COP26: A not-so-happy update
A preliminary UN analysis shows that the flurry of climate pledges made at the summit will have little effect. They only reduce the projected level of warming by the end of the century by 0.1 degrees. The world is well on its way to heat up by 2.5°C—which will be catastrophic. The problem: All those lofty net zero pledges mean nothing if there are no short-term plans to cut emissions asap. Washington Post has more details. And our previous explainer on COP26 offers more context.
Speaking of pledges: There is a $80 billion hole in the promise we made to use non-fossil-fuel sources for 50% of our energy needs by 2030. That’s how much electricity distribution companies, or discoms, owe electricity suppliers and transmission firms. Bloomberg News explains why this is a problem. Also read: BBC News’ detailed analysis of whether India can meet its climate goals.
Preparing for the worst: The South Pacific nation of Tuvalu—which is looking for legal ways to remain a state even if the entire country goes under water due to rising sea levels: “We're looking at legal avenues where we can retain our ownership of our maritime zones, retain our recognition as a state under international law.” This is both sad and smart. (Reuters)
The slow end of Evergrande
Everyone was worried that the Chinese real estate giant’s financial woes would lead to a giant collapse—taking down the Chinese economy and perhaps even the global financial markets. And everyone was wondering why Beijing wasn’t stepping in to avert disaster. According to Wall Street Journal, the government has found a cleverer solution: to engineer a “controlled implosion” by slowly dismantling the company by selling off its assets. Why this matters:
“Officials involved in Evergrande’s cleanup say they believe they have sufficient tools and experience to pull it off without seriously harming the property market… The risk for Beijing is in overestimating its ability to engineer outcomes in the economy, especially given Evergrande’s size. The real-estate market is so entwined with China’s economy that any missteps could be dangerous.”
A women’s football shocker
Three Paris St-Germain players were returning home after a dinner—when their car was stopped by masked men. They dragged one of the players—Kheira Hamraoui—out of the car and assaulted her with iron rods, aiming for her legs. Now, her teammate and driver of the car Aminata Diallo has been arrested—likely on suspicions of engineering the attack. New York Times and NPR have more details.
In other sports-related crime news: The Mumbai police have tracked down a Hyderabad-based engineer who issued a rape threat against Virat Kohli’s nine-month old daughter. He changed his Twitter handle and pretended to be a Pakistani when cops started investigating the threats. FYI: He is an unemployed IIT graduate. (The News Minute)
In happier sports-related news: New Zealand went through to the T20 World Cup final after a five-wicket win over England. Still to be decided: whether the Kiwis will play Australia or Pakistan. (The Hindu)
Three big tech company moves
One: Facebook and Instagram will no longer target ads based on race, politics, or religion—which is in response to pressure from civil rights leaders and policy experts. But advertisers can still target people based on age, gender, location etc. In other words, FB will be just a wee bit less creepy when stalking you. (Mashable)
Two: Netflix is testing a TikTok-style feed for kids—which will offer short clips that offer short clips of live-action, animation and concert footage. This is similar to the comedy feed it unveiled earlier for adults. (The Verge)
Three: Bumble will now allow users to display badges to show which language they prefer to communicate in. Apparently, it leads to a 34% increase in matches. You can select up to five languages—including 30 from India. (Mint)
Chennai braces for heavy rain
The city’s miseries are far from over. The meteorological department has issued a red alert predicting heavy to very heavy rains for November 11 and 12. A related good read: The News Minute reveals why meteorologists failed to issue a warning before the recent floods. The short answer: a “broken, outdated and ill-maintained weather prediction system”—including broken radars.
The ugly reality of ‘coding for kids’
A BoomLive investigation shows that coding classes for very young children are basically a fraud. Kids as young as five are being taught complex engineering topics that cost anywhere from Rs. 7,000 to Rs. 200,000. BoomLive offers a deep dive into their curriculum—which most often sets kids up to fail.
Four things to see
One: Manjamma Jogathi received the Padma Shri on Tuesday. Watch her make the traditional gesture of blessing as she received the award from President Kovind—and read this Indian Express account of her amazing journey from street beggar to national icon.
Two: Say hello to Sesquipedalian Sea Squirt—a new piece of public art in Southern Australia that stands 3 metres tall on blue tripod legs and “appears to be gestating a bowling ball.” And just like the marine creature that inspired it, the Squirt squirts anyone who touches it with a volley of water. Sadly, its charms are lost on some local residents who say “this alleged sculpture looks like a very large poo, after bubble tea.” (The Guardian)
Three: This viral video shows a gentleman who clearly has no sense of direction. No, no one was hurt. (NDTV)
Four: The Delhi Jal Board found this bizarre solution for the toxic foam covering the Yamuna—to make it safer for people determined to take a holy dip for Chathh Puja. (News18)
