Twilight News Edition 97
Edition 97, 12th November 2021
THE BELARUS-POLAND BORDER CRISIS
By Riyaa Palan
Western leaders have accused Belarus’ aristocratic leader, Alexander Lukashenko of scheming the border crisis - creating a path into the member countries of the European Union for migrants from the Middle East.
Thousands of these migrants have been directed towards the borders of Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia under the watchful eyes of the Belarusian authorities. However, crossing borders is the least of their concerns when they are to survive the bitter cold in the region.
With neither country providing refuge to them, the migrants are stranded in between, becoming victims of the cold. One such victim was a 14 year old Kurdish boy who froze to death on the Belarusian side of the frontier on Thursday.
The Western officials perceive this to be a hybrid attack which uses people as weapons. In a statement posted on Facebook, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki also said: “What we are dealing with is a new type of war. This is a war in which civilians and media messages are ammunition.”
Lukashenko threatened to cut off the flow of a major natural gas pipeline to his western neighbours, even as the Kremlin, his main benefactor, sought to resolve the crisis. Russian President Vladimir Putin even suggested that the EU officials speak directly to their Belarusian counterparts - a nonstarter for many who consider Lukashenko’s rule to be illegitimate.
As temperatures drop below freezing point at the Belarusian border with Poland and Lithuania, aid workers worry that the death rate due to exposure will increase sharply. So far, officials claim that eight deaths have occurred although the real number could be much higher.
Polish border guards said on Thursday that 150 migrants attempted to forcefully cross from Belarus overnight.
Poland and Belarus have both barred journalists from visiting the border area and are divided in an escalating information war, each blaming the other for an intensifying crisis fed by inflammatory statements about the risk of armed conflict.
INDIA'S SELF-MADE NEWEST BILLIONAIRE
By Annika Jain
Nykaa, India’s beauty and cosmetics company, after floating its initial public offering, opened to blockbuster evaluation.
The shares surged 89 percent on Wednesday and last week, the company offered bids worth over 30 billion dollars and the markets went wild. The company was oversubscribed 82 times.
The product of this company is an online one, targeting tech-savvy Indian women who buy their products online. To increase their range, the company also began selling household items. With top-of-the-line celebrities endorsing the company, it’s no surprise that Nykaa has become India’s largest internet giant.
This massive opening has made Nykaa’s founder and chief-executive, Falguni Nayar, India’s richest, female, self-made billionaire. In fact, according to Bloomberg, her net-worth has increased by 6.5 million dollars.
As her company’s shares shot up at an amazing speed, the founder herself said, “I hope the Nykaa journey - an Indian-born, Indian-owned and Indian-managed dream-come-true - can inspire each of you.”