Myanmar protests: An update
At least two opposition leaders have died in police custody following alleged torture. Apart from arresting protesters on the streets, many people have been rounded up in nighttime raids, and have essentially disappeared.
Meanwhile at the UN: The Security Council passed a watered down resolution condemning the violence—calling on the military to show restraint. Also more shamefully this:
“But language that would have condemned the coup and threatened possible further action was removed from the British-drafted text, due to opposition by China, Russia, India and Vietnam.”
Horrific domestic violence data
A new WHO study found that one in three women around the world have experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. The largest-ever study of its kind also says this: a quarter of young women who have been in a relationship experienced violence inflicted by an intimate partner by the time they reach their mid-20s. Let’s just sit with that little nugget for a moment. Point to note: The data is from 2010-2018 so it does not include the huge surge in violence against women caused by the lockdown. (Associated Press)
Russia cracks down on Twitter
The government is reducing the speed at which Twitter loads for internet users. The official reason: The company is refusing to remove posts about illegal drug use, child pornography, and messages “pushing minors toward suicide.” The more likely reason:
“Twitter—and to a much greater extent, Facebook’s Instagram and Google’s YouTube—have given Russians ways to speak, report and organize openly even though the Kremlin controls the television airwaves.”
The great pandemic: A quick update
- The death rates are spiralling in Brazil, and hospitals are at breaking point. Brazil's Health Ministry on Tuesday reported 1,972 more deaths and 70,764 new cases.
- A small study out of Israel found virus antibodies in the breastmilk of vaccinated healthcare workers. More happily this: “The antibodies that develop in breastmilk have the ability to neutralize and block the connection between the virus and the receptor on the cell.” Point to note: As of now, vaccines are not recommended in India at least for pregnant or lactating moms.
- A new study found that pollen can make you more susceptible to infections—even if you are not allergic.
- The Pfizer vaccine performs very well against the Brazil variant—but both Pfizer and Moderna don’t do as well against the South African kind.
- The latest research shows that the Oxford vaccine actually performs better when there is a 12-week gap between two jabs. So Quartz wants to know: Why is India ignoring the data, and insisting on sticking to the four-week schedule.
The Ambani case: A quick update
One: The Mumbai police has transferred Sachin Vaze—a controversial cop often described as an ‘encounter specialist’—out of the Crime Branch. The reason: allegations leveled by Manshukh Hiran’s wife:
“On Tuesday, Vimla Hiren, the wife of the Mansukh Hiran, who owned the Scorpio and whose body was found in the Kalwa creek on Friday, has alleged in her statement before ATS that Vaze had been using the car, from November 2020 till February 5. She further alleged that Vaze had told her husband to get arrested in the case and assured him that he will be bailed out in a few days.”
Since this is India, her statement has now become fodder for the BJP—which is demanding that Vaze be arrested for murder, or failing that, obstruction to justice. If you have no idea what this is about, we have all the gory details in our explainer. (Indian Express)
Two: A private cybersecurity firm hired by an unnamed investigating agency has been looking at the messages from a little-known extremist outfit known as Jaish-ul-Hind. It has supposedly traced the first Telegram message claiming credit for the bomb scare to someone near/in Tihar jail. The second message denying any role in the case originated outside the country. Yeah, we too have zero clue as to what any of this means. (Indian Express)
Three cool optical things
One: There are now two photos taken of ships that appear to be hovering in the air. The first was a ship, while the second was an oil tanker—both taken off the Cornish coast:
"Superior mirages occur because of the weather condition known as a temperature inversion, where cold air lies close to the sea with warmer air above it. Since cold air is denser than warm air, it bends light towards the eyes of someone standing on the ground or on the coast, changing how a distant object appears.”
The first one looks way cooler:
Two: The US Army is developing Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) goggles for close-combat forces that will allow soldiers to look through the walls of combat vehicles, around corners, and project digital maps and other data onto the lenses. One downside: They look like something out of a bad sci-fi flick. (Popular Mechanics)
Three: Entirely unrelated but optically very appealing: Lady Gaga And Adam Driver dressed up as Patrizia Reggiani and Maurizio Gucci for Ridley Scott’s upcoming ‘House of Gucci’—which tells the bizarre story of the fashion boss and his wife who was imprisoned for orchestrating his murder. Yes, we put this in just because…
One very fun thing
A Chinese businessman is selling Trump Buddha statues, and is promoting it with the slogan ‘Make your company great again!’. You can buy a small one for $150 USD or a 15-foot monstrosity for $610. Also, it looks like this:
