Splainer FREE: Sinking Ships
Aaj ki khabar includes toxic spills in Kerala, “forced labour” in a sexual wellness company and Beijing playing its rare earth metals card in trade talks. Our fave bit: Trailer for ‘Eddington’.
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Trump’s ICE raids trigger chaos in LA
The TLDR: Over the weekend, ICE launched sweeping raids across LA—arresting 100, sparking protests, and prompting Trump to deploy the National Guard in a move not seen since 1965. Civil rights groups called it a “oppressive and vile paramilitary” crackdown, as the White House doubled down on workplace arrests to ramp up deportations.
Written by: Aarthi Ramnath, Raghav Bikhchandani & Yash Budhwar
Tale of two toxic spills: A Kerala story
On May 25, a Liberian-flagged vessel—MSC ELSA-3—sank about 14.6 nautical miles off the coast of Kerala. Two weeks later, there was a raging fire on board the Singapore-flagged ship MV Wan Hai 503—which continues to burn to this day.
What received little attention during this time: Their toxic cargo. MSC ELSA went down with 643 containers loaded with hazardous materials—including calcium carbide, diesel and furnace oil. As for Wan Hai:
Several containers have already toppled overboard, raising fears of hazardous materials spilling into the sea. What makes the situation particularly alarming is the ship’s Dangerous Goods Manifest — a document listing 157 entries of hazardous cargo currently at risk.
And yet, authorities have not done very much.
Dragging their feet: Officials are yet to issue any advisory on consuming fish—which may or may not be toxic. There is already widespread panic that is damaging fishermen. It took the Kerala government 17 days to file a case against Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC)—with great reluctance:
The shipping company, Vizhinjam port authority and the state government have refused to publish the cargo manifest despite a direction from the court. This points to the chances of carrying undeclared or misdeclared cargo on board. A disaster might happen due to rough sea conditions or human error. We need to probe it to find out the factors that led to the incident.
Likely reason: MSC is a partner of Adani Ports—and the government wants it to develop Vizhinjam as a major port.
Point to note: Authorities have been slow to act even though this is a critical time for the marine ecosystem:
The shipwreck comes at a time when a trawling ban is imposed off the Kerala coast to conserve the limited marine resources. The ban on deep-sea trawlers from June 10 to July 31 also helps preserve natural fish hatcheries during the breeding season in the monsoon.
According to experts, the still-burning Wan Hai poses a greater and more long-term risk to marine life:
What is of concern is the huge quantity of hazardous substances in the cargo. There are category 6 pesticides and many other toxic substances. If they reach the sea, then the damage could be huge. It might not manifest in the next few days or weeks, and we have to look at the effect of the chemicals on the Kerala coast and marine environment in the long term.
Reading list: The Telegraph is best on the stress on fishermen. South First is excellent on the toxic hazards posed by both ships. New Indian Express looks at the poor enforcement of safety regulations.
2/7 Sexual sickness: Forced labour in ‘orgasmic meditation’ company
The context: Sexual wellness is a $20.6 billion global business, and is estimated to reach $32.5 billion by 2033. It really took off when Gwyneth Paltrow’s company Goop turned women’s sexual health into a very lucrative new-age gimmick…
3/7 Be very afraid: Beijing plays its rare earth card
Why rare earth metals matter: They are crucial for the manufacture of magnets used in offshore wind turbines, drones, missiles, fighter jets etc. The most important product is cars…
For more in splainer LITE…
Goa CM apologises to a ‘chair’
Poor condition of train for BSF jawans sparks outrage
Newsom turns Trump into the Sith Lord
Trailer for ‘Eddington’ showcases Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal
what caught our eye
business & tech
Zuck’s on a mission—personally poaching top AI brains to build Meta’s own superintelligence squad.
Meta’s new AI feed is turning into the internet’s saddest corner—where strangers overshare grief, custody battles, and money troubles, often not realising it’s all public.
Google’s handing out buyouts across Search, marketing, and engineering—inviting those not “aligned with [the] strategy” to see themselves out.
Zoom is dialing up its India play—rolling out its AI-powered Contact Center and expanding Zoom Phone across six telecom circles, with pan-India plans next.
sports & entertainment
Harvey Weinstein has been found guilty of sexual assault in his retrial—just a year after his New York conviction was overturned.
RIP Brian Wilson—the Beach Boys legend behind ‘Pet Sounds’ and some of pop’s most timeless harmonies has died at 82.
The Conversation has a good read on FIFA’s shiny new Club World Cup—plagued by poor ticket sales and fan backlash even before kickoff in the US this weekend.
On Monday, a Judge dismissed Justin Baldoni’s $400 million defamation suit against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds. That means Marvel lucked out and won’t have to share “confidential” documents on how the Nicepool character was created.
Smoking is back in pop culture—Dakota Johnson puffs through 'Materialists', Lorde sings about it, and 'The Bear' cast lights up on- and off-screen.
A new ‘Wonder Woman’ movie is “being written right now”. Reminder: The titular role is played by Israeli actor Gal Gadot—who has fallen out of grace with the audience but perhaps not with Hollywood.
BBC has released a two-part documentary on the killing of Sidhu Moosewala on YouTube despite his father seeking a ban on the screening.
Peter Sohn—the director behind ‘Elemental’ and ‘The Good Dinosaur’—will be directing ‘Incredibles 3’.
Kaitlyn Dever, who played Abby in the latest season, will play the lead role in the third season of ‘The Last of Us’.
The World Test Championship final is underway at Lord’s. At the end of day one, Australia were bowled out for 212 thanks to Kagiso Rabada’s 5-fer but have so far restricted South Africa to just 43-4 from 22 overs.
health & environment
Washington Post (splainer gift link) has a good read on why singing is good for you, even if you’re no good.
Even if global warming freezes at 1.2°C, we’re still set to lose nearly 40% of glacier mass says a chilling new study.
meanwhile, in the world
More than 380 people have been arrested in LA—where the city mayor imposed an indefinite curfew to restore order. But the face off between California and the White House shows no signs of ending. CNN Liveblog has the latest.
Israeli authorities were ‘abusive’ to Greta Thunberg and fellow aid boat passengers, claims French doctor.
The Guardian has a good read on Elon Musk’s messy feud with Trump—four days of chest-thumping before the richest man on Earth quietly backed down, , including saying some of his online jabs at Donald Trump “went too far.”
But, but, but: The Trump–Musk brawl is really a battle over Argentina’s future—with both men backing starkly different visions for its development.
US General Michael Kurilla has called Pakistan a “phenomenal partner” in the fight against terror.
Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs will remain in effect for now, as a US appeals court reviews a ruling that said he overstepped his authority.
Around 15,000 people gathered in Budapest as writers, artists, and citizens launched a protest movement against Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government.
Violence in Haiti has forced 1.3 million people from their homes—the highest number of displaced people ever recorded in the country, according to a UN agency.
meanwhile, in India
India plans to cap AC temperatures between 20–28°C to cut power demand—cooling alone eats up nearly one-fifth of the country’s peak load.
Mongabay has a good read on how reporting in Indian languages—like Hindi—is bringing climate change home for rural readers and reshaping environmental journalism from the ground up.
Archaeologists from Kerala University have uncovered a 5,300-year-old Early Harappan settlement near Gujarat’s Lakhapar village.
Need an immediate pick-me-up? We have all you need to keep you sane.
One: Guess which one’s going to be trouble.
Two: A cat and its tail: It’s a situationship.
Three: Wrestle mania: Baby ellie edition.
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