Controversy over India’s vaccine trials

• Two participants experienced ‘serious adverse events’ in separate vaccine trials. 
• The person in Nagpur who was part of the Bharat Biotech trial developed a flu-like illness. 
• A volunteer for the Oxford vaccine in Chennai has neurological symptoms. 
• The Chennai volunteer’s family is suing AstraZeneca, Oxford University, the Serum Institute of India—and is seeking Rs 5 crore in compensation.
• What’s notable: when a similar event occurred in the UK, human trials were immediately stopped until independent investigators determined the cause of illness—and if it was related to the vaccine. No such thing has happened in India.
• The Serum Institute instead is threatening to sue the participant for Rs 100 crore: “The claim is malicious because the volunteer was specifically informed by the medical team that the complications he suffered were independent of the vaccine trial he underwent. In-spite of specifically being made aware of the same, he still chose to go public and malign the reputation of the company."
• But as Mint notes: “Serum Institute did not provide details on assessment of the participant by the site’s medical team, nor the process followed in coming to the conclusion that the vaccine was not the cause of the complications.”
• The Telegraph also points out that CDSCO—the government authority supervising the trial—has released no information on any independent probe or its findings. 
• Doctors simply discharged the participants, and the companies involved declared that their illness was unrelated to the vaccine.

A related good read: An interview with India’s foremost vaccine expert Gagandeep Kang who offers this reality check: Most people who are not at the top of the list—i.e. not elderly, healthcare workers etc.—should not expect to be vaccinated until 2022.

In related news: ICYMI, Chinese scientists have published a research paper claiming that the virus originated on the Indian subcontinent:

“From May to June 2019, the second-longest recorded heat-wave had rampaged in northern-central India and Pakistan, which created a serious water crisis in this region. The water shortage made wild animals, such as monkeys, engage in the deadly fight over water among each other and would have surely increased the chance of human-wild animal interactions.”

This theory has not been reviewed by the scientific community—and has already been dismissed.

A quick global update:

• The US recorded 4 million cases in November alone—which is double the number for October, and brings the total to more than 13 million, the highest of any nation.
• Long-term effects of Covid may include losing your teeth—without blood or pain. It is more likely if you have pre-existing dental conditions. New York Times via Economic Times has more.
• A bar in Rome has banned all talk of coronavirus and the pandemic—and its making the patrons very happy.
• This is a US college band performing at a game over Thanksgiving weekend—in masks that are likely as effective as a, er, leaky condom?

Uttar Pradesh’s first ‘love jihad’ case

The state recently passed a law that would punish anyone who forcibly converts a person through marriage—and nullifies that marriage. The police have now filed the first case. It involves a woman who tried to elope with her Muslim boyfriend a year ago—and who is now married to someone else. Her father has now filed an FIR and he has been booked for “threatening to kidnap” her—but the anti-conversion charges were slapped on to the original FIR in ink. Times of India has more details.

A battle over Hyderabad

Municipal elections in the city have become an unexpectedly big deal—with BJP flying in its bigwigs, including Yogi Adityanath who promised at a rally: “If we win, we will turn Hyderabad into Bhagyanagar” (watch the sea of saffron here). Also in Hyderabad: Home Minister Amit Shah who promised to rid the city of “nawab and nizam culture.” So why all this fuss over a local election? The long-marginalised BJP thinks it has a really good chance to get a toe-hold in the city. The big push has certainly spooked the ruling TRS party into cutting its ties to Asaduddin Owaisi's party which has an iron-grip over the inner city’s vote. Owaisi’s response: “So many top leaders have been brought in by the BJP that now only Donald Trump is left to come and campaign.”

India loses out in Sydney

Australia thrashed India by 51 runs for an unbeatable 2-0 series lead in the one-day international series. Virat Kohli scored the highest number of runs, followed by Shreyas Iyer. Kohli admitted: “They outplayed us.” The only high point of the match: an Indian fan who proposed to his Australian girlfriend in the stands. Of course, she said ‘yes’. See the sweet moment below:

In less happy cricket news: A woman has accused Pakistani skipper Babar Azam of sexually abusing and exploiting her. Watch the clip of her press conference here. Times of India has the story.

Moving on to football: Argentina has opened a probe into the circumstances surrounding the football legend Diego Maradona’s death. The reason: Maradona’s lawyer and family claim that the medical unit tasked with his 24X7 post-surgery care was negligent. Buenos Aires Times has all the details. Also watch: Lionel Messi paying tribute to Maradona after scoring the final goal for Barcelona in a match against Osasuna.

A Formula One miracle: French driver Romain Grosjean had a miraculous escape after his car broke into two and burst into flames at the Bahrain Grand Prix. He walked away with only minor burns. The Guardian has the story. The astonishing clip below:

Who is the richest khandaan of them all?

The Ambani family, of course. They are at the top of Bloomberg’s list of the richest dynasties in Asia. Mukesh-bhai & Co. are now more than twice as wealthy as their nearest competition: The Kwoks of Hong Kong. Bloomberg News profiles these filthy rich Asians if you need more.

Delhi winter will be harsh!

According to meteorologists, North India will experience lower than normal temperatures through January. Delhi has already recorded its coldest day in November in over a decade—hitting 7°C. The reason: it’s a La Nina year. Indian Express has more.

No sleep is better than less sleep

Sleep is when our brain seals memories into place. But it is also when our brain unlearns things—especially stuff that is traumatic. A surprising new study found that those who get no sleep are better at learning what to fear or not fear than those who got only a few hours of sleep:

"Curiously, the brains of those getting no sleep resembled those of the people who enjoyed a full night's rest twelve hours later in that the fear response was absent. Those getting only a few hours of sleep showed signs of fear in their brain activity. This suggests that getting only a little rest might be worse than getting none at all, at least when it comes to learning and unlearning fear responses."

The monolith mystery deepens

 As you may remember, a bunch of government employees in a helicopter spotted a strange block of metal installed in the midst of a remote stretch of Utah. Soon, intrepid folks had tracked down its location—and posted videos of it on Instagram. Now, the state’s public safety department reports a new twist:

“We have received credible reports that the illegally installed structure, referred to as the ‘monolith’ has been removed from Bureau of Land Management (BLM) public lands by an unknown party. The BLM did not remove the structure which is considered private property. We do not investigate crimes involving private property which are handled by the local sheriff’s office. The structure has received international and national attention and we received reports that a person or group removed it on the evening of Nov. 27.”

Yup, this massive structure that’s between 10-12 feet high has just vanished! Waiting for the inevitable satellite sleuths to solve this mystery. (BBC News)

A warning label on ‘The Crown’?

Season four may be the most controversial yet—since it deals with one of the messiest chapters in royal history: The Diana-Charles marriage. The show’s creators have already been accused of painting the royal family as monsters. Now, a UK cabinet minister plans to request Netflix to add a “health warning”—to make it clear that the series is a work of fiction: “Without this, I fear a generation of viewers who did not live through these events may mistake fiction for fact.” The move, as expected, has been jeered at once. (The Guardian)