Researched and collated by: Vagda Galhotra, Prafula Grace Busi & Sheya Kurian
The Ukraine invasion: The latest update
Russia now controls 70% of Severodonetsk—which was the largest city in Donbas still held by Ukraine, and therefore key to control of the region. Meanwhile, President Biden has agreed to provide longer-range missile systems to help Ukraine’s military “more precisely strike key targets on the battlefield.” But Biden also recently drew the line against providing rockets that could hit targets inside Russia. (Axios)
In related news: Lithuania has proposed a naval escort—made up of various EU nations—to protect Ukrainian ships carrying wheat—currently being blocked by Russia in the Black Sea. Ukraine is the fifth largest exporter of wheat in the world—and the invasion has triggered a global food crisis. (Deutsche Welle)
Canada cracks down on guns
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau introduced a bill to impose a “national freeze” on the sale and purchase of handguns. This comes on the heels of the Texas school shooting that killed 19 kids and two teachers (explained here). Canada’s gun homicide rate is a fifth of the US—but numbers are rising. (Reuters)
Rafa roars at the French Open
Rafael Nadal beat his biggest rival and world #1 Novak Djokovic to advance to the semifinals. The final score in this closely contested match: 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(4). Nadal will face #3 seeded Alex Zverev of Germany next. Nadal is shooting for his 14th French title—which may well be his last thanks to a foot injury, he says:
“Two and a half weeks ago, even if I had (positive hopes) after Rome, I didn't even know if I would be able to be here. So I'm just enjoying the fact that I am here for one more year. And being honest, every match that I play here, I don't know if it is going to be my last match in Roland Garros in my tennis career.”
In other French Open news: China’s Zheng Qinwen lost to Poland's Iga Swiatek in the fourth round due to painful menstrual cramps—which suddenly set in during the match. Later she said:
“It's just girls' things, you know. The first day is always so tough and then I have to do sport and I always have so much pain in the first day. And I couldn't go against my nature. I wish I can be a man on court, but I cannot in that moment...I really wish I can be (a) man (so) that I don't have to suffer from this.”
KK dies of a heart attack
Fifty three-year-old Krishnakumar Kunnath passed away within an hour of performing at a concert in Calcutta. Known as the voice of romance—especially for Indians who grew up in the nineties—his most famous songs include ’Yaaron’ (from ‘Rockford’) and ’Bas Ek Pal’ (from ‘Bas Ek Pal’). The Telegraph has more on the circumstances of his death. Indian Express has a list of his biggest hits. See a clip of his last performance below:
A controversy over the Indian monsoon
The India Meteorological Department insists that monsoon has arrived in India—except the assessment does not meet its own criteria. The reason:
“The monsoon is declared when eight stations across Kerala, Lakshadweep, and Karnataka, receive a minimum of 2.5 mm of rain for two consecutive days. On the day IMD chose to announce the onset of the monsoon, Sunday, only five did.”
That may seem like nitpicking, but experts say that the onset of monsoon is “a well-defined event”—and “there should not be any room for subjectivity or assumptions.” And SkyMet Weather—a weather forecasting company—strongly disagrees with the IMD:
“The monsoon onset criteria have badly failed. The monsoon surge in rainfall is not there. We do not hope to see widespread heavy rain over Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu during the next few days and the chances of monsoon progressing are also minimal during the next 4-5 days. Since IMD has declared monsoon onset so we are calling it monsoon but this [is] the pre-monsoon pattern of showers.”
The IMD has also flip-flopped on the matter. Over the past two weeks, it has predicted both an early and a delayed monsoon—and weak rainfall in early June. Why any of this matters: Timing is critical for farmers—who have to decide when to sow their crops. (Hindustan Times)
A gender difference in exercise routines
A new study found that there are different optimum times to work out for men and women. It found that women lose more belly fat and lower their blood pressure if they exercise before 8:30 am. OTOH, they improve muscle strength in their upper body as well as their overall mood and food intake if they do it in the evening. Men are less sensitive to timing, but evening exercise is better for “improving heart and metabolic health, as well as emotional wellbeing.” FYI: Scientists don’t really understand the cause for this difference—which needs more research. (BBC News)
In another health-related study: Authors of a paper published in Nature found that acute stress undermines the body’s ability to fight off infections. High levels of stress affect neurons in specific regions of the brain—which in turn trigger a large-scale migration of white blood cells (immune cells) from lymph nodes to the blood and bone marrow. This reduces the immune response to viruses such as Covid and influenza. Important to note: This is a study based on experiments on mice. (Medical Xpress)
Also useful to know: US health authorities are alarmed over a viral TikTok hack that advises folks to store their cut avocados in water—to prevent them from browning. Why this is a problem:
“The main concern is with the possibility that any residual human pathogens (i.e. Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., etc.) that may be residing on the avocado surface may potentially multiply during the storage when submerged in water.”
IKEA comes to Bangalore
Bengaluru people, rejoice! Now you too can spend vast amounts of time wandering through a giant IKEA—buying stuff you absolutely don’t need. The new store in the city will open its doors this month—a development so important that Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai announced it at Davos. MoneyControl has more details on the store.
Two things to see
One: ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ had a blockbuster opening weekend around the world—but it may never be shown in China. The reason: Tom Cruise wears a jacket with the Taiwanese flag—which is a red rag to Beijing. Reminder: China considers Taiwan to be part of its territory, and does not recognise its independence. (Bloomberg News via Business Standard)
Two: Two of England’s top women cricketers—Katherine Brunt and Nat Sciver—tied the knot at a private ceremony over the weekend. They’ve been engaged since 2019. Aww, a love story made for a Netflix romcom. (InsideSport)
Good stuff to check out!
On the latest episode of the splainer podcast ‘Press Decode’, the splainer team looks at the laws involved in the mandir-masjid controversy—and the way we use the word ‘like’. Be sure to head over to the IVM website, Spotify or Apple Podcasts to listen to it.
