Verum had barely woken up from a deep sleep when her crystal ball began humming. Immediately, sleep flew out of her eyes and alertness crept into her brain. She sat down in front of her crystal ball and focused on getting the news.
“Ouch,” she cried, “That must have hurt.”
“What must have hurt?” said Scorch in alarm, “Did you hurt yourself?”
“No, no, I’m fine. Don’t worry. It’s about today’s news which is from St Vincent and the Grenadines. It is a country in the south Caribbean and is made up of 32 islands,” said Verum, “Its Prime Minister, Ralph Gonsalves, was hit on the head with a projectile.”
“What? How did that happen?” said Orak.
“On 5th August, the lawmakers were scheduled to debate a health bill (a bill is a draft that becomes a law when accepted in the parliament) at the Parliament. If passed, this bill will make it mandatory for frontline public sector workers to be vaccinated against Covid-19,” began Verum, “But some groups gathered to protest it.”
“Why? Isn’t vaccination a good thing?” said Felix, “It can reduce the impact of a Covid-19 infection. And that’s the need of the hour.”
“True,” replied Verum, “But these groups and trade unions felt that it infringed or restricted the workers’ rights. St Vincent and the Grenadines has about 110,000 residents. The Covid-19 cases have been low. But the tourism industry is greatly affected.”
“Oh, I see,” said Scorch, “What happened next?”
“Prime Minister Gonsalves was making his way to the Parliament building when a crowd of about 200 protestors surrounded his car,” said Verum, “So, he got out and walked towards the building. But someone in the crowd threw something at the Prime Minister. The object hit Gonsalves on his temple, leading to an injury that required hospitalization.”
“Oh, no,” said Orak, “Is he okay now?’
“He’s healing as per reports,” said Verum, “And the health bill was passed.”