Low Fly Zone
SANITY BREAK Fetish is typically the stuff of pornography. But these brilliantly transform the peculiarities of human desire into the stuff of art. Note: some of the photos in the piece are NSFW.
HEADLINES THAT MATTER INDIA-CHINA JHAGDA HEATS UP ON THE BORDER For nearly a month, Indian and Chinese troops have been involved in physical confrontations along the border in Sikkim and Ladakh. The Indian Army dismissed them as involving “aggressive behaviour and minor injuries on both sides.” Over the weekend, the Army also pushed back against that Indian soldiers were detained by their Chinese counterparts. The reason for increased tensions: Parts of Ladakh are disputed territory, and under Chinese control. India is now building 61 strategic roads to improve troop mobility along the border—which is making Beijing very cranky. China in turn is upping its military presence, and becoming more assertive about its territorial claims. And that is making New Delhi a little jittery. () HONG KONG PROTESTS ARE BACK WITH A BANG Tear gas and water cannons returned to Hong Kong on Sunday. Thousands took to the streets to protest a national security law proposed by Beijing. The new law targets secession, sedition, terrorism and foreign interference in Hong Kong—and is similar to those used on the mainland to crush any form of dissent. has more on the protests. has an excellent explainer on the law. THE MYSTERY OF THE PIA CRASH A Pakistan International Airlines Airbus crashed into a residential district in Karachi on Friday. Two of the 99 passengers and crew aboard miraculously survived. According to an : > "It tried to land twice but its wheels were not coming out. And its belly touched the runway before the pilot pulled it up > again. The second time he did that, I saw one of its engines was on fire because it had brushed the runway. It didn’t return a > third time but crashed here." In his last communication, the pilot he had lost power from both his engines. But no one knows what happened. The airline insists there was “no defect related to the engine, landing gear or major aircraft system.” The pilot union is insisting on a transparent investigation, which also looks at the working conditions of the ground staff and crew. the account of one of the survivors. RELIANCE MAKES A BIG E-COMMERCE ENTRANCE Mukesh-bhai unveiled his online grocery mega-store JioMart over the weekend—giving the likes of Amazon and BigBasket a very rude shock. The platform—which went live across 200 cities—launched with offerings from Reliance’s own offline stores. But it plans to add kirana stores in the future, and will also hyperlocal ‘Reliance Smart Points’ to allow customers to pick up their shopping in person. JioMart will eventually expand beyond groceries to include its other retail offerings such as fashion and electronics. explains why the tie-up with WhatsApp will turbo-boost JioMart’s fortunes. WHO IS AFRAID OF HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE TRIALS? What does Donald Trump and the Indian Council of Medical Research have in common? They both believe—against all scientific evidence and the WHO’s recommendation—that the anti-malarial drug offers protection against Covid-19. While the Donald is happily popping the pills himself, the ICMR recommends its use for healthcare workers and family members of patients. But oddly, ICMR has blocked a proposal to conduct a proper randomised trial to see if the drug actually works. It prefers to conduct its own “observational study” instead. As a senior researcher : “It’s dangerous to not even want to look for evidence.” More so if the evidence reveals one’s own foolishness. PS: has an excellent explainer on HCQ. IN OTHER TRUMP-RELATED NEWS…. The published a powerful front page meticulously detailing the names and details of Americans killed by the pandemic. Then someone did this with it (h/t ): NETFLIX WANTS TO SAVE YOU MONEY The company will helpfully notify users if they have not used their streaming account for over two years—and delete them if the person does not respond to the reminder. You can change your mind and reactivate your account within ten months. Point to note: Inactive accounts make up less than 0.5% of the company's users. () IT’S GONNA BE A LONG, HOT SUMMER While the northeast is deluged with rain, great parts of north and central India will experience severe heat waves for the next 4-5 days. Meteorologists predict that the temperature in Delhi will hit 46-47 degrees. () THE COVID EFFECT: THE INDIA EDITION * The Times Group is laying off dozens of its employees, but in stealth mode and without warning. One employee told : “For days, my colleagues didn’t know I had been laid off because it was done so secretly… After I told a colleague about it, I came to know another employee had been laid off as well and nobody knew. None of us saw it coming.” The best comment on these eager-to-axe companies . * Wholesale prices of vegetables —except for the always popular aloo. Yet, customer prices have remained mostly the same. The reason: middlemen are profiting from distress sales by farmers due to the lockdown. * A global group of researchers have come together to create a public database of deaths caused by the lockdown. You can check out the or this grim of the latest figures. BANGALORE HAS A SAFFRON FLAG PROBLEM The Bajrang Dal is allegedly marking shops run and owned by Hindus with saffron flags. These markers also in Delhi neighbourhoods in February—right before the anti-Muslim attacks. A Bangalore lawyer has now filed a complaint, forcing the police to take action. ()
SANITY BREAK This is the trailer of Pixar’s short 9-minute film titled ‘Out’. It features the animation studio’s first gay lead character—and it’s streaming on Disney+. The theme: a young man struggling to come out to his parents. has more details.
SMART & CURIOUS A LIST OF GOOD READS * has a fascinating read that argues Veer Savarkar was deliberately let off the hook for his involvement in Gandhi-ji’s assassination—with the collusion of the nation’s top leaders who feared a communal backlash. * looks at white chefs and critics who have taken previously “exotic” ingredients like turmeric and tahini, mainstream in the West—and are repackaging curries as ‘stews.’ * has a trend piece on top Michelin-starred chefs who have turned to takeaway food and catering to survive the pandemic. * This essay from its archive is a lovely and honest meditation on what it feels like to be a ‘woman writer’. * offers an engaging read on drawing (literally) the coronavirus—and the big role of artistic license deployed by its illustrators. * Last but not least: The below created by Debjyoti Saha captures the wide chasm that separates Bharat from India. BIRTH OF A PLANET This is humanity’s first ever image of the creation of a baby planet—the process by which cosmic matter rearranges itself into a new world soon to orbit around a star. () A LIST OF INTRIGUING MASKS Take your pick, ladies and gentlemen! Would you like a that makes you look like Bane? The upside: it automatically opens up to let in fresh air when no one is close by. Or would you prefer an that allows you to eat without taking off your mask? Last but not least: a very chic that won’t let you eat or breathe! Fashion is indeed a pain.
LIFE ADVISORY SO YOU WANT TO HELP VICTIMS OF AMPHAN… Bengal is reeling from the double whammy of Covid-19 and super-cyclone Amphan. Entire villages have been razed, and the army has been sent in to help. But you can do your bit by donating to one of the many brilliant organisations listed in this useful . (courtesy Ameya Nagarajan) SO YOU WANT TO BE MORE PRODUCTIVE… All of us—especially working moms—are continually doing more and more. All because we are worried about dropping one of the countless balls we’re juggling at any one time. But research shows that ramping up our productivity and happiness requires actually doing less. Here’s a brilliantly simple exercise that will help us be less busy and stressed out and achieve more. () SO YOU LOVE GILLIAN ANDERSON… Why not watch her play Blanche Dubois in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ at the Old Vic in London? Better hurry. The performance—which also stars Ben Foster of X-men fame—will be available only until Thursday.
THE FEEL GOOD PLACE are a thing—exactly like dog shows. And the most awesome handlers are in the under-eight category. (h/t James Rebanks) is beloved in Lucknow for its delicious Awadhi cuisine. Now it is even more loved for its big heart. For the first time in its 65-year history, the restaurant has gone vegetarian in order to feed migrant workers passing through the city. Its staff has fed 1,500 people every day! has a saasu-ma problem, as in his girlfriend Grimes’ mom thinks he’s an ass, and isn’t afraid to air her opinion on Twitter. Yes, this makes us feel good. has successfully rescued the loneliest elephant in Pakistan. Kaavan, a 33-year-old Asian elephant was gifted to President Zia ul Haq by Sri Lanka—but has since been kept all alone and in chains. Cher campaigned tirelessly for his rescue, which was finally ordered by a Pakistan court. He will now be moved to a wildlife sanctuary back in his home country.
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