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Mont Blanc Shrinks Over 2 Meters in Height in Two Years

FILE PHOTO: A view of the Mont Blanc mountain from Le Brevent, in Chamonix, France, June 14, 2022. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A view of the Mont Blanc mountain from Le Brevent, in Chamonix, France, June 14, 2022. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
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Mont Blanc Shrinks Over 2 Meters in Height in Two Years

FILE PHOTO: A view of the Mont Blanc mountain from Le Brevent, in Chamonix, France, June 14, 2022. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A view of the Mont Blanc mountain from Le Brevent, in Chamonix, France, June 14, 2022. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo

Western Europe's highest peak, Mont Blanc, has lost more than two meters (6.5 ft) in height over the past two years, French researchers said on Thursday.
A team of geographical experts who perform the measurements every two years told a news conference in Chamonix in the French Alps that the mountain was now 4,805.59 meters (15766.37 ft) high, lower than their last measurement of 4,807.81 meters (15773.65 ft) in September 2021.
According to Reuters, the experts said it is now up to climatologists, glaciologists and other scientists to look at the data collected and put forward all the theories to explain this phenomenon.
"The measurements are done on a live peak. In view of climate change, monitoring the changes will allow to better understand the impacts," glaciologist Luc Moreau said.
As alarm grows worldwide over melting glaciers, the official height of Mont Blanc has been on a downward slide for over a decade. The reading was 4,810.90 meters (15,783.79 ft) in 2007.
Switzerland's glaciers suffered their second worst melt rate this year after record 2022 losses, shrinking their overall volume by 10% over the last two years, monitoring body GLAMOS said earlier this month.

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Varieties

Fifth Saudi Media Forum Concludes with Awards Ceremony and Global Participation

The closing ceremony of the fifth edition of the Saudi Media Forum, held under the theme “Media in an Evolving World". (SPA)
The closing ceremony of the fifth edition of the Saudi Media Forum, held under the theme “Media in an Evolving World". (SPA)
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Fifth Saudi Media Forum Concludes with Awards Ceremony and Global Participation

The closing ceremony of the fifth edition of the Saudi Media Forum, held under the theme “Media in an Evolving World". (SPA)
The closing ceremony of the fifth edition of the Saudi Media Forum, held under the theme “Media in an Evolving World". (SPA)

Saudi Minister of Media Salman Al-Dossary attended on Wednesday the closing ceremony of the fifth edition of the Saudi Media Forum, held under the theme “Media in an Evolving World,” alongside the accompanying Future of Media Exhibition (FOMEX).

The ceremony also included the announcement of the winners across the Forum’s award tracks, in the presence of several distinguished officials and media professionals from within the Kingdom and abroad.

President of the Saudi Media Forum Mohammed Al-Harthi expressed appreciation to all supporters, partners, and participants, affirming that a culture of gratitude and appreciation reinforces the values of recognition and acknowledgment of efforts.

He noted that the forum attracted around 300 speakers from countries around the world, and that the strong turnout enriched discussions and helped transform the event into a global media platform.

Al-Harthi said FOMEX achieved broad global participation, with more than 250 companies taking part and showcasing the latest content-creation technologies.

He emphasized that media today is a key partner in development, a contributor to awareness-building, and a driver of change.

The Saudi Media Forum announced that it had set a new global record, with 65,603 visitors in attendance, earning a Guinness World Records certificate and underscoring its rising profile among international media events.

During the closing ceremony, the winners of the Forum’s awards for its fifth edition were announced. Khalid Al-Badr won the news report award, Abdulhadi Habtoor received the journalistic interview award, while Lama Al-Suhali won the academic research award.

In the visual and audio media category, the winner of the AI-generated content award was announced. The “Rachid Show” from Morocco won the social talk shows track award, while the Ministry of Culture received the podcast and radio talk shows track award for its podcast "1949".

The Tourism Development Fund won the best media work for National Day award, while the Ministry of Defense won the best media work for Founding Day award for the film “Al-Awja.”

Supervisor General of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah received the global competitor award, while Dr. Mohammed Al-Rumaihi won the column writing award. The Saudi Vision 2030 account was awarded the best media work for Flag Day award.

During the ceremony, the media personality of the year award was presented to Dr. Hussein Najjar in recognition of his distinguished media career.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, commemorative photos were taken of the winners with the minister of media, who honored the forum’s partners and sponsors.

Varieties

German City of Stuttgart Suffers Major Power Outage

05 February 2026, Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart: View of the New Palace in Stuttgart. There is a major power outage in the city of Stuttgart. Photo: Stefanie Järkel/dpa
05 February 2026, Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart: View of the New Palace in Stuttgart. There is a major power outage in the city of Stuttgart. Photo: Stefanie Järkel/dpa
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German City of Stuttgart Suffers Major Power Outage

05 February 2026, Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart: View of the New Palace in Stuttgart. There is a major power outage in the city of Stuttgart. Photo: Stefanie Järkel/dpa
05 February 2026, Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart: View of the New Palace in Stuttgart. There is a major power outage in the city of Stuttgart. Photo: Stefanie Järkel/dpa

The south-western German city of Stuttgart is suffering a major ‌power ‌outage ‌on ⁠Thursday, police said ‌on social media platform X, warning residents to ⁠be particularly ‌careful while ‍driving.

Some ‍traffic lights ‍are affected, said police in the city with a population ⁠of about 620,000.

They did not say what caused the outage, Reuters said.

Varieties

CIA Ends Publication of Its Popular World Factbook Reference Tool

CIA Ends Publication of Its Popular World Factbook Reference Tool
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CIA Ends Publication of Its Popular World Factbook Reference Tool

CIA Ends Publication of Its Popular World Factbook Reference Tool

Close the cover on the CIA World Factbook: The spy agency announced Wednesday that after more than 60 years, it is shuttering the popular reference manual.

The announcement posted to the CIA’s website offered no reason for the decision to end the Factbook, but it follows a vow from Director John Ratcliffe to end programs that don’t advance the agency’s core missions, The Associated Press said.

First launched in 1962 as a printed, classified reference manual for intelligence officers, the Factbook offered a detailed, by-the-numbers picture of foreign nations, their economies, militaries, resources and societies. The Factbook proved so useful that other federal agencies began using it, and within a decade, an unclassified version was released to the public.

After going online in 1997, the Factbook quickly became a popular reference site for journalists, trivia aficionados and the writers of college essays, racking up millions of visits per year.

The White House has moved to cut staffing at the CIA and the National Security Agency early in Trump's second term, forcing the agency to do more with less.

The CIA did not return a message seeking comment Wednesday about the decision to cease publication of the Factbook.