The world’s first coronavirus jab
Margaret Keenan got a Pfizer shot yesterday, becoming the first person in the world to receive a vaccine. She turns 91 next week! The second: An 81-year old named William Shakespeare! Many ‘Taming of the Flu’ jokes ensued. US authorities have confirmed that Pfizer offers strong protection within 10 days of administering the first dose.
In related good news: For India, a peer-reviewed study in the Lancet journal confirms that the Oxford vaccine is safe and effective. One downside: most of the trial participants were below the age of 55—which raises questions about how well it will work for the elderly. (BBC News)
In other pandemic-related news:
- New York magazine reports that the Moderna vaccine was developed over a single weekend—and had been designed by January 13. But it was still wise to take time to test and roll it out.
- President Trump held a ‘vaccine summit’ but nobody showed up—including the CEOs of Pfizer and Moderna. Not invited: The Biden team which will have the actual task of distributing the vaccines in the new year. Also: The US has only bought 100 million Pfizer doses—which is enough to vaccinate 50 million. So nowhere close to what’s needed.
- An unhappy pandemic effect: A new survey shows that social distancing has increased the power of restaurant customers—who can more freely harass the wait staff: "Many survey respondents noted that they’ve been asked to remove their masks so the customer can ‘see that pretty face under there.’ Some say they were explicitly told to take off their masks so the customer could decide how much to tip.” The reason: the staff are more dependent on tips from a smaller number of patrons.
- Mumbai Mirror has a happier story on dabbawalas—who were struggling due to the lockdown but have now found a new gig: supplying fresh veggies and fruits to Mumbaikars.
Clues to Andhra’s mystery illness
More than 500 people were hospitalised in Eluru over the past three days due to an undiagnosed illness. They exhibited symptoms of epilepsy, including seizures and tremors. The culprit: contaminated water. An AIIMS report showed high levels of nickel and lead in blood samples. And a private lab has found high levels of pesticides—including DDT—in the drinking water. Eluru is served by two canals which are a dumping ground for farmers along their banks. (Times of India)
Mt Everest is higher than ever
The great peak was first officially measured by the Survey of India in 1954—and deemed to be 8,848 metres in height. Then China measured their side in 2005 and came up with 8,844.43 metres. Then Nepal undertook the task of settling the question once and for all. Now all—including the Chinese—agree that it is 8,848.86 metres high. That’s 0.86 metres higher than the previous estimate. BBC News explains why a massive earthquake in 2015 may have increased the peak’s height.
In China-related news: China has conducted a mass ‘app cleansing’, pulling down 105 apps—including TripAdvisor. The reason: they spread content related to pornography, prostitution, gambling and violence. Oh, TripAdvisor, we never knew ye… (Reuters)
Sitharaman makes the Forbes list
The Finance Minister ranks #41 in Forbes’ list of the 100 most powerful women in the world—along with Biocon Founder Kiran Mazumdar Shaw (#68) and HCL Enterprise CEO Roshni Nadar Malhotra (#55). At #1 for the 10th year in a row: German Chancellor Angela Merkel, followed by European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde. Kamala Harris makes her debut at #3. The full list is here.
Talking of powerful people: Indian-American Vivek Murthy has been appointed Surgeon General of the United States again! He previously held the post under Barack Obama—but this time he will be in charge of the Biden administration’s Covid effort. Mint has more on Murthy.
In somewhat Biden-related news: Turkish singer Bilal Goregen uploaded a clip of him playing the darbuka, accompanied by a cat gif—and instantly created an iconic meme. Here’s a lovely interview with the visually impaired artist—where he talks about the great number of Indian fans and love for Joe Biden.
YouTube’s role in Christchurch killing
A New Zealand commission conducted an independent inquiry into the horrific 2019 shooting that left 51 people dead. It has now issued a report that concludes that YouTube played a significant role in radicalizing the shooter, Brenton Tarrant:
“In one of the sections of the report called ‘The terrorist,’ they write that he viewed content promoting extreme right-wing and ethno-nationalist views on sites like 4chan and 8chan. ‘He also spent much time accessing broadly similar material on YouTube,’ the authors said. ‘His exposure to such content may have contributed to his actions on 15 March 2019 — indeed, it is plausible to conclude that it did.’”
PM Jacinda Ardern plans to take these findings up with YouTube. (CNBC)
An anti-racism protest in football
A Champions League match between Paris Saint-Germain and Istanbul Basaksehir was unexpectedly suspended yesterday. The reason: A match referee allegedly called Basaksehir assistant coach Pierre Webo a “negro” (watch that here). Basaksehir striker Demba Ba then stepped up to confront the official (clip here). Both sides then left the field in protest:
CNN has more details.
In other football news: A women's university football match in China was called off because… one player’s hair was not “black enough”! Apparently, the nation’s football league has really strange rules about what players can and cannot do: “Athletes are not allowed to dye their hair, grow long hair [for boys], wear weird hairstyles, or wear any accessories.” BBC News has this strange story.
Jet plans a comeback
The new owners of the once-bankrupt airline aim to take to the skies by April/May 2021:
“The Consortium's vision is to regain lost ground, set new benchmarks for the airline industry with the tag of being the best corporate full-service airline operating on domestic and international routes. The Jet 2.0 hubs will remain Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru like before. The revival plan proposes to support Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities by creating sub-hubs in such cities."
An LA Museum’s ‘oops’ moment
David Lew’s artwork had been on display in the courtyard of the Chinese American Museum in Los Angeles since 2018—until the city’s maintenance staff threw it out thinking it was trash. Now, Lew is suing the museum. The exhibit was called Year of the Shark Red Packet and looked like this: “88 decorated empty canvas tote bags hanging on washing lines—a nod to Chinese immigrants working in the US laundry business.”
The Robotaxi is here!
Earlier this year, Amazon acquired Zoox which makes self-driving cabs. For months now, Zoox has been teasing the world with tantalising glimpses of its creation. Well, the real thing has finally been spotted wandering the streets of San Francisco. The verdict: “They look dorky as hell.” Gizmodo has more.
Disappointing news about the gender gap
A new study suggests that parent-friendly policies may not do much to reduce the workplace gap between men and women. Researchers looked at multi-decade data from Austria—which offers up to 35 months in shared parental leave and free childcare for children under the age of five. And yet, the average earnings of Austrian women is currently 43.5% lower than men. More worryingly: without these benefits, that number would have been 41.5%. The researchers write: “Our main conclusion is simple and striking: The enormous expansions of parental-leave and child-care subsidies have had virtually no impact on gender convergence.” The big reason: cultural norms. Market watch explains.
Remembering Chuck Yeager
He was the world's most famous test pilot who became the first to break the sound barrier. Yeager died on Monday in Los Angeles at the ripe old age of 97. The Associated Press has a wonderful obit while the Guardian captures his life in pictures. Watch him break the sound barrier below.