Researched & collated by: Vagda Galhotra
WHO’s shocking Covid death tally
The global organisation released its estimate of the total number of Covid deaths. It claims that there were 14.9 million ‘excess’ deaths (uncounted) as of the end of December, 2021. Point to note:
“The WHO's excess mortality figures reflect people who died of COVID-19 as well as those who died as an indirect result of the outbreak, including people who could not access healthcare for other conditions when systems were overwhelmed during huge waves of infection. It also accounts for deaths averted during the pandemic, for example because of the lower risk of traffic accidents during lockdowns.”
The number for India: 4.7 million—which is 9.8X the official count of 480,000. And it is the highest number of excess deaths in the world. The government is unhappy with WHO’s methodology—and the decision to release the numbers without addressing New Delhi’s concerns. It plans to take up the “glaring anomalies’’ at the highest and appropriate forum. The Hindu has more on India’s response, while Indian Express explains why even Indian experts are puzzled by WHO’s count—since it implies that India missed 90% of all Covid deaths in the first two years of the pandemic.
Three key tech stories
One: Elon Musk has secured $7 billion in backing to buy Twitter from Silicon Valley heavyweights like Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and Sequoia Capital Fund. This announcement pretty much seals the deal—removing any worries about Musk backing out. As one analyst put it:
“In this game of high stakes poker the Ellison and impressive list of backers will remove more of an overhang from Tesla shares as the Musk leverage of shares now becomes less onerous. This was a smart financial and strategic move by Musk that will be well received across the board and also shows the Twitter deal is now on a glide path to get done by the end of this year.”
Also this: Musk will likely serve as temporary CEO after the sale is completed. (CNBC News)
Two: We all know governments are doing their damndest to rein in the power of big tech. But the most effective may be a US bill to ban “any company with more than $20 billion in digital ad revenue from owning the tech needed to both buy ads and sell ads as well as the online marketplace where those transactions happen.” Read that again. It spells huge trouble for companies like Google and Meta that make money doing exactly that. Gizmodo has an excellent piece on why this bill is a big threat to big tech. Bloomberg News has the exclusive on the move toward new US legislation.
Three: Tesla India employees are now working on projects in the broader Asia-Pacific region—as opposed to getting ready to sell cars in India. The reason: the government imposes a 60% import duty on imports of electronic vehicles—which is not okay with Tesla. In other words, don’t expect to see a Tesla on the street anytime soon. (Economic Times)
Abortion data for sale
A Vice investigation uncovered a shocking fact: A US company named Safegraph was selling location data of people who visited abortion clinics—including “how often people visit, how long they stay, where they came from, where else they go.” This is terrifying in the context of the imminent move to make abortions illegal (explained here). Safegraph has now declared it will no longer sell the location data of groups of people visiting Planned Parenthood and other abortion clinics.
Two key studies of note
Disappearing birds: A global review of bird populations shows that 48% of the 11,000 species are declining—and only 6% are increasing. Yes, the reasons are all that you might expect: destroyed habitats, invasive species, pollution etc. Why this matters:
“Birds truly are the canary in the coal mine as indicators for the health of our planet, given their sensitivity to ecosystem changes, their ubiquity around the planet, and how well studied they are. [We] need to listen and act upon what birds are telling us, as they disappear ever faster.”
Weight gain: A new study offers insight into why those who lose weight may struggle to keep it off. The unexpected reason: sleep. It tracked people who’d actually lost weight and found this:
“Those who slept for less than six hours a night were found to have, on average, increased their body mass index (BMI) by 1.3 points after a year compared with those who slept for more than six hours. Similarly, the BMI for those who had poor quality sleep increased by 1.2 points after a year compared with those whose sleep was of a good quality.”
Now, lack of sleep doesn’t make you gain weight but it may be one of the contributory factors. (The Guardian)
Three things to see
One: Researchers have uncovered ancient Native American art—dating back to the first millennium—which is like nothing ever seen before. What’s also remarkable is how archaeologists actually ‘saw’ the paintings: using 3D scans to reveal the works, including one stretching for 11 feet (3.4 metres) in length. CNN has more on the discovery and what might be the secret symbolism behind the artworks. You can read the study here. Below is an illustration of how they found the figures in the mud inside a cramped cave tunnel.
Two: The trailer for Ayushmann Khurrana’s new film ‘Anek’ just dropped yesterday. In a break from his recent roles, he plays an undercover cop in the northeast.
Three: Meet Zeus, a two-year-old Great Dane from Texas who holds the Guinness record for being the tallest living dog in the world. He is 3 feet and 5.18 inches tall on his four paws. Enuf said. (People)
