Researched by: Aarthi Ramnath, Anannya Parekh & Aakriti Anand
Our experiments with YouTube: A new format!
We’ve been playing with different formats for our YouTube show. We recently tried a daily news wrap—which didn’t quite work with the platform—where discovery happens days later. So we’ve switched to a twice-weekly version—that’s more like a newsmagazine.
It’s a great option when you don’t have time to read us every day. You get a video version of our best stories twice a week. Do check it out and—most importantly—share it with your friends, fam, colleagues and more. It’s a great cost-free way to introduce someone to splainer—especially if they are text-averse. The Friday edition is below.
Gaza shocker: ICC prosecutor’s arrest warrant request
The International Criminal Court prosecutor—Karim Khan—has asked for arrest warrants for three Hamas leaders—and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The charge: war crimes and crimes against humanity in relation to the October 7 attack and the war in Gaza.
The Hamas leaders named are:
Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas chief in Gaza, and Mohammed Deif, the commander of its military wing, considered to be the masterminds of the 7 October assault, as well as Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of the group’s political bureau, who is based in Qatar, as wanted for crimes of extermination, murder, hostage-taking, rape, sexual assault and torture.
As for the Israelis:
Netanyahu and Gallant are accused of extermination, causing starvation as a method of war, the denial of humanitarian relief supplies and deliberately targeting civilians. Monday’s statement notably does not include any Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officials, such as its chief of staff, Lt Gen Herzi Halevi, focusing instead on political decision-making.
Washington is shocked (horrified, outraged etc) at this attempt to suggest any equivalence between Israel and Hamas.
To be clear: There is no danger of anyone being put behind bars. The request will be considered by a pre-trial panel of three judges—who “take on average two months to consider the evidence and determine if the proceedings can move forward.” But it would be huge PR thappad for Tel Aviv:
The ICC has previously issued warrants for Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Muammar Gaddafi of Libya, the Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony and the former president of Sudan Omar al-Bashir, but no leader of a “western-style” democracy has ever been issued a warrant.
The Guardian has more on the warrant—and Amal Clooney’s role.
Taiwan has a president… Beijing hates
The context: Taiwan held its presidential and parliamentary elections in January. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and its candidate Lai Ching-te won comfortably with 40% of the vote. Lai “rejects China’s sovereignty claims over the island”—and he’s working towards Taiwan’s independence. Needless to say, Beijing loathes him and the DPP.
What happened now: President Lai was finally sworn into office on Monday. He immediately asked China to stop its “military and political threats”—and more:
We also want to declare this to the world: Taiwan makes no concessions on democracy and freedom. Peace is the only option and prosperity is our goal for long-term peace and stability…. Fellow citizens, we have the ideal to pursue peace, but we must not have illusions," he said. "Before China gives up using force to invade Taiwan, citizens must understand this: Even if we accept all of China's claims and give up our sovereignty, China's ambition to annex Taiwan will not disappear.
Dem’s fighting words designed to enrage Beijing—so it will be interesting to see what happens next. Needless to say, the US is delighted. We are just as impressed with the awesome blue horsey. ICYMI: this Big Story has lots more context on why this election matters. (BBC News)
Meanwhile, in South Africa: The country’s top court blocked Jacob Zuma’s bid to run in the parliamentary elections. African National Congress party leader and former president was forced to resign—and sent to jail—because he refused to cooperate with a corruption investigation (see: this Big Story). Up next: more rioting from his supporters. (BBC News)
A scorching heat wave in Delhi
Temperatures reached 47.8°C—the highest temperature in the country—while Agra came a close second with 47.7°C. Unfortunately, the misery won’t end any time soon—according to the Indian Meteorological Department—which has issued a red alert for the capital. Also expected to share in its misery: most of north India—including Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, and West Rajasthan.
The domino effect: The scorching heat has obviously resulted in a great surge in the demand for electricity—hitting a record high this May. More air conditioning generates more heat—which leads to greater demand for ACs. The very definition of a vicious cycle. A good related read: This 2023 Guardian piece on the surge in AC demand in India. (Economic Times)
Three health stories of note
Controversy over Covaxin: The government is very unhappy with a BHU study that flagged side-effects of the made-in-India Covid vaccine. The Indian Council of Medical Sciences (ICMR) has threatened legal action against the university. According to the study, nearly a third of those vaccinated experienced adverse reactions. Mint has the detailed rebuttal from the ICMR.
The problem with pot: There’s been a lot of attention paid to the effects of marijuana on teenagers—and young adults. But a new study shows that folks over the age of 60 may be at serious risk for ‘cannabis poisoning’. The number of ER cases doubled after Canada decriminalised the sale of cannabis flowers—and tripled when edibles became legal as well.
One reason: “Many cannabis strains are far more potent than in past decades, and seniors who used the drug earlier in life may underestimate the concentrations.” FYI: Other reporting also shows that legalised marijuana is way stronger than the illicit kind—an unexpected risk introduced by decriminalisation. (New York Times, paywall, CNN)
Breakthrough in breast cancer: Scientists have found a way to preserve breast tissue outside the body for at least a week—using a special gel solution. Why this matters:
This new approach means that we can start to determine which drugs will work for which women by measuring their impact on living tissue. Ultimately, this means that women can take the most effective drug for their particular genetic makeup.
This could mean fewer clinical trials, greater accuracy of drugs, and reduced animal testing. FYI: Breast cancer is the second most common form of cancer in the world. (The Guardian)
AI chatbots: Unsafe at all times
A UK government report shows that all five large language models (LLMs)—that power the best-known AI chatbots—can be easily ‘broken’. Translation: The so-called safety measures talked up by companies like OpenAI, Meta etc. are entirely ineffective:
All tested models remain highly vulnerable to basic “jailbreaks”, and some will produce harmful outputs even without dedicated attempts to circumvent safeguards…The AISI found that safeguards could be circumvented with “relatively simple” attacks, by, for instance, instructing the system to start its response with phrases like “Sure, I’m happy to help”.
But, interestingly, they’re terrible at planning cyber attacks—which may be a clue to the priorities of the safety teams at these companies. (The Guardian)
Malayalam cinema is hot, hot, hot!
We’ve barely passed the first quarter of 2024—and Malayalam cinema has already zoomed past the Rs 100 million ($120 million) mark at the box office—making it a landmark year in the history of Mollywood. This is a significant jump from 2023—when only 15 of the 220 new releases managed to break even.
This year’s jaw-dropping performance is down to three films—which contributed 55% of the total: ‘Manjummel Boys’, ‘Aadujeevitham’ and ‘Aavesham’. The reason behind this success: Malayalam films first focus on their primary audience—the Malayalis—who are always ready to head to the theatre to try something new. This also makes the industry more open to experimentation:
Unlike star-driven industries such as Telugu and Hindi, it is the scriptwriter who pitches ideas to lead stars in the Malayalam industry, after which producers and directors come on board, making sure the writing is compelling. In Hindi and Telugu cinema, on the other hand, projects are put together as proposals for top stars who agree to work with producers, after which scripts are hunted for.
FYI: After a rocking SRK-driven 2023, Bollywood is once again in a slump. (Mint, paywall, Indian Express)
Three things to see
One: Blue Origin made news in 2021 when owner Jeff Bezos headed to space with other civilians––like William Shatner—who became the oldest person in space. The latest flight set a new record–with 90-year-old Ed Dwight. If you care, the pilot was an NRI: Gopi Thotakura. You can see them floating in joy below. (CNN)
Two: Say hello to the “half-plane, half-copter” from Airbus. The $217 million Racer is an experimental craft—aimed at developing the ultimate prize: a super speedy helicopter. The Racer will fly at 220 knots (400 km/hour) compared with traditional helicopter speeds closer to 140 knots. Watch its first flight from Marseille in France below. (Reuters)
Three: Ahead of the Paris Olympics, the French Post Office has issued a new stamp that honours the country’s national heritage. Nope, not the Eiffel Tower—but the delicious baguette! The best bit: The ink on it contains microcapsules of “bakery scent”—so it’s a scratch-and-sniff stamp! (The Guardian)
