Questions worth asking

India ranked 176th out of 177 nations in the 2026 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) compiled by Yale and Columbia universities, placing ahead of only Laos. The country received its lowest marks in air quality and biodiversity, where it ranked 174th in both, while performing somewhat better in climate change mitigation at 130th due to expanding renewable energy infrastructure. This marks India's third consecutive appearance near the bottom of the bi-annual index. Indian officials have repeatedly rejected the rankings as unscientific and methodologically flawed, arguing they undercount local progress. However, researchers point to ongoing challenges from rapid urbanization, coal reliance, and high population density.

Nepal is dealing with a wave of misinformation following recent floods, with the country's Press Council instructing 72 social media users to remove inappropriate content over four days. The misinformation has complicated efforts to understand the disaster while families search for missing relatives. One widely shared video falsely claimed to show Nepal's Home Minister Sudan Gurung participating in a tunnel rescue; fact-checkers found that the footage actually came from a rescue operation in Uttarakhand, India, and had been posted earlier by Uttarakhand Police. The Press Council has also opened a dedicated complaints portal, which received 101 complaints by Saturday evening. Nepal Fact Check said AI-generated and manipulated disaster visuals are becoming increasingly difficult to identify.