COVER STORY this issue: The Battle for the Soul of Hong Kong. By Feliz Salomon. The city fights to keep its freedoms intact as China grows impatient. How do you stop a city in its tracks? By bringing Hong Kong International Airport, one of the world’s busiest transit hubs, to a standstill. Hundreds of flights were canceled and countless travelers stranded in what appears to have been the largest-ever shutdown of a major airport…To understand the world we live in, read TIME.

A nuclear accident in northern Russia accelerates a 21st century arms race. The news trickled out slowly. On Aug. 8, Russian state media reported at least two people killed in a mysterious accident in the country’s far north. Then came news of a spike in radiation near a White Sea military facility and footage that seemed to show doctors in hazmat suits treating victims. Finally, on Aug. 13, five days after the blast, the Kremlin confirmed five nuclear scientist had died testing one of the newest weapons in President Vladimir Putin’s arsenal…

The National Academy of Medicine recommends that adult women and men drink at least 91 and 125 oz. of water a day, respectively. But pounding large amounts of water morning, noon and night may not be the best way to hydrate. People who are drinking bottles and bottles of water in between meals and with no food–they’re probably just peeing most of that out,” says David Nieman, director of the Human Performance Lab at the North Carolina Research Campus…