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Belarus dictator reaches Russia

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Alexander Lukashenko, the dictator of Belarus, has reached Russia, to meet his Russian counterpart and supporter, Vladimir Putin.

He has been accommodated in a resort near Black Sea.

It is clear that the visit has a link to the ongoing protest of pro-democratic activists in Belarus.

Russia earlier said that it was ready to send its force to Belarus to support the Belarus leader.

The only country which supports the Belarus dictator at present is Russia. The European Union does not recognise the leader and recently dismissed the election which was allegedly conducted in an unfair manner.

It is the first time since the emergence of the protest that the two leaders are meeting.

The development is keenly observed by the rest of the European world.

Some observers have already termed the meeting as highly crucial.

Already, the Belarus government’s attitude towards the protest has invited huge criticism. If the country continues this attitude, it will lead the European world to a great danger.

It is not wise to let the protest continue in this manner. It is unfortunate that the Belarus dictator shows no remorse for the unacceptable way his force has handled to the protest.

It is high time to find a solution to the Belarus issue.

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Russia Prez apologises to his Serbian counterpart

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In a rare move, Russian President Vladimir Putin has extended his apology to his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic.

It was a Facebook post that triggered this crisis.

A senior Russian official recently published a provocative Facebook post against Mr. Vucic. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova posted a photo of Mr Vucic sitting opposite President Donald Trump in the White House and below it a photo of actress Sharon Stone’s legs.

The post angered Mr Vucic.

Ms Zakharova later apologised for the post.

Recently, Mr Vucic, while speaking to a media person, have revealed that Russia has expressed its apology for the post.

Russia, for the first time, has admitted that they have extended its apology.

In the recent past, the relation between Russia and Serbia have worsened.

The apology indicates that Russia does not wish to disturb its relation with Serbia.

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Belgian ex-King’s love child seeks sane rights as her father’s legitimate children

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The love child of the former Belgian King Albert II has approached a court in Belgian seeking the same rights and titles as her father’s legitimate children.

The case has been taken to the court by artist Delphine Boël.

Marking an end to the decade long legal war launched by the love child, King Albert admitted he was Ms Boël’s father early this year.

Though Ms Boel’s mother, Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps, never married the king, she had an 18-year affair with the King. It was before he become the King.

It was in the year 1999 that rumours of an illegitimate child first emerged. It was an unauthorised biography about Albert’s wife Queen Paola that publicised the story.

The report fueled a royal scandal and media gossip in Belgium.

It was during an interview taken during the year 2005 that Ms. Boël first alleged on the record that King Albert was her biological father.

Actually, it was when he lost his immunity to prosecution that she opened court proceedings.

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Russia Covid-19 vaccine in right direction, claims Russian scientists

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In a report published in a renowned International journal, Russian scientists have announced their happiness in the success of their Covid-19 vaccine.

They have shared the details of the preliminary trials of their coronavirus vaccine to back the claim they have made.

The reports shows clearly that there are clear signs of an immune response.

It says that every participant of the preliminary test has developed antibodies to fight the virus.

As a clear indication that the vaccine can clearly dismiss all concerns raised against it, the report explains that the vaccine has no serious side effect.

The European country of Russia, which denounced the warning raised against the vaccine by the WHO and several other countries, already licensed the vaccine for local use, becoming the first country to approve a vaccine to fight against the crisis.

Anyway, the argument that the trial is too small to prove effectiveness and safety still holds water.

To remove the clouds around the effectiveness of the vaccine, the country at first have to address the aforesaid argument in a right manner.

It is hoped that a vaccine which is capable to address this issue in a right way reaches the market as early as possible.

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Europe’s biggest brothel files for bankruptcy

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Pascha, one of largest brothels of Europe, has filed for bankruptcy, as the Covid-19 restrictions have made it impossible for the brothel to function.

Pascha is a very popular landmark in the city of Cologne. While speaking to media personals, an officer of the brothel has said that the business is at an end.

Prostitution has been outlawed in North Rhine-Westphalia – where the city is located – since the outbreak of the virus.

The organisation employs 120 prostitutes and 60 staffs including cooks and hair dressers.  

The officer has criticised the government handling of the pandemic.

It is high time for the government to confront these kinds of problems. It is unfortunate that the government has done little to address the concerns raised by those involved in this business.

It is not fair to keep a deaf ear at those who are dependent on this business for their living.

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Charlie Hebdo case: Trial begins

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The trial session has begun in the Charli Hebdo case, which is the most brutal terror attack case the country has witnessed so far.

As many as fourteen people are on trial in connection with the case.

The deadly attack on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo took place in 2015. The attack killed as many as twelve people.

The majority of those who has been brought before the court are accused of helping the militant attackers who shot dead 12 people in and around Charlie Hebdo’s Paris office.

The attack marked the beginning of a wave of terror attacks across France as well as across the continent of Europe.

The incident also triggered a strong movement in France against the politics that prompted the attackers to throw their anger at those in the media office.

‘I am Charlie’ is one of the movements that has been triggered by the incident.

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Belarus opposition leader to address UN

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Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the opposition leader of Belarus who was recently exiled from the country after a unfair election, is expected to address the UN Security Council, in a move which is expected as an attempt to impose more pressure on the president of the country – who achieved a mandate to rule the country for the next five years with the help of the unfair election

It is expected to be a video conference.

Meanwhile, she will also address the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe – which is scheduled to take place next week.

Since the disputed election, the country is in the state of turmoil. Pro-democratic protesters who have taken to streets to express their disagreement towards the way the election was conducted by the government has vowed to oust the president – who has wristed the mandate through the illicit mean.

At the same time, Alexander Lukashenko, the President of the country who emerged as the winner of the disputed election, has dismissed the protest as a plot of foreign powers to destabilize his The latest move is expected to put the President of the country in a deep crisis. Though the president enjoys the support of Russia, he needs a lot more strength to surmount this pressure.

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Macron asks Lebanon to form new government

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Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, has asked Lebanon to swiftly form a new government.

The statement has come shorty after a west-based leader was appointed as the Prime Minister of the country.

Mustapha Adib, who was appointed to the new role, is the former ambassador to the European country of Germany.

He was inducted to the post with the backing of most MPs.

It is said that the crucial decision on who should be appointed as the leader of the country has been made with the support of the French supremo.

Since the explosion in Beirut, the country has been in a state of unrest.

The blast was extremely devastating that around 200 people lost their lives because of the blast.

It was the blast that toppled the last government.

It remains unclear when the new government will come into force in the country.

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France witnesses unexpected rise in Covid-19 cases

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The European country of France has witnessed an unexpected rise in the number of Covid-19 cases. It has marked the highest single day rise since March 31.

The single day tally has touched around 7,379 cases. The development has brought the total number to 2,67,077.

The rise has brought the issue back to the central stage. It has forced the government to review its preparedness against the crisis.

The rise has hinted the possibility for a second wave.

Unlike the previous trend, this time the majority of those who have been infected are youngsters.

As per a report, the rise in the single day tally has not made any impact on the single day death tally so far.

The report means through the daily tally has marked an unexpected rise the system has done a good job to handle the crisis in a perfect manner.

Still, the unexpected rise opens up a possibility for the imposition of some restrictive measures.   

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Proving Ethical Credentials: What?

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“Ethics” and proving “Ethical Credentials” have become new buzz words in almost all spheres of life including medical practice, medical research, all the way through to business Ethics and commercial “Ethical” investments. In this short series, we explore some key principles and ideas associated with proving one’s own Ethical Credentials.  

What?

“Ethics” is one of those topics for which one can write pages upon pages without actually defining it. How does one then take a matter that cannot be properly defined and actually wear an ethical credential? In fact, one could argue that, just by being and living, we all live by certain ethical rules and principles whether this is consciously or unconsciously known to us or not.

We can start at the very beginning. Creation and Human Birth itself, being the miraculous event that it is, involves a keen demonstration of Ethics. The one sperm (amongst millions) that gets an opportunity to fertilise the ovum is usually the healthiest and most able candidate. Have all the other sperms of lesser (perhaps only slightly lesser) ability been a wasted resource? Is it ethical that all these sperms have been produced and they have had almost no chance of fulfilling their mission at the time of their creation? Science tells us that this mechanism is just nature’s way of maximising the chances of human fertilisation. So, this tells us that it must be natural and ethical that some amount of wasteful redundancy is built in to this activity and almost all further activities involving human interaction.

The unselfish mother has to endure months of hardships to ensure the delivery into the world of a new human being. The baby somehow knows that its main job is to eat and grow, babies know when to smile to get appreciation and know when to cry and get attention. The weighing up of choices of daily living continues in the background, while the ultimate priority of child birth and growth is happening regardless of the fine details of those choices. One could therefore postulate that every mother and baby is inherently “Ethical” due to the very fact of their existence.

Every individual also has to have a certain amount of ethical credentials to interact with society. Growing up in a caring environment implies adherence to and incorporation of certain ethical principles (ensuring everyone has enough food, equitable distribution of toys, respect for elders who may visit the family home….). Regular attendance at school enables a disciplined approach to learning and interactions with friends and teachers, this also enables further refinement of ethics. Higher education provides an opportunity to further improve upon basic skills, some of these may relate to highly technical aspects of the course subject, but again, there is frequently an emphasis on asking questions and seeking solutions, which also involves a certain discrimination and possibly involves comparison with established convention which is all likely based on a platform of good ethical practice.

The scenario of finding a mate and starting a family may not present itself as an obvious candidate involving ethical scrutiny, but one could argue that this is happening at a subconscious level, and although mates may have been chosen on their appearance, achievements, ambitions, potential to improve standard of life and so on, all of these are usually based on a platform of ethical principles at their core. While one may not have ethics on a checklist, while choosing a mate, this is frequently implied and assumed.

Our index candidate has now completed higher studies, settled down with a mate and is now faced with a growing burden at home and work. Newly appointed freshers in the job may do the same job much faster and it may be time to take on senior roles in the organisation to guide these youngsters, climb the career ladder as well as earn some more money to feed the family. The most frequently used tool to decide on career progression involves some element of performance review. Again, ethics and adherence to ethical principles or wearing ethical credentials may not figure prominently (if at all) on such a checklist, but these principles frequently underpin successful appraisals at performance review.

Our middle-aged person again demonstrates adherence to ethical principles when planning for retirement, ensuring that children are given a helping hand while navigating their own challenges. How does planning for one’s own family demonstrate good ethical practice and not be seen as an act of profound selfishness, whereby the growth and well-being of one’s own family is prioritised over the needs of others? Some famous billionaires have chosen to counter this perception by choosing to donate some or most of their fortune to charity rather than pass it on wholly to their own family. Most individuals (especially non billionaires) do not make such announcements and it is entirely seen as a matter of personal choice and an invasion of privacy, if there is an expectation of announcements of significant donations to charity to enable an “ethical credential”.

Every being that is born has to die, so is there a demonstration of ethics in death? Clearly, if one has a choice in their own death, they would ensure minimal inconvenience to near and dear ones, while trying to maximise benefit to their family, and inheritance tax planning is usually based on minimising tax payments to the state. So, someone who has not conducted adequate inheritance tax planning may inadvertently hand more resource to the state. How can a philosophy based on minimising payments to the state be based on good ethical principles?

So, most humans who conform to standard expectations from society have actually demonstrated some conscious or unconscious awareness of ethics and ethical principles. Does this mean that someone who has not grown up in a caring environment, not undergone formal education, not taken the expected route to family life and job is “ethically” inferior to others who fit more traditional roles? Of course not, we would never label anyone who may be deemed non-conformist by some sections of society as “unethical”. Human Life is too precious and too unpredictable for restrictions to be placed from an ethics perspective. It is of course perfectly possible to breeze through life without appearing “ethical” or demonstrating adherence to “ethical principles”.

So the answer to “what is an ethical credential” is still unanswered in full and perhaps the other questions may give us a clue. This brings us on to “Why”.

To be continued…..

Sobhan Vinjamuri (Key leader with wide experience of Quality Improvement; Regulation; Peer Review; Internal and External Accreditation; Disciplinary Panels; Research, Peer Review of Research, Editorial scrutiny, Comprehensive and Confidential Service Reviews)

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