Researched and collated by: Vagda Galhotra & Anagha Srinivasan
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We are hiring for a key position in our editorial team to join the brilliantly talented splainer fam. The job includes daily editorial responsibilities, co-hosting our podcast plus working closely with our brand partners. Unlike the average newsroom gig, this is a lot more than the standard writing/editing job. 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.
- 1-2 years of experience—though not necessarily in journalism. But if you don’t have a passion for news this is likely not the job for you.
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Game over for Thackeray?
The numbers in rebel MLA Eknath Shinde’s camp swelled to the magic number of 37—which is two-thirds of the Shiv Sena total of 55 seats. This means the rebels will not have to resign their seats—and can form a separate faction. Meanwhile, the Thackeray camp sent mixed signals—promising to leave the alliance with Congress and NCP if the rebels returned—but also insisting that 21 defecting MLAs will vote for the alliance in a floor test. Meanwhile, the BJP is keeping mum and waiting for the final floor test—so they can be absolutely sure of the government’s demise. If you need context for this political drama, check out our Big Story from yesterday. (Indian Express)
Coming up next: An airline strike in the UK
The country is already in chaos thanks to the rail worker strike—which is expected to shut down half the British rail network. Now, British Airways workers at Heathrow have voted to strike during the school summer holidays—adding to summer travel mayhem. What the unions want: to reverse a 10% pay cut on workers that was imposed during the pandemic. (Sky News)
Maradona’s medical staff to be tried for homicide
An investigation by 20 experts has concluded that all eight members of the medical team—tasked with caring for the football legend—acted in an “inappropriate, deficient and reckless manner.” Maradona died at 60 in 2020 from a heart attack—while recovering from a surgery on a blood clot in his brain. All eight will be tried for homicide—in this case defined as negligence committed in the knowledge that it may lead to a person’s death. If convicted, the accused could face jail terms from eight to 25 years. (BBC News)
Social stress ages your immune system
A US study has found that anxiety—over issues such as career, home, family or discrimination—has serious effects on your body’s ability to fight disease. Specifically, more stressed out people have worn-out T cells, lower numbers of young T cells—and a greater number of “zombie” cells. The last are cells that no longer divide but refuse to die—and are typically killed by T cells. Why this matters:
“Such cells have been shown to contribute to chronic inflammation. As more and more build up in the body, they promote conditions of ageing, such as osteoporosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and Alzheimer's disease.”
So working on those stress levels is a lot more important than we’d think. CNN has more on how they’re linked.
A relocation list to reduce stress: Check out the world’s most liveable cities—collated and ranked by the Economist Intelligence Unit. It rates living conditions in 172 cities based on more than 30 factors that are grouped into five categories: stability, health care, culture and environment, education and infrastructure. At #1 this year: Vienna—followed by Copenhagen and Zurich. At rock bottom: Damascus—which is a war zone, so we’re not sure that’s quite fair. Others in the bottom five include Karachi, Lagos and Tripoli. As for Indian cities, we don’t have the exact rankings but they seem to be clustered somewhere in the middle. (Economist or CNN)
Trying to do better: Delhi—whose Indira Gandhi International airport has become the second in India to be powered entirely by renewable energy. The first was Kochi. The airport will be run mainly on hydro power—with a bit of solar (6%). (Quartz)
Also trying to do better: Gautam Adani who pledged $7.7 billion to social causes to mark his 60th birthday. He said: “This is one [of] the largest transfers made to a foundation in Indian corporate history.” OTOH, Adani’s total net worth is almost $92 billion—and he added a little more than $15 billion to his wealth just this year. (Bloomberg News via NDTV)
Rupert Murdoch is getting divorced… again!
The 91-year-old media mogul is splitting up with his fourth wife, Jerry Hall—whose other claim to fame is her marriage to Rolling Stone legend Mick Jagger. Murdoch’s list of exes also includes Wendi Deng. That marriage ended in the midst of rumours of her affairs with Tony Blair and Google founder Eric Schmidt. We have no inkling as to why this latest one—which lasted six years—collapsed. (New York Times)
Four things to see
One: A Tata Nexon electric car caught on fire in Mumbai—but mercifully the driver was unhurt thanks to early warnings signalled by the dashboard. Previous instances of this kind of spontaneous combustion have involved scooters. The government and the company plan to investigate the cause. FYI: This is not just an India problem. Toyota just recalled its entire fleet of 2,700 electric cars in the US. For more context: We did a detailed Big Story on exploding scooters. Economic Times has more on what happened.
Two: Meet Trumpet—the first ever bloodhound to win the prestigious Westminster dog show. He beat over 3,500 dogs of more than 200 different breeds for the big prize. Of course he did! Just look at him! (CNN)
Three: A man was beaten up by angry men for kissing his wife while taking a holy dip in Ayodhya. One of them yells: “Such vulgarity will not be tolerated in Ayodhya.” Ah, violence is not sacreligious—unlike love. (NDTV)
Four: Airbnb has set up a $10 million fund to inspire hosts to build “100 of the craziest and most unique property ideas”—and each winner will get $100,000 for the makeover. These zany rentals will be offered under the “OMG!” category of “hyperbolic, experiential homes”—which already include the giant boot house and UFO below. (Fast Company)