The great pandemic: a quick update
- First the numbers. India recorded 148,080 new cases—and 404 deaths which marks a sudden spike. But most states have ditched strict Covid restrictions including Delhi and Karnataka.
- Also experiencing a spike: Beijing which reported its highest number of cases in 18 months. Also: Olympics organisers reported 34 new infections within a “closed-loop” bubble. One unhappy consequence: China is bringing back the dreaded anal swab Covid test.
- Two new Indian studies reveal that so-called ‘hybrid immunity’—from a combination of a previous infection and a double jab—offers little protection against Omicron after six months.
- Hong Kong authorities have confirmed the two known cases of hamster-to-human transmission—involving the Delta virus. But this is just a pre-print study. Reminder: The city has launched a controversial campaign to cull thousands of hamsters to prevent the spread of Covid.
- Some African countries may have attained the holy grail—the endemic stage of the pandemic when the virus behaves mostly like the seasonal flu. NPR has more.
- National Geographic looks at a new set of extremely bright x-rays that reveal the true damage Covid does to our organs.
- New Zealand is under fire for its strict quarantine rules after one of its citizens—a pregnant journalist—was left stranded in Afghanistan. In her open letter, she writes: “When the Taliban offers you—a pregnant, unmarried woman—safe haven, you know your situation is messed up”
- New Swedish research has found that nearly half of the infected people in the first wave had experienced distorted smell. Doesn’t sound that bad except the long-term effects are very serious. Example: one woman who is so unable to handle the smell of food that she survives on high-calorie protein shakes intended for cancer patients having chemotherapy. The Guardian has more.
India bought scary Israeli snoopware
That’s the conclusion of a detailed New York Times investigation into Pegasus—the Israeli snoopware that was implicated in spying on key journalists, activists and politicians around the world. There has been much ink—but not much new reporting—spilt in the Indian media on this single paragraph in a very long deep dive:
“In July 2017, Narendra Modi, who won office on a platform of Hindu nationalism, became the first Indian prime minister to visit Israel. For decades, India had maintained a policy of what it called ‘commitment to the Palestinian cause,’ and relations with Israel were frosty. The Modi visit, however, was notably cordial, complete with a carefully staged moment of him and Prime Minister Netanyahu walking together barefoot on a local beach. They had reason for the warm feelings. Their countries had agreed on the sale of a package of sophisticated weapons and intelligence gear worth roughly $2 billion—with Pegasus and a missile system as the centerpieces. Months later, Netanyahu made a rare state visit to India. And in June 2019, India voted in support of Israel at the U.N.’s Economic and Social Council to deny observer status to a Palestinian human rights organization, a first for the nation.”
All of it is damning yet we have no more to add. The coverage remains focused on the opposition demanding answers—and possibly disrupting the budget session. The government remained silent—except for ex-General and minister VK Singh calling NYT “supari media” in a tweet.
What we’re waiting on: Whether the Supreme Court-appointed committee investigating the Pegasus snooping will take note. Two cyber security experts have testified on behalf of the petitioners—saying they found hard evidence of Pegasus on their phones.
Also this: Entirely ignoring the brouhaha over the NYT story, Tel Aviv and New Delhi warmly celebrated 30 years of “gehri dosti”—as the PM put it. One highlight of this celebration: this clip of the specially illuminated Masada Fortress in Israel. We reciprocated the gesture here. (Mint)
For more background: We did three big stories on Pegasus. One: the global media investigation that uncovered the snooping. Two: The Indian targets of this snooping. Three: A close look at the Israeli firm NSO that developed this snoopware.
Get ready for a new digital ID
The IT ministry has proposed that all Indians should have a single unique digital ID. And every person’s multiple IDs—from PAN and Aadhaar to driving licence and passport numbers—will be interlinked, stored, and accessed via this one unique ID. What this sounds like to our paranoid brain: the government has given up on making Aadhaar mandatory, and moved on to creating a new Big Brother version of it. But full disclosure: We have no idea what this means—mainly because the reporting is so piss poor. (Indian Express)
Four big sports stories
Australian Open #1: Rafael Nadal scored a heart-pounding victory after being two sets down to Daniil Medvedev in the men’s final. The final score: 2-6, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in five hours and 24 minutes. He now has the highest number of Grand Slam men’s singles titles: 21. Nadal called it “one of the most emotional matches in my tennis career”—which is clear below:
Also: ESPN asks if the the tennis GOAT debate is finally over—which brings us to our fave Rafa meme:
Australian Open #2: Ashleigh Barty delighted everyone by winning the women’s final—defeating Danielle Collins 6-3, 7-6 (7-2). She is the first Australian to win the title in 44 years—so that rare hometown win is huge. Also sweet: the unusual cricket angle. Barty took an 18-month break from tennis to play that other great sport. And it appears to have been the secret of her amazing success. Indian Express explains why. The Guardian reports on why she gave up tennis for the other bat-and-ball sport. You can also enjoy this awesome clip of Barty warming before her semi-final at the Open by playing some ball.
Speaking of tennis: BBC News raises some big questions about the positive Covid test that Novak Djokovic used to claim a medical exemption from the Oz Open. Documents submitted by his lawyers to the court included two test certificates—one with a positive result allegedly taken on December 16 and one with a negative result on December 22. Here’s the weird part: As per the serial number, the December 16 test was taken after the December 22 one. Hmm. (BBC News)
Manchester United: Twenty-year old Mason Greenwood is the hottest young star of one of the biggest Premier League teams in the world. So it is a very, very big deal that his ex-girlfriend published photos of graphic evidence of domestic violence—including horrific images of bruises and an audio clip where he seems to force himself on her. Greenwood has been arrested, and Man U have indefinitely suspended him from playing. Trigger warning: You can still see the Insta story now deleted by Harriet Robson, but it is stomach-churning. (Sky News)
Netflix is in more trouble
Nope, it isn’t about India this time, but the platform’s blockbuster series ‘Queen’s Gambit’—which was supposedly based on the life of Soviet chess legend Nona Gaprindashvili. She sued Netflix for a single line in the final episode where a commentator says during a match in 1968 Moscow:
“The only unusual thing about her, really, is her sex, and even that’s not unique in Russia. There’s Nona Gaprindashvili, but she’s the female world champion and has never faced men.”
The problem: It just wasn’t true that Gaprindashvili had never faced male opponents. Rather, she had competed against at least 59 male chess players at that time—including several world champions. The reason this is in the news: A US court refused to throw out her lawsuit despite Netflix’s best efforts, saying: “The fact that the Series was a fictional work does not insulate Netflix from liability for defamation if all the elements of defamation are otherwise present.” (Deadline)
A death that rocked Paris
A famous 85-year-old Swiss photographer René Robert slipped on the city streets due to a momentary spell of dizziness. But not one person came to his rescue—and he finally died of hypothermia after nine hours. That’s when a homeless person called emergency services. The death has sparked great outrage and soul-searching—which would be unlikely if he was just an ordinary citizen. Something to think about when you want to take a trip to 'Gay Paree'. In any case, below is a collage of Robert’s work on flamenco dancers. (The Guardian)
Three things to see
One: Newly colourised photos of prisoners from Nazi internment camps in Auschwitz and Dachau make the horror freshly new. These were released to mark International Holocaust Day on January 26. BBC News has more on the project undertaken by Tom Marshall. Below is the photo of a rescued refugee child resting in a hospital bed in Sweden in 1945. The others are more difficult to see, but available here and here.
Two: Princess Di art is hot again—likely due to ‘The Crown’ and all the Di-related drama her sons are airing in public nowadays. A rare portrait of hers was slated to sell in auction for just $20,000—but sold for 10X at $201,000. It was painted three years before she died by American artist Nelson Shanks. (Daily Mail)
Three: iPhone users rejoice! You have even more emojis with which to express what mere words cannot capture. The 15.4 update will include 37 new emojis—including those that salute, bite their lip and wear a mask. Check out the visual list below. (The Verge)
