Researched by: Aarthi Ramnath, Anannya Parekh & Aakriti Anand
And the pro-tem Speaker is…
Bhartruhari Mahtab—a seven-time BJP MP from Cuttack—was sworn in as the pro-tem Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha on Monday. The term ‘pro-tem’ means ‘temporary’ or ‘for the time being’ and Mahtab will preside over the House till the Speaker is decided by a simple majority on Wednesday.
The first day of the newly-elected Lok Sabha was marked by protests over Mahtab’s appointment amid the oath-taking of new MPs. Traditionally, the senior-most leader of the House is picked as the pro-tem Speaker. In this term, Congress’ Kodikunnil Suresh is the most senior MP with eight terms. The party alleges that Suresh was not picked because he belongs to the Dalit community. OTOH: the BJP claims they chose Mahtab because he has the longest uninterrupted term as an MP. Indian Express has more on the role of a pro-tem Speaker. (Hindustan Times)
More bad news about heat waves
Heat waves around the world broke over 1,400 world records in the past one week. According to experts, the last 12 months on Earth have been the hottest—measuring an average of 1.5ºC above pre industrial levels. Climate scientists noted that the month of June would be the 13th consecutive hottest month ever measured. The reason: Global warming, caused by burning fossil fuels and releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. A reminder: Heat waves in India caused 143 deaths between March and June of this year. And the death toll during the Hajj pilgrimage has crossed 1,300 people.
Why this matters: “Climate change isn’t just making high temperatures and other extreme events more likely, [climate scientist Michael] Wehner said. It also makes every disaster that does occur more intense.” The worst bit: Scientists are now not sure when El Niño’s cooler counterpart, La Niña, will set in. We have explained the weather phenomena in this Big Story. (Washington Post, paywall, Semafor)
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is free
The context: Wikileaks founder Julian Assange was charged under the US Espionage Act after he leaked hundreds of thousands of documents related to the war in Iraq and Afghanistan in late 2009. This is considered the “largest publication of classified information in American history.” He spent seven years in hiding in Ecuador’s London Embassy, from 2012 to 2019. His asylum was withdrawn after that and he has been lodged in a UK prison since, fighting extradition to the US.
What happened now: Assange has accepted a plea deal from US authorities—and will finally be free. According to a filing in a US District Court, he will plead guilty to one count of “conspiring to obtain and disclose classified US national defence documents” under the Espionage Act. However, he will not spend time in an American prison because he has already completed the term in the UK prison. He will be free to return to Australia, his country of birth, after this. The plea deal will be finalised on June 26 at a court in the Northern Mariana Islands, a Pacific island territory of the US that’s close to Australia. BBC News has more.
Child marriage abolished in Sierra Leone
In a historic decision, the African nation of Sierra Leone has officially abolished child marriage. The new law makes it a criminal offence to marry a girl under the age of 18, punishable by jail time of up to 15 years.
Why this matters: Sierra Leone has grappled with the issue of child marriage for a long time. According to UNICEF, one-third of all girls in the country are married off before their 18th birthday. As a result, many young girls do not remain in school in the country. Currently, 800,000 child brides live in Sierra Leone today and of these 400,000 were married before the age of 15. A good related read: The Guardian looks at how it will take 300 more years to eradicate child marriage from across the world. (Africa News)
Boeing Starliner’s return delayed
The context: The greatly jinxed Boeing Starliner—crewed by hamaari Sunita Williams and Butch Willmore—finally launched on June 5 after multiple delays (explained in this Big Story), and the Crew Test Flight capsule docked at the International Space Station (ISS) on June 6.
What happened now: On Friday, NASA announced that it has delayed the return of the Starliner to Earth. The capsule was meant to return on June 14, which was then delayed to June 26, and has now been pushed to sometime in July. Meanwhile, the agency is looking to schedule spacewalks outside the station on June 24 and July 2. The reason for this:
Helium leaks and a malfunctioning thruster valve hampered the Starliner's launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida on June 5. These same issues seem to be still affecting the spacecraft weeks later.
There's been a series of helium leaks in the Starliner's propulsion system, [NASA program manager Steve] Stich said during a media teleconference on June 18. So far, five leaks have been found since the Starliner has been docked at the ISS, he added.
However, the agency has clarified that Williams and Willmore are not stuck in space, and the crew is allegedly “not pressed for time to leave." But, but, but: In an earlier press conference, Stich had said that the spacecraft can stay at the ISS for 45 days. It has now been 20 days since the Starliner launched. (USA Today)
A breakthrough drug against HIV
In a major medical breakthrough, a new injectable anti-HIV drug may be able to provide 100% protection against the virus, according to a new study:
The randomized controlled trial, called Purpose 1, was conducted in Uganda and South Africa. It tested whether the every-six-months injection of lenacapavir, made by Gilead Sciences, would provide better protection against H.I.V. infection than two other drugs in wide use in high-income countries, both daily pills.
The results were so convincing that the trial was halted early at the recommendation of the independent data review committee, which said all participants should be offered the injection because it clearly provided superior protection against the virus.
But, but, but: The drug costs $42,250 per patient per year in the United States, where it is currently approved for treatment. The company has agreed to sell it “at prices that enable widespread availability” as soon as possible for low-income countries but the drug may not be available till next year.
Why this matters: According to a humanitarian worker in Eastern Africa: “For a young woman who can’t get to an appointment at a clinic in a town, a young woman who can’t keep pills without facing stigma or violence — an injection just twice a year is the option that could keep her free of HIV.” (New York Times, paywall, CNBC)
Fresh trouble for Apple in EU
The context: The European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) has introduced a sweeping set of changes in the bloc’s antitrust rules, which regulate big tech companies. These include making services interoperable, allowing customers to choose their preferred search engine and browser, and ensuring that companies do not blockout their competitors who offer similar services. The deadline to comply with the rules was March 2024.
What happened now: Apple has become the first company to be charged for violating the DMA in the EU.
Under the DMA’s provisions, app developers must be allowed to inform customers of cheaper purchasing options and direct them to those offers.
The commission, the bloc’s executive arm, said App Store rules “prevent app developers from freely steering consumers to alternative channels for offers and content.”
According to the regulators, the charges are preliminary, and Apple has the opportunity to respond to them. A final decision will be made in March 2025. If found guilty, Apple could be charged with fines of up to 10% of its global revenue, or face daily fines. FYI: The company’s revenue was $383 billion last year. (New York Times, paywall, Associated Press)
T20 World Cup: Here are the semifinalists
The Rohit Sharma show: India beat Australia by 24 runs on Monday confirming their semifinal berth. Captain Rohit Sharma smashed 92 runs from 41 balls, including 28 runs in an over bowled by Mitchell Starc, as India raced to a formidable total of 205. Australia were in a commanding position during the run chase thanks to Travis Head scoring 76 from 43 balls. But wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav led India’s fightback, with help from a sensational catch by Axar Patel. India will face defending champions England in Guyana on June 27 and will look to avoid a repeat of the 2022 semifinal, which England had won by 10 wickets. ESPNCricinfo breaks down India’s win in St Lucia.
You can see Rohit’s sublime hitting in the clip below:
And here’s Axar Patel’s 'perfectly-timed' one-hand catch:
England advances to the semis: after ruthlessly thrashing USA to get a 10-wicket win on Sunday in Barbados. England’s captain Jos Buttler scored 83 from 38 balls, securing the win. Bowler Chris Jordan also took a hat-trick—which was the team’s first in T20. ESPNcricinfo has the match report. You can see Buttler’s massive 104m six, which dented a solar panel atop the stadium, in the vid below: (BBC News)
Also in the semis: South Africa, who clinched a three-wicket win over West Indies, in a rain-disrupted thriller on Monday. They bowled first and restricted West Indies to 135. Resuming after the rain, South Africa were challenged by the off spin of Roston Chase, but chased down their revised target of 123 in 17 overs, with the help of Heinrich Klaasen, who made 21 runs off nine balls. Indian Express has the play-by-play.
Olympics 2024: Not without my AC!
The context: The organisers of the Paris Olympics had very early on declared that their goal was to cut the carbon footprint of the Games by half—compared to London in 2012 and Rio in 2016. To this end, the organising committee decided to forego air conditioners at the Olympic Village—choosing to resort to a system of cooling pipes underneath the floors and equipping the rooms with fans instead.
What happened now: All their efforts to be environmentally sustainable seem to be futile, as the US Olympic contingent has decided to bring their own air conditioners to Paris for the 2024 Games.
U.S. Olympic and Paralympic CEO Sarah Hirshland said Friday that while the U.S. team appreciates efforts aimed at sustainability, the federation would be supplying AC units for what is typically the largest contingent of athletes at the Summer Games.
“As you can imagine, this is a period of time in which consistency and predictability is critical for Team USA’s performance,” Hirshland said. “In our conversations with athletes, this was a very high priority and something that the athletes felt was a critical component in their performance capability.”
The US is not the only one. Contingents from Germany, Australia, Italy, Canada, and the UK are also expected to carry portable AC units. Anything to win, it seems. (Associated Press)
Two things to see
One: NASA captured a rare and mind blowing natural event over the Himalayas, where a series of “gigantic jets” were seen going up during a thunderstorm. These jets are actually a powerful type of lightning, only discovered in the 21st century, which take place between some thunderstorms and the Earth’s ionosphere. They are different from regular lightning. You can see what they look like below. (Indian Express)
Two: A telemedicine startup has developed a “moving eyeball in the stomach” by creating a remote-controlled, digestible, mini-robotic camera that could reduce the need for invasive medical procedures. It’s called the PillBot, and it aims to act like a virtual endoscope, and allow people to consult doctors from home. It’s about the size of a pistachio, and comes with thrusters that allow it to move down the food tract like a drone. Interesting Engineering has all the nerdy details. You can see the magic pill in action in the vid below.
