COP26 summit: The latest update

The first draft of the agreement is already in jeopardy—with a group of developing nations fiercely opposing around 20 paragraphs. The reason: it imposes a net zero target by 2050 on everyone. Speaking for this group—which calls itself ‘Like Minded Developing Countries’ (LMDCs) and includes India—the Bolivian negotiator called the demand “carbon colonialism.” And here’s why:

“That is because only the developed countries will have the financial capabilities and technological capacities to achieve that target. As developing countries, we will be trapped in that narrative because we will never be able to achieve the targets that they are putting for the entire world. And those countries that would not be able to achieve the net zero targets would be ethically and financially condemned. That is unfair and against climate justice.”

We explained why developing countries like India are unhappy with net zero targets here. (Indian Express)

T20 World Cup: The latest update

Australia eked out a five-wicket victory against Pakistan—sealing their spot in the final versus New Zealand. The man of the match: Matthew Wade—who scored 41 runs thanks to Hasan Ali who dropped a catch at the most critical moment in the match. (Indian Express) 

Speaking of the Kiwis: There is more news on resting key players for the upcoming home series against New Zealand. Rohit Sharma is going to sit out the two-match test series starting on November 25—presumably because he will captain India in the T20 matches that come before. This offers vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane a chance to prove himself after a poor showing against England. (The Telegraph)

The crowning of Xi Jinping

Senior party officials in a closed-door meeting in Beijing approved a decision that elevates the current Chinese president to the stature of Mao Zedong, the founder of the country’s Communist rule, and Deng Xiaoping, the chief architect of its economic takeoff. The move also seals the possibility of a third five-year term for Xi—who may even stick around for life since the parliament has scrapped presidential term limits. Washington Post and  New York Times have more details.

Bad news about pandemic plastic waste

New research shows that the world produced 8 million metric tons of plastic waste during the pandemic—primarily due to the increased use of disposable protective equipment like gloves and masks. Of that 8 million, 26,000 tons is polluting oceans across the world. Data point to note: although Asia only accounted for 30% of all Covid cases, it produced 72% of the plastic waste. Also see: Our previous Big Story on the epidemic of plastic pollution in India. (Washington Post)

Elon Musk has sold his stock

Days after the infamous Twitter poll—where 57.9% said he ought to sell 10% of his stock to pay his fair share of taxes—the Tesla founder has sold $5 billion in shares. Of course, his Twitter tamasha had little to do with his decision:

“While he portrayed his proposal as having to do with debate over billionaires avoiding taxes, the filings released Wednesday show some of the transactions were pre-arranged in mid-September—weeks before the poll. He also didn’t mention in the tweets that he has millions of stock options that must be exercised before next August, when they expire.”

And FYI: He is nowhere close to the promised 10% mark. (Bloomberg News)

In other corporate news: Future Group suffered a big setback thanks to the Supreme Court—which has ordered a halt on the plan to sell its retail stores to Reliance. This is part of a rollercoaster battle with Amazon which we explained here. (Mint)

Meghan Markle on the back foot

Harry and Meghan have fought an aggressive battle against tabloids—citing their bullying as a reason for her mental health issues. They won a big court victory in February against the Mail on Sunday—which published Meghan’s letter to her father. But owners appealed that ruling—and may, in fact, win. Their key witness: Meghan’s former communications chief who revealed that she was feeding “briefing notes” to authors of a tell-all book—despite denying it under oath. Meghan claims she “had forgotten the events and had not intended to mislead.” But more damning are text messages that show she knew the letter would be leaked—which damages the claim that she had a clear expectation of privacy. Associated Press and BBC News have more details.

Two big social media moves

One: YouTube is going to stop displaying the number of ‘dislikes’ received by videos on its platform. The ‘dislike’ button will still be available—but only creators can see how many people hated on their clips. The reason for the change: The increasing number of ‘dislike’ attacks that are used to bully people on the platform. (Tech Crunch)

Two: Instagram is testing a ‘Take a Break’ feature that “encourages you to take a break from Instagram after you spend a certain amount of time on the app; 10, 20, or 30 minutes.” You have to opt-in for it to work—though teenage users will be nudged to do so. (The Verge)

Also preserving mental health: The Portuguese parliament which passed new rules that will penalise employers who contact employees outside work hours. Also banned: monitoring folks who WFH. (Euro News)

Speaking of social media addicts: The Mars Desert Research Station—which uses the Utah desert to simulate life on the Red Planet—is sick and tired of tourists who use the station for Insta clout. As the director points out, it’s hard to pretend you are on Mars when there are “drones filming crew members from outside their windows, or people wandering around the facility, poking their heads in buildings.” (Futurism) 

A very Japanese lawsuit

A train driver is suing his employer for $19,407 because he was fined 49 cents for causing a one-minute delay. His excuse for this unforgivable crime: He went to the wrong platform when starting his shift. FYI, the Japanese rail system is so punctual that a rail company once issued an apology after one of its trains left a station 20 seconds early. (BBC News)

A new Indian saint

Devasahayam Pillai was a Hindu who converted to Christianity in the 18th century. He will become the first Indian layman—a non-ordained member of the Church—to be conferred sainthood by the Pope next year. The Vatican said:

“While preaching, he particularly insisted on the equality of all people, despite caste differences. This aroused the hatred of the higher classes, and he was arrested in 1749. After enduring increasing hardships, he received the crown of martyrdom when he was shot on January 14, 1752.”

John Cleese cancels Cambridge gig

The Monty Python actor has withdrawn from an upcoming talk at the university’s debating society in protest of its “woke” rules. The Cambridge Union recently banned an art historian for performing a mock impression of Hitler ranting, during a debate last week. Cleese cited his own Hitler impersonation in the series ‘Fawlty Towers’, saying: 

“I was looking forward to talking to students at the Cambridge Union this Friday, but I hear that someone there has been blacklisted for doing an impersonation of Hitler. I regret that I did the same on a Monty Python show, so I am blacklisting myself before someone else does.”

Four things to see

One: We all know what sexual harassment looks like. But thanks to a contract worker in Lucknow, we can actually see it. And it is no less shocking. This is Iccharam Yadav, a government officer who is in charge of the minority welfare department!! (India Today)

Two: Kamal Haasan is launching a fashion label called KH House of Khaddar—a line of khadi-only apparel. The first collection is called ‘Nunool’ (good thread)—and will be launched in Chicago, alongside his new fragrance, KH Memoir. See KH rock his new threads below. (The Hindu)

Three: A little boy in Alabama has been certified as the world's most premature baby. He was born at just 21 weeks and a day—weighed 420 grams at birth, and had a less than 1% chance of survival. A typical full-term pregnancy is usually 40 weeks. FYI: he is now 16-months-old and in good health—though he still needs a feeding tube. (BBC News)

Four: The art business is crazy. But the movie biz is even crazier. Banksy painted one of his iconic rats on the set of a BBC TV show—the kind that usually fetches at least six figures. And then actor Christopher Walken painted over it—deliberately, as part of the plot line. See the “creative” act of destruction below. (New York Times)