Author: Verified News Online

AdvertisementTibetChinaDiplomacyExplainer | What do we know about the site of China’s mega dam in Tibet and what is its significance?The location in the remote and sparsely populated Tibetan borderlands has the potential to cause environmental and political ructions
Reading Time:3 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPMeredith ChenPublished: 6:00am, 25 Jul 2025Updated: 6:08am, 25 Jul 2025China has officially broken ground on what is set to become the world’s largest hydropower dam on the Tibetan Plateau.AdvertisementThe dam is being built on the Yarlung Tsangpo in Medog – a remote yet geopolitically significant county close to the disputed border with India.
As well as becoming a major energy source, the dam is a key element in Beijing’s plans to develop the region and strengthen its border security.
However, it could also aggravate tensions with India as a result of a long-running border dispute and concerns about the impact on the environment and water security.What is the location?Medog, als..

AdvertisementScienceChinaScienceChina unveils the largest crystal for high-powered laser weaponsSynthetic crystal can withstand hundreds of megawatts of laser power and produce far-reaching infrared beams capable of attacking satellites
Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPStephen Chenin BeijingPublished: 6:00am, 25 Jul 2025Chinese researchers have manufactured the world’s largest barium gallium selenide (BGSe) crystal, a breakthrough that could pave the way for ultra-high-power laser weapons capable of zapping satellites from the ground.
AdvertisementThe synthetic crystal, measuring 60 millimetres (2.3 inches) in diameter, efficiently converts short-wave infrared lasers into mid- to far-infrared beams that can penetrate atmospheric windows for long-distance transmission.
Crucially, it can withstand laser power as intense as 550 megawatts per square centimetre – exceeding the damage threshold of existing military-grade crystals by an order of magnitude.
The resulting laser frequ..

Epstein and Maxwell (File photo-Agencies) Ghislaine Maxwell, convicted in 2021 for helping Jeffrey Epstein abuse underage girls, has been called to testify before the US Congress next month. The house oversight committee has issued a subpoena asking her to sit for a deposition on 11 August at the Tallahassee prison where she is serving a 20-year sentence. The committee said Maxwell’s testimony is crucial to examine how the US government handled sex trafficking cases, especially controversial plea deals and prosecution gaps in the Epstein investigation.“While the Justice Department undertakes efforts to uncover and publicly disclose additional information related to your and Mr. Epstein’s cases, it is imperative that Congress conduct oversight of the federal government’s enforcement of sex trafficking laws generally and specifically its handling of the investigation and prosecution of you and Mr. Epstein,” said chairman James Comer in a letter attached to the subpoena. The panel’s task ..

Wall Street Journal reported that Trump was told in May that his name appeared several times on Epstein files. In a bombshell claim, the Wall Street Journal reported that Attorney General Pam Bondi told President Donald Trump in May that his name appeared multiple times in Epstein documents. The president was also told at the meeting that “many other high-profile figures were also named” in the Epstein files, and that the “files contained what officials felt was unverified hearsay about many people, including Trump, who had socialized with Epstein in the past,” the Journal reported.WSJ report comes after Trump sued Murdoch
The Wall Street Journal report came after Trump sued Rupert Murdoch and WSJ after it claimed that Trump wrote a birthday letter to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and that note was not in good taste. Apart from calling the note fake, Trump announced that he sued WSJ and Rupert Murdoch. White House says latest WSJ report fake
White House communications director Steven Ch..

AdvertisementTibetChinaDiplomacyCould China’s Tibet mega dam help boost its sway with South Asian neighbours?Using the dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo to share electricity could carry ‘significant strategic value’ for Beijing, analysts say
Reading Time:3 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPVanessa Caiin Shanghai,Sylvie Zhuangin BeijingandMeredith Chenin Hong KongPublished: 6:00am, 24 Jul 2025China’s latest mega dam on the Tibetan Plateau could help draw neighbouring countries closer into its economic orbit by supplying electricity and boosting growth, analysts have argued.AdvertisementAccording to some estimates, the dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo will be the world’s biggest, producing up to 300 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity each year, three times the output of the Three Gorges Dam.
State news agency Xinhua said over the weekend that its output would “primarily deliver electricity for external consumption” but would also meet local demand in Tibet.
But the project has drawn concerns about the ..