Researched & collated by: Vagda Galhotra

A horrific plane crash in China

What happened: A Boeing 737-800 operated by China Eastern Airlines seems to have just fallen out of the sky. It took off from Kunming and was midway to its destination. The plane was cruising at 29,100 feet—when it plummeted more than 20,000 feet in just over a minute. It is being described as almost “a vertical drop.” The domestic flight was carrying 132 passengers and crew members—all of whom are likely dead. This is China’s worst aviation disaster since 2010—when a crash killed 42 people.

See the plane nosedive below: 

Another Boeing? To be clear, this plane was not the 737 Max—which were grounded for over a year after two back-to-back crashes (explained here). This 737-800 NG is a narrow-bodied plane that is typically used for shorter routes. And it belongs to a series of models that have a good safety record: only 12 fatal events over 100 million flights. But just to be safe, Beijing has grounded all 737-800s for now. And Boeing’s stock dropped by more than 4% after the crash.

The likely cause: is almost impossible to know until the flight recorders are recovered and analysed. Some experts say the sudden descent—without any SOS calls—looks similar to an older crash where a pilot deliberately crashed an Airbus into the Alps. But most are puzzled at the trajectory—where the nose was pointing down: “It’s an odd profile. It’s hard to get the airplane to do this.” BBC News has the most details of the crash. Bloomberg News explains why experts are puzzled.

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.

• Ukraine turned down Russia’s offer to offer safe passage to residents of Mariupol if they surrender. Meanwhile, shelling flattened a Kyiv mall—killing eight who were sheltering there (see photos here)
• The United Nation’s number for the number of Ukrainian refugees is now 10 million. Almost one in four have been forced to flee their home.
• Among the casualties: a 96-year-old Holocaust survivor in Kharkiv.
• A Moscow court has found Meta guilty of “extremist activity.” Facebook and Instagram are banned in Russia—but WhatsApp is still okay.
• The Moscow stock market opened for partial trading—but only for bond trading.
• Hopes of peace remain dim as a Kremlin spokesman ruled out direct talks between Presidents Putin and Zelenskyy.
• Some good related reads: Vijay Prashad in Mail & Guardian challenges the good vs evil narrative of the invasion. CNN has more on the huge backlash against Russian critics of the war—who are being labelled ‘traitors’. This translation of a Chinese commentator’s argument in favour of supporting Russia may be the clearest articulation of Beijing’s calculations.

Huge tech layoffs in China

The biggest tech companies in the country—including WeChat and Alibaba—have started laying off thousands of workers. The total number runs as high as 20% of the staff. There are two key reasons for the severe cuts. One, Beijing has clamped down with strict new regulations to curb what it calls “capitalist excesses.” Two, the economy is slowing down: “China aims to grow its economy by around 5.5% this year, the lowest target in more than a quarter-century of economic planning.” (Wall Street Journal via Mint)

Meanwhile, in India: Women resellers employed by Meesho have become collateral damage in its pivot to direct selling. The company used to be a social commerce platform—where resellers bought products from the platform and sold it to customers, charging a commission. It helped many women—especially those working from home—become independent. But the company changed its strategy and has now become a standard e-commerce platform—selling directly to consumers. The effect on the livelihoods of 15 million resellers has been devastating. Entrackr spoke to a number of them.

Speaking of China: According to top US defence officials, China has fully militarised at least three islands in the disputed parts of the South China Sea. They are calling it “the largest military buildup since World War II” by the Chinese military. Associated Press has an exclusive report on the buildup. BBC News explains why this region matters. 

The great pandemic: The latest update

• The government is planning to greenlight booster shots for everybody. One reason: Indians who do not have the third jab are facing travel restrictions when travelling abroad. 
• The country’s top vaccination advisor panel has recommended reducing the gap between Covishield shots to 8-16 weeks.
• The US is dealing with rising cases thanks to the BA.2 variant—which is about 50% to 60% more transmissible than Omicron but does not appear to cause more severe illness.
• According to the latest trial data, the new AstraZeneca antibody cocktail is highly effective in preventing and treating infection caused by all Omicron variants—including BA.2. Other recent UK trials showed that it cut the risk of developing symptomatic Covid by 77%.

Worrying news about Earth’s poles

Scientists are alarmed by rising temperatures at both the North and South pole—calling the trends “historic,” “unprecedented” and “dramatic.” Temperatures in Antarctica reached record levels on the weekend—rising 40°C above normal in places—while the Arctic soared to 30°C above normal. Why this is notable: At this time of the year, the South Pole should be cooling after its summer—while the North Pole should be slowly emerging from its winter: “For both poles to show such heating at once is unprecedented.”

Why it matters: 

“[T]he melting could also trigger further cascading changes that will accelerate climate breakdown. As polar sea ice melts, particularly in the Arctic, it reveals dark sea that absorbs more heat than reflective ice, warming the planet further. Much of the Antarctic ice covers land, and its melting raises sea levels.”

Kanye has been cancelled

The rapper has been banned from performing at the upcoming Grammy awards due to “concerning online behaviour.” Ye recently hurled racially charged slurs at Daily Show host Trevor Noah—which got him kicked off Instagram. The kicker: Ye is nominated for five Grammys this year, including album of the year for Donda and best rap song for ‘Jail’. (NPR)

Four things to see

One: Swedish pole vault champion Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis cleared 6.20 metres—and broke his own world record. Watch the moment below. (Associated Press)

Two: Australia returned 29 stolen artefacts to India—some dating back to the ninth century—ahead of a virtual summit between PMs Modi and Morisson. You can see an example below–and the other art in tweets here and here.  (Indian Express)

Three: William & Kate are on a trip to Belize to persuade Caribbean nations not to follow in the footsteps of Barbados—which officially removed Queen Elizabeth as its head of state. As a reminder of the benefits of hanging with royalty, William offered up his best hip-shaking dance moves lol! (Daily Mail)

Four: No one does passive-aggressive better than this single cyclist holding up an entire convoy of angry truckers—protesting Covid restrictions in Washington. (Slate)

Good stuff to check out

On the latest episode of the splainer podcast ‘Press Decode’, the splainer team discusses the revelations of an explosive Al Jazeera investigation into the ties between Facebook, the BJP and Reliance. Be sure to head over to the IVM website, Spotify or Apple Podcasts to listen to it.