The great pandemic: The latest update
- Omicron is here! Karnataka has reported two cases—a 66-year-old man from South Africa who tested positive back on November 20. He has already left the country. The other is more worrying: a 46-year-old doctor with no travel history. Indian Express has more details on both cases.
- The consortium of medical experts responsible for genome sequencing has recommended booster shots for everyone above the age of 40.
- South African data shows that Omicron has become the dominant variant—and is causing a sharp surge in cases.
- South African scientists also warned that the lack of severe cases caused by Omicron is no reason to relax. The reason: Most of the people affected are young thus far—and people tend to get more sick after carrying the virus for some time. (Mint)
- A very good read: The Atlantic looks at the best and worst case scenarios for the variant.
- Germany has locked down all unvaccinated citizens—who can only leave the house for essential services. (CNN)
- A Facebook investigation has uncovered a Covid disinformation campaign with direct links to the Chinese state-run firms and government officials. (Quartz)
New details on that crypto bill
No one has seen the Cryptocurrency and Regulation of Official Digital Currency Bill—and many are worried that it will ban all private cryptocurrencies (explained here). But “two people with direct knowledge of the matter” told Mint that such fears are misplaced—and it will be treated as an ‘asset’ instead:
“Categorizing crypto as an asset will ensure that there is no overlap between the digital currency that will be launched by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and crypto. All crypto exchanges will come under Sebi’s regulatory ambit. Any violation could lead to monetary penalties ranging from Rs 5-20 crore and imprisonment."
Just WhatsApp Uber!
You can now book your cab ride via the company’s official WhatsApp chatbot. Nope, you won’t need the app anymore: “Everything from user registration, booking a ride, and getting a trip receipt will be managed within the WhatsApp chat interface.” This is a first-ever feature for Uber in any of its markets—and will be introduced in Lucknow, followed by the other major cities. (Mint)
The biggest streaming music hits
Apple and Spotify have released their lists of the most streamed songs of 2021. On Apple Music, BTS’ single ‘Dynamite’ was the most-played song of the year. For Spotify, that was Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Driver’s License’. The top three artists in the world as per Spotify: Bad Bunny, followed by Taylor Swift and BTS. Meanwhile, topping the YouTube India list: ‘Lut Gaye’—followed by the Bhojpuri song ‘Kunware Me Ganga Nahile Bani’ and Badshah’s ‘Paani Paani’. (BBC News)
Also topping the list: Kuala Lumpur, which is the top city for expats to live and work abroad in 2021. Málaga, Spain, and Dubai, rank as the second and third, respectively. Why KL is a winner: the affordable cost of living, ease of making new friends, job and work-life balance. (CNBC)
LinkedIn is now in Hindi
To boost its reach, the platform has launched in Hindi—with the goal of targeting the 600 million who speak that language. But it doesn’t end there:
“As the next step, LinkedIn said it will work towards widening the range of job opportunities available for Hindi speaking professionals across industries, including more banking, and government jobs. The platform will also continue to add more Hindi publishers and creators in the coming weeks to boost member engagement and conversations in Hindi.”
CIA has a child sex abuse problem
Internal agency reports show that a number of CIA employees had big problems with underage kids:
“One employee had sexual contact with a 2-year-old and a 6-year-old. He was fired. A second employee purchased three sexually explicit videos of young girls, filmed by their mothers. He resigned. A third employee estimated that he had viewed up to 1,400 sexually abusive images of children while on agency assignments. The records do not say what action, if any, the CIA took against him. A contractor who arranged for sex with an undercover FBI agent posing as a child had his contract revoked.”
Why this matters: Only one of the individuals cited in these documents was charged with a crime. (BuzzFeed News)
A dino with a big tail
A new species of dinosaur found in Chile has a “battle axe for a tail.” Named Stegouros elengassen, it has a “bony tail shaped like a club that was wielded by Aztec warriors.” Why this is notable: “The tail is extremely strange, as it is short for a dinosaur and the posterior half is encased in dermal bones (bones that grow in the skin) forming a unique weapon.” Below is a 3D gif of the tail. If you want to see the dino, then you can check it out at the New York Times or CNN.
Who’s the biggest polluter of them all?
It’s the United States, of course. The country generates 42 million metric tons of plastic waste a year—which amounts to around 130 kg of waste for every person in America. How bad is this? That total is more than all European Union member countries combined. (The Guardian)
Four things to see
One: Yes, there is yet another ‘The Matrix Resurrections’ trailer out. No, we’re not putting it out as a Sanity Break since all this drama is driving us insane.
Two: Far less pleasant is this viral clip of an Indian Embassy official yelling at a person applying for a visa. But it’s a good reminder as to how dreadful Indian consulates can be when we are busy complaining about getting a US or Schengen visa.
Three: For days now, a pair of Tanzanian siblings Kili Paul and Neema have been going viral for their amazing lip sync versions of Bollywood songs (as we spotlighted here and here). But it was lovely to watch them finally speak up in this interview with FeverFM. Skip to the 2:26 mark to hear Paul sing.
Four: We are not exactly sure why folks are going crazy over this Secret Service agent guarding US President Joe Biden. But apparently, they are. (Independent)
