Sexual abuse horror in Kerala

Written by: Aarthi Ramnath, Raghav Bikhchandani & Yash Budhwar

The Clueless Founder: Are You A Founder?

Welcome to the second episode of The Clueless Founder. The show made for folks who are just starting out on the wild, wild journey of being a founder. Think of it as a no-BS, real life guide to the nitty gritty of the startup life! We’re here to break it down one episode at a time.

In the previous episode, Lakshmi Chaudhry (splainer Founder) and Chitra Raghavan (Partner, Rajaram Legal) discussed the startup equivalent of the shaadi prenup: the Founder’s Agreement. In this episode, Lakshmi’s talking to Neha Bagaria. She founded her first startup as a senior at Wharton—and is now on her third venture HerKey—which recently raised $4 million for an exciting, innovative platform for working women. Neha helps us cut through all the startup hype to unpack the biggest question each of us has to face: Should I even be a founder?

Sexual abuse horror in Kerala

Content warning: The following item contains references to sexual abuse that may be difficult to read.

An 18-year-old Dalit girl has accused more than 60 men of sexually abusing her since the age of 13. It started in 2019 when a neighbour molested her—and took explicit photos—which he shared with others—who also raped her: “The accused, aged between 17 and 47, include her neighbour, sports coach, father's friend, fellow athletes, and classmates.” The history of abuse includes five gangrapes—including in a car and at a hospital.

Where she is now: The young woman told counselors about the abuse during a session at her school. The local Child Welfare Committee (CWC) is now handling her case—and she is staying with them for her safety.

The arrests: Of the 64 men, 42 have been arrested. The charges have been filed under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. And the Kerala government has formed a Special Investigation Team with 25 officers. Quote to note:

“This is a rare and disturbing case of prolonged exploitation,” a police officer told The South First. Another said a case of this magnitude "may be unprecedented under a POSCO case".

BBC News and The Independent have the best curation of the available information—which is pretty thin right now.

Joe Biden’s AI surprise for Nvidia

The lame duck president has been rolling out new (often radical) policies in the last days of his administration. The latest farewell gift is a country ban on US chips that power AI. And it’s already walloped tech stocks—especially that of Nvidia.

How it works: The new policy creates three tiers of countries. The first are allies like Australia, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan—who face no restrictions. The second targets Russia and China—which already are blocked from buying advanced chips. They will now face new restrictions—blocking them from acquiring “powerful ‘closed’ AI models, which refer to models whose underlying architectures are not released to the public.”

The most important is the third group—which contains most of the world. They will face new caps of the amount of computing power they can buy. The rationale: Russia and China often sidestep the existing bans by purchasing their chips from countries in the Middle East. This is a move to plug that hole.

Point to note: India is not in the favoured tier:

Although a core group of 20 countries will initially be exempted from the caps, dozens of NATO allies, EU member states, and US partners will be left out. India, Singapore, Vietnam, and Mexico are not exempted, sending them the message that the US trusts you to help build the chips, but not to buy them. Small European tech leaders such as the Baltics and Czechia will also be hit by the caps.

The bigger picture: It’s not clear whether the Trump White House will retain the policy—though the Donald has no love for China. But Nvidia is already up in arms—and so may a number of other key AI players—as their shares sink. But the message to the rest of the world is just as infuriating: “US strong-arming feeds Europe’s dreams for ‘digital sovereignty.’ It plays into European criticisms about the dominance of US tech firms and extraterritorial applications of US laws.” CEPA has an interesting take on how the EU will respond. (Reuters)

Nitrate nightmare in our groundwater

A new government report shows that 56% of districts across the country—440—have unsafe levels of nitrate in their groundwater. The amount exceeded 45 mg per litre. Rajasthan, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are the most polluted—with 49%, 48% and 37% of the tested samples reporting nitrates above the safe level, respectively. Also a concern: escalating levels in Maharashtra (35.74%), Telangana (27.48%), Andhra Pradesh (23.5%) and Madhya Pradesh (22.58%).

What’s with those nitrates? A high level of nitrates makes the water unsafe for drinking—and can cause blue baby syndrome in infants—aka methemoglobinemia. This is when red blood cells are not able to carry as much oxygen—causing a variety of symptoms including decreased blood pressure, increased heart rate, headaches, stomach cramps, and vomiting.

The worst bit: Since nitrates have no odour or taste, they are difficult to detect. Also a problem: “[O]nce the nitrates in the groundwater rise to the surface and become part of lakes and ponds, algal blooms throttle the health of aquatic ecosystems.”

Why is this happening? Human activity, of course—especially farming:

High nitrate levels in groundwater can be a result of excessive irrigation which can push nitrates from fertilizers deep into the soil, the report said. Poor management of animal waste in livestock farming adds to the problem, as it releases nitrates into the soil. Urbanisation and population growth increase wastewater and sewage, which often contain high nitrate levels, while leaking septic systems and poor sewage disposal worsen contamination.

Reading list: The Hindu (paywall) and Business Standard have more details on the report.

Concussion, virus and dementia: A new & disturbing link

A new study has found that a serious knock on the head or a series of mild blows—sustained during sports or accidents—can trigger dormant viruses. These include the common herpes virus (HSV-1) and its relative Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV) which causes chickenpox and shingles.

Why this is important: The methodology used by the researchers was unique. They created ‘mini brains’—using stem cells—and subjected them to trauma:

A week after the injury, researchers noticed the formation of clumps and tangles of proteins in the brain tissue, a hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.

Until now, we knew that head trauma—especially in athletes—leads to a high risk of such diseases. But this research reveals the key role played by the viruses:

Ruth Itzhaki, professorial fellow at Oxford’s Institute of Population Ageing… said recent studies left no doubt that viruses were involved in many cases of dementia. They are believed to harm the brain by inducing an inflammatory immune response rather than directly killing neurons.

Point to note: Previous studies have already found that herpes (HSV-1) could double the chances of developing dementia. The added context of head trauma is new.

Data points to note: The common herpes virus (HSV-1) is spread orally—-and found in 80% of adults, either dormant or active. And its relative Varicella Zoster Virus—which causes chickenpox and shingles—is found in 95% of the population. There is no vaccine for HSV-1—but Shingrix helps protect against shingles. (Financial Times, paywall, Science Alert)

what caught our eye

business & tech

Financial Times (splainer gift link) explains why Mark Zuckerberg’s reincarnation as rightwing bro is not just about keeping Donald Trump happy.
Elon Musk’s Boring Company is moving forward with its underground transportation system in Las Vegas, bypassing regulatory reviews.
New Biden sanctions on Russian tankers that carried oil to India spell very bad news for New Delhi—unless Donald Trump throws them out the window.

sports & entertainment

The Indian box office grossed $1.37 billion in 2024, making it the second-highest-grossing year in history, with South Indian hits like ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’ and ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ leading the charge.
Oh no—Nick Kyrgios has hinted his first-round Australian Open loss might be his final singles match at Melbourne Park.

health & environment

New research model predicts 9.36 million Indian women will contract breast cancer between 2025 and 2030—a 22% increase over the count between 2019 and 2024. The economic costs will rise to $8.1 billion by 2030—nearly 80% of the FY2025 Union budget for health.
According to new study, from the patients assessed, the Surgical Site Infections (SSIs) rate in three major hospitals in India was 5.2%—greater than many high-income countries.
The Plank reports on how the National Clean Air Programme has created a measurement system that shows progress on paper while citizens can’t breathe.

as for the rest

ISRO successfully brought two satellites as close as 3 meters in a key docking manoeuvre, a step towards making India the fourth nation to achieve this feat.
According to an Indian study, most of the 344 attacks on humans by leopards in Himachal only resulted in minor injuries.
An estimated 3.2 million children in Sudan are facing acute malnutrition—amid a bloody civil war.
Cease-fire talks on Gaza appear to be gaining new momentum—just in time for Donald Trump's return to the White House.
Insurance companies have either stopped renewing or writing new policies for homes in wildfire-prone areas in California—that's before the latest disaster.
Elon Musk has sent Tesla Cybertrucks and Starlink terminals to help battle California's wildfires.
Sticking with the LA fires: The decision by utility companies not to turn off many power lines during high winds had likely increased the spread. But the initial trigger remains unknown.
BBC News offers a ground report from Guangzhou's "Shein village”—on the exploitation of workers creating fast fashion for a global empire.
CNN has a good read on the new trend of "whole-body" deodorants—which haven’t exactly impressed experts.
Laurene Powell Jobs—#1 supporter of Kamala Harris—is attending the Maha Kumbh, where she will meditate at the Niranjani Akhara and be anointed with a Hindu name—‘Kamala.’ Oh, the irony.
Thailand's cabinet has approved a draft law to legalize gambling and casinos, aiming to boost tourism, jobs, and revenue.

Two things to see

One: Meet Zeytin (or Olive)—a 5-month-old baby gorilla found in a box on a Turkish Airlines flight from Nigeria to Thailand. He is now safe and recovering from trauma at an Istanbul zoo. Wildlife officials plan to return him to the wild. (Associated Press)

Two: The Royal Mint unveiled a new £2 coin commemorating George Orwell on his 75th death anniversary—coming up on January 21. The design—inspired by ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’—includes a camera lens and the quote, “Big Brother is watching you”. (The Guardian)