The Subcontinent: 2 March 2021
Did Hackers from China Cause Mumbai Power Failure?
200 Children's Paintings Have One Message: Peace
Nepal: Awaiting the revival of International Post
Sri Lanka: Covid victims to be buried on an Island
Documentary: Showgirls of Pakistan
1. Did Hackers from China Cause Mumbai Power Failure?
Did hackers from China cause the power failure in Mumbai in October 2020?
A US-based company says Yes.
The Government of India says No.
Who says Yes?
A US-based company called RecordedFuture has released a report titled "China-linked Group RedEcho Targets the Indian Power Sector." The report says: "Since early 2020, Recorded Future's Insikt Group observed a large increase in suspected targeted intrusion activity against Indian organizations from Chinese state-sponsored groups" (Recorded Future).
Ministry says No?
The Ministry of Power says: "There is no impact on any of the functionalities carried out by POSOCO (Power System Operation Corp Ltd ) due to the referred threat. No data breach/data loss has been detected due to these incidents."
However, the Ministry does not specifically address the Mumbai power outage claim (The Print).
What happened in Mumbai?
On 12 October 2021, an electricity shutdown was witnessed in Mumbai, leading to large parts of the city going without power for hours and disruption in suburban trains. It was described as the worst power outage in Mumbai for decades (Business Standard).
Power was restored in most parts of the city within two hours. The Airport and the two stock exchanges - Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and National Stock Exchange of India (NSE), continued to function.
2. 200 Children's Paintings Have One Message: Peace
Two-hundred paintings by school children from India and Pakistan received under the ninth Indo-Pak Peace Calendar initiative have reiterated the desire for peace. The unveiling of the ninth edition of the Indo-Pak Peace Calendar was a virtual event, with the theme this year being 'Sharing of Hopes for a Peaceful and Friendly Co-existence' (The Times of India).
3. Nepal: Awaiting the Revival of International Post
A year after non-essential services were stopped in Nepal, international postage is still not back to normal. Inbound letters and parcels started arrival in September 2020, but outbound services have yet to begin, except for letters to India.
Reason?
Nepal uses Thai Airways passenger flights for its postal services (instead of cargo flights). Thai Airways are undergoing a major financial restructuring, and they have not yet restarted passenger flights to Nepal (Kathmandu Post).
4. Sri Lanka: Covid Victims to be Buried on an Island
COVID victims requiring a burial will be buried on Iranaitivu Island in the Gulf of Mannar (Northern province). Guidelines for burial will be announced soon. The state will pay for the burials, and the island has been selected due to its sparse population (Colombo Gazette) (Daily Mirror).
Burial Versus Cremation
Sri Lanka had stopped burials of people dying of COVID, leading to protests from within and outside the country. There have been no official burials for almost 11 months (The Subcontinent: 12 February 2021).
Where is Iranaitivu Island?
Iranaitheevu is a pair of twin islands situated in the Palk Strait. The islands saw a significant displacement during the Sri Lanka Civil War, leading to the displacement of its populace, who have been struggling to return to their homes (Ground Views).
5. Documentary: Showgirls of Pakistan
In a region where dancers are controlled by violent mobsters, corrupt pimps and boyfriends, the documentary "Showgirls of Pakistan" follows three performers, a trans-woman who wishes to retire, a teenager wanting to escape, and a mentally ill performer.
Read Also
The movie about Pakistani burlesque you may never get to see: CNET
Reviews
Watch it here: (Runtime: 146 minutes)