Written by: Aarthi Ramnath, Raghav Bikhchandani & Yash Budhwar
Israel blocks humanitarian aid… again!!
The context: Israel and Hamas signed a three-phase ceasefire agreement that came into effect on January 19. The first phase was scheduled to last six weeks until March 1. Hamas agreed to release 33 hostages taken during the October 7 attack and receive over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners from Israel. Also: Israel was to partially withdraw its forces from Gaza. But, but, but: the details of the second and third phases were left fuzzy. No one knew what Tel Aviv would do come Saturday—when phase one ended—especially since Joe Biden has been replaced by Donald ‘Gaza Riviera’ Trump.
What happened now: On Saturday, phase one ended without any agreement on what will happen on phase two. Instead, Israel cut off the entry of all humanitarian aid—including food—into Gaza. The reason: Hamas is refusing to accept a US proposal—which goes something like this:
Israel said the new proposal, which it said came from U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff, called for extending the ceasefire through Ramadan — the Muslim holy month that began over the weekend — and the Jewish Passover holiday, which ends on April 20. Under that proposal, Hamas would release half the hostages on the first day and the rest when an agreement is reached on a permanent ceasefire, Mr. Netanyahu said.
Hamas’ objection: They refuse to release any of the remaining hostages—or their dead bodies—without the total withdrawal of Israeli forces and a permanent ceasefire. In other words, Israel has to move to phase two—rather than extending phase one to buy time. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu wants to avoid a complete withdrawal at any cost: “Such a retreat could however trigger the collapse of his rightwing coalition which would in turn force new elections, in which Netanyahu’s political future would be uncertain.”
What happens next: Israel has warned of “additional consequences” if Hamas does not comply—all of which suggests Bibi can’t wait to restart the war. Meanwhile, Gaza braces once again for famine, chaos—and death.
Quote to note: Mideast expert Stephen Zunes nicely sums up what’s happening:
This is typical. Hamas and Israel will agree to something. Then Israel will try to revise it in its favour. Then the US will put forward a new proposal that is in Israel’s favour and then the US will blame Hamas for not accepting that proposal.
Reading list: The Guardian has the story on the stalling of ceasefire talks, while Al Jazeera reports on Israel cutting off aid to Gaza. For more on Egypt’s reconstruction plan, check out Deutsche Welle.
Oscars 2025: The best bits
The big winner was ‘Anora’—with five Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for Sean Baker. As for the Best Actor, Adrian Brody won the race over Timothée Chalamet. Despite having the most number of nominations at 13, ‘Emilia Pérez’ won in just two categories—Zoe Saldaña snatched the Best Supporting Actress award and the song ‘El Mal’ bagged the Best Original Song.
A surprise win: Palestinian documentary “No Other Land” won the Academy award for best documentary. The film is a collaboration between Israeli and Palestinian filmmakers and follows activist Basel Adra who documents the destruction of his hometown in the West Bank. You can see their heartfelt speech below.
Moving on to the viral moments: Conan O’Brien’s monologue was mostly boring but Nikki Glaser and Ricky Gervais would’ve been proud of this jab at ‘Emilia Pérez’ star Karla Sofia Gascón.
On the red carpet: Adrien Brody and Halle Berry re-enacted their viral kiss from the 2003 Oscars—at least this time, it was consensual.
Selena Gomez dazzled in this custom Ralph Lauren gown covered top-to-bottom in over 16,000 glass droplets and Rosemont crystals:
We also loved Halle Berry’s sheesha gown:
As for the men, Timothée Chalamet stole the show with his yellow suit:
And Jeff Goldblum looked ever-so-dashing:
You can check out all the red carpet looks in BBC News. Hollywood Reporter has the full list of winners. A good read: The Guardian looks at a culture shift: the rising generation of older female actors.
The ISS is too clean for comfort
Turns out being squeaky clean isn’t a good thing in space. According to a new study, the International Space Station is so sterile that it is hurting astronauts—think “immune-related health problems such as rashes, cold sores, fungal infections and shingles.” The problem: Less than 0.3% on the ISS are from natural sources like soil or water—which contain microbes that help keep our immune systems strong. Most of the ‘dirt’ was generated by humans—which is not good, as experts explain:
There’s a big difference between exposure to healthy soil from gardening versus stewing in our own filth, which is kind of what happens if we’re in a strictly enclosed environment with no ongoing input of those healthy sources of microbes from the outside.
The solution: microbial diversity—introducing more of the ‘good’ kind that our body encounters on Earth. (The Guardian)
Do women really talk more than men?
A 2007 study found that men and women spoke roughly the same number of words per day—16,000 or so. But a new and larger study shows that women of a certain age (25-64) speak an average of 3,275 more words than men on a daily basis. That is about 20 more minutes of talking! The likely reason: mothers talk more to their kids—because they carry the burden of childcare. That’s why the gap shows up across generations—and irrespective of gender. In other words, women say more because they have to. Fun related fact: Another recent study linked higher oxytocin levels among infants to mothers using language to describe what their child is thinking. (Science Alert)
what caught our eye
business & tech
- Jumping onto the quantum computing bandwagon now is Amazon, unveiling its first in-house chip ‘Ocelot’—a nine-qubit prototype—just days after Microsoft unveiled their ‘Majorana 1’.
- Watch out!! China is telling its top AI experts to steer clear of the US, fearing they could be detained, pressured for intel, or used as bargaining chips in the escalating tussle.
- Skype is chirping off for good—Microsoft is pulling the plug on May 5, 2025, shifting its focus to Teams while Zoom and Snapchat leave its video-calling legacy in the dust.
- Citigroup almost pulled off the biggest accidental giveaway—$81 trillion, more than the US’ GDP—before catching the mistake in time.
- AI is now "softening" Indian call centre accents in real time—because apparently, they’re just too hard to understand.
- Some delish news now... Scientists have cooked up ‘e-Taste’, a device that lets you taste video games—sweet, salty, or umami—straight from your lower teeth.
sports & entertainment
- Sixteen years after sparking outrage, ‘Seven Jewish Children’—the play that cost its director a top drama award—is back on stage in London.
- As per their friends, Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa built a quiet life in the New Mexico mountains—far from Hollywood, cell phones, and the spotlight—just the way they wanted it, before their tragic deaths.
- New York Times has a good read on Hollywood’s new holy grail—Bible stories reimagined with 'Game of Thrones'-style drama and rom-com flair, as Amazon and Netflix chase the success of 'The Chosen.'
- Ado’s music is officially out of this world—SpaceX just launched the J-pop star’s recordings into orbit, with plans to send them to the moon.
- India beat New Zealand by 44 runs thanks to Varun Chakravarthy’s 5-wicket haul. As a result, the Champions Trophy semifinal matchups are confirmed—India play Australia in Dubai on Tuesday, while South Africa play New Zealand in Lahore on Wednesday.
health & environment
- A concussion-fighting nasal spray just showed promise in mice—scientists say it could someday help the brain heal itself after a hard hit.
- Stanford scientists created an AI tool that reads fingerprints to spot diseases like lupus and diabetes—just from your body’s past infections.
- Antioxidants in fruits and nuts may reverse microplastic-induced fertility damage—mice given the treatment saw sperm counts bounce back, researchers say.
meanwhile, in the world
- Switzerland will host a March 7 conference on the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, inviting 196 nations as fears of West Bank annexation grow.
- Rose Girone, the oldest known Holocaust survivor, has died at 113. She fled Nazi Germany, survived a Shanghai ghetto, and swore by dark chocolate and good children.
- After Sheikh Hasina's ouster last year, Bangladesh is rewriting its history books, again—this time, downplaying her father, Mujibur Rahman, the nation’s founding leader.
meanwhile, in India
- Telangana CM Revanth Reddy says rescue teams still don’t know exactly where the eight trapped workers are inside the collapsed SLBC tunnel—efforts will speed up once a damaged conveyor belt is fixed.
- News Minute has an in-depth look into the horrifics of Kerala’s booming hospitality industry, where rampant workplace sexual harassment goes unchecked, leaving women with nowhere to turn.
- A new study shows that Indus Valley farmers domesticated wild boars 5,000 years ago, challenging claims that pigs came from elsewhere in Asia.
Four things to see
One: The Oval Office ambush of Ukrainian prez Volodymyr Zelenskyy seems to have revived disheartened liberals—who were busy licking their wounds after Trump beat Kamala Harris. Our fave was this sign held up in Vermont—where JD Vance was forced to go into hiding on a ski vacation:
Also very picturesque, this pic from New York. (BBC News)
Two: A sudden heavy rainfall and hailstorm on Saturday turned parts of Rajasthan— Bharatpur, Churu, and Alwar—into a winter wonderland—as you can see below. (NDTV)
Three: Japan is reeling from its biggest wildfire in thirty years—since 1992. The flames have spread over about 1,200 hectares (3,000 acres) in the Ofunato forest. One person has died, 1000+ have been evacuated, and more than 80 buildings have been destroyed. (Japan Times)
Four: Firefly Aerospace’s lander Blue Ghost has successfully landed on the moon. It is the second private company to achieve the milestone—but the first one to land upright. The last one fell apart on landing. Below image shows Blue Ghost’s shadow on the lunar surface: (AFP via The Hindu)
feel good place
One: First day at school is always hard—even for a baby cuttlefish.
Two: “World Peas” lol!
Three: Why Hindi dubbing is the best!!
