EU fails to approve new Russia sanctions
Slovakia has been blocking EU's latest sanctions package until its concerns are addressed over a separate EU proposal to phase out imports of Russian gas by Jan 1, 2028. The package proposes banning transactions with Russia's Nord Stream gas pipelines.
Reuters
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Business Standard
11 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Explained: China's mega dam on Brahmaputra and India's downstream risks
China has reportedly begun constructing what it is calling the world's largest hydropower project on the Yarlung Zangbo River in Tibet, just across the Line of Actual Control from Arunachal Pradesh. Situated in Medog (Metok) County and near Mainling/Nyingchi, the dam will be a series of five cascade hydroelectric stations, collectively known as the Medog or Yarlung Tsangpo mega-dam. When completed, which is projected for the 2030s, it will connect to China's power grid as the river flows south to Arunachal Pradesh and through India and Bangladesh as the Brahmaputra. Why is China building a dam near Arunachal Pradesh? The Chinese government describes the project as an integral part of its clean energy and climate objectives. The project is incorporated in China's 14th Five-Year Plan and long-term development plans up to 2035. The dam project aims to produce electricity, which would be equivalent to the entire United Kingdom's needs in one year, according to the Reuters report. Beyond renewable energy targets, the project may also serve flood-control functions and act as a stimulus for domestic investment, infrastructure growth, and jobs. What will be the benefits for China? The expected scale of power generation is massive. The combined annual output is projected at 300 billion kWh, far surpassing the Three Gorges Dam, and covering roughly the yearly electricity consumption of the UK. With an estimated cost between $167 billion and $170 billion (1.2 trillion yuan), the project is expected to boost Chinese construction, equipment, and bond markets. Furthermore, the project is expected to contribute to China's carbon-cutting goals and may provide downstream flood mitigation. Meanwhile, control over a major tributary will provide China the geopolitical leverage and potential influence over transboundary water flows. Why is India worried? India is worried that China's upstream control of the Brahmaputra's waters could allow China to control water levels as a tactical weapon of sorts. Pema Khandu, the Chief Minister of Arunachal, called the dam a "ticking water bomb" and a threat to life. His concerns stem from Beijing not having signed up to any international river-sharing agreements and not knowing what its future plans might be. The risks downstream include reduced flow (the sediment captured is critically important to irrigation), problems with the ecosystem, and more extreme dry seasons. There are also significant risks, including floods, from sudden discharge of water in the case of planned storage (for electricity generation, for example) or accidents (including maintenance issues and emergencies). All of which is concerning for India's north-east. Additionally, the project stretches across a seismically active Himalayan gorge — which heightens landslide, flood, and ecological hazard, potentially devastating downstream regions. Does it challenge India's geopolitical position? This project is near a contested territory in Arunachal Pradesh. India is concerned that China's unilateral actions could redefine control over shared water resources and geopolitical influence. Flow reduction could impair drinking water, crop yields, and riverine ecosystems in Assam and beyond. With increased dependence on a dam controlled by China, India may find itself politically constrained. Additionally, the project risks militarising water policy in an already fragile Himalayan border context. How is India responding to China's dam construction? To counter China's influence, India is fast-tracking hydropower in Arunachal. Plans include the 11,000 MW Upper-Siang Multipurpose Project (SUMP) at a cost of around Rs 1.5 trillion, with a reservoir capacity of 9.2 billion cubic metres, likely to strengthen India's water rights under international norms. Additional projects like Subansiri Lower (2,000 MW) and Dibang (2,880 MW, tallest concrete gravity dam) are under various stages of planning and construction. India relies on the 2006 Expert-Level Mechanism, through which China shares real-time flood-season hydrological data for Brahmaputra and Sutlej. Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has publicly stated that despite concerns, there's no immediate threat—citing the river's multiple sources, including Bhutan and local rainfall. Conversely, organisations in Arunachal like SIFF and ex-CM Nabam Tuki, along with student bodies in Assam, have pressed for thorough impact reviews, transparency, and the declaration of Assam's flood issues as a national emergency. How has the world responded to China's action? Bangladesh has raised questions about a reduction in water supply and flow variability. However, China states the project is expected to have no negative effects on countries downstream. Meanwhile, environmental organisations have raised concerns regarding the dam's potential to influence a sensitive ecological zone, highlighting the potential for earthquakes and other natural disasters, given its location in the Himalayas. While India and Bangladesh have formally raised the issue with China, there has been little overt international censure or coordinated global diplomatic response so far. The project is seen as an extension of China's broader infrastructure and strategic ambitions rather than a direct provocation warranting sanctions or collective action. Moreover, the lack of enforceable worldwide agreements on rivers permits China to move ahead without any serious accountability from the rest of the world. For India, this is a multi-faceted challenge. The downstream risks for India include everything from water shortages to environmental damage, along with border tensions. As a response, India is increasing hydropower and flood control investment plans, while also utilising diplomatic engagement, data-sharing, and political mobilisation as diverse strategies to stake its own claims.
New Indian Express
11 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Russian lawmakers pass bill punishing online searches for information deemed to be 'extremist'
MOSCOW: Russian lawmakers on Tuesday approved a bill that punishes online searches for information that is deemed 'extremist,' the latest move by government authorities in their relentless crackdown on dissent. The bill passed by the lower house, the State Duma, moves to its all-but-certain endorsement in the upper house and then goes to President Vladimir Putin to be signed into law. The legislation punishes what it describes as 'deliberately searching for and accessing extremist materials' online. First-time offenders face a fine of up to the equivalent of $64. The official definition of extremist activity is extremely broad and includes opposition groups like the Anti-Corruption Foundation, created by the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and the 'international LGBT movement.' It's not clear how authorities will track down violators. Some observers have suggested the information would likely come from internet providers or social media platforms, and police also could randomly check the search history of cellphones or computers. The new legislation also contained a ban on advertising of virtual private network services, but stopped short of banning their use. It did list the use of a VPN as an 'aggravating circumstance' in case of other violations of the law. The Russian authorities have ramped their multipronged crackdown on dissent after sending troops into Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, online censorship and prosecutions for social media posts and comments have soared. Multiple independent news outlets and rights groups have been shut down, labeled as 'foreign agents' or outlawed as 'undesirable.' Hundreds of activists and critics of the Kremlin have faced criminal charges.
NDTV
26 minutes ago
- NDTV
Russia Putting Focus On Drone Attacks On Ukraine, Increasing Production
The long-range Russian drones come in swarms each night, buzzing for hours over Ukraine by the hundreds, terrorising the population and attacking targets from the industrial east to areas near its western border with Poland. Russia now often batters Ukraine with more drones in a single night than it did during some entire months in 2024, and analysts say the barrages are likely to escalate. On July 8, Russia unleashed more than 700 drones — a record. Some experts say that number could soon top 1,000 a day. The spike comes as US President Donald Trump has given Russia until early September to reach a ceasefire or face new sanctions -– a timeframe Moscow is likely to use to inflict as much damage as possible on Ukraine. Russia has sharply increased its drone output and appears to keep ramping it up. Initially importing Shahed drones from Iran early in the 3 1/2-year-old war, Russia has boosted its domestic production and upgraded the original design. The Russian Defense Ministry says it's turning its drone force into a separate military branch. It also has established a dedicated center for improving drone tactics and better training for those flying them. Russian engineers have changed the original Iranian Shahed to increase its altitude and make it harder to intercept, according to Russian military bloggers and Western analysts. Other modifications include making it more jamming-resistant and able to carry powerful thermobaric warheads. Some use artificial intelligence to operate autonomously. The original Shahed and its Russian replica — called 'Geran,' or 'geranium' — have an engine to propel it at 180 kph (just over 110 mph). A faster jet version is reportedly in the works. The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War noted that cooperation with China has allowed Russia to bypass Western sanctions on imports of electronics for drone production. Ukraine's military intelligence estimates that Russia receives up to 65% of components for its Geran drones from China. Beijing rejects the claims. Russia initially launched its production of the Iranian drones at factory in Alabuga, located in Tatarstan. An Associated Press investigation found employees at the Alabuga plant included young African women who said they were duped into taking jobs there. Geran production later began at a plant in Udmurtia, west of the Ural Mountains. Ukraine has launched drone attacks on both factories but failed to derail production. A report Sunday by state-run Zvezda TV described the Alabuga factory as the world's biggest attack drone plant. 'It's a war of drones. We are ready for it,' said plant director Timur Shagivaleyev, adding it produces all components, including engines and electronics, and has its own training school. The report showed hundreds of black Geran drones stacked in an assembly shop decorated with Soviet-style posters. One featured images of the father of the Soviet nuclear bomb, Igor Kurchatov, legendary Soviet space program chief, Sergei Korolyov, and dictator Josef Stalin, with the words: 'Kurchatov, Korolyov and Stalin live in your DNA.' The Russian military has improved its tactics, increasingly using decoy drones named 'Gerbera' for a type of daisy. They closely resemble the attack drones and are intended to confuse Ukrainian defenses and distract attention from their more deadly twins. By using large numbers of drones in one attack, Russia seeks to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses and keep them from targeting more expensive cruise and ballistic missiles that Moscow often uses alongside the drones to hit targets like key infrastructure facilities, air defense batteries and air bases. Former Russian Defense Ministry press officer Mikhail Zvinchuk, who runs a popular war blog, noted the Russian military has learned to focus on a few targets to maximise the impact. The drones can roam Ukraine's skies for hours, zigzagging past defenses, he wrote. 'Our defense industries' output allows massive strikes on practically a daily basis without the need for breaks to accumulate the necessary resources,' said another military blogger, Alexander Kots. 'We no longer spread our fingers but hit with a punching fist in one spot to make sure we hit the targets.' Ukraine relies on mobile teams armed with machine guns as a low-cost response to the drones to spare the use of expensive Western-supplied air defense missiles. It also has developed interceptor drones and is working to scale up production, but the steady rise in Russian attacks is straining its defenses. Despite international sanctions and a growing load on its economy, Russia's military spending this year has risen 3.4% over 2024, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, which estimated it at the equivalent of about $200 billion. While budgetary pressures could increase, it said, the current spending level is manageable for the Kremlin. Over 1.5 million drones of various types were delivered to the military last year, said President Vladimir Putin. Frontelligence Insight, a Ukraine-based open-source intelligence organization, reported this month that Russia launched more than 28,000 Shahed and Geran drones since the full-scale invasion began in 2022, with 10% of the total fired last month alone. While ballistic and cruise missiles are faster and pack a bigger punch, they cost millions and are available only in limited quantities. A Geran drone costs only tens of thousands of dollars — a fraction of a ballistic missile. The drones' range of about 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) allows them to bypass some defenses, and a relatively big load of 40 kilograms (88 pounds) of explosives makes them a highly effective instrument of what the Center for Strategic and International Studies calls 'a cruel attritional logic.' CSIS called them 'the most cost-effective munition in Russia's firepower strike arsenal." 'Russia's plan is to intimidate our society,' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, adding that Moscow seeks to launch 700 to 1,000 drones a day. Over the weekend, German Maj. Gen. Christian Freuding said in an interview that Russia aims for a capability of launching 2,000 drones in one attack. Along the more than 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line, short-range attack drones have become prolific and transformed the fighting, quickly spotting and targeting troops and weapons within a 10-kilometer (6-mile) kill zone. Russian drone units initially were set on the initiative of midlevel commanders and often relied on equipment purchased with private donations. Once drones became available in big numbers, the military moved last fall to put those units under a single command. Putin has endorsed the Defense Ministry's proposal to make drones a separate branch of the armed forces, dubbed the Unmanned Systems Troops. Russia has increasingly focused on battlefield drones that use thin fiber optic cables, making them immune to jamming and have an extended range of 25 kilometers (over 15 miles). It also has set up Rubicon, a center to train drone operators and develop the best tactics. Such fiber optic drones used by both sides can venture deeper into rear areas, targeting supply, support and command structures that until recently were deemed safe. Michael Kofman, a military expert with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said the Russian advancements have raised new defensive challenges for Ukraine. 'The Ukrainian military has to evolve ways of protecting the rear, entrenching at a much greater depth,' Kofman said in a recent podcast.
