As the COP31 climate talks opened in Antalya, an environmental studies professor lays out five ways countries stall negotiations without ever saying 'no'. They include claiming that 'we can't afford it', even though governments gave about $1.2 trillion in public support to fossil fuels in 2024, roughly five times the $254 billion for clean energy, and promising that future technology will fix things, which lets drastic cuts wait. At COP29 rich countries offered $300 billion a year by 2035 against the $1.3 trillion developing countries wanted. The pattern shows how a few obstructing voices can water down a deal while appearing to be climate leaders.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.