headlines that matter

editor’s note

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Splainer is making changes

Last week, we ran a two-part series on the dismal state of the news industry—and how minnows like splainer are finding novel strategies to survive. Starting today, we are putting some of those new ideas to work:

The first big change is that we dropped everything in one big edition: Big Story, the quiz, good reads and curious facts. Much of this used to be spread across the week.
Headlines That Matter was sent in a separate email today—so you can read it in your inbox or on the app/site.
Yes, it’s annoying but it’s only on Monday. A tech fix requires moving way too much furniture on the back end.
For the rest of the week—Tuesday through Friday—you will only receive the headlines. We have a new, expanded format to make sure you stay updated through the week.

Please send questions, complaints and advice to me at lakshmi@splainer.in.

Bye Bye, Biden! Hello, Harris?

Stop the presses—Joe Biden has dropped out! He became the first US President to drop out of a race this late in the campaign. Biden said he made the call “in the best interest of my party and the country”—and (NRIs rejoice!) endorsed Kamala Harris. Why Biden changed his mind over the weekend: New campaign polls show that he cannot win. Politico has that story. Check out our Big Story for more context on Biden’s age problem.

Is it gonna be Kamala? It certainly isn’t a done deal. According to the New York Times, the Dems can do one of two things. Rally around Harris as a show of unity. Or decide anointing a nominee from up top will enrage party delegates—and for some kind of democratic process:

That would require another candidate to get in the race. If that happens, there could be party-sanctioned forums across the country, with candidates questioned by a moderator in front of a national television audience. Short of that, the candidates could embark on a month-long national campaign, jetting across the country to solicit support from state delegates and delegations.

Point to note: Biden does not control who will be his successor. And there are plenty of contenders—from governors like Gavin Newsom in California, to Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. We’re keeping an eye out for Newsom and Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer. The good news for Harris: She outperformed Biden against Trump in recent polls—trailed by only two points (46-48). CBS News has a good round-up of the contenders. Associated Press has reactions from both Democrats and Republicans.

Shocking ‘first wave’ Covid numbers for India

The context: In May 2022, the World Health Organisation released a global estimate of the number of people who died due to Covid between between January 1, 2020 and December 31. 2021. The worldwide total: 14.9 million. The number for India: 4.7 million—which is 9.8X the official government tally of 481,000. It sparked an immediate fight between New Delhi and WHO (see: this Big Story).

What happened now: On Friday, a new study shows that the death toll in 2020 was 1.2 million. That’s 8X more than the official government number for that period—and 1.5X higher than the WHO total. Note this is the first wave—which was supposedly milder.

More importantly, the study underlined a clear a gender and religion gap:

Life expectancy for women declined by 3.1 years—compared to 2.6 years for men.
The decline in Muslims was 5.4 years—compared to 1.3 years for dominant-caste Hindus.
The decline for scheduled tribes: 4.1 years—and 2.7 years for those from scheduled castes

FYI: In high-income countries, the virus took a higher toll on men and the elderly. Of course, the government says it's all a load of garbage—as in “untenable and unacceptable.” One of the objections: The conclusions are based on data from only 14 states. Al Jazeera has more on the report. The Hindu has more on the Indian government’s response.

Bangladesh backs down on reservation quotas

The context: Students have been staging angry protests against job reservations—which were recently reinstated after a High Court order. The reservations: 30% of government posts for kids of Bangladeshi freedom fighters during the 1971 war—plus 10% for women, and 10% for other communities. On Thursday, Bangladesh TV went off air after its premises were set on fire, and the government shut down the internet.

What happened next: On Friday, the government declared a national curfew and planned to deploy the army—even as student protesters stormed a jail in Narsingdi city. Also: Key government websites—including the central bank, police, and PM’s office—were hacked by a group called the ‘THE R3SISTANC3’.

What happened now: On Sunday, Bangladesh’s Supreme Court scaled back the quota, from 30% to 7%—granting a partial victory for the protesters. FYI: At least 105 people have been killed and more than 1,000 injured in clashes between police and protesters, though the death toll is expected to be higher. (Associated Press)

War on Gaza: A very big ICJ ruling

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ruled that Israel’s ongoing occupation of Palestine is “unlawful” and needs to end “as soon as possible”:

The court said Israel has no right to sovereignty of the territories, is violating international laws against acquiring territory by force and is impeding Palestinians’ right to self-determination.

It said other nations were obliged not to “render aid or assistance in maintaining” Israel’s presence in the territory. Now, the ICJ ruling is an “advisory”—and UN member countries are free to ignore it. But the UN secretary general, António Guterres, will refer it to the General Assembly—which could pass a resolution echoing the Court. All of it embarrassing, none of it binding. What’s interesting: This round-up of global reactions to the ruling. (The Guardian)

Social Science textbooks are shrinking

The context: A great part of the government’s education policy rehaul involves rewriting textbooks—as we explained in this Big Story. Many of the edits involve rewriting history, as well.

What happened now: The Social Sciences textbooks for Class 6 were split into three—History, Geography, and Political Science. Starting this academic year, they will be all rolled into one—with a heavily condensed syllabus. The reason: NCERT—the government agency in charge of the syllabus—says it wants to make life easier for students: “We have tried to keep the text to a minimum by focusing on the ‘big ideas’.”

Also raising eyebrows: References to the Indus Valley civilisation as ‘Sindhu-Sarasvati’ and ‘Indus-Sarasvati’ civilisation—and calling India’s prime meridian as ‘Ujjayini meridian’. Even more worryingly: the Geography section begins with a quote from the Atharva Veda—but does not teach kids how to measure latitudes or longitudes. The Hindu has more on the changes. (Indian Express)

An iron curtain along the Seine

With just four days to go for the Olympics’ opening ceremony in Paris, the police have sealed off a long stretch along the Seine—as an anti-terrorism measure. This area can only be accessed with a QR code—for which you have to file an online form. This is making both locals and tourists very unhappy—although the restrictions were announced a year ago—and authorities spent months reiterating them. FYI: Applications of 4,340 people were rejected on suspicion of having radical Islamist connections or of being “foreign spies.” These were mostly Russians. This X thread has more on the plight of confused residents. Reuters has more on the rejected applications. (Associated Press)

Meanwhile, in India: The men’s football team has a new head coach—the current FC Goa gaffer Manolo Márquez. He replaces Igor Stimac—who was sacked in June after India failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. The decision has made former star Bhaichung Bhutia very unhappy—and he has resigned from his post in the All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) committee in protest. The reason: the committee was not consulted before sacking Stimac or hiring Márquez. (The Telegraph)

What caught our eye

business & tech

IT companies are pushing for a 14-hour work day in Karnataka. Trade unions are already furious.
Future generations of AI models may stall out because of limited training material—as publishers and platforms block the use of their content.
Meta is in talks to buy a stake in eyewear giant EssilorLuxottica—to make Ray Ban smart glasses.
UPI is adding 6 million new users every month—an unexpected surge fueled by NRIs embracing the RuPay credit card.

sports & entertainment

LeBron James had to rescue Team USA—to avoid a humiliating defeat to South Sudan ahead of the Paris Olympics. The final score: 101-100.
England has a new star-bowler Shoaib Bashir—who took five wickets in the match against West Indies. Ben Stokes khush hua.
Rafael Nadal reached the first final in two years by beating Ajdukovic at the ATP Tour tournament in Bastad, Sweden. India’s Yuki Bhambri won the ATP Tour tournament doubles title in Switzerland.
Adidas dropped Bella Hadid from its retro Olympics campaign—after Israel raised a stink over her support for Palestine.

as for the rest

The plan to charge tourists €5 fee (about $5.50) to spend a day in Venice—and deter tourists—has kinda bombed. The city made a hefty €2.43 million—which means it didn’t exactly work.
The co-founder of Greenpeace and anti-whaling activist Paul Watson has been arrested in Greenland—due to an Interpol red notice requested by Japan.
The Maharashtra government has a new weapon in its state election campaign—Chhatrapati Shivaji's ‘Bagh Nakh’ borrowed from the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Soda cans are exploding on Southwest flights due to sky-high temperatures.

One cool thing to see

The K-pop group TOMORROW X TOGETHER aka TXT dropped their new track ‘Open Always Wins’—as an ad for Samsung’s new Galaxy series of flip phones. (Billboard)