headlines that matter
Mark Zuckerberg faces a rebellion
- The Facebook CEO picked the wrong side in the debate over President Trump’s tweet which said: “When the looting starts, the shooting starts.”
- Twitter tagged that post as “glorifying violence,” but Facebook and Zuckerberg disagreed.
- Zuck argued that it was a warning to protesters that the police would start shooting, if they continued to riot. And he has refused to change his mind.
- This despite meeting with civil rights activists—who said they were “disappointed and stunned by Mark’s incomprehensible explanations.”
- Now, his employees have staged a virtual walkout (since no one is at office), and many have taken to Twitter to express their anger.
- Related good Cnet read: ‘Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey and the fight for social media's soul’.
- Not exactly related, but still a great read: Esquire’s convo with Rahul Dubey, the “Absolute Legend” Sheltering Black Lives Matter Protesters. (courtesy Noel Johns)
Manu Sharma gets out of jail
The infamous murderer of Jessica Lal has been let out early for good behaviour. Early release is available for any convict who serves 14 years in prison without committing a crime when out on parole or “falling into remission.” The last time Sharma was out on parole, he got into a brawl at a Delhi nightclub. Point to note: Sharma has spent 16 years, 11 months and 24 days literally behind bars. And he has been out on parole 12 times, and 24 times on furlough. (Hindustan Times)
WHO’s biggest funder: Bill Gates
Now that Trump has ended the United States relationship with the World Health organisation, its biggest funder is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The foundation contributes 9.4% of the WHO’s budget compared to the United States’ 15.9%. It marks the first time that a private organisation will be the most powerful player in a UN agency—which may not be any worse given how the US and China have behaved. A must read: A behind the scenes account of WHO’s relationship with Beijing based on recordings of internal meetings.
Covid ke side-effects
A domestic violence spike: Thanks to the lockdown, Indian women experienced a terrifying surge in domestic violence. Between March 23 and April 16—roughly the first three weeks of the lockdown—the National commission for Women received 239 complaints of domestic violence. A significant jump from the 123 complaints it received the month before the lockdown. BBC has a must read on the lockdown’s effect on domestic abuse victims.
Delhi police gets a makeover: The virus has given the capital’s law enforcement force a golden opportunity to revamp their public image. The pandemic hit a Delhi rocked by scenes of anti-Muslim violence—as the police colluded with rightwing activists to target the community. But in the space of a few months, they are now seen as good samaritans. Watch this New York Times video where its reporters ride along with the policemen on the pandemic frontline.
Akshay Kumar is now PSA king: Akki has emerged as one of the government’s staunchest supporters, and he’s doubled down on that role during the pandemic. First came the announcement of a Rs 25 crore donation to the PM Cares fund. Now, he’s made this short film encouraging everyone (read: migrant workers) to get back to work—taking due precautions, of course. And he’s on a roll: Akki also tweeted this clip explaining how to stay safe when Nisarga hits.
China boycott gathers steam
‘Remove China Apps’ is an Android app that identifies and deletes Chinese apps on a smartphone. It is currently ranked second on the list of top free apps on Google Play—and has been downloaded over 50 lakh times. But it does play favourites. For example, it will delete Tik Tok, but apparently not PUBG. Also: any app that gets to scan your apps likely has serious privacy issues. What the app definitely can’t delete: your Made in China phone. Also: why do you need an app when you have a Baba Ramdev tutorial.
The good/bad news about the economy
The unemployment rate remained "very high" at 23.5% in May but the country still added 2.1 crore jobs in the same month. The government announced $6.6 billion in incentives to lure smartphone manufacturers to set up shop in India. And ICYMI, Moody’s rates our economy just one notch above a junk bond.
James Cameron annoys the Kiwis
The director and 55 of his crew members landed in Wellington in a privately chartered plane over the weekend. The reason: Cameron is restarting production on the highly anticipated sequel to Avatar. But the locals are very angry. The reason: New Zealand’s borders are still closed to all foreigners—but Cameron and his crew were given a special exemption. That they were flaunting their arrival on Insta likely didn’t help.