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Sanity Break #1
This is one of the eye-popping prize winners of the —which celebrates the beauty and power of black & white photography. It shows a woman from the Mursi tribe in Ethiopia. Also a favourite: in the Fashion/Beauty category. You can see the others over at the awards (use the categories listed to navigate).
Headlines that matter
INDIA DRAGS FEET ON VACCINE EXPORTS Even as Brazil readies a plane to pick up 2 million doses of Serum Institute’s Covishield vaccine, India has put the brakes on their export. A foreign ministry official said: > “The vaccination process is just starting in India. It is too early to give a specific response on supplies to other countries > as we are still assessing production schedules and delivery and we will take decisions in this regard in due course. This may > take some time." This is a problem for Brazil which has booked orders of Covishield and the Chinese vaccine Sinovac—which however is , and may not provide herd immunity. Point to note: China is stepping up its efforts to supply vaccines to Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia to improve its global image. So there are worries about losing out in the game of ‘soft power’. Some government sources that India may gift about 10 million doses to countries such as Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Mauritius, and Seychelles. In related news: Experts are worried that Indians will have if ‘serious adverse events’ occur during the vaccination drive: > “We don’t have a systematic policy on compensation in case a person gets harmed by a vaccine. If anybody either gets injured by > it or dies, there are only two ways compensation is likely to be given: they either have to go to court, or they have to > politicize the issue until the government gives an ex gratia amount to them.” WHATSAPP FACES PRIVACY CHALLENGE A Delhi lawyer has filed a petition in the high court which claims that its updated privacy policy jeopardizes “national security by sharing, transmitting and storing user data in another country with the information thus governed by foreign laws.” has an exclusive report on this story. Also read: our on WhatsApp’s new terms of service. In happier news for WhatsApp: A new survey shows that 20% of its Indian users have no problems with its new policy, and only 15% plan to abandon the platform due to it. has more details. A FARMER PROTEST UPDATE Earlier this week, the Supreme Court suspended the farm laws, and picked a four-member committee to mediate between the farmers and the government. Government said okay, but the farmers refused to participate. Now, one member—the only farm leader on the panel, Bhupinder Singh Mann—has quit. The reason offered in : > “In view of the prevailing sentiments and apprehensions amongst the farm unions and the public in general, I am ready to > sacrifice any position offered or given to me so as to not compromise the interests of Punjab and the farmers of the country. I > am recusing myself from the committee and I will always stand with my farmers and Punjab.” In related news: Farmer groups will hold their ninth meeting with the government today—even though they have no hope of achieving a resolution. They are mainly focusing on ramping for the big protests in the lead up to Republic Day. has more details. A related fallout: Walmart and Reliance stores in Punjab have been shuttered due to worries about farmer rage. The losses run into the millions, but industry they can be absorbed—as long as the protests do not spread to other states. A NEW WORRY ABOUT THE INDONESIA CRASH Sriwijaya Air Flight 182 plunged into the Java Sea within minutes after take-off. While investigators are still looking at black box data, experts are flagging a key fact: After lying idle for nine months due to the pandemic, the 26-year-old plane made 132 flights in less than a month. One aviation consultant : > “There’s a major problem starting to raise its head in terms of restoring these aircraft because while out of service for nine > or 10 months, they need to be kept operating, otherwise they deteriorate… All of these aircraft have to be brought slowly back > into service. The same can be said about pilots.” PUSHBACK ON CHINESE SLAVE LABOUR Last year, the Conservative party in the UK issued that showed 83 global brands—including Apple, BMW, Gap, Huawei, Nike, Samsung, Sony and Volkswagen—are being supplied by Chinese factories that use Uighurs as slave labour. This week, the government that it will impose deterrent fines “to ensure no company that profits from forced labour in Xinjiang can do business in the UK, that no UK business is involved in their supply chains.” The Opposition has criticised the move as “tinkering around the edges”—but it marks the first real move toward acknowledging the extent of human rights abuse in China. Meanwhile, in the US: The government all imports of cotton and tomatoes from Xinjiang—the region where Uighurs and other ethnic minorities have been detained in massive internment camps. FYI: Cotton is Xinjiang's largest export, and exports from China are approximately a $9 billion industry. SEBI TARGETS BIZ TV ANCHOR The institution that regulates India’s stock markets has issued a first-of-its-kind order restraining CNBC-Awaaz anchor Hemant Ghai and his family from investing in shares. He has also been banned from giving stock recommendations. The reason: Ghai was using his position for illegal profit. The scam explained: Ghai’s wife and mother would buy a particular stock the day before. He would then recommend that stock on his show, and then his family would sell it the very same day. The size of the scam: Rs 100 crore in 90 trades executed in trading accounts of the two family members between January 2019 to May last year led to gains of more than Rs 2.95 crore. has the details. In other unhappy news: The Delhi Police recently raided the offices Mehmood Pracha—the lawyer who is representing 150 people accused of inciting the Delhi violence in February 2019. These are anti-CAA activists and students who have been charged under stringent national security laws. The police allege Pracha coerced a witness into giving false testimony—a charge denied by the witness. They then swooped into his office to examine his emails. Leading lawyers and former jurists the raid “illegal” and “ominous”: > “Obviously, therefore, the object of the search was to get hold of all the information in his computer systems which not only > contained his personal and private information but in particular contained communications between him and his clients.” JAMES AUR UDAY KI JODI James Murdoch—who very publicly broke with his father Rupert—has joined hands with Uday Shankar, the former chairman of Star India. They are starting an as yet unspecified and unnamed venture. is equally vague: “to build a ‘large-scale’ business in digital media, education and healthcare delivery, developed in part through acquisitions.” Point to note: Murdoch has made previous via his holding company (which has a Mumbai office) in Daily Hunt and Harappa Education. In other tech news: Bangalore is the world's fastest-growing tech hub, followed by London, Munich and Berlin. Mumbai comes in at #6. Bangalore also scores high in tech VC investments—ranking #6 on a list topped by Beijing, San Francisco, and New York. Mumbai is way below at #21. has a lot more. In more fun startup news: A South Korean company has developed an AI-powered collar that can identify five emotions in your dog. So for the price of $99, you will now know if your pooch is happy, relaxed, anxious, angry or sad. has the story, but we recommend watching the video instead. ARMIE HAMMER IS UNDER A CLOUD The Hollywood star has exited a big movie production—alongside Jennifer Lopez—thanks to unverified social media messages. These leaked on Twitter and allegedly reveal Hammer sharing graphic sexual fantasies that involve rape… and cannibalism?! Hammer says he’s not not responding to these b******t claims. () YES, GINGER IS GOOD FOR YOU! A new US study on mice suggests that ginger can help people with autoimmune disorders like lupus. No, it can’t be used as a primary therapy, but when used as a supplement, it could act as a protective agent for those at high risk for developing such diseases. has more on ginger and other herbal supplements that are becoming more accepted in mainstream Western medicine. THREE FUN FRIDAY THINGS Look, a very orange bat! Back in 2018, a survey of the habitat of an endangered bat species turned up a surprise in one of their traps: a new kind of bat they’d never seen before—with a fiery orange body and black wings. Now, finding a new bat species isn’t that unusual, but they’re usually identified in labs after genetic sequencing reveals differences among creatures that look identical on the outside. Finding this “fuzzy, pumpkin-orange animal” in nature is, however, very rare. You can see below why a leading bat conservationist : “Every species is important, but you get drawn to the interesting-looking ones, and this one really is spectacular.” Look, an ancient pig! A doctoral student has discovered the world’s oldest known animal cave painting in Indonesia. It was painted 45,500 years ago and depicts a “pig with horn-like facial warts”—which “appears to be observing a fight or social interaction between two other warty pigs." Not impressed? The oldest evidence of human-made art dates back to 75,000 years ago and is basically a hashtag-like doodle. This pig is downright impressive in comparison. has more. Look, a potato house! The hottest Airbnb destination in Idaho is the 28-foot long, six-ton Big Idaho Potato Hotel. It has one bedroom and bath, and sits in the middle of a vast stretch of farmland. The price per night: $165. : > “There is also a customized silo turned into a spa retreat perfect for soaking while looking up at the stars. For an extra dose > of cuteness, The Big Idaho Potato Hotel comes with the cutest jersey cow in the world who will be your fuzzy pet for the stay.” And it (more photos ):
Sanity Break #2
Thomas Kinkade was the king of American kitsch—and his wildly popular art legacy has been kept alive by a studio of artists who earnestly replicate his style. Its latest project: a series of suitably kitschy and colourful . Call us tacky, but we think these are fun! See the others . Also: has a lively piece on Kinkade—a man who once “engaged in what he termed ‘ritual territory marking’ at a California Disneyland hotel, urinating on a Winnie the Pooh figure.”
Weekend advisory
SO YOU WANT A COOL DESK CALENDAR… To kick off your new year in style! Happily, our subscribers/supporters have put together an excellent list of suggestions: * (Sandra Alexander) * (Chahna Tank) * (Oishani) * (Inderpreet Uppal) * (Mayuri Kunigiri) * (Indrani Chakraverty) * (Khyati Dodhia) * (Mithil Oswal) A related plug: Pick up Shruti Taneja’s lovely heirloom recipe journal—perfect to jot down ma and grandma’s culinary wisdom and preserve it for posterity—over at . SO YOU WANT TO WATCH SOMETHING… : This is the first spinoff of the Avengers films, which ended with the death of Thanos. It follows Scarlet Witch, aka Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), and Vision (Paul Bettany) as they live an idealized suburban life together. A slight problem: Thanos killed Vision… so what the hell is going on? You will have to watch to find out. FYI: Producer Kevin Feige describes it as “half ’60s sitcom, half MCU spectacular inspired by The Dick van Dyke Show.” has more context, while rounds up the reviews. Releasing today on Disney+Hotstar Premium. : is the hotly anticipated political thriller starring Saif Ali Khan—playing the reluctant political heir who is forced to step up due to the unexpected death of the Prime Minister, i.e. his father. We plan to binge-watch the nine-part series which drops today on Amazon Prime. Also read: interview with the director Ali Abbas Zafar. : This two-part documentary was supposed to reveal WTF happened to Tiger Woods, golf’s first truly global mega-star. But reviews indicate that it may be strictly for fans of the sport since it does very little to illuminate his personal life—which isn’t surprising since his participation in the doc is minimal. See reviews over at , , and . The first is already available on Disney+Hotstar Premium. : Regina King’s directorial debut has the most delicious premise: Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown and Sam Cooke get together in a hotel room for one night. What follows is an intense and finely scripted conversation about race, power and celebrity. We had goosebumps watching the trailer! Check out the reviews over at , and . It drops today on Amazon Prime. : Can you pass on a reality show series that promises an LA version of Crazy Rich Asians? This one features an insanely wealthy all-Asian cast, many of whom have connections to fashion and entertainment. calls it “fashion’s next reality show crush.” profiles its biggest star (and next Kimmie K?) supermodel Jamie Xie. A LIST OF GOOD READS * decodes our delusions about our ‘middle class’ status—and shows how blind we are to the extent of inequality in our country. * explains why you should never lift weights in running shoes. * writes with signature beauty and grace on watching cricket in the time of mourning. * offers a fascinating deep dive into human rituals—why and how we create them. * Did you know that the Saudi Crown Prince is trying to build a 105-mile city called The Line? We didn’t either until we read entertaining takedown of this royal derangement. * Also in , A wonderful piece that will make you nod along: ‘An Open Letter To The Most Disappointing Algorithms In My Life.’ * has an informative piece on the future of plant meat products in India. * explains why Sherlock Holmes isn’t a patch on that other Brit detective, Father Brown. * Long before Sushant Singh Rajput, there was Guru Dutt. Yasser Usman in looks at the unmaking of a genius director. Also highly recommended: This podcast episode of the Sandip Roy Show where he talks to Rakesh Khanna who talks about his ‘A-Z guide of Ghosts, Monsters and Demons of India’. Yup, it’s every bit as fun as it sounds. Episode or listen to a snippet .
Feel Good Place
Us, when we finally get that Covid jab. If men ever gave birth to babies… as demonstrated by a male seahorse. The perfect end to a temple visit. The right way to eat fish.
