Page 15 - Masala Lite Issue 156 December 2023

• India hosted the 18th G20 Summit in New Delhi, during
which PM Narendra Modi introduced the African Union as the
21st member of the G20, and both he and President Droupadi • Sam Bankman-Fried, who founded the
Murmu referred to India as Bharat, prompting speculations FTX cryptocurrency exchange, one of
worldwide about an official name change. the world’s biggest exchanges of its kind,
• Jaime Maussan, a Mexican journalist, TV personality, was found guilty of fraud and money
and ‘UFO expert’ revealed to the Mexican congress two laundering at the end of a month-long
mummified corpses that he claimed were “nonhuman [i.e. trial and could face decades in prison,
extraterrestrial] beings.” according to experts.
• North Korean President, Kim Jong-Un, held historic talks • The Board of Directors of OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, announced that
with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding potential they were firing their CEO Sam Altman, an impulsive move that sent shockwaves
military cooperation, spurring fears of an alliance online. The through the industry and angered OpenAI’s employees and investors alike. Soon
former arrived in Russia via armoured train. after, reports emerged of Microsoft, OpenAI’s biggest investor, hiring Sam, but
then in a telenovela-esque plot twist, OpenAI announced that he was officially
• Shah Rukh Khan once again proved he’s the king of back as CEO – all within the space of under a week.
Bollywood in what many are calling his renaissance. Both
Pathaan (2023) and Jawan (2023) pulled in huge numbers • Thailand’s Cabinet approved an amendment to its civil code to allow same-sex
at the box office, breathing life into Bollywood’s recently- marriage, once again proving that Thailand is at the forefront of some change in
lacklustre performance. the region. The bill will be submitted to Parliament in December.

• Heavy rains caused flash floods in
Sikkim, India, the deadliest floods in SOME NOTABLE DEATHS
the area since 1968. Water levels rose
up to 6.1 metres, causing largescale • Lisa Marie Presley • Steve Harwell • Michael Gambon
destruction of infrastructure, and killing
over 74 people. • Matthew Perry • Satish Kaushik • Pradeep Sarkar
• In the first crisis of its kind in Bangkok, • Pamela Chopra
Thailand, a mass shooting took place in
Siam Paragon shopping mall, resulting
in two people and five more injured. The
suspect, a 14-year-old boy with alleged
mental health issues, was caught and arrested shortly after.
• The 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup was held in India, and Team India performed
spectacularly well through the season, winning every game until their tragic loss in
November against Australia in the finals held in Ahmedabad.
• The latest development in one of the world’s longest continuing conflicts which has
resulted in countless deaths in the region, Hamas launched an attack on Israel this month.
This led to weeks of military bombardment in Gaza, and prompted many worldwide
to speak out against the atrocities and call for a ceasefire. Despite a temporary pause
in November, the crisis continues.