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Vanishing Glacier on Germany's Highest Peak Prompts Ski Lift Demolition

An aerial view taken with a drone shows the Schneefernerkopf ski lift prior to its demolition at the Zugspitze ski resort near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany on March 20, 2026. (Photo by Philipp Guelland / AFP)
An aerial view taken with a drone shows the Schneefernerkopf ski lift prior to its demolition at the Zugspitze ski resort near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany on March 20, 2026. (Photo by Philipp Guelland / AFP)
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Vanishing Glacier on Germany's Highest Peak Prompts Ski Lift Demolition

An aerial view taken with a drone shows the Schneefernerkopf ski lift prior to its demolition at the Zugspitze ski resort near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany on March 20, 2026. (Photo by Philipp Guelland / AFP)
An aerial view taken with a drone shows the Schneefernerkopf ski lift prior to its demolition at the Zugspitze ski resort near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany on March 20, 2026. (Photo by Philipp Guelland / AFP)

Vanishing glaciers atop Germany's highest mountain prompted the demolition of a ski lift Friday, as global warming reshapes the Alps.

A ski slope that for decades ran down the Schneeferner glacier on the Zugspitze has melted away, leading operator Bayerische Zugspitzbahn Bergbahn AG to begin dismantling the lift after more than 50 years of service.

"The glaciers in Bavaria will inevitably melt away, as they can no longer survive in the face of climate change," Christoph Mayer, a glaciologist at the Bavarian Academy of Sciences, told AFP.

High-tension cables anchoring the existing ski lift will be cut with blasting charges on Friday evening, said the operator's spokeswoman Laura Schaper.

The lift's pylons, which are built on the ice, will fall once the cables have been severed, she said near the glacier on Friday.

The peak of Zugspitze, which stands at 2,962 meters (9,700 feet), is located in the Wetterstein massif along Germany's border with Austria.

"The ice is receding, the terrain and the lift have changed drastically," Schaper said. "The slope has become significantly steeper, and for that reason it's no longer technically feasible to keep operating the lift."

New data on the remaining glaciers in the Bavarian Alps released Thursday found that the glaciers have receded by more than a quarter just between 2023 and 2025, losing around one million cubic meters of ice over only two years.

Wilfried Hagg, a geologist at the Munich University of Applied Sciences who worked on the study alongside Mayer, told AFP that climate change is entirely to blame.

Hagg told AFP that there's "absolutely no" chance of saving any of Germany's remaining glaciers.

There are four remaining glaciers in Bavaria: the northern part of the Schneeferne and the Hoellentalferner, which is also located on the Zugspitze.

Two others are both located on the Berchtesgarden massif: the Wazmann, at 2,713 meters, and Blaueis at 2,607 meters.

Those glaciers "are in very bad shape," Hagg said, with the two on Berchtesgarden "likely to disappear completely very soon -- this year or next".

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Skydiver Left Dangling When Parachute Snags on Stadium Video Board

In this image from video, personnel on a lift work to secure a skydiver that crashed into the Lane Stadium scoreboard before Virginia Tech’s spring NCAA college football game, Saturday, April 18, 2026, in Blacksburg, Va. (Ben Walls/WRIC8 via AP)
In this image from video, personnel on a lift work to secure a skydiver that crashed into the Lane Stadium scoreboard before Virginia Tech’s spring NCAA college football game, Saturday, April 18, 2026, in Blacksburg, Va. (Ben Walls/WRIC8 via AP)
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Skydiver Left Dangling When Parachute Snags on Stadium Video Board

In this image from video, personnel on a lift work to secure a skydiver that crashed into the Lane Stadium scoreboard before Virginia Tech’s spring NCAA college football game, Saturday, April 18, 2026, in Blacksburg, Va. (Ben Walls/WRIC8 via AP)
In this image from video, personnel on a lift work to secure a skydiver that crashed into the Lane Stadium scoreboard before Virginia Tech’s spring NCAA college football game, Saturday, April 18, 2026, in Blacksburg, Va. (Ben Walls/WRIC8 via AP)

A skydiver ‌trailing a large American flag drifted off course and became tangled in the video board at a US college football game on Saturday, leaving him suspended above the field by his parachute until he was rescued.

Viral videos from inside ‌Virginia Tech's ‌Lane Stadium, confirmed ‌by ⁠Reuters, showed two ⁠skydivers descending into the arena before the school's spring game, when one of them missed the designated landing area, hit the electronic scoreboard and ⁠became entangled.

Fans watched in ‌distress as ‌the skydiver, whose name was not ‌immediately released, was left hanging ‌for 15 to 20 minutes before emergency crews using an aerial ladder brought him to safety.

"We ‌are grateful to report that the skydiver was safely ⁠secured ⁠and is currently stable. Our primary focus remains on their well-being," Virginia Tech officials posted on X.

"We extend our sincere appreciation to the first responders, event staff, and medical personnel for their swift, coordinated and professional response."

No injuries were reported during the incident.

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Chernobyl’s Radioactive Landscape Is Testament to Nature’s Resilience and Survival Spirit

Wild Przewalski horses graze in a forest inside the Chernobyl exclusion zone, Ukraine, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (AP)
Wild Przewalski horses graze in a forest inside the Chernobyl exclusion zone, Ukraine, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (AP)
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Chernobyl’s Radioactive Landscape Is Testament to Nature’s Resilience and Survival Spirit

Wild Przewalski horses graze in a forest inside the Chernobyl exclusion zone, Ukraine, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (AP)
Wild Przewalski horses graze in a forest inside the Chernobyl exclusion zone, Ukraine, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (AP)

On contaminated land that is too dangerous for human life, the world’s wildest horses roam free.

Across the Chernobyl exclusion zone, Przewalski’s horses — stocky, sand-colored and almost toy-like in appearance — graze in a radioactive landscape larger than Luxembourg.

On April 26, 1986, an explosion at the nuclear power plant in Ukraine sent radiation across Europe and forced the evacuation of entire towns, displacing tens of thousands. It was the worst nuclear disaster in history.

Four decades on, Chernobyl — which is transliterated as “Chornobyl” in Ukraine — remains too dangerous for humans. But the wildlife has moved back in.

Wolves now prowl the vast no-man’s-land spanning Ukraine and Belarus, and brown bears have returned after more than a century. Populations of lynx, moose, red deer and even free-roaming packs of dogs have rebounded.

Przewalski’s horses, native to Mongolia and once on the brink of extinction, were introduced here in 1998 as an experiment.

Known as “takhi” in Mongolia (“spirit”), the horses are distinct from domestic breeds, with 33 pairs of chromosomes compared with 32 in domesticated horses. The modern name comes from the Russian explorer who first formally identified them.

“The fact that Ukraine now has a free-ranging population is something of a small miracle,” said Denys Vyshnevskyi, the zone’s lead nature scientist.

With human pressure gone, parts of the exclusion zone now resemble European landscapes from centuries past, he said, adding: “Nature recovers relatively quickly and effectively.”

The transformation is visible everywhere. Trees pierce abandoned buildings, roads dissolve into forest, and weathered Soviet-era signs stand beside leaning wooden crosses in overgrown cemeteries.

Hidden cameras show the horses adapting in unexpected ways. They seek shelter in crumbling barns and deserted homes, using them to escape harsh weather and insects — even bedding down inside.

The animals live in small social groups — typically one stallion with several mares and their young — alongside separate bands of younger males. Many died after their introduction, but others adapted.

Tracking them takes time. Vyshnevskyi often drives alone for hours, setting motion-sensitive camera traps in camouflaged casings attached to trees.

Despite persistent radiation, scientists have not recorded widespread die-offs, though subtler effects are evident. Some frogs have developed darker skin, and birds in higher-radiation areas are more likely to develop cataracts.

However, new threats have emerged.

Russia’s 2022 invasion brought fighting through the exclusion zone as troops advanced toward Kyiv, digging defenses into contaminated soil. Fires linked to military activity swept through forests.

Harsh wartime winters have also taken a toll. Damage to the power grid left surrounding managed areas without resources, and scientists report increases in fallen trees and dead animals — casualties of both extreme conditions and hastily built fortifications.

“Most forest fires are caused by downed drones,” said Oleksandr Polischuk, who leads a firefighting unit in the zone. “Sometimes we have to travel dozens of kilometers to reach them.”

Fires can send radioactive particles back into the air.

Today, the zone is no longer just an accidental refuge for wildlife. It has become a heavily monitored military corridor, marked by concrete barriers, barbed wire and minefields — a landscape of what some describe as grim beauty.

Personnel rotate in and out to limit radiation exposure. Chernobyl is likely to remain off-limits for generations — too dangerous for people, yet full of life.

“For those of us in conservation and ecology, it’s kind of a wonder,” Vyshnevskyi said. “This land was once heavily used — agriculture, cities, infrastructure. But nature has effectively performed a factory reset.”

Varieties

British Royals Choose Historian to Write Queen Biography

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II arrives for a visit to the Royal Academy of Arts in Central London, Britain, 20 March 2018. (EPA)
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II arrives for a visit to the Royal Academy of Arts in Central London, Britain, 20 March 2018. (EPA)
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British Royals Choose Historian to Write Queen Biography

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II arrives for a visit to the Royal Academy of Arts in Central London, Britain, 20 March 2018. (EPA)
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II arrives for a visit to the Royal Academy of Arts in Central London, Britain, 20 March 2018. (EPA)

Britain's royal family said Sunday that historian Anna Keay would write an official biography of queen Elizabeth II, who died in September 2022 after over 70 years on the throne.

King Charles III had wanted a woman to write the definitive account of his mother's life, according to British media.

Keay, best known for her work chronicling Britain's Republican period between 1649 and 1660, said receiving the job was a "profound honor".

She will have access to Elizabeth's personal and official papers held in the Royal Archives, Buckingham Palace said in a statement.

She will also be able to talk to members of the royal family and the queen's friends and household staff, the palace added.

Keay described Elizabeth as "an extraordinary woman, whose life spanned a century of great change".

"I am deeply grateful to His Majesty The King for entrusting me with this responsibility and for granting me access to her papers, and will do all I can to do justice to her life and work," she said.

Official royal biographies can sometimes reveal unexpected details about the subject's life.

William Shawcross's official biography of Elizabeth's mother, the wife of George VI, revealed how she suffered from bowel cancer in her 60s but was successfully treated.