Researched & collated by: Vagda Galhotra 

The Russian invasion: The latest update

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

• In an unexpected victory Ukraine claims to have destroyed a Russian ship in the occupied port of Berdyansk. Meanwhile, CNN has a report on how Ukrainians are dealing with bodies of dead Russian soldiers.
• After a NATO summit, its chief said the alliance will provide Ukraine with equipment to defend itself against chemical and biological weapons. 
• President Biden said he thinks Russia should be kicked out of the G20—the group of the 20 largest economies in the world. Also: Top Russian generals have repeatedly refused to talk directly with the Pentagon—raising fears of potentially fatal miscommunications.
• Everyone is confused and worried by President Putin’s demand that “unfriendly countries” in Europe pay for gas in roubles—while another Russian official claimed that Moscow is open to accepting bitcoin payments.
• President Zelenskyy asked Biden to hold off on imposing sanctions on Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich—as he is trying to broker a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia.
• Offering a moment of irony amidst the war, we now know that Israel blocked Ukraine and Estonia from being able to purchase the powerful snoopware Pegasus—which has been sold to dictators around the world. The reason: Tel Aviv didn’t want to piss off Russia—which was the target of the snooping.
• Ukrainian refugees now include Simba the lion and Akyla the wolf who have been brought to Romania—without the help of scarce tranquillisers!
• Also: An investigative journalist has tracked down what may be Putin’s stunning $700 million yacht called Scheherazade in Italy.

Beijing pays a surprise visit

Foreign Minister Wang Yi landed in New Delhi—without any announcement or notice from either China or India. It follows on the heels of a similarly unscheduled visit to Kabul. “Sources” say he is here to meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. This is the first high-level visit since the violent confrontation on the Ladakh border in 2020. What’s interesting: Wang was in Pakistan this week where he declared: “On Kashmir, we have heard again today the calls of many of our Islamic friends. And China shares the same hope.” Indian Express has more on what to expect from our surprise visitor.

Dhoni cedes his CSK captaincy

Just two days before the new Indian Premier League season kicks off, MS Dhoni has stepped down from his job as captain of the Chennai Super Kings. He will be replaced by CSK veteran Ravindra Jadeja. Dhoni will still be part of the team but this is likely to be his last season. You can watch Jadeja respond to his promotion below. The Telegraph has more on Dhoni’s big surprise. Indian Express looks at Jadeja’s rise.

Pfizer recalls blood pressure medication

Here’s some important news if you or your loved one are on high blood pressure medication. Pfizer has recalled Accuretic—and its two generic equivalents quinapril and hydrochlorothiazide tablets and quinapril HCl/hydrochlorothiazide tablets (made by Ranbaxy in India). The reason: It contains higher levels of nitrosamines—which “may increase the risk of cancer if people are exposed to them above acceptable levels over long periods of time.” Distributors and wholesalers should stop use and distribution and "quarantine the product immediately.” Point to note: No one on this medication is at any immediate risk. (CNN)

Speaking of medicine: Trial data of Moderna’s Covid vaccine shows it offers protection to children as young as six months—and is safe to administer. (NPR)

Jamaica embarasses the royals

Kate & William’s visit was supposed to remind Caribbean nations the great value of their connection to English royalty. But it appears to have had the opposite effect. At a photoshoot with the royal couple, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said bluntly:

“There are issues here which as you would know are unresolved. But Jamaica is as you would see a country that is very proud... and we’re moving on. And we intend... to fulfil our true ambition of being an independent, fully developed and prosperous country.”

In a later speech, William declared “the appalling atrocity of slavery forever stains our history"—but stopped short of an apology since that would open the door to reparations. (Reuters)

Speaking of celebrity couples: Julian Assange tied the knot with his long-term partner Stella Morris—with whom he has two children. The wedding took place at a high-security prison in London—in the presence of six guests. But there were no journalists or photographers allowed. FYI: the bride wore “a floor-length corseted lilac dress designed by Dame Vivienne Westwood and Andreas Kronthaler.” See the image released by WikiLeaks below. (The Guardian)

UN plans early disaster warning systems

The global body plans to spend $1.5 billion on systems that will be able to forecast disasters like floods, droughts, heatwaves or storms—and allow nations to prepare for them to minimise their impact. Most importantly, these systems are critical in saving human lives. This is especially important for a third of the world that has no such coverage in place. (ScienceAlert)

Closer to home: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal announced plans to develop “world-class level” city forests—spread across 3,000 acres and 17 locations. The government will also fund the development of 5,000 parks in the city. (Mint)

Microplastics in human blood

For the very first time, scientists have detected microplastics in blood. It was present in 80% of the 22 samples tested. What they found: 

“Half the samples contained PET plastic, which is commonly used in drinks bottles, while a third contained polystyrene, used for packaging food and other products. A quarter of the blood samples contained polyethylene, from which plastic carrier bags are made.”

Point to remember: We already know that people consume these tiny particles via food and water—and they have been found in the faeces of babies and adults. But we still don’t know how they impact our health:

“The big question is what is happening in our body? Are the particles retained in the body? Are they transported to certain organs, such as getting past the blood-brain barrier?” And are these levels sufficiently high to trigger disease? We urgently need to fund further research so we can find out.”

The Guardian has more on this breakthrough study.

Four things to see 

One: UK Chancellor of Exchequer Rishi Sunak faced a very awkward moment when a TV anchor pointed out that his wife—daughter of Narayan Murthy, Akshata—has a significant stake in Infosys. And is it fair for Sunak to be railing against doing business with Russia when his wife’s company is doing exactly that? Nope, Sunak did not have a good answer for that zinger. FYI: If you want more goss, we did a Big Story on golden boy Sunak and his Murthy connection.

Two: Republicans are giving the US Supreme Court nominee—Ketanji Brown Jackson—an extremely hard time. Perhaps because she is an accomplished Black woman as opposed to being a privileged white man with a dubious history of sexual misconduct. Jackson has been mostly stoic in the face of this relentless, often racist hazing but Senator Cory Booker moved her to tears by paying tribute to what her nomination represents to all Americans.

Three: An undated video—showing a Kashmiri man being denied a hotel room booked via Oyo—went viral. The receptionist claimed that the Delhi police had banned hotels from giving rooms to residents of the state. The police immediately made clear that there is no such order in place—with the least possible grace: “Some netizens are trying to discredit the image of Delhi Police through willful misrepresentation of the video in circulation which can attract penal action.” Oyo Rooms showed better form—by delisting the hotel from its platform and condemning the incident. (Indian Express)

Four: Back in 1959, performance artist Yves Klein sold “zones” of empty space to buyers in exchange for gold. Now, Sotheby’s is planning to sell a receipt of one of these sales—an 8-inch piece of paper—for anywhere between $331,000 to $552,000. Sotheby’s calls it the “precursor” to NFTs—and it’s just as inexplicable to plebes like us. (ARTNews)