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Wednesday, April 29, 2026
TopicNatural disasters

Topic: Natural disasters

Acts of God cases are Acts of State now. The courts are not convinced

The 'superior force' striking your contract is less likely to be a storm or a war. It is most possibly the stroke of a regulator's pen.

From Joshimath to Zojila—how Indians are loving the Himalayas to death. Literally

The operating ideology that accessibility is unqualified good and that no peak should be beyond reach turns the mountains into something to be consumed rather than reckoned with.

Uttarakhand’s ticking bomb: landslide lakes

A decade of landslides have birthed as many as six lakes in Uttarakhand in the last decade. For the first time, a team of scientists from institutes are surveying them.

Sikkim govt, central panel split over what caused 2023 floods. At stake is Rs 2,500-cr insurance claim

Report by central committee blames glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) for the incident. Sikkim govt cites a cloudburst. Insiders say destroyed Chungthang dam's insurance at root of debate.

Wayanad landslides—those who heeded warnings and relocated are among the few who survived

Landslides in Wayanad have claimed over 300 lives. It's a wake-up call to address rapid tourism development, unchecked urbanisation, and illegal quarrying and mining in Kerala.

In Devbhumi Himachal Pradesh, Kullu residents oppose ropeway to temple. ‘Mahadev is against this’

Opposition to project has been reported since last year. Such deep rooted is traditions in Kullu that people seek blessings from deities before starting any major work.

Rajnath Singh red-flags ‘natural disasters’ in border states, wonders if any ‘adversary’ involved

In Uttarakhand to inaugurate BRO infrastructure projects, the defence minister says climate change in the country is not just a weather-related phenomenon, but also a matter of national security.

Odisha police still retain carrier pigeons as backstop when disasters sever communication

Dating from days of British colonial rule when police stations used birds to communicate with each other, Odisha’s carrier pigeon service employs over 100 Belgian Homer pigeons.

War, climate change push number of internally displaced people to record high of 71.1 million

IDMC said the figure represented a 20% increase since 2021. The war in Ukraine triggered nearly 17 million displacements last year, while 32.6 million were displaced due to disasters.

Climate change is leading to more lightning strikes. Policymakers need to take note to save lives

Lightning strikes account for 35% of all natural hazard deaths in India but aren't seen as a priority at district-level where awareness & more government funding can save lives.

On Camera

New promo video by PLA Navy is a teaser of China’s deep blue capabilities

Rather than functioning as conventional propaganda, the video operates as a device for interpretation, subtly shaping expectations about future developments in China’s naval trajectory.

Lesson for India from the West: AI is hollowing out white-collar jobs & birthing a new middle-class elite

Post-2022 as AI has spread in developed economies, it is leading to another round of polarisation—the middle class jobs are being lost in offices rather than in factories.

Fourth S-400 sets sail for India, to arrive by mid-May; likely to be deployed along Pakistan border

The fifth S-400 air defence system is undergoing various stages of production trials, and will be delivered by November-December this year, it is learnt.

Trump, Netanyahu’s Iran gamble: The regime change rebound

American objectives are unmet. They neither have muscle nor motivation to resume the war. As for Iran, the regime didn’t just survive, it’s now led by more radical individuals.