Farmer protests: The aftermath
Rifts among the unions: Two unions withdrew their support for the agitation: India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee and Bharatiya Kisan Union (Bhanu). But neither is associated with Samyukt Kisan Morcha—the umbrella organisation which is leading the protests. The leader of one was chosen by the Supreme Court for its committee, and the other is also seen as close to the government.
March cancelled: The plan to march on Parliament on Monday has been cancelled—as the unions took moral responsibility for the violence. They will hold a one-day fast instead. SKM leaders said: “We erred in not singling out those who had infiltrated our movement, and we are taking ownership of our mistake.’’
FIRs issued: The Delhi police has arrested 19 people and detained 50 on charges of rioting. As of now, 25 FIRs have been filed—which name 30 union leaders who were present during negotiations with the government. Not named in any of them Deep Sidhu, the man video-taped hoisting the Nishan Sahib at the Red Fort. An official said, “we have not reached any conclusion, the investigation will reveal the conspiracy and other aspects of the case. This is the primary stage of the probe.”
Deep Sidhu is MIA: He seems to have gone into hiding—not from the police but from the farmers who are enraged by his antics (SKM has dubbed him an ‘RSS agent’). See this clip of him escaping an angry crowd. Times of India also has an interesting recap of Sidhu’s yo-yoing rhetoric—which has veered from defending Khalistanis to accusing “communist unions” of infiltrating the movement.
The government: is playing hardball:
“The government has got the upper hand in the negotiation table now. We are pointing out that farm union leaders who have been engaging in talks with us have lost control over the agitators, and they should use this opportunity as a graceful exit and agree to the offers the government has made.”
Also on the agenda: To unleash a campaign to “expose the differences among farmer unions”.
Related reads: Indian Express has a profile of Deep Sidhu and reports on objections expressed by the Delhi police before the rally—and which were overruled. Hindu Business Line on how young radicals hijacked the protest. The Telegraph has first-person accounts of the day’s events from the farmers—which have been missing in the last couple of days. A must watch: This telling moment at the Red Fort in the midst of live coverage of Mirror Now.
The great pandemic: A quick update
- San Francisco researchers revealed that a cancer drug called plitidepsin that is 30x more effective than the more commonly used remdesivir. In even better news, it can neutralise even newer variants. The reason: It targets the human protein that the virus needs to replicate, and therefore just stops it in its tracks.
- It was bound to happen, and unsurprisingly, it’s China that’s chosen to go first. Yup, we now have anal swabs to test for Covid. The reason: They are more accurate, according to Chinese doctors who say they detect Covid in the lower digestive tract even when throat and nose swabs test negative. The citizens are understandably unhappy.
- In other strange China news, Wuhan has unveiled a Madame Tussaud-like tribute to the pandemic. Think wax figures in PPE suits, army medics with masks and fumigation teams. Daily Mail has lots of photos of this strange bit of propaganda.
- No man is a hero to his wife—not even hapless Dr K K Aggarwal, a Delhi cardiologist and Padma Shri honoree. Watch below.
TikTok bids a final goodbye
ByteDance has finally read the writing on the wall—writ large in capital letters (and underlined by ongoing “border skirmishes”). It’s laying off the vast majority of its staff in India. There is no official number, but Entrackr estimates it may be as high as 90%, as 1,800 employees—across TikTok, Helo and Resso. Most of the other 58 Chinese apps banned by the government have shut shop already. Let’s spare a moment for millions of Indians who truly found joy (and in some cases, decent earnings) on the platform. Meanwhile, Beijing has attacked the ban as a violation of World Trade Organisation’s rules. (Entrackr)
Two key health studies
One: A growing number of lung cancer cases in the US are ‘never smokers’. Now, don’t get us wrong: smokers still account for the vast majority. But scientists can’t understand why the percentage of people who have never lit up jumped from 8% in 1990-95 to 14.9% in 2011-13. The bad news for women:
“Worldwide, 15% of male lung cancer patients are never-smokers. But fully half of female lung cancer patients never smoked. And women never-smokers are twice as likely to develop lung cancer as men who never put a cigarette to their lips.”
Stat News has lots more on this alarming trend.
Two: In happier news, a new study found that taking a regular afternoon nap is associated with better locational awareness, verbal fluency and working memory—especially in people above the age of 60. (BBC ScienceFocus)
Old car owners gotta pay
If you own a vehicle older than 8 years, you will soon have to pay ‘Green tax’ to hold on to it. Or at least that’s the union government’s plan—which will be sent to the states for consultation. Business Insider has all the details.
Virtual dating is here to stay!
According to a new Bumble survey, 40% of Indians will opt to date from a distance in 2021—despite dipping Covid counts. The reason: Younger people now prefer to take it slow and form meaningful connections:
“Through 2020, millennials have discovered an impatience with entertaining dead-end connections, and are instead truly investing in the one with potential. The practice of social distancing has set in a void leading to a strong impulse and a real desire to fill it by connecting with new and interesting people."
Mint has a lot more on the near-future of (not) hooking up.
Apple issues two warnings
One: The electromagnetic fields emitted by the MagSafe technology inside the iPhone 12 can mess with pacemakers and defibrillators. Solution: Keep iPhones and MagSafe chargers at a “safe distance”—i.e. more than 6 inches/15 cm apart—when charging your device, or more than 12 inches/30 cm apart if you’re using a wireless charger. (The Independent)
Two: Apple is urging iPhone and iPad users to promptly update their operating systems to fix security bugs. The reason: three security flaws that "may have been actively exploited"—but the company won’t say any more. CNN has details.
An ‘offensive’ feminist mural
Spain’s far-right party launched a campaign to destroy a government-commissioned mural—which features an array of awesome women, including Billy King, Nina Simone and Rosa Parks, Frida Kahlo. The reason: The 60-metre mural bears the slogan “Your ability doesn’t depend on your gender”—which the local council agreed is “a political message.” The good news: After many protests and petitions, the mural has been saved. The Guardian has more. See the mural below:
Joe says sorry to Kamala
The US President was in the middle of a speech, explaining how he planned to build support for his policies. Then he turned around to his Veep and said: “I apologize.” Watch to see why.
