ICYMI, our festival sale is here
Here are all the goodies we’re offering until November 7:
- Offer one month free to anyone you like—using your unique referral link available on your account page and the bottom of the daily email. It’s a great way to get folks to take splainer for a free spin! That same referral link also offers Rs 500 off our annual subscription—which is now only Rs 1000.
- You can also gift an annual subscription to friends & fam at that discounted price over at the ‘subscribe’ page.
- Coming soon: We will be opening that discount to our existing subscribers soon. So you can add 12 months at a lower rate.
Want a bulk/family discount? If you plan to gift splainer to eight or more people, be sure to email us at talktous@splainer.in.
A gift for splainer: If you’re feeling a lot of love for splainer this festival season, please become a founding member. It helps us grow faster, support our tech development—and above all, stay independent so we don’t have to hustle for partnerships or investors who don’t match our values.
And don’t forget: Be sure to take the splainer reader survey. Taking that 10 minutes to fill it out is a huge help to us! Please fill it out here.
More arrests in Lakhimpur Kheri
Four more people have been arrested in connection to the hit-and-run tragedy at Lakhimpur Kheri (explained here). They include local councillor Sumit Jaiswal Modi—who was photographed escaping from one of the cars. Modi is also the one who filed an FIR against 20 unnamed farmers for allegedly lynching a driver and two BJP workers. (The Telegraph)
WHO delays Covaxin approval
The World Health Organisation finally responded to Indians waiting impatiently for its approval of the made-in-India vaccine. It laid out its position in a series of tweets, claiming that “we cannot cut corners—before recommending a product for emergency use.” The reason for the delay: WHO is still waiting on Bharat Biotech to provide the data required to make its final decision. (Indian Express)
Colin Powell dies of Covid
The first Black US Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff passed away due to Covid-related complications. He was also suffering from a form of plasma cancer and Parkinson's disease. Reminder: Powell’s pioneering career was forever damaged when he infamously presented false evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. (CNN)
New Apple products are here!
The company rolled out the redesigned MacBook Pro 14-inch—which will cost $1999 (Around Rs 1.5 lakhs) and is currently available for pre-order. The Verge is cautiously optimistic that this one is worth your money. Watch the overly dramatic promo below:
China denies space missile
China has denied the Financial Times report that it tested a powerful “nuclear capable hypersonic missile”—which has the US military worried. Beijing called it a routine spacecraft check: “This was not a missile, this was a spacecraft. This is of great significance for reducing the cost of spacecraft use.” (BBC News)
Facebook bets big on metaverse
The company is going to hire 10,000 people in Europe to develop a massive metaverse. What is that, you ask. The concept is still a little fuzzy, but think of it as a digital world that you can enter and do all sorts of things: work, play games, watch concerts, go on cinema trips or just hang out with friends. What’s interesting is FB’s choice to build this in Europe—which has the toughest laws to curb tech companies. The press release emphasized “European values like free expression, privacy, transparency and the rights of individuals into the day-to-day workings of the internet.” Hmm. Mashable has the story. And BBC News has a handy explainer on metaverse.
A hero’s welcome for a criminal
Vishal Jood was sentenced to a year in prison for assaulting Sikhs in Sydney last year. He pleaded guilty to “assault,” “occasioning actual bodily harm in company of others” and “armed with intention to commit indictable offence.” Jood claimed the Sikhs were Khalistanis. After serving six months, he was put on a flight and deported to India—where his return was celebrated by rightwing groups—who put on a roadshow in Haryana. FYI: Haryana CM had previously asked the government to intervene to secure his release. (The Telegraph)
Speaking of real terrorists: A terrorist group called the PAFF (People’s Anti Fascists Front) released an eight-minute video claiming credit for killing nine soldiers in an ongoing encounter in Kashmir. We explained the rise of these new organisations here. (The Hindu)
Koalas are getting vaccinated
Australia has rolled out a vaccination campaign to protect the furry creatures from chlamydia. The sexually transmitted disease is common in humans, but causes bladder infections, blindness and infertility in koalas—and can be spread from moms to their babies. And it is spreading widely amongst the 330,000 koalas left in Australia. (CNN)
The Earthshot Prize goes to…
Prince William unveiled the first ever winners of an award created by him to encourage and reward innovative ideas and technologies that tackle climate change. Among the winners who received £1 million: An Indian startup called Takachar for its technology that converts agricultural waste like crop stubble into fuels and fertilisers. FYI: stubble burning is a leading cause of pollution in North India. See how they do it below. (The Guardian)
Three things to see
One: Fab India released its Diwali collection called ‘Jashn-e-Riwaaz’—which has now attracted the angry attention of the likes of BJP leader Tejasvi Surya, who tweeted:
“Deepavali is not [Jashn]-e-Riwaaz. This deliberate attempt of abrahamisation of Hindu festivals, depicting models without traditional Hindu attires, must be called out. And brands like @FabindiaNews must face economic costs for such deliberate misadventures.”
The brand has since taken down the campaign from its YouTube channel and social media. But you can watch it below:
Two: OTOH, not controversial at all: A Noida startup that unveiled a series of ‘non-lethal weapons’ to take on the Chinese military—allegedly developed for the military. It includes a creepy-looking Trishul. See them below. (Economic Times)
Three: On a happier note, hundreds of naked people covered in only white paint posed for an unusual art project in Israel. Photographer Spencer Tunick’s project is aimed at raising awareness of the environmental crisis affecting the Dead Sea—which is shrinking by a metre every year. Watch The Guardian report below.