The great pandemic: a quick update
- First, the numbers. As of Monday, India recorded 179,723 fresh cases–which marks a dip of the case count from Sunday, but due to lower testing over the weekend.
- The total number of deaths is ticking up to three-figures (146) but remains well below second wave levels.
- India has started doling out booster shots for frontline workers and folks over the age of 60 if they have underlying health conditions.
- Delhi has shut down all bars and restaurants—and will only allow delivery service.
- Doctors in the US found that kids under five who are infected with Omicron also develop a “harsh, barking cough known as croup”—which sounds scary but does not indicate any problem with the lungs.
- Adar Poonawalla claims that Columbia University researchers found that his company’s self-test kits detect the Omicron variant.
Kazakhstan president declares victory
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev says his country has weathered an attempted coup d’etat—and claimed that peaceful protests throughout the country “were hijacked by terrorist, extremist and criminal groups.” Kazakhstan’s biggest city Almaty returned to near-normal on Monday. At least 164 people were killed in the protests over the last week. (ABC News)
The very first pig heart transplant
Doctors at a Maryland hospital have transplanted a pig heart into a patient in a last-ditch effort to save his life. He’s doing well after three days but long-term prognosis remains uncertain. But prior attempts at “xenotransplantations” have failed—except for Baby Fae, a dying infant who lived 21 days with a baboon heart back in 1984. The difference this time; They used a gene-edited heart of a pig—which doesn’t have a sugar in its cells that’s responsible for that hyper-fast organ rejection. (Associated Press)
The seven hottest years
EU satellite data confirms that the past seven years have been the hottest on record—and 2021 was the fifth-warmest year ever. The 2021 average temperature was 1.1-1.2°C above the pre-industrial level around 150 years ago. (BBC News)
In happier news: Jio has canned its plans to install mobile towers in the Gir forest—after a big backlash on social media. Senior executives said:
“Jio wants to clarify that the said proposal was put forward only to facilitate the need of the wildlife wing of the Forest Department and the company has no commercial concern and benefit out of this… Jio further clarifies that the company has again initiated discussion with the Forest Department to re-evaluate its requirement and has decided; not to move further with this proposal unless it will be confirmed by the wildlife wing of State Forest Department.”
Intel buckles to Chinese pressure
The company has removed all references to Xinjiang—where millions of Uighurs are being deployed as slave labour—from an open letter to its suppliers. Published in mid-December, the letter called on its business partners to avoid sourcing from the region. There was a huge backlash on Chinese social media. So Intel apologised—yes, you read that right—“adding that the letter was written to comply with US law and didn’t represent its position on Xinjiang.” Now, Intel has erased all mention of the letter published on its website. FYI: China is Intel’s largest market by revenue, totaling $20 billion as of December 2020. (Wall Street Journal, paywall)
Speaking of China: Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com has opened two retail stores in the Netherlands. What makes them special: The “robotic shops,” branded Ochama, will be manned with robots that will prepare and deliver packages. Customers will place their orders on the app, and pick them up in the shop. (CNBC)
Tek Fog investigation: part 2
The Wire released the second installment of its investigation into a secret app deployed by the BJP’s IT cell. This part looks at the technology used to hack WhatsApp accounts—and add script to the URLs of published news stories at mainstream platforms in order to redirect unsuspecting readers to fake news. Read the detailed investigation over at The Wire.
KFC’s kinda vegan chicken
The company added plant-based meat to its menu starting this week—‘Kentucky Fried Miracle’—which comes in six- or 12-piece options. But vegetarians and vegans may not want to take a bite. The reason: the “chicken” is cooked in shared fryers in KFC kitchens. Hmm, all of which confirms our argument that ‘fake meat’ is actually meant for real meat eaters. (Lexington Herald)
Speaking of fast food: Bloomberg News (via NDTV) profiles a former McDonald's burger-flipper who is now wealthier than Mukesh Ambani—and rivals Mark Zuckerberg. That’s cryptocurrency pioneer Changpeng Zhao who has a net worth of $96 billion.
The winner of the Golden Globe is…
No one really cares about the award show since its organisers fell into disgrace (explained here). And not a single celebrity was present to mark the occasion this year—well, except Snoop Dogg—and the results were announced on Twitter. But the winning list remains an excellent predictor of Oscar prospects, so here’s who won the big categories. Will Smith (‘King Richard’) and Nicole Kidman (‘Being the Ricardos’) took the lead-acting drama trophies. ‘West Side Story’ snagged wins for best comedy or musical—while ‘The Power of the Dog’ took best drama and best director (Jane Campion). New York Times has the full list.
Beloved Bob Saget is dead
The Full House actor and comedian was found dead in an Orlando hotel room. The cause is still unknown, but there were no signs of drugs or foul play. The Guardian has the details, while The Ringer offers a wonderful tribute to a man known both for being a good guy and his potty mouth humour. Watch one of his delightful interviews below.
Norwegian army’s underwear problem
Each year, the government calls up about 8,000 young men and women for military service. And it allows them to walk away with the underwear they were issued once they are done. But thanks to global supply chain disruptions, they now have to give it all back—bras and socks included: “The decision to reuse this part of the kit will help us have more volume in circulation and increase the delivery capacity of the equipment. We have too little in stock.”
Two things to see
One: Vandals have destroyed prehistoric rock art—dating back to 3,000-8,000 years ago—created by native Americans. They scratched names and dates into the stones—as though they were a high school bathroom stall. Culprits remain unknown. (New York TImes)
Two: This one is guaranteed to make you a little hot under the collar: Clueless people cheering on a herd of elephants struggling to cross a canal built in the middle of their habitat in Karnataka.
