The great pandemic: A quick update
- India added 208,921 new cases and 4,157 deaths on Tuesday.
- When in doubt, pivot to PR. District officials in Uttar Pradesh are removing shrouds and bamboo sticks used to mark graves on the banks of the Ganga. You can see the evidence in this clip. Scroll has the story.
- Speaking of death, The News Minute reports on the slavery-like conditions in Bangalore crematoriums.
- Also sad: 577 children across India have been left orphaned over the past 55 days due to Covid.
- The plague of secondary infections continues. The latest scourge is ‘yellow fungus’—which belongs to the same family as the black variety—which typically infects lizards, not humans. So this is quite rare unlike black fungal infections (explained here). And it grows within the body and is harder to catch early. In most serious cases, it can cause organ failure. Deccan Herald has a short explainer.
- As for black fungal infections, some doctors say that it is linked not to overuse of steroids but to the fact that Indians take lots of zinc tablets and iron supplements. There is, however, no hard evidence of the same.
- Quint reports on the many people who have had their first Covaxin jab and are in danger of missing the four-week window for the second one.
- Speaking of vaccines, Moderna announced that it is safe and very effective for kids between the ages of 12 and 17—and plans to apply for approval in the US.
- Moderna won’t be coming to India this year—but plans to roll out a single-dose vaccine in 2022. Pfizer has 50 million doses to spare—but whether the company will be liable for side-effects remains a sticking point.
- Everyone’s worried about the ‘double mutant’ variant out of India—including Afghanistan, which is witnessing a steep surge.
- A mysterious advertising agency is throwing money at French influencers to badmouth the Pfizer vaccine. It may have strong Russian connections.
- CNN has an important read on an overlooked demographic that is at high risk for Covid: Women who suffer from polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS.
- Good samaritan alert: Tata Steel announced that it will pay salaries, housing and medical benefits to families of employees who died of Covid—and will do so until what would have been their retirement at the age of 60.
New Indian rules for social media
The long list of regulations rolled out three months ago have finally kicked in today (explained here ICYMI). Basically, Facebook, Twitter, Insta etc. are now responsible for content shared on their platform—which is a total violation of their basic business model. So what are they going to do? Facebook and Google claim they are working diligently to meet the requirements—but say “few of the issues… need more engagement.” Twitter hasn’t said a word. And this Times of India report indicates that launching a legal challenge is still on the table: “However, a constructive dialogue with the government still remains to be the first choice, and any decision to approach the courts comes in only later.” Also read: This Twitter thread by MediaNama’s Nikhil Pahwa explaining why the government won’t demand full compliance ASAP.
An amazing breakthrough for the blind
Scientists have restored some measure of sight to a 58-year-old man suffering from an inherited eye disease—by injecting genetically engineered viruses into his eye. There is one catch: The person has to wear a special pair of goggles. Also this: the device doesn’t let a person read a book or see a face, but “restoration of some basic levels of vision could help blind patients navigate day-to-day task and greatly improve their quality of life." Cnet has all the details.
Jeff Bezos is no longer #1
The Amazon CEO has been kicked out of his pole position as the richest person in the world by the emperor of luxury, Bernard Arnault. He is the CEO and majority owner of French luxury group LVMH—which owns all the chi-chi brands including Louis Vuitton, Dior, Celine, Moët, Hennessy and Tiffany. That’s pretty much the other end of what Amazon is all about. Why is Arnault suddenly so rich?
“Over the past several months, as LVMH has seen its sales come roaring back from the pandemic, particularly among Chinese and US shoppers, its stock price has soared, and Arnault’s wealth with it.”
Speaking of upmarket things: South Africans are upset because Adidas is not selling their latest pricey shoe in their country. Part of its collab with Pharrell Williams, the top of the sneaker features the word ‘uluntu’—which means ‘community’ in Xhosa, a language spoken by one of South Africa’s largest ethnic groups. But they won’t be able to buy it because, umm, the SA market is just not “exclusive” enough for a $220 sneaker? Guess Pharell’s “exploration of languages from around the world” doesn’t include ensuring access to people who actually speak those languages. (Business Insider)
Speaking of pricey things: A pair of highly prized Yubari melons sold for 2.7 million yen ($24,813) in Japan. As Mashed explains, this hybrid of two cantaloupe species sell for insane prices because like champagne, bourbon, or Kobe beef, they can only be grown in a certain region of Hokkaido Prefecture. And companies often bid insane prices for the extra PR. Also: It looks like this:
Who’s afraid of Marilyn Monroe?
Locals in the city of Palm Springs are fiercely divided over a plan to install a 36,000-pound statue of Marilyn Monroe. Some think the sculpture—which captures her iconic, blowing ‘white dress’—as too kitschy. Others say it is “a throwback image to a time when women were really treated like sex objects.” There is also some worry about its location: “You come out of the museum and the first thing you're going to see is a 26-foot-tall Marilyn Monroe with her entire backside and underwear exposed."
In far happier celeb news: Elliot Page posted his first shirtless pic since he came out as a transgender man with the words “Trans bb’s first swim trunks #transjoy #transisbeautiful.”
Three animal things
One: The US Centre for Disease Control is alarmed over the outbreak of salmonella linked to poultry, and has issued an urgent advisory: “Don’t kiss or snuggle the birds, as this can spread germs to your mouth and make you sick.” Party poopers! (New York Times)
Two: Conservationists in Argentina are over the moon because one them spotted a wild giant river otter long feared extinct due to habitat loss and hunting. The last sighting of a giant otter was in the 1980s. It just popped up in the river, and the person who spotted it said, “At this point, your legs go weak and your heart starts beating faster.” Even romance novel hotties can’t compete with this fella.
Three: This isn’t a new clip, but the subject is most definitely in the news: The return of millions of Brood X cicadas to the surface after a 17-year hibernation in the United States. We think this 2008 BBC clip captures this astonishing phenomenon better than any news video—and includes David Attenborough’s attempts to seduce one of them. Enjoy!
Dine With Data: All About Yidui 💘
Company: Yidui 💘
About: China-based Yidui is unlike any other dating app you've ever seen.
A matchmaker from the platform is in-charge of setting up online dates, and each date is attended by the matchmaker as well. They help with icebreakers, guiding them to the right conversation topics, and moderation during the video date. There's no texting on the app. 👨💻
The date can also be livestreamed to a feed, where an audience can drop comments, suggest more conversation topics, or even shoot their shot with one of the singles!
Food For Thought: The app is targeted towards the 220M single people in T2&T3 cities, where social opportunities are hard to come by. As of July 2020, Yidui had 10M+ matchmakers on the platform, arranging more than 40M dates. The company also has $100M funding in just two years.💰
DWD Take: China has one of the most future-leaning consumer cultures in the world. Kuaishou went on to become TikTok worldwide, and if trends are to hold, video dating apps like Yidui could become the norm!
URL: N/A (App can't be accessed outside of China)
About DWD: Dine With Data🍴 sends you a short summary on one new startup every day, delivered straight to your Whatsapp inbox!
