. Bad luck for the peace-loving immigrants and the good Samaritan work of Merkel.  Germany thus is being forced to bring in strict rules for any one wanting to immigrate.

A volcano erupted in Mexico sending up white circular smoke thousands of feet up in the sky. The images of this eruption gave the impression of nature demonstrating its version of fire works for humans. Fortunately no human causality was reported.

These are some of the varieties of news that appear in our global portal, Church Citizen’s Voice (www.almayasabdam.com) daily. The aim is to help every one to march from the local to the global to become te Glocal, a global citizen in thought, word and deed. In today’s internet world, which has reduced the world into a global village, no well meaning person in this twenty first century can or should be anything  less than a world citizen.  Incidentally that happens to be the real meaning of the word Catholic=all inclusive. Graphically, variety is divine, division is diabolical. World Citizenship should be the trait of every one who wants to foster unity and universality today.

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