Hey Ram!
The hottest dance trend on TikTok right now is something called ‘’—which is a brilliant remix of Cali Swag District’s ‘Teach Me How to Dougie’ with ‘Wakhra Swag’ by Navv Inder feat. Badshah. The above is a “duet” between a popular TikTok account called Deemo and a bunch of awesome Indian women. First watch the clip, then listen to . Perfect for your next dance-off!
AN UPDATE ON LEBANON * The is at least 135 dead and 5,000 injured—and up to 250,000 are left without homes. A two-week national emergency has been declared. * ’s photo gallery captures the devastation. * : criminal negligence. Officials allowed dangerous stores of ammonium nitrate to languish in a warehouse for six years without putting in place any safety measures. explains how a culture of corruption and crime made this inevitable. * The pyramids in Egypt and Burj Khalifa were lit up with the Lebanese flag in solidarity. See images and . * Going viral: of a bride posing for the camera right at the moment of the explosion. SAMSUNG’S NEW FOLDABLE PHONE The company held its big annual unveil yesterday—on a videoconference, of course. And it rolled out a new Galaxy 10 smartphone, new iterations of its watch and tablet and Galaxy Z Fold2—the latest gen of its foldable phone. It has a bigger display with a 6.2-inch screen that folds out to 7.6 inches. has more on ZFold2. has the full list of announcements. NINE INDIAN STATES ARE ‘VULNERABLE’ Total number of cases as of today: 1,961,357. Total deaths: 40,681. We also recorded the highest daily number of recoveries: 51,706. A says nine states remain vulnerable to a surge: Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Odisha and Gujarat. Researchers created an index based on socioeconomic factors, demographics, housing and hygiene, epidemiological trends, and the local health system. Also read: analysis of small states like Goa, Puducherry, Nagaland etc that are witnessing a significant spread. Related read: predicts that the next year is going to be catastrophic for mid-sized hotels—while the luxury tier will survive. Tourists are already flooding boutique hotels in Rajasthan. THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC: RISING FATALITIES One person dies from Covid, as the global death toll surges past 700,000. The total number of cases: 18,691,600. A great portion of the recent surge is being fuelled by young people: Of the 6 million infections recorded between February and early July, the share of people aged 15-24 rose . The reason: “[Y]oung people are more likely to go to work in the community, to a beach or the pub, or to buy groceries.” Related casualty: Virgin Atlantic, which has filed for bankruptcy. The airline will run out of cash next month if creditors do not approve a $1.6 billion rescue deal. has more. Related read: on new research that shows that bodies that are immune to certain cold viruses are able to detect the coronavirus—and therefore more successfully fight it off. TIKTOK DRAMA CONTINUES… * named Apple as a potential buyer for TikTok, but the company insists that it has . * The loss of its India market a dent in the company’s earnings—which were higher than any other app in July. One reason: 89% of its revenue comes from China. * Stirring the pot: Facebook, which its TikTok clone Reels in the United States and 50 other countries. It’s already been launched in India. * TikTok is fighting back with of fake news detection and reporting tools. RAFAEL NADAL OPTS OUT OF US OPEN He will not defend his United States Open singles title this year due to concerns over Covid. Nadal his decision: > “After many thoughts I have decided not to play this year’s US Open. The situation is very complicated worldwide, the COVID-19 > cases are increasing, it looks like we still don’t have control of it… This is a decision I never wanted to take but I have > decided to follow my heart this time and for the time being I rather not travel.” The world’s number one women’s single player Ashleigh Barty has already of the tournament. AMAZON AUR AIRTEL KI JODI In the latest move to stop the Jio juggernaut, the company has teamed up to deliver cloud services to medium and small enterprises. Reliance struck a similar deal with Microsoft last year. Related read: reports on how the pandemic has changed Prime Day preparations in India. MUMBAI WARNED OF FLOODS Residents have to stay home due to predictions of continuing heavy rainfall. How crazy have the rains been? According to , Mumbai clocked 2,319.7 mm yesterday—which is far higher than the seasonal average of 2,260.4. See below. GOVERNMENT STEPS INTO RAJPUT FRAY The Attorney General told the Supreme Court that the Union government has accepted Bihar CM Nitish Yadav’s request for a CBI probe. Read that sentence again… We now have a state government, the Supreme Court and the CBI involved in investigating a single suicide. ()
Artist Hector Janse van Rensburg did this series of lovely comics inspired by his cat Ona. And they offer a gentle, affirming perspective on our struggles with mental health. We love this! See more of this series .
THREE CURIOUS AIRLINE THINGS One: Emirates airlines has taken Covid-19 insurance to a whole new level. It's promising not just to cover their passengers’ medical costs—but also funeral expenses, if needed, of course! The amount: $1,765. (h/t Founding member Shalini Dayanidhi) () Two: NiceSeats is the perfect portable airline seat cover, designed to keep you safe from nasty coronaviruses. It offers full coverage and comes with its own seat pocket—which is one of the biggest germ-magnets in an airplane along with the head-rest. If you’re outside India, you can check their website . () Three: Virgin Galactic unveiled plans for a supersonic jet designed to fly three times the speed of sound (roughly 2,300 mph). It only carries between nine and 19 passengers and its cruising altitude is 60,000 feet — roughly twice that of a conventional commercial airliner. Too bad, it didn’t stop Virgin Atlantic from crash-landing. () THREE GOOD SEX/LOVE READS One: The most powerful predictors of the quality of a relationship is not your personality—or of your bae. It is the characteristic of the relationship itself! This is according to a landmark analysis of 11,196 couples gleaned from 43 studies. Why this matters: “Really, it suggests that the person we choose is not nearly as important as the relationship we build." () Two: In Japan, you can pay private agents called ‘wakaresaseya’ to seduce your spouse or their partner—especially if they are unlikely to agree to a divorce: “It’s a way in the short term of resolving a difficult situation without conflict. And your wife is much more likely to agree to a divorce if she’s in love with someone and wants to move on.” () Three: ‘10 Things You, A Man, Should Not Write in a Dating App Bio’ is the headline of this piece. What? You want more? ()
to Jose Feliciano butchering ‘Every Step You Take’ deserves some kind of bravery award. of the always beloved ‘Can’t Touch This’, courtesy the Principal of an Alabama school. A teacher’s work is never done! of ‘Sex and The City’. Priceless! (h/t founding member Anita Guha)
I RECOMMEND EDITOR’S NOTE is a self-described “cook and cat lady who can be usually found reading”—a passion that served her well when she was a commissioning editor for Penguin India. She was previously in charge of Indian Express’ podcast division, and now co-hosts a brilliant podcast called ‘’ (Photo: Suraaj Ajithakumar) I came to podcasts mainly because I was in business school, and I had no spare time that didn't go in homework, socializing or chores. This meant I had no time to read, but I really missed reading. Enter podcasts, which I could listen to while I was sweeping behind the bookshelf or scrubbing the bathtub. I started with the old faithfuls, , , . But then I discovered the wonderful world of non-American podcasts, and I have never looked back. : This is my favorite podcast of all time, ever. This is four researchers (the QI Elves) getting together with a fact they have each learned the preceding week, and then talking about them. Prepare for extremely British humour, lots of puns, a whole host of completely bizarre and hilarious trivia. : is another podcast I love since I'm a total nerd. A comedian and a theoretical physicist host panels that talk about science. Funny and informative, the episodes are rarely more than 30 minutes long, which works well for me and my non-commuting life. : is an outlier in my listening. Two young people who love classical music explain a couple of composers each week and introduce some of their music. I always thought classical music was too complicated to understand, but this show helped me understand why so many love it. Also: It's oddly addictive. Parting note: With Indian podcasting bursting to life, there are two podcasts I love. is a chill conversation between two bros about some of the ridiculous things we think and do in Indian society, and with Aditi Mittal and Christina MacGillivray is a really good exploration of women and working in India. And, of course, Pallavi's and my podcast, Note: This is NOT sponsored content. We use this section to spotlight the recommendations of people we trust and admire. THREE CURIOUS AIRLINE THINGS One: Emirates airlines has taken Covid-19 insurance to a whole new level. It's promising not just to cover their passengers’ medical costs—but also funeral expenses, if needed, of course! The amount: $1,765. (h/t Founding member Shalini Dayanidhi) () Two: NiceSeats is the perfect portable airline seat cover, designed to keep you safe from nasty coronaviruses. It offers full coverage and comes with its own seat pocket—which is one of the biggest germ-magnets in an airplane along with the head-rest. If you’re outside India, you can check their website . () Three: Virgin Galactic unveiled plans for a supersonic jet designed to fly three times the speed of sound (roughly 2,300 mph). It only carries between nine and 19 passengers and its cruising altitude is 60,000 feet — roughly twice that of a conventional commercial airliner. Too bad, it didn’t stop Virgin Atlantic from crash-landing. () THREE GOOD SEX/LOVE READS One: The most powerful predictors of the quality of a relationship is not your personality—or of your bae. It is the characteristic of the relationship itself! This is according to a landmark analysis of 11,196 couples gleaned from 43 studies. Why this matters: “Really, it suggests that the person we choose is not nearly as important as the relationship we build." () Two: In Japan, you can pay private agents called ‘wakaresaseya’ to seduce your spouse or their partner—especially if they are unlikely to agree to a divorce: “It’s a way in the short term of resolving a difficult situation without conflict. And your wife is much more likely to agree to a divorce if she’s in love with someone and wants to move on.” () Three: ‘10 Things You, A Man, Should Not Write in a Dating App Bio’ is the headline of this piece. What? You want more? () to Jose Feliciano butchering ‘Every Step You Take’ deserves some kind of bravery award. of the always beloved ‘Can’t Touch This’, courtesy the Principal of an Alabama school. A teacher’s work is never done! of ‘Sex and The City’. Priceless! (h/t founding member Anita Guha)
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