Researched by: Rachel John & Aarthi Ramnath
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 work remotely. But we prefer someone based out of Bangalore–to lend a hand with video shoots and events. 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.
Splainer’s latest vid explainer: Lost City of Dwarka
Last month, Prime Minister Modi offered prayers at the underwater remains of Dwarka—the kingdom ruled by Krishna in the Mahabharata—or so many believe. Is this the divine land described in the Mahabharata? A civilization that some say predates the Harappans. We look at the evidence and the debates surrounding India’s Atlantis.
Check it out below. Stay tuned for more such explainers on fascinating stories from India and around the world coming soon, and be sure to hit the notification button.
A bombshell report on Pannun plot
The context: In November last year, an explosive indictment filed by the Justice Department accused an unnamed Indian official of orchestrating a plot to kill a prominent Khalistani supporter—Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. This official allegedly recruited Nikhil Gupta—facing charges of drugs and weapons trafficking. He in turn hired a hitman to do the job. Sadly for Gupta, the hitman turned out to be an undercover agent. What was truly damning: It came on the heels of Canadian PM Justin Trudeau’s allegation that New Delhi had orchestrated the assassination of a Canadian Sikh—Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Our Big Story has all the details.
What happened now: According to Bloomberg News, the Indian investigation into the alleged plot to kill Pannun has uncovered “rogue operatives”—not authorised by the government:
At least one person directly involved in the alleged attempted assassination is no longer working for India’s main spy agency, the Research and Analysis Wing… The individual is still employed by the government and India hasn’t started any criminal action against him.
New Delhi has informed Washington—which is demanding a criminal prosecution of the suspects. US prosecutors say this person is a “senior field officer” with responsibilities in “security management” and “intelligence.” From what we can make out, this story was leaked by the US side—Indian officials have refused to comment. (Bloomberg News via Deccan Herald)
Leo Varadkar’s surprise resignation
Ireland’s Prime Minister (known as taoiseach) has stepped down—in similar circumstances as former New Zealand leader Jacinda Ardern. His party has been steadily losing support. Voters recently rejected constitutional amendments championed by Vardarkar. They would have “removed language about women’s duties being in the home and broadened the definition of family beyond marriage.” This is especially a setback for Vardarkar—who pushed through the landmark referendum that overturned the abortion ban.
Experts said of his resignation speech: “This is a politician who is going out on a low, in some ways. There’s a real sense of a party that is exhausted.” Reminder: Varadkar was the first gay taoiseach—and the first person of South Asian origin to hold the position. He was also the youngest ever PM when he was first elected at the age of 38. (New York Times)
Wealth inequality in India is widening
India’s filthy rich are getting even richer. According to a World Inequality Lab report, India’s top 1% own a staggering percentage of the country’s wealth and income. In 2022-23, the top 1% accounted for 22.6% of all income—and their share of wealth was an astounding 40.1%. In fact, our fat cats have a greater income share than even the US—the land of super billionaires. The share of the bottom 50%: a heartbreaking 15%.
The report has a distinguished line-up of authors: economists Nitin Kumar Bharti, Lucas Chancel, Thomas Piketty, and Anmol Somanchi. And they say “the ‘Billionaire Raj’ headed by ‘India’s modern bourgeoisie’ is now more unequal than the British Raj headed by the colonialist forces.” They recommend a “super tax” of 2% on the net wealth of India’s 167 wealthiest families. This will yield a modest 0.5% of national income in revenues—allowing investments in health, education and nutrition. Indian Express has lots more. You can find the original study here.
Also rising at an alarming rate: neurological conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, or epilepsy. They affected 3.4 billion people or 43% of the world’s population in 2021—and were the leading cause of ill-health and disability. The study published in The Lancet looked at 37 unique conditions in total, including migraines, seizures, various forms of dementia, and more. About 80% of the cases of neurological deaths and illnesses are in low- to middle-income countries. (The Guardian)
Say hello to the Fact Check Unit
This isn’t a reporting initiative of some news publication—but a Big Brother move to keep social media platforms in line. The government-owned Press Information Bureau has set up this unit to flag misinformation about the government on social media platforms. The likes of X, Facebook, Instagram etc will have to pull down the content immediately—or risk losing their ‘safe harbour’ protections under the IT law. This is the clause that ensures they are not held responsible for any content posted on their platform. Without this ‘out’, social media platforms couldn’t survive.
Why this matters: The PIB can decide any criticism of the government is ‘fake news’—as it has done in the past:
The fact check unit has in the past used its megaphone to dispute news reporting. Last week, the PIB Fact Check Unit declared that an Al Jazeera article calling the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 “anti-Muslim,” was “fake”. The fact check then went on to present two rejoinders to claims that the Al Jazeera article never made in the first place.
The Hindu has more on this new measure.
Meanwhile at Meta: During the elections, the company will work with independent fact-checkers across 15 Indian languages. They will also look for AI-generated content—which they will mark as ‘Altered’—and will be downgraded in the search algorithm. Reminder: In January, A WEF report flagged AI as the biggest threat to elections this year. Also: this sets the ground for the battle of the fact-checkers—which will be interesting. (The Hindu)
Does intermittent fasting harm the heart?
The highly popular method of weight loss—which usually involves eating all your meals within an eight-hour window—has been linked to cardiovascular diseases like heart attacks. Specifically:
[P]eople who restricted food consumption to less than eight hours per day had a 91% higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease over a median period of eight years, relative to people who ate across 12 to 16 hours.
One possible explanation: Those who tended to eat for fewer than eight hours per day had less lean muscle mass—which has been linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular death. Another reason: fasting can increase stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline—that too may trigger heart problems. (NBC News)
More drama over Kate Middleton
At least one staff member from the London Clinic—where Kate Middleton underwent her abdominal surgery—may have attempted to access her medical records. The hospital immediately informed the Palace when the breach was discovered and is conducting a full investigation. Point to note: Under British law, it is a criminal offence for any healthcare worker to access medical records of a patient without approval. Of course, this has led to even more outrage on X. Yes, we did a Big Story on the tamasha. (The Guardian)
More amusingly: Kate’s recent shopping expedition—soon after the ‘doctored photo’ debacle—has inspired excellent memes… from airports. Here’s Dublin—which offered this pic with the caption: “Great to see passengers looking so happy and relaxed this morning.”
To which Prague Airport replied:
A sweet title for rasmalai
Sayonara New York cheesecake! The rasmalai came in at #2 on the list of most delicious cheese desserts—rated by Taste Atlas. It beat not just the cheesecake, but also an array of delicious European desserts—but lost the top spot to the Polish cheesecake Sernik. At #3: the Greek dessert Sfakianopita. Taste Atlas has the entire list. Indian Express has more on rasmalai—including a recipe!
Two trailers to see
One: The trailer for George Miller’s dystopian thriller ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’ is exhilarating! This is a prequel to the blockbuster ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’. Anya Taylor-Joy plays young Furiosa—Charlize Theron’s character in the original—who is abducted by the villain played by Chris Hemsworth. The movie drops on May 24. (Hollywood Reporter)
Two: Speaking of prequels, Star Wars fans rejoice! The newest Star Wars spinoff series ‘The Acolyte’ is set 100 years before the events of the first Star Wars movie in terms of chronology: ‘The Phantom Menace’. It focuses on an epic battle between Jedi Master—played by the Korean actor Lee Jung-jae best known for ‘Squid Games’—and a lethal warrior portrayed by actor-singer Amandla Stenberg. The series hits Disney+ Hotstar on June 4. (Variety)
