The Israel-Palestine war: the latest update
The US has ratcheted up the pressure on Israel to dial down the attacks on Gaza—during a fourth conversation between President Biden and PM Netanyahu:
“The White House said Biden told Netanyahu ‘that he expected a significant de-escalation today on the path to a ceasefire’ in the raging violence. The statement was a signal Biden is losing patience with Netanyahu, a leader he has known for four decades… Previously, administration officials said their objective was to keep pressure on Israel limited to private conversations. But that appeared to shift after the White House revealed publicly that Biden had set a short deadline for tamping down the violence.”
So that seems like a big change except it has had little effect on Netanyahu—who said he is “determined to continue this operation until its objective is achieved: to restore quiet and security to you, citizens of Israel.” FYI: the Israeli military is especially focused on killing Hamas’ military chief Mohammed Deif. According to Associated Press:
“Netanyahu’s tough comments marked the first public rift between the two close allies since the fighting began last week and could complicate international efforts to reach a cease-fire. His pushback also plunges the pair into a difficult early test of the U.S.-Israel relationship.”
On a more amusing note, when asked by reporters about Israel, Biden drove away like a bat out of hell. Watch him here:
A good related read: Nick Wadham in Bloomberg News on the limits of US power to force a ceasefire. A good watch: Vice’s documentary on the battle for Jerusalem. Need more background? Read our recent explainer.
The great pandemic: A quick update
- We added 267,334 new cases and 4,529 deaths on Wednesday. There is some confusion over whether we have marked the global record for the number of daily deaths. According to Reuters, that honour still belongs to the US which lost 5,444 people on February 12. But Associated Press insists our 4,529 tally is an all time high for any country.
- The spread continues unchecked in Uttar Pradesh, where nearly a third or 32% of the 89,512 villages have been infected.
- According to new data, nearly 63.5% of those tested have been exposed to the virus. That’s up from 45% a month ago. All of which is adding to fears of a runaway virus that is going undetected because we’re still not testing enough.
- We’re also seeing worrying numbers of young people being disproportionately infected in both Maharashtra and Karnataka.
- Latest research out of UK suggests that we may have overestimated the transmissibility of the ‘double mutant’ variant: “There's... a glimmer of hope from the recent data that, whilst this variant does still appear to have a significant growth advantage, the magnitude of that advantage seems to have dropped a little bit with the most recent data."
- The vaccine is messing with mammography data—with healthy women often being flagged for early signs of breast cancer. The reason: The vaccines often result in swollen lymph nodes which is also a symptom of the disease.
- Mumbai is working hard to resolve its vaccine shortage. Last week, municipal authorities invited tenders from foreign companies, and has now received three bids to import 10 million doses of Sputnik-V—all of which will cost Rs 7 billion (700 crore). It still needs another five million to hit its target.
- Speaking of Sputnik, a Delhi travel agency is offering a 24-day Covid tourism package: “Moscow for two shots of Sputnik-V with a spot of sightseeing thrown in to pass the 21-day interval between jab.” The price tag per head: Rs 1.3 lakh. A small price to pay for good health, no doubt.
- Covidiot alert: Arvind Kejriwal sparked a diplomatic row when asked the government to impose travel restrictions on Singapore because of a ‘new variant’ spreading over there. Fact: Singapore is struggling with the spread of our very own ‘double mutant’ variant. So naturally the Singapore High Commission was annoyed, and the Ministry of External Affairs had to step in to smooth ruffled feathers.
- Also a Covidiot: BJP leader Gopal Sharma is wandering the streets of Meerut armed with a conch and a mobile hawan—whose ingredients include desi cow dung and ghee, of course—to defeat the mighty corona!
Cyclone Tauktae: The latest update
A rescue team has recovered 26 bodies from the Arabian Sea, and the hunt continues for 61 others who are still missing. The Petroleum Ministry has ordered a probe to reveal why 600 people were left stranded on oil rigs and vessels—despite receiving prior warning. Among those rescued: Chief Engineer Rahman Shaikh who revealed that many of the life rafts on his barge had punctures. Also this:
“We received the cyclone warning a week before it hit. Many other vessels in the vicinity left. I told the Captain, Balwinder Singh, that we must also leave for the harbour. But he told me that winds were not expected to be over 40 kmph and the cyclone would cross Mumbai in one or two hours. But in reality the wind speed was more than 100 kmph. Five of our anchors broke. They couldn’t withstand the cyclone.”
Elon Musk is not that rich
It’s been a roller coaster year for the Tesla honcho. He earlier toppled Jeff Bezos as the richest man in the world—only to lose his crown soon after. And now he has been toppled from the #2 spot by Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy Chairman Bernard Arnault. He’s lost 24% of his wealth since January. (Al Jazeera)
Also dropping fast: The number of divorces in China—all thanks to a ‘cooling off’ law that forces couples to wait for 30 days before their request for a mutual divorce is processed. Also: Once they apply for a divorce, if the couples don’t show up for two appointments between 30 and 60 days, their application is automatically cancelled. The result: number of divorces dropped by a whopping 70% once the law came into effect. Not impressed: Angry Chinese citizens who ascribe the dip to bureaucracy: “If you try all means to obstruct it, of course it dropped. Anyway, there’s no statistic on how much the pain has increased.” (The Guardian)
Doordarshan International is here
The public broadcaster Prasar Bharati is looking for a consultancy service to help launch ‘DD International’—to build a global presence for Doordarshan and to establish an "international voice for India.” The plan is to set up bureaus across the world and establish “24×7 world service streams.” Indian Express has more details on this beautiful dream of a desi BBC.
Good news on Alzheimer’s
Scientists have long known that gut bacteria are linked to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. But finding the exact culprit was an enormous challenge given that we carry thousands of species. Now a team of scientists have identified the harmful bacteria—and shown that other good bacteria can produce compounds that help counter its effects. (ScienceFocus)
The fount of plastic pollution
The Plastic Waste Makers Index reveals a shocking fact: just 20 petrochemical companies account for 55% of single-use plastic waste in the world! The worst offender: ExxonMobil, followed by Dow, Sinopec, Indorama Ventures, and Saudi Aramco. What this tells us: Instead of focusing solely on consumers, “we need to go after the tap, to turn off the tap of fossil fuel plastics." (BBC News)
Another very surprising fact: A series of experiments have proved that many mammals—like mice, rats and pigs—can breathe through their anuses during an emergency. The process is called enteral ventilation via anus, or EVA, and it delivers oxygen either in a liquid or gas form. Why this matters to humans:
"‘Patients in respiratory distress can have their oxygen supply supported by this method to reduce the negative effects of oxygen deprivation while the underlying condition is being treated,’ added co-author Takanori Takebe… The technique could play a role when there is a shortage of ventilators, as seen in the current coronavirus pandemic.”
Four celeb things
One: Demi Lovato has announced that they now identify as pansexual and non-binary. Read their Twitter thread. (Daily Mail)
Two: Salman Khan’s excruciating ‘Radhe’ has proved to be a flop. Zee Studios paid Rs 230 crore as part of a package to acquire the rights to the film, but it will only earn around Rs 50-60 crore. The pay-per-view numbers were modest for the opening weekend, as were the overseas box office numbers. Mint analyses the biz numbers, but the real bottomline: even die-hard Bhai fans won’t shell out for a stinker.
Three: 50-year-old Naomi Campbell has given birth to a baby girl—happy news that she shared alongside the photo below. BBC News has the story. Read her Insta post.
Four: Harry & Meghan marked their third wedding anniversary by announcing plans to build a Covid disaster relief centre in India. Located in Mumbai, it will offer free food and medical care—and “provide relief and resilience (as well as healing and strength) for the communities in which they’re based.”
Three rare & lovely things
A rare flower: The African Karomia gigas is one of the world’s most critically endangered trees—with only two dozen known to grow in the wilderness in Tanzania. And no one has ever seen its flowers. So it was a delightful surprise when one of the trees in the Missouri Botanical Garden sprouted a tiny purple-and-white wonder! Scientists hope more flowers will bloom, and they can be cross-pollinated to keep this precious species alive. Big point to note:
“The tree is so rare, it doesn’t have a known nickname in English, Swahili, or the local languages around the forest reserves it's found in. Of the more than 60,000 tree species known to exist, the Karomia gigas is among the closest to extinction and one of the most endangered in Africa.”
Also, the pretty little flower looks like this:
A rare owl: A tropical owl called the Otus brookii brookii—or the orange-eyed Rajah scops owl—has been spotted for the first time since it was discovered nearly 125 years ago in 1892. It is a highly endangered species native to Malaysia—and threatened by severe habitat loss due to palm oil production, climate change and deforestation. It only weighs about four ounces and is nine inches tall. But what makes them distinct: “piercing pumpkin-colored eyes”—as you can see below:
A forever lost rare thing: The iconic Darwin’s Arch off the Galapagos Islands. The natural stone bridge has collapsed due to natural erosion—so for once, we humans aren’t to blame. BBC News has the story. Before/after images below:
