headlines that matter

editor’s note

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Written by: Aarthi Ramnath, Raghav Bikhchandani & Yash Budhwar

Hue & cry over successful Saudi FIFA bid

Saudi Arabia was confirmed as the host of the 2034 football World Cup—in a vote that is being criticised as ‘rigged’. All 211 members of the top football body FIFA voted to choose the hosts for the 2030 and 2034 World Cup.

There was only one contender for the 2030 tournament: a group of six countries spread across three continents—Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. But awarding it to six hosts is very unusual and unprecedented in itself. The Saudis were unopposed as well. FYI: It's an elaborate celebration of the tournament’s 100th anniversary—the first World Cup was held in Uruguay in 1930. Ok, here are all the fishy bits that has people up in arms:

One: Critics say that FIFA—notorious for its soft spot for super-wealthy members—first made sure that the Saudis will compete unopposed:

In October 2023, it emerged the Saudi bid would be unopposed after Australia — the only other potential candidate — decided not to enter the running, hinting that it was futile to do so after being given less than a month by Fifa to mount a challenge. Fifa has defended a fast-tracked process that many argue was lacking in transparency and accountability.

The decision to support a six-nation bid for 2030 also skewed the scales: “That meant that under its rotation policy, only bids from Asia and Oceania were considered for 2034.”

Two: Then FIFA bundled the vote for the 2030 and 2034 World Cups:

And they were asked to make their selection in a package deal, essentially approving the bids for both tournaments, or for neither… So any nation that voted against the Saudi bid would also be voting against those countries hosting the 2030 event, too.

Three: Last not least, FIFA decided that members will not formally vote. Members were asked to raise their hands and clap to indicate their preference—on a Zoom meeting, no less.

FYI: FIFA president Gianni Infantino has close links to Saudi Arabia—and its crown prince Mohammad bin Salman. For more on the controversy, read New York Times (login required) and The Guardian on the confirmation of the Saudi bid. This older BBC News piece lays out all the reasons it is seen as problematic.

Scrambling on to Scrabble: A New Zealand man has won the Spanish World Scrabble Championships—except he doesn’t speak any Spanish. Nigel Richards won 22 consecutive matches against more than 145 opponents from across the world—including Argentina, Venezuela, Spain and Colombia. The guy who came in second said: “This is an incredible humiliation.” FYI: Richards is a Scrabble champ in multiple languages—including his native English. In 2015, he won the French tournament by memorising the dictionary in nine weeks. CNN has lots more on this astonishing man and story.

Apocalyptic AI prediction for global warming

Three leading climate scientists used AI to combine data from 10 global climate models—to predict the rise in temperatures for various regions across the world. The results are alarming: “34 regions will likely exceed the critical 1.5°C warming threshold by 2040. By 2060, 26 of those regions are projected to surpass 3°C of warming—much faster than earlier predictions.”

Why this is shocking: Almost every previous study suggested we will not hit such high temperatures until 2100. This report predicts the planet will hit far higher temperatures—much faster. Point to note: The rises in temperature will not be uniform. The most vulnerable regions will be South Asia, the Mediterranean, Central Europe, and sub-Saharan Africa. This is what the world would look like at various temperatures—with the darkest red indicating a rise of 7°C or more:

Why this is catastrophic: Each degree rise in temperature has a devastating effect:

With every additional amount of global warming, we will see greater changes in the climate. Every additional half degree of warming will cause [an] increase in the intensity and frequency of hot extremes, heavy precipitation and drought.

At 2°C, the amount of damage inflicted by floods will double. At 2.7°C, “two billion people would be pushed outside humanity’s ‘climate niche’, ie the benign conditions in which the whole of civilization arose over the past 10,000 years.” As for 3°C: cities like Shanghai, Miami, Rio de Janeiro and the Hague will be under water—due to rising sea levels. This recent Guardian piece lays out what the world will look at various increases in temperature. (Phys.org)

Diamond batteries are forever!

UK scientists have created the world’s first “carbon-14 diamond battery” that can power devices for thousands of years. The reason for its longevity: carbon-14 has a half-life of 5,730 years—meaning it would take the diamond that many years to decay to half of its original quantity. The best bit: The researchers say that diamond batteries can be used in almost everything from small satellites, computer chips, and remote controls, to wrist watches.

Why this matters: This is our most sustainable replacement for lithium batteries—typically used in EVs—and lead-acid batteries—used in computers. Consider this: Extraction of lithium requires millions of litres of water—and 98.3% of lithium batteries end up in landfills, only 5% are recyclable. Also: at the current rate, there will be 8 million tonnes of battery waste on Earth by 2040. Gizmodo has more on how the battery works, while Interesting Engineering offers a glimpse at its sustainable uses.

YouTube rolls out AI auto-dubbing

You can now create YouTube vids in multiple languages thanks to this new tool—including English, French, Hindi, Japanese and Spanish. Also, it’s effortless: “To use the feature, simply upload a video as you normally would. YouTube will automatically detect the language and create dubbed versions in other languages.” For now. The tool is limited to channels that “offer informational content, such as videos that teach viewers how to cook or sew.” But it will be widely available soon.

As with AI things, expect occasional errors in translation. YouTube also plans to roll out an update called “Expressive Speech” that will emulate "tone, emotion, and even the ambiance of the surroundings." As of now, it sounds a bit meh—as you can see in the English dub here. (TechCrunch)

PSA: We need to talk about genital herpes…

A new study has revealed that over 20%—or more than one in five people—are living with genital herpes. According to the latest data, there are nearly 900 million cases worldwide in 2020. All sexually transmitted diseases are bad news, but herpes is especially dangerous. For starters: it is incurable—unlike, say, chlamydia. So a herpes infection contracted today will be a problem for decades. Also this:

Genital herpes can be extremely difficult to diagnose and track, as infections often do not come with any symptoms and wrong results on blood tests are common. Most people are blissfully unaware they carry the super contagious virus, which is spread via contact with sores or bodily fluid.

Also this: We tend to think of herpes as the ‘mild’ STI—so common that it is almost normalised. But left unchecked, the infection can spread to the immune system or the brain—putting you at greater risk of contracting HIV or even dementia later in life. ScienceAlert has lots more on why genital herpes is so hard to diagnose and treat.

what caught our eye

business & tech

Adani Ports canceled its $553 million loan request from the US Development Finance Corporation and will self-fund its Colombo terminal project.
Zepto will introduce a dedicated app for Zepto Café next week—offering speedy delivery of beverages and snacks.
Amazon unveiled Amazon Autos, an online service for purchasing new cars, initially featuring Hyundai in 48 US cities.
Instagram's new "trial reels" feature lets creators test content with non-followers—before deciding to share it with their followers.
Apple users can now access ChatGPT through Siri—as part of a fresh set of iOS features.
Google unveiled a new AI agent that browses spreadsheets and shop websites for you.

sports & entertainment

Comedians Sunil Pal, Mushtaq Khan, and actor Rajesh Puri each claim to have been kidnapped for ransom after being invited to events in Meerut.
‘Kalki 2898 AD’ and ‘Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar’ topped IMDb's 2024 Most Popular Indian Movies and Web Series lists.
Kylie Kelce's debut podcast, ‘Not Gonna Lie’, has topped both Apple and Spotify charts—toppling Joe Rogan in just the first episode.
PGA Tour and LIV Golf have finally reached a deal—where the Saudis will invest $1.5 billion in the PGA Tour. See our Big Story on LIV—and why it is controversial.
The World Chess Championship match between Ding Liren and Gukesh is tied after the penultimate game. The next game will determine the world champion.

as for the rest

Indian cuisine ranked 12th in Taste Atlas’s 2024-25 list of the 100 Best Cuisines, with dishes like Murgh Makhani and Hyderabadi Biryani making the top 100.
A federal bankruptcy judge rejected the sale of Alex Jones's Infowars platform to The Onion.
The new antibiotic WCK 5222—developed by Wockhardt—is showing great promise in treating patients infected with drug-resistant superbugs.
The newest Trump Tower will be a hotel in Saudi Arabia—with more on the way. Hmm wonder what that bodes for Middle East policy.
In 2024, top Google India searches spanned from the IPL and ‘Stree 2’ to AQI levels, Vinesh Phogat and even quirky memes like the Orange Peel theory.
India accounted for about half of all malaria cases in the WHO South-East Asia region in 2023—which is actually an improvement.
The Print has a must-read interactive history of communal violence in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal—starting in the 1970s and culminating in the latest bout of mandir-masjid mayhem.