- Sunday, 31 August 2025
CNN
Dust storm slams Phoenix, causing damage, airport delays and power outages
A towering wall of dust, known meteorologically as a haboob, swallowed parts of metro Phoenix Monday evening, plunging the city into near-zero visibility. The dust storm was quickly followed by severe thunderstorms that tore through the city, leaving behind downed trees, wind damage and widespread power outages. At Phoenix Sky Harbour Airport, a connector bridge was shredded by 70 mph wind gusts.
Extreme heat threatens tropical birds, even in untouched forests, scientists warn
From the rainforests of Central and South America to the savannas of northern Australia, the world’s equatorial regions are home to thousands of unique bird species, from macaws to toucans to hummingbirds, who thrive in hot and humid environments. But as climate change accelerates, tropical regions are seeing ten times the number of dangerously hot days than they did 40 years ago, threatening the survival of some of the world’s most colourful birds, new research shows. Between 1950 and 2020, extreme heat events reduced tropical bird populations by 25% to 38%, according to a study published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution.
Over 2 million people in Japan under evacuation orders as 4-foot waves crash on eastern shores
More than 2 million people across Japan were issued with localised evacuation orders, the country’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency said Wednesday, as waves measuring up to 4.2 feet (1.3 meters) hit the east coast of Hokkaido.
Trump files libel lawsuit over Wall Street Journal report
U.S. President Donald Trump filed a libel lawsuit against the publisher of the Wall Street Journal and reporters who wrote a story about a collection of letters gifted to Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003, including a note bearing Trump’s name and an outline of a naked woman. The lawsuit, which seeks at least $20 billion, is an extraordinary escalation of Trump’s ongoing legal campaign against media companies he views as opponents. Trump denied that he had written the note.
Children make up half of more than 170 killed in Pakistan floods
Relentless floods have claimed the lives of more than 170 people in eastern Pakistan, about half of them children, in the latest catastrophe that underscores the country’s vulnerability to the escalating climate crisis. At least 54 of the deaths came in the past 24 hours, according to the National Disaster Management Authority, after torrential rains swept through the most populous province of Punjab, collapsing homes and destroying roads.
Iran expels half a million Afghans in 16-day stretch: UN
More than half a million Afghans have been expelled from Iran in the 16 days since the conflict with Israel ended, according to the United Nations, in what may be one of the largest forced movements of population this decade. For months, Tehran has declared its intention to remove the millions of undocumented Afghans who carry out lower-paid labour across Iran, often in tough conditions.
First genome sequenced from ancient Egypt reveals surprising ancestry, scientists say
In a long-sought first, researchers have sequenced the entire genome of an ancient Egyptian person, revealing unprecedented insight about the ancestry of a man who lived during the time when the first pyramids were built. The man, whose remains were found buried in a sealed clay pot in Nuwayrat, a village south of Cairo, lived sometime between 4,500 and 4,800 years ago, which makes his DNA the oldest ancient Egyptian sample yet extracted. The researchers concluded that 80% of his genetic material came from ancient people in North Africa, while 20% traced back to people in West Asia and the Mesopotamia region.
New dog-sized dinosaur species discovered
Scientists have discovered a new species of dinosaur — one that was dog-sized and roamed what is now the United States around 150 million years ago alongside familiar dinosaurs like stegosaurus and diplodocus. The Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae, as researchers named it, was about the same size as a Labrador retriever, with a tail that made up about half of its length, according to a study published in the Royal Society Open Science on Wednesday.
World’s best restaurant for 2025
It looks like Lima is going to be welcoming a lot of fine-dining fans in the coming months. Two restaurants in the Peruvian capital landed in the top 10 on the 2025 list of the “World’s 50 Best Restaurants,” including the coveted number one spot. The awards — considered the Oscars of innovative fine dining — were handed out at a ceremony in Turin, Italy, with Lima’s Maido walking away with the top prize.
Indonesia volcano spews ash more than 6 miles into sky, dozens of Bali flights cancelled
A volcanic eruption in Indonesia sent an enormous ash cloud more than six miles into the sky, disrupting or cancelling dozens of flights to and from the tourist island of Bali. Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki erupted at 5:35 pm local time on Tuesday, unleashing a 6.8-mile (11-kilometre) hot ash column over the tourist island of Flores in south-central Indonesia, the country’s Geology Agency said. Images showed an orange mushroom-shaped cloud engulfing the nearby village of Talibura, with sightings reported up to 93 miles (150km) away.
World’s most liveable city for 2025
After a three-year run at the top of the annual list from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the Austrian capital has been beaten out by “Wonderful, Wonderful Copenhagen.” Denmark’s capital has taken the number one spot on the ranking of the world’s most liveable cities for 2025, which was released on Tuesday. The EIU, a sister organisation to The Economist magazine, ranked 173 cities around the world on a number of factors, including healthcare, education, stability, infrastructure and environment.
Israel issues evacuation warning to Iranians living near weapons production sites in Iran
The Israeli military has issued an “urgent” evacuation warning to Iranians living near weapons production facilities, a possible sign that further strikes could be coming. “For your safety, we ask you to please immediately evacuate the areas of these facilities and not to return until further notice,” Israel Defence Forces (IDF) Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee wrote in Farsi in a statement on X on Sunday. “Being in the vicinity of these areas endangers your life.”
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'Trump’s mass firings at several agencies will remain on hold'
President Donald Trump’s directives for mass firings at multiple agencies will remain on hold, a federal appeals court ruled Friday evening. The Trump administration had asked the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to freeze a lower court’s order that halted the terminations at more than a dozen agencies.
Trump threatens Apple with a 25% tariff if it doesn’t build iPhones in America
President Donald Trump on Friday demanded Apple make its iPhones in the United States or face a 25% tariff. “I have long ago informed Tim Cook of Apple that I expect their iPhone’s that will be sold in the United States of America will be manufactured and built in the United States, not India, or anyplace else,” Trump posted Friday morning on Truth Social. “If that is not the case, a Tariff of at least 25% must be paid by Apple to the U.S.”
Africans lost nearly $70M to denied visa applications to Europe in 2024
Applicants worldwide pay a non-refundable visa fee of 90 euros (about $100), so Nigerians alone lost over 4.5 million euros (about $5 million) seeking permission to travel to the 29 European countries that make up the Schengen Area. In total, African countries lost 60 million euros ($67.5 million) in rejected Schengen visa fees in 2024, analysis from the LAGO Collective shows. The London-based research and arts organization has been monitoring data on European short-term visas since 2022 and says Africa is the continent worst affected by the cost of visa rejections.