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The great wall of water
China’s rivers have long been pressed into the service of the state. Today they are being conscripted on an unprecedented scale. By the end of 2025 the country’s installed hydropower capacity stood at roughly 450 gigawatts, more than 40% higher than a decade earlier and far ahead of any other nation. Official plans aim for 570 GW by 2030, with pumped-storage capacity alone targeted to more than double to 160 GW. China accounted for over 40% of global hydropower additions in 2025 and has more than 300 GW under construction. The flagship of this new phase is the Lower Yarlung Tsangpo project in Tibet, a scheme designed to generate around three times the electricity of the Three Gorges Dam by exploiting a vertical drop of more than 2,000 metres through…
A wall of water without rain
In the steep valleys of northern Nepal, the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers usually announce their moods with the monsoon. On the morning of 26th August they did not. At roughly 8.37am a mass of ice and rock sheared from a glacier high on the flanks of Langtang Lirung, near the Tibet border. The collapse registered on seismographs as the equivalent of a magnitude-5.2 event. Within minutes a debris-laden surge had roared across the frontier, temporarily dammed a tributary, then broken free. Downstream, water levels jumped by as much as nine metres in half an hour. Bridges vanished. Hydropower intakes filled with sludge. Entire stretches of road, the main overland route between Kathmandu and Lhasa, simply disappeared. By the afternoon of 28th August the confirmed death toll in Nepal stood…
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The politics of a plume
US Vice President J D Vance has written to the Environmental Protection Agency’s acting inspector general Nicole N Murley, demanding…
From selfies to slang: India’s politicians rediscover the young
After a month of student unrest forced an education minister from office, the country’s leaders have taken to Instagram with…
Editor's Choice
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America’s quarter-millennium: fireworks over the fragility
The rockets’ red glare lit up Washington on July 4th 2026 with unusual ambition. Organisers promised—and duly delivered—what they called…
Iran’s Defiant Farewell
In the sweltering heat of a Tehran summer, hundreds of thousands of black-clad mourners gathered this week at the Grand…
A Decade of Instability: How Brexit Fractured British Politics
Ten years after Britain voted to leave the European Union on 23 June 2016, the country finds itself marking the…
Government Decisions & Policy
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A Temple Tarnished: How a Scandal at Ayodhya Threatens the BJP’s Hold on Uttar Pradesh
In the sacred town of Ayodhya, where a grand temple to Lord Ram was inaugurated in January 2024 amid fervent celebration, an uncomfortable drama is…
Southern drawl in the courtroom
A federal court in Alabama delivered an unexpected rebuff to Republican mapmakers on Tuesday, blocking a congressional redistricting plan that would have pared back Black…
India’s Sacred Cows and Shifting Sensitivities
As Eid-ul-Azha approaches, a festival centred on sacrifice and submission to God, Muslim leaders in several Indian states have issued an unusual plea: forgo the…
End of an Era in Lutyens’ Delhi: Iconic Gymkhana Club Ordered to Vacate for Defence and Security Needs
In the heart of Lutyens’ Delhi, where power, history, and privilege have long intertwined, one of India’s most storied institutions faces an uncertain future. The…
India & Neighbourhood
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A wall of water without rain
In the steep valleys of northern Nepal, the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers usually announce their moods with the monsoon. On the morning of 26th…
Political Theatre
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Travel & Tourism
View AllIndian authorities warn travellers of harsh new drug penalties in Maldives, including possible death sentence
India's Narcotics Control Bureau has issued a strong advisory cautioning citizens travelling to the Maldives that even small quantities of…
A bumpy ride ahead
As summer 2026 looms, the travel industry is confronting an uncomfortable truth. Jet-fuel prices in America averaged $8.63 a gallon…
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The politics of a plume
US Vice President J D Vance has written to the Environmental Protection Agency’s acting inspector general Nicole N Murley, demanding demanded an investigation into “who…
States & Cities
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The politics of a plume
US Vice President J D Vance has written to the Environmental Protection Agency’s acting inspector general Nicole N Murley, demanding…
BJP will fight municipal polls from booth level, says Nitin Nabin in Hyderabad
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president Nitin Nabin on Sunday called on party workers in Telangana to strengthen the organisation…
Saints of the flame: Rajasthan ascetics ready to renounce earthly life for a sacred grove
In the blistering heat of Rajasthan’s Dudu district, a group of Hindu seers have chosen fire and fasting over comfort.…
From Workshop to Encrypted Chat: How Four Ordinary Men Allegedly Built a Toy Car Bomb Plot Targeting India’s Heart
In the dim glow of a private automobile workshop on the outskirts of Thane, just north of Mumbai, Mosaib Ahmad…
Life & Culture
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Economy & Markets
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The Quiet Battle for the Heart of India’s Greatest Business Empire
In the polished corridors of Mumbai’s legal and philanthropic world, a discreet but intense struggle is unfolding over one of India’s most storied institutions. On…
