Myanmar protests: An important update
A seven-year old child was shot and killed by security forces during a house raid. Here’s her sister’s account of how it happened:
“‘They kicked the door to open it,’ 25-year old May Thu Sumaya said. ‘When the door was open, they asked my father whether there were any other people in the house. When he said no, they accused him of lying and began searching the house,’ she said. That was the moment when Khin Myo Chit ran over to their father to sit on his lap. ‘Then they shot and hit her.’”
Khin Myo Chit is the youngest known victim of the military crackdown.
In protest: people have called for a “silent strike” urging people to shutter their businesses and stay home—so as to entirely shut down cities across the country. An online meme posted to publicise the action called silence “the loudest scream.” The unofficial (and difficult to confirm) death toll so far: 275.
An unexpected release: The military has released 628 prisoners—most of whom were so arrested for protesting in early March. It is the first conciliatory move made by the generals in charge. (The Guardian)
The Ambani case: The latest update
For starters, the prime suspect—Sachin Waze—has now been charged under a stringent anti-terror law, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). And the murder of Mansukh Hiran has been transferred to a special National Investigation Agency court. The police said:
“It is immaterial that the explosives were placed near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence. The terror act is against the community as a whole,” the officer said. The sections invoked can attract life imprisonment.”
Point to note: UAPA suspects do not have the same rights as a normal arrestee. A person can be kept for extended periods of time without being produced in court—and without trial. Also: bail is next to impossible. ICYMI you missed the details, read our latest explainer on the case here.
Meanwhile, at the Supreme Court: Param Bir Singh—the former Mumbai police commissioner transferred out by the Shiv Sena government—petitioned the Supreme Court to order a CBI probe into state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh. The Court has told him to take the matter up with the Bombay High Court—noting that while the charges of corruption against Deshmukh were serious, these charges were made only after the two men had a falling out. (Times of India)
Meanwhile, in Mumbai: The new commissioner, Hemant Nagrale, has embraced spring-cleaning—and transferred 86 cops, including 65 from Vaze’s Crime Intelligence Unit. (Indian Express)
Speaking of the Supreme Court: Our next Chief Justice of India will be NV Ramana who will take charge in April. Indian Express profiles his career.
WhatsApp faces antitrust probe
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has launched a probe into WhatsApp’s new privacy policy—saying it has violated competition laws “through its exploitative and exclusionary conduct ... in the garb of policy update.” Also this: WhatsApp shares user data in a way that is “neither fully transparent nor based on voluntary and specific user consent.” As you may remember, the updated privacy policy (explained here) caused a public uproar back in January—and the company hastily postponed the deadline to accept the new terms to May 15. But nothing’s changed other than that—you will still lose access to the messaging service if you fail to do so. (Indian Express)
Kerala nuns harassed in UP
Two nuns—accompanied by two novices (nuns-in-training)—boarded a train from Delhi to Rourkela in Odisha. Members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad—BJP’s student wing—hopped on board and confronted them. They accused the nuns of abducting the two young women to forcibly convert them. The nuns were forced off the train, taken into custody—but the police investigation failed to reveal any ‘conversion’ plot. Amit Shah has declared: “I want to assure the people of Kerala that the culprits behind this incident will be brought to justice at the earliest.” He was addressing an election rally in the state. See this thread for all the clips of the incident. (NDTV)
Speaking of Kerala: Blackboard Radio is an edtech company that promises to teach kids between the classes of 1-9 to “speak English as fluently as Shashi Tharoor.” The Congress MP was not amused, and threatened to “take legal action to stop the misuse of my name & image for commercial purposes.” See the ad below:
The great pandemic: A quick update
- Indian health authorities confirmed what a consortium of experts had flagged last week—i.e we have a unique ‘only in India’ variant that carries a double mutation (we explained this at length here). And yes, it is more infectious, and could reinfect people who have already had Covid. But we still have no evidence that it is linked to the surge. Mint and The Hindu have more.
- In a big blow to the rest of the world, India has temporarily halted exports of the Oxford vaccine—due to worries of a second wave at home.
- Aamir Khan has tested positive and is under home quarantine.
- You will now need Covid-negative certs to enter malls in Maharashtra—or undergo a rapid test to get in. The problem: the rule is being enforced on security guards who have to shell out Rs 250 a day for testing just to do their job. Watch a justifiably angry clip here.
- Indigo has refunded Rs 10.3 billion (1030 crore) or 99.5% of the money they owed customers for tickets that were cancelled during the lockdown.
H&M is in trouble in China
The Swedish apparel company is being trolled by Weibo users calling for a boycott. It has also been blocked on China’s biggest ecommerce websites, and has lost its most prominent Chinese brand ambassadors. The reason: A year ago, the company said it had stopped sourcing its cotton from Xinjiang—out of concern for the human rights of Uighurs being used as slave labour there. And that statement has suddenly resurfaced to become a lightning rod. H&M has declined to comment on the backlash. (Quartz)
A life-saving saliva test
A new study has identified a way to use saliva to diagnose concussions with 94% accuracy—which is a huge breakthrough for athletes of all kinds and ages. But the participants were male rugby players. Therefore, its results cannot be extrapolated for use among women who suffer symptoms that are “more severe and more prolonged”— and creating a similar test will require a separate study. BBC News has more on how this test works.
World's most expensive honey
According to the Guiness Book of World Records, Centauri honey is the priciest of its kind, selling for Rs 8.6 lakh per kg. What makes it so precious: It is harvested once a year from a cave in Turkey that is 2,500 metres above sea level. Apparently, it is dark in colour and tastes bitter. But hey, the bottle is pretty! (NDTV)
Speaking of sweet stuff: A new analysis of all published research on artificial sweeteners shows that they do not help you lose weight—and may even help add on some pounds. Popular Science explains why.
Two art-for-good things
One: Banksy’s painting ‘Game Changer’—created to honour nurses as superheroes—sold for a record-breaking £16.75 million ($23.1 million) at a Christie’s auction. Proceeds from Banksy’s most expensive artwork will be donated to health organizations and charities across the country. See it below. (CNN)
Two: The world’s largest canvas painting was sold for $62 million—and its proceeds will go to a variety of UN organisations dedicated to child welfare. Sacha Jafri’s ‘The Journey of Humanity’ measures over 17,000 feet—the size of four NBA basketball courts! (CNN)
