Going price for Indian sugarcane: A uterus

Written by: Aarthi Ramnath, Raghav Bikhchandani & Yash Budhwar

Going price for Indian sugarcane: A uterus

A health department report on female sugarcane workers in Beed, Maharashtra, reveals that uteruses of 843 women have been surgically removed—of these 477 are between the ages of 30 and 35. The most likely reason: To ensure they do not menstruate or become pregnant during harvesting season:

Beed sends approximately 1.75 lakh workers, including thousands of women, to other states every year for sugarcane cutting, a task marked by long hours, harsh weather, and physical toil.

OTOH, government officials—from the Maternal and Child Care department, no less!—claim that hysterectomies offer a safe solution to “chronic symptoms like excessive menstrual bleeding, bacterial infections, and persistent abdominal pain.”

Point to note: The same study shows that those who do not undergo the hysterectomy are not spared either:

… 1,523 women in the district were found to be working in sugarcane fields while pregnant. Armed with sickles in hand and bearing the weight of unborn children, these women were reported to be enduring grueling conditions with no respite.

This isn’t exactly news: A 2024 study found agricultural workers are 32% more likely to have hysterectomies—and a 2023 white paper estimated that 95% of these procedures are unnecessary. A 2019 state report from Beed revealed that nearly 14,000 women had their uteruses removed over the previous decade, some as young as 25. For the most details, read this 2024 New York Times (splainer gift link) investigation. (News18)

Meanwhile, in Bihar: According to the latest data, the state recorded the lowest sex ratio at birth in 2022—just 891 girls for every 1,000 boys. It’s the only state where the ratio continues to deteriorate. Other states that also fare badly are Maharashtra (with 906 girls for every 1,000 boys), Telangana (907), and Gujarat (908). Even Kerala (971) has a gender gap. A bit ironic as political parties are desperately wooing women voters in almost every state election. OTOH, Nagaland (1,068) and Arunachal Pradesh (1,036) are doing very well—which ought to be a lesson for the rest of the country. (The Hindu)

Hijacking Greta: Israel seizes humanitarian aid boat

The context: On June 1, a crew of 12 activists—including Greta Thunberg—set sail for Gaza from Sicily. The goal: Break Israel’s blockade of humanitarian aid. The boat isn’t very large and the journey was symbolic, as Thunberg explained:

We are doing this because no matter what odds we are against, we have to keep trying, because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity…and, no matter how dangerous this mission is, it’s not even near as dangerous as the silence of the entire world in the face of the livestreamed genocide.

A previous attempt was foiled when the boat was attacked by mysterious drones off the coast of Malta and caught fire.

What happened now: This time Tel Aviv settled for a more direct approach. It simply stopped the ‘flotilla’—boarded the boat and diverted it to Israel. The Foreign Ministry announced the operation in these words: “The selfie yacht of the celebrities is safely making its way to the shores of Israel.”

OTOH: Live clips and accounts of activists’ were a lot less warm and cuddly—and involved drones “spraying a white substance on the crew.” This viral image wasn’t reassuring either:

Point to note: Although Thunberg posted a clip claiming the activists were being “kidnapped,” Israel says they are “expected to return to their home countries”—and the humanitarian aid will be “transferred to Gaza through established channels.” In other words, expect at least a handful of Gazans to die in their attempts to access the aid. But hey, Tel Aviv wants you to know that its soldiers kindly fed the activists—with sandwiches:

Al Jazeera’s live blog has the latest developments. (Euronews)

Poisonous news about groundwater in India

The context: Naturally occurring arsenic is found in rocks and soils. But the amount of inorganic arsenic is especially high in soil across South and SE Asia due to mining, coal burning etc. Even worse, a recent study shows that climate change is also dangerously increasing levels of natural arsenic—all of which is making the rice we eat more toxic.

What happened now: A new study conducted in Bengal shows that exposure to arsenic through groundwater or food is affecting our gut biome: “While people with no known arsenic exposure have 246 distinct groups of bacteria, people with arsenic exposure have fewer than 180.” Why this is a big deal:

The human gut hosts trillions of microbes — an estimated 500 to 1,000 species of bacteria — that support health in many ways. The microbes extract energy from food, enable cell-to-cell communication through substances produced during digestion, break down certain compounds, strengthen the immune system and protect against harmful microbes.

Point to note: Arsenic is especially harmful to two bacterial species that are considered the “hallmark species”—and it increases species that are linked to ulcerative colitis—“a chronic inflammatory disorder that affects the colon” and a “higher risk of obesity.” (The Telegraph)

Et tu Jared Leto: A new set of MeToo allegations

According to an Air Mail investigation, nine women have accused the ‘Suicide Squad’ actor and musician of “sexual impropriety”—which is a mild word for calling underage girls in the middle of the night to ask: “Have you ever had a boyfriend? Have you ever sucked a dick?” In other cases, he exposed himself to a 17-year old—and asked another: “Do any of the little boys you hang out with fuck you?”—followed by this little treat when she came of age:

The woman added that once, when she was 18, Leto “suddenly pulled his penis out and started masturbating”. She told the outlet: “Then he walked over, grabbed my hand, and put it on him. He leaned in and said: ‘I want you to spit on it.’”

Ofc, Leto has denied all allegations.

Reminder: Jared Leto previously made news for his extreme ‘method-acting’ and for (in)famously sending used condoms, anal beads, and dead rats to his ‘Suicide Squad’ co-stars Margot Robbie, Will Smith, and Viola Davis. Air Mail (login required) has lots more on the accusations.

what caught our eye

business & tech

An ICICI Bank manager in Kota allegedly stole Rs 4.58 crore from customer accounts—only to blow most of it playing the stock market.

sports & entertainment

Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Telefilms is teaming up with Netflix on a fresh content deal—with new shows made just for streaming, and one already in the works.
The Hindu has the details on Deepika Padukone, rumours around ‘Kalki 2’ and ‘Spirit’, and how Bollywood is reacting to calls for an eight-hour workday.
The Telegraph has a good read on how Uzbekistan and Jordan are making World Cup history—while India crashes out yet again, with ex-players saying we may need 200 more years to get there.

health & environment

The folks behind Retraction Watch just launched a million-dollar project to hunt down bad medical research—before it messes with real-world health.
The Rubin Observatory is set to go live in 2025—and may spot millions of new asteroids, comets, and cosmic oddballs in our solar system.
Baboons walk single file not to dodge danger—but to stick close to their buddies, says a new study.

meanwhile, in the world

Canada’s not joining the US anytime soon—but thanks to Trump’s threats, talk of a transatlantic tie-up with the EU is heating up.
New York Times has a good read on how Russia calls China a best friend in public—while secretly labeling it “the enemy” behind closed doors.
Politico has the lowdown on why Trump’s rift with Musk could spell trouble—with the billionaire still wildly popular among Republicans and poised to play chaos agent.
Case in point: Trump warns of “serious consequences” if Musk backs challengers to Republicans who supported his policy bill.
New York Times (login required) has a good read on the new rail line to Kashmir—an engineering feat decades in the making that the government says will boost development, but many locals fear will tighten Delhi’s grip on the region.
Hajj turnout hits a 30-year low—excluding the pandemic years—as pilgrim numbers sharply dip in 2025.
In a royal first, Morocco banned animal sacrifice on Eid al-Adha amid economic woes and a deepening agricultural crisis.
Yunus has announced elections for April 2026, warning that Bangladesh is “in a state of war” amid rising tensions with Army Chief Waker Uz Zaman.
In a major win for the Trump administration, the Supreme Court lets the DOGE team tap Social Security data on millions while tightening rules on transparency demands.
Iran expands dog-walking ban to 18 cities—citing public order and health, as restrictions tighten beyond women’s rights.
Rightwing Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe is fighting for his life after being shot at during a campaign rally in Bogotá.

meanwhile, in India

The Karnataka High Court has asked the state government nine tough questions about the deadly RCB stampede, including who approved the celebrations and whether proper crowd control was in place.
Meanwhile, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah has defended action against police officers over security lapses at the RCB celebration event in Bangalore.
A related read: Hours before the event, police flagged 10 major issues—from crowd size to no CCTV—but the Karnataka government still went ahead with the RCB victory bash.
The arrest of a key Arambai Tenggol leader in Imphal has sparked protests and shutdowns, bringing life in the Imphal Valley to a standstill since Saturday night.
Indian Express has the details on why Kerala wants the Wildlife Act tweaked to allow it to legally cull certain wild animals.
IIT researchers report humans lived in Gujarat’s Great Rann of Kutch 5,000 years before the Harappans.

Three things to see

One: On Saturday, Coco Gauff became the first American woman to win the French Open since Serena Williams in 2015. She’s also the youngest American woman—at 21—to win the title. She defeated world No #1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 to claim her second Grand Slam. See her winning moment here. And below is a fun vid of Roland Garros ball kids cheering her on. (CNN)

On Sunday, we were graced with the longest men’s singles French Open final—which lasted a brutal 5 hours and 29 minutes. In the end, Carlos Alcaraz prevailed over Jannik Sinner 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2). See his winning moment below. (The Guardian)

Two: Bruce Springsteen surprised his fans by calling Paul McCartney on stage for a duet at Liverpool's Anfield stadium on Saturday. The last time they sang together was at Glastonbury in 2022. Watch them croon ‘Can't Buy Me Love’ below. (BBC News)