Needed: Tunes to celebrate the happily single: Once a month we gather suggestions from the splainer fam to put together an awesome playlist—each with its own theme. For the next edition, we're looking for songs that celebrate being unhitched—just in time for V-Day madness. Examples: 'Flowers' by Miley Cyrus and 'Feeling Good' by Nina Simone. As always, we are language agnostic:) Add your picks to this handy chhota form.
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Written by: Aarthi Ramnath, Raghav Bikhchandani & Yash Budhwar
Aam aadmi’s high budget anxiety
The context: On Saturday, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman will unveil the Union Budget 2025-26. But expectations are dim—consumer satisfaction with recent budgets has dropped from 73% in 2022 to 67% in 2024.
The latest pre-budget survey: reveals many Indians seem to have given up hope of relief. More than 37% fear a decline in their living standards this year—marking the highest level of pessimism expressed since 2013. The primary culprits: rising inflation combined with stagnant wages. There’s simply not enough money in the average Indian’s pocket:
Nearly two thirds of survey respondents said inflation had remained unchecked and that prices had gone up since Modi became prime minister, while more than half said the rate of inflation had "adversely" affected their quality of life… Nearly half of respondents said their personal income had remained the same over the last year while expenses rose, while nearly two thirds said rising expenses had become difficult to manage, the survey showed.
FYI: A Kantar survey shows 59% of Indians rank inflation as their top budget concern.
Income tax hopes: A tax break represents the only hope of immediate relief for salaried Indians. It is also seen as one way for the government to revive consumer demand—which is a must to revive our lagging economy. The expectations are therefore high—for a “strong stimulus bazooka.”
This wishlist may include: raising the basic exemption limit from Rs 300,000 to Rs 350,000; re-introducing the deduction for contributions to the pension scheme; raising the ceiling for 100% tax exemption from Rs 700,000 per annum to Rs 800,000—and lots more.
But, but, but: Experts say the government is unlikely to be as generous—and will settle instead for a “token stimulus.” It has long been wary of a so-called stimulus back-firing and escalating inflation—as it did under Manmohan Singh in 2008-10.
Point to note: The likelihood of the economy regaining momentum—without government intervention—are slim:
The two biggest engines of GDP growth seem to have run out of steam: Indians (in their personal capacity) are not spending enough on goods and services, and this dullness has meant that the private firms have been sitting on the sidelines instead of investing in creating new productive capacities. In sunnier times, trade (read exports) used to be a way to generate economic growth but with Donald Trump as the US President all bets are off and no one can be certain about trade prospects in the coming days, thanks to Trump’s threat to impose tariffs and possibly lead to a global trade and currency war.
If the government won’t help kickstart demand—exports and private investment are sluggish—then the only option to revive the economy is to increase government expenditure. But can the government afford to do so? We will have to wait and see on Saturday.
Reading list:Indian Express has a good big picture piece on economic growth—and what the budget can or cannot do. Economic Times has a long list of possible income tax breaks. The Telegraph and Financial Express have details on the latest pre-budget surveys.
A fatal plane collision in Washington DC
A collision between an American Airlines jet and a Black Hawk helicopter has resulted in the deaths of all 67 aboard. Among the victims: Two 16-year-old skaters, their mothers, and two Russian coaches. Black boxes have been recovered—but there is no official confirmation of the cause.
The latest reporting suggests that the helicopter was not in the right location—and the air control tower was understaffed. Also this: “Shortly before the crash, the jet’s pilots were asked to pivot their landing route from one runway to another.” New York Timesand BBC News liveblogs have the latest news. You can see thetragic moment below:
A murder cult of vegan computer geeks
A recent spate of murders have exposed a strange cult out of California—of young, well-educated computer whizzes. The Zizians are being compared to the infamous Charles Manson followers, no less.
The killings: On January 29, 21-year-old computer scientist Teresa Youngblut and a German man named Felix Bauckholt were stopped in their car by a Border Patrol officer in Vermont. Then this happened:
[A] border agent pulled over Youngblut and Bauckholt.. to conduct an immigration inspection. At the time, Bauckholt appeared to have an expired visa… Youngblut, who had been driving Bauckholt’s car, got out and opened fire on Maland and other officers without warning, the FBI alleges. Bauckholt tried to draw a gun but was shot.
Both Bauckholt and the officer were killed in the shootout. Youngblut has been arraigned. FYI: A search of the car after the shootout unearthed “cell phones wrapped in foil, a ballistic helmet, night-vision goggles, respirators and ammunition.”
The California connection: Law enforcement then connected Youngblut to a 22-year-old data scientist Max Snyder—they applied for a marriage licence in the past. He is accused of stabbing an elderly man to death in California—during thesame week.
Meet the Zizians: Both Snyder and Youngblut appear to be connected to a cult called Zizians:
Called a cult by some, the group is a radical offshoot of the Rationalist movement, an ideology centered on using scientific techniques to enhance human decision making… The Zizians also apparently believe that because there are two hemispheres in the brain, individuals can split their consciousness between two personalities by waking one side at a time.
They also firmly believe in veganism, animal rights—and are heavily invested in AI. No one knows why any of this is a justification for murder… for now. All we know is that they’re extremely online, extremely weird, extremely violent, and have backgrounds in science.
Point to note: The alma maters of Snyder and Youngblut are Oxford University and University of Washington, respectively. They also went to the same high school in Seattle. Gizmodo offers a quick summary—but Open Vallejo and SFist have the most details.
Say hello to International Masters League—starring Sachin
Another day, another franchise T20 cricket league for legends to relive their glory days! We had Sachin Tendulkar’s Road Safety series and Legends League Cricket in the past few years, now say hello to the International Masters League! It will take place from 22 February until 16 March, and feature six teams—India, Australia, England, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies. The venues: Navi Mumbai, Rajkot and Raipur.
India, of course, will be captained by Tendulkar, and are scheduled to play the opening match against Sri Lanka, who will be led by Kumar Sangakkara. Other legends involved: Brian Lara for the West Indies, Jonty Rhodes and Jacques Kallis for South Africa, Shane Watson for Australia, and Eoin Morgan for England.
Indians are smuggling endangered gibbons into the country as exotic pets. Likely because they look adorable—like this baby found in a bag of an airline passenger in Chennai in August, 2024:
In fact, the most awful bit is the tender age of these abductees:
[T]hose trafficked are caught in the wild when they’re young, less than 3 years old, and heavily dependent on their mothers. The only way to get a young gibbon from a species that lives 30-40 meters [100-130 feet] up in the tree is to kill the mum.
The babies that survive this brutal experience are stuffed into suitcases and shipped to their destinations. Many die during the journey as well.
The smuggling hotspot: in India is the Northeast—as these states share borders with Bangladesh. And once the animals enter the country, “they’re transported to other parts of India, where they end up as pets or in private zoos.”
Point to note: All species of gibbons are included in Appendix I of CITES, the international wildlife trade agreement, which means their commercial trade is banned worldwide. Plus, non-native gibbons were declared illegal in Malaysia and India in 2022. Yet here we are.
The bigger picture: Gibbons are merely a recent addition to the booming exotic pet trade in India. Data to note: According to a WWF report, there were 56 seizures of exotic wildlife in India in 2022. These involved nearly 4,000 animals, including more than 100 primates—excluding the gibbons. This Big Storyhas more on the problem of illegal wildlife trade—which includes unexpected animals like kangaroos, pangolins, turtles and rhinoceros iguanas. (Mongabay)
what caught our eye
mahakumbh mela update
The Telegraph follows up on the gap between arrangements for VIPs and ordinary devotees. Over 30% of the area was devoted to their comfort.
Indian Express has more on the day after the stampede: VIP passes cancelled, no-vehicle zone, curbs on routes.
The Hindu reports on the latest horror: thousands stuck in traffic jams for over 30 hours.
This Hindi news channel visited a morgue with at least 58 dead bodies—although the official death count is still 30.
Say hello to Mahakumbh AI Sahayata, the new AI chatbot launched by ONDC and CoRover to assist devotees at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj.
business & tech
Despite the DeepSeek dhamaka, Microsoft and Meta plan to spend a lot on AI—and they explained why on their earnings calls.
Sticking with the Zuck, Metainsists its decisionto scrap fact-checking hasn’t hurt ad spend.
Telangana cops booked 22 ex-Amazon employees for a Rs 102 crore (Rs 1.02 billion) fraud.
India is gearing up to compete with ChatGPT and DeepSeek by developing its own low-cost AI model as part of the IndiaAI Mission.
Tesla’s Q4 earnings report highlights a sharp 70% drop in net profits, despite a slight revenue increase, leaving the company facing questions about its future. And yet its stock continues to rise.
sports & entertainment
Afghan women’s cricketers reunited this week to playtheir first game since fleeing the Taliban regime in 2021—a charity T20 match in Melbourne against Cricket Without Borders.
Steve Smith surpassed the 10,000-run milestone in Test cricket by scoring his 35th century in Australia’s ongoing Test away to Sri Lanka.
It’s official—Priyadarshanis returning in the director’s chair for ‘Hera Pheri 3’, reuniting with the main cast.
health & environment
Did you know dads can get postpartum depression too? CBS News has all that you need to know about the symptoms and the causes.
In huge news, India has doubled its tiger population to 3,682 in just over a decade, now hosting 75% of the world’s tigers.
as for the rest
The Donald has orderedfor a new migrant detention centre to be built on Guantanamo Bay to hold 30,000 people.
In another episode of Trump-ery, he issued an executive order revoking the student visas of those caught participating in pro-Palestine protests.
Salwan Momika, an Iraqi refugee and anti-Islam activist who has held several public burnings of the Quran, was murdered on Thursday.
An update on the theft of ancient Romanian artifacts from the Netherlands’ Drents Museum—three men have been arrested in connection with the robbery. The artefacts are yet to be recovered.
New research reveals that babies as young as four months can tell how the sounds of different languages are made.
The Hindu (login required) has a good read on the history and legacy of Bangalore’s Indo-Chinese restaurants.
Four things to see
One: Ranji Trophy matches are typically played to near-empty stadiums, where broadcast officials outnumber spectators. But on Wednesday, around 12,000 fans turned up at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium—to watch Virat Kohli’s return to the competition after a gap of 13 years. Why he’s playing now: After the Indian team lost 3-1 down under and failed to make the World Test Championship final, the BCCI made it compulsoryfor the entire squad to play more domestic cricket. See the sizable crowd chanting Kohli’s name below. (Mint)
Two: The winners of the Travel Photographer of the Year 2024 are here! More than 20,000 images were submitted by photographers from more than 150 countries. The overall winner: American photographer Piper Mackay who’s been living in Kenya for the last 20 years. This is one of her gorgeous portraits of African women:
We also couldn’t take our eyes off (pun intended) of this image by Jenny Stock who won the ‘Wildlife, Nature, and Underwater’ category:
Also check out this photograph captured by Parth Pratim Roy which won the ‘Best Single Image in a Portfolio – Faces, People, Cultures’:
And this one by Italian photographer Mauro De Bettio was the winner in the People’s Choice category:
Last but not least, the winner of ‘Faces, People, Cultures’—by Mexican photographer Maricruz Sainz de Aja:
Three: Out of all kinds of yucky things in the world, this one tops the charts. How about some 66-million-year-old vomit? Now fossilised, the vomit was found in Denmark and consisted of two ancient species of sea lilies, which had been puked up by an ancient fish. Gizmodo has more on the find.
Four: Check out the trailer for ‘Magazine Dreams’—the 2023 movie starring Jonathan Majors—who plays an aspiring bodybuilder. The backstory: Two years ago, this film wowed critics at the Sundance Film Festival and Majors received Oscar buzz for his performance. But but but: the distributor cancelled its release after Majors was found guilty in a domestic violence case in December of that year. Yup, he was also fired by Marvel. Last October, Briarcliff Entertainment—which also distributed the young Donald Trump movie ‘The Apprentice’—picked up the film and slotted it for March 21. FYI: Majors is still serving a one-year intervention program for domestic violence. (Hollywood Reporter)
Needed: Your feedback on the new Data Protection Rules!
The all-important Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Rules 2025 are open for public feedback until February 18. The folks over at Civis have created an easy way to share feedback. Just send us ‘DPDP’ on WhatsApp to 8976926914 or simply use this link. No sign-ups required!
What is Civis: Civis is a non-profit organisation which works towards building inclusive laws in India by encouraging citizen participation in lawmaking. It gathers public feedback on draft laws and policies and shares this feedback with the government. Since 2018, Civis has worked on 1000+ laws and gathered feedback from citizens in 770+ cities across the country.
What the rules say: Here’s a brief overview:
Transparency and control: Data fiduciaries (DFs)—anyone collecting your digital data—must clearly explain how they’re using your data, seek your consent and provide an option to withdraw it, and set up mechanisms to address complaints.
Data breaches: If your data is compromised, DFs are required to notify you about the breach and the steps taken to address it within 72 hours, in addition to informing the Data Protection Board of India.
Children’s data: Handling children’s data will require verifiable parental consent, which can be confirmed using virtual tokens or platforms like Digilocker.
Exemptions: Certain provisions don’t require full compliance in cases related to judicial or regulatory functions, enforcement of legal rights, or the prevention of criminal activities. Specific categories like startups, research organisations, clinical establishments, educational institutions, and childcare facilities may also be exempt in specific situations.
There is a lot more to the rules, and you can read more about them on the Civis platform.
Why this matters: These rules affect everyone—whether you're a small business, a large corporation, or an average citizen using the internet. Whether you want stricter controls, better accountability, or have specific concerns, you can share your views with the government.
Takshashila: A doorway to public policy
Editor’s note: We are delighted to partner with Takshashila Institution. It is one of India’s foremost think-tanks on public policy. They also run valuable courses that teach students how to tackle complex policy challenges—bringing together academic experts and policy practitioners from across the world. We will be showcasing their courses and community in splainer. Please note: This is not paid content.
Over to Takshashila…
The doors to knowledge and innovation in public policy are now wide open for everyone. Takshashila Institution, the pioneer in public policy education in India invites you to join OpenTakshashila, a free space for learning, exploring and engaging with the public policy community.
What’s happening on OpenTakshashila? Educate Yourself: Our "Open Course in Public Policy" is a free, self-paced online course designed to equip you with the fundamentals of public policy. It's your foundation for understanding, analysing, and influencing policy decisions.
Join the Conversation: Participate in "Open Mic" sessions where nuanced discussions on current policy issues thrive. It's your chance to voice your thoughts, listen to diverse opinions, and engage in debates that matter.
Dive into Books: Our "Books & Banter" book club invites you to share your latest reads, discover new insights, and discuss ideas that can transform society. It's a space where policy enthusiasts and book lovers unite.
Have Fun Learning: "OffBeat" offers a unique blend of events and fun games focused on public policy. This is where learning meets play, allowing you to grasp complex concepts through engaging and interactive activities.
