Researched and collated by: Vagda Galhotra, Rachel John, Ayaan Malhotra & Samara Prabhakar
The 5G auction heats up
Everyone was expecting a big brawl between Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani in the upcoming auction for 5G rights. But Adani surprised everyone by putting up a mere Rs 1 billion (Rs 100 crore) as deposit—the size of which indicates the bidder’s “appetite, strategy and plan.” OTOH, Mukesh-bhai has slapped down the biggest amount: Rs 140 billion (Rs 14,000 crore)—followed by Bharti Airtel, Rs 55 billion (Rs 5,500 crore) and Vodafone, Rs 22 billion (Rs 2,200 crore). One industry executive told Mint: “Adani is out of the competition. They cannot be expected to buy 5G spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band at all, which means no consumer business.” (The Telegraph)
A deadly virus in Africa
Ghana has confirmed two cases of the Marburg virus—a disease that belongs to the Ebola family. The virus is transmitted through fruit bats and spreads via direct contact with infected bodily fluids—or objects contaminated by them. It is a severe, often fatal, illness—whose symptoms include headache, fever, muscle pains, vomiting blood and bleeding. Worse, there is no cure for it—other than drinking plenty of water and treating specific symptoms. The worst outbreak was in Angola in 2005, when 200 people died. The good news: The cases have been caught early—and 98 people have already been quarantined. (BBC News)
In other worrying news: The number of monkeypox cases (explained here) continue to rise in the US. The latest tally: 1,814—which is “very likely an undercount.” Some experts warn that the spread may already be beyond control: “I think the window for getting control of this and containing it probably has closed. And, if it hasn’t closed, it’s certainly starting to close.” Meanwhile Kerala has reported a second case—and the government has ordered stricter airport screening procedures. The Guardian has more details.
Some good news about palm oil
Indonesia is the largest producer of palm oil—which is used in everything from cooking oil for fast food and snacks to lipsticks and shampoos. So when the country banned its export in the wake of the Ukraine invasion, global prices skyrocketed. Among the most affected: India—the world’s biggest palm oil importer in the world. Also: we get 70% of our palm oil from Indonesia. The good news: Indonesia is now drowning in palm oil. To get rid of excess inventory, it has lifted the ban—and now export duties. Why you care: This is very good news for Indians who are already struggling with rising inflation of basic goods. For more on our palm oil addiction, read our Big Story. (Reuters)
Speaking of oil: EU countries made big moves to secure their energy supplies—as Russia cut gas supplies by 60%. Fearing a complete cut-off, the EU signed a deal with Azerbaijan—while France inked an agreement with the UAE. One teeny worry: “It should be taken into account that the route of Azerbaijani gas to Europe passes through Russia’s sphere of influence.” (CNBC)
Speaking of Europe: The continent continues to bake in the midst of record-breaking heatwaves. Next in line for a blast of scorching temperatures: The UK, where officials have issued the country’s first-ever extreme heat warning—amid forecasts that the previous record high of 38.7°C may be shattered. It’s so hot in London that runways at Luton airport are “melting.” (Al Jazeera)
Mohammed Zubair’s arrest: The latest update
The Supreme Court finally noticed a pattern in the flurry of cases being filed against the Alt News co-founder, observing:
“What seems to be happening is that as he gets bail in one case, say, the Delhi case, or bail in the Sitapur case—the moment this happens, then another FIR is filed against him or he is produced in another FIR. So the vicious circle continues.”
The Court ordered the UP government not to take any “precipitative action” in the five FIRs filed in the state. It will hear the matter again on July 20. FYI: Zubair is still in jail as of now. Of the six cases, he has secured bail in two of them. For more background on his arrest, read our previous Big Story. (The Telegraph)
James Webb telescope has been damaged
Here’s a bit of bad news. Back in May, the world’s most powerful space telescope was hit by a micrometeoroid. A new report shows that it damaged a key 6.5-metre mirror—causing “significant uncorrectable change”—which will have a “small effect on the telescope throughput, which is not yet measurable.” The actual impact will only become clear over the long run. For now, the telescope is still sending back unprecedented views of the universe. Scientists expected the telescope to be hit by micrometeoroids—and that its mirrors and sunshield would “unavoidably slowly degrade.” But this one did more harm than expected—and NASA hopes it’s a rare event. (Forbes)
An appalling bra ban in Kerala
Students appearing for the NEET exam—the common entrance test for medical colleges—were asked to remove their bras. The reason: According to the rules, metal is prohibited inside an exam room—and the bras have metal hooks. When one of them refused, she was not allowed to sit for the test. Her father said:
“The children were very uncomfortable. Many of them were crying. If it is the rule, they can check the innerwear during frisking. But why remove them? There are no such rules in the NEET bulletin.”
The college where the test was held denies any responsibility—and pointed its finger at the agencies hired by the government-run National Testing Agency (NTA) to frisk and note attendance. FYI: this is not the first time this has happened. And rules are invented at will at different venues. (The News Minute)
A bizarre Delhi arrest of an American woman
A 27-year-old allegedly staged her own kidnapping to trick her parents into sending her money. She claimed on a video call that she had been brutally assaulted and was being held hostage. When the US embassy reached out to the police, they tracked down her IP address—which led them to her location:
“After her rescue, it was revealed that she had staged the incident to blackmail her parents. She had befriended the Nigerian man via social media and stayed with him after reaching India. They have a passion for singing, and he was a stage performer. This might be the reason for their friendship.”
The cherry on top: Her visa had expired—as had his passport. (Indian Express)
Four things to see
One: India beat England 2-1 in the ODI series—after being walloped in the second match by 100 runs. Victory is always sweet—but made even sweeter with fizzing bottles of champagne. An absolutely drenched Rohit Sharma, madman Virat Kohli… too good! (NDTV)
Two: This is a far less happy sports story—and far too familiar. AC Milan midfielder Tiémoué Bakayoko was stopped by Italian police at gunpoint at a checkpoint in Milan on July 3. Video of the incident has now surfaced—and gone viral. They continued frisking him—for no apparent reason—until one of them realised who he was. (CNN)
Three: Jennifer Lopez shared the first photos and clips from her wedding with Ben Affleck in Las Vegas. You can see them all over at EOnline. We’re more amused by Ben’s hilariously random bathroom selfie…. What is he doing?
Four: Bobby, a sanitation worker in Mathura, found portraits of Narendra Modi and Yogi Adityanath in the garbage. So he put them in the cart—but was accosted by angry men who took them away. He has now been sacked for his ‘crime’. Authorities are also trying to track down the people who dumped the photos in the garbage. Mathura Mayor Mukesh Arya Bandhu explains what he did wrong. (The Telegraph)
Good stuff to check out!
On the latest episode of the splainer podcast ‘Press Decode,’ the team debates two very different issues—chaos in Sri Lanka and the dubious system of determining “authenticity” in art. Be sure to head over to the IVM website, Spotify or Apple Podcasts to listen to it.