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Britain has recently lifted the ban on women serving in the frontline infantry, but the first woman to join the ranks quit after just two weeks. The woman said that the training was tougher than she had expected.

The recruit was not identified but her bosses said that she couldn’t keep up the pace during an 18-week physical course. Plus, she had underestimated how tough the training would be.

Two years got, Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron managed to remove the ban on female recruits serving in the country’s combat units despite the fierce opposition. Cameron argued that the army should reflect the make-up of the overall society, so women should be allowed to join in.

The RAF was the first to welcome women. The woman that recently quit is believed to be one of the three females to join the RAF ranks, in Suffolk. She was the only one to be accepted as the other two women were not fit enough to join the unit. The recruit started the tough training alongside 44 men.

The Recruit ‘Tried Her Best’

But after just two weeks, she quit as she couldn’t keep up with the male recruits in the endurance and other physical tests. One person familiar with the matter told British newspaper The Mail that she “was way off the pace” of other recruits, yet she nevertheless gained everybody’s respect.

She tried her best and was honest enough to admit the course was too tough for her,

the source told the newspaper.

What’s more, the female recruit was reportedly “isolated” when she was not training because she couldn’t fit in. Reportedly, male recruits were surprised to see her. The management kept her presence secret.

Also, the source claims that the instructors were forced to help her pass the tests because the superiors “wanted a good PR out of it.” Currently, just 9% of the British army consists of women. This means that around 7,000 U.K. service members are women.
Image Source: Defense.gov

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As the Swedish Academy is facing a huge scandal over its ties to a man accused of rape, this year’s Nobel prize for literature has been canceled.

It is the first time since 1949 that the Swedish panel will not unveil a Nobel laureate for literature. Next year, the Nobel prize for Literature will be handed to two winners, the academy announced.

The academy made the decision in the wake of a sex scandal concerning Jean-Claude Arnault, a photographer married to the academy’s member Katarina Frostenson.

The Swedish Academy argued that it is best to cancel the award because the public’s confidence in the organization was sinking.

We find it necessary to commit time to recovering public confidence in the academy before the next laureate can be announced,

the Swedish Academy said.

It also added that the decision is a form of respect for all literature laureates and the general public.

The Scandal

The sex scandal emerged last fall when Arnault was accused of sexual assault. Three members of the 18-man panel for literature stepped down because the academy refused to fire the embattled photographer.

The suspect is also accused of leaking the names of several Noble laureates before they were announced. Arnault has vigorously denied all the accusations.

Meanwhile, the public has developed some trust issues with the academy, as several of its members made a series of contradictory claims in the country’s press. The latest academy member to step down was Sara Danius, who has been seen as a scapegoat for Arnault’s misbehavior.

All members of the academy are nominated for life, which means that if a member resigns, their chair remains empty until they are dead.
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The results of the World Happiness Report are in and Finland is this year’s happiest country in the world. Norway, which was 2017’s happiest country came in second place in the 2018 UN report. Nordic countries regularly appear in the top five and this year was no exception, as Norway was followed by Denmark, Iceland, and Switzerland.

The World Happiness Report, which measures a country’s ‘subjective well-being’, was released by the Sustainable Development Solutions for the United Nations on March 14. This comes a few days before World Happiness Day on March 20, an event first proposed by the country of Bhutan in 2011.

The reports ranks nations on six variables that support well-being including income, trust, freedom, social support, generosity, and healthy life expectancy.

“The top five countries all have almost equally high values for the six factors found to support happiness,” said report co-editor, John Helliwell, a professor emeritus of economics at the University of British Columbia.

In addition, the report also found that Finland was home to the happiest immigrant, a unique focus this time around.

The Netherlands placed on the sixth spot this year, followed by Canada, New Zealand, Sweden, and Australia.

This year, the top 10 countries shifted spots compared with the 2017 report, however, none of them dropped out of the top 10 list.

About 156 countries are ranked based on their happiness levels and 117 by the happiness of their immigrants.

The 10 happiest countries were also 10 of the top 11 spots in the rankings of immigrant happiness with Mexico taking the tenth place in the immigrant happiness rankings. Mexico came in 24 th place in the overall rankings.

The UK and US came in at 19th and 18th places respectively.

Image Source: Pixabay

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On March 5, South Korea’s special delegation to the North dined with North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un and his wife, Ri Sol-Ju, for over four hours. According to a Blue House spokesman, the results of the dinner talks were “not disappointing”.

Led by Blue House National Security Advisor, Chung Eui-yong, the five members of the special delegation had a meeting with North Korea State Affairs Commission Chairman, Kim Jong-Un, which was then followed by a dinner. The dinner reportedly lasted from 6 pm until 10:12 pm totaling to four hours and 12 minutes.

“The meeting and dinner took place in the Azalea Hall, the headquarters of the Korean Workers’ Party (KWP),” said Blue House spokesperson Kim Eui-gyum during the press briefing on March 6.

This was said to be the first time for South Korean officials to visit the party headquarters. The special delegation briefed South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, of the meeting and dinner right after the event, Eui-gyum added.

Kim Jong-un was accompanied by vice chairman of the KWP Central Committee, and Kim Yo-jong, first vice director of the KWP Central Committee. While at the dinner, they were joined by the North Korean leader’s wife, Ri Sol-ju, Ri Son-gwon, chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, Maeng Kyong-il, vice director of the KWP United Front Department, and Kim Jong-un’s chief of staff, Kim Chang-son.

The March 5 dinner was the first time that Kim Jong-un’s wife had met with South Korean officials.

A Blue House official said that the results of the dinner were “not disappointing”, which could possibly mean that North Korea has at least offered to stop nuclear weapon and missile testing.

North Korea’s state-run news agency, the Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) echoed the official’s remarks by saying that Kim Jong-un had similar opinions on an undisclosed matter with President Moon Jae-in. As a result, the North Korean leader reportedly “gave forceful instructions” for dealing with the as-of-yet unknown matter.

Image Source: Flickr

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While exploring the world’s largest cave system in the world, the Sac Actun System, archaeologists discovered ancient Mayan relics and fossils of extinct animals. The latter find included fossils belonging to giant sloths, bears, and an ancient species that resembled elephants called gomphotheres.

The Sac Actun System, located in Mexico, is made up of two of the world’s largest cave systems in the country. The two underwater cave systems were connected by The Underwater Exploration Group of the Great Maya Aquifer Project (GAM).

According to GAM director and underwater archaeologist, Guillermo de Anda, the cave can be considered the most important archaeological site in the world. This is due to its large abundance of archaeological information relating to the first settlers of America, as well as to extinct fauna and Mayan relics.

Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History announced on Monday, February 19, that it has discovered nearly 200 artifacts at the site, most of which belonged to the ancient Mayan civilization.

De Anda claims that the findings will provide archaeologists a better understanding of the Mayan civilization that inhabited the area prior to the arrival of the Spanish. This includes new insight into the Mayans’ rituals, pilgrimage sites, and pre-Hispanic customs.

The archaeologists discovered human bones, ceramics and wall etchings. One of the most noteworthy finds were a shrine dedicated to the Mayan god of commerce and a staircase that could be accessed through a sinkhole.  The human bones are believed to be at least 9 thousand years old.

According to de Anda, the humans found in the cave system were likely searching for water during a period of drought. Judging from the Mayan relics found at the site, this drought likely cause water levels to recede around 1,000 AD, an event which forced many Mayan communities deeper inside the caves to look for water.

Image Source: WikipediaCommons

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For five months, two Hawaii female sailors had to survive on their own a storm damaged their sailboat beyond repair. The rescue teams found the victims of an accident stranded 933 miles southeast of Japan on October 25. Now that the women are safe, an investigation into this event is ongoing. However, the story doesn’t add up. The two sailors had access to six different communication technologies.

The Two Female Sailors Didn’t Deem Their Situation Critical Enough to Use EPIRB

Early reports on the case of the two lost sailors, Jennifer Appel and Tasha Fuiava, indicated how they faced severe storms and even shark attacks. However, recent statements contradict such a panicked experience.

Officials are wondering why the two women didn’t activate their emergency beacon or EPIRB during the five months they were stranded. Coast Guard spokeswoman Tara Molle claimed that officials had interviewed the women on this topic.

“She had stated they never felt like they were truly in distress, like in a 24-hour period they were going to die.”

The lack of a life and death situation prevented the sailors from resorting to all their six communication means. However, other inconsistencies created suspicions around women’s story.

Official Data Hold No Records of a Force 11 Storm on May 3

For instance, the two female sailors claimed that on May 3, a vicious Force 11 storm smashed the mast and rigging of their boat. This was the beginning of their five-month distress. However, the National Weather Service in Honolulu registered no storm that day. On top of that, NASA satellite imagery recorded clear sky in that period.

Appel and Fuiava claimed that they resorted to distress signals for the first 98 days without any reply. However, they failed to mention anything about their EPIRB device that remained inactive.

The Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon became a governmental requirement to be present aboard passenger vessels. This device is transmitting a coded message for around 48 hours through satellite to the nearest rescue center.

An associate professor of finance at the University of Louisiana, Linus Wilson, fears that this story would frighten others from taking up sailing as a new hobby. However, he reassures enthusiasts that this particular case doesn’t reflect the true sailboat cruising community.

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Mohammed bin Salman has been the crown prince of Saudi Arabia since June 2017. His father decided to remove Muhammad bin Nayef from all positions, clearing the path for Mohammed to step forward. After only a few months into his powerful position, the crown prince announced plans to guide his country toward a moderate Islam. He turned to international leaders and other nations for support in his endeavors.

The Crown Prince of Saudi Needs Decades to Lead His Nation Back to Moderate Islam

On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince made a shocking pledge. He promised to disrupt the extremist culture that has been keeping his nation away from an open, prosperous society.

Mohammed bin Salman was at the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh at the time of this groundbreaking announcement. He intends to change the economic landscape. However, this major transition will need several decades to go into effect.

“We want to lead normal lives, lives where our religion and our traditions translate into tolerance so that we coexist with the world and become part of the development of the world.”

This step towards the Western civilization is based on concepts against the ultraconservative of ruling clerics. On the other hand, his nation has an extremely youthful population. The crown prince claimed that 70% of his country is under the age of 30. Therefore, his ambitions have high changes to find great support among most of citizens.

It Was Only 1979 When the Kingdom Decided to Adopt Wahhabism, an Ultraconservative Side of Islam

Mohammed bin Salman stated that Saudi was not always a region with extremist views of the world. Therefore, the transformation he promised is more like a return to a moderate Islam that cherishes international cooperation and encourages all sorts of religions.

Bin Salman made a reference to the events that took place in 1979 in Saudi Arabia. This was when a deadly revolt in Al-Hasa region under the Shiite militants’ lead forced the country to relapse into extremist stances. For example, the monarchy closed all movie theaters in the kingdom.

After this tragic year, leaders turned to Wahhabism, an implacable side of Islam. This religious direction forces numerous bans on women. They need male consent whenever they want to travel or work. The religious police in Saudi enjoyed great freedom in making sure the public adheres to these rigid rules.

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President Xi Jinping exposed the new direction China took to the world during the 19^th communist party congress. In a 3 hour and 23-minute speech, Xi presented a comprehensive plan that his country is going to follow for the next 30 years. Through this move, the president went against Chinese political morals that despise assertiveness.

The Chinese Political Theater Has Changed Under Xi’s Leadership

On Thursday, the 19^th communist party congress witnessed an important clarification of today’s political scene in China. Foreign Minister Wang Yi had to explain whether the country is shifting away from former leader Deng Xiaoping’s vision. He is considered a paramount character in China’s modern history. Deng led the country out of famine and crisis and into the progress that turned it into the fastest growing economy in the world.

However, the Foreign Minister claimed that Weng’s culture that drives politics towards caution is still the foundation of today’s Chinese diplomacy. However, the Xi era molded this vision so that it can better fit modern times.

China has taken upon itself the responsibility of being the world’s second-largest economy. The government has to serve 30,000 Chinese businesses that carry out activities all over the world. Moreover, the state has to care for around 120 million Chinese citizens who travel abroad on an annual basis.

Xi Used the 19^th Communist Party Congress to Announce China’s Ambition to Become Global Leader

Xi’s speech detailed his plan to make China a global power in influence, innovation, and military by 2050. Under Xi’s guidance, China consolidated its military authority by claiming territorial rights in the South China Sea.

“We will never allow anyone, any organization, or any political party, at any time or in any form, to separate any part of Chinese territory from China.”

As for the country’s influence, Xi Jinping developed the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013. This proposal is an extensive effort to build cooperation between Eurasian nations. Xi’s government redirected $82 billion towards this goal. Officials have also encouraged banks to improve this capital with additional $45 billion. Through this grand undertaking, Xi Jinping enrolled on a more influential position within the world central stage.

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Spain and Portugal had to confront national hazards over the weekend in the shape of raging fires. The phenomena are linked to Hurricane Ophelia. The strong Atlantic winds carried the blazes all the way to central and northern areas in Portugal. Within hours, fires spread on Sunday and Monday across the nations, engulfing the Galicia region across the border in Spain. At least 36 people lost their lives to the late season wildfires, including an infant.

Portuguese Authorities Suspect the Majority of Fires as the Result of Criminal Intent

On Monday, the Portuguese National Authority for Civil Protection announced that 4,000 firefighters are battling the blazes of 523 wildfires. The death toll reached 36 confirmed cases while 63 Portuguese citizens are injured. Other 16 people are fighting for their lives. Spain reported three deaths in the region of Galicia.

A hot dry summer prepared the conditions of such a massive catastrophe while Hurricane Ophelia only boosted the phenomenon’s lethality. This is how Portugal confronted one of the most severe cases of wildfire in history.

The high number of cases that extended far beyond the first thousand urged authorities to announce a state of emergency. Almost half of its territory north of the river Tagus is considered as the battleground of such a national disaster.

The secretary of state of internal administration, Jorge Gomes, claimed people as culprits of the majority of wildfires. These circumstances are not only fitting arson profiles but also poor forest management. Oblivious individuals abandoned debris which are easily catching fire or intensifying the blaze.

Spain’s prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, supports suspicions of criminal intent. Authorities are looking into the extent to which arsonists were involved in the national catastrophe.

“What we are seeing here doesn’t happen accidentally. This has been induced.”

The Late Season Wildfires Brought This Year’s Death Toll to a Record Number in History

Portugal was just recovering from this summer’s blaze that caused 64 casualties in one night. The current event coupled with its early wave of wildfires amounted to 99 deaths. Therefore, this year’s death toll is officially a record one encompassing the 1966 disaster that caused 25 victims.

Portugal authorities promised to spare no resources in putting down the late season wildfires. They also claimed they are going to take the necessary measures to prevent any future repetition of such large-scale catastrophe.

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Diwali is one of the most awaited holidays in Hindu culture. This event represents the festival of lights that brings people in India, Fiji, Nepal, Singapore, and other parts of the world together. However, Indian authorities decided to limit the ways citizens can enjoy this old festivity due to pollution concerns. As a consequence, Indians won’t have their firecracker shows this year.

Numerous People Grew Accustomed to Having Their Own Firecracker Shows on Diwali

On Monday, the Supreme Court in India ruled a ban on sales of fireworks in New Delhi. This decision comes only ten days before people start celebrating the festival of lights, Diwali. This Hindu day celebrates Lord Rama. It symbolizes the triumph of good over evil. People are contributing to one of the busiest shopping periods of the year in their attempt to renew their wardrobe, offer gifts, and adorn their homes, streets, and temples with all sorts of lights.

One of the markets that usually enjoy great profits during this period is the firecracker one. Diwali is a great occasion for many people to organize their own firecracker shows that are full of color, sparks, and great noises.

However, authorities view this street tradition from a different angle. They fear that lighting fireworks add up to the country’s issue with air pollution. Therefore, the Supreme Court ordered a ban on such products until 1 November. This year, the festival falls on 18 October.

India Recorded One of the Most Concerning Cases of Air Quality in the World

The decision is more of a test. Officials intend to discover whether banning firecrackers is enough to improve air quality on Diwali’s night. At the moment, India is dealing with one of the worst worldwide cases of air pollution.

Last year, Indians lived after Diwali in extremely toxic conditions. The capital especially was engulfed in smog. This human-made phenomenon prompted authorities to close schools for three days. They also shut down a power plant and stopped work on construction sites temporarily.

The ruling is valid immediately and will end on 1 November. However, those who already purchased such entertaining devices won’t suffer any consequences for firing them on Diwali. On the other hand, the Supreme Court encouraged people not to have any firecracker shows anymore this year.

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