A fire at the Serum Institute
Five construction workers are dead after a large fire broke out at a building under construction at the campus of Serum Institute of India—which manufactures and distributes the Oxford vaccine. But its CEO reassured everyone in a tweet:
“I would like to reassure all governments and the public that there would be no loss of Covishield production due to multiple production buildings that I had kept in reserve to deal with such contingencies.”
Indian Express has the most details on the fire.
In other vaccine related news:
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other netas above the age of 50 will receive the jab in the second phase of the vaccination drive—likely around March/April. No news yet of which vaccine they will receive.
- India has okayed the first export consignments of Serum’s Covishield vaccine to Brazil and Morocco.
- Healthcare workers are refusing to take Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin vaccine. They are far more likely to take Covishield.
- The US will not just rejoin the WHO, but also join the global vaccine alliance that aims to deliver doses to low income countries. Hello, Joe Biden!
- In Biden’s corner: Amazon which has offered to “leverage its operations to help vaccinate 100 million Americans in the first 100 days of the president's administration.”
- On a lighter related note: The Dutch are using all sorts of creative jugaad to break the night curfew imposed due to rising numbers. Since dog owners and delivery personnel are exempt, many are renting puppies and buying delivery uniforms to get out of the house.
Trump abandoned by far right?
The Proud Boys—a misogynistic far right group—were once his biggest supporters, and a number of their members played a key role in the Washington siege. But now they are disillusioned by their once true master—and openly mock him for being unable to hold on to power despite that pesky little thing called elections:
“In dozens of conversations on social media sites like Gab and Telegram, members of the group have begun calling Mr. Trump a ‘shill’ and ‘extraordinarily weak,’ according to messages reviewed by The New York Times. They have also urged supporters to stop attending rallies and protests held for Mr. Trump or the Republican Party.”
And that disdain is spreading. Another rightwing leader called Trump “very weak and flaccid.” Now that’s truly hitting below the belt. (New York Times)
In related news: Joe Biden skipped the grand inauguration party thanks to the pandemic. What we got instead was a 90-minute TV special featuring A-list artists hosted by—who else—Mr America himself, Tom Hanks. Also featured: Bruce Springsteen (watch here), Justin Timberlake (here) and Katy Perry—the last singing ‘Fireworks’ under a grand display of fireworks. The Guardian was, however, unimpressed, and dismissed it as “a dull yet competent plea for unity.”
Growing woes of ‘Mirzapur’
A farmer from Mirzapur has filed a petition claiming that the Amazon Prime series “has completely tarnished the historical and cultural image” of his district. Also this:
“According to the petition, the web series ‘has shown every resident of Mirzapur as goon, vagabond and adulterer in front of the country’, so much so that its residents ‘feel shy and hesitant’ when people outside Mirzapur look at them with suspicion after watching the series. It is full of ‘nudity, vulgarity… and abusive language,’ the petition said.”
A bench headed by the Chief Justice Bobde has now issued a notice to the production company Amazon Prime Video, Excel Entertainment and the government—asking for their response.
Meanwhile in Mumbai: Another team of UP police has headed out for Mumbai—this time armed with an FIR filed by a Mirzapur journalist. Maybe they can have a mini reunion with their colleagues who are in town, chasing down the makers of ‘Tandav’.
‘White Tiger’ gets a reprieve: The Delhi High Court refused to stay the release of the Netflix series—which released last night. The petitioner in this case was a Hollywood producer who claims he bought the copyright for the Aravind Adiga novel in 2009. (Hindustan Times)
Vladimir Putin’s fabulous life
The ongoing no-holds-barred war between the Russian President and his greatest nemesis Alexei Navalny is the stuff of fiction. First, Russian secret agents tried to kill Navalny by lacing his underwear with a deadly nerve agent. Then, he staged a near miraculous recovery and returned to Russia—only to be thrown into prison. Now, sitting in jail, he’s released a damning investigative video (watch it here) that doesn’t pull any punches.
According to Navalny, Putin has a “palace” that has 11 bedrooms, spread across 27 square miles (39 times the size of Monaco), is worth $1.4 billion—and financed by oil chiefs and billionaires. The castle has “its own port, its own security, a church, its own permit system, a no-fly zone, and even its own border checkpoint… It is a separate state within Russia.”
The most controversial part: of this ‘home’:
"On the plan it is designated as a 'hookah room.' And all would be fine, but there is not a single window in that room, but for some reason there is a stage, a dressing room, spotlights, and something very similar to a pole drawn on the plan. We thought for a long time what it could be. Perhaps they make giant shawarmas there... Or it's a training ground for firefighters."
😂😂😂 CNN and BBC News have the story. See photos either in the Daily Mail or get the entire scoop on Navalny.com
Adani targets independent journalist
Paranjoy Guha Thakurta is a well-known and well-respected journalist, albeit one who wears his liberal credentials on his sleeve. He is best known for his well-researched exposes of Indian big business—which is why the Adanis are not fond of him.
- Thakurta ran afoul of the Adani Group in 2017—when he co-wrote a long investigative story in the Economic and Political Weekly.
- It explained how then Gujarat Chief Minister Modi tweaked the special economic zone rules reaped Rs 500 crore in profit for the company.
- Another alleged that Adani evaded Rs 1000 crore in taxes. As a result, the company filed a defamation suit—which resulted in EPW taking down the story, and Thakurta’s resignation. It was then republished in The Wire.
- Now, after all these years—and for no pressing reasoning—a Gujarat court has issued a non-bailable arrest warrant in this case.
- Here’s the weird thing: Adanis have dropped charges against everyone involved except Thakurta. NewsLaundry has more details.
- Editors Guild of India (EGI) issued a statement saying: “The issue of a non-bailable warrant by a lower court against Mr Thakurta is another example of how intolerant the business houses have become to any criticism. Routinely they have targeted independent and intrepid journalists by using the very instruments that provide media the necessary protection.”
New rules for SATs
The college entrance exam for an undergraduate degree in the US is planning some big changes. What’s out: subject tests in biology, physics etc. The last of these will be held for international students in May and June. Also nixed: The optional essay section because "there are other ways for students to demonstrate their mastery of essay writing.” The overall result: The exam will be 50 minutes shorter. (NBC News)
The bizarre plan to stop sexual violence
The Lucknow police plans to set up ‘smart’ CCTV cameras that will use artificial intelligence to click pictures of women in distress on the basis of facial expressions and alert the nearest police station.” Yup, you read that right. Apparently, the city has identified 200 hotspots where the “movement of girls is maximum.” Please be assured: “Before she takes out the phone and dials 100 or UP 112 for help, an alert will reach the police.” Hmm, why are we not reassured? (Times of India)
Monarch butterfly is going extinct
The stunning and one of the best known butterflies may soon become extinct. Scientists say they have recorded less than 2,000 butterflies wintering along the California coast—which is a huge decline from recent years. The count in the 1980s was in the millions. Also: the number is down from 29,000 just last year! The reason:
“Scientists say the butterflies are at critically low levels in western states because of destruction to their milkweed habitat along their migratory route as housing expands into their territory and use of pesticides and herbicides increases.”
Associated Press has more.
Two sex-related reveals
One: The latest research on human sperm shows that it sometimes swims in circles—instead of making forward progress toward the egg. And this may be the cause of infertility in some cases:
“[F]laws in the cytoskeleton of the sperm cell may impact the movement of the sperm’s tail. In order for the sperm to move in the direction of the egg, its tail must follow a specific rhythm. When the sperm is unable to do that, it will basically just move in a circle, like rowing a boat with only one oar.”
Two: Ever wondered how dinosaurs had sex? No? Well, we’re going to tell you anyway. First, you need to know that nature has come up with two possible structural solutions for sex in animals. Most mammals have separate holes for separate bodily functions, but other animals—including birds and reptiles—have just one, and it's known as the cloaca. Thanks to amazingly well-preserved fossil found in China, we now know that dinosaurs were built more like reptiles, but not exactly:
"It is very unique. Most cloacas form a kind of slit. Sometimes it's a vertical split, sometimes it's a smiley face, sometimes it's a sour face. This thing has a V-shaped structure with a pair of nice flaring lips and there's not a living group of animals that have morphology like that.”
Also: This dinosaur most likely had a penis. CNN has far more information than you need, including gyaan on ‘cloacal kissing’.
New fitness rules for cricket
The cricket board has devised an additional test to determine whether a player is fit enough to play. They will have to run 2 kilometres under a specified time—8.15 minutes for fast bowlers, and 8.30 minutes for the rest. This is apart from the so-called ‘yo yo test’ which sounds like its been designed to torture hamsters in a lab:
“In the yo-yo test, two cones are placed 20 metres apart, and the athlete has to run between them when the beep goes off. The beeps become more frequent after one minute, and if the athlete fails to reach the line within that time, he is expected to catch up within two more beeps. The test is stopped if the player fails to catch up before the beeps run out.”
The athlete in insanely good form: Newport County goalkeeper Tom King. The fourth tier player has set a new world record, kicking the longest goal ever. The ball travelled 96.01 metres (315 feet)! See the clip below. Telegraph UK has the story.