Bamiyan Buddhas Briefly Back | Burger King's Whopper

Afghans have held a poignant ceremony to mark the 20th anniversary of one of this century’s greatest archaeological crimes, when the Taliban blew up two monumental fifth-century Buddhas carved into the cliff in Bamiyan. They were remembered at Tuesday’s A Night With Buddha event, featuring a 3D projection of the larger 180-foot statue in one of the alcoves that remain, while hundreds of citizens took part in a lantern-lit procession to the base of the cliff. The commemoration was marred by fears of the Taliban returning after a deal with the U.S. that, as this OZY column details, could see American troops withdraw soon.

Sources: AFP, Al Jazeera

2. Street Battles Erupt in Athens Over Police Brutality

Clashes broke out Tuesday night at a protest against police brutality in the Greek capital after a viral video showed an officer beating a young man. More than 5,000 people demonstrated, with some throwing Molotov cocktails and rocks at police, who responded with tear gas and water cannons. In the video that spurred the protests, the victim can be heard shouting “I’m in pain” as the officer, on patrol to enforce coronavirus measures, beats him with a baton. Greece’s opposition has slammed the government for what it says are heavy-handed measures since the pandemic started.

Sources: Al Jazeera, Reuters

3. UK Press Divided Over ‘Racist’ Meghan Markle Coverage

The fallout from the Oprah Winfrey interview continues. Dozens of British journalists have expressed outrage over a statement by the U.K. Society of Editors claiming racism was not an issue in coverage of the Duchess of Sussex. More than 160 journalists of color as well as the editors of The Guardian, Financial Times and HuffPost objected to the statement, calling it “laughable” and proof of “an institution and an industry in denial.” Meanwhile, Buckingham Palace finally responded to the interview, saying “some recollections may vary” but expressing concern over the issues raised around race.

Sources: The Guardian, BBC

4. Stimulus Package Set to Pass US Congress

Lawmakers are expected to pass the $1.9 trillion coronavirus stimulus package today in what Sen. Bernie Sanders hails as a huge victory for progressives. The bill is intended not only to boost the economy but also to alleviate poverty through tax credits for low-income workers, health insurance subsidies and food stamps. No Republicans in the House or Senate voted for the bill, though polls show over 60 percent of Americans support it. President Joe Biden now faces the challenge of delivering the aid quickly, with concerns over how soon federal agencies can implement the raft of new measures.

Sources: CNN, The Washington Post, WSJ (sub)

5. Also Important...

Further crackdowns are feared in Myanmar as railway workers went on strike Wednesday, the day after the death in custody of a National League for Democracy lawmaker. Arkansas has approved a law effectively banning nearly all abortions, including in cases of rape or incest. And Russia and China have signed an agreement to build a lunar space station.

Coronavirus Update: Brazil’s hospitals are being overwhelmed as COVID-19 cases surge, with deaths hitting a record high of 1,972 Tuesday and intensive care units more than 80 percent occupied in nearly all state capitals.

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The fast food chain is being grilled over a whopper of a tweet it posted on International Women’s Day reading, “Women belong in the kitchen.” The tongue-in-cheek tweet was quickly followed by another explaining the company’s new campaign to improve the gender ratio in the restaurant industry, where just 24 percent of chefs are female. Burger King has launched Helping Equalize Restaurants scholarships to help women break into the male-dominated culinary world. “We are indeed doing something positive, but the headline we used ended up offending people,” explained the brand’s global marketing boss Fernando Machado.

Sources: Forbes, BI

2. Stop ‘Slut-Shaming,’ Namibian First Lady Warns Trolls

Namibia’s first lady Monica Geingos posted a video calling out trolls for “slut-shaming” her with misogynistic insults. “I've decided that enough is enough,” said Geingos, who is married to President Hage Geingob. “I will not be silenced anymore.” In the video she calmly details the abuse that’s been thrown at her, including being called “fat, ugly, stupid and too ambitious" and “a manipulative, deceitful gold-digger.” Geingos urged women to challenge such stereotypes and defend themselves. The lawyer, entrepreneur and millionaire has made headlines before: Last year she promised to leave all her money to charity when she dies.

Sources: CNN, Reuters

3. Why Himalayan Villagers Stopped Crying Wolf

It was a centuries-old human-animal conflict: yak shepherds in India’s northern Ladakh region versus Himalayan wolves. But now conservationists are using Buddhist principles to foster peace between the ancient enemies. Herders once laid traps for the predators and then stoned the animals to death, but “Bauddha dharma [Buddhism] tells us that one should not harm any living being,” Rangdol Nyima Rinpoche, one of the region’s most influential Buddhist leaders, told OZY. With that in mind, the community is building wildlife reserves for wolves and snow leopards, and herders are constructing predator-proof corrals for their livestock.

Sources: OZY

4. BAFTAs Embrace Diversity After Last Year’s Criticism

After zero women were nominated for best director last year, four of this year’s six nominees are female, while four nominees in both best actor categories are people of color. The British Academy Film Awards list, which is more diverse than the Golden Globes, came after the academy changed its rules to increase diversity and required voting members to take part in unconscious bias training. The drama Nomadland, directed by Chloé Zhao and starring Frances McDormand, picked up the most high-profile nominations, while Rocks, a coming-of-age drama about inner-city London schoolgirls, matched it with seven nods.

Sources: NYT, The Guardian

5. NBA Investigates Miami Heat Player’s Anti-Semitic Slur

Meyers Leonard will be “away from the team indefinitely” while the basketball league investigates a Twitch video in which he’s heard using an anti-Semitic slur. The Heat said it “vehemently condemns the use of any form of hate speech” after the video of Leonard’s Call of Duty: Warzone livestream surfaced. The 29-year-old released a statement apologizing and saying he didn’t know what the word meant when he used it. Last year, he was the only Heat player who didn’t take a knee for racial justice during the national anthem when the NBA season resumed.

Sources: The Washington Post, The Times of Israel, CNN

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