A horrific story of a hit-and-run

Four farmers protesting in Uttar Pradesh were run over and killed by a car linked to the Union Minister Ajay Mishra ‘Teni’. The tragedy comes days after Teni warned farmers: “So, I want to say, mend your ways or you will face consequences. I will have you mend your ways in two minutes.”

Farm leaders say: The vehicle was driven by Teni’s son—who deliberately ploughed into the protesters:

“Monu Misra [Ajay Mishra’s son] and the minister’s brother came with three cars—a Fortuner, a Thar and a Scorpio—and headed for the farmers standing on the roadside. They fired a shot and then ran the cars into the crowd. The car that hit Virk turned turtle and one of those inside the car also died in the process.”

Teni says: His son was not at that location—and he has video evidence to prove it: “My driver was driving. He and three BJP karyakartas (workers) were killed. The entire incident is a conspiracy.” Also this: “Someone threw a stone at the driver, he lost consciousness and died. He lost control of the car, which caused an accident.”

Teni’s son: has a different version of events:

“A Mahindra and a Fortuner SUV and a small car carrying my workers were going to receive the deputy chief minister. The farmers stopped the cars, pelted them with stones, and later beat to death my driver Hari Om. Then they killed four more of my workers.”

The deputy chief minister who was slated to attend an event at the location had the most astonishing take: “The farmers turned violent and somehow got under the wheels of someone’s vehicle.” The Telegraph and Indian Express have the most details.

A new pill to treat Covid

Trial data for Molnupiravir show that it can cut hospitalisations and deaths by 50%. It works well if taken within days of developing an infection. But it won’t help those who have already contracted a severe form of the disease. The results are so good, the maker Merck plans to apply for approval without conducting further late-stage trials. FYI: 12 Indian companies are running trials for the drug—and three pharmaceutical companies plan to seek approval to sell it in India. The Hindu has a good explainer on the pill and how it works. (NPR)

Didi wins a big election

While Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool party decisively defeated the BJP in the state elections, Didi herself lost the seat she contested to BJP rival and former protégé Suvendu Adhikari. As a result, she absolutely had to win this bypoll in Bhowanipore to hold on to her Chief Minister post. And so she did—by 58,832 votes. To rub it in, TMC folks put up posters of Mamata dubbing her “ModiShahsurmardini”—a play on ‘Mahishasurmardini’, one of the names of Durga. (Indian Express)

Are insects terrorising American diplomats?

American diplomats and spies around the world have been reporting a number of unexplained symptoms like dizziness, hearing loss etc.—now dubbed the Havana Syndrome. Many experts suspected the use of ‘microwave’ weapons perhaps deployed by Russia (we explained this story here). But a declassified government report—written by an elite scientific board—says the real cause is… insects! The sounds reported by the victims were most likely made by the Indies short-tailed cricket. So what about those symptoms? The board attributes them to a kind of mass psychology—where one suspicious case convinces others that they too have become victims, and triggers psychosomatic illnesses. What’s still weird: This is a 2018 report and yet the Biden administration has now made it a priority to investigate the Havana Syndrome. (BuzzFeed News)

Delhi has a booze problem

As per a new state policy, 850 liquor outlets—most of which are owned by the government—have been licensed to private companies. This allows the government to get out of the booze business. Unfortunately, transitioning to the new system is going to be very tricky—as it comes right in the middle of festival season. First, all 260 privately owned outlets have shut shop since September 30 as part of the plan. Government shops are open but they don’t serve premium brands—and only account for 40% of the business. The newly licensed stores will only open on November 17—which will do nothing to help with the high demand. So Dilli-walas, brace yourself for shortages and maybe a dry-ish Dussehra/Diwali! (Mint)

In related Delhi news: The government has banned firecrackers this Diwali—and extended the ban till the end of the year in a bid to curb pollution. This has traders in despair—as they are saddled with stocks bought in advance. (Indian Express)

Marie Antoinette’s secret love letters

France’s most infamous queen—wrongly slandered for her generosity with cake—wrote tender letters at the height of the French Revolution. Of course, the recipient wasn’t hubby Louis XVI—but BFF and rumored lover Swedish count Axel von Fersen. The affectionate communication was, however, blacked out with dark ink by Fersen himself. Now, modern technology has restored her immortal words as, for example: “I will finish not without telling you my dear and loving friend that I love you madly and that I can never be a moment without adoring you.” As to why her likely lover blotted them out:

“I bet he was trying to protect her virtue. To throw out her letters would be like throwing out a lock of her hair. He wants two incompatible things: He wants to keep the letters, but he also wants to change them.”

Smithsonian magazine has more on the letters and this ill-fated love affair.

An avocado a day…

Keeps the pot belly away. Or so claims a recent study which looked the effect of eating one avocado a day on abdominal fat and blood sugar:

“The goal wasn't weight loss. We were interested in understanding what eating an avocado does to the way individuals store their body fat. The location of fat in the body plays an important role in health.”

The result: women in the avocado group saw a reduction in visceral fat—the dangerous kind that accumulates deep inside the abdomen. But here’s the catch: The improvement only occurred among women, not men. (The Beet)

Two gender-related stories

One: As many as 80 Spanish women were recorded secretly on camera while they urinated in public—in a side street because there were no proper toilets. The footage was uploaded on to porn sites—and monetised—all without their consent. It included shots of their bodies and their faces. So the women took the perpetrator to court—but the judge threw out the case “on the grounds that because the videos were recorded in a public place they cannot be deemed criminal.” Women rights groups are understandably furious. (BBC News)

Two: Contrary to the popularity of ‘Queen’s Gambit’, women’s chess is not a very popular game—and struggles to attract funding and players. The sport's governing body, the International Chess Federation (FIDE), decided to do its bit to promote 2022 as ‘The Year of Women in Chess’—and announced it was going to partner with… a breast enlargement company as a sponsor. It is the largest such deal for women’s chess, but most women players are furious:

“I find it degrading and humiliating that an activity like chess, which is so cognitive, is being sponsored by a company which primarily profits from women’s insecurities. I highly doubt FIDE would bring a penis enlargement company to sponsor the men’s World Championship.”

Something ancient to see…

Archaeologists have uncovered 11,000 year carvings of human figures and heads in Turkey—along with 250 megaliths or stone monuments with images of animals. Scientists believe Neolithic hunter-gatherers came together 11,500 years ago to carve the T-shaped pillars with stone tools, before hauling them across the hilltop, using ropes and beams. We mainly share this because the image below is really something else. The original story comes from the Turkish Anadolu Agency—but Daily Mail honestly has the most details and images (yes, we know they are a tabloid but you gotta give credit where due).