India-China declare truce
The two sides issued a joint statement that primarily agreed to “stop sending more troops to the frontline, refrain from unilaterally changing the situation on the ground, and avoid taking any actions that may complicate the situation.”
But what does that mean? The Telegraph interprets the truce as surrender with unnamed military experts saying: “India seems to have accepted the new status quo and given up the restoration of status quo ante as of April 2020.” Translation: China gets to keep the territory it took since that time—especially 1,000 sq km of Depsang plains, which is a highly strategic area on the Ladakh border (explained here).
The Times of India calls it a “positive outcome” but also says it indicates a stalemate over the ongoing territorial dispute—and higher level talks may be required to resolve it. A source also says there was “hardly any meeting ground” over de-escalation and disengagement at the talks that produced the statement.
In happier China news: Beijing has called for a global “green revolution” to tackle climate change. Addressing a virtual session of the UN General Assembly, President Xi Jinping announced that China would hit its peak in carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060—that’s when a country accounts for net zero emissions. Why this matters: China is the world’s biggest emitter of carbon dioxide—and this is the first time it has made such a pledge. Straits Times has more.
Facebook vs Delhi sarkaar
Facebook India has moved the Supreme Court in its battle with the Delhi government—which has been insisting that company execs testify before its panel. Delhi sarkaar is investigating Facebook’s role in inciting the Delhi violence—which became a big deal when the Wall Street Journal revealed how its seniormost execs protected hate-spewing BJP leaders (explained here).
When FB refused to respond to the second summon to appear, committee chairman Raghav Chadha warned: “Refusing to appear before the committee is contempt of the Delhi legislative assembly. This shows Facebook has something to hide.” Now the company has filed a petition challenging the summons, claiming that they violate FB’s constitutional rights to free speech and to life and personal liberty. Ok, then. (Mint)
Reinfections in Mumbai
Gene sequencing of three doctors and one healthcare worker in Mumbai confirms that they were indeed infected with Covid for the second time—i.e. they were exposed to two separate versions of the virus. The bad news: all of them had only mild symptoms the first time around, but required hospitalisation when reinfected.
In related news: India’s total number of cases fell below one million for the first time since crossing that landmark one week ago. The reason: the number of daily recoveries has exceeded the number of daily new cases for the past four days. But experts agree it is too early to celebrate. Hindustan Times offers an excellent analysis of the numbers.
In more amusing news: A big hedge fund in New York has relocated its employees to tents in the woods. Yes, there is a suitably bizarre photo.
The always popular Modi sarkaar
Nothing can dent our PM’s popularity—not a raging virus or a collapsing economy. According to a recent national survey, 74% approved of the government’s handling of the pandemic. The number was even higher (75%) among the poor. In fact, the wealthy were the most dissatisfied group at 63%. Also this: 73% approved of the Modi government’s attitude towards migrant workers. In another India Today survey, 72% said they were satisfied with the government’s overall performance. Mint has more details.
Coming soon: a cheap Jio phone
Reliance is planning to roll out 200 million smartphones over the next two years. These will be an upgraded version of the current Jio phone, will run on Android and cost around Rs. 4,000. (Bloomberg via NDTV)
Coming even sooner: Rising levels of Delhi pollution. Dilliwalas may have to kiss those pandemic-fresh blue skies goodbye. Farmers in Punjab are already starting to burn their crop stubble.
Onions are no longer an essential commodity
The Rajya Sabha passed a bill taking cereals, dals, oilseeds, edible oils, onion and potatoes off the list of essential commodities. What this means: private companies will be able to stockpile these harvests without interference from the government—except in emergency situations like war or famine. The bill was approved by a voice vote after an Opposition walkout. So it looked kinda like this:
The race to rescue stranded whales
Authorities—with the help of fishermen and volunteers—are scrambling to save a pod of 270 pilot whales that have been stranded off the coast of Tasmania. Around 90 have already died, but they have managed to rescue 25—which is a challenging task (photo below):
“Rescuers had to get in the icy water to attach the whales, a species of oceanic dolphin that grow to 7 metres (23 ft) long and can weigh up to 3 tonnes, to slings and then guide the animals as boats dragged them out to deeper water.
‘We settled on a method where we get a sling placed under the whale, that’s attached to a boat (and) we also have crew in the water,’ said Nic Deka, a regional manager of Tasmania’s Parks and Wildlife Service, at a news conference.”
They hope to save more in the days to come. BBC News has a video report.
In related news: Scientists have finally cracked the mystery of 330 elephants who have died in Botswana. The culprit: toxic bacteria that occur naturally in watering holes. The bad news: climate change will accelerate the spread of this kind of algae.
