Researched by: Aarthi Ramnath, Anannya Parekh & Aakriti Anand
Is Biden gonna go?
According to the New York Times, the president is seriously considering dropping out of the race—if his poll numbers dive south after his debate debacle. Guess what? According to the very latest poll, the Donald has already gained a three point swing. He is preferred by 49% of registered voters—compared to Biden’s 43%. Most damningly:
Overall, 74% of voters view him as too old for the job, up five percentage points since the debate. Concerns about Mr. Biden’s age have spiked eight percentage points among Democrats in the week since the debate, to 59%. The share of independent voters who said they felt that way rose to 79%, nearly matching the Republican view of the president.
Apparently, the top contender for Biden’s replacement is hamaari Kamala—which would be nice since our NRI beta Rishi is 100% on his way out. But the numbers right now indicate she won’t win, either. The latest Trump campaign ad is already gunning for her. New York Times (paywall) has more on Biden’s second thoughts. (The Hindu)
The world’s getting hungrier
A new report shows that people are hungrier than ever. Their food supply is far more vulnerable due to climate change and war (Ukraine, e.g). Nearly 30% of the world faces food insecurity and 42% are unable to afford a healthy diet. What this means: 600 million people are likely to face hunger by 2030.
Why this matters: The report shows that corporate-controlled food supply chains—spread across the globe—are more easily disrupted than the local kind:
These local food webs, or territorial markets, include public markets, street vendors, cooperatives, urban agriculture, and online direct sales, and rely on smaller-scale food producers and vendors serving communities.
Something for all nations to think about as trade crises, wars, and global warming loom larger than ever on the horizon. (Down To Earth)
The death of Koo
The Indian answer to Twitter is dead—which should surprise nobody. It was intended to be a bharatiya (and rightwing) platform—which was heavily promoted by netas in power—especially when Twitter got into a face-off with the government over censorship.
The reasons for its demise are unsurprising. Koo can’t raise money—and acquisition talks with DailyHunt fell apart. The company was last valued at $274 million, and had raised more than $57 million from investors, between February 2021 and June 2022. Also: Why would anyone opt for an ‘Indian’ version of an online platform that works just fine? No one is clamouring for a desi Insta or YouTube either. (Hindustan Times)
Meanwhile at Netflix: is getting rid of its cheapest ad-free plan—at least in the US, UK, and Canada. You either opt for the sastaa version with ads—or pay more for the ad-free experience. India still has the basic plan—but there is no ad-supported offer here. We have the mobile-only model instead. It isn’t clear if this is the beginning of a global push. (The Verge)
Meanwhile at Apple: Last month, the company unveiled Apple Intelligence—a grandiose term for its plan to integrate AI into all parts of the iPhone. According to Bloomberg News, it will be free when launched—but will soon be offered as a premium service—for a monthly sub. (Bloomberg News, paywalled, Moneycontrol)
Sticking with Apple: Apple will get an observer seat on the OpenAI board—sitting right next to rival Microsoft. What this means: They can attend the board meetings and will be privy to the decision making at OpenAI, but cannot vote or exercise power. But, but, but: Unlike the deal with Microsoft, where the tech giant gets a share of OpenAI’s earnings, the deal between Apple and OpenAI is reportedly not a financial one. Interesting. Reminder: Apple has a limited partnership with the company-–integrating ChatGPT into Siri. (Reuters)
E-challans: A backdoor to bank accounts?
Maharashtra has asked the union government for permission to link e-challans to the bank accounts of vehicle owners. The reason: The state has been able to recover only 35% of e-challan fines since 2019. There’s an outstanding balance of Rs 24.29 billion (2,429 crore)—for 42.89 million traffic violations. The plan is to deduct the money directly from your account.
But, but, but: MediaNama warns that the move will give Big Brother control over people’s bank accounts—along with all the data on account activity. This includes the police and other government agencies. Also: the fines will be impossible to challenge or recover since they’re already paid. (Hindustan Times)
Air India tops global list…
For the airline most likely to lose your luggage. Its stellar status was revealed when LuggageLosers.com ranked airlines from worst to best—based on the number of mislaid luggage. Air India topped the list—having lost 53,559 bags just in the past month! SpiceJet came in at #6 (12,005 bags) and IndiGo was #10 (24,490 bags). The airlines least likely to lose your bags: Singapore’s low-cost carrier, Scoot. Point to note: The website only tracks social media complaints of lost luggage— not airline databases. (Mint)
Topping a happier list: Hardik Pandya—who became the first Indian to be ranked as the best T20I all-rounder in the world. Indian Express has that story.
Two things to see
One: Another summer, another devastating wildfire in California. About 26,000 people were evacuated from North California after a deadly forest blaze that has scorched almost 3,000 acres of land so far. (Associated Press)
Two: Scientists have found the oldest-ever picture story—painted on a cave wall in an island in Indonesia about 51,000 years ago. The story is about three therianthropes—or human-animal hybrids—and a wild pig. But unfortunately, the researchers can’t figure out the plot. (The Guardian)
