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Afghanistan: The latest update
One: The US launched two drone strikes over the weekend. The most recent one on Sunday killed a suicide car bomber who was allegedly preparing to attack the airport. The Pentagon said:
“We know that there were substantial and powerful subsequent explosions resulting from the destruction of the vehicle, indicating a large amount of explosive material inside that may have caused additional casualties.”
The first strike—launched on Friday—killed two members of the Islamic State-Khorasan. The US military claimed that one was a “planner” and one was a “facilitator” of the suicide bombing attack on Kabul airport last week. Meanwhile, President Biden has warned of more IS-K attacks in the next 24-36 hours.
Two: The evacuations are winding down. The UK will only evacuate those who are already at the airport. It is leaving behind 100-150 British nationals, and up to 1100 Afghan allies. Germany has left behind 5000 former staff and families. Escaped just in time: UK Marine Pen Farthing—and the animals from his Kabul shelter. The 140 dogs and 60 cats have made it out of Kabul. Left behind: The Afghan staff at the shelter who were not allowed into the airport.
Three: 1500 Afghan scholars are worried about continuing their studies in India. The government has cancelled visas for everyone outside the country—citing security considerations. This affects at least 400 who returned to Afghanistan due to the pandemic. Even those inside the country have not heard from authorities about the status of their visas. All are terrified of being forced to return home. The Hindu has more on this.
Related good reads: Washington Post has the odd story of an American woman who is touting herself as a kind of ‘white saviour’ of the all-girls Afghan robotics team. CNN reporter Clarissa Ward talks to NPR about what it’s like to be a woman reporter in Afghanistan. Indian Express looks at the identity crisis affecting Afghan Sikhs—are they Afghan or ‘Hindustani’? The Hindu looks at IS-K’s efforts to recruit Indians. Reuters has more on the soul-searching within the Pentagon over the Kabul attacks.
A flurry of Paralympics medals
One: 19-year-old Avani Lekhara won gold in the women's 10m Air Rifle Standing (SH1) event—and set a Paralympics record of 249.6. She is now the first Indian woman to win a gold at the Paralympics. The Hindu has more.
Two: Table tennis player Bhavinaben Patel scored a silver in her Paralympics debut. She lost 0-3 to the world #1 Ying Zhou in the women’s singles on Sunday. Indian Express has more details. Watch her NDTV interview and the highlights from her semi final, final and medal ceremony below:
Three: Also winning a silver medal: Nishad Kumar in the men’s T-47 high jump event on Sunday. Watch him equaling his personal best performance of 2.06m at the event. Plus: discus thrower Yogesh Kathuniya and javelin athlete Devendra Jhajharia. Winning a bronze in javelin: Sundar Singh Gurjar.
Four: Also winning a bronze: Vinod Kumar in the men’s discus throw event—where he set an Asian record. But his medal is on hold as one or more countries protested his disability qualification. He won the medal in the F52 category—which is for athletes with “impaired muscle power, restricted range of movement, limb deficiency or leg length difference.” It isn’t clear on what grounds his medal is being challenged. Hindustan Times has more.
In other sports-related news: Cristiano Ronaldo is headed back to Manchester United—a shocking development after weeks of hot speculation about Man City snapping him up. BBC News explains how Man U pulled off this coup.
Mysuru gangrape: The latest update
The police have arrested five men including a 17-year old for the gang-rape of an MBA student in Mysore. They include a driver, carpenter, painter and others who do odd jobs. Since the victim has not yet given a statement, the police relied on liquor bottles and a bus ticket found at the scene of the crime. The Hindu explains how they did it. Meanwhile, Mysore University officials infuriated everyone by issuing a circular banning women students from moving around campus after 6:30 pm—for their own safety, of course. But it was forced to withdraw the order due to the backlash. The Wire has more.
Farmer protests: the latest update
Farmers protesting a high level state BJP meeting in Haryana were lathi-charged by the police—and one person later died of a heart attack. Making waves: a sub-divisional magistrate who was caught on camera urging policemen to break heads at the protests. The farmers blocked highways in angry protests—which will continue in the coming days. The deputy CM Dushyant Chautala has promised an investigation. See the SDM’s clip below. (The Telegraph)
Air pollution linked to mental illness
A UK study found that a relatively small increase in exposure to nitrogen dioxide led to a 32% increase in the risk of needing community-based treatment—and an 18% increase in the risk of being admitted to hospital. This confirms other recent research that links air pollution to depression, anxiety and the risk of suicide. Point to note: These studies only establish a correlation and not a causal link:
“But the link is ‘biologically plausible’, the researchers said, as air pollutants are known to have potent inflammatory properties and inflammation is believed to be a factor in psychotic and mood disorders.”
The Guardian has more details.
Hindutva goons vs Kama Sutra
Bajrang Dal workers burnt a copy of the Kama Sutra outside a bookstore in Gujarat's Ahmedabad. The reason: It insults Hindu deities by showing them in ‘vulgar positions’. And they’ve threatened to burn down the store if it continues to sell the book. See the clip below. (India Today)
Three animal things
One: Most theories about plumage in birds focus on the males. Much like the peacock, they acquire elaborate feathers and colouring to attract mates. But when researchers decided to look at the females instead—in this case, at female white-necked Jacobin hummingbirds—they made a surprising discovery. A significant percentage of female hummingbirds acquire the blue colouring of males to avoid harassment—i.e. being chased, pecked at and body slammed by males while they feed. So their colouring has to do with food not sex. New York Times has more on this fascinating new discovery.
Two: A team led by Egyptian scientists have dug up a 43 million-year-old fossil in the Sahara Desert. It is a new species of whale that had four legs and fed like a raptor: “We discovered how fierce and deadly its powerful jaws are capable of tearing a wide range of prey ... this whale was a god of death to most of the animals that lived in its area.” The new whale is called Phiomicetus anubis—after Anubis, the canine-headed Egyptian god. NPR has more details. See the beast below:
Three: Three leopard cubs were spotted running all around the campus of a college in Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh. One reason: the sugar cane fields surrounding the campus are home to a number of leopards. The happy news: Mama leopard appears to have retrieved the errant cubs. See one of them below. (Times of India)
Zomato gets more grief
The company rolled out two ads—starring Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif—that were intended as a tribute to their delivery workers. But everything about the ads annoyed the Twitterati. For example: the exorbitant money spent on hiring Roshan rather than paying a decent wage. But the worst may be the ad itself—which glorifies a rushed, anxious and overworked delivery worker who sacrifices a selfie with his favourite star just to make the next delivery. See the Roshan ad below. The Kaif ad is here.
