US charges five Chinese hackers
The Justice Department claims that the men broke into more than 100 companies across the world—initially in the video games industry. The group—nicknamed Wicked Panda—soon began to target a range of institutions looking to steal intellectual property that would aid the Chinese government.
There is an India angle: In 2019, they targeted Indian government websites and secured government networks and servers—and installed malware on its computers.
In related China news: Everyone is wondering why the Defence Minister did not mention the Depsang Plains. It is one of the hotspots on the Ladakh border and where Beijing has taken control of the most territory (900 sq km). Chinese troops have blocked Indian patrols in the area—which is also of greater strategic value to both sides. But the government is only negotiating disengagement with Beijing in three other locations. Times of India reports on the perils of not dealing with Depsang. The Wire explains why Depsang matters.
Meanwhile in the US: As the deadline to sell the US operations runs out, there are rumours that ByteDance is planning to list TikTok on the US stock exchange—with Oracle and Walmart taking minority stakes. But President Trump may not agree to anything less than an outright sale. CNBC has more.
Also renegotiating: The English Premier League which recently walked out of a three-year deal with a Chinese broadcasting company—sparking speculation that it was triggered by increasing political tensions. But the league has now inked a deal with Tencent Sport, the giant Chinese streaming platform.
In football-related news: Read this insane account of a German football team that fielded seven players and lost 37-0 because the players are terrified of contracting Covid.
A new sexual assault allegation against Trump
TW: This item contains a description of sexual assault.
A former model, Amy Dorris, has accused the US President of molesting her at the 1997 US open. Dorris—who was 24 at the time—says he accosted her outside the bathroom in his VIP box at the tournament in New York. Then this happened:
“He just shoved his tongue down my throat and I was pushing him off. And then that’s when his grip became tighter and his hands were very gropey and all over my butt, my breasts, my back, everything. ..It felt like an octopus was holding on to me ... I felt trapped."
More than a dozen allegations of sexual assault have been made against Trump—including a claim by a prominent American columnist that he raped her in a department store changing room in the mid-1990s. The Guardian has the exclusive story and a video interview.
The global pandemic: A roundup
Vaccines: Moderna unveiled the blueprint for its vaccine. What it reveals: the company won’t be able to fully analyse the late stage trial data—and know if the vaccine works—till the middle of next year. Confirming a longer wait: Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who says no vaccine will be widely available until the second/third quarter of 2021.
Also, a new wrinkle: Some of the vaccine candidates have to be stored at really cold temperatures—far lower than what most freezers can offer. A related read: New York Times looks at whether wearing glasses protects you from infection.
Treatment: Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly says it has successfully used cloned antibodies—copies of those produced by Covid patients—to dramatically reduce the viral load in newly infected patients. Why this matters: Unlike blood plasma therapies, their supply doesn’t require blood donations which are difficult to secure. Also: It is the first potential treatment for mild and moderate cases.
Meanwhile in India: The total number of cases is now 5,118,253—and we’re adding 97,894 new cases each day.
- BBC News offers an excellent analysis of why infections are still soaring.
- Associated Press explains why our death rate is likely fiction—and why it is a big problem. One big reason: when Covid patients have underlying conditions like diabetes etc., it is often cited as the cause of death—not the virus.
- The latest data shows that six million salaried workers lost their jobs between May and August.
- Shaadi season is around the corner. A new survey shows that a vast majority (58%) are planning small, intimate weddings. Only 5.5% are opting for the virtual kind.
New facts in Navalny poisoning
Russian President Putin’s most prominent critic collapsed on a domestic flight, and had to be rushed to the hospital. Alexei Navalny was then flown out to Germany to receive treatment. Doctors have confirmed that he was indeed poisoned with a deadly nerve agent, Novichok—and it was delivered via water bottle in his hotel room. Navalny has survived the attack and plans to return to Russia. But NATO sources warn that the Kremlin will try and assassinate him again.
Everyone’s talking about ‘Evil Eye’
Amazon Prime dropped trailers for four original horror movies in time for Halloween. One of them is ‘Evil Eye’—produced by the A-list production house Blumhouse and our very own Priyanka Chopra. It stars Sarita Choudhury (Mississippi Masala, Lady in the Water), Sunita Mani (GLOW), Omar Maskati (Unbelievable), and Bernard White (Silicon Valley). Watch the seriously creepy trailer below:
