India makes a net zero pledge
Prime Minister Narendra Modi surprised the world by promising to aim for net zero carbon emissions by 2070—which is 10 years behind China, and 20 years after the US and other Western nations. But he tied the pledge to at least $1 trillion in financial assistance to developing countries. (We explained the significance of the net zero target—and why India had good reasons to resist it here.)
Point to note: Modi offered concrete targets unlike many other world leaders. For example: A 1-billion-tonne reduction in our total projected emissions from now until 2030—which represents 2.5 to 3 per cent in India’s absolute emissions over the next nine years. Indian Express explains why this represents a significant commitment—and lays out the five big-ticket announcements.
Two key environmental reports
One: The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) shows that we are witnessing record greenhouse gas emissions in 2021. Carbon dioxide emissions were 149% higher pre-industrial levels, while methane has spiked by 262%, and nitrous oxide by 123%. Also: the last seven years were the warmest ever recorded—and the rate of rising sea level has doubled between 2013 and 2021. Yeah, none of it is good news. Sky News has more details, and you can read the entire report here.
Two: A new study shows that ten of 257 forests classified as UNESCO World Heritage sites have been emitting more carbon dioxide than they have absorbed in recent years. This video report does a great job of explaining why this is a big deal. (Associated Press)
Also bad for the environment: Bill Gates who threw a big birthday bash on a mega-yacht—and his guest and fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos. Gates had rented a 107-metre boat—for the low price of €1 million a week—to entertain his 50 guests off the coast of Turkey. FYI: a mega-yacht emits 7,020 tons of carbon dioxide per year, or 19 tons per day. Also: Gates is the author of the best-selling book, ‘How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need’. Presumably hiring very big boats isn’t one of them. Times UK is behind a paywall, but you can read more on the Daily Mail.
Speaking of pollution: The Supreme Court has overruled the Calcutta High Court which recently banned all firecrackers during the festival season in Bengal. The apex court says the order is both “extreme” and impractical. It has therefore limited the ban to firecrackers that “are found to be injurious to health and affecting the health of citizens.” This is the second time the Court has overturned a complete ban. (The Hindu)
Aryan Khan case: The latest update
The case continues to take bizarre twists and turns. The latest person to come out of the woodwork is Sam D’Souza—one of the people accused of colluding with that shady private detective Kiran Gosavi to extort money from Shah Rukh Khan. He basically claims that he is innocent, but also clears Narcotics Control Board official Sameer Wankhede of any wrongdoing—claiming he is being framed by Gosavi and his bodyguard Prabhakar Sail. This Twitter thread has clips from his interview with ABP Majha, or read the details over at India Today.
Also in trouble: Pratip Chaudhuri, the former State Bank of India chairman, who has been arrested for fraud in Rajasthan. Why this matters: “This is the first instance where the chairman of the country’s largest bank has been arrested in an alleged loan scam.” (Mint)
The banker doing way better: CS Venkatakrishnan who will take over as the first Indian CEO of the British bank Barclays. The Telegraph has more details.
A legal boycott in Agra
The Bar Association in the city has refused to represent the Kashmiri students—who were arrested for sedition after cheering Pakistan’s win against India in the T20 cup:
“At all times we have to work for the interest of the nation. What these people did was anti-national and against the sentiment with which we function. The lawyers in the city uphold the view of the Bar and we reached a consensus that no support will come from us. We cannot partake in a process that undermines the nation.”
Madhuvan Dutt—who represented Siddique Kappan (explained here)—has stepped up to represent the students, saying: “These youths deserve a fair trial. As a lawyer, my patriotism is not about raising slogans or holding a flag, it is about helping each person get a fair and free trial.” (Indian Express)
Family problems drive suicides
According to the latest crime records data, there were 153,052 deaths by suicide in 2020—and 33% of them were caused by family problems, followed by illness. The top five states—Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Karnataka—accounted for 50.1% of the cases. FYI: The WHO has flagged suicide as an emerging and “serious public health issue in India.” (Quartz)
Speaking of high numbers: The cost of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders was increased by a whopping Rs 266 on Monday. The silver lining for consumers: This only applies to commercial cylinders—but it is still a huge blow to restaurants or even tea stalls. (The Hindu)
Tottenham Hotspur sacks its manager… again!
The Premier League team has been changing managers like outfits—desperate to find the right one to save a collapsing team. First, management sacked the greatly beloved Mauricio Pochettino, and brought what seemed like a sure bet: the legendary Jose Mourinho. When Jose couldn’t deliver, they went running back to Poch—but he was already happily ensconced at Paris St-Germain.
A summer of great confusion followed, and the team finally picked former Wolves coach Nuno Espirito Santo—who sadly has not worked out either. After losing five out of seven matches—including the disastrous loss against Manchester United—Nuno is out! His likely replacement: former Inter Milan manager Antonio Conte. Eurosport has more on what Conte will change at the Spurs. ESPN has more on the lavish €280 million budget the Spurs will offer Conte as a welcome gift. (BBC News)
Oxford’s word of the year
The Oxford English Dictionary has declared ‘vax’ as its word of 2021—which it says has “injected itself into the bloodstream of the English Language.” Also this: “For lexicographers, it is rare to observe a single topic impact language so dramatically, and in such a short period of time become a critical part of our everyday communication.” (The Guardian)
Listen to a Twitter podcast?
Twitter Spaces will now allow users to record their sessions—and share them via links on the platform. This is presumably to differentiate itself from Clubhouse—which does not allow sessions to be recorded. The feature is currently only available to a limited number of users, but will be rolled out to all very soon. (Mashable)
The damn bat has won it all!
We have been tracking New Zealand’s bird of the year contest with great amusement. The reason: For the first time, the organisers included the pekapeka-tou-roa, or long tailed bat—which has now won the contest! Well, look at the beauty, lol! Can you really blame the voters?
Of course, then this happened: “Outraged bird-lovers cried fowl on Twitter, calling it a ‘total farce’, a ‘stolen election’, as well as more colourful and unprintable terms.” But organisers brazened it out by sharing this image when announcing the result! (BBC News)
Two Halloween things to see
One: Harry Styles outdid them all as Dorothy from the ‘Wizard of Oz’ for his ‘Harryween’ concert. And yes, he did look cute.
Two: Singer Lizzo, OTOH. hopped on to the ‘Squid Game’ bandwagon—and paired it with Michael Jackson’s iconic ‘Thriller’ routine. In case you want more, CNN has a delightful list of the best celeb Halloween costumes this year. See the entire performance here. (Daily Mail)
In unhappier Halloween news: A 24-year-old man dressed as Joker stabbed one person and injured 17 others on a Tokyo commuter train. He told the police “that he wanted to kill people and get the death penalty.” You can see people fleeing in terror here. Far more chilling: The clip below of him chilling out in one of the train cars at some point during the rampage. (NPR)
