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Europe Had Most Widespread Floods for More Than a Decade in 2024, Scientists Say 

A person cycles along a flooded road after the overtopping of the River Thames on a spring tide, in west London, Britain, March 31, 2025. (Reuters)
A person cycles along a flooded road after the overtopping of the River Thames on a spring tide, in west London, Britain, March 31, 2025. (Reuters)
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Europe Had Most Widespread Floods for More Than a Decade in 2024, Scientists Say 

A person cycles along a flooded road after the overtopping of the River Thames on a spring tide, in west London, Britain, March 31, 2025. (Reuters)
A person cycles along a flooded road after the overtopping of the River Thames on a spring tide, in west London, Britain, March 31, 2025. (Reuters)

Europe faced its most widespread flooding last year since 2013, with 30% of the continent's river network hit by significant floods, scientists said on Tuesday, as fossil fuel-driven climate change continued to prompt torrential rain and other extreme weather.

Flooding killed at least 335 people in Europe in 2024 and affected more than 410,000, the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service and the World Meteorological Organization said in a joint report on Europe's climate.

Western Europe was hit hardest, with 2024 ranking among the region's ten wettest years in records going back to 1950. Storms and flooding are Europe's costliest weather extremes, last year causing damage exceeding 18 billion euros.

Globally, 2024 was the world's warmest year since records began, as well as the warmest for Europe - the planet's fastest-warming continent. The planet is now around 1.3 degrees Celsius warmer than in pre-industrial times, mainly due to human-caused climate change.

"Every additional fraction of a degree of temperature rise matters because it accentuates the risks to our lives, to economies and to the planet," said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.

The report noted bright spots, including that renewable energy sources produced a record-high 45% of Europe's energy in 2024, while most European cities have plans in place to better adapt to climate change.

But weather extremes were recorded across the continent. Southeastern Europe had its longest heat wave on record, totaling 13 days, while Scandinavia's glaciers shrank at the highest rates on record, and heat stress increased across the continent.

Much of Eastern Europe was hit by lack of rain and drought, while floods ravaged western Europe.

Nearly a third of Europe's overall river network exceeded a "high" flood threshold, while 12% breached "severe" flood levels in 2024.

Devastating floods in Valencia in late October accounted for most of the lives lost and economic damage caused in Europe by floods, with 232 people killed in the disaster. Storm Boris in September dumped the heaviest rain ever recorded in Central Europe onto countries, including Austria, Czechia, Germany and Slovakia.

Scientists have confirmed climate change has made such downpours more likely, because a hotter atmosphere can hold more water, leading to intense rain. Atmospheric water vapor reached a record high in 2024.

Other factors that influence flooding include river management and urban planning that determine whether homes and infrastructure are built in flood-prone areas.

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Iraqis Cover Soil with Clay to Curb Sandstorms

Excavators clear sand dunes and extract clay in the desert south of Samawah on December 21, 2025. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)
Excavators clear sand dunes and extract clay in the desert south of Samawah on December 21, 2025. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)
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Iraqis Cover Soil with Clay to Curb Sandstorms

Excavators clear sand dunes and extract clay in the desert south of Samawah on December 21, 2025. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)
Excavators clear sand dunes and extract clay in the desert south of Samawah on December 21, 2025. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)

Deep in Iraq's southern desert, bulldozers and earthmovers spread layers of moist clay over sand dunes as part of a broader effort to fight increasingly frequent sandstorms.

Iraq has long suffered from sand and dust storms, but in recent years they have become more frequent and intense as the country falls prey to the effects of climate change.

Sand and dust storms -- driven by severe drought, rising temperatures and deforestation -- have cloaked cities and villages in an endless ochre haze, grounded flights and filled hospitals with patients suffering from breathing difficulties.

Iraqi authorities have warned that these suffocating storms will intensify further, adding urgency to address the root of the problem.

In a relatively small area between the cities of Nasiriyah and Samawah, not far from ancient Sumerian ruins, laborers are working hard to stabilize the soil by applying a layer of moist clay 20-25 centimeters thick.

The project also includes planting heat-tolerant seedlings like Prosopis and Conocarpus to further stabilize the soil.

"The main goal is to reduce the impact of transboundary dust storms, which may reach Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar," said Udai Taha Lafta from UN-Habitat, which is leading the project to combat sandstorms with Iraqi expertise.

"It is a vital area despite its small size, and will hopefully help reduce dust storms next summer," AFP quoted Lafta as saying.

A short-term objective is to shield a southern highway where many traffic accidents have occurred due to poor visibility during dust storms.

The Ministry of Environment estimates that Iraq now faces about 243 storms per year, and the frequency is expected to increase to 300 "dust days" by 2050 unless drastic mitigation measures are adopted.

In 2023, Iraqi authorities teamed up with the UN-Habitat and the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development in areas that have been identified as major sources of sandstorms.

The project has been implementing several methods in three southern areas, including digging water canals and supplying electricity to pump water from the Euphrates river, preparing barren lands for vegetation.

One of the project's ultimate goals is to increase green spaces and for farmers to eventually sustain the lands after droughts and chronic water shortages have drastically reduced agricultural areas.

Qahtan al-Mhana, from the agriculture ministry, said that stabilizing the soil gives agricultural efforts in sandy areas a chance to endure.

He added that Iraq has extensive "successful" experience in combating desertification and dust storms by stabilizing sand dunes.

Since the 1970s, the country has implemented such projects, but after decades of turmoil, environmental challenges have largely fallen by the wayside.

With the severe recent impact of climate change, "work has resumed," said Najm Abed Taresh from Dhi Qar University.

"We are making slow but steady progress," Taresh said.

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'Acoustic Hazard': Noise Complaints Spark Vietnam Pickleball Wars

This photo taken on December 23, 2025, shows children playing pickleball in the playground of a residential area in Hanoi. (Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP)
This photo taken on December 23, 2025, shows children playing pickleball in the playground of a residential area in Hanoi. (Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP)
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'Acoustic Hazard': Noise Complaints Spark Vietnam Pickleball Wars

This photo taken on December 23, 2025, shows children playing pickleball in the playground of a residential area in Hanoi. (Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP)
This photo taken on December 23, 2025, shows children playing pickleball in the playground of a residential area in Hanoi. (Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP)

The piercing pop-pop of pickleball paddles starts before sunrise and ends after midnight at dozens of newly built courts across Hanoi, as residents relish one of Vietnam's fastest-growing sports -- or rage at the noise it makes.

The initial craze saw more people in Vietnam pick up a paddle per capita than anywhere else in Asia, according to one survey.

Now unwitting spectators are yelling fault, filing noise complaints and petitions to curb playing hours that have left authorities in a pickle.

In the country's densely packed cities, courts are wedged between tight alleyways and nestled beneath high-rises, disturbing thousands of people at once.

"It drives me nuts," said Hoa Nguyen, 44, who lives with her family behind a multicourt complex in Hanoi's northeastern outskirts.

"People are playing in the middle of the night and there's nothing we can do about it," Nguyen told AFP, adding that she had filed a complaint with local authorities.

"The noise makes it impossible for me to sleep. It just keeps going pop-pop-pop."

Most noise complaints on the capital's iHanoi app stem from pickleball, according to state media, which has dubbed the sport an "acoustic hazard".

Associated noise-related issues range from unruly crowds to honking horns in overcrowded parking lots.

Lam Thanh, 50, who manages a dormitory for workers near one of Ho Chi Minh City's estimated 1,000 courts, says the cacophony is proving to be costly.

"Many tenants couldn't stand the noise and have moved elsewhere," she said.

"There's the popping sound of paddles, cheering, shouting and joking around -- it's all extremely exhausting for us."

Vietnam's pickleball boom began around two years ago, players and coaches say, well after its popularity surged in the United States and Canada.

But the country is now the sport's second-fastest-growing market in Asia after Malaysia, according to pickleball rating company DUPR.

Regional professional circuit PPA Tour Asia says more than 16 million people in Vietnam have picked up a paddle, though that figure is extrapolated from a survey of around 1,000 respondents.

Hanoi's Long Bien district, its pickleball center, has more than 100 courts, up from 54 in less than a year, according to state media.

Pickleholic Club, Victory Pickleball and Pro Pickleball Vn are all within a five-minute walk, with dozens more a short drive away.

Coach Pham Duc Trung, 37, said the sport's accessibility was key to its popularity.

"The paddle is light and the ball is light... Children can play it, and so can adults," he said.

"The sound of the ball hitting the paddle is quite appealing," he added.

Not everyone agrees.

Around the world, the plinks and pops of pickleball have spawned outrage, provoking protests and even lawsuits.

But Vietnam's widespread embrace of the sport, and its cities' rapid growth in recent decades as the economy boomed, help explain the intense frustration.

Ho Chi Minh City already ranks among the loudest cities in Asia, according to the United Nations, with noise pollution levels high enough to damage hearing.

And experts say pickleball sounds are louder and higher-pitched than tennis or badminton.

A nationwide noise ordinance is supposed to limit the din, especially late at night, but residents say the courtside clatter often goes unmuted.

Hanoi high school student Duong, 16, cannot focus on his homework.

"The sound made by this ball is very unpleasant," he said. "My mind feels blank because I cannot concentrate."

Vietnam's sports ministry did not reply to AFP's request for comment.
But pressure is building to smash the problem, with state media carrying health warnings from doctors.

"The constant bouncing of the pickleball is not only annoying but also subtly triggers stress, disrupts sleep, and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease," according to state-run VTC News website.

Ball strikes register "like the ticking of a clock against the temples", it said this month, adding many people are "haunted by the sound of popping".

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Hong Kongers Bid Farewell to 'King of Umbrellas'

Yau Yiu-wai, 73, one of the few remaining umbrella repairmen in Hong Kong, is closing his 183-year-old family-run business at the end of the year. Tommy WANG / AFP
Yau Yiu-wai, 73, one of the few remaining umbrella repairmen in Hong Kong, is closing his 183-year-old family-run business at the end of the year. Tommy WANG / AFP
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Hong Kongers Bid Farewell to 'King of Umbrellas'

Yau Yiu-wai, 73, one of the few remaining umbrella repairmen in Hong Kong, is closing his 183-year-old family-run business at the end of the year. Tommy WANG / AFP
Yau Yiu-wai, 73, one of the few remaining umbrella repairmen in Hong Kong, is closing his 183-year-old family-run business at the end of the year. Tommy WANG / AFP

Scores of residents flocked to a cramped shop in Hong Kong's old district to bid farewell to the city's "king of umbrellas", who is retiring after spending decades repairing umbrellas at his family business.

Established in 1842 during the Qing Dynasty, the Sun Rise Company was founded by the Yau family in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou.

Current proprietor Yau Yiu-wai, 73, announced earlier this month that his 183-year-old family business would close its doors at year's end.

The family-run shop has been passed down through five generations, but due to shifting consumer habits towards online shopping and his advancing age, it has to cease operations, Yau told AFP on Friday.

"We've upheld our family's reputation, and this legacy has come down to me... It truly pains me to end it," Yau said. "I'm sorry to my ancestors."

After enduring wartime turmoil, the shop relocated to Hong Kong, eventually finding its place amid the bustling meat and vegetable vendors in Sham Shui Po district.

"(Today's) wheel of time rolled over me and crushed me beneath its weight," Yau said.

News of the closure spread across social media, with one user calling it "another loss of a wonderful community business".

"He genuinely cared about selling customers a good, practical umbrella," student Niki Lum told AFP, referring to Yau.

"I could tell he put his heart into running this shop," said the 20-year-old.

Resident Peter Tam, 60, said witnessing the disappearance of these classic shops felt like the end of an era.

"It's such a pity... These are all pieces of history," he said. "And we ourselves are becoming history too."

While most retailers rely on customers replacing damaged umbrellas with new ones, Yau said he aims for durability.

"This is for environmental protection. It's a social responsibility."

Those who brought umbrellas for repair included couples hoping to mend their relationships and married couples who had used umbrellas as tokens of affection.

Yau said fewer than five repairmen like him remain in Hong Kong practicing this "barely profitable" umbrella trade.

But now, Yau said he has no choice but to end the service he took pride in.

"I'm getting old. You have to forgive me, I just can't carry on any more," he said, adding he had suffered a stroke several years ago.

"The most important thing for you is to stay smart... and learn to be eco-friendly," he added.