The great pandemic: A quick update

• First, the numbers: India added 48,786 new cases and 1,005 deaths on Wednesday.  
• On the heels of the big vaccination drive, many states—including  West Bengal, Delhi, Gujarat, Jharkhand and Maharashtra—are facing severe vaccine shortages. 
• Did the US agency National Institute of Health declare that Covaxin is effective in neutralising the Delta and Alpha variants? Times of India and The Hindu certainly seem to think so. But a closer look at the NIH announcement shows that it is actually talking about an adjuvant used in Covaxin—which it says increases the efficacy of the vaccine. And it only references other Indian studies—merely noting that their data “suggest that the vaccine generates antibodies that effectively neutralize” the Alpha and Delta variants. So not quite.
• A new Covid horror is here: rectal bleeding caused by the cytomegalovirus. Like the black fungus this is an opportunistic disease that takes advantage of lowered immunity levels. There have been five such cases, resulting in one death.
• The Supreme Court has ordered compensation for the families of those killed by Covid under the National Disaster Management Act—but has not set the amount. 
• European authorities did not include Covaxin or Covishield on the list of vaccines that would make a person eligible for a ‘green pass’ —which allows you to move freely between EU countries. Now, the Indian government has announced that if these two are excluded, then we will impose reciprocal mandatory quarantines on everyone from the EU.
• A good related read: The Atlantic on why we still don’t know whether the Delta variant is more deadly than the others.

A terrible North American heatwave

More than 130 people have died due to soaring temperatures in Canada. Before Sunday, temperatures in Canada had never passed 45°C. But on Tuesday, Canada broke its temperature record for a third straight day, recording 49.6°C in British Columbia. All of the Pacific Northwest in the United States is experiencing record-breaking temperatures as well—with meteorologists describing it as “a staggering event.” Large swathes of Washington state hit 55°C or higher. 

Why this is happening: Short and obvious answer: climate change—as President Biden himself has acknowledged. Longer answer: a ‘heat dome’ of static high-pressure hot air stretching from California to the Arctic territories (explained in greater detail here). Adding to heat:

“Dry winds, traveling downslope from the east to west, amplified the heat… Generally, the winds travel down from higher elevations... and the sinking air compresses, creating even more heat in lower areas.”

BBC News has more on Canada. Mashable lays out reasons for the scorching heat. See a heat map of the region below:

On a lighter note: This mama bear found a novel way to keep her cubs cool in British Columbia:

Bill Cosby walks free

The actor was one of the first celebrities to be prosecuted and convicted for sexual assault at the height of the #MeToo movement. But the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has overturned his sentence. The reason: The conviction was based on damning testimony given by Cosby in a deposition in a different civil case. But Cosby testified only because the prosecutor in that case promised not to charge Cosby. So it can’t be used against him in the criminal case. The court also barred any further prosecution. Of course, the victims’ lawyers are devastated. (Associated Press)

China conquers malaria

Back in 2010, the Chinese government declared it would eradicate locally transmitted malaria within a decade. On June 30, the World Health Organization (WHO) certified that the country is malaria-free. It won the battle by using anti-malarial drugs, spraying mosquito breeding grounds, and distributing insecticide-treated nets. It is now one of 40 countries to be declared malaria-free. Other countries to recently achieve the milestone include Argentina, Algeria and Uzbekistan. (BBC News)

In other China-related news: Commercial satellite images show that Beijing is constructing 119 new silos for intercontinental ballistic missiles in the middle of a desert:

“The 119 nearly identical construction sites contain features that mirror those seen at existing launch facilities for China’s arsenal of nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles. The acquisition of more than 100 new missile silos, if completed, would represent a historic shift for China, a country that is believed to possess a relatively modest stockpile of 250 to 350 nuclear weapons. The actual number of new missiles intended for those silos is unknown but could be much smaller. China has deployed decoy silos in the past.” 

WhatsApp photos go poof!

The company is beta-testing a big new feature: disappearing photos. Here’s how it works:

“The screenshots shared by WaBetaInfo reveal that users will be able to send disappearing photos by just choosing photos from the gallery. Once selected, you will have to tap on the clock-like icon, which the app will display near the ‘Add a caption’ bar. You can then send disappearing photos to your friends and family members.”

Or more likely your bae;) You can exercise the option with videos and gifs as well. (Indian Express)

Three things to see

A Biden in Vogue: Joe Biden has been in the White House for less than a year, and the First Lady is already on the cover of Vogue—an honour denied to her predecessor Melania Trump who—oh the irony—is an ex-model. Well, Dr Jill Biden looks lovely:) You can check out the cover story over at Vogue. 

Another Coke moment: Cristiano Ronaldo annoyed UEFA by dissing Coke at a Euro 2020 press conference—and other footballers followed suit. But Swiss captain Granit Xhaka made up for it by downing a bottle just before his team’s penalty shootout against France—which they won. Maybe there is a lesson in that.

A bisexual couch: IKEA Canada rolled out a line of new couches to mark Pride Month—including this “Love Seat” two-seater. The words on the couch are taken from a poem written by a bisexual poet: “The line 'when you change 'or' to 'and', nobody believes you' is from a poem I wrote in high school about bisexual erasure I experienced from an ex-partner and others.” Sadly for IKEA, social media was overrun with haters hating on its negative message—and, TBH, seriously hideous design.

Tales of the very odd

One: Two brothers on a motorbike in Madhya Pradesh were returning home after purchasing a cake at the bakery—when a leopard leapt out at them on the road. Here’s Times of India’s heart-racing account of what happened next:

“With their hearts in their mouths, the riders accelerated, but the leopard gained on them on the muddy village path. Unrelenting, it pawed at the motorcycle, leaving behind big scratches, the men said. Sabir, riding pillion, was balancing the cake during the high-speed chase. 

 

As the leopard’s claws tore into the cake box, something clicked in Sabir’s head. ‘You want it, here, have it,’ he thought and hurled it at the leopard, hitting it smack on the face. Hit by a weapon of sweet distraction, the wild cat didn’t wait to figure out the gooey stuff and darted back into the sugarcane fields.”

PS: We love it when reporters really lean into a story lol!

Two: The Mozambique authorities are raiding markets and confiscating a razor blade brand called Alshabab merely because it shares the same name as an Islamist group. But the police chief described them as “materials associated with propaganda actions of the terrorist group” and instructed all units to “strengthen control over the circulation of merchandise in coordination with customs authorities at the control posts.” Hain