Russia vs Ukraine: The latest update
- Russia announced the withdrawal of some troops—but analysts say it is too early to celebrate. Some of its most advanced units remain in attack formations—some within miles of Ukraine’s border.
- At a joint press conference with the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, President Putin again reiterated his core demand: NATO must give an assurance that Ukraine will not become a member: “We need to resolve this question now.”
- This after Ukraine’s President Zelensky indicated that its desire to become part of NATO may “remain a dream.”
- Not inspiring confidence: hackers targeted Ukraine’s defence ministry, army and state banks in the midst of talks with Scholz.
‘Foreign hand’ in Freedom Convoy
A hacker revealed the names and locations of more than 90,000 people who donated money to the Canadian protest—fueled by rage against vaccine requirements. The database revealed 56% of the donations came from the US, 29% from Canada, and 2% from the UK. American donations totalled $3.62 million, while Canadians donated $4.31 million. GiveSendGo, the crowdfunding site that was hacked, is still down. (The Guardian)
In a related move: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has invoked the 1988 Emergencies Act for the very first time—to block funding of these protests:
“In addition to allowing financial institutions to freeze accounts suspected of funding illegal protests, Canada is also requiring crowdfunding sites and payment service providers used by protesters to register with the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada and report any large suspicious donations—including digital payments and with cryptocurrencies.”
But the emergency laws will not be used to curb the right to protest. (CNN)
Speaking of hackers: The YouTube channel of the government-owned Sansad TV was hacked and its name was changed to Ethereum (as in the cryptocurrency). Although Sansad TV claimed that the problem was fixed within hours, YouTube disabled the channel—citing “violation of community guidelines” for most of Tuesday. It was finally restored in the evening. (Scroll)
Hijab ban: The latest update
- Many students and teachers were denied entry to schools and colleges—which firmly enforced the ban on all religious attire ordered by the High Court. Many were sent home, while others had to remove their scarves at the gates. Hundreds of Muslim students also boycotted classes.
- Meanwhile, the BJP tweeted the identities of some of the students who have petitioned the High Court to overturn the ban—and shared their addresses. Twitter stepped in to take out the tweets.
- The lawyer who is representing the girls has also been on the receiving end of a barrage of hate—with some seeking his excommunication from the Saraswat Brahmin community. Others—including lawyers and religious seers—have offered support.
Andrew settles sex abuse lawsuit
Worried about an ugly jury trial, the prince has reached an out-of-court settlement with Virginia Giuffre—a victim of billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who allegedly forced her to have sex with Andrew on multiple occasions. In a letter to the judge in the civil lawsuit, his lawyers said:
“Prince Andrew intends to make a substantial donation to Ms Giuffre's charity in support of victims' rights. Prince Andrew has never intended to malign Ms Giuffre's character, and he accepts that she has suffered both as an established victim of abuse and as a result of unfair public attacks.”
What Brits are asking: Who will pay for what is likely to be a hefty bill? Most likely the Queen—who will pay it with her private income. (CNN)
Worst American drought in 1,200 years
A new study has found that the extreme and extended ‘megadrought’ affecting the southwestern United States is the worst since the late 1500s. A dramatic drying-out in 2021 pushed the 22-year drought past the previous record-holder. And at least 42% of this megadrought can be attributed to human-caused climate change. How bad is it? Scientists looked at tree ring data over a thousand years between 800 and 1500 AD—and found only four severe droughts. Now, the second driest year on record occurred only 20 years ago in 2002 in the Southwest—and has now been matched by 2021. Associated Press and LA Times have more details.
Sexual assault of an octogenarian in Delhi
A man has been arrested for raping an 87-year old bedridden woman—when she was alone at home. What’s notable in this case is that a relative claims that the police first refused to register a rape complaint:
“They (victim and daughter) are senior citizens and live alone. I came to Delhi and found that the police told them that they shouldn’t pursue the case because of their age and it would be stressful for them. The police registered a theft case and didn’t even inform us.”
BBC News has more details.
A link between depression and diabetes
A study that involved 300,000 people—between the ages of 40 and 69—found that depression increases the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes—even if a person leads a healthy lifestyle. The risk is 34% and 33% higher, respectively. Why this happens:
“When someone experiences depression, anxiety or stress, their heart rate and blood pressure rises and the body produces higher levels of cortisol, a stress hormone. Over time, these effects can lead to heart problems.”
Also a serious health risk: Pharmaceutical pollution in the world’s major rivers—which is endangering aquatic life and breeding antibiotic-resistant bacteria. A global study looked at 100 countries and 1000 test sites—and found that more than a quarter of the rivers had “active pharmaceutical ingredients”:
“The two most frequently detected pharmaceuticals were carbamazepine, which is used to treat epilepsy and nerve pain, and metformin, used to treat diabetes. High concentrations were also found of so-called ‘lifestyle consumables’ like caffeine [coffee] and nicotine [cigarettes] as well as the painkiller paracetamol. In Africa, artemisinin—used in anti-malarial medicine—was also found in high concentrations.”
Pakistan, Ethiopia and Bolivia were the most polluted, while Norway, Iceland, and the Amazon rainforests fared the best. (BBC News)
Two things to see
One: This is really something to hear. Sonantic—which develops AI-generated voice software—claims to have created the “first AI that can flirt.” Its CEO said: “From flirting and giggling to breathing and pausing, this is the most realistic romantic demo we've created to date, helping us inch closer to our vision of being the CGI of Audio." In the ad below, the person is real but the voiceover is 100% machine. We’re vaguely creeped out. (AI Magazine)
Two: If you’ve been jonesing for a ‘Bridgerton’ fix, the teaser trailer for the second season is here—minus the delicious Regé-Jean Page, sadly. (Hollywood Reporter)