The Red Cross has said at least 93,000 people may have been affected by Wednesday’s flash floods on the Nepal-Tibet border, which have killed nearly 600 people, left another 1,900 missing, and triggered a huge rescue operation that is being hampered by fears of new flooding. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the world’s largest humanitarian network, said it feared the death toll would continue to rise as some of the hardest-hit areas remained inaccessible after roads and bridges were destroyed by the torrents. “The…
Month: August 2026
More and More Global Leaders Went to Chinese Colleges. Does That Matter?
On June 23, 2026, South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok walked onto the campus of Tsinghua University in Beijing, where he had earned a law degree in 2010. “I believe that my time studying at Tsinghua University will remain one of the most beautiful memories of my life, forever cherished and held close to my heart,” he told his hosts. Kim had flown in from Seoul on early morning flights, he recalled, just to make it to class on time. (Kim has since resigned from office to become the chair…
On the ground in Nepal after deadly flash floods – video
South Asia correspondent Hannah Ellis‑Petersen is on the ground in Bidur, one of the most devastated towns in Nepal, after the deadly flash floods that struck on Wednesday morning. Most homes were completely washed away when a tide of mud, rocks and debris flooded the river valley. Those who survived describe clinging on to buildings and trees as the water rushed over them The Guardian
Chinese control of information hampers assessment of Tibet flood damage
In the days since an enormous glacier in the Himalayas snapped away from a mountaintop and cascaded into the valley below, the true scale of the devastation caused by the flash floods in Nepal and Tibet is still unfolding. But the picture is emerging far more quickly in Nepal than in China, where strict controls on the flow of information from one of its most sensitive regions are hampering the public’s understanding of events. The floods devastated villages along the Himalayan border region that straddles Nepal and the Chinese region…
The ‘Asian water tower’ is starting to wobble, computer simulations show
“Asia’s water tower” is heading towards a more unpredictable and unstable future, according to a new study measuring the Tibetan Plateau’s stability. The study, published on August 21 in Nature Communications, examined the entropy of the region to gauge how much chaos or disorder was building up in a complex system. Chen Xiaosong, a physicist at the school of systems science at Beijing Normal University and lead author of the study, said on Thursday that from now to the end of this century, “the increase of soil water and the…
Families of 33 missing Britons rush to Nepal as fears grow of more floods
Families are rushing to Nepal to search for the 33 British nationals who are still missing, as fears mount over the risk of a second wave of flooding in the region. The catastrophic flash floods that hit Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday, thundering down valleys and sweeping away entire villages, have killed at least 538 people, while more than 1,500 remain missing. Among them are hundreds of foreign tourists who were visiting the mountainous region, which is popular with trekkers and pilgrims for its natural beauty and religious significance. Relatives…
BYD profits rise for first time in five quarters on export boost
EV maker sees net profits for the second quarter jump 30% despite domestic pressureFinancial Times
China strips former generals Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli of top military positions
The two generals have been under investigation for alleged discipline violations since January and were officially stripped of their positions on the Central Military Commission (CMC) at a meeting of the National People’s Congress’ Standing Committee on Friday. As the CMC’s senior vice-chairman, Zhang was the highest-ranking uniformed officer in the Chinese military. Liu was chief of the CMC’s Joint Staff Department. A commentary by the PLA Daily in January said Zhang and Liu had betrayed the trust of the Communist Party and undermined the party’s absolute control of the…
What a Chongqing Fandom Clash Reveals About China’s Gender Divide
Waving Chinese national flags and singing the military anthem are sights more commonly associated with state-sanctioned patriotic rallies. Yet on the night of August 18 along Chongqing’s Nanbin Road, young men used these patriotic symbols while marching against a seemingly bizarre enemy: teenage idol trainees of a boy-band talent agency and their female fans. What began as a localized dispute outside the headquarters of Shidai Fengjun (also known as “Time Fengjun,” or TF Entertainment), an agency that helped pioneer China’s idol-trainee industry, rapidly escalated into a prolonged public disturbance. For…
Uzbekistan tests US-China AI rift with bid to join rival tech bloc
The Central Asian country of Uzbekistan has approached the United States about joining Pax Silica, Washington’s flagship initiative on artificial intelligence (AI) supply chains, a month after signing up for China’s own global grouping, the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (Waico). Uzbekistan’s ambassador to the US, Furqat Sidikov, said Tashkent had formally notified the US State Department in a diplomatic note last week requesting to join the US-led initiative. “Now, the US should confirm. We are ready to sign,” he said in Washington on Thursday. Sidikov added that countries should…