Yet another virus mutation
South Africa recently reported a new strain of Covid—which is similar to the one detected in the UK. But more worryingly, it may be linked to higher rates of severe illness in younger people. Various countries have now slapped a travel ban on South Africa. And the UK claims it has found two cases with the South African strain. Its Health Secretary said: "This new variant is highly concerning, because it is yet more transmissible and it appears to have mutated further than the new variant that has been discovered in the U.K." BBC News has lots more details.
The silver lining: AstraZeneca says it has tested the Oxford vaccine against the UK strain, and it works! Reuters has that story. On another positive note: The Sikh community in Kent has set up a langar to feed truck drivers stuck at the port in Dover.
OTOH: There was no langar for 500 passengers from the UK who were stuck at Delhi airport for eight hours waiting for the results of their Covid test. A good related read on India’s numbers: Mint on what past festival-related spikes can teach us about what to expect this holiday season.
In happier India news: According to data published by Bharat Biotech and government researchers, its vaccine candidate has generated a “dual immune response” in early trials. What this means: it triggers both antibodies and protective T cells which offer longer lasting immunity. Before we get too excited: This data is from early trials with only 380 volunteers. Phase 3 trials are just kicking off.
Israel heads for elections… again!
The country will hold a national election on March 23—its fourth in just two years. Each of the past elections has failed to yield a decisive victory to either current prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu or his rivals. The present government is a precarious coalition between Netanyahu and his opponent in the last election, Benny Gantz. And it fell apart when the two sides disagreed fiercely over the budget. Al Jazeera has more on why the ‘unity government’ fell apart. NPR explains why Netanyahu's fight for re-election is likely to be an uphill battle.
The UK may avoid Brexit debacle
Boris Johnson was poised to exit the European Union without any trade deal in hand—which would have been disastrous for the pandemic-hit UK economy. Happily, after months of tense negotiations and playing chicken, an agreement is round the corner. And just in time: Time for negotiations would have run out on January 1—when both would have to slap widespread import taxes on each other's goods, sending prices skyrocketing. BBC News has more.
The UK vs Arnab: The Office of Communications (Ofcom) has fined Republic Bharat—its Hindi news channel—£20,000 for broadcasting content that included “offensive language”, “hate speech” and “ abusive or derogatory treatment of individuals, groups, religions or communities.” The cause: A ‘Poochta Hai Bharat’ episode hosted by Arnab on the Chandrayaan 2 mission that aired on September 6, 2019—which for some odd reason veered into “a comparison of India’s space exploration and technological advancements to Pakistan, and Pakistan’s alleged terrorist activities.” One of the examples cited:
“In the programme, the presenter and some of his guests conveyed the view that all Pakistani people are terrorists, including that: ‘their scientists, doctors, their leaders, politicians all are terrorists. Even their sports people’; ‘every child is a terrorist over there. Every child is a terrorist. You are dealing with a terrorist entity’. One guest also described Pakistani scientists as ‘thieves’, while another described Pakistani people as ‘beggars’. In the context of these criticisms, the presenter, addressing Pakistan and/or Pakistani people, said: ‘We make scientists, you make terrorists’.”
Bishan Singh Bedi walks out
The cricketing legend is furious at the Delhi and District Cricket Association’s (DDCA) decision to install a statue of Arun Jaitley—who was its president in the past—at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground. He asked the DDCA to remove his name from a spectator stand named after him, and has given up his membership in the association. The reason: He thinks Jaitley was a terrible administrator unworthy of the honour:
"My reservations about the choice of people he hand-picked to run the day to day affairs of DDCA is well known… I think I was too headstrong, too old school, and too proud an Indian cricketer to be co-opted into the corrupt darbar of sycophants Arun Jaitley mustered at the Kotla during his stewardship."
The Telegraph has more on the story. Read Bedi’s statement here. DDCA—and its president, Jaitley’s son Rohan—has not offered any comment.
Facebook’s desperate offer
As US authorities were getting ready to sue Facebook for acting like a monopoly, the company came to them with an astonishing proposition:
“One of the ideas Facebook floated would have allowed another firm or developer to license access to its powerful code—and its users’ intricate web of relationships—so that they could more easily create their own version of a social network.”
But it was rejected by the government’s lawyers. Washington Post has this exclusive.
Honda India cancels best selling models
The company is shutting down its Noida plant—which manufactured its two most popular models: the Civic sedan and the CR-V SUV. It is shifting its entire operation to its factory in Alwar which does not have the ability to make these bigger cars. As a result, neither the Civic nor the CR-V will be available once the current stocks run out. Mint has more.
Indian sailors are stranded at sea
For months now, China has been engaged in a steadily intensifying battle with Australia. In one of its hostile moves, Beijing banned all coal imports. The reason: Australia exports $14 billion in coal to China. The collateral damage: Dozens of ships carrying Australian coal have been stranded off the Chinese coast:
“China has said the ships are free to leave and has placed the responsibility on freight forwarding companies for resolving the impasse. The companies do not want the ships to return as they stand to incur huge costs having already taken the coal off the hands of Australian exporters, and have appeared unable to find other buyers to offload their cargo.”
Stuck along with the ship: 1,500 sailors of which at least 39 are Indian. China will not allow them to leave the ship due to Covid concerns. The Hindu has more.
Sister Abhaya gets justice
Father Thomas M. Kottoor and Sister Sephy—the priest and nun convicted of her murder—have now been sentenced to life in prison. We explained the case in detail here.
Five curious things
A new mineral: has been discovered in Cornwall and it has a name: Kernowite. It’s pretty and green and pretty darn “amazing”: "Considering how many geologists, prospectors and collectors have scoured the county over the centuries in search of mineral treasure, it's amazing that in 2020 we are adding a new mineral."
Airport glamping: is a thing in Singapore. Changi airport is charging $269 a night for the chance to camp at a very fancy tent—and use the public restrooms. Tickets are sold out. The NewYork Post has more.
A mysterious publishing scam: Someone is tricking prominent editors and writers into sharing unpublished manuscripts of their books. Among those targeted: Margaret Atwood, Ian McEwan and Ethan Hawke. Here’s how it works:
"Emails are tailored so they appear to be sent by a particular agent writing to one of her authors, or an editor contacting a scout, with tiny changes made to the domain names — like penguinrandornhouse.com instead of penguinrandomhouse.com, an “rn” in place of an “m” — that are masked, and so only visible when the target hits reply."
But being a celebrity isn’t a requirement since even debut novelists have been scammed. And no one has been caught trying to sell the stolen documents on the black market. The New York Times has more
KFC’s game console: The company best known for chicken wings has rolled out a game console more powerful than PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X. Oh, and the KFConsole has a built-in ‘chicken chamber’ to keep your food warm. As you can see from the ad below, they’re pretty darn chuffed with themselves. Business Insider has more details:
Octopus punch fish: The two species are known to hunt for prey together, but as with all partners, the relationship has its rocky moments. Scientists have now discovered that octopuses throw punches at fish—out of sheer spite, and to keep them in line.
BBC news has lots more.
The ‘Coming 2 America’ trailer is here!
The sequel to Eddie Murphy’s hilarious 1988 flick is dropping on March 5 on Amazon Prime. But the teaser is already out for you to enjoy. Variety has more details on the movie.
One Christmas thing
President Emmanuel Macron's rescue dog Nemo is doing his bit to help to raise awareness about adoption—just in time for Christmas! As you can see, Nemo is so cute he doesn’t have to do much except, well, sit in this starring role. Point to note: 100,000 pets are abandoned every year in France.
Three photos to say au revoir
One: This is the winner of the Ocean Photograph Awards shows two widowed penguins appearing to comfort one another. BBC News has the story behind the image. You can also watch an amazing video of the two penguins here. You can see the other winners here.
Two: An amateur photographer took a stunning image of the great conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn—taken with a camera attached to a telescope. See it here. Also: New York magazine has rounded up the best photos shared on social media.
Three: The Atlantic put together the most hopeful images of 2020. This is Sammy and he likes paddle boards.