Myanmar protests rage on
- In a new escalation, the military raided the offices of a prominent newspaper—and forcibly occupied a number of hospitals.
- Despite that—and the use of stun grenades and heavy artillery—tens of thousands came out in protest as it spread across the country.
- Worker unions have called for nationwide strike aimed at causing the “full, extended shutdown” of the economy.
- Hundreds of students are trapped in a neighbourhood in Yangon, blocked in by the military and police—and local embassies called on the military to let them go home.
- Reuters accessed two internal documents that reveal the EU's plans to impose sanctions. The plan: to target companies "generating revenue for, or providing financial support to, the Myanmar Armed Forces."
- Need more context? Read our explainer on the coup and the uprising against it.
A flurry of OTT cancellations
Yup, just as many expected, some of our favourite shows will not be coming back thanks to the new digital content rules issued by the government (explained here). Amazon Prime has cancelled the upcoming season of ‘Paatal Lok’. Currently stalled: a Vishal Bhardwaj series based on the Kandahar hijack. Indefinitely postponed: Disney+Hotstar’s ‘Kamathipura’ based on the red-light district in Mumbai. The reason:
“‘All platforms are asking creators to be extremely cautious at the moment and basically avoid depicting (social and political) realities’ said one of the two people cited above, who is a filmmaker working on a web show. These are companies running businesses and they cannot afford to have one product lead to the demise of the broader entity, he said… Most content producers worked with legal firms to identify problematic aspects of content for about three years, but they are now going through scripts with a toothcomb.”
Fate uncertain: while sources claim that Family Man has been nixed as well, Amazon insists it will be rolled out during the summer as planned.
Government takes over Ambani case
The Home Ministry has transferred the case—involving an explosive-laden SUV—to the National Intelligence Agency, thereby taking it away from the Maharashtra government. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray called the decision “fishy”—and insisted that the Mumbai police will continue to investigate the car and the related murder of Mansukh Hiran (explained here). (The Telegraph)
MacKenzie Scott marries again!
And this time, one of the world’s richest women said ‘I don’t’ to fellow super-billionaires out there. Her second spouse is a school teacher who teaches chemistry. Her ex Jeff Bezos said: “Dan is such a great guy, and I am happy and excited for the both of them.” Point to note: Scott has donated over $4 billion to charities in recent months. Wall Street Journal had the original scoop. CNN has a photo.
The great pandemic: A quick update
- The vaccination rollout is gathering pace with nearly 1.7 million people receiving the jab on Monday. But there is a class divide with the wealthy lining up, while the poor stay away. One big problem: The emphasis on online registration. Times of India has more.
- Speaking of divides, Israel has finally started innoculating Palestinian workers.
- Researchers have detected evidence that the three most worrisome variants—UK, South Africa and Brazil—appear to be converging through genetic mutations towards a ‘supervariant’: “They’re likely headed towards changing into a version that shares the best features of each of the three variants.”
- Vaccitech—co-founded by two Oxford scientists—created the key technology underpinning AstraZeneca vaccine, which uses a modified chimpanzee cold virus to trigger immunity. Vaccitech is getting ready for an IPO. One big hurdle: Oxford University that owns 10% of the company, and is at best ambivalent about startups and commercial profit.
Menopause in hiding
Over a third of the women surveyed in the UK, Germany, Spain, Italy and South Africa hid their symptoms at the workplace. And a significant number felt there was a stigma attached to this natural biological process. This sense of embarrassment is even stronger in women who are on the younger side:
“The survey found those who experienced symptoms before they were 45 were most likely to say that they were too embarrassed to ask for support in the workplace. Of those in the UK, 63% of adults under the age of 44 said they had shied away from asking for help, while across all ages the figure was 43%. The figures were similar in the four other countries.”
Indians behaving very badly
An Air France flight from Delhi to Paris had to make an emergency landing in Sofia, Bulgaria due to the “disruptive and threatening behaviour” of an Indian man. As you can see in the video below, for some reason, the Prime Minister played a starring role: “Modi, my brother Modi...Modi, Modi… Modi is calling, come here.” He has been detained for 72 hours in Sofia, and the prosecutor says “the man began to act up soon after take-off, quarrelling with other passengers, assaulting a flight attendant and pummeling the cockpit’s door.” If convicted of endangering flight safety, he faces up to 10 years in prison. (Scroll)
Behold the immortal bacteria!
Scientists retrieved sediment from the bottom of the ocean floor which contained 100 million-year-old bacterial cells. When they fed the bacteria, they quickly multiplied—doubling every day and increasing their numbers up to 10,000-fold within 68 days. Why this is astonishing:
“It’s worth pausing to consider the meaning of these results. In this experiment, cells awoke and multiplied that settled to the bottom when pterosaurs and plesiosaurs drifted overhead. Four geologic periods had ground by, but these microbes, protected from radiation and cosmic rays by a thick coat of ocean and sediment, quietly persisted. And now, when offered a bite, they awoke and carried on as if nothing unusual had happened.”
Scientific American has this amazing story.
Two lovely artistic things
Swan lake! A Russian ballerina—dressed in full costume in -15°C weather—performed scenes from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake on the frozen Gulf of Finland. She was protesting the construction of a port at a popular beach—and “she hopes her performance will save real swans which nest in the bay." Watch it below:
Beyonce medley! Beyoncé has released an a cappella medley of songs in memory of Lyric Chanel—a 13-year-old girl who died on March 5 after a two-year struggle with brain cancer. Rolling Stone has the story. Listen to it below:
