Skies turn orange in California
More than 85 wildfires are spreading quickly all across the western United States—and have already destroyed a record-breaking 2.5 million acres. They started in California, and have now moved to Oregon and Washington state. At least seven have died so far. We explained what is causing these fires on Tuesday. A vast cloud of smoke covered the entire state, blocking out the sun. And the skies turned a bizarre, Blade Runner orange. The reason: “Smoke particles scatter blue light and only allow yellow-orange-red light to reach the surface, causing skies to look orange.” See a “hellish” collection of photos of the fires over at Buzzfeed. This clip shows you what San Francisco looked like:
An India-China deal in Moscow
The two foreign ministers—S Jaishankar and Wang Yi—had a two-hour confab. The result: A 5-point plan to dial down the tensions. To sum up: both sides agreed to play nice from here on out. NDTV has the details.
In related China news: Satellite images show what may be a new Chinese spacecraft—specifically, “a small, uncrewed, space-shuttle-like vehicle.” It marks the latest push to get ahead in the race for space. NPR has more details.
The global pandemic: A quick update
- India registered a record 95,735 coronavirus cases yesterday. But that number may be an underestimate. States are increasingly using rapid antigen tests—which often fail to detect positive cases. Now, the Centre has urged all states to retest anyone who came up negative if they have or soon develop symptoms.
- The Serum Institute of India has officially halted all human trials of the Oxford vaccine. It will not restart the trials until it gets the greenlight from AstraZeneca, which is developing the vaccine in partnership with Oxford University (See our explainer here).
- Researchers are working on a new disinfectant spray that can instantly kill viruses—without using harsh chemicals.
- Apple has created a custom-made face mask for its employees—which will have a 'unique' look, and extensively cover the nose and chin. Speaking of masks: Huffington Post has a handy guide on the right way to store them.
- A new Yale study shows that the virus can directly invade the brain, and starve neighbouring brain cells of oxygen. The result: headaches, confusion and delirium.
The Oscars have new rules
The Academy announced new eligibility requirements for movies vying for the Best Picture category. They basically require that the movies meet certain minimum standards of diversity—both in terms of who they employ and in the characters represented on screen. Vox offers a detailed explainer.
Facebook under pressure over Ankhi Das
Forty one civil rights groups from around the world have written an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg. What they want: Ankhi Das must go on mandatory leave. That’s the policy head accused of protecting hate-spewing BJP leaders (explained here). The reason: FB India is currently undergoing a human rights audit. And the signatories want the audit to “be removed entirely from the influence of the India office.”
The letter also took aim at Facebook’s dismal global record on human rights:
“Mr. Zuckerberg, when you said ‘never again’ after Myanmar, did you actually mean ‘Over and over again?’ Myanmar is not an aberration. We are seeing the same playbook that was used to incite genocide in Rwanda in 1994 playing out in India. Then, radio broadcasts from government radio stations spread misinformation that helped incite ordinary citizens to take part in the massacres of their neighbors. Now, instead of radio stations, events like the North East Delhi pogrom are stoked by misinformation and hate speech shared on Facebook.”
Another elephant tragedy in Kerala
Remember the elephant who died after eating a jackfruit stuffed with crackers? Yet another elephant has now been killed in similar circumstances. This time, forest officials had spotted the wounds in his mouth and treated them—but to no avail. And if you’re wondering what happened in the previous death that made national headlines:
“The main accused in the case, the father-son duo, are still at large. The one man who was arrested, Winson, is a worker on the rubber plantation where the coconut-laden explosive was used as the snare by the father-son owners of the plantation.”
Microsoft Duo disappoints
The newly released smartphone has two screens, way more space for apps and turns into a tablet. What’s not to like? The many software bugs and a weird interface. Cnet offers an excellent not-only-for-nerds user review and photo gallery.
A rape that shocked Delhi
An 86-year old woman was raped by a 30-year old man. He took her to a nearby farm in the guise of helping her get milk. She was rescued by villagers who heard her scream. The Delhi Commission for Women is demanding the death penalty. Why this one matters: In India, rape has no age bar. As one NGO activist puts it: "I have met a month-old girl and women in their 60s who've been raped.” BBC News has more.
