Researched by: Aarthi Ramnath, Anannya Parekh & Aakriti Anand
Arvind Kejriwal’s bail flip-flop
The context: On March 21, the Chief Minister was arrested in a corruption case related to the Delhi Liquor Policy (explained in this Big Story). After spending nine days in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate, he was sent to Tihar jail by a Delhi court. In May, the Supreme Court granted him interim bail for election campaigning. Kejriwal returned to custody on June 2.
What happened now: On Thursday, a trial court granted bail to Kejriwal in the liquor policy case—but less than 24 hours later, the Delhi High Court stayed the order. The high court order was based on an appeal filed by the Enforcement Directorateand Justice Sudhir Kumar Jain said that the bail was stayed till the court looked at the ED plea in the next two to three days. FYI: The trial court had noted that ED had not provided enough evidence to keep him in jail. Kejriwal has now filed an appeal against the high court order in the Supreme Court. (NDTV)
Shocking deaths at Hajj pilgrimage
More than 1,000 people have died during the Hajj pilgrimage—an annual pilgrimage made by Muslims to the holy city of Mecca—in Saudi Arabia due to extreme heat. Temperatures soared past 51°C in the country, killing 98 Indians, 658 Egyptians, 200 Indonesians. Countries like Pakistan, Malaysia, Jordan, Senegal, Sudan, and Iraq have also confirmed deaths.
Most of the pilgrims who died reportedly did not have the official documentation, or Hajj visa, and attended the pilgrimage through irregular channels.
Many complained that there were not enough cooling stations or water for all the pilgrims, and there were early reports that part of the problem was that many people did not officially register for the pilgrimage, possibly to avoid the steep costs of hajj package tours…unregistered pilgrims had no tents and were exposed to extreme heat. [An Egyptian tour operator] said there were too few buses, so many pilgrims walked distances of more than 12 miles.
This year, more than 1.8 million pilgrims travelled to Mecca and 1.6 million of them from outside Saudi Arabia.
Why this matters: Deaths during Hajj are not new, however, experts warn that global warming is going to make conditions worse. Research suggests that a 1.5°C rise in temperatures above pre-industrial levels could lead to a 5X increase in deaths during the pilgrimage. BBC News has more.
Meanwhile in India: According to new data from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), between March 1 and June 20—there were 41,789 cases of heat stroke, and 143 deaths—due to the prolonged heat wave. Uttar Pradesh remains the worst-affected with 35 deaths—followed by Delhi (21), and Bihar and Rajasthan with 17 casualties each. (Hindustan Times)
War on Gaza: The latest update
Israeli airstrikes continue: On Saturday, 52 people were killed by two targeted Israeli strikes, in the densely populated Al-Tuffah and Al-Shati neighbourhoods—and 14 people are still missing under the rubble of destroyed homes and buildings. A medical worker told CNN:
“There has been a targeting of Al Shati camp near Al Sousi Mosque, which was like an earthquake hitting a whole residential block. There are entire families under the destroyed houses.”
In a statement, the IDF said they struck “Hamas military infrastructure”, but did not specify where these strikes took place. These airstrikes come after a deadly airstrike on Friday in Mawasi, which killed 22 people. The area was classified as a “humanitarian zone” by Israeli military authorities. Nearby shelling from the strike also damaged a Red Cross office adjacent to this area. (CNN)
Anti-war protests in Tel Aviv: On Saturday, more than 150,000 protested against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, while also demanding new elections and the return of hostages held in Gaza.
Many are frustrated with the country’s right-wing coalition, which includes Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and other far-right ultranationalists, accusing it of prolonging the war in Gaza and putting the country’s security and captives at risk.
Protesters held signs reading “Crime Minister” and many even laid on the ground covered in red paint to protest “the death of the country’s democracy” under Netanyahu. You can see a video from the protest below. (Al Jazeera)
Apple aur Meta ki AI jodi?
Apple announced that it was partnering with ChatGPT earlier this month to bring ChatGPT to the iPhone. But its shopping is not over it seems. According to an exclusive report by Wall Street Journal, Apple is working on an AI partnership deal with its bitter rival Meta.
The discussions with Meta highlight the unlikely alliances that are forming between major technology companies in the artificial-intelligence era. OpenAI’s tech is set to be embedded in Microsoft and Apple devices. And an Apple and Meta deal would be noteworthy given how much the two companies have been at loggerheads over other emerging tech issues.
If Apple manages to ink another deal after ChatGPT, it is likely to give its customers the option to pick the external AI models they wish to use. The company is also in talks with startups like Anthropic and Perplexity.
Wall Street Journal, paywalled, and Quartz have more.
Hindujas convicted for exploitation in Switzerland
The context: The Hinduja khandaan is one of Britain's wealthiest families. In 1914, Parmanand Deepchandh Hinduja started a small import-export business—which he later diversified in Bombay. In 1979, the family moved to London. We have loads more on their origin story and a famous family feud in this Big Story.
What happened now: On June 21, four members of the Hinduja khandaan—Prakash Hinduja, his wife Kamal, their son Ajay and his wife Namrata—were sentenced to 4.5 years in jail by a Swiss court. They were charged with exploiting their household staff in their Geneva mansion, and consequently violating the labour laws in Switzerland.
The family members were accused of seizing the workers' passports, barring them from leaving the villa and forcing them to work very long hours for a pittance in Switzerland, among other things. Some workers allegedly spoke only Hindi and were paid their wages in rupees in banks back in India that they could not access.
Also:
Household staff were paid a salary of between 220 and 400 Swiss francs ($246-$442) a month, far below what they could otherwise expect to earn in Switzerland. “They’re profiting from the misery of the world,” [prosecutor Yves] Bertossa told the court.
The family has denied all allegations and filed an appeal against the sentence with the higher courts.
Point to note: These accusations first came to light in 2018 when Swiss authorities raided their family villa after a tip-off. The family also had already reached a confidential out-of-court settlement with the three employees who had reported them to the authorities. However, the prosecution pursued the case nonetheless, “due to the gravity of the charges” and the “‘asymmetrical situation’ between powerful employer and vulnerable employee to save money.” (The Hindu)
Good news for the Dali crew
The context: On March 26, the cargo ship called Dali ploughed into the Baltimore bridge—with 21 crew members trapped on board, of which 20 were Indian nationals. The crew was not allowed to disembark—since they don’t seem to have visas. Our Big Story has more on this disaster.
What happened now: Ten of the 21 crew members were cleared to return home to India, after being stuck on the vessel for nearly three months. None of these crewmembers are officers—two of them are cadets who were on board as part of a training program while the others include a cook, an oiler and other seamen. However, it is still unclear when they will actually be able to leave the US.
The remaining 11 crew members have been moved to a service apartment in Baltimore, and will remain there till the investigation is completed. While none of them have been charged in connection to the disaster, the investigation is expected to go on for another year—and this makes their fates unclear at the moment. The ship itself is expected to leave for Virginia today for repairs with four crew members onboard. CNN has lots more.
Say goodbye to Airbnbs in Barcelona
On Friday, the mayor of Barcelona announced a ban on short-term apartment rentals to tourists by 2028, and will scrap the licences of 10,101 apartments in the next four years. The drastic move is to ensure that the Spanish city, which gets an awful lot of tourist traffic, becomes more liveable for its residents.
The boom in short-term rentals in Barcelona, Spain's most visited city by foreign tourists, means some residents cannot afford an apartment after rents rose 68% in the past 10 years and the cost of buying a house rose by 38%, Collboni said. Access to housing has become a driver of inequality, particularly for young people, he added.
Barcelona is not the first, similar restrictions have been announced in the Canary Islands in Spain, Lisbon and Berlin in the past 10 years. Reuters has more.
‘Forever chemicals’ found in human testes
The context: Forever chemicals or polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are used to coat non-stick or stain-resistant material. These compounds are linked to several health issues such as cancer, kidney disease, birth defects etc.
What happened now: A new study has found PFAS in human testes—and these toxic chemicals can affect future generations.
The toxic chemicals can damage sperm during a sensitive developmental period, potentially leading to liver disease and higher cholesterol, especially in male offspring, the paper, which looked at the chemicals in mice, noted.
Why this matters: According to the researchers, the health of mothers is usually the focus of study because they gestate the babies. However, this study proves that fathers’ health is also crucial to the health and development of a child. (The Guardian)
T20 World Cup: The latest update
Afghanistan beat Australia: Afghanistan secured a historic 21-run win against Australia—making it one of the biggest upsets during the ongoing T20 World Cup. This is the first time the Afghans have won against the Aussies in any format. The former batted first and notched 148 runs on the board—thanks to an opening partnership of 118 runs between Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran. The real stars were bowlers Gulbadin Naib and Naveen-ul-Haq who broke the back of the Australian run chase by taking seven wickets and conceding just 40 runs in eight overs.
Afghanistan’s win has opened a three-way contest in Group 1 among India, Afghanistan and Australia. The top two teams will make it to the semi-finals. Indian Express has more on that angle. Here is a clip of the Afghan team celebrating their win on the team bus. (BBC News)
India beat Bangladesh: by 50 runs in a one-sided match, bringing them one step closer to a semi-finals spot. Our fave moment: Virat Kohli’s “gully cricket” moment. You can see it below: (NDTV)
Two things to see
One: Assam has been reeling under floods since last Tuesday due to heavy rains triggered by Cyclone Remal. More than 1.17 lakh people have been affected by the deluge and over 900 villages have been impacted. Authorities are running relief camps and relief distribution centres to help more than 17,000 displaced people. Sadly, croplands of more than 3,000 hectares are also under water. You can see the damage below. (India Today)
Two: In a viral video, a desi student in Canada shared one of the most competitive work environments for part-time jobs—Tim Hortons. The coffee shop is reportedly hosting a job fair and students hoping to make ends meet lined up to participate, but the queues ran into hundreds of students waiting to submit a resume. (Indian Express)
