headlines that matter

Researched by: Rachel John, Anannya Parekh & Aarthi Ramnath

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In case you missed the Editor’s Note, we’ve launched our daily news wrap called ‘What the F*** Happened Here?’ The title sums up how all of us feel any time we watch or read the news. But we are here to make it easier to know what’s up—without noise, negativity or that existential feeling of despair. The latest edition from last evening is below. Follow us on YouTube to get your daily dose.

A big upset in South Korea

According to exit polls, President Yoon Suk Yeol is soon going to become a lame duck. The ruling People Power Party got walloped by the liberal opposition in the parliamentary elections. It will likely only score 109 out of 300 seats. The election was seen as a confidence vote for Yoon. And its outcome means he won’t be able to do much in the remaining three years of his term. But it won’t affect South Korea’s foreign policy—since it is entirely controlled by the president.

Point to note: This was an extremely negative election. The two main contenders—Yoon and Democratic Party’s Lee Jae-myung—spent more time attacking each other than selling their vision:

Mr. Yoon’s party called Mr. Lee and his party “criminals.” The opposition warned that South Korea under Mr. Yoon was turning into a “dictatorship,”... at times, Mr. Yoon’s bodyguards have even gagged and carried away citizens who shouted criticism at him.

 

“I have never seen an election like this: No campaign promise or policy has become an election issue, except for the forces from the opposite poles clashing to win at all costs,” said Heo Jinjae, an analyst at Gallup Korea.

Sounds drearily familiar. New York Times (paywalled) and Associated Press have more on Yoon’s fall from grace.

Shrinking Indian Unicorns 

This is an unhappy time for Indian startups—who are no longer the darlings of the corporate world. We now have more confirmation of their burre din. According to Hurun’s Unicorn Index, the number of Indian unicorns has declined—for the very first time in four years. That’s startups valued more than a billion dollars. Their ranks have shrunk from 68 to 67. 

The most valuable Indian unicorns today are Swiggy and Dream 11—both valued at $8 billion. They are ranked #83 in the world. Razorpay comes in second with a valuation of $7.5 billion. But here’s what the government may want to think about. Indian founders established 109 unicorns outside the country—compared to only 67 within.

Here’s what caught our eye. The list of dropouts includes Byju’s. The $22 billion startup officially lost 95% of its value last month. It was valued by its investor Blackrock at just about a billion dollars. But now Hurun has axed it from their unicorn list. That means its valuation has dropped even further. According to Hurun, no other startup in the world has lost that much value.

If you’re curious about global rankings, the most valuable unicorn in the world is $220 billion worth Tiktok—followed by SpaceX at $180 billion and OpenAI at $100 billion. Given the AI madness that has gripped VCs everywhere, we’re betting OpenAI comes out on top next year. (The Telegraph)

A hepatitis crisis everywhere 

The context: Hepatitis is a liver disease caused by a virus—which has five strains: A, B, C, D and E. All of them cause liver damage but B and C are the worst. They cause liver cirrhosis, liver cancer and the most deaths. In fact, hepatitis is the second most common cause of death in the world—equal to tuberculosis. 

What happened now: According to a new WHO report, there is a global hepatitis crisis—and India is among the worst hit. India had 35 million cases of Hep B and C in 2022. We came in at number two in the world—right after China which had 83 million cases. That’s 27.5% of all cases in the world. 

The really bad bit: More people are dying of hepatitis infections. The global number jumped from 1.1 million in 2019 to 1.3 million in 2022. Of these, 83% were caused by hepatitis B, and 17% by hepatitis C. 

Think of it this way: Every day 3,500 people die due to hepatitis infections. And there are 6,000 new cases each day. More than half of them are between the ages of 30 and 54—and are men. 

So why is the number increasing? Because not enough people are getting tested or diagnosed in time. In India, only 2.4% of Hep B cases were diagnosed and 0% received treatment! The numbers for hep C are slightly better—28% are diagnosed and 21% receive treatment. 

Point to note: India makes the cheapest generic drugs to treat hepatitis—and tools to diagnose the disease. (Down to Earth)

In happier news: A new study found swapping out red meat for fish such as herring, sardines and anchovies can prevent 750,000 deaths a year. These are called forage fish—and are the most abundant kind of fish in the world. And they have the lowest carbon footprint. So eating them is great for the environment as well. Something to think about the next time you’re looking at the menu at the restaurant. (The Guardian)

A flurry of tech stories

iPhone in India: A new report shows that Apple assembled $14 billion worth of iPhones in India during FY2024. This means 14% of Apple’s flagship product is now made here—about 1 in 7 iPhones. It reflects the company’s push to move its supply chain out of China. (Bloomberg News, paywall, Quartz)

Big boost for phone batteries: New research shows that building a greater number of smaller 5G towers can increase a phone’s battery life by roughly 50%—in an urban area. The logic is simple:

Instead of using one big 5G tower, with a huge signal radius, to provide coverage for an entire region, the UC San Diego researchers suggest using a system of smaller towers. Each little tower will have a weaker signal and consume less energy than a big one, but the network will ultimately offer greater net coverage for the area.

New Scientist (paywall) and Gizmodo have more. 

Browser version of Truecaller: The company unveiled a browser version which works on any laptop—PC or Mac. So you will no longer need the app. The web iteration also allows you to read and respond to text messages. And get real-time incoming call and message alerts. So all the distraction we need when you’re trying to get work done on our laptops. To which we say: Excellent! Reminder: The company has been accused of stealing our information—to create financial profiles it can sell. So it's a bit of a mixed blessing. (TechCrunch)

‘Nutrition labels’ for broadband: Soon US internet companies will have to list important information—prices, introductory rates, and speeds—on their products. They will look like labels stuck on food products—as you can see below. (The Verge)

Why the big O eludes straight women

The context: There is an ‘orgasm gap’ between men and lesbians and hetrosexual women. Around 95% of men and 86% of lesbians orgasm from sexual encounters—while that’s true for only 65% of straight women. All of which shows that the problem has little to do with female anatomy.

What happened now: According to a new study, this gap may be a result of “sexual scripts”——expectations around sex set by movies, television and porn:

The average sexual script, or what people expect to happen during sex based on TV, culture and more, between a man and a woman, according to the study, includes foreplay, then vaginal intercourse, from which the man orgasms, and then sex ends. 

That doesn’t work for women——who are far less likely to orgasm from just penetrative sex. OTOH, sex between two women carries greater expectations of “clitoral stimulation”—and less likely to follow any pre-given script. (NBC News)  

College rankings are out!

According to QS World University Rankings, IIM-Ahmedabad comes in at #22 in the list of top business schools around the world. Jawaharlal Nehru University is the highest-ranked university in India—and #20 in the world in development studies. Overall, the number of Indian study programs featured across 55 subjects increased from 355 to 454. A notable point: India is the world's fourth-largest producer of research–and is expected to overtake the UK. But all that research is not cited quite as often. We are #9 by that measure. The Telegraph has loads more on the India rankings.

Coming soon: Prize money for Olympics!

For all the prestige attached to the Olympics, the winners don’t actually get much besides the medal. They mostly get a bonus from national federations and sponsors. But that’s going to change thanks to the World Athletics Federation. It will become the first international body to give $50,000 to gold medal winners in the upcoming Paris Games. The long-term plan includes prizes for silver and bronze medallists by the 2028 Los Angeles Games. 

As World Athletics president Lord Coe points out—this is only fair given the moolah an Olympics generates:

While it is impossible to put a marketable value on winning an Olympic medal, or on the commitment and focus it takes to even represent your country at an Olympic Games, I think it is important we start somewhere and make sure some of the revenues generated by our athletes at the Olympic Games are directly returned to those who make the Games the global spectacle that it is.

BBC News has more on why this is a big step for underpaid athletes.

The oldest man in the world is… 

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the oldest man in the world is a 111-year-old Brit. He got the title this month when the previous record holder—a 114-year-old in Venezuela—passed away. But now we have a new claimant to the throne: Marcelino Abad Tolentino or 'Mashico'. 

According to the Peruvian government, he is 124-years-old. But Guinness won’t accept his claim without proof. But Peru doesn’t care and its government is already celebrating Abad—who, by the way, is in excellent health. Doctors will be unhappy to know that Abad attributes his long life to his love for lamb and coca leaves. Red meat and drugs. Well done Abad!  (Reuters)

Three things to see

One: A six-legged gazelle was found in Israel. The extra legs are likely due to a genetic disorder but it hasn’t held back this male antelope. He has three female mates and has fathered a fawn. The best bit: this quote from the local wildlife expert: “He has been seen hosting the females in the fields and the extra legs on his back pose no challenge to him.” Well done sir! You can see him with his fawn below: (CBS News)

Two: A women’s rights group in Germany staged a public exhibition with “three bronze statues of nude women with breasts that have become visibly lighter from frequent touching.” They are accompanied by large white placards with the slogan “Sexual harassment leaves a mark.” Deutsche-Welle has more details.

Three: We were today years old when we learnt that the sequel to the movie ‘Joker’ is a musical. Joaquin Phoenix returns as Arthur Fleck in ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’—which follows his twisted love story with Harley Quinn played by Lady Gaga. The film will feature around 15 songs. We’re kinda mixed on this one. The movie hits theatres on October 4. (The Guardian)