Xi addresses SCO meeting via video link (with full text)

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday addressed the 21st meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Beijing via video link.

Carbon emitters 'fail to disclose climate risks'

A lack of detail in financial reporting will dramatically reduce firms' chances of meeting global emissions targets, researchers have warned. There is no way of knowing if money is being put into sustainable activities, Carbon Tracker said. Firms also need to be more transparent as to how they will hit sustainability targets, the think tank said.

Shop sales fall for fourth month as more dine out

Retail sales in the UK fell for the fourth month in a row in August, but people spent more time eating and drinking in bars and restaurants. Sales fell by 0.9 per cent in August, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said, following a 2.8 per cent fall in July.

World's biggest tree gets blanket as US fire rages

Firefighters are wrapping fire-resistant blankets around ancient trees as blazes tear through California's world-famous Sequoia National Park. Officials fear the fire could reach the Giant Forest, a grove of some of the world's biggest trees, within hours.

Chinese astronauts return after 90 days aboard space station

A trio of Chinese astronauts returned to Earth on Friday after a 90-day stay aboard their nation’s first space station in China’s longest mission yet.

Future of Lake Tahoe clarity in question as wildfires worsen

When a wildfire crested the mountains near North America’s largest alpine lake, embers and ash that zipped across a smoky sky pierced Lake Tahoe’s clear blue waters.

Head of Islamic State in Sahara killed by French troops - Macron

The head of the Islamic State group in the Sahara has been killed by French troops, President Emmanuel Macron has said.

With foreign funds frozen, Afghan aid groups stuck in limbo

A month after the fall of Kabul, the world is still wrestling with how to help Afghanistan’s impoverished people without propping up their Taliban leaders — a question that grows more urgent by the day.

Southwest China earthquake collapses homes, kills at least 3

An earthquake destroyed houses, killed at least three people and injured dozens Thursday in southwest China’s Sichuan province.

SpaceX launches 4 amateurs on private Earth-circling trip

SpaceX’s first private flight streaked into orbit Wednesday night with two contest winners, a health care worker and their rich sponsor, the most ambitious leap yet in space tourism.

North Korea fires 2 ballistic missiles into eastern waters

North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into waters off its eastern coast Wednesday afternoon, two days after claiming to have tested a newly developed missile in a resumption of its weapons displays after a six-month lull.

Los Angeles bomb technicians caused major explosion

Los Angeles police bomb technicians made major miscalculations in June when they detonated illegal fireworks improperly and caused a massive explosion that rocked a city neighborhood and injured 27 people in June, according to a report by federal investigators.

Booster Covid jabs for 30m people recommended

Booster jabs for over 50s and younger adults with health conditions are being recommended by government vaccine advisers. Around 30 million people in the UK, including frontline health and care workers, will be offered a booster.

Poll highlights climate anxiety among young

A new global survey illustrates the depth of anxiety many young people are feeling about climate change. Nearly 60 per cent of young people approached said they felt very worried or extremely worried. More than 45 per cent of those questioned said feelings about the climate affected their daily lives.

Hurricane Nicholas brings heavy rain to Texas and Louisiana

Hurricane Nicholas has made landfall on the Texas coast in the US, bringing heavy rain and the risk of life-threatening flooding. The hurricane strengthened from a tropical storm late on Monday, before reaching land at 00:30 (05:30 GMT). More than 280,000 power outages have already been reported in Texas, according to PowerOutage.us.

World now sees twice as many days over 50C

The number of extremely hot days every year when the temperature reaches 50C has doubled since the 1980s, a global BBC analysis has found. They also now happen in more areas of the world than before, presenting unprecedented challenges to human health and to how we live.

Hurricane Nicholas makes landfall on the Texas coast

Hurricane Nicholas made landfall along the Texas coast on Tuesday, bringing the threat of up to 20 inches of rainfall to parts of the Gulf Coast, including the same area hit by Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and storm-battered Louisiana.

Out West, Biden points to wildfires to push for big rebuild

President Joe Biden on Monday used his first Western swing in office to hold out the wildfires burning across the region as an argument for his $3.5 trillion rebuilding plans, calling year-round fires and other extreme weather a climate change reality the nation can no longer ignore.

Higher stress levels raise blood pressure, risk of heart attack and stroke, study finds

Is that stress pumping steadily through your veins? Even if your blood pressure is normal right now, high-stress levels may put you at risk of developing hypertension within the next decade or so, a new study found. When the stress hormone cortisol continues to increase over time, you may also be at higher risk of having a stroke, heart attack or heart disease, according to the research published Monday in Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association.

UK scraps Covid vaccine deal with Valneva

French vaccine maker Valneva says the UK government has scrapped a deal for its Covid-19 vaccine. The UK had about 100 million doses on order after it increased its request by 40 million in February. The company said in a statement that the UK government served notice over allegations of a breach of the agreement, which it "strenuously denies".