politicodiary

  Financial crises is one thing. Lebanon's education system is also in doldrums.... Photo courtesy: The Associated Press Since 2019, children have not felt a sense of normalcy. Either it has been political upheavals, the pandemic or the rising poverty that continues to haunt the education system in Lebanon. As of now, thousands of teachers have decided to go on strike, demanding salary adjustments to cope with hyperinflation and the currency’s free-fall. New government has come into action, but overnight change is asking for a bit too much.  Lebanon once known for its medical facilities and top notch educational institutions can now see parents shifting their kids from private institutions to public ones. There is definitely reason behind these strikes. The currency has hit rock bottom, so much so that one month's salary is hardly enough for vehicles to be refuelled.  There are no school buses and heating in schools has become next to impossible. It is sad to note how the...

Where there is a danger of losing funds, then nations find it easier to change their prejudice stance and comply... Three more Polish regions have been forced to comply with world human rights standards where there can be no discrimination to be tolerated over sexual orientation. The  anti-LGBT declarations have been revoked.    Poland was willing to go with EU funding only if it could remain a LGBT free zone. But the EU would not have this and now c ouncillors in the southern region of Małopolska confirmed that they had repealed their opposition to the LGBT "ideology." Along with them,  Lublin and Podkarpackie  is also ready to tow-the-line.  Świętokrzyskie had joined the club also last week. But it is pathetic to note that it takes a stick to get nations to do the right thing.  There were open 2019 declarations against LGBT community made them feel 'quite unwelcomed'.  Local communities, in support of Poland's conservative Law and Justice party,...

 The Kingdom plans to include women in top leadership positions in times to come As Afghanistan pushes back women emancipation into the dark ages, Saudi Arabia is going one step further to ensure they get their due. At the DSEI trade fair in London, Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) CEO Walid Abukhaled has indicated that he sees a woman leading the company in the near future.  Mr. Abukhaled especially advocated for a female engineer and the fact that its time the Kingdom could bring back its female workforce back to its roots. He referred to the fact that many talented women are working abroad. “Attracting the best and brightest to work in the industry was key to hitting the 50-percent goal, and that included tempting back female Saudis who are employed abroad,” said the CEO emphatically.   The 50percent goal has been set by the government to see its spending be invested in defence equipment.  While hinting that the change may not happen immediately, but i...

An Australian non profit that is working to provide protection to women and  children against domestic violence has been let down by government without funding  A company that has developed technology on a smart watch for greater good is awaiting funding. They are 100 th on the list and they are running out of time. The smart watch can be worn by women and children and protects them against physical violence. Such cases have surged in times of pandemic and lockdown. This secret and secure technology can be programmed into any smart watch, developed by StandbyU Foundation. But now, the organization has no money to promote and use its technological innovation and awaits funding. At the click of a button on the watch, this self-help technology activates an alert, allowing chosen support networks to listen in, find the victim and organize help for them. The technology can both be integrated into smart watches and devices with sims where calls can also be made. After res...

Rumour doing rounds is that Britain has given up climate change goals for Free Trade Agreement to materialise with Australia In a surprising move, The United Kingdom has dropped its climate change targets in order to get the free trade agreement going with Australia. Maybe its decision to move out to Brexit is a reason enough for this movement. The news comes through an official document that came into limelight with certain British media house that 10 Downing Street has gone ahead and sacrificed the climate change targets for trade. The official document said: ‘The Business Secretary has agreed that, in order to get the Australia FTA over the line, DIT can drop both of the climate asks.’ The British government has been in denial saying that this is the first time ever that the mention of climate change has come while speaking of about trade with Australia. All it seems is that everything is status quo and there will be no harm to the environment while doing trade with Australia....

The Cochin Shipyard seems to be under the radar of Afghani elements. It has now received an anonymous email threatening to bomb the INS Vikrant. This is India’s attempt to show its prowess for having developed the first indigenously done aircraft carrier which had recently conducted an experimental voyage. The shipyard said it was cooperating with the investigation by central agencies but refused to give further details. In July itself, an Afghani national with an expired visa was held loitering in the shipyard. Two more employees were caught stealing electric components. There might just be a coincidental connection between both. The mail might just be a prank but could also mean something more serious, owing to the fact that India is under scanner from the East and the West due to various geopolitical reasons. While Taliban was confirmed it is not going to use India as a bait to give mileage to Pakistan, the legitimacy of their governance has not been fully established. India ...

Photo courtesy: www.cnn.com   Anything that does not agree with the towing of the line, especially if it’s the military, does not do well in America. The recent withdrawal from Afghanistan for American troops has seen a US Marine officer relieved off his duties, after he made the cardinal mistake of criticizing military leaders about their handling the withdrawal. US Marine Corps Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller posted a video online posing questions to his superiors. In his video, he was willing to throw it all away, demanding ‘public accountability’ from the military leadership. In an act of retaliation, Scheller was sent a message to be relieved off his duties. Scheller's video was posted the same day that  13 US service members and more than 170 others were killed in an attack outside Kabul's airport, according to the Pentagon and Afghanistan's Ministry of Public Health. Marine Corps spokesperson Maj. Jim Stenger said in a statement that Scheller had been relieved of co...