UK declares Omicron ‘emergency’

PM Boris Johnson warned of a “a tidal wave of omicron”—and ordered the military to help deliver one million booster jabs a day to everyone above the age of 18. Omicron cases are doubling every two to three days in Britain, and it will replace delta as the dominant coronavirus variant within days. Read our latest update on Omicron here.  (BBC News)

In related Covid news: The Telegraph reports on a made-in-India treatment drug 2DG which was approved in unseemly haste during the second wave—without proper trial data. Government’s own Covid advisory group has refused to include it in their treatment guidelines.

India nixes climate change resolution

India used its seat on the Security Council to vote against a resolution that proposed placing climate change on the council’s agenda—and consider how it affects conflicts across the world. The reasoning: It will “provide disproportionate influence to a handful of developed countries on climate change decision-making.” The only other country to agree with us: Russia. (Indian Express) 

Amazon’s tornado of problems

A wave of deadly tornadoes swept through the US—killing at least 90 people. One of them plowed straight into Amazon’s delivery station in Kentucky. Six people died—while 45 survived. Now, the company’s worker policies and safety measures are under scrutiny. The staff sheltered in bathrooms because there were no basement shelters—in an area prone to tornadoes. And the no-phone rule for employees may have ensured that they were not aware of the weather warnings—which Amazon also ignored—and union leaders are calling “inexcusable.” (Quartz)

Also not helping: That Jeff Bezos was happily tweeting about a Blue Origin space flight—saying not a word about the tornadoes until 24 hours later. (Newsweek)

For more: Watch drone footage of the devastation below.

Doing much better than Jeff Bezos: Elon Musk who is TIME magazine’s person of the year. (TIME)

In other Amazon-related news: The price of your prime membership is set to increase by 50% starting today. (NDTV)

Israeli PM’s historic visit

Naftali Bennett traveled to the United Arab Emirates on Sunday—the first visit by an Israeli leader to the Persian Gulf state. He met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed. This is actually part of a new detente with Arab countries initiated by former PM Netanyahu—with Donald Trump playing peacemaker (believe it or not). Still holding out: Saudi Arabia. Also: A new book is spilling the tea on former BFFs Netanyahu and Trump—no they didn’t really like each other at all. (New York Times)

Speaking of the UAE: Dubai has become the world's first government to turn 100% paperless. All internal, external transactions and procedures will be entirely digital. (NDTV)

Also declaring peace: North and South Korea, the US, and China who have agreed to declare a formal end to the Korean War—which lasted from 1950 to 1953. But the two Koreas have technically been at war ever since—backed by China and the US respectively. Why this matters: This is the first move toward sealing a proper peace agreement with North Korea. (BBC News)

Rohit Sharma skips test series

Recently appointed vice captain Sharma is pulling out of the South Africa series due to a hamstring injury—and will be replaced by Priyank Panchal, who recently led the India A team against SA. Sharma will be back for the ODI series that follow. (The Telegraph)

Three studies of note

One: Do you like your food hot and spicy? It may have something to do with what your mom ate while breastfeeding. Researchers have found that when mothers eat a curry dish containing piperine—a chemical responsible for the pungency in pepper—it seeps into the breastmilk, and increases the baby's tolerance for spicy food later in life. (Science Daily)

Two: Sticking with moms, new research reveals that their smell helps babies bond with strangers. So if your little one tends to cling—and won’t go to a caregiver or relative—the simple solution is to have them wear a piece of your clothing that has your scent. This is clearly very good news for exhausted new moms. (Smithsonian)

Three: Japanese scientists have unveiled a vaccine that they claim can eliminate so-called “zombie” or senescent cells—which accumulate with age and are associated with conditions like arthritis and the stiffening of arteries. How this works:

“Senescent cells are defined as cells that, over time, stop dividing but do not die off. These cells begin to release harmful chemicals, damaging normal cells and causing inflammation. The vaccine reportedly creates antibodies that attach themselves to senescent cells, allowing them to be removed by white blood cells.”

NFT furore over Birkins

This was always going to happen. Mason Rothschild is selling 100 MetaBirkins—as “a tribute” to a bag once greatly favoured by rich ladies who lunch—for around 5.9 units of cryptocurrency Ethereum, or roughly $24,000. Then, someone created ‘knockoffs’ of his virtual bags. And now Hermes is accusing Rothschild of intellectual property theft. Rothschild hasn’t commented on Hermes’ reaction—but he is mad as hell at the folks selling MetaBirkin knockoffs lol! (Motley Fool)

Spoiler alert! The item below contains a major plot point in ‘And Just Like That’. 

Two things to see

One: The HBO Max follow-up to Sex and the City— ‘And Just Like That’—ended its first episode in a shocker: The untimely demise of ‘Big’ who collapses on a Peloton. Not exactly the best product placement for a brand that sells health and longevity. So the brand hastily came back with this response. Watch for a ‘voiceover cameo’ from Ryan Reynolds. (Mashable)

Two: Newly crowned Miss Universe Harnaaz Sandhu wore a shimmery gown at the grand finale—designed by trans designer Saisha Shinde who has recently emerged as a hot designer to Bollywood stars.