Researched by: Aarthi Ramnath & Anannya Parekh
Haryana violence: The latest update
The context: Six people were killed during a yatra taken out by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. The trigger appears to have been reports of the presence of Monu Manesar. He is the prime suspect in the horrific killings of two Muslim men—who were kidnapped on suspicion of cow smuggling in February. The Bajrang Dal activist had posted a video on social media boasting of his plans to participate in the yatra. A handful of teenagers pelted stones on the vehicles participating in the yatra—which was followed by rioting in the Muslim-dominated district of Nuh.
What happened now: The Supreme Court directed authorities in Haryana to crack down on any kind of hate speech. But it did not stop protesters from holding rallies outside the police stations—asking to expel Muslims from the neighbourhood.
As a result, many Muslim families—especially Bengali migrants have fled Gurgaon. The Hindu has that story.
A controversial study on the BJP
A research paper by an Ashoka University professor alleges that there are serious discrepancies in BJP victories. It was unusually more likely to win in closely contested elections—especially in states ruled by the BJP. The conclusions—which suggest vote manipulation—have inevitably created a political firestorm. Ashoka University pointed out the paper has not been peer-reviewed or published as yet. (The Hindu)
Editor’s note: We’re looking into doing a Big Story on the study—by someone who understands the data. So stay tuned!
Content alert: The item below contains descriptions of horrific sexual violence.
Human rights horrors in Russian camps
A human rights report reveals that nearly half of Ukrainians held in Russian detention centers in Kherson were subjected to widespread torture—including sexual violence, It looked at 320 cases across more than 35 camps. Most of those targeted were members of the military or their family members:
According to the report, at least 36 victims from the pool analysed mentioned the use of electrocution during interrogations, often genital electrocution by Russian guards. Other victims mentioned threats of genital mutilation, and at least one victim was forced to witness the rape of another detainee by a foreign object covered in a condom.
CNN has the terrible details.
Another dead cheetah in Kuno
An adult female—one of the two remaining in the wild—has been found dead. She was being tracked down—in order to remove her radio collar, which recently caused fatal infections in two other cheetahs (explained in this Big Story). The death toll at Kuno is now nine cheetahs—including three cubs.
Meanwhile, South African and Namibian members of the project’s steering committee, wrote to the Supreme Court—raising “serious concerns” over its management:
They have underlined that some of the cheetah deaths “could have been prevented by better monitoring of the animals and more appropriate” and timely “veterinary care” — had the experts been brought into the picture rather than being “ignored” and used as mere “window-dressing.”
There are now 14 cheetahs left within enclosures—and one lone female out in the wild. (The Hindu)
Justin Trudeau is getting divorced
The Canadian prime minister is separating from his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau after 18 years. And of course, he announced it on Insta—saying they made the decision after “many meaningful and difficult conversations.” FYI: Trudeau is the second prime minister to get divorced while in office. The first was his father: Pierre Trudeau. (CBS News)
Coming soon: Barcodes for medicines
Pharmaceutical companies have been ordered to put barcodes or QR codes on the labels of the 300 best-known brands—including Allegra, Shelcal, Calpol, Dolo, and Meftal Spas. The move is aimed at weeding out fake drugs. When scanned, they will reveal the following info:
The unique product identification code shall have proper and generic name of the drug; brand name; name and address of the manufacturer; batch number; date of manufacturing; date of expiry; and manufacturing license number.
Mint has more details.
Lizzo sued for sexual harassment
The pop star beloved for her body-positivity has been accused of sexual harassment by three tour dancers—and creating a toxic workplace:
The suit details an incident at an Amsterdam club earlier this year in which the singer allegedly “began inviting cast members to take turns touching the nude performers, catching dildos launched from the performers’ vaginas, and eating bananas protruding from the performers’ vaginas”, the suit says.
Lizzo is also accused of weight-shaming—and even being racist towards Black dancers. Billboard and The Guardian have lots more on the allegations.
China cracks down on smartphone use
The Chinese government is considering the creation of a “minor mode” on all smartphones:
The proposed rules would effectively ban all smartphone use for children between 10pm and 6am, as well as limit screen time based on staggered age brackets. Children under the age of 8 would be limited to 40 minutes of screen time a day, children between 8 and 16 years old would be limited to one hour, and teenagers between 16 and 18 would get two hours.
Although the decision is not final, shares of the biggest Chinese tech firms promptly dropped by 3-5%. (Quartz)
Speaking of crackdowns: The government has forced Twitter to take down a number of tweets related to the railway constable who killed three Muslim passengers—and his supervisor—on Monday. The offending tweets were shared by politicians like Asaduddin Owaisi, journalists like Rana Ayyub and Mohammed Zubair and even parody accounts. (Scroll)
Political chaos in Thailand
The context: In May—after a decade of military rule—the nation voted for two of the biggest opposition parties—and for radical reform. Move Forward led by the charismatic Pita Limjaroenrat emerged as the single largest party—and it received the support of the other major opposition party: Pheu Thai. But Pita has failed to get the votes required to become prime minister—thanks to rules introduced by the military. The senate—made up of 250 unelected members solely chosen by the army—have relentlessly opposed him.
What happened now: The coalition between Move Forward and Pheu Thai has fallen apart. The latter dumped Move Forward after it became clear that the military will never accept Pita. The next move: Pheu Thai will claim its stake for the top spot—led by a real estate tycoon who may be more acceptable. Why this is a big deal: Pita is hugely popular with young Thai voters—who are likely to be very angry. This Big Story has more on why this election was momentous for Thailand. (Reuters)
Babies like their Van Goghs
A new study suggests that our taste in art develops at the tender age of—four months! Researchers found that both babies and adults have “visual preferences” when presented with paintings by Vincent Van Gogh. As in they tend to like the same paintings. The overall favourite across all ages: Green Corn Stalks—and not the best-known The Starry Night—which is surprising. (Independent UK)
Two things to see
One: Scientists have found the oldest species of jellyfish—preserved as a 505 million year-old fossil in Canada. Why this is remarkable: “They are made of 95% water and decay quickly, so fossilised specimens are rarely found.” Since the actual fossil isn’t much to see, here’s an artist’s rendering of what the creature would have looked like. (The Guardian)
Two: The latest Netflix India series is called ‘Guns & Gulaabs’—starring Rajkummar Rao, Dulquer Salmaan, Adarsh Gourav and Gulshan Devaiah. It seems to be a dark cops & robbers comedy. The series drops on August 18.
