Researched and collated by: Prafula Grace Busi, Sara Varghese, Sheya Kurian & Elisha Benny
Rajiv Gandhi assassination: Convict set free
The Supreme Court ordered the release of AG Perarivalan—who was convicted for plotting the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi in 1991. He bought two batteries that were used by Tamil terrorist group LTTE to manufacture the bomb that killed Gandhi. In 2014, the Court had finally commuted his death sentence—after his mercy petitions had been rejected for decades.
Then he filed for release in 2018 and it was backed by the Tamil Nadu government. But the governor just sat on the petition—and finally forwarded it to President Kovind in 2021. And still nothing happened. Hence, the Court finally stepped in. FYI: the investigating police officer later revealed that Perarivalan likely never knew how the batteries were going to be used. Indian Express and The Hindu have more details.
Two key studies to note
One: A new Lancet study revealed that pollution was the cause of 2.3 million premature deaths in India in 2019. Nearly 1.6 million deaths were due to air pollution alone, while more than 500,000 were caused by water pollution. We are the worst affected country in the world—followed by China. (BBC News)
Two: A new spam audit of Twitter confirms Elon Musk’s allegations. The actual number of spam and fake accounts is 19.42%—nearly four times the officially reported number of 5%. Irony alert: 70.23% of Musk’s own followers may be fake too. (BGR)
Mastercard goes high-tech
The company is rolling out new technology that lets shoppers make payments with just their face or hand at the checkout point. The biometric payment method will use facial recognition or fingerprint scanning. No cards required! It is being tested in Brazil and will soon be available around the world. Input Magazine thinks the move is kinda creepy. (CNBC)
Also rolling out new tech: Google Maps which will soon offer an ‘Immersive View’—which allows you to experience a restaurant, neighbourhood, landmark or popular venue as if you’re already there. How this will work:
“If you're visiting one of the cities with Immersive View, you can also see what it looks like during a certain time of day and during various weather conditions. You can also see where the busy spots are if you're looking for a popular area or places to avoid. And you can take a glimpse inside restaurants as if you're walking through the building to check out the vibe before going. Live busyness and nearby traffic information will also be available.”
The best part is the Augmented Reality version will work on any phone—no special devices needed. More details over at Google’s blog or Cnet.
Two animal things
One: A UK study has confirmed that pugs can no longer be considered “typical dogs”—due to their severe health problems. They are twice as likely to suffer from a medical disorder than other breeds: "The issue you've got is a dog with a smaller skull, but nothing else about the dog has gotten equivalently smaller… their brains are squished into a box that is too small"—and other soft tissues are "squished into a smaller space.” (BBC News)
Two: Scientists have stumbled upon a more environmentally friendly method to catch scallops: Disco lights. These are ‘potlights’ on the sea floor that were set up to attract crabs—but were soon discovered to be irresistible to scallops: “It’s like a scallop disco—illuminate the trap and they come in.” (Aww, makes us feel bad for the scallops.)
Why finding this alternative method matters:
“Most [scallops] are caught by dredging, which at an industrial-scale is damaging to marine habitats. However, using scuba divers to hand-pick them is labour intensive, time-consuming and therefore more expensive… scallop potting could create a low-input, low-impact fishery that supplements the income of crab and lobster fishers with this high-value catch.”
Nawazuddin in US indie
Nawazuddin Siddiqui has bagged the lead role in an upcoming project tantalisingly titled ‘Laxman Lopez’. We don’t know much about it other than it will be directed by Roberto Girault—and shot entirely in the US. Also: It has a Christmas theme. Now, we’re really intrigued. (Variety)
Very many things to see
One: Pakistani TikTok star Humaira Asghar actually started a forest fire—to create a dramatic backdrop for her music video. And then posted this clip, captioned: “Fire erupts wherever I am.” Well, it did—just not the kind she expected. Al Jazeera has more on the outrage.
Two: The annual swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated has outdone itself in terms of diversity. First up: 74-year-old, former model and dietitian Maye Musk—who is also Elon’s mom.
Next, Yumi Nu—the first plus-sized Asian American model to make the cover. Check out more photos and profiles over at SI. (ABC News)
Three: Deepika Padukone gave a nice little speech at the inauguration of the India Pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival (see it here). But we loved this moment when folk singer Mame Khan got everyone—including DP, Tamannaah and Urvashi Rautela—to dance to his rendition of ‘Ghoomar’. (The Week)
Four: Shashi Tharoor posted an excellent video of him bopping to the Congress party’s campaign song—set to the tune of ‘Parudeesa’ from the film ‘Bheeshma Parvam’—along with members of the Mahila Congress.
Five: The flooding in Bangalore is so bad that its residents are inviting CM Bommai to go swimming with them.