The great pandemic: A longish update

• First, the numbers: We recorded 101,237 new cases and 2,446 new deaths. Our daily toll of fatalities is the highest in the world—followed by Brazil (1,639) and Mexico (758). FYI: numbers are falling twice as fast in the North compared to the South. Experts think it may be because southern states have better reporting.
• Speaking of deaths, more people are dying due to complications from the disease. Nearly 40% of fatalities in Bangalore occured 10 or more days after hospitalisation or at home: “If a proper retrospective study of the death cases is done then you will find that many had Covid, they were treated, they went home and again they had some problems and were brought back to the hospital and admitted to the ICU.”
• Also killing Indians: Mucormycosis or the black fungal disease (explained here). The fatality rate after three months of treatment is a whopping 46%. Times of India has the alarming data. A related good read: BBC News looks at whether diabetes is driving the epidemic of black fungal cases.
• The largest data analysis of ‘breakthrough infections’—when you are infected after being vaccinated—shows that 16 in every 1,000 healthcare workers developed Covid despite receiving two doses of Covishield. That’s 3X the rate observed in the case of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. But we still don’t have enough data to figure out what this means.
• The same study also shows that Covishield produces twice as many antibodies as Covaxin—but the latter revealed far fewer ‘breakthrough infections'. The Hindu has that angle.
• Speaking of Covishield, new research has prompted scientists to call for a reduction in the gap between doses from 12-16 weeks to eight weeks. The reason: the double mutant variant (aka B.1.617.2 or Delta). The study says: “B.1.617.2 is capable of creating fast-rising outbreaks with vaccination breakthroughs… We would reemphasise that prior infections… and partial vaccination are insufficient impediments to its spread.”
• Speaking of the Delta variant, it is now the dominant variant in the UK. BBC News has that story.
• GST data shows that the second round of localised lockdowns may not have impacted the economy as severely as last year. For the eighth consecutive month, GST collection topped Rs 1000 billion (1 lakh crore). 
• Thanks to the pandemic, the Indian cricket team is headed out for the longest overseas tour in recent history. The team will spend 104 days in England to play the World Test Championship (WTC) final followed by a five-Test series. Indian Express has more.
• A list of good reads: Indian Express on the new made-in-India vaccine Corbevax; Newsweek on how DRASTIC—a collection of amateur sleuths—broke the Wuhan lab leak story, which went viral over the weekend.
• On the lighter side: six-year-old Mahira Irfan hates spending four hours in online classes. So she made a little video asking ‘Modi-sahab’ to help her out. And guess what? Kashmir’s Lt. Governor immediately ordered Jammu & Kashmir schools to find ways to lighten the burden on pre-primary and primary school kids within 48 hours. Watch Mahira’s appeal below:

Roger Federer quits French Open

The 39-year old announced that he is withdrawing from the tournament to protect his health:

“After two knee surgeries and over a year of rehabilitation it’s important that I listen to my body and make sure I don’t push myself too quickly on my road to recovery. I am thrilled to have gotten three matches under my belt. There is no greater feeling than being back on court.”

Federer’s decision was motivated by his desire to end his career on a high at Wimbledon later this summer. The Guardian has more on Federer’s exit. Vinayakk Mohanarangan in Scroll has a lovely piece on his win against Dominik Koepfer.

Farmer protests reignite

After months of quiet during the second wave, farmers have been re-energised by the arrest of three of their leaders in Haryana. They have gheraoed the local police station, and demanded they be set free. Widespread anger over the arrests of protesters has led to a fresh influx of farmers to protest sites ringing the Delhi border. The movement’s press statement said:

“While the spin doctors of BJP continue to try to create an image of dwindling numbers at the protest sites, the government should know that quite the opposite is the case, and all protest sites are witnessing a huge surge of protestors joining the sites.”

Farmers have also announced a four-hour sit-in around police stations in Haryana. The Hindu has more on the new surge in numbers. The Telegraph has more on the arrests that triggered the outrage.

G7 embraces a global tax

The group of seven advanced economies—Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US—have backed a proposal to force global companies to pay at least 15% of their revenues in taxes. The aim is to stop companies from using nations that charge a lower rate to duck paying their share. OTOH, it also blocks governments from using low tax rates to lure multinationals. CNBC explains why this move is both significant and contentious. Hindustan Times explains why it may benefit India.

A defiant Tiananmen Square anniversary

The event is usually marked by tens of thousands of people flocking the streets of Hong Kong. But over the past year China has cracked down on any form of dissent—and banned such vigils for the past two years. But hundreds of people still gathered in defiance, using their phones’ flashlights instead of candles. The ‘crime’ carries a punishment of up to five years in prison. Watch the crowd below:

In related news: Microsoft’s search engine Bing blocked all image and video results for ‘tank man’, which refers to the student who was mowed down by tanks during the Tiananmen Square protest. The company claims it was due to “accidental human error.” The Guardian explains why this is unlikely. Also: in memory of the ‘tank man’, here is the powerful video of his ultimate act of protest:

Meghan & Harry had a baby!

Her name is Lilibet 'Lili' Diana Mountbatten-Windsor—in tribute to both Queen Elizabeth and Princess Diana. No, since this is the other royal couple, there are no photos of the new mom looking pristine and radiant. (CNN)

Here come the supersonic jets

United Airlines is buying 15 supersonic jets—which will mark the comeback of these super-fast planes to commercial aviation after Concorde went out of business in October, 2003. UA claims the planes will be “net-zero carbon from day one, optimized to run on 100% sustainable aviation fuel.” Gizmodo explains why this is unlikely to be true. Get a peek at the planes below:

Olympics enters the NFT game

It was only a matter of time before NFTs spread to the world of sports. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has teamed up with a San Francisco video game developer to launch virtual pins that are ‘collectable and tradeable’—and cost anywhere between $9 and $499. And yes, since these are NFTs, you can never actually pin them on your lapel. FYI:

“[T]he market for non-fungible tokens has effectively collapsed in the last month. Following a peak on May 3rd that saw $102 million worth of NFT sales in just one day, there have only been $19.4 million in sales in the past week.”

Engadget has more details. And you can admire the pins for free in the promo video below. 

In other crypto news: El Salvador plans to recognise Bitcoin as legal tender, and it will be used alongside the US dollar—which is its official currency. (BBC News)

Turkey has a ‘sea snot’ problem

A thick grey sticky substance is spreading across the coast of the country—from the Sea of Marmara to the south of Istanbul. Sea snot or marine mucilage spreads across the water, and contains a wide variety of microorganisms that can choke marine life—and destroy fishing. The phenomenon occurs when untreated sewage is dumped into the seas—and it’s getting worse due to climate change. You can see what it looks like in Reuters’ video report:

Three animal things

One: New research shows that sharks suffered mass extinction 19 million years ago—when their population declined by 90% over the course of 100,000 years. But scientists don’t know what disastrous event triggered this die-off. Sharks have never fully recovered from this extinction event: “The current population, across all species, represents a tiny fraction of its former glory.” (Gizmodo)

Two: A first-ever project tracked 15 tigers across the forests of Vidarbha, Maharashtra. The aim: to identify actual forest routes and corridors used by the big cats. The not-so-great news:

“It (tiger movement) extends well beyond forested structural corridors modelled by earlier studies. The study shows extensive use of agricultural land by tigers adjoining small fragmented forests and rivers. Tigers in these landscapes were seen pushing the boundaries of human tolerance, ready to accept the risks of exploring a human-dominated landscape.”

All of which indicates loss of habitat and creates the danger of human-animal conflict—which never ends well for either side. (Indian Express)

Three: Magawa is an African giant pouched rat who was trained to sniff out landmines in Cambodia. And he is a star sniffer: “In four years he has helped to clear more than 2.4 million square feet of land. In the process, he has found 71 land mines and 38 items of unexploded ordnance.” He is also the first rat to be commended with a gold medal by a UK charity. And now he is retiring after five years in loyal service. FYI: He will go to a rat retirement home where he will get food and play for the rest of his days. NPR has more on the invaluable service of these rats. Also, here is Magawa rocking his medal (aww!): 

A parting treat

A group of singers from Kerala offered a wonderful musical tribute to the legendary SP Balasubrahmanyam on his first birth anniversary. The Hindu has more details. You can check out the 1.5 hour performance here.

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