1. Climate Change activist Greta Thunberg receives criticism on Twitter after the UN Climate Change (COP 26) Conference 
   

“It is not a secret that COP26 is a failure. It should be obvious that we cannot solve the crisis with the same methods that got us into it in the first place,” said Greta Thunberg.

18 year old climate change activist and author of No One is Too Small to Make A Change and Our House is on Fire, was recently criticized for speaking out against the inaction by government and other political leaders around the world. Long term followers of Greta Thunberg have noticed a trend that has become very obvious -- Greta is quick to call out yet fails to offer a solution. 

While most comments were downright rude and attacking Greta, others were more constructive. One user  said -  “If she wants a change she needs to start taking action...less talk at this point.”  

Greta is known for challenging the status quo by speaking up against the major corporations that fail to provide a long term plan to tackle climate change. The issue here is that while protests help in pointing fingers and in effectively raising awareness, they often fail in coming up with practical solutions. 

Some of the more constructive comments noted how making small changes in our everyday lives such as driving less gasoline cars is the real call to action. This enforces the point that it should be a collective effort to combat climate change rather than playing the blame game and pointing fingers. 

2. The death toll rises to 9 people at Travis Scott’s Astroworld concert that took place in Houston, Texas over this past weekend 
   

Nine people died and more than 300 were seriously injured after a packed crowd surged toward the stage during the Astroworld Festival in the rapper's hometown of Houston. Of the most recent was 22-year old Bharti Shahani, this was her first time attending a concert. Watch her mother’s heartbreaking interview with NBC news here: https://www.nbcnews.com/video/astroworld-victim-bharti-shahani-dies-after-concert-injuries-death-toll-increases-126002757542. 

Travis Scott is known to amp up his audience so much that he’s previously faced legal issues as a result. 

The concert proceeded with standard precautions at music festivals, including approvals from city and county authorities who manage the park in which it took place. Even so, dozens of concertgoers, from young fans to music business professionals, noticed unsettling signs early in the day, from a sense that the event did not have enough medics there. Even before Scott went on, fans began jumping over barriers to escape the crowd – a sign that should have alerted security that the situation was becoming dangerous.

“Scott has offered refunds and dropped out of his next gig, partnered with mental health service providers to offer help for those affected and vowed to pay for memorial services for the victims.” - LA Times

All parties involved should be held accountable for this tragic accident that has resulted in multiple deaths and injuries. 

3. Marvel’s Eternals criticised for stereotyping the first-ever on screen South Asian superhero Kingo, played by Kumail Nanjiani
   

Kingo is a big step for South-Asian representation in commercial cinema. He is the first superhero from South-Asia in the MCU however, Hollywood can never seem to get Bollywood right, and the 90s inspired singing and dancing shots are the perfect example. In the movie, while Kumail is an Eternal, in everyday life he plays a Bollywood actor. The scene introduces Kumail's character Kingo as a Bollywood superstar who is shooting for his movie when fellow Eternals visit him. Without giving away too much, let’s just say desi TikTok was not too impressed by his character’s portrayal. 

I was so excited to see the first South Asian superhero in the Marvel cinematic universe but it could have been so much better. I mean, half of Shang-Chi was in Mandarin, so why was the song in English? Yes, the representation was there -- even though they casted South Asians for the Bollywood scene, no one had stereotypical accents. However, why couldn't they just hire someone to help them design an authentic Bollywood set? Or better yet, watch a Bollywood movie for a change? Not to mention, the soundtrack to which the actors are dancing is in English, so accurately Bollywood, right?

4. #Polarpreet 
   

A 32-year-old British Sikh army officer and physiotherapist embarks on a mission to become the first Indian-origin female to complete a solo, unsupported trek to the South Pole. Captain Harpreet Chandi, known as Polar Preet, will be travelling 700 miles while battling temperatures of minus 50 degrees. 

“Hopefully doing something that pushes me so far out of my comfort zone will inspire others to believe in themselves and push their boundaries. There are only a few female adventurers that have completed a solo, unsupported trek on this continent. It is time to add some more names, diversity and to make history,” she said on her blog.    

She will  be traveling for approximately 45 to 47 days. In her blog post, she goes into depth on how to prepare both physically and mentally for an adventure like this, which took her about 2 years. Preet has always been keen on pushing her body to the limits and her latest mission is a part of this search. From getting her Masters in Sport Science to joining the Regular Army at the age of 27, she has no limits on what she can achieve! 

Watch her journey on Youtube or on her blog

5. Malala Yousafzai Got Married! 

“We are excited to walk together for the journey for the journey ahead” - 

Malala took to Twitter to announce her wedding. 

Nobel Peace Prize recipient and an ultimate powerhouse of a person, Malala Yousafzai got married to partner Assar Malik, in a small Nikkah ceremony on November 9th, 2021 in front of their families. Her wedding pictures are an absolute dream. But who is Assar Malik? 

The 24-year-old activist was shot in the head in 2012 by the Taliban while she was campaigning for girls' schooling in Pakistan. After the incident, the then 15-year-old ended up being treated in Birmingham. She attended Edgbaston High School before going on to study politics, philosophy and economics at Oxford -- completing her degree last year. In 2014 she became the youngest individual to ever be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. She set up the Malala Fund, which aims to support the education of women and girls around the world.

Now she advocates for girls' education with her non-profit Malala Fund and having invested $2 million in Afghanistan. She has also signed a deal with Apple TV+ that will see her produce dramas and documentaries that focus on women and children.

Malala has received congratulations from people across the globe, including many politicians like Justin Trudeau and fellow activists such as Greta Thunberg.