Government vs Twitter: The latest update

First, a Ghaziabad FIR charged Twitter for failing to delete videos related to the assault of an elderly Muslim man. Now, a similar complaint has been lodged with the Delhi police. It names actor Swara Bhaskar and journalist Arfa Khanum Sherwani and Twitter India’s MD Manish Maheshwari. But the police have not yet filed an FIR. Meanwhile, IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad sent mixed messages on the company’s future: 

“If half of the government is on Twitter, including the Prime Minister and President, it shows how fair the government is. But social media intermediaries, a status that Twitter has recently lost, have to follow local rules.”

Point to note: legal experts are very clear that the government has no power to revoke Twitter’s status as an intermediary—since it is a technical definition of its services. In case you have no idea what this is about, check out our Thursday explainer.

Tanha, Kalita & Narwal are free!

The activists’ lawyers moved the High Court which in turn directed the trial court to follow its orders. And the three finally walked out of Tihar jail yesterday. Tanha said:

“The constitution gives rights to everyone and because of that, I had faith that we’ll be released. I would just want to say that our fight against CAA-NRC will continue and the fight for justice for the likes of Najeeb, Ikhlaq and Alimuddin will also continue. I am not scared of anyone but God.”

For more context, read our explainer. Watch the celebratory scene below:

Chinese astronauts take off

A three-person crew blasted into space to spend three months at the core module for the new Chinese space station. The mission commander said: “We need to arrange our home in the core module, then get started on a whole range of diagnostic tests on crucial technology and experiments.” BBC News has more. Watch the crew dock at the space station here.

In other space-related news: A Finnish company is getting ready to launch the first wooden satellite into space. It is a tiny four inch nanosatellite made entirely of plywood. The aim is to test how materials like wood hold up in extreme conditions. See it below. (Cnet)

The problem of the 'mediocre' male manager

A new London School of Economics survey found that women in finance are most frustrated by male colleagues who are better at playing office politics than their jobs: “[T]here was a perception among women interviewed that it was ‘much more likely to be average men who ended up being the gatekeepers for the younger women who were coming through'.” Also: Women had to show sustained excellence to progress, while men had more room to make mistakes or be average performers. Financial Times (paywall) and BBC News have more details. This story also reminded us of this excellent campaign titled ‘Glass Ceiling’ sent in by subscriber Ayushi Agarwal.

Zara caught in Israel-Palestine row

The company’s head women’s designer sent Insta DMs to Palestinian model Qaher Harhash that said: 

"Maybe if your people were educated then they wouldn't blow up the hospitals and schools that Israel helped to pay for in Gaza...Israelis don't teach children to hate nor throw stones at soldiers as your people do."

Vanessa Perilman apologised after Harhash posted screenshots of her messages—and now claims she is getting death threats. Zara said: “We condemn these comments that do not reflect our core values of respect for one another, and we regret the offence that they have caused.” (CNN)

In other fashion news: Victoria’s Secret—reviled for its creepy CEO and sexist branding—is giving itself a makeover with the help of our very own Priyanka Chopra. No, she won’t be posing in lingerie anytime soon. But she and soccer star Megan Rapinoe have been appointed as the brand’s spokespersons. Page Six has more details.

Speaking of the beauty biz: A new study has revealed high levels of PFAs in top US brands including  L’Oréal, Mac, Clinique, Maybelline, Nars, Estée Lauder etc. And what are PFAs?

“PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of about 9,000 compounds used to make products such as food packaging, clothing and carpeting water and stain resistant. They are often dubbed ‘forever chemicals’ because they do not naturally break down and have been found to accumulate in humans.”

Products most likely to have high levels of PFAs are waterproof mascara (82% of brands tested), foundations (63%) and liquid lipstick (62%)—and those advertised as “wear-resistant”, “long-lasting” and “waterproof.” And repeated exposure is linked to diseases such as cancer, birth defects, liver disease etc. As the lead researcher points out: “This [cosmetics] is a product that people are spreading on their skin day after day, so there’s really a potential for significant exposure.” (The Guardian)

A new ‘bottle’ controversy at Euro 2020

Just a day after Cristiano Ronaldo made headlines for removing two Coke bottles during a press conference, French footballer Paul Pogba did the same to a bottle of Heineken’s non-alcoholic beer. But he did so without comment or drama, and many think it is because Pogba is a devout Muslim. And unlike Coca Cola, Heineken’s share price has not suddenly suffered any damage. Irony alert: Pogba received the Heineken 'Star of the Match' award for France’s win over Germany. Watch the moment below: 

Also piling on: Italian player Manuel Locatelli who also made a pitch for ‘agua’ at his press conference:

Going against the tide: Russian manager Stanislav Cherchesov who pointedly chugged a Coke during his presser:

Finally getting annoyed: UEFA which has directed players to stop moving the damn bottles. The reason: "It is important because the revenues of the sponsors are important for the tournament and for European football.” 

Having fun on the sidelines: Good old Fevicol is making excellent hay of this bottle-removing spree:

In other football-related news: Christian Eriksen—who suffered a massive heart attack during a Euro 2020 game—will receive an an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator: “a small electronic device that is a type of pacemaker and can prevent fatal cardiac arrests by discharging a jolt to restore a regular heart rhythm.” ESPN has more details. FYI: The Danish team lost to Belgium last night—which Eriksen watched from his hospital bed, located right next to the stadium.

Batman’s big no-no in bed

Superheroes may be able to save the world, but there are certain things they are just not allowed to do. The creators of ‘Harley Quinn’—the adult animated TV series on HBO Max—revealed that DC executives nixed a sex scene for the following reason:

“[W]e had a moment where Batman was going down on Catwoman. And DC was like, ‘You can’t do that. You absolutely cannot do that.’ They’re like, ‘Heroes don’t do that.’ So, we said, ‘Are you saying heroes are just selfish lovers?’ They were like, ‘No, it’s that we sell consumer toys for heroes. It’s hard to sell a toy if Batman is also going down on someone.’”

Of course, social media was in a tizz over this big reveal, with one person tweeting: “Batman Begins but none of his ladies finish.” Lol!

In our gratitude jar…

We hugely appreciate the love and support of our founding members Prarthna Lalbhai, Patrick Wilson, Shyamali Patel, Yash Rajeev, Shailesh Lakhani, Shivika Mansata, Snehal Sharma, Sivakarthik Nagarajan, Suneera Madhok and Preetika Rathee.