Researched & collated by: Vagda Galhotra

The Russian invasion: The latest update

• The UN General Assembly voted to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council. The votes were 93 in favour, 24 against—with 58 abstentions, including India. 
• Why that’s notable: Russia had threatened countries that an abstention (or ‘yes’ vote) would be viewed as an “unfriendly gesture” that would endanger ties. A government official told Indian Express that the decision “was not taken lightly.”
• Meanwhile, the New York Times verified a video showing Ukrainian troops killing captured Russian POWs—which is a violation of the Geneva convention. Since we linked to the photos from Bucha, in fairness, here’s a link to the video.
• German intelligence sources may have clear evidence of the massacre in Bucha—including satellite images and intercepted radio messages.
• NATO appears to be moving toward providing Ukraine with weapons—to prepare it for a long war.
• Air India was forced to cancel flights to Moscow after global insurance companies refused to underwrite them.

Editor’s note: If you need more context, we highly recommend reading our Big Story on the historical roots of the conflict, effectiveness of economic sanctions, return of the Cold War, what is driving Vladimir Putin, India’s “balancing act” and the looming oil crisis.

Bye bye, Imran Khan?

The Pakistan Prime Minister has lost his last hope of saving his job. The Supreme Court ruled that he had no right to block the no-confidence vote—or dissolve the Parliament. And it has ordered the vote be held on Saturday. It’s almost guaranteed to pass—and will result in the selection of a new prime minister, most likely Opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif. But fresh elections are now inevitable—and it remains to be seen if Khan can win without the support of the military. For context, read our Big Story on the political crisis. (New York Times via The Telegraph)

Tiger Woods’ astonishing comeback

The legendary golfer delivered an amazing performance at the Augusta National—just 14 months after almost losing his leg in a car accident. Everyone had written off Woods’ professional career—and yet he was out on the greens shooting a 1-under 71 in the opening round of the Masters. The biggest question is whether Woods’ body will hold up over 18 holes for four straight days. (Associated Press)

Viagra dangerous for your eyesight

A new study shows that men who use erectile dysfunction drugs like Viagra and Cialis are at greater risk of developing three serious eye disorders: ischemic optic neuropathy (ION)—a condition that can lead to permanent vision loss—serous retinal detachment (SRD) and retinal vascular occlusion (RVO). In general, they had a 85% increased risk of developing any one of these conditions. The study does not establish a cause-effect relationship—but researchers suspect “these drugs can compromise blood flow to the optic nerve and arteries/veins of the retina.” What this means: people can still take these medications but they need to come with a warning label. And they should be far more careful if they have a preexisting eye condition. (Gizmodo)

Tata has a super app

The Tata Group launched an e-commerce super app which lets you shop for everything from airline tickets to clothes. The platform—called Tata Neu—is home to a number of its brands—such as Westside, Air Asia, Croma, Taj hotels, BigBasket and 1mg. The Quint has a handy guide to all its features. (Reuters)

Speaking of super apps: Uber is launching its own version in the UK—and it will allow users to book rental cars and tickets for trains, buses and flights. It is being billed as “a one-stop-shop for all your travel needs.” If successful, it will be rolled out in other countries as well. (CNBC)

Aakar Patel vs the CBI

Former chief of Amnesty India was first stopped in Bangalore airport on Wednesday—when he was leaving the country to give lectures in the US. Despite being armed with a court order, he was told there was a CBI lookout notice—related to a foreign funds investigation into Amnesty—barring him from travel abroad. So Patel went back to the courts and got another ruling—which ordered the CBI to revoke its notice and provide a written apology. Guess what? Despite all of this, he was stopped again at the airport last night—because the CBI had failed to take him off their list. So… back to the courts again. 

Meanwhile in Australia: Thirteen academics have quit the Australia India Institute at the Melbourne University—citing interference from the Indian High Commission and suppression of free speech. The institute was set up in 2009 to strengthen relations with India—and is funded by the Australian government. The high commission’s intervention “led to some events relating to India being discouraged, or not supported, on the grounds that they were likely to be controversial.” They also pointed their finger at the university:

“The academics claim there was a reluctance to publicise commentary on caste and race, and that official events had ‘carried the flavour of propaganda’. They say events on India that were ‘likely to be controversial’ have been discouraged.”

But the university has rejected these claims and said: “Australia-India relationship continues to be one of the most strategically important international relationships for the University of Melbourne and we are deeply committed to growing and building our ties with India.” (The Age)

Zuck Bucks are coming!

Meta is planning to roll out a virtual currency that can be used in the metaverse—and which is being referred to as Zuck Bucks by employees. Key point to note: 

“This is unlikely to be a cryptocurrency based on the blockchain... Instead, Meta is leaning towards introducing in-app tokens that would be centrally controlled by the company, similar to those used in gaming apps such as the robux currency in popular children’s game Roblox.”

Financial Times (paywall) has the exclusive, but The Verge sums up its reporting.

Fake news reviews on Amazon

You may want to take a closer look at customer reviews the next time you shop on the platform. A news investigation by Which? In the UK found that sellers are bundling reviews for unrelated products—to artificially inflate ratings. Example: nine out of the ten highest rated headphones—of which two carried the “Amazon’s choice” label—had glowing reviews that were actually for children’s toys.

What’s notable: This is a blatant violation of Amazon’s policy which only allows sellers to merge reviews for closely related products. But the company has been criticised in the past for doing very little to discourage bad practices on its platform. For now, buyers would do best to beware when shopping on Amazon. (The Guardian)

Four things to see

One: Reuters spoke to eight recently released inmates of Myanmar’s infamous Insein Prison—where thousands of protesters have been incarcerated by the military. One of them smuggled out 14 sketches depicting abysmal living conditions. Reuters has more on their first-person accounts.

Two: There have been a number of stories on the emotional toll borne by scientists who study climate change—and have to deal with the reality that their research and warnings often fall on deaf ears. That toll is beginning to show. A NASA scientist was among the four people who chained themselves to the entrance of a JP Morgan office in LA—to protest its new investments in fossil fuels. Watch his rawly emotional speech below or read his essay in The Guardian. FYI: All four were arrested and later released. (Business Insider)

Three: These days, anything can be turned into an NFT or—in this case a cryptocurrency. The Slap is now a memecoin dubbed Will Smith Inu and is being sold on crypto platforms—and garnered more than $3 million before collapsing back to zero. What’s a memecoin? It's cryptocurrency that is tied to viral moments and internet jokes—and most collapse in value fairly soon. Rare ones like Shiba Inu have endured. PC Mag has a handy explainer. (Washington Post)

Four: Staying on the subject, Miami—which has ambitions of being a hub for crypto— now has its own version of the famous Charging Bull on Wall Street—except this one has laser eyes (?!). Also: unlike its New York cousin, the Miami Bull doesn’t have any balls… make of that what you will;) We have no comment but New York magazine’s view of this wannabe is hilariously clear.