Latest news

Climate Threat  Global Challenges
New Study: Oceans Have Never Been Warmer – Exacerbating Climate Crisis

The oceans have never been warmer and last year recorded record temperatures, shows a new study reported by The Guardian.

Over 90 percent of the excess heat from human emissions is absorbed by the oceans. The amount of heat absorbed by the ocean corresponds to more than 200 times the total amount of electricity used by people worldwide.

The research shows the role of the oceans in the accelerating climate crisis, says the study's authors.

- Global warming is ocean warming. If you want to know how much the Earth has warmed or how quickly we will warm in the future, the answer is in the ocean, says Professor John Abraham at the University of St Thomas in Minnesota.

The situation is critical, say the researchers. Ocean warming is a contributing factor to extreme weather such as storms, floods and heavy rains. The heat is also disrupting the ocean ecosystem and degrading the habitat of coral reefs.

The new space race
ISS astronauts go home - medical problem

Four astronauts on the ISS are being forced to return home early after one of them suffered a medical problem, several media outlets report.

On Thursday, Nasa postponed a spacewalk due to the problem, which is said to have occurred on Wednesday afternoon.

Nasa did not say which of the astronauts is affected or what the problem is, but the affected person's condition is said to be stable. The problem is not acute but poses a "creeping risk", they say.

The four astronauts on board are from the US, Japan and Russia. It is unclear when they will return home.

The debate over fireworks
The Netherlands bans fireworks before New Year's Eve 2026

The Netherlands has decided to ban fireworks for ordinary consumers throughout the country, reports The Guardian. During the New Year's holiday, 1,200 people were injured, a third of whom needed hospital treatment, and two people died.

“Of course fireworks are nice to look at. But the level of damage they are causing right now is simply unimaginable,” says Yara Basta-Bos, president of the Dutch Association of Emergency Physicians.

In addition, the fire service received 4,286 incident reports, and a 19th-century church burned down in Vondelpark in Amsterdam.

The ban has been approved by parliament and will come into effect sometime before the end of 2026.

Trump's USA  The war on the media
Troublesome NYT interview: Trump called ministers “children”

President Donald Trump was keen to show off multiple versions of himself during the two-hour interview with the New York Times, writes White House correspondent Katie Rogers in a text about the experience. The result was an unpredictable meeting, according to Rogers.

She describes Trump as having a fatherly tone towards his staff and advisers. He referred to several of them as “kids” in passing. This included Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Both men also wore shoes that Trump had given them as gifts.

Trump also let the NYT team listen to a phone call with Colombian President Gustavo Petro. The content of the call, however, was “off the record.”

During the interview, Trump also took on the role of a builder and looked back nostalgically on his time as a real estate magnate.

“I was really good at real estate. Maybe I was better at real estate than I am at politics,” Trump said. 

Trump's USA  Border issue
Two people shot by federal agent in Portland

Two people were shot last night after a federal agent from the US Customs and Border Protection opened fire in Portland, several media outlets report. The injured, a man and a woman, were taken to hospital. It is unclear how seriously they are injured.

The US Department of Homeland Security states that the agent opened fire in self-defense in connection with a vehicle check. Portland Mayor Keith Wilson points out in a statement the shooting as a result of the influx of heavily armed federal agents.

He says the incident is "deeply disturbing" and calls for peaceful protests.

The incident comes just a day after a 37-year-old woman was shot dead by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, which led to major protests.