Trigger warning: This item focuses on sexual violence.
A dreadful gangrape in Mysore
- On Tuesday night, a 23-year-old MBA student was allegedly gangraped by six men—who accosted her and her male companion on an isolated route to Chamundi Hills.
- They beat up the man and took her away. The gang rape lasted two hours—and was videotaped by the men who tried to use it to extort Rs 3 lakh from the survivor.
- The woman has been critically injured and is now in a hospital—and is yet to give a statement to the police.
- One person who works as a mason has been detained thus far.
- Making matters worse: Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra who first said: “Around 7.30 pm, they went there. It is a desolate area. They should not have gone there that late.”
- When he was criticised by opposition leaders, he responded: “The Congress is trying to rape me, they are trying to rape the Home Minister.” He later said he was just joking 🤮 .
A ‘game-changing’ malaria vaccine
British researchers have developed a new jab that can save the lives of millions of children in Africa. Results of the latest human trials—which included 6,000 kids between the ages of 17 months and five—show that it reduced the rate of severe disease and death by nearly 70%. If approved, this will be the first ever malaria vaccine. Why this matters: More than 150,000 children under five die of malaria annually in Africa’s worst-hit regions. At present, children in places like Burkina Faso and Mali are given a course of antimalarial medicines four times each year during the rainy season to guard against the disease. (Times UK)
New rules for drones
The government relaxed rules required to operate drones in India—reducing the number of fees from 72 to four and forms to be filled from 25 to five. Also reduced: licensing fees. A remote pilot license for a large size drone has dropped from Rs 3000 to Rs 100. And foreign ownership of drones is now permitted. Indian Express has all the details.
The great pandemic: a very quick update
Everyone misses reading the latest numbers. So here’s where we are. India reported 44,510 new cases on Thursday—that’s compared to 153,132 in the US, 39,983 in Iran and 38,281 in the UK. That said, scientists are increasingly confident that India may have reached an “endemic stage”—where the disease is present in the population but is manageable. The Chief Scientist of the World Health Organisation Soumya Swaminathan told The Wire: “It’s very feasible we may continue like this with a few local ups and downs”—but without seeing another devastating wave. The reason: most of the population may be already immune to the disease either due to vaccination or infection. BBC News has more. Also watch: Swaminathan’s interview with Karan Thapar.
Serena Williams nixes US Open
The tennis ace is the latest to pull out of the Grand Slam tournament—along with Venus Williams, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. She said: “After careful consideration and following the advice of my doctors and medical team, I have decided to withdraw from the US Open to allow my body to heal completely from a torn hamstring.” FYI: This will be the first major event where Williams, Federer and Nadal will not participate since the US Open in 1997. With some of the biggest names in tennis aging out, ESPN looks at the end of an star-studded era for the sport.
Indians prefer to save money than planet
A new survey of 10,000 consumers in nine countries shows a significant ‘value-action gap’ in India. Around 48% of Indians said they actively care about sustainability and supporting companies trying to do good. But when it came to making a purchase, 84% said they prioritized saving money over saving the planet; 76% said they do not have enough information to choose sustainable options; and 72% said they tend to forget about sustainability in their busy day-to-day lives. (Mint)
Nirvana faces child porn lawsuit
Spencer Elden was one of the world’s most famous babies—featured on the cover of Nirvana’s 1991 album ‘Nevermind’:
But he has now filed a lawsuit against the band, claiming that the image is child pornography. This is how his lawyer views an image that has long been viewed as a critique of capitalism:
“To ensure the album cover would trigger a visceral sexual response from the viewer, [photographer Kirk] Weddle activated Spencer’s ‘gag reflex’ before throwing him underwater in poses highlighting and emphasizing Spencer’s exposed genitals… At least one or more film cartridges were exposed in a short period of time which included at least 40 or 50 different image shots of Spencer. Cobain chose the image depicting Spencer — like a sex worker — grabbing for a dollar bill that is positioned dangling from a fishhook in front of his nude body with his penis explicitly displayed.”
Oddly, Elden has recreated and shared the famous photo on various anniversaries of the album in the past (see them here)—and never once said that he viewed it as porn. Variety has more on this strange lawsuit.
Speaking of odd things: The latest TikTok fad is to “take on a set of milk crates precariously stacked in the shape of a pyramid, attempt to climb to the top and then back down again without toppling over.” But doctors warn of the risk of serious harm: “It’s perhaps even worse than falling from a ladder. It’s very difficult to brace yourself from the falls I’ve seen in these videos. They’re putting their joints at an even higher risk for injury.” A stupid and self-destructive social media trend? Shocking. The Guardian has the story. Watch an example below:
Speaking of pop music: ABBA is releasing a new album this upcoming Friday—ending a 39-year hiatus. The group also plans to kick off a new show in London called ‘Abba Voyage’—featuring youthful holograms aka Abba-tars of the fab foursome. Daily Mail has more.
Three cool things to see
One: Virgin Hyperloop has released a new video of its passenger pods that travel within a vacuum tube at 670 miles/hour. This is being touted as the future of rapid transportation. CNN has details on how it works. Watch the vid below.
Two: Dubai will soon boast the world’s largest and tallest observation wheel—which will put the London Eye to shame. Standing over 250 metres high, it features 48 cabins that can house 10 people each. A single rotation on the wheel takes about 38 minutes and offers spectacular views of the city and the sea. Tickets start at Dh130 (around Rs 2600). Khaleej Times has everything you need to know. Promo video below:
Three: Thanks to Covid travel restrictions, an Australian farmer couldn’t say goodbye to a beloved aunt who he lost to a two-year battle with cancer. So he laid out grain in the shape of a giant heart—and set his sheep loose. He said: “So I felt hopeless, helpless - I didn't really know what to do… I just decided to do a massive heart in the ground, which in all earnest, pales in comparison to hers.” Watch the wonderful drone footage below:
