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is a national security correspondent for The Times, focusing on U.S. military affairs and counterterrorism issues overseas, topics he has reported on for more than three decades.

Organizations: The Times

Young girls are pushed into illegal child marriages so they can work alongside their husbands cutting and gathering sugar cane. Labor brokers loan money for the surgeries, even to resolve ailments as routine as heavy, painful periods. Hysterectomies keep them working, undistracted by doctor visits or the hardship of menstruating in a field with no access to running water, toilets or shelter. But for many sugar laborers, the operation has a particularly grim outcome: Borrowing against future wages plunges them further into debt, ensuring that they return to the fields next season and beyond. Workers’ rights groups and the United Nations labor agency have defined such arrangements as forced labor.

Persons: Young, Hysterectomies Organizations: New York Times, Fuller, Labor, Workers, United Nations Locations: Maharashtra

☆ We Spent Months With India’s Sugar Cutters. Here’s What We Found.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-24 | by ( Megha Rajagopalan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Women who cut sugar cane in the Indian state of Maharashtra are getting unnecessary hysterectomies, often as a way to keep working, undistracted by periods, pregnancies or gynecological checkups. My colleagues and I traveled across the impoverished district of Beed, which is home to many migrant sugar-cane workers. We visited tiny villages and met laborers in their homes. We talked to their employers, visited sugar mills, interviewed doctors and reviewed medical records. We interviewed women who cut sugar cane for companies that supply household brands including Coca-Cola and a major franchisee of PepsiCo, which have helped make the state a powerhouse for sugar, one of India’s most important industries.

Organizations: PepsiCo Locations: Indian, Maharashtra, Beed

☆ A Jacksonville Jaguars ex-employee was given 78 months in prison after stealing $22 million that his lawyers said he later lost on Draft Kings and FanDuel
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Jaguars ex-employee has been sentenced to 78 months in prison for stealing $22 million from the team. Amit Patel, 31, spent almost all of the money on losses on Draft Kings and FanDuel, his lawyers said. Prosecutors said Patel also used the cash to buy private flights, luxury items, and cars. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementA former Jacksonville Jaguars employee who pleaded guilty to stealing $22 million from the team was sentenced to six and a half years in prison on Tuesday.

Persons: Amit Patel, FanDuel, Prosecutors, Patel, —, undoubtably, Tiger Woods, Philippe, Megha Parekh, Parekh, Henry Lee Adams Jr Organizations: Jaguars, Service, Jacksonville Jaguars, Justice Department, Tesla, Nissan, Associated Press, BI, ESPN, NFL Locations: District, Florida, Beach , Florida

☆ We moved to Finland and aren't sure it's the 'happiest country in the world' — but we have no regrets
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Charissa Cheong | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Kovalonoks and Goswami got married in Turku, Finland, in August 2023. We think Finland is a good place to raise childrenMegha: We rent an apartment in Turku, a few kilometers from the city center. Megha: We would like to have a family of our own someday, and we think Finland is a good place to raise children. Courtesy of QpidindiaWe think expats in Finland face unique challengesMegha: Finland has been named the happiest country in the world six times in a row in the World Happiness Report. I think Finland has several things that allow people to be content, such as work-life balance and good healthcare and education.

Persons: —, Kristaps Kovalonoks, Megha Goswami, Megha, wasn't, Kristaps, Kovalonoks, Goswami, Barbara Kaucher, we're, We've, that's, I've Organizations: Service, University of Turku, Business Locations: Finland, Estonian, Latvia, India, Turku, Nordic, Riga

☆ The World’s Key Canal Is Clogged Up. Winter Fuel Prices Could Get Wacky.
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Megha Mandavia | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Panama Canal is running out of water, threatening the global supply chains and industries that depend on it. WSJ takes you inside the canal’s operations to understand what this means for the future of this vital shipping route. It could make your winter heating bills more unpredictable too, particularly if you live at the end of long and vulnerable fuel supply chains. Prices for Brent crude, the main global benchmark, are down about $9 a barrel, or about 10%, since mid-September. But Asian propane LPG prices are lower only by 3%, data from Argus Media shows, trading around $665 per metric ton in late November.

Organizations: Brent, Argus Media Locations: Panama, Asia

☆ Exclusive: BYD tells India partner it wants to drop $1 billion EV investment plan, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Sarita Chaganti Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

BYD executives told Megha Engineering last week that the battery and EV maker wanted to drop pursuit of the investment, according to the two people with knowledge of that exchange. BYD, China's largest EV maker, declined to comment on the status of its investment proposal and whether it would pull the plan to produce electric cars in India. Megha Engineering did not respond to request to comment. A final decision on whether to approve BYD's investment proposal would be taken by Indian ministries of trade and heavy industries. In 2013 it started building electric buses in India with Megha Engineering, under a joint venture company called Olectra Greentech (OLEC.NS).

Persons: BYD, Megha, Aditi Shah, Zoey Zhang, Kevin Krolicki, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Reuters, Megha Engineering, Engineering, automaker Tata Motors, Thomson Locations: DELHI, India, New Delhi, Hyderabad, China, Shanghai

☆ India rejects BYD's $1 bln factory proposal -Economic Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW DELHI, July 22 (Reuters) - India has rejected Chinese automaker BYD Co's (002594.SZ) proposal to set up a $1 billion factory in India in partnership with Hyderabad-based Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Ltd, the Economic Times reported on Saturday. Reuters reported this month that BYD had submitted a $1 billion investment proposal to build electric cars and batteries in India in partnership with a local company. Reuters could not independently verify the contents of The Economic Times' report. India's Department of Commerce, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) had sought opinions from other departments on the investment proposal, the report said. "Security concerns with respect to Chinese investments in India were flagged during the deliberations," the report quoted an Indian official as saying.

Persons: BYD, Sarita Chaganti Singh, Jason Neely Organizations: Engineering, Infrastructure Ltd, Economic Times, Reuters, India's Department of Commerce, Department, Promotion of Industry, Internal, Thomson Locations: DELHI, India, Hyderabad

REUTERS/Nick Carey/File PhotoNEW DELHI, July 14 (Reuters) - China's BYD Co (002594.SZ) has submitted a $1 billion investment proposal to build electric cars and batteries in India in partnership with a local company, three people with direct knowledge of the plan told Reuters. The longer-term plan is to build a full line-up of BYD-brand EVs in India from hatchbacks to luxury models, one of the three people said. BYD, the world's largest producer of EVs and plug-in hybrid vehicles, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. If the India investment is approved, it would give BYD a presence in all major global car markets with the exception of the United States. The investment proposal also includes a plan by BYD and Megha to set up charging stations in India and build research and development and training centres, the sources said.

Persons: Nick Carey, BYD, Tesla, EVs, Sarita Chaganti Singh, Aditi Shah, Zoey Zhang, Shivangi Acharya, Kevin Krolicki, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, BYD, Shivangi, Thomson Locations: Farnborough, Britain, DELHI, India, Hyderabad, hatchbacks, United States, New Delhi, Shanghai

☆ BYD seeks nod for $1 billion plan to build EVs and batteries in India
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

China's BYD Co has submitted a $1 billion investment proposal to build electric vehicles and batteries in India in partnership with a local company, three people with direct knowledge of the plan told Reuters. The longer-term plan is to build a full line-up of BYD-brand EVs in India from hatchbacks to luxury models, one of the three people said. BYD, the world's largest producer of EVs and plug-in hybrid vehicles, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. If the India investment is approved, it would give BYD a presence in all major global car markets with the exception of the United States. The investment proposal also includes a plan by BYD and Megha to set up charging stations in India and build research and development and training centres, the sources said.

Persons: China's BYD, BYD, Tesla, EVs Organizations: Auto, Reuters, BYD Locations: Shenyang, Liaoning Province of China, India, Hyderabad, hatchbacks, United States

Kumar, like others in his position, knows all too well the frustrations that can build when work is scarce. “Since childhood, we’ve been facing this competition,” said Sarang Agrawal, 28, who is studying for the Indian civil service entrance test. There’s competition everywhere.”Sarang Agrawal (center) is studying in the hope of becoming a civil servant. Vijay Bedi/CNNNo social life, no love life … and no plan BLike Kumar and Kumari, Agrawal knows all about competition. He is among the more than 1 million people who apply each year for a position in the Indian civil service.

☆ Rusty Old Oil Tankers Fetch Big Bucks Thanks to Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Megha Mandavia | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The age of a vessel isn’t a factor in how well shipping companies are doing these days. Photo: ISAAC URRUTIA/REUTERS“Gone With the Wind” anti-hero Rhett Butler’s brutal take on war still resonates almost a century later. “There were two times for making big money, one in the upbuilding of a country and the other in its destruction. Slow money on the upbuilding, fast money in the crackup.”

☆ Indian Tech’s Promise of Rivaling China Is Falling Apart
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Megha Mandavia | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Technology-education company Byju’s is the most highly valued Indian startup—on paper. Photo: manjunath kiran/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesThe Indian edtech company Byju’s was the poster child of the Asian country’s startup boom, attracting a lofty valuation while meeting the needs of millions of students across the country as the pandemic hurt their access to schools and education. It is now turning out to be a symbol of everything that went wrong with India’s promise of creating internet companies to rival such Chinese titans as Alibaba and Tencent. The country’s hot startup ecosystem, which lured such investors as SoftBank and Tiger Global, is facing questions on financial accountability and discipline, expensive acquisitions, heady valuations and whether investors overestimated India’s total addressable market, or TAM. Public listings have been delayed, and layoffs are now almost a daily occurrence.

☆ The Green Revolution Is Here. Which Big Miners Are Prepared?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Megha Mandavia | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Money is a sticking point in climate-change negotiations around the world. Illustration: Preston Jessee/WSJA decade of underinvestment and a dense thicket of permits are challenges that the world’s top miners need to tackle head on. Over the last six months mining firms have begun jostling to acquire copper assets. One major reason: The U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, essentially a massive green industry policy bill, which passed last August. Copper supply now looks likely to fall far short of demand over the next decade—unless big new greenfield projects are brought online.

☆ The Next Big Bull Market Could Be Copper
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Megha Mandavia | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The copper wave is coming. Photo: John Moore/Getty ImagesGlencore ’s aggressive pursuit of Canada’s Teck Resources has put a spotlight on the race to secure access to copper. Traditionally seen as a cyclical economic indicator, the metal is also poised to play a key role in the world’s green transition—which is being supercharged by recent legislation, including the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), passed last year. Green technologies including electric vehicles and solar panels use more copper than equivalent fossil-fuel-based technologies, and supply growth looks likely to fall far well short of demand over the coming decade.

☆ India’s Population Boom Is an Opportunity—and an Economic Threat
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Megha Mandavia | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

People waited for a train in Mumbai on April 19. Photo: punit paranjpe/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesIndia is set to reach a notable milestone this year—becoming the world’s most populous country. That squarely positions it as an alternative to China: Both as a manufacturer and, perhaps someday, as the world’s largest market. The onus is now on the South Asian giant to fulfill that promise or bear the consequences.

☆ For Food Price Inflation Clues, Watch India
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Megha Mandavia | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A World Bank report noted that export restrictions by India could raise world rice prices. A poor season can topple governments and threaten global food security—especially when export restrictions on food have become sticky despite easing food prices. U.S. and Australian forecasts now point to an increased probability of an El Niño episode in 2023. El Niño is a periodic weather event that drives monsoon clouds away from India—and has historically hurt food production. A subpar monsoon is an underappreciated threat to global food security and inflation.

☆ Coal Is Too Hot to Handle—Maybe Even for Glencore
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Megha Mandavia | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Teck Resources says that its own plan for its company would mean better opportunities to maximize value for its shareholders. Glencore , one of the world’s largest coal miners and traders, wants more coal—just not in its backyard. An emerging battle for fellow coal heavyweight Teck Resources ’ assets says a lot about the curious position the black stuff finds itself occupying in the postpandemic, post-Ukraine-invasion world. Glencore is pursuing Teck Resources in a $23 billion deal that would create two new companies—one for Glencore and Teck’s merged base-metal and other assorted businesses, and another for their merged thermal, coking coal and ferroalloys businesses. The Swiss commodities giant’s initial proposal for an all-share deal, and a revised offer that sweetens the deal with $8.2 billion in cash as an alternative to shares in the combined coal company, were both rejected by the Canadian miner this month.

☆ India Rockets Into the Global Space Race
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Megha Mandavia | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

India’s investment promotion agency expects the country’s share of the global space sector economy to reach more than 10% by 2030. The stars are aligning for India to join the space race. Factors in its favor include the Ukraine war, growing mistrust between the West and China, and a soon-to-be released domestic Indian space policy. India’s cabinet greenlighted a long-pending space policy last week, although details aren’t yet public. Space technology firms and their investors hope the new policy will simplify regulation and make foreign investment easier.

☆ For Apple, India Is the Next China
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Megha Mandavia | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Apple ’s playbook in India is evolving, from testing the country as a counterweight to China’s supply-chain dominance to viewing it as an emerging growth hub for demand. Both of these strategies are working off each other.

☆ India Asserts Itself on Global Tech Deals
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Megha Mandavia | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Tech firms such as Google look set to face heightened scrutiny if they try to expand their presence in India. India wants to have a seat at the table vetting overseas mergers and acquisitions as the country asserts itself on the global tech stage. If the country’s internet population is anything to go by, it is about time. Earlier this week, India authorized its antitrust regulator to parse global deals by approving amendments to the competition law, which includes a requirement for companies with substantial business operations in the South Asian nation to seek antitrust permissions for all deals exceeding 20 billion Indian rupees ($244 million) in transaction value. Until now, the Competition Commission of India examined deals based on companies’ asset size and turnover.

☆ After Adani’s Crisis, India’s Vedanta Looks Vulnerable Too
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Megha Mandavia | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Struggling Indian infrastructure heavyweight Adani Group hasn’t tipped over any other large dominoes yet. But another sprawling Indian conglomerate—miner Vedanta Resources—is looking wobbly. Market skittishness in the wake of the turmoil at Adani Group, which came under attack from short seller Hindenburg Research in late January, means that other indebted Indian companies—which otherwise might have muddled their way through the Federal Reserve hiking cycle—could increasingly find themselves under investors’ microscopes. A Vedanta Resources dollar bond due in May 2023 was yielding about 50% on Friday according to Refinitiv—about double the level at the end of January.

☆ The Fed and SVB Won’t Sink Emerging Asia
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Megha Mandavia | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Dark clouds hovering over the U.S. banking sector may have ironically created a silver lining for emerging economies in Asia—lower oil prices. That comes as the key growth driver for much of the region, China, is ramping back up. Usually that would mean higher energy prices too, and inflation. But this time energy-hungry emerging Asian economies appear poised to benefit from China’s reopening when inflationary pressures are actually easing.

☆ India’s EV Dreams Face a Reality Check
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Megha Mandavia | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

India is determined to build a local component industry as its electric-vehicle market grows. India might be putting the cart in front of the horse when it comes to electric vehicles. EVs are starting to take off, but the government is determined to build a local component industry simultaneously. That might be a big ask, at least until the market reaches substantially larger scale—and certain other supply-side roadblocks are removed.

☆ Indonesian Tech Champion GoTo’s Tough Balancing Act in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Megha Mandavia | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

GoTo shares have declined 72% since its public listing in April last year. Indonesia’s ride-hailing and e-commerce company GoTo Group is racing toward profitability—but perhaps not fast enough for suddenly risk-averse investors. GoTo, Indonesia’s largest technology company, posted an adjusted loss before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization for the fourth quarter of 3.1 trillion Indonesian rupiah, equivalent to $201.89 million. That was less than half what it lost a year earlier, mainly thanks to aggressive cost cutting and a new focus on high-quality profitable users.

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