Oregon inferno, Bezos in space, pure shellfish-ness
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Despite Pegasus leaks, Modi government denies press freedom issue — India
India’s ranking on the press freedom index fell further this year, but the Narendra Modi government believes the rankings themselves are dubious. Yesterday (July 19), during the monsoon session of …
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Torching sexist stereotypes
Hi readers! Opening ceremony performers are in rehearsals, athletes are in the Olympic Village, and cotton swabs are in nostrils. It all starts this Friday, but here are some preliminary …
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The allure of cardboard furniture —
The Olympic Village has long been known as hotbed for international hook-ups, where hundreds of thousands of free condoms are handed out during the Games to promote safe sex. But …
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Why did the US accuse China of hacking Microsoft? —
The US and some of its allies, including the UK, EU, and NATO, issued statements today (July 19) linking—with varying degrees of forcefulness—a large-scale hack of Microsoft that took place …
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With Child Tax Credit the US still lags child allowances globally —
When the first installment of the enhanced Child Tax Credit was sent out on July 15, it marked a historic first for US social policy. For the first time, eligible …
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Historic wildfires, Pegasus, starchitect toilets
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Rising tensions in Afghanistan are stressing refugees in India — India
It has been over three years since Haroon Mojaddidi fled Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, and arrived in Delhi to seek refuge from a country ravaged by violence for decades. …
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How much is fuel for a private jet in Europe? —
European lawmakers introduced a raft of climate policy proposals on July 14 to help the bloc hit its legally binding goal to cut emissions 55% below 1990 levels by 2030, …
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The Anthony Bourdain documentary and the ethics of audio deepfakes —
By now, using machine learning to simulate a dead person on screen is an accepted Hollywood technique. Synthetic media, known widely as “deepfake” (a portmanteau of “deep learning” and “fake”) …
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