COP26: The latest update
One: The US and EU have announced a global partnership aimed at cutting down methane emissions by 30% by the year 2030. Over 100 countries have signed up—but not major emitters like Russia and India. Why this matters: A great part of the 1°C rise in global temperature is caused by methane. And if the countries stick to their pledge, it will prevent an additional 0.3°C warming by 2040. (BBC News)
Two: Also heartening: over a 100 leaders have committed to halting and reversing deforestation before the end of 2030—supported by a commitment of $19 billion from private and public funds. It will cover 13 million square miles of green cover—and was backed by Brazil, Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, which collectively account for 85% of the world's forests. (Reuters)
Big point to note: India refused to signed the declaration, saying:
“The declaration interlinks trade to climate change and forest issues. Trade falls under the WTO and should not be brought under climate change declarations. We had asked the word ‘trade’ to be removed, but they did not agree. So, we have not signed the declaration.”
Three: The UK, Norway, Germany, the US, and 17 funders—including the Ford Foundation, Bezos Earth Fund, Bloomberg Philanthropies—will give $1.7 billion between 2021 and 2025 to help Indigenous and local communities protect tropical forests. Fast Company has more on why this matters.
Four: Britain and India announced a partnership to connect the world’s electricity grids. How this will work: “Linking the grids would allow parts of the world with excess renewable power to send it to areas with deficits. For instance, countries where the sun has set could draw power from others still able to generate solar electricity.” (Reuters)
Five: COP26 had its share of viral moments. First up, climate activist Greta Thunberg’s angry speech criticising the world leaders at the summit.
Next: A maskless PM Modi trying to hug a clearly uncomfortable UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres—which made tabloid news in the UK.
Also: President Biden falling asleep in the middle of one of the many speeches.
PS: ICYMI, read our explainer on COP26 for more context on the summit, and India’s climate change dilemmas.
Reading election tea leaves
Bypoll results rarely change anything, but they are read as indications of the public mood. So make of these what you will. Among the 29 assembly seats at stake:
- Congress swept all the seats in Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan.
- Shiv Sena won its first seat outside Maharashtra in Dadra & Nagar Haveli.
- Trinamool Congress won everything in Bengal—including a seat previously held by the BJP.
- And Abhay Chautala held on to his seat by the skin of his teeth—after quitting the alliance with the BJP in Haryana in protest against the farm laws.
- But the BJP had a big day in Assam—winning all five seats.
- The Hindu analyses the results, while Indian Express explains why Chautala won in Haryana.
An ugly threat against Virat Kohli
After the Indian captain defended teammate Mohammad Shami from Hindutva trolls, he immediately became the target of their rage. One of them issued a rape threat against his nine-month old daughter. A Boom Live investigation shows that the person is, in fact, a Indian, most likely from Hyderabad—and not a Pakistani as claimed by the rightwing Twitterati. Meanwhile, the Delhi Commission for Women has issued a notice to the Delhi police demanding the arrest of the user.
The maha slugfest in Maharashtra
The ugly political battle between the ruling Shiv Sena government and the BJP has played out in a series of raids, arrests and allegations. The latest salvo: income tax raids targeting Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and his family. IT officials claim to have seized assets worth Rs 10 billion (1,000 crore)—but his lawyer says they merely have “sought clarifications on some issues.” Meanwhile, former state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) over charges of money laundering and corruption. This is the fallout of the case involving explosives parked outside the Ambani residence (explained here and here).
Ready for your Covid patch?
A new study unveiled a novel approach to delivering Covid vaccines: a skin patch with 5,000 tiny needle-like projections that deposit the vaccine in the skin’s dermal layers—as opposed to the muscle. The benefits: no syringes or refrigeration required—and there is no blood or pain. And it may even trigger higher levels of antibodies. (Smithsonian Magazine)
Speaking of Covid: China’s zero-tolerance policy was on full display after a single visitor tested positive. Authorities shut down the amusement park, and locked 34,000 people inside—forcing each one to undergo a Covid test before they were allowed to leave. See the scenes at the park below. (South China Morning Post)
In other pandemic-related news: Indian schools have fully reopened for students in 22 States and Union Territories. Twelve others have opened doors for older children. West Bengal and Manipur are the only two that have opted out. The Hindu flags the vast learning gaps poorer children will experience in the classroom. A recent survey conducted in 15 States showed that 72% of elementary age children did not do any regular studying by any method during the lockdown—and only 8% of rural kids were able to access online classes.
Two factor authentication is coming!
The big tech companies are tired of trying to persuade you to embrace a two-step verification process to log into your accounts. Google will soon automatically enroll 150 million Google and 2 million YouTube accounts. What this means: You can no longer simply enter a password to log in. You will also have to enter a code sent via an app or text message, or plug in a physical security “key.” OTOH: Users can opt out if they wish. (Wall Street Journal via Mint)
A big cryptocurrency scam
The hot new currency named ‘SQUID’ after the popular Netflix show has turned out to be a big con. The currency launched last month, and its value soon began to soar. Then this happened:
“Alas, early this morning, as the crypto peaked at more than $2,800, the anonymous creators of the cryptocurrency decided to cash in. They sold off their holdings, shut the project's website down, and made off with millions. Because the founders held the vast majority of SQUID, their sell-off tanked the value of the coin, rendering it worthless.”
In other crypto-related news: Amitabh Bachchan’s experiment with non-fungible tokens (NFTs) is proving wildly successful. His first auction has already attracted bids upwards of $520,000. The most popular item: the “Madhushala” collection—which is his late father Harivansh Rai’s poem collection recorded in Big B’s voice. Have no clue what NFTs or crypto is about? Check out our handy explainer. (Quartz)
In other tech-related news: The company formerly known as Facebook is being sued by a computer seller in Arizona over its new name. Meta PCs insists that it got its name trademarked last November—but it is willing to sell the name for $20 million. The Guardian explains why loopholes in the law may let Mark Zuckerberg off the hook. Below is the tongue-in-cheek clip released by Meta PCs.
When is a stone just a stone?
In July 2020, a paper made international waves when it revealed evidence that the first humans reached North America at least 30,000 years ago—more than 10,000 years earlier than previously believed. The proof: stone tools and flakes found at a cave site in Mexico. Now a new set of researchers have cast doubt on the findings by examining the 2,000 “artifacts”—and found that they’re just, well, stones: “A stone striking a stone can produce similar looking products regardless of how the force is initiated.” Yes, archaeology can be embarrassing. (Gizmodo)
Toilets break in space
Four astronauts headed home on the SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule have a familiar problem: The toilet is broken: “a tube used to funnel urine into a storage tank became unglued, and was causing a leaky mess hidden beneath the capsule’s floor.” The solution: They will have to wear “undergarments” on their flight. Eww? (CNN)
In happier related news: The crew on the International Space Station enjoyed a lavish meal of space tacos made with fajita beef, rehydrated tomatoes, artichokes—and very special green chiles, grown on the station! Let’s hope that the SpaceX crew didn’t go back for seconds. See the unappetising taco below. (CNET)
Biggest aquarium in the world
Abu Dhabi will soon be home to a 1,969,795-square-feet aquarium that will host 68,000 animals—and 25 million litres of water. Built in collaboration with SeaWorld, it will open its doors in 2022. It will be the first SeaWorld not to include killer whales or any large mammals, including dolphins—primarily because the company is under fire after the documentary ‘Blackfish’ highlighted the plight of a captive orca named Tilikum. (Orlando Weekly)
Dine with Data: All about Refrens 🤝
Company: Refrens 🤝
About: How do you get freelancers to join your freelance network? You solve their second biggest pain point. 🩹
Refrens is a freelancer platform that also offers payment tools like invoicing, purchase order generation, expenditure management, and also allows for compliant international payments.
The service is backed by stellar angels such as Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Anupam Mittal(Shaadi.com), and a few more VCs. 🧨
Food For Thought: According to current numbers, the company services 60K+ businesses in India and a total of 100K+ businesses worldwide—another great example of Indians building for the 🌎!
DWD Take: Refrens' success aside, this is an ingenious example of how to build networks by offering highly sought after tools for your desired user base. This creates a continuous flywheel that probably saves Refrens tons in marketing cost!
URL: https://refrens.com
About DWD: Dine With Data🍴sends you a short summary of one new startup every day, delivered straight to your WhatsApp inbox!