The Great Ben-gauli Brawl

Sanity Break #1

Image-makers of African heritage from fashion, design, and photography came together to put on a show for Qatar’s Tasweer festival. The brilliantly coloured images are stunning—and an unexpected reminder of how white and Western the world of photography continues to be. has more from the collection.

Headlines that matter

THE SUEZ CANAL CRISIS: THE LATEST UPDATE The salvage company tasked with freeing Ever Given has on a speedy rescue mission—raising the possibility of huge disruptions to global supply chains: > “But Peter Berdowski, CEO of Dutch company Boskalis, which is trying to free the ship, compared it to ‘an enormous beached > whale’ and said ‘it might take weeks’ to get the vessel off, possibly necessitating ‘a combination of reducing the weight by > removing containers, oil and water from the ship, tugboats and dredging of sand.’” See pictures of the rescue mission over at . has more on what it will take to dislodge a gargantuan container ship. Also: here’s put out by the Suez Canal Authority: The unholy mess has unleashed a . This one is : Traffic jam status: There are lined up on either side of the canal. India angle: The is that the giant marine roadblock is not expected to affect our supply of crude oil—but that may change if the canal isn’t cleared within 48 hours. Also: of Ever Given is Indian and mercifully, safe. Our question: Does that include the penis-drawing captain? To understand that reference, check out our explainer . Also an unholy mess: The Israeli election results. With 90% of the vote counted, PM Netanyahu is expected to fall short of the majority by two seats. His rivals have been able to only cobble together 57 seats. The surprise kingmaker: an Arab party named Raam which is projected to get four seats, and could hold the balance of power. has more. Also: read on this election and why it matters. CHINA’S WAR ON GLOBAL APPAREL BRANDS Nike has joined H&M on —again for expressing concern about the government’s human rights record in Xinjiang, where Uighurs are used as slave labour in detention camps. Giving into pressure: Zara which has quietly deleted its statement declaring "zero tolerance for forced labor" from its website. The company has refused to explain its decision, or comment on the issue. As notes: > “Companies appear to have a choice: They can stand firm or back down. The stakes are potentially high. China is the world’s > largest fashion market and a key driver of growth at numerous companies. Inditex [Zara’s owner] doesn’t break out its sales in > China separately, but it had 141 Zara stores in the country in 2020, more than it had in the US.” In related news: Facebook has detected a group of Chinese hackers that used its platform to target Uighur activists, journalists, and dissidents to hack their devices, and insert malware. () OSCARS HAVE A NO-ZOOM PROBLEM The Academy has imposed a strict ban on acceptance speeches delivered over Zoom. But that has made many studio executives, awards strategists, personal publicists, and the stars and filmmakers understandably angry. One problem: Forcing people to attend in-person in the middle of a pandemic. The second problem: a lot of the nominees live overseas and will find it impossible to fly to Los Angeles. Point to note: At least nine nominees live in Britain—and England is expected to ban all non-essential international travel soon. And then there are reps from the five international films that have been nominated—from Denmark, Hong Kong, Romania, Tunisia and Bosnia. Also this: “Some of the other 200 or so nominees will be working on productions that require quarantine or living in restricted ‘bubbles’ with cast and crew.” So yeah, a bad call all around. and Reuters (via ) have more. THE GREAT PANDEMIC: A QUICK UPDATE * The number of active cases has now in India. And we’ve added the last 100,000 in the shortest time since the beginning of the pandemic. One expert sums it up, “You can see that the tidal wave is coming. It would be foolish to be in denial.” has more on the likelihood of a second wave. * A State Bank of India expects this second wave to last 100 days—and infect 250,000 people. Related good read: explains why our fatality rate remains low despite the surge. * Also affected by fears of a second wave: hotel and airline bookings which slumped in the last ten days. * In a nicer bit of news: the vaccination costs of its 200,000 employees and delivery partners. * A BBC documentary reveals that the government did not even consult its own ministries before imposing one of the world’s most stringent lockdowns last year. Watch the Hindi doc or read a Twitter of its findings. * Two show that middle aged women—between the ages of 40-60—suffer the most severe and long lasting symptoms. * In a shocking revelation, an NGO report shows that just 12 people are responsible for the vast majority of vaccine misinformation on social media. has that story. * Researchers in Mexico have designed a so you can stay safe while you eat out. it below. AN ALARMING UN REPORT A new report warns that 34 million people around the world are just a few months away from starvation. The worst hit: 7 million people in South Sudan and 16 million in Yemen. The reasons: “Acute hunger is being driven by conflict, climate shocks and the Covid pandemic, and, in some places, compounded by storms of desert locusts.” has more details. PRINCE HARRY GETS ANOTHER JOB Those exiled royals really work hard. This time around, the prince is joining Aspen Institutes Commission on Information Disorder—a research unit which will “wrestle with the impact and problem of mis- and disinformation” in the US for the next six months. Also this: Harry’s own “personal experiences with the media—particularly with lies and nonsense spread about his own life—are likely to inform his contributions to the commission.” We like Harry but we have to agree with on this one: > “Sure, the man has doubtlessly had to deal with a lot of paparazzi throughout his life, but so has, like, Nicolas Cage. Does > that really make either of them qualified to dismantle systemic conspiracy theory rot or explain to Americans what is real and > what is foreign-seeded propaganda?” TWO KEY STUDIES OF NOTE One: This one is truly fascinating. New research suggests that polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) may have nothing to do with whether you have ovaries or not. Rather the same genetic component that causes PCOS in women also increases the risk of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and “male-pattern baldness” in men. explains why this discovery could lead to new approaches to a cure for PCOS. Two: New research has revealed links between a bacteria called ‘Bartonella’ and mental illnesses like schizophrenia and schizo-affective disorder. Bartonella is called ‘cat scratch’ bacteria because it is carried by cats, dogs, and even the fleas. But that said, the team didn’t find any link between a higher chance of infection and reported pet ownership or flea exposure. has more. A FUN GOLD MASK THING A 3,000-year-old ceremonial mask was recently discovered at an archaeological dig in China—and likely dates back to the Bronze Era. What’s made it even more delightful: It has become the source of excellent memes on Weibo. has the story and a collection, but our fave is this panda. TWO COOL MARTIAN THINGS One: Here’s a very of clouds rolling over the planet’s surface—as captured by : Two: This may just be a publicity stunt, but an architecture firm has put out elaborate plans for —the first every city on Mars. Before you get too excited, it won’t be ready until 2100. Read the details , and check out photos . In related cool space stuff: Scientists have put a cool new image of a black hole—some 55 million light-years away from us, and bathed in polarized light. has the story. See the image below:

Sanity Break #2

This is part of an awesome collection of images that show us how people back in the ye olde days expected the future to look like. The example above: A 1930s take on FaceTime! Also: Still smoking but hello, flying car in the background! See the rest over at .

Weekend advisory

SO YOU WANNA WATCH SOMETHING... : Fans of non-stop action have been waiting a long time for this installment in the MonsterVerse. waxes eloquent about the “spectacular action, colorful Tron-like neon lights and a pulsating electronic score.” calls it a “royal rumble”. PS.: Want a refresher before you head to the theatres? has you covered! : This Sanya Malhotra-starrer centres on a widow who is unable to grieve the death of her husband—much to the bewilderment and consternation of her joint family. Read the on “this concept of death as a celebration,” or read this interview with Malhotra in . We definitely plan to check it out over the weekend. It drops on Netflix today. : This new series is being described as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Sherlock Holmes”—and it follows a group of street kids who are struggling to get by until a man called John Watson walks into their lives. Yup, it is the same old Watson—but not the affable chap we know so well. has all the details you need to slate this as your next binge-watch. It is available on Netflix today. A LIST OF GOOD READS * asks: Why are we ignoring the government’s role in Pratap Bhanu Mehta’s exit from Ashoka? * Bijal Vachharajani pens a powerful essay in on grief over the loss of her partner, and the panic of forgetting him—connecting it to how we forget nature. * Ramesh Pandey writes a wonderfully lyrical read on fall season in the forests of Terai in . * Two useful things: explains how to use your iPhone to record calls; has the definitive guide to removing almost any kind of stain from any kind of surface. * has a thought-provoking excerpt from Herman Pontzer’s new book on weight loss. He explains why exercise won’t help you lose weight. * offers an excellent guide to help you laugh more every day. We can’t think of anything more useful given the state of the world. * Founding member Shashank Jogani recommends this excellent deep dive into election forecasting in . * The fabulous lives of modern-day celebrities aren’t a patch on the daily routine of a Mughal emperor. Edited excerpts from ‘Bazm-I Aakhir’ in provide a first-hand account of Bahadur Shah Zafar’s daily routine. * Need some entertainment: Let Jody Thompson in tell you about the time Gwyneth Paltrow’s vagina candle blew up in her house. * has a fascinating global history of tobacco and cannabis—and our obsession with them. * looks at the devastating impact of the pandemic on women’s employment. * argues that the rigours of IPL are the reason young Indian cricketers like Krunal Pandya and Prasidh Krishna deliver sparkling international debuts. * on ‘Water for Elephants’ author Sarah Gruen’s six-year fight to free an incarcerated man—which left her absolutely broke and critically ill.