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 Tuesday edition is below.
China runs “punishment” drills around Taiwan
The context: Taiwan’s new president Lai Ching-te was sworn into office on Monday. Needless to say, Beijing loathes him and the ruling party, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)—since they “reject China’s sovereignty claims over the island.” This Big Story has lots more on why these elections mattered.
What happened now: Beijing conducted military exercises aimed at intimidating Taiwan. It sent army, navy, air and rocket forces to surround Taiwan for large-scale combat drills—as “punishment” for so-called “separatist acts of ‘Taiwan independence’ forces”:
A map released by the command showed drill areas encircling Taiwan’s main island, separated from China by a 100-mile-wide strait, as well as several outlying Taiwanese islands just off the Chinese coast. As of 8 p.m. Thursday, 49 Chinese military aircraft, 15 navy vessels and 16 coast-guard vessels had been detected in areas surrounding Taiwan, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense.
You can see the map here:
A reminder: Such military blockades are not new. China conducted longer drills—with ballistic missiles, no less—to express its disapproval of US Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in 2022. (Wall Street Journal, paywall, The Guardian)
Bad news for Singapore Airlines passengers
On Tuesday, a flight from London to Singapore encountered severe turbulence—resulting in one death. Among the 71 injured, at least 22 have spine and spinal cord injuries, six received skull and brain injuries—and another 13 have bone, muscle or soft tissue issues. A number of them had to undergo surgeries—and 55 are still in hospital. ICYMI: Our Big Story looked at the cause of clear air turbulence—and why it’s becoming more frequent. (CNN)
Google eyes $30 billion HubSpot
Google parent Alphabet is close to acquiring the marketing software company HubSpot—which is valued at $30 billion! If it goes through, it will be Google’s largest-ever acquisition. The expensive move is aimed at competing with Microsoft in cloud services. Right now, it is the third largest—with 11% of the market—compared to Microsoft’s 24%. And big daddy Amazon controls a third. So it will take some catching up. (Quartz)
Shocker: IIT grads are unemployed!
An RTI inquiry shows that 38% of engineering students across 23 IITs—who took part in the campus placement process—did not get a job in 2024. That’s 7,000 students—compared to 3,500 students in 2022. Reasons include:
This is the first year when ChatGPT and large language model have started showing their impact. If two people can do the work of three people, we are already 30% down in hiring. There has already been a lot of overhiring and many countries are holding elections this year, so companies are adopting a wait-and-watch policy.
Why this is notable: Nearly all IIT students land a job through campus recruitment programs—especially in departments like Computer Science. The rest of us are left counting zeroes on their pay packages. If nothing else, this ought to offer cussed satisfaction to all the Humanities grads. (Hindustan Times)
Speaking of bad employment news: The Calcutta High Court has cancelled caste certificates for 77 Muslim communities—who were classified as Other Backward Caste by the West Bengal government. This means they will not be eligible for reserved government jobs—or other OBC benefits. The Court’s rationale:
“The selection of 77 classes of Muslims as backward is an affront to the Muslim community as a whole. This court’s mind is not free from doubt that the said community has been treated as a commodity for political ends. This is clear from the chain of events that led to the classification of the 77 classes as OBCs and their inclusion to be treated as a vote bank,” the order said.
The Print has more details.
The dirty truth about climate change grants
The context: The 2015 Paris Agreement included a pledge by developed nations to give $100 billion a year to poorer countries. It acknowledged the fact that less affluent nations suffer greater damage from climate change even though wealthier countries are responsible for most of the emissions. Most of that money never showed up—and continues to be a point of angry contention at climate summits.
What happened now: A Reuters investigation shows that most of the payouts are actually making rich nations even richer. Records between 2015 and 2020 show that 54% of the $189 billion given to poor countries were high-interest loans. And many of them required the recipient to “hire companies, nonprofits or public agencies from specific nations — usually the donor — to do the work or provide materials.” In other words, the so-called climate aid is a scam that diverts the money right back to their pockets. Experts compare it to “setting a building on fire and then selling the fire extinguishers outside.” Reuters has the must-read exclusive.
Vatican’s got a millennial saint
The Pope approved the canonisation of Carlo Acutis—known as ‘God’s influencer’, for spreading the teachings of the Catholic church online. Acutis has two miracles attributed to him—healing a Brazilian child of pancreatic disease, and a college student suffering from a brain bleed. Sadly, Acutis himself died in 2006 at the age of 15. FYI: He will be the Vatican’s first millennial saint. (BBC News)
OpenAI X News Corp ki jodi
OpenAI has signed a content sharing deal with Rupert Murdoch-owned News Corp—which is home to the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, and others. The deal could be worth more than $250 million over five years, and gives OpenAI access to current and archived content. While details have not been revealed, it could be one of the biggest deals signed by OpenAI. Reminder: The company has inked similar deals with Financial Times, Associated Press, Le Monde etc. OTOH: It has been sued by New York Times and seven other news outlets for illegally training its machines on their content. (New York Times, paywall, The Guardian)
In kinda surprising media news: The Republican party’s presidential has-been Vivek Ramaswamy has bought a 7.7% stake in BuzzFeed—making him the fourth largest shareholder. Something to remember: Ramaswamy now has an anti-activism fund aimed at battling “woke” politics in boardrooms. One assumes this is aimed at ‘curing’ BuzzFeed of its liberal bias. ICYMI: Our Big Story on Ramaswamy is chock full of colourful details. (Bloomberg News, paywall, Quartz)
Fish oil may not be great for your heart
For decades, people have been popping fish oil supplements to get omega-3 acids—which are supposedly good for the heart. Sadly, a new study suggests the opposite may be true. Those who regularly took these tablets had a 13% heightened risk of developing atrial fibrillation and a 5% heightened risk of having a stroke. But, but, but: fish oil helped those who already have cardiovascular disease. And if that’s not sufficiently demoralising: “The risk of healthy patients going on to have a heart attack, stroke or heart failure was 6% higher in women and 6% higher in non-smokers.” FYI: This is an observational study—which means scientists have not established a cause-effect link. (The Guardian)
Revealed: Rise of the German cockroach
The world’s most common roach is the Blattella germanica—aka the German cockroach. And it exists only in buildings—i.e. human habitats, and not out in the wild. But no one knew where it came from—and it’s certainly not native to Germany. A new study has solved the mystery. Turns out this awful creature branched away from the Asian cockroach—found in India and Myanmar—about 2,100 years ago. And they adapted entirely to living in human environments. They became nocturnal, stopped flying, and avoided open spaces—hence, really, really hard to kill.
And they are one of the best-travelled pests:
The German cockroach has made its way around the world by hiding in cargo on planes, trains and automobiles. The first records of the pest popped up in Europe in the mid-18th century shortly after the Seven Years’ War, which probably allowed the insect to spread around the continent by hitchhiking with soldiers.
By the way, it was labelled ‘German cockroach’—by biologist Carl Linnaeus—a native of Sweden—which fought Prussia in that war. The ultimate bit of war propaganda. (Washington Post, paywall, The Conversation)
Two things to see
One: Some folks are unhappy with a new portrait of Kate—by British-Zambian artist Hannah Uzor—which was on the cover of Tatler. One art critic called it “intolerably bad.” Apparently, even paintings of the royal family raise a stink these days (See: the very red Charles). (CNN)
Two: Former Destiny’s Child member Kelly Rowland was ‘Karen-ed’ at the red carpet at Cannes—by overzealous members of security. They literally shoved her to keep her moving—when she was trying to pose for photos (like any other celeb). FYI: that’s an Anamika Khanna gown. (Variety)
Takshashila: A doorway to public policy
Editor’s note: Takshashila Institution—a splainer partner—is one of India’s foremost think-tanks on public policy. They also run valuable courses that teach students how to tackle complex policy challenges–bringing together academic experts and policy practitioners from across the world. We will be showcasing their courses in splainer. Please do note: This is not paid content.
Over to Takshashila… If you’re looking for a way to distil complex and confusing public policy discourse and learn more about the functioning of a government then Takshashila Institution’s Post Graduate Programme in Public Policy (PGP) course might be for you. This 48-week online adventure is your gateway to mastering the art and science of public policy.
From constitutional frameworks to the nitty-gritty of economic policy, each module in the course is a step towards becoming the policy architect of tomorrow. With workshops that bring your online learning to life and a capstone project that tests your skills, Takshashila doesn't just teach policy; it immerses you in it. Whether you want to pivot your career or deepen your expertise, our program is tailored for the working professional, offering flexibility without compromising rigour.
How to apply: Apply over at the Takshashila website. Check out their brochure here. The application deadline is May 31.
