24/7 News Coverage
July 18, 2025
WATER WORLD
New deep sea mining rules lack consensus despite US pressure



Kingston, Jamaica (AFP) July 18, 2025
After two weeks of negotiations, the International Seabed Authority (ISA) is still far from finalizing rules for extracting coveted metals on the high seas despite heightened pressure triggered by US efforts to fast-track the controversial practice. Following a meeting in March and the current session in Jamaica, the 36 members of the ISA's executive council completed on Thursday a line-by-line reading of the proposed "mining code" and its 107 regulations for exploitation of the ocean floor in inter ... read more

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WEATHER REPORT
Lightning strikes kill 33 people in eastern India
Patna, India (AFP) July 18, 2025
Lightning strikes during monsoon storms in eastern India this week killed at least 33 people and injured dozens, officials said Friday. ... more
ICE WORLD
From Antarctica to Brussels, hunting climate clues in old ice
Brussels, Belgium (AFP) July 18, 2025
In a small, refrigerated room at a Brussels university, parka-wearing scientists chop up Antarctic ice cores tens of thousands of years old in search of clues to our planet's changing climate. ... more
FIRE STORM
Giant cloud of forest fire smoke smothers Madrid
Madrid (AFP) July 17, 2025
A giant cloud of acrid smoke caused by a forest fire enveloped Madrid on Thursday in a summer expected to spark increasingly fierce blazes in Spain. ... more
FIRE STORM
Iraq shopping mall fire kills more than 60
Kut, Iraq (AFP) July 17, 2025
A fire tore through a newly opened shopping mall in the eastern Iraqi city of Kut overnight, killing at least 61 people, authorities said Thursday as grief-stricken families buried their loved ones. ... more
AFRICA NEWS
French army leaves Senegal, ending military presence in west Africa
Dakar (AFP) July 17, 2025
France on Thursday formally handed back its last two military bases in Senegal, leaving Paris with no permanent army camps in either west or central Africa. ... more
PILLAGING PIRATES
UK, Germany vow to tackle people smuggling gangs
London (AFP) July 17, 2025
Britain and Germany signed landmark deals on Thursday to boost defence ties and crackdown on people smuggling gangs on the first official visit to the UK by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. ... more
FLORA AND FAUNA
Sri Lanka returns orphaned elephants to the jungle
Colombo (AFP) July 17, 2025
Sri Lankan authorities returned six orphaned and injured elephants to the wild on Thursday after nursing them back to health under a long-running conservation project, officials said. ... more
WEATHER REPORT
54 people killed in 24 hours of heavy monsoon rain in Pakistan
Rawalpindi, Pakistan (AFP) July 17, 2025
Heavy rains have been linked to 54 deaths in the past 24 hours in Pakistan, taking the toll to about 180 since the arrival of the monsoon in late June, the government's disaster agency said on Thursday. ... more

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TECHNOLOGY NEWS


SHAKE AND BLOW
Volcanic eruption ends day's search for bodies of Filipino cockfighters
Laurel, Philippines (AFP) July 17, 2025
Divers searching for dozens of murdered cockfighters in a lake south of Manila were forced to exit the water Thursday when the volcanic island in its centre erupted unexpectedly. ... more
SHAKE AND BLOW
Three dead as South Korean region hit by most rain in 120 years
Seosan City, South Korea (AFP) July 17, 2025
At least three people were killed and more than 1,000 evacuated Thursday after South Korea was hit by torrential rains, officials said, with one region pummelled by the most rainfall per hour since full records began. ... more
ICE WORLD
Heat melts Alps snow and glaciers, leaving water shortage
Saint-Christophe-En-Oisans, France (AFP) July 16, 2025
June's heatwave has caused French Alps snow and glaciers to melt faster, causing water shortages at mountain shelters just before the summer tourist hiking season gets into full swing. ... more
SHAKE AND BLOW
Iceland volcano erupts for ninth time since 2023
Reykjavik (AFP) July 16, 2025
A volcano erupted on Wednesday in Iceland's Reykjanes peninsula in the southwest, weather authorities said, the ninth eruption to hit the region since the end of 2023. ... more
DEMOCRACY
Israel religious party under fire over service exemptions stance
Jerusalem (AFP) July 15, 2025
An Israeli ultra-Orthodox Jewish party has come under fire for its decision to quit the ruling coalition in a long-running struggle over military service exemptions as the army looks for manpower for Gaza. ... more
FROTH AND BUBBLE
EU environment ministers test blood for 'forever chemicals'
Copenhagen (AFP) July 10, 2025
EU environment and climate ministers meeting in Denmark on Thursday tested their blood for "forever chemicals" linked to serious health risks, in a bid to raise awareness about chemical pollution, Danish and European officials said. ... more
TECHNOLOGY NEWS


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WEATHER REPORT
Five missing in landslide as rain lashes China's south and east
Beijing (AFP) July 9, 2025
Five people are missing after a house was buried in a landslide triggered by heavy rainfall in southwest China on Wednesday, authorities and state media said. ... more
ROBO SPACE
Major US teachers union teams up with AI giants
New York (AFP) July 8, 2025
The second biggest teachers union in the United States unveiled a groundbreaking partnership Tuesday with AI powerhouses Microsoft, OpenAI, and Anthropic to develop a comprehensive training program helping educators master artificial intelligence. ... more
CLIMATE SCIENCE
Almost half of Europe and Mediterranean basin hit by drought
Paris (AFP) July 8, 2025
Europe and the Mediterranean basin has been hit by a long-lasting drought covering over 45 percent of the region since mid-March, according to AFP analysis of European Drought Observatory (EDO) data made available on Tuesday. ... more
EARTH OBSERVATION
Bezos-backed methane-tracking satellite lost in space
Wellington (AFP) July 11, 2025
A satellite backed by billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has been lost in space while carrying out an important climate change mission, New Zealand officials said Wednesday. ... more
DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Rain caused natural disasters in 83% of Brazil's cities: report
Rio De Janeiro, Brazil (AFP) July 2, 2025
Heavy rains spurred by global warming caused natural disasters in eight out of 10 Brazilian cities between 2020 and 2023, three times more than in the 1990s, according to a study published Tuesday. ... more
WATER WORLD
Man arrested in Italy for syphoning water from royal palace
Rome (AFP) July 10, 2025
Italian police said on Thursday they had arrested a man accused of syphoning off water from an aqueduct feeding the fountains and basins of a palace dubbed the "Italian Versailles" near Naples. ... more
WAR REPORT
Cambodia to implement military conscription in 2026
Phnom Penh (AFP) July 14, 2025
Cambodia's military will begin conscripting civilians next year, Prime Minister Hun Manet said Monday, citing rising tensions with Thailand as the reason for activating a long-dormant mandatory enlistment law. ... more
SUPERPOWERS
State Department cutting 1,353 jobs amid downsizing
Washington DC (UPI) Jul 12, 2025
The State Department on Friday began notifying 1,353 affected workers of their pending job losses as the department reduces its workforce by 15%. ... more
SHAKE AND BLOW
Magnitude 6.7 quake hits offshore eastern Indonesia: USGS
Jakarta (AFP) July 14, 2025
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck Monday off eastern Indonesia, the US Geological Survey said, but a monitor said there was no tsunami threat. ... more
FIRE STORM
Tourists, residents evacuated from Grand Canyon due to wildfires
Los Angeles, United States (AFP) July 12, 2025
Fast-spreading wildfires have forced the evacuation of part of the Grand Canyon, with the US National Park Service ordering visitors and residents away from its northern rim. ... more
DEMOCRACY
Hong Kong publishers join independent book fair after govt block
Hong Kong (AFP) July 17, 2025
More than a dozen independent Hong Kong publishers, some of whom had been barred from a government-run book fair, took part in a separate literary festival on Thursday for books primarily on social issues. ... more
ABOUT US
Hong Kong leader backs same-sex couples' rights bill
Hong Kong (AFP) July 15, 2025
Hong Kong leader John Lee threw his weight behind a bill recognising limited rights for same-sex couples on Tuesday, despite fears that opposition from pro-Beijing parties could sink it. ... more
TECHNOLOGY NEWS


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FIRE STORM
Spreading Grand Canyon fire destroys historic lodge
Los Angeles, United States (AFP) July 14, 2025
A growing wildfire at the Grand Canyon's North Rim has now charred at least 50 structures, including a historic lodge inside the popular US tourist site and natural wonder, authorities said Monday. ... more
TECH SPACE
Underappreciated threat of nanoplastic pollution revealed in Atlantic Ocean study
Berlin, Germany (SPX) Jul 14, 2025
Plastic pollution affects marine ecosystems globally, with animals suffering from entanglement and ingestion of both large and small plastic debris. While microplastics have been widely studied, dat ... more
ICE WORLD
Deadly China-Nepal flood caused by glacial lake: experts
Kathmandu (AFP) July 9, 2025
Flash floods that killed at least nine people in a mountainous region between China and Nepal and swept away a key bridge linking the two countries, were caused by the release of water from a glacial lake, experts said Wednesday. ... more
EARTH OBSERVATION
New UK weather records being set 'very frequently': report
London (AFP) July 14, 2025
Extremes in temperature and rainfall in the UK are becoming increasingly frequent, the nation's meteorological service said Monday in a report on Britain's changing climate. ... more
EARTH OBSERVATION
Planet secures 240 million euro satellite services contract with German government
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 02, 2025
Planet Labs Germany GmbH has secured a multi-year satellite services agreement valued at euro 240 million, funded by the German government to support European peace and security initiatives. Under ... more
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