Researched by: Rachel John, Sara Varghese, Meghna Mathew & Prerna Barooah
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For all positions at splainer: Please note there is a six-month probation period. We pay industry-standard salaries and offer ESOP incentives after a year.. We are location-agnostic and an equal opportunity employer. And we pride ourselves on a warm, friendly work culture. Please send your resumes and cover letter—telling us why you want this job—to talktous@splainer.in.
News Editor: Here’s what we’re looking for:
- Impeccable writing, editing and researching skills—with a big emphasis on the last bit. We pride ourselves on the quality of information we offer our readers.
- At least 2 years of experience—though not necessarily in journalism. But if you don’t have a passion for news—or cannot exercise news judgement (as in, does this story matter or not) this is likely not the job for you.
- Willingness to work in a startup environment where we all do a bit of everything—and are eager to take initiative and responsibility.
Assistant News Editor: What we’re looking for:
- Impeccable writing, editing and researching skills.
- 0-1 years of experience.
- A passion to learn how to build something new and unique—and get a front seat view of how a media startup works.
- Familiarity with Canva.
A big arrest in Lockerbie bombing
In 1988, all 259 passengers and crew on board were killed when a bomb exploded aboard a Pan Am flight to New York from London. The plane exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland—killing an additional 11 when the wreckage landed on their homes. Thirty-four years later, the US has arrested the man accused of making the bomb: Abu Agila Masud. He had been in Libyan custody for unrelated crimes. The Lockerbie bombing is the largest terrorist attack in UK history. (BBC News)
Meet the new Himachal Pradesh CM
The Congress sealed its victory in the state by swearing in four-time MLA Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu as Chief Minister. He was chosen over relatives of Virbhadra Singh—the deceased party leader and royal family scion who dominated the state party unit. Sukhu is the son of a bus driver—who rose through the ranks—and was often at odds with Singh. The Hindu has more Sukhu.
World Cup 2022: The latest update
One: In a win against all odds, Croatia beat Brazil to reach the semifinals, knocking the tournament faves out. The match had Brazil leading for the first 116 minutes but in the last five minutes Croatia scored—taking the game to a penalty round that they won 4-2. Croatia will play Argentina in the semis on Tuesday. Washington Post has more on Croatia’s win.
Something related to see: see this dedicated Brazil fan’s bedazzled outfit:
Two: Lionel Messi held on to his World Cup dreams with a 4-3 penalty shootout win over Netherlands. The ugly match—which saw the referee doling out 17 yellow cards—ended on an equally nasty note. The team is now facing disciplinary action for rushing onto the field during heated moments in the game:
In most World Cup matches, the winners usually console the heartbroken losing side. But not in this one:
Three: England lost to France 1-2. The key heartbreaker: a missed penalty kick by Harry Kane. But some English fans were angrier at Marcus Rashford—who was only brought on for the last eight minutes. And his free kick at least landed somewhere in the vicinity of the goal—unlike, well, this.
Four: The football world is mourning the death of veteran sports journalist Grant Wahl who died in the stands while watching the Argentina vs Netherlands match. Wahl recently made news when he was stopped from entering a World Cup stadium because of his rainbow t-shirt. (NPR)
Making big news in cricket: Ishan Kishan with a monster 210-run knock in the third ODI against Bangladesh. And he chalked them up off just 126 balls—breaking Chris Gayle’s record. He is also only the fourth Indian to score a double-ton in an ODI. India won the match with a 409-run total—while Bangladesh could only manage 182. Also read: ESPN on why Indian cricket needs the audacity of Ishan Kishan. (Hindustan Times)
Air India is on a shopping spree
The airline is planning to buy 500 jetliners for $100-plus billion from Airbus and Boeing. The deal comes on the heels of the merger of Air India and the Tatas’ other airline Vistara—owned in partnership with Singapore Airlines. The additional aircraft will make Air India the largest Indian international airline—and second only to IndiGo in the domestic market. (Indian Express)
Also expanding in India: Apple—which is likely to triple its production of iPhones assembled in India over the next two years. Unnamed sources claim that the company has instructed its local suppliers—Foxconn, Pegatron, and Wistron—to increase manufacturing capacities. A recent industry report predicted 25% of global iPhone production could shift to India by 2025—and 5% of iPhone 14 production is likely to move to India by late 2022. One big upside for Indian consumers: it will make iPhones much cheaper. (Mint)
Three tech stories of note
Twitter: The controversial subscription service Twitter Blue will be re-released today—but at two different prices. The web-only version costs only $7, but the iOS app model is $11. Why it costs more on the app: it may reflect the hefty 30% fee charged by the Apple App Store. Twitter is also introducing new controls to lure back brands—which have paused their spend due to concerns about the rise of hate and extremist speech. This may include bringing content moderation in-house instead of outsourcing it to third parties. While individuals will be able to purchase blue checkmarks, verified businesses will receive gold checks and grey checks will be reserved for government accounts. (Ars Technica)
Apple: The company has removed clauses from its employee contracts that prevent them from speaking about workplace conditions. The move was sparked by an independent internal review that showed workers were banned from publicly revealing instances of discrimination and abuse. The push to change Apple’s concealment policies came from shareholders. (Financial Times, paywall, The Verge)
Telegram: The messaging app will now allow users to sign up without a SIM card. But they will instead have to use cryptocurrency to buy a telephone number—which allows them to remain anonymous—on Telegram’s own Fragment marketplace. That’s not exactly a cheap option since these numbers cost around $40—while special numbers like 888-8-888 are being auctioned for more than $60,000. As Gizmodo points out: “The thing is, you can’t use those numbers for anything other than signing up for Telegram, which makes the idea of an ‘auction’ even more bonkers.” Also for sale: special user names like @crypto on Fragment. All this is part of the company’s aggressive strategy to make money off its 700 million global users. (Gizmodo)
Free condoms in France
French pharmacies will offer free condoms to people up to the age of 25 from January 1, 2023. The freebie aims to tackle increasing cases of STDs in France—where cases of chlamydia have more than doubled since 2014, and gonorrhoea is also on the rise. The offer extends to minors, as well. (The Guardian)
R Kelly “album” drops on Spotify
The rapper is behind bars serving a 30-year sentence for sex abuse. But that didn’t stop someone from releasing a new album of his songs titled ‘I Admit’ on Apple Music and Spotify. It was promptly taken down within hours—because it was a bootleg upload stolen from recording equipment. What’s worrying: neither platform caught on to a controversially titled unofficial release by Kelly until the distributor complained. (Variety)
South Koreans just got a bit younger
South Koreans have a slightly odd way of counting their age:
[P]eople are considered a year old at birth, and they add a year to their age every January 1. This applies even to an infant born on, say, December 31, who would be considered 2 years old the very next day. In other words, the birth year, not the date of birth, determines someone’s age.
As a result, there is great confusion around how old people are. The government has passed a law to get rid of this ‘Korean age’—and standardise the use of the international norm used by the rest of the world. As a result, millions of citizens may soon be up to two years younger! (CNN)
Three things to see
One: The first look at Joaquin Phoenix’s return as the Joker is here. The sequel—‘Joker: Folie à Deux’—will also star Lady Gaga and Brendan Gleeson. Adding to the excitement (or worry): it’s going to be a musical! But the movie won’t hit theatres until October 2024. (The Hollywood Reporter)
Two: Orion has come home! The NASA spacecraft safely completed its journey to the moon after 25.5 days—and splashed into the Pacific Ocean off Mexico’s Baja California. This marks the successful completion of the space agency’s big plan to return to the moon (explained in this Big Story). (CNN)
Three: This stunning 30-piece gold necklace dates back to somewhere between 630 and 670 AD—and was recovered from a medieval burial site of a female in England. She was likely a powerful and wealthy Christian leader of significant personal wealth—and likely one of the first women in Britain ever to reach a high position in the church. The archaeologists claim this is “a find of international importance” that “has nudged the course of history.” (The Guardian)
