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France and England Battle Multiple Wildfires as Record Heat Grips Europe

Varieties An aerial view shows smoke rising from fire-damaged houses, south of Stourbridge town center in central England on August 14, 2026. (Photo by Darren Staples / AFP)

France and England Battle Multiple Wildfires as Record Heat Grips Europe

Firefighters across France and in central England struggled against multiple fires Friday as a new wave of record-breaking heat baked a swath of Europe, their…

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Varieties This undated photo provided by the National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, shows the shattered window on a Ryanair plane that was broken by a stray engine part shortly after takeoff, causing a man's head to be sucked into the hole. (National Transportation Safety Board via AP)

Report: Engine Fragments Caused Ryanair Flight to Lose Pressure

Engine fragments struck a window of a Ryanair plane last month resulting in a man nearly being sucked out of the aircraft mid-flight, according to a…

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Varieties Dog meat placed on a scale during Malbok, the last of Korea's traditional hottest days of summer, at a restaurant selling dog meat and black goat meat stews in Seongnam, South Korea, August 14, 2026.   REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

In South Korea, Some Savor Last Season of Legal Dog Meat

For decades, the three days of summer considered the hottest of the year were among the busiest for South Korea's dog meat restaurants, as diners sought…

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Varieties Novva Tolson,15, poses while holding a mobile phone, in Sydney, Australia July 14, 2026. REUTERS/Jeremy Piper

Social Media Firms Urge Caution on Early Australia Under-16 Ban Data

Top social media platforms urged the Australian government not to place too much weight on early evidence showing most children still use their products…

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Varieties A rescuer pets a dog in the aftermath of an earthquake, in Pereira, Colombia, August 12, 2026. REUTERS/Juan David Duque

Owners Reunite with Pets in Quake-hit Colombia

A beaming Vickye Giraldo holds her rescued kitten tight against her chest outside her ruined home in quake-hit Cali, Colombia. The country's third-largest…

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Varieties  A drone view of volcanic ash and lava during an eruption at Mount Etna, forcing authorities to suspend flights at Catania airport, in Sicily, Italy, August 12, 2026. (Reuters)

Etna Ash Keeps Catania Airport Shut Until Friday, Disrupting Summer Travel

Flights at Catania airport in Sicily will remain suspended until early Friday because of ash from Mount Etna's ongoing volcanic activity, which has forced…

Varieties Smoke rises from the Brunswick Creek wildfire, looking north over the Fraser River near Boston Bar, British Columbia, Canada, August 11, 2026 in an aerial photograph. (BC Wildfire/Handout via Reuters)

Canadian Wildfire That Forced 20,000 to Flee May Signal ‘New Normal’

A wildfire that forced more than 20,000 people from their homes in western Canada moved so quickly that crews had to abandon firefighting to help residents…

Varieties The Taliban authorities have taken steps to control Afghans' access to technology. Wakil KOHSAR / AFP

Afghan Students Divided over Smartphone Ban at Universities

Forced to leave their smartphones off campus, Afghan university students are divided over whether the new anti-tech rule has disrupted their studies or done…

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Varieties A Facebook message is displayed on a mobile phone, as Meta begins blocking new sign-ups for anyone under 16 in Australia, in this picture illustration taken December 3, 2025. (Reuters)

Meta Says It Has Taken Down 756,000 Australian Teen Accounts as Ban Enforcement Looms

Facebook and Instagram owner Meta said on Thursday it had taken down more than 750,000 accounts it suspected were held by Australians aged under 16 since a…

Varieties London steam ship enthusiast Peter McLaughlin began recreating a boat's boiler room in his back garden shed after retiring early with ill health. Henry NICHOLLS / AFP

British Eccentrics Push Humble Garden Shed to New Heights

"Welcome to the Shanty Shed," shouted steam ship enthusiast Peter McLaughlin over the din of pistons lunging back and forth as clouds of white vapor billowed…

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Varieties Birds rest along the shore of Arlington Reservoir as water levels recede after Britain’s Environment Agency declared the East Midlands, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Kent, East Sussex, and Solent and South Downs regions in drought during the fifth heatwave of the year, near Hailsham, south‑east Britain, August 12, 2026. (Reuters)

Britain to Swelter Again as It Looks Poised for a Record Hot Summer

Large parts of western Europe will be sweltering once again on Thursday, with Britain poised for its fifth heatwave of an exceptional summer that is expected…

Varieties  The James Webb Space Telescope, which spotted the new astronomical object called a "black hole star". (NASA TV/AFP file)

New Space Object ‘Black Hole Star’ Discovered by Astronomers

Astronomers announced Wednesday they had discovered a new type of astronomical object called a "black hole star", potentially solving a mystery involving…

Varieties  The JCB Hydromax sits on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Wendover, Utah, where Andy Green aims to drive it to a land speed record for cars powered by hydrogen internal combustion engines, Monday, Aug. 10, 2026. (AP)

Britain’s Andy Green Sets Another Speed Record, This Time in a Hydrogen-Powered Car

The only person to break the sound barrier in a car earned another world record Tuesday in a show of force for hydrogen power. British driver Andy Green…

Varieties A crocodile perches on the roof of what was the conference hall of a tourist lodge now completely inundated in the rising waters of the Lake Bogoria in Marigat sub-county, Baringo county on July 27, 2026. (AFP)

Rising Kenyan Lakes Push Crocodiles Closer to Homes

A crocodile basks in the sunshine on the roof of a submerged conference hall at a holiday resort in central Kenya, in a visible sign of how rising lake waters…

Varieties A tourist photographs the sun with his mobile phone at Arija beach, Spain, August 11, 2026. (Reuters)

Eclipse Craze Grips Spain, Iceland as Millions Get Set for ‘Event of the Century’

Millions of people across Spain and Iceland geared up to witness a total solar eclipse on Wednesday, packing their protective glasses and travelling to areas…

Varieties A general view shows the water conditions in the Piraiba river before a summit of Amazon rainforest nations, in Belem, Para state, Brazil August 5, 2023. (Reuters)

Brazil’s Natural Areas Shrink, Worsening El Nino Impact

Brazil has lost an area of native vegetation more than twice the size of France in the past four decades, increasing vulnerability to extreme weather events…

Varieties A man runs across the parched park lands of Hyde Park in central London, Britain, 11 August 2026. (EPA)

UK on Course to Record Warmest Summer for Second Year in a Row

Britain is "on course" to chalk up its warmest summer on record for the second-year running, the UK's Met Office weather agency said Tuesday as the country…

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Varieties  Castel Sant'Angelo, at background right, towers over the Tiber River, which has reached a low water level after several months without rain, in Rome, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP)

Extreme Heat Becoming More Frequent and Intense, UN Agency Says

Periods of extreme heat are becoming more frequent, intense and longer-lasting as climate change warms the planet, the UN weather agency said on Tuesday,…

Varieties  A lionfish lies after being caught in a trap in the coastal city of Limassol, Cyprus, July 17, 2026. (Reuters)

Invasive Species Thrive as Global Warming Transforms the Mediterranean

Pepis, the bearded skipper of a small fishing boat, deftly picks up two lionfish caught in experimental traps off the coast of Cyprus, cuts off their venomous…

Varieties Residents and firefighters work to extinguish an advancing wildfire near Formariz in Zamora province, Spain, July 29, 2026. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo

Spain Prepares for Eclipse under Shadow of Wildfire Risk

Spain is rolling out a massive police operation and public safety campaign ahead of a rare total solar eclipse on August 12 that will coincide with one of the…

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Varieties This handout satellite image obtained from Planet Labs on August 7, 2026 and taken on July 14, 2026 shows the xAI Colossus 2 data center in south Memphis, Tennessee. 2026 Planet Labs PBC/AFP

AI's Hunger for Power Sparks US Private Gas Plant Boom

As US tech companies race to build the data centers fueling the AI boom, they are increasingly putting up their own power plants -- off the grid and running on…

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Varieties Now and then... the 1991 Mars Bar alongside one from today (Victoria Gordon) 

A Mars Bar From 1990’s Highlights ‘Shrinkflation’ Effect

A 35-year-old Mars Bar has been found during a house clearance – and the discovery has gone viral amid claims it highlights the effect of “shrinkflation.” …

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Varieties This photograph taken on August 5, 2026, shows a burnt area after a wildfire in Porto Germeno, some 70 kilometers (45 miles) northwest of Athens. (Photo by Angelos TZORTZINIS / AFP)

Greece Battles New Fire Near Athens Driven by Winds

A new wildfire broke out in Greece Monday morning southeast of the capital Athens, fanned by strong winds of more than 70 kilometers per hour, firefighters…

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Varieties Lava flows from Mount Etna as lights from nearby communities are seen in the background during an eruption in Sicily, Italy, July 30, 2026. (Reuters)

Etna Volcano Ash Cloud Halts Arrivals at Sicily’s Catania Airport

Flights ‌arriving at Catania airport in eastern Sicily were suspended until 1500 GMT on Monday after volcanic ash from a fresh eruption of Mount Etna…

Varieties A Porter Airlines plane taxis to a terminal in Ottawa, Ontario, Monday, July 6, 2026. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)

Porter Airlines Flight in Canada Canceled after Child Refuses to Sit Down and Buckle Up

A Porter Airlines flight in Canada was canceled last week after a young child refused to sit down and buckle up, forcing the plane back to the terminal and…

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Varieties  A 1981 Commodore SP9000 “Super PET” computer and floppy disk drives are displayed at the Vintage Computer Festival in Mountain View, Calif., Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. (AP)

As AI Grips World, the Thrill of Collecting Vintage Computers Is Growing

Software engineer Josh Dersch loves old computers. He spends countless hours tinkering in his garage, trying to coax decades-old machines back to life. He…

Varieties A worker pushes a wheelbarrow at a brick kiln in Sheikhupura, in Pakistan's Punjab province, on July 20, 2026. Arif ALI / AFP

Pakistan Brickmakers Scorched by Sun above and Fire Below

As dark plumes billow from overhead smokestacks, brickmakers at a kiln in Pakistan's Sheikhupura district crush coal through small holes beneath their feet…

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Varieties (FILES) This aerial photograph shows a bridge over the dried out Loire River bed in Loireauxence (Varades), western France, on July 10, 2026. (Photo by Damien MEYER / AFP)

Western Europe Sets New Temperature Record as Heat Waves Pummel the Region

The heat waves roiling Western Europe this summer toppled an average temperature record for the June-July period set in 2022, according to the European climate…

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Varieties The discovery is the first evidence that corals can develop a protective, immune memory-like response - SPA

KAUST Scientists Discover Corals Can be Trained to Resist Disease

Scientists at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) have discovered that corals can be trained to better resist disease before an outbreak…

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