A very big announcement!
We have kicked off our splainer community on Slack! We have a bunch of different channels to do a bunch of different things. This is an exclusive forum just for our subscribers. You can discuss what you read on splainer or elsewhere, ask for help, share recommendations and more. We are very excited at the prospect of finally talking to all of you. Yes, we will be hanging on the platform right along with you. Here’s the invite—so what are you waiting for?
Afghanistan: A quick update
- NATO forces got into a firefight when Afghan guards exchanged fire with unidentified gunmen. A sniper outside the airport fired at the guards—who are among 600 former government soldiers helping US forces at the airport. US and German forces were also involved in the clash.
- Even as President Biden indicated that US forces may stay past the August 31 deadline, the Taliban declared: “If the US or UK were to seek additional time to continue evacuations – the answer is no. Or there would be consequences,”
- That hasn’t stopped Biden from indicating that US forces may expand the safety zone around the airport to ensure a more orderly process to allow entries. But any such move is likely to raise the Taliban’s hackles.
- The Afghanistan national flag will be flown at the Paralympics in Tokyo as a “sign of solidarity”—even though the national team will not be in attendance.
Accused rapists are now assets
A 21-year old BTech student at IIT Guwahati was arrested for raping a fellow student. The High Court gave him bail—while noting there was a “clear prima facie case” against him (i.e. enough evidence to indicate he may be guilty). The reason:
“However, as the investigation in the case is completed, and both the informant/victim girl and the accused are the state’s future assets, being talented students pursuing technical courses at the I.I.T., Guwahati, who are young in the age group of 19 to 21 years only, and further, they are being hailed from two different states, continuation of detention of the accused in the interest of trial of the case, if charges are framed, may not be necessary.”
Can there be a worse case of false equivalence? We think not. FYI: The doctors testified that when the survivor was brought to the hospital in an unconscious state, she was in a “serious condition” and it seemed to be a “serious case of sexual assault.” (Indian Express)
Poland is building a big wall
The country is building a wall along its border with Belarus that will be 2.5 metres (8.2 feet). The government insists that Belarus president Lukashenko is deliberately allowing migrants to cross the border—in retaliation for EU sanctions on him for his human rights record: “These are not refugees, they are economic migrants brought in by the Belarusian government.” Activists insist Poland is violating the Geneva Convention by not offering asylum to those who ask for it. Lithuania has similar plans for a 508-km fence along its Belarus border. (South China Morning Post)
A very protective antibody
A new study has identified an antibody that is highly protective at low doses against a wide range of variants of the coronavirus. Variants often escape antibodies due to mutations in their spike protein. But this antibody connects to the part of the virus that shows little change. Point to note: The study has only been conducted on mice so far—but the results are very encouraging. (Indian Express)
In other Covid-related news: Data from Israel shows that a third booster shot of Pfizer offers significantly improved protection from infection and serious illness among people aged 60 and older. (Reuters)
A dreadful story about cats
The trigger warning is right there in the headline. This is indeed an awful story of the Taiwanese government’s decision to euthanize 154 cats. Here’s what happened:
“Coast guards intercepted a fishing vessel from China on Thursday about 40 nautical miles off the coast of Kaohsiung, on Taiwan’s southern tip. After Covid screening, officials boarded the fishing boat the following day and discovered 62 cages containing the cats, including Russian Blue, Ragdoll, Persian American Shorthair, and British Shorthair breeds.”
The government has, however, put all the animals down because their origin was unknown and they may carry unknown diseases. Taiwanese citizens were outraged and heart-broken—and many are calling for changes in the law. (The Guardian)
Is this sculpture too white?
Cambridge University has a new anti-racist strategy: slapping on signs on Roman and Greek sculptures in its archaeology museum. The signs will aim to address the “misleading impression about the whiteness and absence of diversity from the Greek and Roman world.” Also: “to draw attention to the diversity figured in the casts, to the ways in which colour has been lost and can be restored.” A number of academics are calling the move “unhinged” and “extraordinary.” And as one of them pointed out, since most of the Greeks and Romans were in fact white, “the opportunities to highlight their diversity would be limited.” (The Telegraph UK)
Lebanon is in big trouble
The government raised gasoline prices by an eye-popping 66% by slashing fuel subsidies—to address severe shortages that have paralysed essential services, including at the hospitals. This is in a country where poverty levels have been soaring midst a two-year financial meltdown that has wiped more than 90% off the value of the Lebanese pound. (Reuters)
Sex and the City has a new BFF
The void left by the exit of Kim Cattrall as the sexually decadent Samantha will be filled by Nicole Ari Parker—who plays Carrie Bradshaw’s new best friend, documentary-maker Lisa Todd Wexley. Since Parker is African American, the reboot titled ‘And Just Like That…’ will finally have a person of colour as a main character—and disrupt what was until now an unabashed celebration of white female friendship. See the Insta photo of the revised list of besties below. (The Guardian)
Speaking of movie stuff: The trailer for ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ leaked on social media—but was pulled down with lightning speed by Sony. But the leak clearly worked since the studio has quickly released the official teaser:
Speaking of movie stars: Tom Cruise really, really likes his desi khana. In Birmingham to shoot his latest Mission Impossible flick, good old Tom decided to drop by an Indian restaurant. Here’s the restaurant’s account of his meal:
“It was an absolute pleasure to welcome Tom Cruise to Asha's Birmingham yesterday evening 🌟 Tom ordered our famous Chicken Tikka Masala and enjoyed it so much that as soon as he had finished, he ordered it all over again.”
We highly recommend reading this hilarious Guardian take on the tale of two curries. We highly recommend Mr Cruise stock up on Eno, as well.
