Delhi police files a chargesheet
The police have finally filed a 17,000-plus page chargesheet against 15 people in connection to the Delhi violence. The submitted evidence includes transcripts of WhatsApp chats, call records and names of 747 witnesses. Among those accused: Aam Aadmi Party leader Tahir Hussain, and Pinjra Tod’s Devangana Kalita and Natasha Narwal. Not included: Umar Khalid who will be named later in the supplementary chargesheet (we explained his case here). Indian Express has more details on the police’s theory on how the conspiracy was hatched and executed.
Flipkart plans an IPO
The Walmart-owned company plans to go public in 2021—and will be listed in either the Singapore or US stock exchange. An unnamed source told Reuters: “Flipkart is incorporated in Singapore, but listing in the United States, where parent Walmart is based, could give it access to a deeper pool of funds.” The target valuation: $45-50 billion range. Related good read: Why Reliance Retail isn’t such a great bet in Mint.
The Indian pandemic: A quick update
- Serum Institute of India received the green light to restart the Oxford vaccine trials in India.
- 20,000 military personnel have contracted Covid since the start of the pandemic. Number of deaths: 35. Also testing positive: Union minister Nitin Gadkari.
- 50% of respondents in a mental health survey show some signs of anxiety. At least a quarter require medical intervention: “Nearly 27% of the people reported that the idea of self-harm or death had crossed their mind at least once, while 3% reported having such thoughts repeatedly.” The survey was limited to Delhi, UP, Haryana and Maharashtra.
- There has been a significant rise in stillbirths in Uttar Pradesh due to the pandemic. In rural areas, medical personnel and equipment are stretched to the limit.
- In the works: a virtual Ram Lila celebration in Ayodhya with MPs and Bollywood actors in starring roles. No, Kangana is not one of them. FYI, there will be no audience: “All episodes will be filmed at the location, Lakshman Quila, and broadcast like a film so that people can watch from the safety of their homes.”
- A State Bank of India manager died because he was repeatedly denied leave—even after he tested positive for Covid. The case is triggering outrage across Andhra Pradesh. The News Minute has this shocking story.
- Also read: Mint’s report on how WFH is changing Indian salary packages.
- A good read: BBC News offers an up close look at the emotional trauma experienced by seriously ill Covid patients—and the case of 49-year old Amit Sharma: "One day, two patients around me died and their bodies were there for several hours… just can't get those images out of my head. I still fear Covid might kill me."
Meanwhile in the US…
Wildfires pose a new and serious Covid threat. Apart from overcrowding at shelters, the smoke makes people more likely to cough and harder to breathe with a mask.
In related news: Scientific American has endorsed a presidential candidate for the first time in its 175-year history. No, it’s not Donald Trump. The reason:
“The evidence and the science show that Donald Trump has badly damaged the U.S. and its people—because he rejects evidence and science. The most devastating example is his dishonest and inept response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which cost more than 190,000 Americans their lives by the middle of September. He has also attacked environmental protections, medical care, and the researchers and public science agencies that help this country prepare for its greatest challenges.”
Also check out: These eye-popping ProPublica maps that project what the United States will look like if climate change goes unchecked. In related news: hundreds of thousands of migratory birds are literally dropping dead in New Mexico. The suspected cause: climate change. Gizmodo has this highly worrying story.
Celebs ‘freeze’ out Facebook
The likes of Kim Kardashian, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Kerry Washington, and Katy Perry are “freezing” their Facebook and Insta accounts for a day. This is part of the #StopHateForProfit protest against the company’s unwillingness to crack down on hate speech.
Speaking of the Kardashians: Kanye West has a new plan: to create a startup accelerator for music companies a la Y Combinator. And it sounds like a pretty good idea. Refinery29 has more. But more importantly, he tweeted out a clip of him pissing on his Grammy??!!
Barbados says goodbye to the Queen
The commonwealth nation plans to remove Queen Elizabeth as its head of state and become a republic. Currently, the British monarchy is the titular head of 15 nations—and shedding the royal yoke is fairly rare. The last nation to do so: Mauritius in 1992. But here’s the line in the announcement that’s raising eyebrows: “The time has come to fully leave our colonial past behind."
BBC News’ take:
“In the context of the Black Lives Matter movement, it will be interesting to see if this sparks wider political pressure on other Caribbean governments to go the same way.
And if this happens, and the removal of the Queen as head of state is placed on a par with, say, the removal of a statue of a slave trader, then that could pose difficult questions for both the British royal family and the Commonwealth.”
Also: Happy Birthday Modi-ji
Yes, it is our prime minister’s birthday today—he turns 70. We think it’s an excellent opportunity to poke a little fun at him. Think of it as a ‘birthday bump’... lol!
