Researched by: Rachel John, Aarthi Ramnath & Anannya Parekh
Splainer is hiring: A key role in the newsroom
We are hiring for the key position of a News Editor to join our brilliantly talented editorial team. This is a ‘teaching’ newsroom—where learning new things is a big part of the job. We also pride ourselves on a warm, friendly work culture. But, but, but: This is not an average newsroom gig with a boiler-plate desk job. What we’re looking for:
- Someone with 1.5 to 2 years of experience in a newsroom or related field. This is not an entry level position.
- Excellent research skills are a must—especially the ability to break down complex jargon into accessible language.
- Someone who is interested in—and has some knowledge of—hard news issues in politics, economy and law. This job isn’t for someone who prefers culture/lifestyle topics.
- A person who enjoys juggling a couple of different roles. Example: working closely with the production team that creates our awesome videos. Or managing relationships with content partners.
- Willingness to work in a startup environment where we all do a bit of everything—and are eager to take initiative and responsibility.
- A knowledge of and love for splainer is a huge plus—since we’re not the usual news product.
Please note there is a six-month probation period and the pay will be industry standard. We are an equal opportunity employer and are preferably looking for someone based out of Bangalore. Please send your resumes and cover letter—telling us why you want this job—to talktous@splainer.in. We will reach out to you if you’re shortlisted.
SBI bows to the Supreme Court
Threatened with contempt of court, the State Bank of India has submitted the details of who bought the electoral bonds—and which party received them. Up next: These need to be published on the Election Commission website by March 15. Drama abhi baaki hai. FYI: The SBI has issued electoral bonds worth Rs 165.18 billion (16,518 crore) since they were introduced in 2018. If you have no clue why everyone is worked up about the bonds, read this Big Story. (The Telegraph)
War on Gaza: The latest numbers
More children have been killed in Gaza over the past five months—than in four years of conflict around the world. That’s the depressing statistic put out by UNRWA—the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. The number in Gaza: more than 12,300. The total around the world—between 2019 and 2022: 12,193. (AFP via The Hindu)
Meanwhile, in Washington: Joe Biden has clinched the nomination for the Democratic presidential candidate—surprising/ exciting no one. Over in Tel Aviv, a senior Israeli official accused the Biden White House of trying to undermine Benjamin Netanyahu's government. And the US National Intelligence Agency flagged deepening "distrust of Netanyahu's ability to rule"—adding, "Netanyahu's viability as leader as well as his governing coalition of far-right and ultra orthodox parties that pursued hardline policies on Palestinian and security issues may be in jeopardy.” Yup, things are getting ugly. BBC News has more on his deepening rift with Netanyahu. (Axios)
About that NIA report: It also concludes that the US-led world order is “increasingly fragile”—because:
An ambitious but anxious China, a confrontational Russia, some regional powers, such as Iran, and more capable non-state actors are challenging longstanding rules of the international system as well as US primacy within it.
Worse, they’re all ganging up against Washington. Adding to the paranoia: the three countries just held joint naval exercises. (Al Jazeera)
Boeing is in even more trouble
Is this even possible? The answer, dear friend is ‘yes’. The Federal Aviation Administration conducted a six-week audit of the company. The result:
[T]he F.A.A. conducted 89 product audits, a type of review that looks at aspects of the production process. The plane maker passed 56 of the audits and failed 33 of them, with a total of 97 instances of alleged noncompliance, according to the presentation.
The FAA also conducted audits of Spirit AeroSystems—which makes parts of the Boeing 737 Max. The findings were even more alarming:
At one point during the examination, the air-safety agency observed mechanics at Spirit using a hotel key card to check a door seal, according to a document… In another instance, the F.A.A. saw Spirit mechanics apply liquid Dawn soap to a door seal “as lubricant in the fit-up process,” according to the document. The door seal was then cleaned with a wet cheesecloth, the document said, noting that instructions were “vague and unclear on what specifications/actions are to be followed or recorded by the mechanic.”
Haw! New York Times has this exclusive report. Reminder: Boeing is in trouble because part of one of its planes blew right off in the middle of a flight (explained here).
Chaos in Haiti: The latest update
The context: The country is in danger of an unprecedented coup led not by soldiers or rival leaders—but armed gangs. For over a year, they have been running amok. The chaos and violence has now reached a new peak. Our Big Story has lots more on the history of the violence in the country.
What happened now: Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry—who has been stranded in Puerto Rico for the past week—announced that he was stepping down. Meanwhile, Haitian leaders at a summit Jamaica have agreed to establish a transitional government. But it isn’t clear who will restore order to Haiti. Kenya says it won’t send a force unless there is a new government in place. New York Times has that story. (The Guardian)
Musk’s Grok will be open-source
The context: Former founder Elon Musk has sued OpenAI for abandoning its original non-profit mission: “The purpose is not world domination; rather, the lab wants to ensure that the technology is developed safely and its benefits distributed evenly to the world.” But OpenAI claims Musk is sulking because he denied Altman’s job.
What happened now: Musk is putting money where his mouth is. His startup xAI will make its chatbot Grok open source: “the move could give free access to experiment with the code behind the technology” and it puts xAI in the company of Meta and others who have open-source AI models. Even Google has released an AI model called Gemma for outside developers to tweak according to their needs. All of which poses a serious threat to OpenAI. (Reuters)
Two health studies of note
One: According to a new Lancet study, the pandemic reduced global life expectancy by 1.6 years—reversing a decades-long trend. Global life expectancy had jumped from 49 years in 1950 to more than 73 years in 2019. The years 2020 and 2021 witnessed about 16 million deaths—which reduced life expectancy in 84% (over 177) of all countries. (Live Science)
Two: A new study has found microplastics in the plaque (fatty deposits) that accumulates in the carotid arteries—which lie on either side of the neck. The really bad news: Their presence is linked to a 4.5 times greater risk of heart attack, stroke, or death within three years. One potential reason why: “If they help to trigger inflammation, they might boost the risk that a plaque will rupture, spilling fatty deposits that could clog blood vessels.”
What you can do to reduce the risk: use reusable containers made of stainless steel or glass and avoid single-use plastic bags. (Scientific American, paywall, USA Today)
AirBnb says no to security cams
The company announced a worldwide ban inside their properties that will kick in on April 30. It’s a response to increasing stories of hidden cameras in AirBnb rentals—which inspired a Saturday Night Live skit. Under the new policy, home owners can only place cameras outside a property—and will have to disclose their locations to guests. (BBC News)
A daily dose of Ram Mandir
Doordarshan will livestream the daily aarti at the Ayodhya temple—straight into your living room… every day! When asked why DD is suddenly feeling the faith, Prasar Bharati CEO Gaurav Dwivedi said: “From time to time, spiritual programmes are run on Doordarshan, depending on the cultural calendar and time of the year.” ‘Time of the year’ indeed. Also: This isn’t the first such instance of divine programming—ceremonies from temples in Tirupati, Mathura and Dwarka have been broadcast in the past. (Indian Express)
Two things to see
One: The hypersonic plane Talon-A—which travels at five times the speed of sound—just completed its test flight. It was first launched by a massive plane named Roc: “The plane.. released the hypersonic vehicle at an altitude of around 35,000 feet, from where it sped its way through the skies at speeds approaching Mach 5.” Watch the launch vid below. (Gizmodo)
Two: Sure, everyone was impressed with Emma Stone's mint LV pumps, but the real showstopper of Oscar night was this pair of Godzilla inspired shoes. Created by the Japanese designer brand Hazama and designed by Matsui Ryosuke, they are unfortunately not available on the market. (Hollywood Reporter)
This week in ‘24 Questions: The Muslim vote
We published the second edition of our weekly election special on Sunday. And it has some excellent stuff. This week, we have a must-read that draws a straight line between your taxes and the latest PM Yojana—and how the BJP has gamed the revenue distribution system to win elections. Also worth your time: Eye-opening charts on the Muslim vote. Plus an excellent round up of election stuff to read and watch.
Reminder: All through the election season, we will send you an exclusive election goodie bag right in your inbox each week—with deep dives that DECODE the important issues—without boring you to death; creative (and shareworthy) infographics that offer the perfect EYE CANDY; our pick of the best YouTube analysis in our WATCHLIST; and a weekly roundup of the most taaza election khabar plus the best reads of the season to understand the STATE OF PLAY.
There’s more! Join our new Whatsapp channel here—to get the best bits of the election coverage out there! Coming soon: A town-hall in Bangalore! More deets soon.
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As always, thank you for your continued support. With your help, we hope to kick ass this election season, splainer style!
