Lebanon pager attacks: A desi angle

Written by: Aarthi Ramnath, Aakriti Anand & Raghav Bikhchandani

Lebanon pager attacks: A desi angle

The context: On September 17, hundreds of handheld pagers of Hezbollah members exploded at the same time across Lebanon and Syria—as part of a covert Israeli operation. The pagers had a Taiwanese brand name—Gold Apollo—which initially said they were made and sold by a Hungarian intermediary—BAC Consulting KFT. But the Hungarian government said the pagers delivered to Hezbollah were never in Hungary—and that BAC Consultants merely acted as an intermediary.

What happened next: An investigation by Hungarian newspaper Telex pointed the finger at a Bulgarian firm—Norta Global. According to Telex. Norta Global transferred more than $1.1 million to BAC Consulting in tranches. BAC in turn sent the paisa in instalments to Gold Apollo and Apollo Systems—a reselling company set up by Gold Apollo’s former employee.

The desi angle: Norta Global was founded in April 2022 by Rinson Jose—a Norwegian national of Indian origin. Bulgarian intelligence claims the company was “a cash flow, mailbox-type of firm,” and that its director “acted by proxy.” But it had “not carried out terrorist financing, or traded with anyone subject to sanctions.” None of the pagers were manufactured in Bulgaria—or shipped out of there.

What happened now: Last week, Jose hung up and went AWOL when reached by reporters. Now the Norway police have put an international search warrant for Jose—who has since “disappeared while on a work trip to the US.” He has been declared a “missing person” for now.

Why any of this matters: For starters, this represents a new frontier in warfare—as the UN has pointed out:

These attacks represent a new development in warfare, where communication tools become weapons, simultaneously exploding across marketplaces, on street corners, and in homes as daily life unfolds. Authorities have reportedly dismantled unexploded devices in universities, banks, and hospitals.

And that is a violation of international law, as experts point out:

Mary Ellen O’Connell, a professor of law and international peace studies at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, said booby-traps are banned under international law. “Weaponizing an object used by civilians is strictly prohibited,” she said.

Reuters has the latest developments—but the best reporting on the supply chain is in CNN.

New bizarre rules for the IPL mega-auction

The context: Every three years, there is a big IPL mega-auction—where pretty much every player is up for sale. Last month, a number of team owners—including Shah Rukh Khan—made a full-on pitch to postpone the auction scheduled for this year: “Conduct a mega auction only once in five years. Allow teams to retain between four and six players. Give each franchise eight right-to-match (RTM) options.”

What happened now: The IPL governing council overruled their pleas—confirming the scheduled mega-auction. It also released new rules—that will apply at least until 2027:

For starters: As true nationalists, the league has declared that no foreign player will get a higher auction price than any Indian player. An overseas player’s earnings at any mini-auction have been capped at Rs 18 crore ($2.15 million)—this is equal to the cap on the retention fee for any Indian player. The reasoning:

The discussion took a serious turn when two Australian cricketers — Mitchell Starc (Rs 24.75 cr) and Pat Cummins (Rs 20.50 cr) — fetched humongous sums at the last mini-auction, held in December 2023. Immediately after the auction, a few BCCI officials had stressed on the need to ensure India’s cricketers remain the biggest gainers from the IPL.

Next up, retention: Each franchise can retain a maximum of six players. This includes both retaining the player outright—but also something called Right To Match (RTM)—where a franchise has the right to bid on a player it has released:

Let us consider this with an example: If Ishan Kishan is released by Mumbai Indians ahead of the auction, and during the auction say Lucknow Super Giants place the highest bid (say Rs 15 crore), then MI will first be given a choice to still buy Kishan for Rs 15 crore.

The RTM option was available to teams for the 2018 mega-auction but had not been included in 2022, the most recent mega-auction.

Redefining ‘uncapped’: Of these retained players—up to five can be ‘capped’. But the IPL has changed the definitions of an ‘uncapped’ player. Earlier, it meant any Indian player who hasn’t played any international matches for India. Now, it also includes previously capped players who haven’t played for India in the past five years, and don’t hold a national contract with the BCCI. What this means: CSK can retain Dhoni as an ‘uncapped’ player now, for the lowly price of Rs 4 crore. ESPNCricinfo has more nerdy details on all the other changes.

Last not least: The BCCI has announced new match fees of Rs 7.5 lakh for IPL players, as well as Rs 1.05 crore on top of the contracted amount for those players who participate in all of their team’s league matches in a season. Mint has the story.

Moving on to a tennis scandal: US Open winner Jannik Sinner tested positive for a banned substance—but was exonerated by an independent tribunal in August. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has now appealed that ruling in a global arbitration court—asking that Sinner be banned for one to two years.

The substance in question: clostebol—a steroid that can be used to build muscle mass and speed up recovery from injuries. Sinner claims: “[T]he banned substance entered his body as a result of a massage from his physio, who had used a spray containing the steroid to treat a cut on a finger.”

Point to note: The spray carries a clear warning on the box: “For those taking part in sports: use of the drug without therapeutic needs constitutes doping and can result in positive anti-doping tests.” In any case, Sinner can keep playing until the case is resolved—which could take several years. (BBC News)

A game-changing drug for schizophrenia

The context: Antipsychotic pills typically target dopamine receptors—which reduces hallucinations and paranoia—but also leads to weight gain and leaves them “sluggish and unmotivated.” This is one reason why some patients tend to stop taking medication.

What happened now: The US has approved a twice-a-day pill called Cobenfy that offers a new pathway to treat schizophrenia:

The new drug, Cobenfy, also influences dopamine levels, but it does so indirectly, by changing levels of another neurotransmitter, acetylcholine. The new approach, researchers hope, will address some of the most intractable aspects of the disease, like lack of motivation and inability to feel pleasure.

But, but, but: If that sounds vague, well, there’s good reason for it:

“We don’t know how it works in any substantial way past five weeks,” Dr. Rind said. Patients and doctors, he added, “are a little wary of claims before they actually see what happens with the drugs.”

There are no long-term studies on its effectiveness—or possible side-effects. But it is the first new approach to treating schizophrenia in 70 years—and could hold potential for other diseases such bipolar disorder. (New York Times, login required)

Moving on to cancer: The number of prostate cancer cases among Indian men—between the ages of 35 to 44—is rising. In 2022, there were 37,948—which is roughly 3% of the 1.4 million cancer cases reported that year. According to doctors: “The biggest issue in India is late diagnosis.”

One big reason: Prostate cancer symptoms are often absent in the early stages since it is a slow-growing cancer. FYI: According to a recent Lancet study, the number of new cancer cases in India may double to about 71,000 per year by 2040. (The Telegraph)

Moving on to miscarriages: According to a Japanese study, a low dose of aspirin—in combination with the blood thinner heparin—can help prevent certain kinds of miscarriage. Gizmodo has all the nerdy details.

Bad news for your weekend partying

A new study shows that drinking loads of water will not help cure your hangover—or even make you feel better. The reason: there is no direct link between dehydration caused by drinking too much—and the cause for hangovers. All it does is make you feel less thirsty. Also this: There is no “scientifically proven, commercially available treatment” for a hangover. Prevention Moderation is the best cure. (Science Alert)

what caught our eye

business & tech

ChatGPT’s paid version could get more expensive—$22 in 2025 and…$44 by 2029!
Elon Musk’s X has a path towards resuming operations in Brazil. The catch: pay a $1.9 million fine.
The Verge has a must-read on the drama between WordPress and one of its major hosting providers, WP Engine.
Economic Times has a good read on the recent trend of so many startups starting with the letter ‘Z’. The answer: numerology, and other zany (see what we did there?) factors.
Google apparently paid $2.7 billion to rehire AI expert Noam Shazeer, who previously quit in 2021 after the company refused to release a chatbot he had developed.
Has your insta feed also been inundated with every blue-tick account posting ‘Goodbye Meta AI’ stories? ABC News debunks this hoax trend.
Meta is in legal trouble with the EU again—this time, Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) has fined the company $101.5 million (€91 million) due to a 2019 data breach.
The historic London-based newspaper Evening Standard will use AI to…revive the byline of an art critic who passed away in 2015.

sports & entertainment

US long-distance runner Camille Herron has been dropped by her main sponsor, Lululemon. The reason: she was caught editing Wikipedia articles “to downgrade other athletes and magnify herself”.
Sunday saw a Galle-storm as Sri Lanka crushed New Zealand by an innings and 154 runs, to mark their best year in men’s Test cricket since 2006.
There’s more legal trouble for Netflix but at least this time it’s not related to ‘IC814’ but ‘Baby Reindeer’—a US judge has allowed the popular show’s real-life ‘Martha’ to sue the streamer for falsely advertising it as a “true story”.
Fresh off his historic concert in China, Kanye West has released a new song called ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and announced a new album titled ‘Bully’.

as for the rest

There are just five genetically-distinct populations of wild elephants in India—with inbreeding a big problem in the South—a new study has revealed.
The Tamil Nadu government will conduct a forensic investigation into a fire that took place on Saturday at a Tata Electronics factory.
Nepal has been rocked by landslides and floods—over 150 people have been killed.
Hurricane Helene is wreaking havoc in the southeastern US, with over 60 people dead.
The Indian government’s Non-Resident Indian (NRI) cell received over 400 complaints from women—including domestic violence, dowry demands, and passport confiscation.
The Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker David Bradbury was detained for 24 hours and then denied entry into India—all because he made a film on the anti-nuclear protests in Tamil Nadu.
Japan’s new Prime Minister is…Shigeru Ishiba—who belongs to the longtime ruling party and replaces Fumio Kishida. New general elections must take place within the next 13 months.

Five things to see

One: Shah Rukh Khan channelled his inner Samantha Ruth Prabhu at the IIFA awards—hookstepping alongside Vicky Kaushal. NDTV has more on the gag, as well as the full winners list.

Two: Barbados PM Mia Mottley spoke right after Bibi at the UN General Assembly—and made her feelings abundantly clear. The Telegraph has remarks from other world leaders who dissed Tel Aviv.

Three: Here’s the trailer for a John Wick spin-off starring Ana de Armas as a ballerina seeking revenge—with a bit of help from Keanu Reeves who sadly only has a cameo. The movie hits theatres in June, 2025. (Variety)

Four: Alfonso Cuarón is back with a limited series titled ‘Disclaimer’—starring Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, and Sacha Baron Cohen. Based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Renée Knight, the show is described as “a gripping seven-part psychological thriller” and it’s slated to stream on Apple TV+ from October 11. Hollywood Reporter has more on the plot.

Five: Fleetwood Mac legend Stevie Nicks released a new song in support of abortion rights titled ‘The Lighthouse’—which she wrote the night Roe v Wade ruling was overturned. Also check out the powerful visuals in the music video. (The Guardian)