China’s cheating at the border
Beijing claims that its troops have disengaged in “most localities” along the border. The government, however, insists that the “disengagement process has as yet not been completed.” An unnamed security official told The Telegraph:
“There’s been hardly any progress in disengagement at the Pangong Lake and the Depsang Plains. The Chinese have only moved back from the banks of Finger 4 to Finger 5 (at the Pangong Lake) but have been occupying the ridgeline and controlling the heights. They have not dismantled the structures set up between Finger 4 and Finger 8. There has been no change at all so far at the Depsang Plains.”
Point to note: Chinese troops have dug themselves in 8km inside India-claimed lines at Finger 4 and 18km on the Depsang Plains. The only place the Chinese have fully rolled back: Galwan Valley, the location of the violent confrontation back in June.
In related news: The government plans to place restrictions on colour TVs as a way to further punish China. TVs worth $781 million were imported in the past financial year—most of which came from Vietnam ($428 million) and China ($292 million).
Trump stirs big election row
It was a single (typically OTT) tweet:
“With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???”
Multiple headlines promptly screamed: Trump calls for delay in elections. There was massive backlash, but Trump has since doubled down on his claim: if ballots are mailed in due to the pandemic it will result in a “rigged election.” Vox explains why the law doesn’t let Trump do any such thing.
In related news: The US economy shrank 32.9% in the second quarter of this year: “The economic shock in April, May and June was more than three times as sharp as the previous record—10% in 1958—and nearly four times the worst quarter during the Great Recession.” Point to note: 30 million Americans did not have enough to eat last week. None of this is good news for Trump’s re-election prospects.
Also feeling the pain: Indian H-1B workers. Quartz explains why some of them are giving up on the American dream—thanks to America’s unreasonable and unpredictable immigration policy. Scroll reports on stressed out H-1B workers who are working from India for their employers—just so they can remain close to families who can’t travel to the US due to Trump’s visa ban.
The Indian pandemic: A quick update
- Total cases: 1,638,870. Total recoveries: 1,057,805. Total deaths: 35,747.
- We reported more than 50,000 cases in a single day for the very first time.
- We are now #5 in terms of number of fatalities.
- Also hitting all-time daily highs: Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
- Karnataka’s other problem: 3,000 missing patients in Bangalore. They gave a false phone number and address at the lab, and are now “untraceable.”
- Huffington Post reveals the high price paid by the Mumbai police: 3,820 have been infected, and 55 have died. To put that fatality number in perspective: That’s five times the number of doctors who have died in Mumbai.
- The assistant to the head priest and 15 cops posted outside the Ram Mandir have all tested positive. And this is ahead of the grand ground-breaking ceremony planned for August 5—not just in Ayodhya but also Times Square, where giant images of Lord Ram and the Ram Temple will be beamed across billboards.
- Indian Express has a must-read on how shrinking incomes and lost jobs are forcing working class families to pull their kids out of private schools. The virus is killing not just people but also long-cherished dreams.
The global pandemic: A quick update
- Russia may roll out its vaccine as early as August 10! Point to note: Moscow has been accused of trying to hack vaccine research—and not following proper protocol in its human trials.
- In related hacking news: Chinese nationals recently arrested in the US are accused of targeting Moderna—which recently kicked off the largest human trial of its vaccine.
- The top coronavirus expert in the US, Anthony Fauci, now recommends covering your eyes as well as your mouth: “If you have goggles or an eye shield, you should use it” for “perfect protection.”
- Related read: Forbes looks at how often people touch their face. Short answer: 50 times an hour!
- Saudi Arabia has limited the hajj to about 1,000 citizens—banning the millions who typically attend every year. Hindustan Times has more on the strict rules of social distancing—which require maintaining 1.5 metres distance as pilgrims circle the Kaaba (See clip below). Also read: Slate on why this pandemic precedent should become permanent.
A silent epidemic of lead poisoning
According to an alarming UNICEF report, nearly one in three children around the world have dangerous levels of lead in their blood—which puts their brains, nervous system and vital organs at risk of irreparable damage. The key takeaway: "The unequivocal conclusion of this research is that children around the world are being poisoned by lead on a massive and previously unrecognized scale."
In happier medical news: A new Alzheimer’s test can detect the disease 20 years before a person displays the first symptoms.
In happiness news: Swiss psychologists have found that it is important to occasionally give in to temptation in order to lead a good life: "It's time for a rethink. Of course self-control is important, but research on self-regulation should pay just as much attention to hedonism or short term pleasure."