The great pandemic: a quick update
All we have today are the numbers. India recorded 147,527 new cases—and 1,056 deaths.
A big Facebook crash
- Meta’s shares plummeted by 26%—wiping out $232 billion from its market value. It was the biggest one-day decline for a stock in US history.
- The reason: The company admitted that Facebook has lost daily users for the first time in its 18-year history—falling by about half a million users in the last three months of 2021.
- More importantly: “The loss was greatest in Africa and Latin America, suggesting that the company’s product is saturated globally.”
- CEO Mark Zuckerberg blamed its changing fortunes on two factors. One, Apple’s new rigorous privacy policy—due to which FB has less user data to deliver personalised ads.
- Two: “People have a lot of choices for how they want to spend their time, and apps like TikTok are growing very quickly.”
- This dawning reality may explain the big pivot to metaverse—but that is years away from replacing the $10 billion lost in lost revenue.
- Not helping matters: The big numbers posted by rival Alphabet—whose revenues jumped by 32%.
- Washington Post and CNBC have more on the story. New York Times has more on the Apple change that is making tech companies miserable.
Meanwhile, in India: The government held heated meetings with US social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. I&B officials are furious at what they see as “inaction on fake news.” Basically, the government wants these companies to proactively and automatically pull such content—rather than wait for the government to order them to do so. The reason: The takedown orders open it to criticism and damage its public image. Google’s response:
“Executives from Google told the I&B officials that one way to resolve that was for the ministry to avoid making takedown decisions public. The firms could work with the government and act on the alleged fake content, which could be a win-win for both sides, Google said, according to one of the sources.”
Reuters has this exclusive.
Meanwhile, in the Netherlands: A historic bridge in Rotterdam—dating back to 1877—will be dismantled to allow Jeff Bezos’ custom-built superyacht to make its way to the sea. Built by Dutch firm Oceanco, the ship is reported to be 417 feet (127 metres) long and the largest of its kind in the world—and also too tall to fit through the Koningshaven Bridge. Locals are very unhappy. (BBC News)
A big Beijing diss
China has chosen a soldier who was involved in the clashes with Indian troops on the Ladakh border as a torch-bearer in the Winter Olympics opening ceremony. As a result, Indian diplomats in Beijing are boycotting both the opening and closing ceremonies—and Doordarshan will not telecast them either. Speaking of the Ladakh faceoff, NDTV interviewed an Australian journalist who says that at least 40 Chinese soldiers died in the conflict—contrary to Beijing’s claims. Need a refresher on Ladakh: check out our explainer.
Farmer unions jump in election fray
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM)—which led the farm law protests—announced that it will campaign against the BJP in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The reason: The government has failed to deliver on the promises it made in its letter—which led the unions to call off the protests. No, they will not be campaigning on behalf of any party: “It is not our job to seek votes for any party. We are only interested in punishing the BJP.” (The Telegraph)
In other election-related news: Shots were fired on AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi’s car when his convoy stopped at an Uttar Pradesh toll plaza on Thursday. No one was injured and one of the shooters has been arrested. (The Telegraph)
A $320 million crypto heist
Hackers stole 120,000 wETH (wrapped Ether) from a platform called Wormhole—which essentially helps users transfer cryptocurrency between the Solana and Ethereum blockchains. It is being described as the biggest heist in the world of decentralised financing (explained here)—and the fourth biggest crypto hack. Wormhole has offered the attacker a $10 million bounty to return the funds. Why this matters: It confirms ongoing safety concerns about crypto. CNBC has more details. No clue about crypto: our explainer can fix that!
Hijab ban spreads in Karnataka
Responding to a protest by Hindutva activists, a government college in Udupi barred female students wearing hijabs from entering the campus. A video clip shows the principal saying: “As a government servant, I am following the orders of the department.” See the clip below. Reminder: Karnataka is ruled by the BJP whose slogan is ‘Beti Padhao, Beti Bachao’. Just saying… (Indian Express)
Dune kicks ass at the Baftas
The sci-fi epic has swept 11 nominations—outdoing ‘The Power of the Dog’ (8), ‘Belfast’ (6) and ‘No Time to Die’ (5). It will compete for best film with ‘Belfast’, ‘Don't Look Up’, ‘Licorice Pizza’, and ‘The Power of the Dog’. BBC News has the entire list.
RIP International Space Station
NASA confirmed that the ISS will be “de-orbited” in January 2031—and will splash down into the Pacific Ocean. It will land in Point Nemo, which is about 2,700km from any land and has become known as “the space cemetery.” According to NASA it is “pretty much the farthest place from any human civilization you can find.” Hmm, but what about animals that will have to contend with a space station landing on their head? (The Guardian)
Microplastics inside newborn babies
In September 2021, we learnt that babies had ten times more microplastics in their poo than adults. Now a new study has found microplastics in human placenta and even newborn babies. Worse, it found that it’s virtually impossible to prevent children and infants from ingesting and absorbing microplastics—even before they’re born. Now, we don’t exactly know how microplastics affect children, but here’s the worry: “Children do not have a fully developed immune system and are in a very important phase of their brain development. This makes them particularly vulnerable.” (Futurism)
Two animal things
Elephant vaccine: Scientists are starting trials for a vaccine that will protect against a deadly disease—elephant endotheliotrophic herpes virus (EEHV)—that causes a severe haemorrhagic disease in Asian and African elephants. It proves fatal in 85% of the cases—accounting for more than half the fatalities in European and North American zoos. Why this matters: “The lives of future calves could depend on the results of the trial. If the vaccine is proven effective, it could also be rolled out in sanctuaries and even in the wild.” (BBC News)
A bulldog ban: Norway has banned the breeding of English Bulldogs and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels—saying it violates the country’s animal welfare laws. The reason: Both breeds suffer from serious genetic health conditions caused by cruel human preferences based on appearance: "For many decades, sick dogs have been bred illegally. What is happening here is a systematic and organized betrayal of our four-legged friends.” Also read: This older New York magazine article on modern breeding practices. (People)
