It’s official: Amazon owns 007

Written by: Aarthi Ramnath, Raghav Bikhchandani & Yash Budhwar

It’s official: Amazon owns 007

The context: The tech giant bought Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio for $8.5 billion in 2022. A big part of MGM’s sale price was determined by its highly desirable James Bond franchise.

But, but, but: Amazon found it couldn’t do eff all with its new toys—because creative control for the franchise rested with someone else:

When it comes to Bond’s future, the power lies in the hands of Barbara Broccoli, who inherited the control from her father, Albert “Cubby” Broccoli, and who for 30 years has decided when a new Bond movie can go into production.

Actually, Broccoli and her stepbrother Michael Wilson. Now, Broccoli didn’t much like Amazon:

She has told friends she doesn’t trust algorithm-centric Amazon with a character she helped to mythologize through big-screen storytelling and gut instinct. This fall, she characterized the status of a new movie in dire terms—no script, no story and no new Bond. To friends, Broccoli has characterized her thoughts on Amazon this way: “These people are f— idiots.”

As a result, there has been no movement on the next Bond movie—no story, script or actor to replace Daniel Craig.

What happened now: Amazon has shelled out an extra $1 billion to buy creative control from Broccoli and her brother—who will remain co-owners on paper. Journalists are already angsting over what Amazon will do to bechara Bond. Its previous effort to milk the cash cow was an awful reality show on Prime—titled ‘007: Road to a Million’—described by critics as “boring, soulless and derivative.” Haw!

The most likely outcome: A Marvel/Star Wars level of excess:

Now, Amazon can maybe stay on a linear track with the films, but maybe they create a streaming series about Moneypenny or tell an origin story about Q. Do they have Ana de Armas’s character from ‘No Time to Die’ appear in a separate movie? It’s all possible.

Inside Hook has more on the fan angst. Variety explains why Amazon wanted Bond so bad. (Deadline)

The very silly brouhaha over USAID

It all started when Donald Trump—a man best known for getting his facts right—said this:

...And USD 21 million for voter turnout in India. Why do we need to spend $21 million for voter turnout in India? Wow, I guess they (the Biden administration) were trying to get somebody else elected. We have got to tell the Indian Government.

The BJP immediately declared that the money was used to fund nefarious activities—such as Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’. And it even held a press conference to share its baseless allegations.

The kicker: An Indian Express investigation reveals that the money went to Bangladesh… not India:

That $21 million, records accessed by The Indian Express show, was sanctioned in 2022 for Bangladesh, not India. Of this, $13.4 million has already been disbursed, ostensibly for “political and civic engagement” among Bangladesh students in the run-up to the January 2024 elections and projects that put a question mark on the integrity of these elections — seven months before the ouster of Sheikh Hasina.

Please note–that last line is a bit of editorialising by the Express–as there is no evidence that USAID funds played a part in Hasina’s exit. In any case, there has been no election-related USAID spends in India since 2008. (Indian Express)

Microsoft’s Majorana: A big leap or just another quantum tease?

Microsoft has unveiled the Majorana 1—the latest salvo in quantum chips, hot on the heels of IBM and Google.

About quantum computing: It relies on qubits. Unlike traditional binary bits that are either ‘0s’ or ‘1s’, these can exist in multiple states at once—like Schrödinger’s cat. This allows for exponentially faster problem-solving. However, its unstable nature causes frequent errors, and scientists have been trying to create more stable quantum computing for a while.

State of the quantum art: In 2023, IBM unveiled a new way of connecting chips and machines which could give us a viable quantum computer by 2033. A year later, Google rolled out its superstar qubit chip—Willow—which is extremely fast and “now has best-in-class performance” in error reduction.

What happened now: Microsoft claims to have created a new material and architecture for quantum computing—which forms the basis of a new processor called Majorana 1. It looks kinda pretty—like so:

What’s special about Majorana: It packs a big punch inside a small package: “Majorana 1 can potentially fit a million qubits onto a single chip that’s not much bigger than the CPUs inside desktop PCs and servers.” It manages this feat using something called a “Majorana particle”—something so confusing that we leave The Guardian or this YouTube vid to explain it to you.

How it works: Basically, this new technique allows Microsoft to pack in eight “topological qubits” on a single chip—using a new material made of indium arsenide and aluminum. It eventually wants to scale to 1 million—which would make for astonishing breakthroughs in computing.

But, but, but: Not everyone is convinced that Microsoft has achieved what it claims. More recently, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang declared that useful quantum computing is at least 15-30 years away—tanking quantum computing stocks. The Verge has the layperson version, while we refer quantum computing nerds to the MIT Technology Review.

High-risk asteroid is headed for Earth

Astronomers have spotted asteroid 2024 YR4—anywhere between 130 to 300 feet long—headed towards Earth. Scientists estimate that it has a 3.1% chance of hitting us—when it comes close in 2032. That’s the highest ever recorded risk of an asteroid strike. While YR4 is hardly the largest asteroid to threaten the planet, it can still cause significant damage:

Although 2024 YR4 would not come close to decimating a country, it could scar or demolish a city with a direct hit. And there is a very slim chance that it might. Much of the object’s estimated track passes over empty ocean, but some possible impact locations are close to large cities like Mumbai, Bogotá and Lagos.

New York Times via The Telegraph has lots more on the horrific scenarios that would follow impact.

Scented wax candles are a health hazard

A new study has found that scented wax aka flame-free candles cause indoor air pollution on par with diesel engines and gas stoves. The reason: When wax melts, it releases compounds called terpenes, which react with ozone in the air to form tiny particles linked to heart and lung diseases. There could be billions of these in your respiratory system after just 20 minutes of exposure to scented products—which include the likes of oil diffusers, air fresheners, disinfectants. You can check out a video of the experiment below. (Science Alert)

what caught our eye

business & tech

The Customs Department wants Volkswagen to pay $1.4 billion for allegedly misclassifying its imports of Audi, Skoda and Volkswagen cars as “individual parts”—to pay lower duties.
ChatGPT isn’t slowing down—OpenAI's AI tool hit 400 million weekly users in February, up 33% since December, despite China's DeepSeek making waves in the AI race.
Nvidia just launched "Signs," an AI-powered tutor for American Sign Language learners—featuring a 3D avatar and real-time feedback

sports & entertainment

Former Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales gets away with sexually assaulting Jenni Hermoso for the price of €13,000, a year of no contact, and staying 200m away—no jail time, no real consequences. Refresh your mind about the scandal with our Big Story.
Shubman Gill’s red-hot form continued with an unbeaten 101 as India cruised to a six-wicket win over Bangladesh in their Champions Trophy opener—set up by Mohammed Shami’s fiery five-wicket haul. Also in the match, Rohit Sharma smashing past 11,000 ODI runs, becoming the second fastest to do so after Virat Kohli.
Robert De Niro makes his TV debut in Netflix’s ‘Zero Day’, but after the grind of filming, he’s not sure he’ll do it again—"It’s like doing three movies back to back."
HBO has set April 13 as the official date for ‘The Last of Us’ season 2, ending the wait since its 2023 season one finale
Cynthia Erivo: Tony, Grammy, and Emmy winner—and this year’s Oscar nominee for ‘Wicked’—will host the 2025 Tony Awards.
Eminem is reportedly set to perform in Mumbai on June 3 as part of his 2025 world tour—but there’s no official confirmation yet.
Banijay’s new show ‘AI Love You’ lets couples facing an early death create AI avatars of their partners—preserving their love beyond life itself.

health & environment

Glaciers are melting 36% faster than in the early 2000s, a new study finds, pushing sea levels higher and accelerating climate risks.
Six elephants were killed—and zero humans—when a train crashed into a herd in Sri Lanka—AFP calls it the country’s worst wildlife-train accident.

as for the rest

In blatant ignorance of their own brutalities unleashed upon Palestinian children, Netanyahu vowed revenge after Hamas handed over the bodies of four Israeli hostages, including baby Kfir Bibas and his brother Ariel.
The Hindu has a good read on how large-scale deportations from the US are exposing Indian human trafficking syndicates—and why experts say central agencies like the NIA, CBI, and ED should step in for a deeper probe.
An activist who filed a complaint against former Telangana CM KCR has been murdered. Police cite a property dispute, but his family alleges political motives.
Trump’s new order strips “independent” agencies of their independence, putting the FTC, FCC, SEC, and others under direct presidential control.
Delta is offering $30,000 to passengers of Flight 4819 after its fiery crash in Toronto—insisting the payout comes with "no strings attached" and won’t affect their rights.
Trump says he’s “not happy with Boeing” and is considering alternatives for Air Force One after delivery delays and the Alaska Airlines mid-flight blowout.
After the Supreme Court’s rebuke over Ranveer Allahbadia’s "obscene" remarks, the Centre has told OTT platforms to stick to age-based content classification and self-regulate.

Four things to see

One: The fancy Decápolis Hotel in Panama’s capital city has become a ‘temporary custody’ centre for 300 US deportees—including those from India, Pakistan and Nepal. A number of them are holding up signs with desperate SOS messages—like these Afghan girls below. Point to note: only 171 deportees have agreed to return to their home countries. The rest may be transferred to a camp in Darién. Irony alert: undocumented migrants routinely enter the US via the Darién Gap. (BBC News)

Two: New NASA satellite images studied by glaciologist Mauri Pelto reveals that the “snow line” on Mount Everest has receded by 150 metres between October 2023 and January 2025. Why this matters: “A ‘rising snow line’ — in which snow melts at lower heights, forcing the snow line boundary up a mountainside — is suggestive of a warming climate.” You can see the before and after image below. (The Telegraph)

Three: A team of archaeologists have uncovered the tomb of King Thutmose II—an ancestor of the most famous Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun. This marks the discovery of the first royal tomb since that of Tutankhamun in 1922. Point to note: Thutmose’s mummy had been found 200 years ago—and rests in the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization—but the burial site had not been located. How did they know it was a royal tomb: a teeny part of the ceiling was still intact— blue with yellow stars on it—a sign of royalty. See that below. You can find more images here. (BBC News)

Four: Oh look, it’s Wim Wenders at Satyajit Ray’s house! The German filmmaker—best known for ‘Paris, Texas’, ‘Wings of Desire’ and ‘Perfect Days’—is currently on a month-long tour in India, taking masterclasses and screening 18 of his films. He’s also a big fan of Satyajit Ray. On Wednesday, he visited the veteran filmmaker’s house in Kolkata—where he met with Ray’s son Sandip Ray and the OG Charulata—Madhabi Mukherjee. (The Telegraph)

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