Prime Minister Narendra Modi has told his fellow Indians that "nature has been testing us" after cloudbursts caused flash flooding that killed hundreds of people across the north of the country, and in neighbouring Pakistan.

What causes cloudbursts?
Usually defined as more than 10cm (roughly 4in) of rainfall within an hour over an area less than 30 sq km (11.6 square miles), cloudbursts are more likely to happen in places where warm, moist air is rising upwards in a period of high humidity, low pressure, instability and convective cloud formation.

As the warm, moist air rises, it cools and condenses, creating large, dense clouds that can often get trapped by hills or mountains, instead of moving on. When these clouds cannot contain their moisture any more, they burst, releasing it all at once, effectively like "a rain bomb", said The Associated Press. Cloudbursts "thrive in moisture, monsoons and mountains", all of which are present in India and Pakistan.

Why are they dangerous?
The intense rainfall often triggers deadly flooding and landslides, as happened in northern Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir last week, killing at least 344 people, according to authorities. The death toll included 24 people from the same family, who were swept away on the eve of a wedding. In Indian-administered Kashmir, at least 60 people have been killed in flash flooding, with 200 more missing.

Part of the reason cloudbursts are so dangerous is that there is "no forecasting system anywhere in the world" that can predict exactly where and when they will occur, said Asfandyar Khan Khattak, an official from Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Are they caused by climate change?
Cloudbursts are a natural phenomena but extreme rain events and their related flash-flooding have worsened in recent years as a direct result of climate change. Because a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, "every tenth of a degree of warming will lead to heavier monsoon rainfall", said Mariam Zachariah, an environmental researcher at Imperial College London.

Khalid Khan, a former special secretary for climate change in Pakistan and chair of climate initiative Planet Pulse, said global warming had "supercharged" the water cycle. "In short, climate change is making rare events more frequent, and frequent events more destructive."

The Prince and Princess of Wales are planning to make a fresh start in a new home, after a tumultuous few years that have included the death of Queen Elizabeth, Kate's battle with cancer, and the King's own cancer diagnosis.

A Kensington Palace spokesperson confirmed that William, Kate and their children, George, Charlotte and Louis, will leave their current residence, Adelaide Cottage, in the grounds of Windsor Castle, and move into Forest Lodge, a Grade II-listed Georgian property in Windsor Great Park.

No live-in staff
Windsor Great Park is part of the Crown Estate and is largely open to the public. Forest Lodge, in one of the private areas of the park, was built in the 1770s and is said to be worth up to £16 million today. It has eight bedrooms and six bathrooms spread across three floors, along with a ballroom and a tennis court, and is only a few miles from Lambrook, the private prep school attended by all three children.

The Wales' will not have live-in staff, and will pay for the rent and the move themselves "at no extra cost to the taxpayer", said The Sun. They are also footing the renovation costs, unlike Harry and Meghan who "splashed £2.4 million of taxpayers' money" on doing up Frogmore Cottage before decamping to the US.

'Forever home'
According to insiders, "the royal couple see this as a move for the long-term and view Forest Lodge as their forever home", said the BBC. "Moving is an opportunity to leave some of the more unhappy memories behind," a royal source told the broadcaster.

It therefore "appears unlikely", said The Mail on Sunday, that William and his family will ever live in Buckingham Palace, official home to the British monarch since 1837, "raising the possibility of it being opened up to the public and used for only major royal functions". It also means William may "become the first monarch not to live in a palace or castle when he succeeds Charles as King".

An employee of state-owned mining company LKAB watches on as trailers prepare to move the 113-year-old wooden church in Kiruna, Sweden, to make way for the expansion of an iron-ore mine. The three-mile journey to its new site will take two days. 

Jonathan Nackstrand / AFP / Getty Images

The humble ferry may not be as glamorous as a sleeper train but starting your holiday by boat can be just as thrilling – and far more affordable.
Hop aboard for one of these scenic coastal adventures around the UK.

Penzance to the Isles of Scilly
Setting out from Penzance's South Pier, the crossing to St Mary's (pictured above) is the "indispensable highlight of any trip to the Isles of Scilly", said The Guardian. Head out on deck to catch a "glimpse" of Land's End as you depart, and then watch out for wildlife from fin whales to dolphins.

Portsmouth to the Isle of Wight
Board in Portsmouth and, in under an hour, you'll arrive on the Isle of Wight. Disembarking at Fishbourne, take a bus to the "picturesque" seaside town of Ventnor, said The Independent. Thanks to its "renowned microclimate" and "abundant sunshine", it is a foodie haven.

Berneray to Harris
This "short voyage" in the Outer Hebrides is among Scotland's most "exhilarating", said The Guardian. Spanning nine nautical miles, the crossing takes you over the Sound of Harris, "strewn with deadly rocks, dangerous tidal currents and frequent mists".

Birkenhead to Belfast
From Birkenhead, jump aboard the Stena Line ferry to Belfast before taking the train to Coleraine, the perfect spot to embark on a hiking holiday in the "magical glens of Antrim and the wild Causeway Coast", said The Times. 

The boss is back
Brooke Masters in the Financial Times
"No more Mr Nice Guy," writes Brooke Masters. The pandemic "forced employers to embrace empathy and flexibility" but bosses are once more "laying down the law". The current "economic backdrop" and the "rapid rise" of artificial intelligence have "strengthened management's hand" over employees. But bosses who demand "long hours", impose "five-day-in-the-office mandates" and stop valuing loyalty "should not be surprised" if their top employees decamp to "the highest bidder".

I can't help liking Bonnie Blue
Julie Burchill in The Spectator
"I'm not trying to be controversial," writes Julie Burchill, but "maybe there's a tiny bit of envy" in the criticisms of adult performer Bonnie Blue and her extreme sex stunts. Don't look at porn? Criticise her "all you like". "But if you use it and criticise her, you're a clown" and a "hypocrite". She's "filthy rich" and apparently "having the time of her life". I see her "retiring at 30, utterly triumphant and smug".

A broccoli shortage? Don't celebrate, it's the end of the world
Robert Crampton in The Times
"Thanks to successive heatwaves", there's an "impending Brocalypse", writes Robert Crampton. I'm "distraught", as I eat broccoli "at least four times a week". I have "trained myself to enjoy it (steamed, no butter). Yeah, even the stalks." So, like "the 'bogroll bandits' who swept the shelves clean of Andrex" during lockdown, "I'm going to have to start hoarding". It's a "perishable", though. My "resilience planning" needs to include "broccoli life extension".