The great pandemic: a quick update

• First the numbers. The country recorded 305,220 new cases on Sunday, a 18% increase compared to a week ago. Karnataka is at pole position with 50,210 infections on Sunday, followed by Kerala (45,449) and Maharashtra (40,805).
• Health officials announced what most of us already know: Omicron is now in community transmission in India and has become dominant in all the big metros.
• New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern canceled her wedding to comply with new Covid restrictions—announced after a cluster of nine Omicron cases were detected.
• Hong Kong has launched a drive to cull pet hamsters—urging owners to hand them into authorities. So far, 2,200 hamsters have been killed, but only a handful have tested positive. The Guardian has more on the public outrage—and a secret hamster rescue campaign.
• New research shows that people who consume 1-5 glasses of red wine a week have a 10-17% lower risk of contracting Covid. OTOH, beer and cider drinkers have a 7-28% higher risk than non-drinkers. 
• A good related read: The New York Times has an eye-opening long read on “spillback”—which is when a virus jumps from humans to animals. 

Russia vs Ukraine: The latest update

Things are heating up amid rising fears of an imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine (explained here). The British government claims that the Kremlin is planning to install a pro-Russian leader in Ukraine—and has already chosen a potential candidate. While London did not provide details, it was backed up by the US. Point to note: it’s fairly unusual for a government to make such a blunt allegation. 

Meanwhile in India: German Navy chief Kay-Achim Schönbach made a number of controversial remarks during a defence seminar, saying:

“Does Russia really want a small and tiny strip of Ukraine soil to integrate into their country? No, this is nonsense. Putin is probably putting pressure because can do it and he splits EU opinion. What he really wants is respect.”

This is, of course, Putin’s argument—that Western allies don’t respect Russia’s right to control the former republics of the Soviet Union. More embarrassing is the fact that EU officials back in Europe are saying this:

“If such a very serious development [Russian troops crossing the border] happens, the reaction will be very quick, the reaction will be extremely clear. And again it will be a question of days … not a question of weeks.”

No wonder the German Ministry of Defence quickly distanced itself from Schönbach’s comments—and he has tendered his resignation, apologising for his “rash remarks.” (The Hindu)

Pre-Republic Day controversies contd.

The government is on a tear these days—junking long-standing traditions and emblems. First, it snuffed out the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate—promising to replace it with a statue of Subash Chandra Bose. For now, it has been replaced by a hologram of Bose—which the PM inaugurated on Sunday:

Also canceled: Gandhi-ji’s favourite hymn ‘Abide With Me’—which was part of the playlist during the Beating Retreat ceremony held after Republic Day. The reason: “This year, only Indian origin/indigenous tunes are on the list.” But hey, you can at least enjoy this delightful clip of the troops warming up for the big day—to the tune of a very familiar Hindi film song. (The Hindu)

Early metaverse is a sexual hellhole

An exclusive Sunday Times investigation (paywalled) reveals what our explainer on the metaverse already flagged: This 3D universe is already rife with sexual harassment, racism and other abusive behaviour. Editor Louise Eccles used an Oculus Quest headset to visit one of its most popular social platforms—Microsoft-owned AltspaceVR.

“Within seconds” she was approached by a male avatar who declared: “Oh, you are too pretty. Are you married?” Another man said he liked her hair and reached out to touch her. Then she met a Yorkshire man who was already exchanging sexually explicit and violent insults with another man. This one asked her: “What are your favourite categories of pornography?” More importantly, this was at a virtual event open to anyone under 13. Also this:

“However, research by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) found that, during 11.5 hours spent on VRChat, an app available on the Oculus headset, 100 incidents of sexual harassment, racism, and other abusive behaviour were recorded. This equates to one every seven minutes. Under-18s were exposed to graphic sexual content and were being groomed to repeat racist and extreme messages, while there was also bullying, harassment and abuse of users, including children.” 

Speaking of toxic social media: A mother is suing Meta and Snap for "knowingly and purposefully" designing and marketing products that led to the suicide of her 11-year old. The child suffered from an extreme addiction to Instagram and Snapchat. The most horrific part:

“Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that Selena was repeatedly solicited for sexually exploitative content, which she ultimately shared. The images were then leaked and shared by her classmates, leading to a deterioration of her mental state and eventually to her suicide.”

‘Hindu’ Kitkats begone!

Nestlé rolled out a special range of wrappers in India called ‘Travel Breaks’—with photos of artwork by artisans from Odisha. The aim: to pay tribute to the art form of ‘Pattachitra’. As with most traditional artwork, these depicted gods and goddesses—such as Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra. But many true believers were outraged since the wrappers will end up in "dustbins, drains, gutters" or may be stepped on. Hence, Nestlé has beaten a hasty retreat. (The Guardian)

Speaking about ‘sensitive’ chocolate: M&M has rebooted the personalities of its coloured, delicious candy to make them more “progressive.” They’ve removed all gendered titles like Mr and Mrs. The orange one is now the world’s first M&M mental health advocate who embraces his anxiety issues—while the red M&M is no longer a bully. Also: they are called ‘lentils’ (?!). The Cut is not impressed:

“Additionally, the company has done away with the green M&M’s long-running feud with the brown M&M because it is decidedly not women supporting women. Much like her partner in female empowerment, the brown M&M has also gotten a shoe update: Her heels are lower and therefore more ‘professional.’ Ah, yes, just two sensibly dressed M&M’s girlbossing their way up the corporate ladder.” 

What’s an ‘average’ US salary?

The answer according to one of the upmarket students who attend the Wharton School of management: $800,000 per year. They weren’t alone: 25% of them thought it was over six figures. The actual answer: $53,838. Such detachment from reality may have to do with the fact that the average family income of a University of Pennsylvania student is $195,500 and 19% of its students belong to the top 1%—while only 3.3% are from the bottom 20% of the financial pyramid. Also: why so many Indians think they are ‘middle class’. (The Guardian)

Speaking of the very rich: Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas welcomed a baby via a surrogate birth—and announced it on Instagram. (The Hindu)

Speaking of college students: The University of Southern California has instituted controversial new rules for fraternities—which have been dogged by serious cases of drugging and sexual assault. They will be allowed to start hosting parties again—but only if they hire security guards to guard “stairs or hallways leading to bedrooms” to keep people out. (BuzzFeed News)

Five things to see

One: Finally, a story of brilliant Indian scientists… that does not star Akshay Kumar:) The trailer for ‘Rocket Boys’—which tells the story of Homi J Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai—looks very promising. Also: The series stars the very hunky Mr Jim Sarbh. It drops on SonyLiv on February 4.

Two: This is the title reveal video  for Amazon’s highly anticipated LoTR series. Variety has more on the series.

Three: A leopard was holed up in a warehouse in Coimbatore—and forest officials waited patiently for five days for it to fall into one of the traps laid to capture it. The aim was not to tranquilise the cat. It has been released into the deep forest after a check up. The Hindu has more on this careful operation. 

Four: This may be the first time we have seen a Chief Minister ‘inaugurate’ the state election coverage of a major news channel. Then again, this is Times Now. 

Five: Russian President Putin’s great nemesis is Alexei Navalny—whom he once tried to secretly assassinate and has now imprisoned (explained here). One reason for Putin’s fear: Navalny’s foundation has continually published evidence of his secret wealth. The most recent being photos of his “secret palace”—which includes security fences, a port, a church, a no-fly zone, a border checkpoint, a wine cave, an "aquadisco," an ice-hockey rink—and, of course, its own strip club, poles included. Business Insider has a gallery.