Researched by: Rachel John, Aarthi Ramnath, Anannya Parekh & Aakriti Anand
Say hello to headlines in five
Have you checked out our excellent daily news wrap, ‘What the F*** Happened Here?’. It tells you what happened during the day—in around 5 minutes. As always, we are here to make it easier to know what’s up—without noise, negativity or that existential feeling of despair. The Monday pm edition is below. Follow us on YouTube to get your daily dose.
RAW assassination plot: We have a name!
The context: In November 2023, a case filed by New York prosecutors revealed an alleged plot to kill a Khalistani leader in the US—Gurpatwant Singh Pannun (explained in this Big Story). A senior RAW (Research & Analysis Wing) agent allegedly recruited an Indian criminal—who in turn approached an undercover FBI agent. Needless to say, that’s where the grand plan unravelled. This was especially embarrassing since it came in the midst of New Delhi vehemently denying any involvement in the killing of another Sikh separatist—Hardeep Singh Nijjar—in Canada (explained in this Big Story).
What happened now: A Washington Post exclusive has named the RAW mastermind behind the Pannun plot—Vikram Yadav. Wait, it gets worse. US intelligence agencies say that RAW chief Samant Goel “approved” the plan—because he was “under extreme pressure” to crackdown on Sikh extremism overseas. They think National Security Adviser Ajit Kumar Doval was aware of the plot—but there’s no “smoking gun.”
WaPo spoke to “more than three dozen current and former senior officials in the United States, India, Canada, Britain, Germany and Australia.” We recommend reading the investigation in its entirety over at Washington Post (splainer gift link).
War on Gaza: A new ceasefire proposal
Egypt has put forward a new framework which will release hostages in exchange for a pause:
The latest proposal, which Israel helped craft but has not fully agreed to, is laid out in two phases, the first of which calls for 20 to 33 hostages to be released over several weeks in exchange for the pause and the release of Palestinian prisoners. The second phase is what sources described as the “restoration of sustainable re calm,” during which the remaining hostages, captive Israeli soldiers and the bodies of hostages would be exchanged for more Palestinian prisoners.
The length of the ceasefire is linked to the number of hostages released—one day for each. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the new proposal ‘extraordinarily generous’ on Israel’s part—and declared, “In this moment the only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire is Hamas.” Israeli sources say it could avert a Rafah invasion. To add to the hard sell, Tel Aviv bombed Rafah yesterday—killing 22. No better way to underline the consequences of rejecting its “generosity.” (CNN)
Arrest warrant for Bibi? Israeli sources told the New York Times that the International Criminal Court is getting ready to issue arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials—and members of Hamas. They will be charged with human rights violations. Among those will probably be: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Not that Bibi is going to jail—but it’s still a symbolic slap in the face. It puts him in the same company as Vladimir Putin—who often has to skip conferences in places like South Africa—which is obliged to arrest him as a member of the ICC. Needless to say, when it comes to Bibi, Washington does not approve. (New York Times)
No more death counts: Palestinian health authorities say they can no longer count all their dead. The hospitals are overwhelmed—so keeping count is hard. And no one has the resources to extract bodies from the great number of collapsed buildings in the middle of the war. So from here on out we’re going to add “-ish” to any death count in Gaza. Oh it’s about 40,000-ish, for example. At present, after nearly seven months of war, the death toll in Gaza has crossed 34,000, which is roughly 1.5% of the total pre-war population. (Wall Street Journal)
New details in Manipur horror story
The context: Two women from the Kuki community were paraded naked—and gang-raped—by a Meitei mob in May last year. The crime became public knowledge when a clip went viral—forcing law enforcement to take action. For more context on the Manipur violence, read this Big Story.
What happened now: The CBI chargesheet has revealed shocking details of police abetment:
[T]he two had “managed to sit inside the police Gypsy” parked on the roadside, but the police driver told them “there is no key” as they requested the police to start the vehicle… Two other male victims were also seated in the police Gypsy. All the policemen present then left the spot as a large mob pulled out the victims from inside the vehicle, the chargesheet said.
The two men—relatives of the survivors—were killed by the mob. Indian Express has extended details from the chargesheet. It’s very difficult but necessary reading.
Election 2024: Telangana in the crosshairs
The context: On April 27, the Congress party unit in Telangana shared a video of Home Minister Amit Shah saying that he will abolish all reservations—including those for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes (SCs, STs, and OBCs). The BJP immediately called it out as fake. The tweet has since been deleted. AltNews confirmed the fact that the video was doctored.
What happened now: Now, here’s the weird—and worrying bit. The Delhi Police has now registered an FIR—and summoned Telangana CM Revanth Reddy to “join the probe”—a vague, made-in-India phrase that can mean anything. There are zero details on why he has been called—or his possible role—or why he’s been asked to bring his mobile phone. The unspoken question: Will he end up in jail in time for the elections in Telangana—slated for May 13. Reddy has to appear in Delhi on May 1. You can see the deepfaked vid below. (The Hindu)
Ola loses its CEO
As the cab company gets ready for its IPO, it has shed its CEO—Hemant Bakshi. He quit after just four months on the job. The company will also lay off 10% of its employees. The reason, according to founder Bhavish Aggarwal: “We have made substantial investments in the areas of AI & Technology which has led to significant cost advantages...certain roles within the company will get redundant.” But Mint thinks the omens for Ola are troubling:
Signs of the going having got bumpy for Ola have been around. Earlier this month, it withdrew from overseas ride-hailing markets like the UK and Australia to focus on electric mobility. In ride-hailing, it faces heat from all-electric BluSmart at the upper end. At the lower end, the likes of Namma Yatri, which boasts of charging no commission, offer it stiff rivalry.
Moneycontrol has more.
Meanwhile over at Tesla: Mr Musk went to Beijing—and surprised everyone. He didn’t meet the big man—President Xi—but he wangled a one-on-one with Chinese Premier Li Qiang—who praised Tesla as a “successful model” for a US-China collaboration. The aim is to boost Tesla’s plans for a fully self-driving car—which is Musk’s passion project. Promotion in the Chinese market will be lifesaver for a company struggling to keep up:
“This is a watershed moment for Musk as well as Beijing at a time that Tesla has faced massive domestic EV competition in China along with softer demand,” said [financial analyst] Dan Ives… He said making FSD [Full Self-Driving] available in China has been “a key piece missing in the puzzle” for Tesla’s autonomous technology.
But that’s not all. If Musk is able to obtain approval from Beijing to transfer data collected in China abroad, according to Ives, it would be a “game changer” in terms of the acceleration of training its algorithms for its autonomous technology globally.
The India angle: Musk cancelled his trip to India citing "very heavy Tesla obligations" in the US—and then immediately jumped on a plane to China. Indian observers think it’s a bad sign for his India plans:
Musk’s postponed India trip may reflect a change in strategy. The CEO announced last week that Tesla was accelerating new models that the company will produce on the same manufacturing lines as its current lineup. Analysts have speculated this could mean the carmaker will further delay a factory in Mexico and put any plant in India on hold…Ultimately, Musk’s decision to visit China underscores the sense of urgency to get Tesla back on track. EVs make up only a fraction of India’s car market.
Data points to note: China is Tesla’s second biggest market and Shanghai its biggest global plant. Tesla has sold more than 1.7 million cars in China in a decade since its arrival. Bloomberg News via Yahoo Finance has more on the India angle. (CNN)
A new AI jodi: OpenAI X Financial Times
The news publication Financial Times has signed a content-sharing deal with OpenAI to train its AI chatbot:
The latest deal will help the startup enhance the ChatGPT chatbot with archived content from the FT and the firms will work together to develop new AI products and features for FT readers, the newspaper and OpenAI said in a statement. The summaries generated by ChatGPT off FT content will also link back to the newspaper, according to the companies.
FT will receive an undisclosed sum of money in this arrangement. OpenAI has entered similar arrangements with publications like Associated Press, the Le Monde, the El Paí and others. OTOH: The company is also involved in a legal tussle with New York Times over the use of its paywalled content to train artificial intelligence. The Guardian has more on the deal. Read Brookings for the big picture on the effect of AI on journalism.
‘Severe heatwave’ for unlikely parts
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned that “a heatwave or severe heatwave” will continue over the next five days in the east and the south. More worryingly, this heatwave has severely affected places that usually don’t witness high temps. Last week, Kerala’s Alappuzha backwaters and Maharashtra's Matheran recorded the highest temperatures ever this month—38°C and 39°C, respectively. And two weather stations in Bangalore recorded the third and fourth highest temperatures ever at 38.5°C and 37.6°C. Other cities experiencing unusual highs:
At 36.6 °C Aminidivi (Lakshadweep) reported the 10th highest temperature ever and the fifth highest for this month. Arogyavaram (Andhra Pradesh) recorded 41.0 °C, the second highest ever. The mercury went up to 42.4 °C, the second highest ever, and the highest this month in Canning (West Bengal). Cuttack in Odisha reported the fifth-highest temperature for this month at 43.7°C.
Election angle to note: Extreme heat is likely to lead to lower voter turnout. About 186 of the 191 Lok Sabha seats will experience peak temperatures above 35°C in the next five days. As many as 136 of these constituencies might see temperatures rise above 40°C. (Hindustan Times)
Take the stairs, already!
A new UK study reveals that people who climb stairs can reduce their risk of heart disease by 39%, and reduce risks of any other cause of death by 24%. Basically, climbing the stairs is as good for you as moderate-intensity exercise–such as riding a bike, dancing, or hiking. The reason: short bursts of activity are good for you:
The moment you start climbing steps, your body responds. "Your heart rate goes up, your cardiac output goes up, and your circulatory status improves," explains Dr. Manish Parikh… So, how much stair climbing is enough? One study found climbing six to ten flights a day was linked to a reduced risk of premature death. And another study found climbing more than five flights a day lowered the risk of cardiovascular disease by 20%.
In other words, skipping the lift is a very simple way to improve your chances of staying alive and healthy. A word of caution, though: if you don’t climb a flight of stairs often, you may want to start slow. (Telegraph UK, paywall, NPR)
Vampire facials that kill!
Three women were diagnosed with HIV after getting “vampire facials” at an unlicensed clinic in New Mexico. It is the first documented case of someone being infected due to a cosmetic procedure. In this case, the culprit was reused disposable syringes. Why this matters: A lot of what is called “non-invasive” cosmetic surgery relies on needles. Botox, for example. In this case, they had a vampire facial—which involves injecting your own blood plasma into your face using microneedles. Yes, most beauty procedures are a legalised form of self-harm. (NPR)
Say hello to Avatara cuisine
Mumbai is now home to a very fancy restaurant named Avatara. It serves shudh vegetarian Indian food. Which doesn’t sound very interesting. But here’s why it’s special. It’s the only shudh vegetarian Indian restaurant to earn a Michelin star.
It is owned by the Passion F&B in Dubai—where it was first launched—which makes it all the more surprising that it serves an entirely meatless 14-course degustation menu. Even more shocking: There isn’t a bit of paneer in sight! Or onion or garlic. Yes, this is what they serve in Jain heaven. Though some of the names are 100% Baba Ramdev—like panchamrit—which is a combination of honey, vanilla, almond milk, rose water and orange zest.
FYI: Each course has a high-falutin Sanskrit name—like Shubhanjana, Naivedhya, Alpahara, and Vrihi. But hey, you don’t need to know the language to enjoy the khana. Just pretend you’re in one of those fancy ayurvedic spas. (The Hindu)
One ‘Frankenshoe’ to see
New Balance has launched its own Frankenshoe in collaboration with the Japanese designer Junya Watanabe. The 1906L is a cross between a sneaker and a loafer. It won’t go on sale until August, but has already been “memed into oblivion.” The best description of its appeal: “Like a genetically modified tomato, it is the dad shoe perfected.” You can see them in dazzling silver (below)—though we prefer the low-key black option. (Wall Street Journal, paywalled, GQ)
