Coming soon: A global MPox crisis

Researched by: Aarthi Ramnath, Aakriti Anand & Raghav Bikhchandani

Coming soon: A global MPox crisis

The context: A new strain of the virus—previously known as Monkeypox—is better able to spread among heterosexuals. Previous outbreaks primarily affected gay or bisexual men. As a result, MPox cases are soaring in Africa—including DRC, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda. The variant has also been found in Sweden and Thailand.

A vaccine shortage: At $100 a pop, the vaccines are too expensive for most African countries—who need World Health Organisation (WHO) assistance. The organisation has to first greenlight the vaccine—but the approval process is excruciatingly slow. As a result, there are no vaccines in the DRC—ground zero of the outbreak—even though it first asked for the shots two years ago. Also this:

Three years after the last worldwide MPox outbreak, the WHO still has neither officially approved the vaccines — although the United States and Europe have — nor has it issued an emergency use licence that would speed access.

The African countries will finally receive the first batches of vaccines—donated primarily by Germany and some by the US.

Point to note: WHO just announced a $135 million plan to contain the outbreaks in Africa—but it does not cover vaccines.

Why this matters: So far, 590 have died and there are 17,979 suspected cases across 12 African countries. The worst-hit—as we said—is the Congo:

There have been more than 15,000 cases of MPox in Congo this year, and at least 550 deaths, although many cases are not diagnosed or treated. Most of those deaths have occurred among children, some of whom starve because agonising lesions in their mouths and throats have prevented them from eating.

Reading list: New York Times (splainer gift link) and Reuters provide the most comprehensive reporting on the vaccine delays. For more context, we did a must-read Big Story on the MPox virus back in 2022.

Shocking militant attacks in Pakistan

In at least six separate attacks, 74 people were killed in the province of Balochistan. The separatist group Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility. In the worst attack, 23 people were dragged out of buses and trucks—and killed—after their IDs confirmed they were Punjabi migrants.

Why this wave is significant, according to security experts:

There was a major attack on security forces in May last year, but today’s events are significant. Highways were blocked, railway tracks damaged, all near Punjab. The expansion of their operation is unique, as they are demonstrating their ability to extend the conflict to, or near, Punjab.

Baloch extremists have also attacked Chinese personnel—working on development projects in the past. Balochistan has vast reserves of oil, coal, gold, copper, and gas—which has attracted Chinese investment. And its home to “Pakistan’s sole deep-sea port, Gwadar, the centrepiece of the $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.” (Al Jazeera)

Mollywood’s MeToo moment: New allegations

The context: As the Monday’s Big Story explained, a number of actresses have come forward to accuse some of the biggest Malayalam stars of sexual assault, exploitation, and even rape. Over the weekend, women named director Ranjith and actor Siddique. The spate of allegations were sparked by the unconscionably delayed Hema committee report—which documents “shockingly rampant” sexual harassment that “goes on unchecked and uncontrolled.” We highly recommend reading the Big Story, if you missed it.

What happened now: More women have stepped up to name a number of leading actors and a filmmaker. Minu Muneer shared stories of being harassed and groped by ruling CPI(M) MLA and actor M Mukesh, actor and producer Maniyanpilla Raju, actor Edavela Babu, actor Jayasurya, a production controller, and others. Watch her interview below:

Two other actresses—and a writer—have accused others, as well. The most telling detail in this ongoing crisis—the conduct of the powerful industry group Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA):

Meanwhile, the AMMA, which has come under tremendous pressure from its own members questioning its lack of a strong stand on the committee report, has postponed an emergency executive meeting scheduled for Tuesday, citing inconvenience of AMMA president and actor Mohanlal.

Many of its senior members and office-bearers are among the accused.

Where we are now: The police have registered a case against Ranjith. Other actresses have indicated their willingness to cooperate with the Special Investigation Team set up by the Kerala government. Indian Express has more on that angle. The Hindu has the latest revelations. The News Minute reports on allegations of sexual abuse against director Sajin Baabu.

Big Tech’s energy plan: Drill, baby, drill

Meta just signed a key agreement with a company called Sage Geosystems—to provide energy to its voracious data centres. Sage will provide 150 megawatts of electricity—enough to power 70,000 homes. But here’s the kicker—it isn’t harvested from rivers, wind, or the sun. This “clean energy” requires drilling deep into the ground:

Sage will use fracking techniques similar to those that have helped extract vast amounts of oil and gas from shale rock. But rather than drill for fossil fuels, Sage plans to create fractures thousands of feet beneath the surface and pump water into them.

The heat and pressure underground should heat the water to the point where it can be used to generate electricity in a turbine, all without the greenhouse gases that are causing global warming.

Google is on the same track—as are many others. The reason: AI is an energy-guzzler: “Data centres typically need power 24 hours a day, which wind turbines and solar panels alone can’t provide.” New York Times (login required) explains why clean energy experts are feeling upbeat. ICYMI, our Big Story by Samarth Bansal on the hidden energy cost of AI is a must read.

Amazon offers ‘Ashray’ to its workers

The context: A recent Indian Express investigation revealed warehouse workers are being forced to take “oaths” not to take toilet or water breaks—until they achieve their targets. The policy seemed much in line with Amazon’s oppressive workplace rules around the world. Example: US Amazon drivers often pee in bottles to make delivery times.

What happened now: A kinder, gentler Amazon plans to set up rest stops for delivery personnel—as part of ‘Project Ashray’:

These rest points will provide delivery associates with a range of amenities, including comfortable seating, access to clean drinking water, mobile phone charging stations, and washrooms. Each centre can accommodate up to 15 people at a time and will operate from 9 am to 9 pm, offering free access for up to 30 minutes per visit.

The first five centres will be set up in Mumbai, Delhi, and Bangalore. What’s surprisingly nice: These will be available for delivery personnel from other companies too. (Business Today)

A dismal pattern of Indian adoption

According to government data, of the 18,179 children that have been adopted since 2019, only 1,404 were kids with special needs. What’s make this stat even more dire—76% kids who are available for adoption are labelled as ‘special needs’:

‘Even those children who have got a minor correctable disease or ailment, which over a period of time may no longer classify them as special needs, are still labelled as such for the purpose of adoption.’ This broad classification includes children with developmental delays or minor physical conditions such as a cleft palate, which can be surgically corrected.

Also this: “Only 25 healthy children under the age of two are available for adoption nationwide, making up just 1% of the total. In 19 States, there are no healthy children below the age of 10 available for adoption.” The Hindu has more on this distressing data.

Maths textbooks go desi

The context: A great part of the government’s education policy rehaul involves rewriting textbooks—as we explained in this Big Story. But until now, most of the edits have involved rewriting history, omitting concepts in other social sciences or ‘Indianising’ English lit & language curricula.

What happened now: The government-run NCERT has broken new ground—with its new class 6 maths textbook—which has additional sections on Indian mathematics. It also uses the Rigveda to present key concepts—such as 360° in a circle:

‘The division of a circle into 360 parts goes back to ancient times. The Rigveda, one of the very oldest texts of humanity going back thousands of years, speaks of a wheel with 360 spokes (Verse 1.164.48)’

Professors of mathematics say that the textbook exaggerates Indian contributions—and downplays or ignores contributions from other parts of the world. The Telegraph has more on what’s been added and omitted.

what caught our eye

business & tech

Another day, another European data privacy stir—Uber has been fined $324 million by the Netherlands’ privacy watchdog.
Ikea vs eBay battle soon? The Swedish firm has launched a secondhand furniture marketplace, called Ikea Preowned.
Say hello to ITC’s new food range for people aged 45 and up. It’s called “right shift” and features upma, oats, cookies, and atta.
IBM is shutting down its R&D operations in China, affecting around 1,000 jobs. Where will they go? India!
Wall Street Journal (splainer gift link) reports on how Chinese AI engineers are secretly accessing banned Nvidia chips.
Chocoholics, beware! Dairy Milk was ordered to pay Rs 10,000 to a consumer who purchased “damaged chocolate unfit for human consumption”
Ever wanted to earn commission from hotel bookings by posting short-form video content? New startup Travly thinks you do.
TechCrunch has a good read on whether it really is better to run a startup in San Francisco than other cities.

sports & entertainment

Anxiety is monetised! Pixar’s ‘Inside Out 2’ has become the first animated film to cross the $1 billion mark in non-US international markets.
Hindustan Times remembers Nari Hira, the debonair publisher behind ‘Stardust’ magazine who had a scandal-hungry India panting for more.
Paul Hayward in The Guardian pens an emotional tribute to the legendary football manager Sven-Göran Eriksson—who died three days after the release of a documentary on his life, legacy and terminal illness.
2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem bows out at his last ever Grand Slam—losing to Ben Shelton in straight sets at… the US Open. Full circle.

as for the rest

Sixty media and rights organisations have urged the European Union (EU) to impose sanctions on and suspend its Association Agreement with Israel, citing the killing of journalists in Gaza.
Say hello to Ladakh’s five new districts—Zanskar, Drass, Sham, Nubra, and Changthang.
Have a laugh at the year’s most bizarre pet insurance claims, as part of the UK’s Hambone Award. Don’t worry—all the sick pets made full recoveries.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has finalised the skull model of the female humanoid Vyommitra, who will (wo)man the mission ahead of the human-crewed Gaganyaan mission scheduled for 2025.
Don’t want to respond to work emails after hours? The Aussies now have a “right to disconnect”!

Four things to see

One: Our government’s obsession with overly large statues was dealt a severe blow—when a 35-foot tall Chhatrapati Shivaji toppled over at the Rajkot Fort in Maharashtra. It was inaugurated by Modi-ji a mere nine months ago.

You can see the great collapse below. (India Today)

Two: This may be the best anti-Trump ad ever.

Three: 102-year-old Manette Baillie is now Britain’s oldest skydiver. (BBC News)

Four: Archaeologists unearthed this wonderful mosaic of dolphins and fish from the 2nd century CE—in the Roman city of Viroconium Cornoviorum—aka the village of Wroxeter in England. Smithsonian Magazine has more on the surprising find.