August 14 – Scrap Your Engines!

If all goes well, this will be the last Independence Day when you will be able to fly that small plastic Indian Tricolour that you get on the street. It is among the many items that will be banned from July 1, 2022, in the Centre’s attempt to finally put a stop to single-use plasticsContinue reading “August 14 – Scrap Your Engines!”

August 11 – One Bill To Rule Them All

The Indian telecom industry is neck-deep in trouble. Vodafone Idea is almost sunk and Airtel’s boss Sunil Mittal has been calling for a tariff hike for a while. And while Jio is perhaps the only one not under stress, if its competition were to collapse all of a sudden, the company alone does not have the build to handle the influx of new customers. The govt that is proposing to create a “floor price” for services. Competition may have just killed competition.

August 9 – A Parrot’s Help

Another Olympics has come and gone with the US once again topping the charts with the most gold medals and medals. China, with 38 golds, was in the lead for most of the Games until the last day when US ended with 39 golds. India was 48th. Next stop for the Games is the City of Light – Paris!

August 8 – A Win to Reflect

Sometimes victory blinds us to the truth and that should not happen. Neeraj Chopra’s epic performance has given a reason to cheer. But just two months ago, his celebrated coach, Uwe Hohn, had said Indian athletes’ preparations for the Olympics were not up to the mark. In fact, he seemed to suggest that the set up almost scuttled Chopra, and that he was unhappy with his contract. Even stories of other Olympians show the incredible hardships they have to face.

August 7 – Step Backs, Stumbling Blocks

Apple’s move to introduce a software that will scan users’ phone for child abuse content has come in for much criticism. While the intention is good, the company now suspects every customer. Worse, it could also be a backdoor for the govt to enter. So much for privacy.

August 3 – Vi, bye bye?

“You and I… in this beautiful world”. Those words are enough to invoke memories of Cheek the pug following a boy around. The image is of one of the most successful ad campaigns, run by Hutch in the early 2000s. Since then, the group has changed hands and is now known as Vi. But for how much longer? Aditya Birla group now says it is willing to give it up to the govt to keep the company afloat.

August 2- The writing on the wall

It’s like deja vu. Although for scientists this may seem like fears coming true. More fires are being reported in Europe as Italy, Spain and Greece fall victim. And the EU says this year’s fires have been more destructive than before. In Afghanistan, after the Taliban, it’s the floods that is killing more people – 113 in the last count. Climate crisis, indeed.

August 1- The French Test

The police is one of the most visible arms of government. But it’s also a fact that they do not inspire confidence with their political linkage. PM Modi stressed on ridding the force of this “negative perception”. But former top cop Prakash Singh pointed out that the Centre too could have done its bit for this.

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