Hurricane Laura smashes through US coastline
The Category 4 storm ravaged Louisiana with wind speeds of up to 150 miles/hour—and with storm surges up to 20 feet. It is one of the most powerful storms in US history. At least six were killed and thousands of homes and buildings were ripped apart. See drone footage here.
In related disaster news: This photo of the wildfires tearing through California went viral. AP photographer Noah Berger’s response: “It doesn’t take a lot, you just look at that sign and think, ‘That’s 2020’.”
Christchurch victims find closure
Brenton Tarrant—the terrorist responsible for killing 51 Muslim worshippers at two mosques in New Zealand—was sentenced to life without parole. It is the first time the penalty has been imposed in the nation’s history. The ruling came after days of heart-breaking victim testimonies. One example below.
India hits a new Covid record
The number of daily cases jumped to over 75,000 on Tuesday—and was the highest ever recorded by any country in the world. This sudden surge came of weeks of fairly stable growth—at around the 60K range. The main reason: the highest single-day rise in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
In related unhappy news: Four members of a protected tribe in the Andamans have contracted the disease. The tribe has only 50 remaining members.
A tainted toilet in China: Traces of the virus have been detected in an unoccupied apartment—specifically, on the sink, faucet and shower handle in the bathroom. The flat was located directly above a family that tested positive. What this suggests: “the airborne pathogen may have wafted upwards through drain pipes.” Yikes!
A tainted airline toilet: A woman who was evacuated from Milan to Seoul contracted the disease—despite wearing an N95 respirator mask. The reason: she removed the mask when she used the toilet. Researchers note: “The toilet was shared by passengers sitting nearby, including an asymptomatic patient. She was seated three rows away from the asymptomatic patient." Double yikes!
Rhea Chakraborty speaks up
She shared a desperate appeal on Instagram which said:
“There is a threat to my life and my family’s life. We have informed the local police station and even gone there, no help provided. We have informed the investigation authorities to help us get to them, no help arrived.”
Chakraborty also spoke at length to India Today TV about her relationship with Sushant Singh Rajput, and the charges she is facing. Read the highlights on Indian Express or watch the Rajdeep Sardesai interview here.
And the International Booker prize goes to…
Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, who won the award for the best fiction translated into English. They are the youngest ever winner at the tender age of 29. The prize-winning novel: ‘The Discomfort of Evening’—which the judges deemed “visceral and virtuosic.” Rijneveld—who was raised in a strict Christian family—identifies not as trans, but as “in between”:
“As a small child I felt I was a boy, I dressed like a boy and behaved like a boy, but children at that age are still neutral in their gender. In adolescence, when the separation became clear, I dressed like a girl and became a girl, then at 20 I went back to the boy I was at primary school… It’s difficult for my parents to understand that I’m not the girl that they raised. It’s not in the Bible.”
‘The Discomfort of Evening’ mirrors Rijnveld's childhood experiences. Their parents are yet to read their novel.
Anushka-Virat baby cometh
Mr Kohli broke the news on Twitter with the photo below, accompanied by this message: “And then, we were three! Arriving Jan 2021 ❤️🙏” Also going viral: This funny Danish Sait vid making fun of the expected media frenzy. Our favourite response: Sivakami Sivakumar’s tweet which said, “Can Virat handle the captaincy once he's a father? Will he be able to focus on the job? Career ending move, this.” Well played!
Good dope for stressed elephants
Three elephants—which have recently lost their alpha female—will be given liquid doses of the cannabinoid CBD through their trunks. The experiment at the Warsaw zoo will be the first such treatment for large mammals—which has already been used to help dogs and horses. The aim: to find a non-pharmaceutical intervention to help animals held in captivity. Will the ellies get high? Nope. According to the veterinarian-in-charge, “Contrary to what some would imagine, the elephants won’t be using cannabis pipes nor will they be getting huge barrels of it.”
Vogue commissions Black art
The cover of its September issue will feature the work of Kerry James Marshall and Jordan Casteel—rather than the traditional airbrushed photograph. The theme: Hope. The one below is by Marshall who created a fictional Black female character in a white evening dress by Virgil Abloh’s Off-White. And it’s very lovely. You can check out Casteel’s equally lovely creation here.
