My fortune teller was right about everything... then she gripped my hand and made a prediction so horrifying it has changed the way I live my life
Among the stalls selling novelty T-shirts, silk scarves and bargain souvenirs, the bustling Hong Kong market just beyond Wong Tai Sin Temple was lined with white tents.
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Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
India's stranded renewable projects double to over 50 GW, documents show
SINGAPORE, Aug 1 (Reuters) - India's stranded renewable power capacity - projects awarded but unable to come online - more than doubled over nine months, due to unfinished transmission lines, and legal and regulatory delays, letters from an industry group to the government showed. The South Asian nation aims to more than double its non-fossil fuel power capacity to 500 gigawatts (GW) by 2030, but the acceleration has left projects without firm agreements to supply power. Renewable projects that won tenders to generate power but are yet to sign power purchase agreements with buyers have surged to over 50 gigawatts (GW), India's Sustainable Projects Developers Association (SPDA) said in a letter to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy on June 27. That compared with stranded projects of over 20 GW, another letter sent by the SPDA on October 4 showed. Both letters were reviewed by Reuters. Tendered projects cumulatively worth billions of dollars awarded to companies including JSW, NTPC ( opens new tab, ( opens new tab, Adani Green ( opens new tab, ACME Solar ( opens new tab, Renew (RNW.O), opens new tab and Sembcorp ( opens new tab are stranded, two industry officials familiar with the matter said. "Energy transition is not just about building solar and wind capacity, it is also about ensuring that clean power reaches in a most optimum cost and timely manner," the SPDA said in its June 27 letter to the renewable energy ministry. The stranded solar and wind capacity without buyers of over 50 GW reported by the SPDA is about a quarter the size of India's current installed renewable capacity of 184.6 GW. The companies did not respond to Reuters requests seeking comment. Delays in critical transmission infrastructure - especially in sun-drenched states such as Rajasthan and Gujarat - have forced many solar plants to miss commissioning deadlines, the SPDA said in the June letter. Interstate transmission lines connecting renewable energy projects to the grid are being fast-tracked, and compensation for landowners allowing power cables on their property has been increased to facilitate construction, the federal power ministry told Reuters. India plans to connect 230 GW of renewable energy projects to the grid through interstate transmission lines, of which 20% have been completed, 70% are under construction and the remainder is being bid out, the ministry said, without specifying a timeline for completion. Renewable projects are also stuck due to prolonged legal disputes over land and environmental permissions, SPDA said, adding that several developers have paused operations over unresolved court cases.
The Sun
3 hours ago
- The Sun
We live in UK's most photographed street – tourists make our lives hell… they wander into homes like it's Disneyland
LOCALS living in Britain's most photographed street say they are now completely overrun with tourists who make their lives hell. Residents around Arlington Row in the Cotswold village of Bibury claim visitors trample on their gardens and peer through the windows and even walk into their homes as they take continuous selfies. 17 17 17 Some also claim the oblivious pic hunters have also knocked down walls in their cars, blocked their driveways and several of the endless stream of coaches even run people over. The village itself - once described by William Morris as "the most beautiful" in England - has reportedly seen an influx in interest due to online recommendations. Bibury previously hit the news in 2017 after social media users complained their photos of Arlington Row where photobombed by an "ugly little yellow car". It was subsequently vandalised, with repairs costing elderly owner Peter Maddox around £6,000. However, he had a defiant attitude and refused to move his bright-coloured car from outside his cottage, leading to a large fleet of yellow cars descending on the village in support. Opinions divided Mark Honeyball, 54, chairman of Bibury Parking Working Group, said the main problems in the village are coaches and the 'volume' of tourists. He said: 'We've gone from 10 to 90 coaches a day. We have seen a quadrupling of tourists coming into the village. 'The coaches are causing damage to the village, they are knocking over walls. "They are knocking over National Trust property, pavements and we have had to pay for enforcement in the village to stop them parking in the wrong places. 'We have had several incidents of bus drivers hitting people - they are just a nightmare and we are currently trying to ban them. 'Car tourists have increased as well and we don't have anywhere for them to park.' Bibury Working Parking Group is made up of Gloucestershire County Council, Cotswold District Council, the police and Bibury Parish Council, which recently made some recommendations to restrict access for coaches. As a result, Gloucestershire County Council Highways would be changing the layout of parking bays to stop coaches waiting on the B4425 next to the Swan Bridge in the centre of the village. Mr Honeyball added that he wants 'responsible tourism in lower volumes'. He said: 'The only people who want tourists here are the businesses. Everybody else is fed up with it. 'Tourists see themselves as number one and don't respect the village even to the extent where I have had people parking on my driveaway before. 'We have had people walking into the house here and asking if this is the hotel. 'First couple of times it was amusing, after that you can get quite angry and short fused even when people start parking outside here.' 17 17 17 Resident Jennifer Bowman, 50, works in gaming and said she 'loves tourists' but there is a 'lack of infrastructure' that needs solving. She said: 'Many of the people who are coming here are tourists and they don't know UK driving laws and regulations and you don't see any signs that clearly say 'no parking' - it is simply marking on the roads. 'The biggest frustration as a resident is that there are not enough recycling bins, trash bins and parking and there seems to be a lack of urgency to solve it even though tourism continues to increase.' Jennifer's partner John Diamond, 49, who works in tech, said they have had tourists peeking through their windows as their house is right onto the footpath. But he said they shut the blinds and carry on with the rest of their day - adding that they have got used to it. He said: 'You can't go and move to the prettiest village in the UK and not expect tourists - we knew what we were getting into when we got this house. Perhaps we didn't expect people to stop and peering quite as long as they do. He added: 'I don't think they [tourists] should be pushed away because we came here as tourists like pretty much everybody who lives here apart from a few who are generational residents. 'There is not much parking - we don't have a parking space with our house so we have to park on the street where a tourist would. 'In the summer we have had cars parking on these double yellow lines. You can't step out of your house without stepping onto a car.' Local Ella Illes, 22, said that sometimes tourists think Bibury is a "Disneyland" or a 'museum town'. 17 17 She added: 'Some people embrace them because it brings in a lot of revenue to the village because we don't have many shops around here but sometimes tourists can be quite invasive and intrusive on local properties. 'I had one instance of a family walking through my backdoor during breakfast time so sometimes they think that Bibury is a Disney land and a museum town. 'They treat it with respect but sometimes they don't and they will wander into houses and throw rubbish on your floor and throw it in your garden. 'Some locals like the tourists but not the amount we get about up to 10 thousand a day sometimes and they come from all corners of the globe.' Lady Anne Evans, in her 50s, who has lived in the village for 25 years, runs a a café, shop and tearoom called Eleven. She said Bibury is an 'international' heritage site adding that the 'key' is to manage the needs of residents and tourists. Mrs Evans explained that parking in the village has been a problem since she moved in but has increasingly got worse. 'The villagers don't own the village but it is important that we continue our lives unhindered everyday but equally so people are very welcomed here,' she said. 'It is a privilege to be able to be the curators and guardians of such an incredibly important location. 'It is important that residents can continue their everyday lives unhindered and businesses continue and then the visitors who come are accommodated - but they need to have parking. 17 17 17 'This has been going on for 25 years but has got increasingly worse and I think that's because of social media.' 'You are not going to be able to stop people so you have got to accommodate them.' Lorraine Spackman, 53, who works at the local shop Eleven said she absolutely loves tourists. She said: 'We totally embrace them. 'With parking there is a system in place when it comes to coaches where they drop people off for an hour to visit the village. 'Arlington Row is such a beautiful iconic spot so it's always going to bring lots of tourists.' Lorraine remembers Mr Maddox's yellow car. The word "move" was scratched into the bonnet of the Vauxhall Corsa, which was parked outside his cottage in Arlington Row. 'He used to park at the top of Arlington and then everybody turned up with a yellow car just to make a point and show support,' said Lorraine. Locals said that Mr Maddox, now 90, still lives on the famous street but is currently in poor health and that the yellow car has since been sold. 17 17 17 Jason Collard, 38, a builder in Bibury, said his grandparents used to live in one of the cottages on the iconic Arlington Row. He said: 'I suppose if you lived here and you put up with it every day it would make it a bit annoying. 'When you ask them to stay off the grass and you need to put signs on your grass saying 'stay out of the grass' makes it a bit annoying. 'But this is part of history and people come from America, Japan, China to see this. 'It's got its good days and bad days. When it's busy it gets really busy. 'Most tourists just take pictures really.' The landscape and the history attracted influencer Giulia Cotigliana who came across Bibury on Pinterest, Google and Instagram. Giulia Cotigliana, 34 said she didn't find Bibury busy but added that arriving earlier is the trick to avoid large groups of tourists. The influencer from Italy said to feel like she was in a movie while visiting the village. One local said: ' We are packing up to go on holiday and escape the tourists.' 17 17
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
India to still buy oil from Russia despite Trump threats, say officials
Indian oil refineries will continue to buy oil from Russia, officials have said, before threatened US sanctions next week against Moscow's trading partners over the war in Ukraine. Media reports on Friday had suggested India, a big energy importer, would stop buying cheap Russian oil. Trump told reporters on Friday that such a move would be 'a good step' if true. 'I understand that India is no longer going to be buying oil from Russia,' he said. 'That's what I heard. I don't know if that's right or not. That is a good step. We will see what happens.' However, official sources in India, quoted by the news agency ANI, rebutted Trump's claim, saying Indian oil companies had not paused Russian imports and that supply decisions were based on 'price, grade of crude, inventories, logistics and other economic factors'. Trump's remarks came a day after the White House announced tariffs of 25% on all Indian goods, along with a penalty for buying arms and energy from Russia amid the war in Ukraine. Trump has given an 8 August deadline for Vladimir Putin to stop the war or risk further sanctions on tariffs on countries that import Russian oil. Earlier this week, Reuters reported that Indian state-owned refineries had suspended Russian oil purchases amid the tariff threats and narrowing price discounts. But on Saturday the New York Times cited two unnamed senior Indian officials who said there had been no change in Indian government policy related to importing Russian oil. One said the government had 'not given any direction to oil companies' to cease buying oil from Russia. 'These are long-term oil contracts,' one of the sources said. 'It is not so simple to just stop buying overnight.' The sources cited by ANI said Indian oil refineries operated in full compliance with international norms, and that Russian oil had never been directly sanctioned by the US or EU. 'Instead, it was subjected to a G7-EU price-cap mechanism designed to limit revenue while ensuring global supplies continued to flow.' They added: 'India's purchases have remained fully legitimate and within the framework of international norms.' The sources also noted that if India had not 'absorbed discounted Russian crude combined with Opec+ production cuts of 5.8 mb/d [millions of barrels a day], global oil prices could have surged well beyond the March 2022 peak of US$137/bbl [a barrel], intensifying inflationary pressures worldwide'. Sign up to First Thing Our US morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Russia is the top oil supplier to India, responsible for about 35% of the country's supplies. India says that as a major energy importer it must find the cheapest supplies to protect its population against rising costs. On Friday India's foreign ministry spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, said: 'We look at what is available in the markets, what is on offer, and also what is the prevailing global situation or circumstances.' Jaiswal added that India had a 'steady and time-tested partnership' with Russia. This partnership has been a point of contention for the White House, with Trump posting on Truth Social on 30 July that while India was 'our friend', it had always bought most of its military equipment from Russia and was 'Russia's largest buyer of ENERGY, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to STOP THE KILLING IN UKRAINE – ALL THINGS NOT GOOD!' In a second post, Trump added: 'I don't care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care.' Ukraine's military said on Saturday it had hit oil facilities inside Russia, including a refinery in Ryazan, causing a fire on its premises. The strike also hit an oil storage facility, a military airfield for drones and an electronics factory.
