Sep 8: Red Sea Cables Down, Nepal's Social Media Ban, Punjab Underwater

This news isn’t really breaking but we heard about it today and it’s breaking our brains so we had to share it. Bloomberg recently released the August edition of Pop Star Power Rankings - a measure of the most influential figures in global music right now. The only Indian artist to make the cut? Himesh Reshammiya at Number 22, next to Billie Eilish at 21 and on the list with Bruno Mars, Beyoncé and Lady Gaga. Personally, this is a whole redemption arc for us because we’ve been humming ‘tat-tananana Tandoori nights Tandoori nights’ every time we have tikkas. Sir, you are a cult legend. Thank you for your nose.

Now, let’s get into the Dispatch! 🚀

Today’s reading time is 6 mins.

Red Sea Cable Cuts: On September 6–7, 2025, a severe disruption struck the global digital backbone: multiple undersea internet cables in the Red Sea were cut, significantly degrading connectivity across parts of Asia and the Middle East. Affected countries included India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, and others, reporting slower internet speeds, higher latency, and intermittent access. Microsoft flagged the incident on its status page, noting that clients relying on Middle Eastern routes might experience delays, although traffic not routed through the region remained unaffected.

Who’s Behind The Blackout: The causes remain ambiguous. While Yemen’s Houthi rebels have mounted sustained maritime attacks in the Red Sea, using missiles and drones amid the Israel–Hamas conflict, they have firmly denied responsibility for the cable damage. Repair efforts are underway, but such undersea fixes are no small feat and often take weeks, requiring specialized vessels to locate and mend breaks.

Not Just In The Red Sea: A wider analysis shows an increasing pattern of state-backed undersea cable threats, particularly by Russia and China. From 2024 to 2025, nine incidents occurred in the Baltic Sea and near Taiwan, including suspect anchor dragging or cable severing consistent with “grey-zone” strategies. While some disruptions, like the Red Sea event, stem from aggressive regional groups, others echo tactics intended to destabilize infrastructure covertly before open conflict.

A Global Vulnerability Exposed: Both stories illustrate a grim reality: the global internet hinges on fragile undersea cables, vulnerable not only to accidents but increasingly to intentional sabotage.  

Apps As Prescriptions: Its happened - apps have joined the therapeutic arsenal. Thousands of healthcare-related apps are now available and an increasing number being prescribed for specific conditions, almost like medications themselves. This field is known as Digital Therapeutics (DTx) governed by the Digital Therapeutics Alliance (DTA) - a global trade body which defines and standardizes programs that aim to prevent, manage, or treat specific medical conditions. Unlike wellness apps, which may track steps or calories, DTx apps undergo evidence-based validation and can be used in managing non-communicable diseases (NCDs), mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression, sleep disturbances like insomnia, substance-use disorders, and even neurodevelopmental conditions such as ADHD.

Motivation As Medicine: Running parallel to DTx is the fast-growing field of healthcare gamification, embedding game-like features such as points, badges, challenges, or leaderboards into healthcare apps. At first glance, this may sound trivial. But in reality, gamification taps into a powerful behavioral driver: motivation.

Market Insights: The healthcare gamification market was valued at USD 3.9 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow to USD 10.82 billion by 2032, at a CAGR of 12% between 2025 and 2032. Still, challenges remain. In developing countries, adoption is slower due to lower awareness, cultural hesitation, and the unpredictability of patient psychology toward gamified tools.

The Path Ahead: From digital therapeutics that treat ADHD or depression to gamified health apps that motivate exercise or medication adherence, healthcare is steadily moving into our pockets and onto our wrists. The convergence of evidence-based medicine, behavioral science, and consumer tech is rewriting how care is delivered.

Punjab Underwater: Punjab is experiencing its worst floods since 1988, with at least 4 lakh hectares of paddy under water and 70,000 hectares impacted in Amritsar alone. These floods threaten to cause total crop loss and fungal outbreaks, jeopardising a state that cultivates rice on over 3.2 million hectares, which accounts for 64% of its geographical area. Since Punjab contributes 12% to India’s overall rice production and is crucial for the central government’s Public Distribution System (PDS), experts warn of likely price pressure and suggest the central government may need to rethink its policy of using FCI rice for ethanol production. 

Andhra’s Petro Hub: Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited's ₹1.03 lakh crore refinery and petrochemical complex in Andhra Pradesh has received the green signal. The project is a 9 MMTPA Greenfield Refinery that will require 2,109 hectares of land and has a planned 703.34-hectare greenbelt. It is expected to create 3,400 jobs during construction and 3,750 during operations, with a completion schedule of 42 months. The project will now proceed with a detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and a public hearing.

GST Fuels Discounts: Hyundai Motor India will cut prices across its lineup by up to ₹2.4 lakh starting September 22. This move passes on the full benefit of GST 2.0 to customers ahead of the festive season. The price reductions range from ₹60,640 on the Verna to a hefty ₹2,40,303 on the Tucson. Popular models like the Venue (up to ₹1,23,659), Creta (up to ₹72,145), and i20 (up to ₹98,053) also experience significant drops in price, making them more affordable. The new GST structure places small cars at 18% and larger cars at 40%, a change automakers believe will increase demand.