Myanmar military opens fire
As predicted, military leaders—who were relatively restrained in their response to the pro-democracy protesters—took the gloves off over the weekend. At least 18 people have been killed as soldiers opened fire on the streets of several cities. See the situation in Yangon below:
This marked the single largest number of casualties since the coup. One of those killed: a prominent activist Nyi Nyi Aung Htet Naing. A video taken from the building above captured images of his body:
The New York Times notes:
“The sheer ferocity of Sunday’s crackdown—soldiers appeared to shoot at unarmed people at random and rounded up groups of demonstrators before marches could begin—drew sharp rebukes internationally.”
One reporter says the police had told people: “We shoot because we want to”—not because they’ve been ordered to do so. Also read: our explainer on the Myanmar protests.
A twist in Ambani bomb threat case
First, a little known terrorist outfit called Jaish-ul-Hind claimed responsibility on Telegram for the explosives found parked next to Antilla—the Mukesh Ambani residence. The message said: "The brother who placed the SUV near the Ambani house has reached the safe house. This was just a trailer and big picture is yet to come (sic).” And the group declared it had “a problem with corporate prostitutes like you who have sold their souls to the BJP and RSS.”
Now, the ‘real’ Jaish-ul-Hind (we think) has spoken up to claim innocence:
“We condemn Indian Intelligence agencies for morphing and making fake poster on behest of Jaish ul Hind… Jaish ul Hind will never [takes] ransom from kuffars [infidels] and has no fight with Indian business tycoons, We have fight against the fascism of BJP & RSS, We are fighting against the misdeeds of narinder modi against innocent muslims of hind. We are fighting for shariyah not for money, We are fighting against secular democracy not ambani.”
A big rocket launch for India
The 53rd flight of PSLV-C51 rocket marked the first dedicated mission for New Space India Ltd, the commercial arm of ISRO. On board: Brazil’s optical earth observation satellite, Amazonia-1, five Indian and thirteen US satellites. The Indian satellites were built by students, and included this one:
“The SDSAT developed by SpaceKids India has an engraving of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the top panel of the satellite to show solidarity and gratitude for the atmanirbhar initiative and space privatisation, SpaceKidz said. The Bhagavad Gita was also sent on-board an SD card to give the scripture, which teaches oneness as the highest form of humanity, the highest honour, it said.”
To date, ISRO has launched 342 foreign satellites from 34 countries. The Hindu has the most details. Mint Lounge explains why private space startups are still struggling to gain traction.
Another mass kidnapping in Nigeria
More than 300 schoolgirls have been abducted from a boarding school by 100-plus gunmen—who stormed the campus and whisked the children away into the forest. Previous such kidnappings were the work of militant groups such as Boko Haram. But this is likely the work of criminal gangs—similar to those who abducted 300 schoolboys in December, and later returned them in exchange for government-paid ransom. (BBC News)
The great vaccination drive: A quick update
The second phase kicks off today, and Mint has everything you need to know about the drive. Indian Express explains how you can apply to get a jab. The push to expand the people eligible for vaccines is happening in the midst of a glut:
“With the government solely in charge of vaccine distribution as of now, till this month-end, the supply far outstripped actual vaccinations. A large proportion of those on the computerised list of prioritised beneficiaries did not show up to take the jabs. Should the vaccination drive continue at the present pace, some 25% of the original SII vaccine stock will expire by the end of April without being used”
The big surge: Vaccinations have acquired a new urgency as fears rise of a ‘second wave’—though experts say it is too early to use that scary phrase:
“Yes, the number of cases starting to recede around mid-January, but there has been a spike in new cases in the last one week. We need to wait and see if it is sustained over the next one week at least. If there is sustained increase in cases along with either a doubling in hospitalisation or test positivity rate in a week then we can call it a second wave, at least in Maharashtra.”
Speaking of vaccines: Brazilian prosecutors want to suspend the purchases of India’s Covaxin, a day after its health ministry signed a contract to buy 20 million doses. The reason: There is no Phase 3 trial data on its efficacy. That’s hardly surprising since most Indians share that same reservations. But feeling upbeat about Covaxin, PM Modi who took his first jab today:
Bad job news for women
A new study found that Indian women were seven times more likely to lose their job during the lockdown—and 11 times more likely to not return to work. Researchers mapped the trajectory of employees between December 2019 to September 2020—and found that 88% of the men remained employed or returned to work compared to 53% of the women. One big reason:
“Among workers who did return to employment after the lockdown, the paper found a large share of men moved to self-employment or daily wage work, in agriculture, trade or construction. For women, there was limited movement into other employment arrangements or industries.
‘This suggests that typical ‘fallback’ options for employment do not exist for women. During such a shock, women are forced to exit the workforce whereas men negotiate across industries and employment arrangements,’ the authors concluded.”
Digital media pushes back
Digipub News India Foundation, an association of 11 digital media companies—has written a letter to the government challenging the newly formulated rules to govern all online content (we explained them here). It essentially makes two key points. One: “a current affairs portal is by and large, a written newspaper in the digital format”—and therefore enjoys the same protection of press freedoms as a newspaper or TV channel. Two: The rules have been introduced as part of the Information Technology Act—which was passed to oversee ‘third party intermediaries’—i.e platforms that host user content like Twitter etc.—not those who create and distribute original content, like news sites or streaming platforms. Read the letter over at The Wire. And yes, the memes have already been unleashed.
Ram Mandir drowning in money
The temple’s trust ended its 44-day crowdfunding campaign with Rs 21 billion (2,100 crore) in its pocket—that’s almost double the Rs 11 billion (1100 crore) projected as its estimated cost. The treasurer said: “The fund-raising campaign has ended with generous contributions from crosssections of people, including residents of far-flung villages of India, blurring religious barriers.” Lord Ram, a uniter not a divider. (Times of India)
Salman Khan unveils artsy avatar
Bhaijaan’s paintings are being displayed alongside 34 works by great Indian artists such as Raja Ravi Varma, Jamini Roy, Abanindranath Tagore and VS Gaitonde. Salman says he is “awkward embarrassed n yet delighted, honoured, privileged n over the moon.” The exhibit—titled ‘The Masters & The Modern’—can be viewed offline at SGMF Bangalore or online at Google Arts. Below are two examples of his work—'Immortal - Selfless in a Selfish World’ and ‘Two Faces’:
