Nepalese capital Kathmandu was inundated by floodwaters last week after record-breaking rains caused the Bagmati river to breach its banks. More than 200 people have been killed and thousands of houses damaged in the worst flooding and landslides in the Kathmandu valley in years. So what caused the flooding and landslides? Was it climate change or unchecked urban encroachment of the river that passes through Kathmandu valley? We...

Islamabad, Pakistan – The global prices for different varieties of rice dropped on Monday after India and Pakistan made tit-for-tat moves to eliminate price caps and resume rice exports. On Saturday, the Indian government lifted a ban on the export of non-Basmati white rice more than a year after it blocked overseas sales, with a larger crop yield in 2024 bolstering state warehouse reserves for domestic needs. This decision...

Israel and Iran have issued threats of retaliation against one another, pushing longstanding concerns over escalation towards a regional war to new heights. Israel, with backing from its United States ally, has promised to respond to the huge missile attack that Iran launched late on Tuesday. Iran has said any such retaliation will be met with an even “tougher” backlash. Meanwhile, Israel on Wednesday resumed its attacks on...