Geography
Physical geography, resources, disasters and urbanisation
'Biggest infiltrator is PM': Mamata at Eid meet
New scientific evidence has reinforced the presence of thick water ice deposits on the Moon, particularly inside permanently shadowed craters near the lunar ...
South Pars | Same field, two fates
Israel struck Iranian facilities linked to the South Pars gas field — the first time Israel has targeted Iranian natural gas infrastructure — in a strike coo...
Heatwaves to hailstorms: Why is March seeing such erratic weather this year?
March 2026 opened with anomalous heatwave conditions across North India, with Delhi recording temperatures near 37°C, then saw a dramatic reversal as an inte...
World Water Day 2026: Ice-loss rate in the Hindukush Himalaya doubled since 2000, says ICIMOD
The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) released two landmark reports on World Water Day (March 21, 2026): "Changing Dynamics o...
World Bank report suggests “New Water-Food Nexus Framework” for smarter hydrological use to feed 10 billion people
A new World Bank report released in March 2026 proposes a "New Water-Food Nexus Framework" to avert a global food-water crisis as the world population approa...
South Korea coordinates with Iran to normalise shipping route through Strait of Hormuz
South Korea entered active diplomatic consultations with Iran and other relevant nations to secure normalisation of shipping lanes through the Strait of Horm...
Cost concerns delay safer building codes despite Himalayan threats
India's Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) released a major revision to IS 1893 (Part 1) — the national earthquake design code — in November 2025, creating a n...
India’s cotton acreage loses ground to rice, maize amid low productivity
India's cotton acreage has fallen sharply to 11.2 million hectares in 2025-26, down from 13.4 million hectares in 2019-20 — a decline of nearly one-fifth ove...
‘Undemocratic’ politics in Great Nicobar over land
Inequities have emerged between ex-servicemen settler families and the original indigenous islanders (Nicobarese and Shompen) over land compensation for the ...
India-China border trade via Lipulekh Pass to resume after six years
Border trade between India and China via Lipulekh Pass in Pithoragarh district, Uttarakhand, is set to resume in 2026 after a six-year suspension. Trade was ...
Why US is weighing Kharg Island takeover — and why it is a major risk
The United States is weighing a ground invasion and occupation of Kharg Island — Iran's primary oil export terminal, which handles approximately 90% of Iran'...
As Iran war prolongs, Indian PMO asks Agriculture Ministry for measures to combat fertilizer, chemicals shortage
India's Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has asked the Ministry of Agriculture to draw up contingency measures to address a potential fertilizer and agricultura...
India to revive key China trade route at Lipulekh in June after six-year break
India is set to reopen the Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand for border trade with China in June 2026, ending a six-year suspension that began in 2020 due to the ...
Prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz could severely disrupt global supply chains: Study
Iran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz since late February 2026 has triggered what analysts are calling the largest disruption to the global energy...
Nearly 100 ships pass the Hormuz Strait - who is getting through?
Since Iran's effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz began on February 28, 2026, fewer than 100 commercial ships have crossed the strait in the entire thr...
Oil down 2% as US considers lifting sanctions on Iranian oil loaded on vessels
Global crude oil prices fell 2–3% after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent signalled that Washington may soon lift sanctions on Iranian crude oil currently ...
EU asks for reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and no more strikes on energy, water sites
All 27 EU heads of state, convening as the European Council in Brussels, issued a joint statement calling for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a mor...
Climate change could pose a major risk to cassava in Africa: study sets out what can be done now
A new peer-reviewed study mapping cassava suitability and disease risk across Africa through 2080 found that while rising temperatures may expand areas suita...
Six allies ready to help ‘efforts to ensure safe passage’ through Hormuz Strait
Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Japan issued a joint statement declaring readiness "to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe...
Japan's Takaichi tries to reaffirm alliance with Trump as he seeks help securing Strait of Hormuz
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met with US President Donald Trump at the White House on March 19, 2026, seeking to reaffirm the US-Japan alliance whi...