Timeframe: 30th July – 5th August 2021
Contributors:
Sabyasachi Karmaker, Musarrat Sarwar Chowdhury, and Farhan Uddin Ahmed.
1. Economics & Business
Reliance Retail in talks to buy Subway India for $200-250 mn
Reliance Retail, owned by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, appears to be eyeing the India franchise of the world’s largest single-brand restaurant chain, Subway. The retail company is in talks to buy Subway India for $200-250 million or Rs 1,488-1,860 crore. Reliance Retail will operate a network of approximately 600 Subway stores across India as part of the acquisition, while also broadening its company into other categories. RIL-Subway would intensify the competition that has players like Domino’s Pizza, Pizza Hut, Burger King, Starbucks etc.
Source: Verdict Food Service
2. Politics
Gunmen attack the home of Afghan defense minister in Kabul
An audacious attack on the Afghan defense minister’s house in Kabul has left at least eight dead, the first major bombing by militants in the city for nearly a year. Bismillah Khan Mohammadi was not at home on Tuesday night as gunmen detonated a car bomb and fired shots near the heavily fortified Green Zone. His family was evacuated and four of the gunmen killed, officials said.
The Taliban said they were behind the attack. The group also warned of more attacks against government leaders. It comes as fighting rages in other cities after foreign troops left the country. The UN Security Council has called for an immediate end to the violence.
Source: BBC
3. Significant Corona Update
WHO calls for halting COVID-19 vaccine boosters in favor of unvaccinated
The World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for a halt on COVID-19 vaccine boosters until at least the end of September, its head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday, as the gap between vaccinations in wealthy and poor countries widens.
“I understand the concern of all governments to protect their people from the Delta variant. But we cannot accept countries that have already used most of the global supply of vaccines using even more of it,” Tedros added.
Source: Reuters
4. Science & Technology
Robotic police dogs: Useful hounds or dehumanizing machines?
Public safety agencies in the US are starting to use Spot, the best-known of a new commercial category of robots that trot around with animal-like agility. The handful of police officials experimenting with the four-legged machines say they’re just another tool to keep emergency responders out of harm’s way as they scout for dangers. But privacy watchdogs — the humankind — warn that police are secretly rushing to buy the robots without setting safeguards against aggressive, invasive, or dehumanizing uses.
Source: AP News
5. RMG/ Agriculture
Israel undercuts Palestinian agriculture with cheap produce
Israel is flooding Palestinian markets with large quantities of agricultural products with the aim to ruin the Palestinian agricultural seasons. Palestinians complain that Israel is razing and burning agricultural crops, and undercutting the agricultural sector on which farmers depend with less expensive goods.
Some of the main seasons during which Israel deliberately inflicts financial losses on farmers are the grape and olive seasons; it floods the Palestinian markets in the West Bank with large quantities of those fruits at cheaper prices, hindering Palestinian production and encouraging Palestinian economic dependence on Israel.
Source: AL Monitor
6. Social and Education
Japanese athletes short of gold apologize — sometimes, even after winning silver
In what has become a familiar — and, at times, wrenching — sight during the Tokyo Olympics, many Japanese athletes have wept through post-competition interviews, apologizing for any result short of gold. Even some who had won a medal lamented that they had let down their team, their supporters, even their country.
Source: The New York Times
7. Environment
Turkey wildfires: Despair and questions as forests burn
Over the past week, 132 destructive blazes have raged through southern and other parts of Turkey, killing eight people and burning at least 118,789 hectares of land. Many of the blazes tore through forests near beach destinations popular with local and European tourists, such as Bodrum and Marmaris, with people fleeing in cars, small boats, and in some cases luxury yachts. Soaring temperatures have also seen wildfires break out across much of southern Europe, including Greece, Spain, and Italy.
Source: Reuters
8. Expert Opinion
I’m neutral on the technology but I’m not neutral about investor protection- Gary Gensler
The US’s top securities regulator has unusual expertise in digital assets, but he says he’s no cheerleader for them
Disclaimer: The information provided here is obtained solely from the third parties mentioned above. Youth Policy Forum (YPF) is not responsible for any misinformation or misrepresentation.