headlines that matter
World gangs up on China
US sanctions: President Trump signed something called the Hong Kong Autonomy Act. It does two things. One, it yanks Hong Kong’s special trading status—i.e. all the preferential treatment it received in the form of lower tariffs etc. Two, it slaps fresh economic sanctions on Chinese companies which backed the recent national security law—that makes illegal any kind of political dissent in HK.
UK bans Huawei: The Chinese company—set to roll out 5G connectivity around the world—has been accused of spying on behalf of Beijing. As per the decision, any purchase of Huawei equipment for the country’s 5G networks will become illegal from the end of this year. Telecommunication companies that already have Huawei equipment have until the end of 2027 to rip it out. The US and India have already banned Chinese companies from their telecom networks.
India has 77 questions: for the 59 recently banned Chinese apps, including TikTok—and has given the companies three weeks to respond. One of the questions: “In the aftermath of the Pulwama Attack of 2019, did the company/app censor content relating to the attack or its perpetrators?" The implication: Chinese apps are manipulating what information is seen by their Indian users. Related video: BBC News looks at whether other countries will follow in India’s footsteps and ban TikTok.
Trump cans F-1 rule
Indian students in the US can breathe easy: “Facing eight federal lawsuits and opposition from hundreds of universities, the Trump administration on Tuesday rescinded a rule that would have required international students to transfer or leave the country if their schools held classes entirely online because of the pandemic.” Excellent. (ABC News)
The great global pandemic: a quick update
- A UK study looked at antibodies produced by 90 Covid patients—and found that they plummet over time. Around 60% had significant levels in the first few weeks, but that number went down to 16.7% after three months.
- What this means: Just as with the flu, being infected once may not offer long-term protection from Covid.
- As worries grow about the virus spreading through air, many are looking at ultraviolet tech. Specifically: “energetic waves of ultraviolet light, known as germicidal UV or GUV, are delivered in the right dose to wipe out viruses, bacteria and other microorganisms.”
- Quantas has cancelled nearly all of its international flights until March 2021.
- A squirrel in Colorado has been diagnosed with bubonic plague. Why this is making everyone nervous: it comes a week after a hospital in Mongolia reported a patient infected with the same disease.
Ambani’s embarrassment of riches
Google is in talks to invest $4 billion for a stake in Jio Platforms—which encompasses all of Reliance’s digital and telecommunications businesses. If the rumour is true, Google will join 12 other investors—including Facebook, Qualcomm and Intel—who together will invest $15.6 billion in the company. Point to note: Mukesh-bhai is now the sixth richest person in the world. His net worth ($72.4 billion) is now higher than Elon Musk and Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page.
In Jio-related news: The telecom authorities recently barred 4G postpaid plans offered by Airtel and Vodafone which promise faster connectivity at a higher price. The reason: it may result in slower internet speeds for those who cannot pay, and is therefore discriminatory. Both companies have taken the government to court. Turns out that decision was based on a complaint filed by Jio—which now wants to be part of the court case. (Mint)
In more news of Reliance rivals: Flipkart just raised another $1.2 billion, most of it coming from its majority investor Walmart. Airtel has tied up with the US company, Verizon Communications, to launch BlueJeans—a competitor to Zoom and JioMeet. It will be free for three months.
Nepal PM stokes new Ayodhya row
The country’s Prime Minister Oli has taken an increasingly defiant—even hostile—stance towards India. The latest salvo: off-the-cuff comments at a cultural event, where he said the following:
“Although the real Ayodhya lies at Thori in the west of Birgunj, India has claimed the Indian site as the birthplace of Lord Ram… We also believe that deity Sita got married to Prince Ram of India. Actually, Ayodhya is a village lying west of Birgunj… The place called Thori, near Birgunj is the real Ayodhya, where Lord Ram was born. In India there is great dispute on Ayodhya. But, there is no dispute in our Ayodhya.”
Of course, his comments made Indian netas very unhappy—and brought Congress and BJP together in a rare moment of unity. Now, the Nepal Foreign Ministry has hastily clarified that his “remarks were not meant to debase the significance of Ayodhya and the cultural value it bears.”
There’s a new Pride flag in town
The rainbow is out. Pride marches, brands and activists have instead embraced ‘The Progress Flag’: “Designed by Daniel Quasar in 2018, it features black and brown stripes to represent people of colour, and baby blue, pink and white to include the trans flag in its design.”