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India's plan to reroute rivers could have unintended consequences on rainfall

Once completed, India's National River Linking Project will transfer an estimated 200 billion cubic meters of water around the country each year. STRDEL / Stringer/Getty Images hide caption

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STRDEL / Stringer/Getty Images

Short Wave

India's plan to reroute rivers could have unintended consequences on rainfall

More than a hundred years ago, a British engineer proposed linking two rivers in India to better irrigate the area and cheaply move goods. The link never happened, but the idea survived. Today, due to extreme flooding in some parts of the country mirrored by debilitating drought in others, India's National Water Development Agency plans to dig thirty links between rivers across the country. It's the largest project of its kind and will take decades to complete. But scientists are worried what moving that much water could do to the land, the people — and even the weather. Host Emily Kwong talks to journalist Sushmita Pathak about her recent story on the project.

India's plan to reroute rivers could have unintended consequences on rainfall

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Scenes of destruction at the Factor Druk printing house, one of Ukraine's largest, can be seen days after it was hit in a Russian missile attack, on May 27.

Scenes of destruction at the Factor Druk printing house, one of Ukraine's largest, can be seen days after it was hit in a Russian missile attack on May 27. Laurel Chor for NPR hide caption

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Laurel Chor for NPR

Ukraine invasion — explained

Ukraine's bookstores are thriving, but a top printing plant took a deadly hit

Ukraine's bookstores have expanded despite the war, fueled by interest in works by Ukrainian writers, some who have been killed by Russian forces. But a Russian missile struck a top printing plant.

Bookstores have come under attack in Ukraine. But interest in reading is only growing

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Fisherman Alan Belucci inspects dead fish on the banks of the Piracicaba River in a rural area of Piracicaba, Sao Paulo state, Brazil, on Wednesday. The state's environmental agency alleges that the cause of their death is irregular dumping of industrial waste into the river.

Fisherman Alan Belucci inspects dead fish on the banks of the Piracicaba River in a rural area of Piracicaba, Sao Paulo state, Brazil, on Wednesday. The state's environmental agency alleges that the cause of their death is irregular dumping of industrial waste into the river. Andre Penner/AP hide caption

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Andre Penner/AP

Environment

Tons of dead fish cover a river in Brazil after alleged dumping of industrial waste

An estimated 10 to 20 tons of fish died on the Piracicaba River, prosecutors said. An initial investigation points to an "irregular discharge of wastewater" from a sugar and ethanol plant.

Tested: Questions of a Physical Nature
Dani Pendergast for NPR

Embedded

Tested: Questions of a Physical Nature

Episode 2: We go back almost 100 years, to the beginning of women's inclusion in elite sports. It turns out that men had an odd variety of concerns about women athletes. Some doubted these athletes were even women at all. And their skepticism resulted in the first policies requiring sex testing. To listen to this series sponsor-free and support NPR, sign up for Embedded+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Tested: Questions of a Physical Nature

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Youth in Kenya Take to the Streets

A teargas canister detonates as protesters run for safety during anti-government protests in Nairobi on July 16. Tony Karumba/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Tony Karumba/AFP via Getty Images

State of the World from NPR

Youth in Kenya Take to the Streets

In Kenya, protests that began in response to tax increases have grown into a movement demanding the president's resignation. Scores of protestors have gone missing since the anti-government protests began a month ago. Human rights groups fear that the security forces are behind these disappearances. We hear from young protestors.

Youth in Kenya Take to the Streets

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A local resident dives in the Seine, in Paris on July 17, after the mayor of Paris swim in the river to demonstrate that it is clean enough to host the outdoor swimming events at the Paris Olympics later this month. Despite an investment of 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) to prevent sewage leaks into the waterway, the Seine has been causing suspense in the run-up to the opening of the Paris Games on July 26 after repeatedly failing water quality tests. But since the beginning of July, with heavy rains finally giving way to sunnier weather, samples have shown the river to be ready for the open-water swimming and triathlon -- and for 65-year-old Hidalgo. (Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP) (Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA/AFP via Getty Images)

People jump into the Seine River in Paris on July 17, after Mayor Anne Hidalgo swam in the river to demonstrate that it is clean enough to host the outdoor swimming events at the Paris Olympics later this month. Julien De Rosa/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Julien De Rosa/AFP via Getty Images

Paris mayor swims in the Seine to demonstrate its safety ahead of the Olympics

After Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a dip in the river, she said the Olympics were "a kind of magnet that attracted all our energies towards a single date, July 26, and we did it.”

Selina Cheng, newly elected chairperson of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, speaks to media in Hong Kong on Wednesday. Cheng said she lost her job at The Wall Street Journal after she refused her supervisor’s request to withdraw from the election for the leadership post.

Selina Cheng, newly elected chairperson of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, speaks to media in Hong Kong on Wednesday. Cheng said she lost her job at The Wall Street Journal after she refused her supervisor’s request to withdraw from the election for the leadership post. Kanis Leung/AP hide caption

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Kanis Leung/AP

Asia

Head of Hong Kong's top journalist group says she lost 'WSJ' job due to her role

Reporter Selina Cheng says she lost her Wall Street Journal job after refusing her supervisor's request to withdraw from the election to lead the journalism group, which advocates for press freedom.

Tourists shelter from the sun in front of the Sforzesco Castle in Milan, Italy, on Tuesday. Weather alerts, forest fires, melting pavement in cities: A sizzling heat wave has sent temperatures in parts of central and southern Europe soaring toward 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) in some places.

Tourists shelter from the sun in front of the Sforzesco Castle in Milan, Italy, on Tuesday. Weather alerts, forest fires, melting pavement in cities: A sizzling heat wave has sent temperatures in parts of central and southern Europe soaring toward 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) in some places. Luca Bruno/AP hide caption

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Luca Bruno/AP

Weather

'Hellishly hot' southern Europe bakes under temperatures topping 104 F

Temperatures were in the triple-digits in much of the area on Tuesday and authorities warn that they could top 110 degrees F in southern Spain in the coming days.

Police officers stand outside the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand, on Tuesday. Police said a number of people were found dead Tuesday in the luxury hotel in downtown Bangkok and poisoning is suspected.

Police officers stand outside the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand, on Tuesday. Police said a number of people were found dead Tuesday in the luxury hotel in downtown Bangkok and poisoning is suspected. Chatkla Samnaingjam/AP hide caption

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Chatkla Samnaingjam/AP

Asia

Cyanide traces found in the blood of 6 Americans and Vietnamese who died in Bangkok

Police say one killed the rest but did not say which of the six was the suspect. A husband and wife among the dead had invested with two of the others, suggesting that money could be a motive.

Gambian activist Jaha Dukureh rejoiced after the country's parliament rejected the bill to end its ban on female genital mutilation.

Gambian activist Jaha Dukureh celebrates after the country's parliament rejected the bill to end a ban on female genital mutilation. Malick Njie/Reuters hide caption

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Malick Njie/Reuters

Goats and Soda

A victory for opponents of female genital mutilation in The Gambia

On Monday, Gambian lawmakers rejected a bill that would have overturned its ban on female genital mutilation. The vote marks a victory for women’s rights activists and comes after months of intense debate.

A victory for opponents of female genital mutilation in The Gambia

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A TV screen shows a file image of Ri Il Kyu, a senior North Korea diplomat based in Cuba, during a news program at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, on Tuesday. South Korea's spy agency said Ri has fled to South Korea, the latest in a series of defections by members of the North's ruling elite in recent years.

A TV screen shows a file image of Ri Il Kyu, a senior North Korea diplomat based in Cuba, during a news program at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, on Tuesday. South Korea's spy agency said Ri has fled to South Korea, the latest in a series of defections by members of the North's ruling elite in recent years. Ahn Young-joon/AP hide caption

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Ahn Young-joon/AP

A North Korean diplomat in Cuba defects to South Korea

South Korea’s spy agency said Tuesday that a senior North Korea diplomat based in Cuba has fled to South Korea, the latest defection by members of the North's ruling elite that likely hurt leader Kim Jong Un's push to bolster his leadership.

Athletes dive into the Seine River from the Alexander III bridge on the start of the first leg of the women's triathlon test event for the 2024 Paris Olympics in Paris in August 2023.

Athletes dive into the Seine River from the Alexander III bridge on the start of the first leg of the women's triathlon test event for the 2024 Paris Olympics in Paris in August 2023. Michel Euler/AP hide caption

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Michel Euler/AP

Sports

Will the Seine be clean enough to swim in by the Olympics? Not even the experts know

Triathlon and marathon swimming are to take place in the Seine, where it has been illegal to swim for more than a century. The water has tested unsafe in recent weeks, and cleaner on other days.

A vendor dozes off as newspapers are seen carrying front-page stories of Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump, at a newsstand in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday.

A vendor dozes off as newspapers are seen carrying front-page stories of Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump, at a newsstand in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday. Tatan Syuflana/AP hide caption

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Tatan Syuflana/AP

Politically motivated attacks are an issue for democracies around the world

Across the world, people are looking on in horror at the rise of political violence in the U.S. But many international leaders have also fallen prey to political extremism.

International reaction to US political violence

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Mikel Oyarzabal of Spain celebrates as Spain wins the UEFA European Championship final match against England at Olympiastadion in Berlin on Sunday.

Mikel Oyarzabal of Spain celebrates as Spain wins the UEFA European Championship final match against England at Olympiastadion in Berlin on Sunday. Hesham Elsherif/Anadolu via Getty Images hide caption

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Hesham Elsherif/Anadolu via Getty Images

Perspective

Europe

Soccer's diversity unites a divided Europe, sort of

Four weeks of chanting and shouting on the streets were not expressions of anger about politics — but the sound of joy and excitement about the European Championship soccer tournament.

Tourists visit Nyhavn, the 17th-century waterfront, in Copenhagen, Denmark, in this 2021 file photo.

Tourists visit Nyhavn, the 17th-century waterfront, in Copenhagen, Denmark, in this 2021 file photo. Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP via Getty Images

Copenhagen begins offering free perks to tourists who make sustainable choices

The pilot program comes as residents in other parts of Europe have been denouncing — and in some cases confronting — the droves of tourists who flock to its historic cities and picturesque beaches every year.

Food and water is stacked and prepared to be loaded on trucks from The Israeli border crossing Kerem Shalom to the Gaza strip on July 10.

A forklift driver loads a truck with food on the Israeli side of the Kerem Shalom border crossing with southern Gaza on Wednesday. Israel says food is going into southern Gaza daily but is piling up on the Gaza side because the United Nations and aid groups aren't distributing it in a timely fashion. The U.N. says Israeli military operations and other war-related obstacles hamper its efforts. Maya Levin for NPR hide caption

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Maya Levin for NPR

Middle East crisis — explained

Food aid is piling up inside Gaza. Here's why it's not reaching those in need

Israel says large quantities of food aid are piling up just inside the Gaza border. Aid groups say Israeli military operations and other obstacles prevent its delivery to desperate Palestinians.

Food aid is piling up inside Gaza. Here's why it's not reaching those in need

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Members of the Lebanese army and the Italian contingent of the UNIFIL peacekeeping force inspect a house destroyed by an Israeli attack during a patrol in Yarine on June 10.

Members of the Lebanese army and the Italian contingent of the UNIFIL peacekeeping force inspect a house destroyed by an Israeli attack during a patrol in Yarine on June 10, 2024. Diego Ibarra Sánchez for NPR hide caption

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Diego Ibarra Sánchez for NPR

Middle East crisis — explained

U.N. peacekeepers take cover as Lebanon's Hezbollah and Israel trade attacks

“The situation is really quite volatile,” Capt. Alessandro Crepy, with the Italian contingent of the peacekeeping group UNIFIL, says of the fighting between forces in Israel and Lebanon.

Rocket exchanges between Israel and Hezbollah hit new highs in the past week

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Andrii Denysenko, CEO of design and production bureau

Andrii Denysenko, CEO of design and production bureau "UkrPrototyp," stands by Odyssey, an 800-kilogram (1,750-pound) ground drone prototype, at a cornfield in northern Ukraine on June 28, 2024. Facing manpower shortages and uneven international assistance, Ukraine is counting heavily on innovation at home to halt Russia’s incremental but pounding advance in the east. Anton Shtuka/AP hide caption

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Anton Shtuka/AP

Ukraine invasion — explained

Ukrainian startups are creating a low-cost robot army to fight Russia

An ecosystem of labs in hundreds of secret workshops is leveraging innovation to create a robot army that Ukraine hopes will kill Russian troops and save its own wounded soldiers and civilians.

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