A bloody day in Myanmar
At least 38 people were killed as Myanmar’s security forces opened fire on peaceful protesters in multiple towns and cities. Brutal footage of the police attacking medics, killing unarmed protesters, using rods to beat civilians has shocked the world. The Guardian and Associated Press have the most details. For more context, read our previous explainer. You can see the assault on the medics below:
One such case: is 19-year old Angel, also known as Kyal Sin, who was shot in the head. The slogan on her T-shirt—which said ‘Everything will be OK’—has turned into a rallying cry for protesters. Reuters has a profile of Angel. New York Times has more on women leading the protests. You can see her in the black tee in this clip taken just before she was shot:
The military: however remains defiant in the face of international pressure. When a UN official warned its deputy chief that it was likely to face strong measures from some countries:
“The answer was: ‘We are used to sanctions, and we survived’... When I also warned they will go into isolation, the answer was: ‘We have to learn to walk with only few friends’.”
Meanwhile, in India: 20 people from Myanmar have crossed the border into Mizoram seeking refuge. According to The Hindu, “some of those who sought refuge were security personnel and they had escaped because of their inability to follow certain instructions.”
A strange government report on media
A committee of high-ranking ministers—created to fine-tune the “government communication”—has put together a ‘toolkit’ that includes a number of eyebrow-raising suggestions. Examples:
- “We should track 50 negative and 50 positive influencers.”
- “We should have a strategy to neutralise the people who are writing against the Government without facts and set false narratives / spread fake news.”
- “A list of media personnel and prominent persons, who are pro our line of thought—both nationally and globally, should be prepared. Few eminent academicians, Vice Chancellors, retired Indian Foreign Service officers etc should be identified who can write our achievements and project our viewpoint.”
- Getting even creepier: One of the long-term agreed strategies includes “coordination with schools of journalism as present students are the future journalists.”
Need more? Caravan has this other bit:
“Nitin Gokhale, who was formerly with NDTV and Tehelka, and is now close to the national security advisor Ajit Doval, suggested that any such process must begin by colour-coding journalists. ‘Green – fence sitters; Black – against; and White – who support. We should support and promote favourable journalists’.”
If you have the patience, you can read the 97-page report here.
In related news: The government has clarified that streaming platforms will not have to register themselves—just fill out a form to share information (so that they can be colour coded too?).
More worryingly: In a bail hearing for Amazon Prime India’s content chief, the Supreme Court adjourned its decision—saying it “wanted to consider Ms. Purohit’s case in the light of the new guidelines notified by the government.” Point to note: The new rules may not be constitutional, or apply to OTT platforms under the IT Act. Also this: Purohit is merely asking for anticipatory bail against the 10 FIRs issued against her in connection to ‘Tandav’. To make things worse, the Court appears to think OTT platforms currently include pornographic content. (The Hindu)
The great pandemic: A quick update
- A new Indian Institute of Science study shows that the virus is mutating faster than ever. Note: This is based on samples taken from Indian patients.
- The WHO decided not to issue an interim report on its investigation into the origins of the virus—prompting even more criticism of its ‘soft on China’ approach.
- Great apes at San Diego Zoo became the first non-humans to receive the vaccine.
- Qantas is launching ‘Mystery Flights’ for bored travellers. Basically, you request a seat, show up at the airport and the airline will whisk you away to an unknown destination. And you won’t know where you’re headed until you land.
- Buzzfeed News has the story of a plastic surgeon who logged on to his Zoom-enabled court hearing—while he was in the middle of a surgery!
- Last not least: Here’s an excellent guide to ‘mask origami’—i.e. How to tuck and fold that disposable mask to make it fit properly.
A bomb hoax at the Taj
The monument was temporarily shut down when a man called in a false bomb threat. The police have since found the culprit:
“We traced the caller to the Nakhi area of Firozabad and identified him as Vimal Kumar Singh, age 30. Police teams are interrogating him and trying to find out why he made the hoax call. Initial reports suggest that he is not of sound mind and is under the treatment of a psychiatrist.”
Best places to live
In India: Among the big cities, Bangalore is at the top of the government’s newly released ease of living index—followed by Pune, Ahmedabad and Chennai. The worst cities with a population more than a million: Bareilly, Dhanbad and Srinagar. In cities with less than a million residents, Shimla is king. Mint has the full list.
Around the world: A global survey—taken in the midst of the pandemic—found that Canada is now seen as the most desirable destination for employees looking to relocate. The US is still #2, followed by Australia. New entrants in the top ten list: Singapore and New Zealand. CNBC has more.
Hot economists do better
A survey of the top economics departments in the United States shows that more attractive economists are also more likely to get a nice corporate job after finishing their PhDs.
“The impact of looks didn’t fade even after they entered the job market, as more attractive individuals were found to be more productive at research on the job. Among students who continued in academia after a PhD, the attractive ones were more likely to be placed in top-ranked institutions and have a superior publication record.”
Point to note: “The authors note that the impact of attractiveness that they found was not just statistically significant, but substantial in magnitude.” We have no words. (Mint)
The world’s first semi-autonomous car
Honda is getting ready to sell what is called a level-3 autonomous car for $103K in Japan. What level 3 means:
“It is the world's first vehicle to hit the market that allows the driver to engage in different tasks such as reading and watching TV when the car is in certain conditions such as congested traffic on expressways.”
In other words, it’s great in traffic jams where speeds are below 30 km/hr—where the car takes control of acceleration, braking and steering—but the driver needs to take full control once the speeds exceed 50 km. (The Mainichi)
Three very cool things
A lost painting: by Amrita Sher-Gil has been recently discovered and is expected to fetch up to $2.8 million in an upcoming auction. Titled ‘Portrait of Denyse’, it depicts one of Sher-Gil’s friends and art critic Denyse Proutaux. CNN has the backstory on the painting. And it looks like this:
A Murakami tee: Haruki Murakami and UNIQLO have teamed up for a line of t-shirts inspired by the author’s novels and his radio program. We love this one inspired by ‘Kafka on the Shore’.
The great cat rescue: Thai navy sailors braved deep waters to save four ginger cats trapped on a burning ship on the Andaman sea. BBC News has the story. Awesome photo below: