Iran intervenes in US Elections?
Democratic voters in key states have been receiving emails that threaten to “come after you” if they do not vote for President Trump. The emails claim to be sent by a far-right group called ‘Proud Boys’—but may have actually been sent by Iran?! At least that’s what US officials claim. Here’s how Associated Press reported the news (also: how wire agencies do snark):
“The officials did not lay out specific evidence for how they came to pinpoint Iran, but the activities attributed to Tehran would mark a significant escalation for a country some cybersecurity experts regard as a second-rate player in online espionage. The announcement was made at a hastily called news conference 13 days before the election.”
Buzzfeed News takes it more seriously, pointing out that US voter registration data is easily hacked—and may already be available on the dark web.
In other US election news: The crackdown on work visas continues to intensify before the elections. The new move: cancelling B-1 visas for H-1B workers. To explain: Tech companies often use business visas to bring in employees to do short-term projects. That is now going to be a no-no. Business Standard has more details.
In other hacking news: Dr Reddy’s Laboratories had to shut down its production units around the world due to a serious data breach. While management insists that all is well, experts say hacking is a serious issue for pharma companies, “There is a lot of information that goes into the manufacturing of a drug, and if that data is compromised, it becomes difficult to release any drug.” Point to note: The company just inked a deal to conduct stage 3 trials for the Russian Sputnik vaccine. (Indian Express)
Government raps Twitter’s knuckles
The government sent a strongly worded letter to Twitter after its geotagging feature displayed Ladakh as: “Jammu & Kashmir, People’s Republic of China.” Double ouch! Separately, a parliamentary panel has summoned Facebook and Twitter for questioning over their data privacy practices. Also on the invite list: Amazon and Google. (The Hindu)
Speaking of social media: Snapchat—the platform no one pays any attention to in India—has entered into a partnership with NDTV, which will provide breaking news and premium content. Apparently, Snapchat has 30 million users in India. (NDTV)
The great pandemic: A quick update
- Numbers are going up, up, up in Bengal due to the festival season. Also not doing well: Bihar due to election rallies. Mint has more charts and numbers.
- The Indian government claims it may have the first vaccine by December. Experts are skeptical.
- US health authorities have changed their definition of “close contact” with the virus. It used to be defined as being within 6ft of an infected person for an uninterrupted block of 15 minutes or more. Now: a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period—including in very short bursts.
- A new study shows that the pandemic has taken a huge toll on the mental health of high-achieving athletes. Time has that story.
- Doctors warn that at least four of the leading vaccine candidates use a specific kind of cold virus that may make men more vulnerable to HIV.
- Good reads: New York Times debunks recent headlines that mouthwash can kill the virus. IndiaSpend interviews the head of the Public Health Foundation of India who explains why our death rate is low.
- Last but not least: A Durga made of 30,000 capsules and syringes. Indian Express has the artist’s story.
And since we’re on the subject: Here’s a Xi-themed Durga, as well!
And also this: This is ‘The Lady of the World’ designed in tribute to the explosion that ripped Beirut apart on 4 August, killing 190 (explained here). It is made of broken glass, rubble and a damaged clock stuck at 6:08 pm—the exact time of the explosion. Gulf Today has the story.
Get ready for the big one!
A new study predicts that the Himalayas will experience a massive earthquake (8.0-plus on the richter scale) during our lifetime. The study’s lead author said:
"The entire Himalayan arc extending from the eastern boundary of Arunachal Pradesh (India) in the east to Pakistan (in the west) has in the past been the source of great earthquakes. These earthquakes will occur again and scientifically, it would not be a surprise if the next great earthquake occurred in our lifetimes. But the resolution of our studies is at best on the order of 100 years, longer than a human lifetime."
In other words, we could get unlucky. If not, our kids certainly will. The cities likely to be most affected: Chandigarh, Dehradun, Kathmandu—but the damage may extend to Delhi. (Economic Times)
Good news for all runners
New research shows that your favourite form of physical activity will not ruin your knees. Yes, running does put more pressure on your knees, but it can also help bulk up cartilage and prevent arthritis. (New York Times)
Are you ready for Impossible Milk?
The folks who gave the world the Impossible Burger are planning to unleash an equally impossible milk. It is not going to be anything like the existing alternatives, i.e. soy, oat etc and will “taste like the real thing.” Is nobody thinking of us cheese-lovers?! (CNN)
OSIRIS-REx makes contact!
NASA’s spacecraft successfully touched down on an asteroid named Bennu—to collect rocks that it will bring back to Earth. This is a huge moment—giving an asteroid a high five sitting 330 million km away.
