headlines that matter

Written by: Aarthi Ramnath, Raghav Bikhchandani & Yash Budhwar

Content warning: This is a story about sexual violence—specifically, parents abusing their own children—so it’s a difficult read.

Livestreaming child sex abuse: Guess who benefits

A New York Times investigation shows that mothers are using livestream apps—such as Bigo Live, LivU and Chamet—to peddle their children. They can easily connect to overseas customers—who pay to watch and direct the abuse—in real time. Making everything even worse (if possible): the acts are performed by the parent: “It’s not like they are abused once a day. It’s 50 men getting 50 separate shows. They’ll wake up these kids in the middle of the night to be abused.”

Who benefits? Unsurprisingly, the traffickers belong to poor families—mostly in Southeast Asia—while the customers are American. But guess who else is implicated in this horrific trade?

Streamers of all kinds collect money from their broadcasts, and the owners of the apps also take a cut, as do Apple and Google. The two big tech companies typically collect between 15 and 30% as a fee for in-app purchases.

When pressed on the matter, the companies merely say they have removed the apps from their store. But such apps are shockingly easy to find—and openly advertise their use:

Many of the apps on both platforms advertised sex shows or bestiality. The Apple App Store’s search recommendations also helped The Times surface some of the apps advertising children by suggesting sexual terms such as “x.x.x live.” 

New York Times (splainer gift link) has details of the investigation.

In very much related news: Apple is being sued for failing to take action on sexual abuse content on iCloud. The company unveiled a tool back in 2021—which could scan and ID such images. But it was abandoned due to pressure from privacy advocates. FYI: The lawsuit is seeking $1.2 billion in damages for 2,680 victims. (Engadget)

Say hello to Google’s ‘breakthrough’ quantum chip

The context: Quantum computing uses quantum mechanics to achieve computing speeds that are way higher than regular computers. As Morning Brew usefully explains it:

Whereas regular computers translate our little tappy-tappies via binary bits represented by 0s or 1s, quantum computers’ qubits exist in multiple states at once, like Schrödinger’s cat. This exponentially speeds up problem-solving, which can expedite drug trials, nuclear reactor construction, AI testing, and a host of other innovations.

Scientists have been doing their best to develop these machines, but they keep throwing up errors—precisely because those pesky qubits behave like Schrödinger’s cat. In December 2023, IBM unveiled a demo quantum chip that used a new way to connect chips and machines. 

What happened now: Google unveiled a new quantum chip Willow that can solve a key test problem in less than five minutes. It would take the world’s fastest supercomputer 10 septillion years to do the same. FYI: 10 septillion years is longer than the age of the universe. More importantly, the company has also found a way to reduce those pesky errors. Willow—which has 105 qubits—“now has best-in-class performance.”

Point to note: As with IBM, Willow is largely experimental. A working quantum computer “is still years—and billions of dollars—away.”

The bigger problem: Quantum computing raises a new set of challenges. These chips are powerful enough to break the strongest encryption in the world. That’s why Apple claims to have developed ‘quantum proof’ tech for iMessage. The Verge has the story on Willow—you can watch its announcement vid here. BBC News offers useful, easy-to-understand context on quantum computing.  Portal 26 has more nerdy details on the impact of quantum computing on encryption.

Bulldozer ahoy: The latest ‘masjid thodo’ strategy

The context: The Hindu Right has been on a rampage—demanding the destruction of centuries-old mosques across India—in a replay of the Babri Masjid controversy. This despite the fact that the Ram Mandir ruling specifically and emphatically stated that Babri was a one-off case (explained at great length in this Big Story). 

What happened now: One of the mosques in the rightwing crosshairs is the 185-year-old Noori Jama Masjid in the Lalauli area of Uttar Pradesh. But here’s the notable bit: Hindu groups have not claimed that there is a mandir under this masjid. Nope, the new strategy is to allege ‘illegal construction’. In this case, the UP government claims it is encroaching on a highway.

Here come the bulldozers: The mosque is under the supervision of the Archaeological Survey of India—and its committee has challenged the demolition order in court. The next hearing is set for December 13, but this is what happened yesterday: 

It took three bulldozers about 90 minutes to pull down the rear portion of the mosque in the presence of about 100 policemen, deployed to prevent any resistance from the Muslim community that makes up a sizeable part of the local population.

You can see the heartbreaking scene below. The Telegraph has more details on this story which reflects an alarming new trend.

No Madam, that’s terrible PR

Startups seem to have lost track of the basic function of a PR stunt—to generate the right kind of attention. YesMadam went viral for a fake corporate email which appeared to announce the firing of employees who admitted to burnout—in a company survey. After great shor sharaba, the company fessed up—and was once again beaten up for its “guerrilla marketing stunt.” 

Here’s the funny bit: The prank was supposed to generate publicity for the company’s ‘De-Stress Leave Policy’—which is supposedly the first in India to give employees paid leave for mental health. Adding to the irony: YesMadam is a mobile spa company. It was all very silly—and hence guaranteed to go viral. (Fortune via Yahoo News)

These paws are made for talking…

A new study shows that dogs can use soundboards to communicate—and typically use two ‘words’ in combination to convey the message: 

The findings reveal that dogs are pressing buttons purposefully to express their desires and needs, not just imitating their owners. When dogs combine two buttons, these sequences are not random but instead seem to reflect specific requests. 

For example: ‘outside + potty’ or ‘treat + now’. Nope, there were no declarations of love or loyalty. The mystery yet to be solved: Why do dogs need soundboards when they already have many very annoying ways “to express their desires and needs”? FYI: Future research will explore whether dogs can communicate more complex ideas—like ‘where’s my effing toy?’. (Phys.org) 

what caught our eye

business & tech

• IndiGo plans to expand its business-class product—IndiGoStretch—to 45 aircraft and 12 key routes by 2026.
• Building on the success of its first EV, Xiaomi will launch its second SUV, the YU7 this summer.
• Sora is finally officially here, after months of teasers and an unofficial launch.
• Boeing has resumed production of its best-selling 737 MAX jetliner following a seven-week workers’ strike.
• To boost domestic supply, India will mandate locally-made solar cells for clean energy projects from June 2026.
• Retaliating against US curbs on chip exports to China, Beijing has launched an anti-monopoly investigation into Nvidia.
• A Nevada commissioner blocked Rupert Murdoch’s bid to secure his son Lachlan’s control of his media empire—necessary to ensure Fox News’ right-wing worldview after he dies.

sports & entertainment

• Taylor Swift gave out $197 million in bonuses to her Eras Tour team, from truck drivers to dancers.
• The much-loved duo—Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr—will make a comeback to the MCU in Avengers: Doomsday, scheduled for release in 2026.
• Yash Raj Films (YRF) and Posham Pa plan to make films together. 
• The Hindu has a very good read on the rush to develop so-called ‘pan Indian’ franchises—which is ruining storytelling.

as for the rest 

• Israeli forces have advanced deeper into Syrian territory after the fall of Bashar al-Assad—they’ve pounded the country with 350 strikes in the past 48 hours and have destroyed Syria’s navy.
• CNN has a terrifying read on the notorious Saydnaya prison, infamous for torture and executions under Assad.
• UCLA's 2025 Comparative Literature class will use an AI-generated textbook—no doubt horrifying teachers everywhere.
• Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport is set to reduce its flight capacity by 4% next year to curb noise pollution.
• 2024 is on track to become the hottest year ever, exceeding 2023—and crossing the 1.5°C threshold.
• Eight out of ten Indian kids want ‘parental controls’ on phones—to limit their addiction to the screen. 
• Merriam-Webster's word of the year for 2024 is "polarization," reflecting the polarised duniyas of dictionaries and their very different words of the year.

Six things to see

One: Yesterday, New York police arrested 26-year-old Luigi Mangione for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The suspect was valedictorian for the batch of 2016 at the Gilman School—a fancy private school in Baltimore. His speech has resurfaced—proving once again that the internet never forgets.

Two: Man City X Puma announced a contest—where fans submit designs for the club’s future kit. The de rigeur AI spin: they will have to use a text-to-image uniform generator powered by the AI company DeepObjects. The winning kit—based on fan ratings and experts—will be worn by the team in the 2026-2027 season. The demo designs are so hideous they may distract the rest of us from Man City’s awful form—and financial crimes. See how the tool works below. (The Verge)

Three: NASA astronaut Don Pettit—aboard the International Space Station—took this stunning photo of the cosmos above Earth’s horizon. (Gizmodo)

Four: Santa may not be real—but his North Pole house is now listed on the real estate website—and is worth $1.2 million. As you may have guessed, this ‘showcase’ isn’t for sale—and is a Christmas-themed PR stunt. But it is a real cabin built in 1822—and it looks nauseatingly festive inside. (Quartz)

Five: Director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland return for the third installment of their apocalyptic film franchise—‘28 Years Later’. This one stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ralph Fiennes, Jodie Comer and Cillian Murphy—who might be coming back as a zombie! The movie is slated for release on June 20, 2025. (Variety)

Six: A cartoon series titled ‘The Grandys’ will bring the legendary Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar to life. The plot: Thiruvalluvar takes a trip on a time-machine to 2024—where he teaches his poems. Aiyyo, just the stuff to thrill thathas and paatis across India. The web-series drops on Amazon Prime Kids from April 2025. (The Hindu)

feel good place

One: Snowflake the budgie bird is raising the ‘temperature’!

Two: Eagles, they’re just like human couples!

Three: Disney IRL: Pup meets a camel.