Testosterone testing: Caster Semenya scores a key win

Written by: Aarthi Ramnath, Raghav Bikhchandani & Yash Budhwar

Goodbye to all that: The end of news and the birth of the new

On August 29, we will publish the last edition of splainer’s news edition. It will also mark the culmination of my long stint in daily news—which began in 1999. But for splainer (and me), this is not an end but the beginning of a new engagement with the world—expressing the same values and mission but in fresh, exciting ways. In my rather personal essay—our Big Story for this week—I explain why.

Testosterone testing: Caster Semenya scores a key win

South African runner and two-time Olympic gold medallist Caster Semenya just scored a victory at the European court of human rights (ECHR). It could change how sports bodies treat women athletes whose hormonal levels don’t fit the rulebook.

Who is Caster Semenya: Semenya is one of the most dominant middle-distance runners of her generation, winning Olympic gold in the women’s 800m at London 2012 and Rio 2016. She’s always been legally recognised as female. But sports officials classify her as having “differences of sex development” (DSD)—because her body naturally produces more testosterone than most women.

The rules: International track authorities argued that this gave her an unfair advantage. They introduced rules that require athletes like her to use medication to lower their testosterone levels in order to compete:

The governing body for track and field has long maintained that Semenya must take drugs to reduce her testosterone levels in order to compete as a woman. The policy was upheld by the Lausanne-based court of arbitration for sport in 2019, and then by a Swiss federal tribunal in 2020, leading Semenya to take her long-running battle against the regulations to the European court.

Point to note: Semenya did comply with the rules between 2011 and 2015—but likened the experience to being treated like a “human guinea pig.”

The ruling: The ECHR ruled that Semenya was not given a fair trial by the Swiss courts—violating her right to a fair hearing. But, but, but: the court did not weigh in on whether the rules were discriminatory—nor did it strike them down. Still, Semenya says the decision is a huge step forward: “I don't think this is about competition. It's about human rights.”

Why this matters: The case highlights a growing global debate over how intrusive and controlling sports bodies can be. Should they be allowed to police natural hormone levels, or even do DNA and chromosome testing? OTOH, supporters of the policy say there must be safeguards to protect fairness in women’s sports.

Point to note: World Athletics, for its part, is doubling down. It’s rolling out DNA-based cheek swab tests to determine if athletes are biologically female—and other sports like boxing are following suit. But human rights groups argue that these policies are invasive, scientifically shaky, and violate athletes’ dignity.

What's next: Semenya’s case will go back to the Swiss federal court—which will have to review her challenge again. But the judgement—even if it is positive—will come too late for Semenya, who’s now moved into coaching.

Reading list: CNN and BBC News have the latest ECHR ruling. The Guardian has more on the timeline of the lawsuits.

IDF repurposes commercial drones to herd Gazans

An investigation by two Israeli publications—972 Magazine and Local Call—show that the military is repurposing Chinese drones to drive out residents. Based on interviews with seven soldiers, the report found that the drones are manually operated by troops to bomb civilians. Here’s how this nasty bit of ‘jugaad’ works:

Soldiers are using mostly Evo drones produced by the Chinese company Autel, which are sold commercially for about $3,000 and used by photographers, the investigation found. “However, with a military-issued attachment known internally as an ‘iron ball’, a hand grenade can be affixed to the drone and dropped with the push of a button to detonate on the ground,” the report said.

These drones are way cheaper than their military versions—and can be used by platoons without authorisation from the top.

Wait for the kicker: “Israeli army units in Gaza are also crowdfunding in Israel and the United States to buy more of these drones, posting videos to thank donors for their contributions, the report said.”

The larger aim: is to drive Gazans out of their homes—or to prevent them from returning to areas from where they have been expelled:

“It was clear that they were trying to return to their homes — there’s no question,” the soldier told the publications. “None of them were armed, and nothing was ever found near their bodies. We never fired warning shots. Not at any point.” Israeli soldiers also said they did not allow bodies to be collected, sometimes letting stray dogs eat them as they watched and filmed from afar. In several cases, S told the outlets, the Israeli army deliberately targeted children.

Get thee to a concentration camp: Why are they herding Gazans—with ruthlessness that even sheep are spared? To force two million residents into this tiny zone on the border with Egypt:

The area will, of course, be controlled by the Israeli military. And these people will be “barred indefinitely from returning to their homes in other parts of Gaza.” If they try… Here come the handy drones.

Point to note: There is no longer any debate over the definition of what Israel is doing in Gaza. Israeli experts in international law wrote an open letter to the government, saying “the plan would constitute a series of war crimes and crimes against humanity, and under certain conditions, could amount to the crime of genocide.”

Reading list: Al Jazeera has a good summary of the news investigation. New York Times is finally a little agitated about the ‘humanitarian camp’ plan. This depressing Guardian op-ed explains why international law has never protected Palestinians.

Coming soon: Health warnings for samosas and jalebis

The Union Health Ministry is rolling out cigarette-style health warnings on almost every delicious Indian snack: samosa, jalebi—and even laddu, vada pav, kachori and pakora. It is supposedly an “initiative to promote healthier dietary habits”—and make a dent in our spiralling stats on obesity. According to the 2019-21 National Family Health Survey, more than one in five adults in urban areas are overweight or obese. That includes 24% of Indian women and 23% of Indian men and 2.1% to 3.4% of kids under five.

How will this work: The campaign will be first tested at the cafeterias at AIIMS Nagpur. They will display sugar and oil boards—“vivid posters spelling out how much hidden fat and sugar lurk in everyday snacks.” Experts say it's a first step toward treating junk food like cigarettes: “Sugar and trans fats are the new tobacco.”

The big picture: A Lancet study published this year also revealed that about 450 million adults in India are expected to become overweight or obese in the year 2050. India Today and Times of India have more on the story while NDTV has more on the obesity stats.

what caught our eye

business & tech

India’s smaller cities saw a 50% jump in IT hiring in the first half of 2025, outpacing big tech hubs as better digital access, government support, and remote work fuel the shift.
Say hello to Jack Dorsey’s new app Sun Day—which tracks your sun exposure and vitamin D levels, because why not.
Jane Street—which came under the ire of SEBI—has deposited $567 million in an escrow account so that it can resume trading in India.
OTT platforms are coming under consumer scrutiny as ‘dark patterns’ like unexpected rental charges, ads and difficult cancellation processes erode trust.
Charity begins at home—Elon Musk's rocket company, SpaceX, is reportedly set to invest a whopping $2 billion into his AI startup, xAI.

sports & entertainment

Veteran film actress Saroja Devi has passed away at the age of 87. The Hindu pays tribute to her long and prolific career.
Ravindra Jadeja was left stranded at 61 not out as England edged out India by 22 runs in the third Test at Lord’s.
Meanwhile at Sabina Park in Kingston, Mitchell Starc took 6 wickets for just 9 runs as Australia bowled out West Indies for 27—the second-lowest total in Test cricket history.
Pakistani theatre group Mauj has drawn praise for using AI tools to stage a tech-enhanced version of the Ramayana at the Karachi Arts Council.

health & environment

Sotheby's in New York is auctioning off a 54-pound rock, the largest piece of Mars ever found on Earth, which is expected to sell for $2 million to $4 million.
Kerala's government is stepping up contact tracing and surveillance in Palakkad after a 57-year-old man, the second suspected Nipah death in the state, died on July 12.
A new Stanford study reveals that AI therapy chatbots are making "dangerous" and "inappropriate" statements, even expressing stigma against those with serious mental health conditions like delusions, suicidal thoughts, hallucinations, and OCD.
New York Times (splainer gift link) has an interesting read on how Europe’s postcard-perfect summer spots are turning into scorching no-go zones as climate change reshapes the holiday season.

meanwhile, in the world

New York Times has the details on how protests in Kenya over police brutality and corruption have spiraled into deadly clashes, with at least 38 people killed and hundreds arrested in a growing political crisis.
Cuomo’s not backing down just yet—he’s jumping back into the NYC mayor’s race after losing the primary to Mamdani, with Wall Street paisa and centrist support rallying behind him to block a far-left win.
Trump is threatening to hit Russia with 100% tariffs if Putin doesn’t agree to a Ukraine peace deal soon.
Quartz has the deets on how China’s exports are booming—despite Trump’s tariffs—raising questions about whether his strategy to weaken Beijing is backfiring.
Damien Hirst is facing claims that he stole the idea for his famous fly-filled artwork from late artist Hamad Butt, whose work is now being spotlighted in a new exhibition.
Trump says he’ll send Patriot missiles to Ukraine, arguing they’re needed because Putin “talks nice but then bombs everybody in the evening.”

meanwhile, in India

Six members of a family—including two toddlers and a teenager—are the latest to have been detained in Delhi’s crackdown on alleged illegal migrants, and have moved the High Court with documents to contest the illegal detention.
India’s aviation regulator has asked airlines to inspect the key fuel switch on certain Boeing planes by July 21, after the preliminary investigation into the Air India crash last month linked it to a double-engine failure caused by flipped switches.
In an exclusive, Indian Express reports that Indians are losing around Rs 1,000 crore every month to cyber scams run from Cambodia and other Southeast Asian countries.
The Centre has told the Supreme Court it’s done all it can to stop the execution of Indian nurse Nimisha Priya in Yemen, but admits it’s unsure if recent talks to delay it will actually work.
Police say the IIM-Calcutta student accused of rape admitted to buying sleeping pills and spiking drinks offered to the survivor—but his story has gaps, and officers are still piecing together what really happened.
India’s wholesale inflation dropped to -0.13% in June—its lowest in 21 months—mainly due to falling prices of food, fuel, and manufactured goods.

Four things to see

One: This clip of the J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah scaling the boundary wall of the Mazar-e-Shuhada graveyard in Srinagar is going viral. Abdullah planned to visit the cemetery to mark Martyr’s Day—which marks the death of Kashmiri Muslim protesters shot dead by Maharaja Hari Singh's Dogra forces in 1931. The police tried to block him, hence the athletic move. What puzzles us: The video later shows his father—the 87-year-old Farooq Abdullah—praying by his side. Presumably, he didn’t need to jump any walls. (Times of India)

Two: Haw, Americans are so unpopular these days that they need a hug to feel welcome. That’s the premise of a Canadian tourism ad for the Eastern Townships in Quebec—a popular getaway destination for Americans living in Boston and New York City. The title: ‘Come Hug It Out’. Watch the sweet but cheesy ad below. (Time Out)

Three: A 11-year-old Indonesian kid—Rayyan Arkan Dikha—has gone viral for his dance moves on a racing boat. He was debuting as the Togak Luan for his crew at the national Pacu Jalur boat race. That’s the “dancer at the tip of the boat whose role is to energise the crew.” He did it so well that US Football player Travis Kelce, F1 driver Alex Albon, and the Paris Saint-Germain football team are all jumping on the trend. Watch OG dancer below. (Complex)

Four: On Christmas Eve of last year, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe made the closest flyby of the Sun—reaching 3.8 million miles (6.12 million kilometers) from the solar surface. NASA has finally released these close-up videos to the public—see the gif below. (Gizmodo)