The great pandemic: A quick update
- Nearly a quarter of the world's population may not have access to a COVID-19 vaccine until at least 2022—thanks to rich countries who have bought up all the vaccines.
- Bharat Biotech’s vaccine has generated “robust” immune responses in its early phase trials. Point to note: these don’t tell us if the vaccine actually works. For that, we need stage 3 trials—which are currently underway.
- Singapore’s pandemic has a distinctly elitist skew. New data shows that almost 47% of its 152,000 migrant workers have been infected over the past nine months. To put this in perspective: Only 4,000 other Singaporeans have contracted the disease.
- Major airlines like United, JetBlue and Lufthansa are embracing a health passport app called CommonPass—which will verify your test results (and soon, vaccination status) and then issue a confirmation code that will let you board international flights.
- The one household member most likely to give you Covid: your spouse. But we don’t know if this is because you share a bed or have sex.
- Surprising no one, a new global report shows that the virus has been used as an excuse to squash civil liberties around the world. Key takeaway: 61% of countries have implemented measures to curb Covid-19 "that were concerning from a democracy and human rights perspective. These violated democratic standards because they were either disproportionate, illegal, indefinite or unnecessary in relation to the health threat.”
- Indonesia plans to offer free vaccines to all its citizens, and President Joko Wido will get the first jab.
Wistron violence: An update
Workers rioted at the Taiwanese company’s iPhone factory in Karnataka alleging they have not been paid for months—or paid far less than what they were promised, and forced to work overtime. Apple has initiated an independent probe into labour conditions. The Karnataka government has promised to reopen the plant within 15 days. And it has now been revealed that Wistron’s estimate of its damages was vastly inflated —and is now pegged at Rs 26-52 crore, and not Rs 437 crore. Mint has the latest. Good read: Reuters explains why the violence threatens the government’s efforts to woo foreign investors.
Facebook is gonna be your splainer
Yes, we may soon be redundant thanks to Mark Zuckerberg. Facebook is developing a tool that will summarise news story so you don’t have to read them. The AI-assisted tool is called TLDR and comes with an audio option. Also in the works: neural sensors that let you control your phone with your mind. BuzzFeed News has more. A related very good read (and also we suggest you stick with splainer): The Atlantic explains why Facebook is a ‘doomsday machine’.
Most popular apps worst for workers
A new report revealed a shameful fact: Swiggy, Uber and Zomato are the worst app-based companies to work for. They scored a shameful one out ten—a score earned across five parameters: pay, working condition, contracts, management and representation. The best of the lot: Urban Company which aced the list at eight out of ten. Also this: seven out of 11 platforms provided “insufficient evidence” that workers earned the minimum wage rate after meeting their expenses. Mint Lounge has more details.
In related news: A new study found that Indian working women returning to the workplace after maternity leave do far better if they do an internship or mentorship program first. The reason: recruiters are more likely to be confident that they can handle the job. Not surprisingly, sexist managers couldn’t care less. (Mint)
OTOH in France: The city of Paris will pay a €90,000 fine for appointing way too many women leaders. The country has strict gender quotas for its civil services—which stipulate at least 40% male and female appointees. But in 2018, 11 of the city’s directors were women. (Quartz)
In other gender-related news: The annual survey of the Hollywood Commission shows that sexual harassment is still rampant in the industry: 42% of women reported experiencing unwanted sexual attention, 20% reported sexual coercion, and 5% were sexually assaulted. But 69% said the industry was making “progress.”
Amazon is destroying our oceans
A new report found that the company is responsible for 22.44 million pounds of waste added to freshwater and marine ecosystems—in the form of air pillows, bubble wrap, plastic bags, and other plastic-based packaging material: That’s the equivalent of “dumping a full delivery van of plastic into the oceans every 70 minutes.” (Mic)
In other Amazon-related news: The company is challenging the US government’s decision to award a $10 billion cloud computing project to its rival Microsoft—blaming it on an “extraordinary environment of corruption, interference, and retribution” created by the Trump administration. (TechCrunch)
Counteracting Bezos’ karma: His ex-wife MacKenzie Scott who has contributed $4.1 billion to 384 food banks and charities in just the last four months. She revealed the pandemic effort in a Medium essay that ends with sound advice:
“If you’re craving a way to use your time, voice, or money to help others at the end of this difficult year, I highly recommend a gift to one of the thousands of organizations doing remarkable work all across the country. Every one of them could benefit from more resources to share with the communities they’re serving. And the hope you feed with your gift is likely to feed your own.”
New labelling for packaged food
New guidelines require packaging to display an expiry date instead of a ‘best before’ date. Nutritional information must be displayed in larger font sizes—and the veg/non-veg symbol must be prominently displayed. Also this: “Restaurants and cafes, having central license or outlets at 10 or more locations, will need to mention the calorific values against food items on menu cards, boards or booklets.” (Hindu Business Line)
Saif Ali Khan offends righteous Hindus
A lawyer is suing the actor for comments made during an interview -- where he discussed his upcoming film ‘Adipurush’—which is an adaptation of the Ramayana. Speaking about his role as Ravan, he said:
“It’s interesting to play a demon king, less strictures in that. But we will make him humane, up the entertainment quotient, justify his abduction of Sita and the war with Ram as revenge for what was done to his sister Surpanakha by Lakshman, who cut off her nose.”
Of course, Saif has already profusely apologised and withdrawn this shocking statement. But the petitioners insist he still be punished for a negative portrayal of “faith” and “faith in Sanatan Dharma.” (Indian Express)
In other lawsuit-related news: A Moroccan businessman who sued Warner Bros has been awarded $30,000. The reason: his photograph appeared alongside images of the Gambino crime family for a brief second. The Guardian has that story.
Kangaroos are ‘talking’ to us
A new study reveals that kangaroos are able to intentionally communicate with humans—and can ask for help! Until now, we thought this was a trait evolved by animals who had been domesticated for hundreds of years. These captive kangaroos show that other animals can learn to do exactly the same given the right environmental conditions. Watch lovely vid below for more:
One last fun thing: Want a face mask that will totally change your appearance? Nope, it won’t protect you from the virus, but these 3D creations by a Japanese retailer will give you the face of a total stranger. Price tag: $950. Reuters has the story. See the mask below:
