Researched by: Aarthi Ramnath, Anannya Parekh & Aakriti Anand
What the F*** Happened Here: The latest edition
ICYMI: We now have a twice-weekly newsmagazine show—hosted by our editor Lakshmi Chaudhry. This episode is all about Cannes, the kinda racist backstory of Lakme’s brand name—and boisterous orcas.
The show is 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.
War on Gaza: The latest update
Fallout from Rafah: After the horrific strike on a refugee camp, the US is standing by its bestie: “The deaths were ‘devastating’, a White House spokesman said, but the scale of the attack was not enough to change US policy.” The EU doesn’t feel the same way—and is discussing sanctions for the very first time (see the Big Story above). Israel continues to move into Rafah—defying all warnings—as you can see below. It has hit two hospitals in the area, as well. (New York Times)
About that floating pier: The US grandly constructed a floating pier off the Gaza coast—promising to deliver aid via the sea—since the land routes are being blocked by Israel. The pier has fallen apart—which pretty much sums up the state of the US Middle East policy. (BBC News)
A dismal report about government schemes
According to a Reporter’s Collective investigation, the government spent half of the amount allocated for one out of every five schemes. The cutbacks primarily affected welfare programs—which got 75% less than promised. Coming in at #2: Infrastructure (73%). In other words, the welfare benefits grandly announced to gain votes are rarely delivered once the election is done. Shocker! The Reporters’ Collective has the exclusive.
The pandemic effect on life expectancy
A new WHO report shows that global life expectancy was ticking upwards—until COVID came along. Between 2019 and 2021, it dropped by an average of 1.8 years—from 73.2 to 71.4 years—the number back in 2012. The healthy life expectancy—how long you will live in good health—also dropped by 1.5 years to 61.9 years.
Of course, the effects are uneven in an unequal world:
The Americas and Southeast Asia were the worst-hit regions, with life expectancy falling by about three years, it said. The Western Pacific was the least hit, with life expectancy falling just 0.1 year.
Point to note: These numbers are worse than a Lancet study published in March—which found the pandemic reduced global life expectancy by 1.6 years. (The Print)
In related WHO news: The organisation has launched its first-ever investment round—to raise $7 billion. The WHO is primarily funded by member countries—which only finance specific projects. And those funds come with lots of strings attached. The WHO wants to raise money—to gain more control over what it spends and where. Ok, so you don’t get shares or make money on your investment—instead the WHO promises $35 worth of health gains for each $1 invested. Devex has loads more on the precarious funding for WHO. Did you know 60% of its staff is on short-term contracts?
Did Pope Francis use a gay slur?
Pope Francis allegedly used the word when discussing the possibility of opening seminaries to homosexual men—in a meeting with 250 Italian bishops:
During the discussion, when one of the bishops asked Francis what he should do, the pope reportedly reiterated his objection to admitting gay men, saying that while it was important to embrace everyone, it was likely that a gay person could risk leading a double life. He is then alleged to have added that there was already too much “frociaggine”, a vulgar Italian word that roughly translates at “faggotness”, in some seminaries.
The Vatican has since issued an apology on his behalf:
Pope Francis is aware of articles that recently came out about a conversation, behind closed doors. The pope never intended to offend or express himself in homophobic terms, and he extends his apologies to those who were offended by the use of a term, reported by others.
All of which sounds like a non-apology—awkwardly worded to avoid admitting the obvious—i.e he said it. (The Guardian)
Indian cities are boiling over
According to a new study, the heat index has been rising in six major cities. The index measures a combination of temperature and humidity. The worst of the lot:
Calcutta was the second hottest city with an average summer heat index of 36.5°C, with humidity impact measured to be 6.4°C between 2014 and 2023. Chennai was the hottest with a heat index of 37.4°C and humidity impact of 6.9°C, while Mumbai’s heat index of 34.3°C and humidity impact of 3.3°C was ranked third.
Other worrying trends: Temperatures no longer drop quite as much during the night—and the monsoons are 1°C hotter than before.
Why this matters: Heat index measures how hot you actually feel—which is not reflected in just looking at the temperature. While the average summer temperature of the six cities increased by 0.01°C over the last two decades, the average heat index jumped by 0.8°C—80X faster. Indian Express and The Telegraph have more.
In very much related news: Delhi almost hit 50°C yesterday—climbing as high as 49.9°C. (Indian Express)
K-Pop jumps on the CD bandwagon
Dekho, first we went back to vinyl, then cassette tapes… and now, CDs. Leading the way is the K-Pop girl band aespa—which will offer its first full-length album as a CD, as well. Here’s the cool bit:
This rendition comes with a working CD player, wired earbuds, photo cards as well as graphic stickers, and is priced at 145,000 won — approximately seven times more expensive than ordinary albums.
The album has already sold out on most online outlets. The larger trend seems to be about “owning” your music in a tangible form—which disappeared with streaming. (Korea Times)
