Author: Henry

The Great Barrier Reef will not be recommended for listing as an endangered World Heritage site, according to a draft decision from UNESCO, though the finding still requires formal sign-off from the World Heritage Committee before it becomes final. The draft, released in Paris on Friday, found that Australia was making progress addressing the reef’s main pressures — climate change, water quality, sustainable fisheries management and land clearing — and recommended against placing it on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage sites in danger. According to the South China Morning Post, the finding will now go before the full World Heritage…

A flagship UK-funded programme designed to help a million women and girls across Africa, Asia and the Middle East gain access to higher education has been scrapped just two years after it was launched, as part of a wider retreat in British aid spending on women’s and girls’ education. The scheme, known as Strengthening Higher Education for Female Empowerment, or SHEFE, was unveiled with a £45m budget under the outgoing Conservative government and built on the legacy of an earlier FCDO initiative, the Strategic Partnerships for Higher Education Innovation and Reform programme. Beyond simply widening access to universities, SHEFE had…

A viral video by a conservative political commentator alleging that Austin’s flagship public library has become overrun with homeless people has drawn widespread attention, reviving scrutiny of safety at the $125 million building following two serious incidents there over the past year. Savannah Hernandez, a contributor for Turning Point USA — the conservative youth organisation founded by the late Charlie Kirk — posted footage on X on 1 July describing a visit to the Austin Central Library, which she said left her convinced she needed to “expose how dangerous it is for families and children.” In the video, Hernandez said…

NASA has launched an unprecedented rescue mission to stop one of its most productive space telescopes from burning up in Earth’s atmosphere, in what officials say is the first attempt by a commercial spacecraft to capture and rescue an uncrewed government satellite that was never designed to be serviced in orbit. The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, which has spent almost 22 years studying gamma-ray bursts and other violent cosmic events since its launch in November 2004, has been sinking through Earth’s orbit faster than expected after a recent bout of solar activity expanded the upper atmosphere and increased drag on…

An estimated 840 million women and girls alive today have experienced physical or sexual violence from a partner or someone else at some point in their lives. That’s roughly one in three women on the planet, and it’s the newest, most complete estimate the World Health Organization has ever assembled — released just eight months ago, in November 2025. Most of what follows is an attempt to unpack that number: by country, by age, by what happens to survivors afterward, and by who is actually doing something about it. Given what you asked for, this leans hardest on the US,…

A Utah court has denied a bid by the ex-husband of reality television star Taylor Frankie Paul to secure a restraining order against her and change their custody arrangement, days after the star completed a brief, voluntary stay at a mental health treatment facility. Tate Paul, 34, filed for the temporary restraining order in a Utah court on Tuesday, alongside a separate petition to modify the terms of the couple’s 2022 divorce and custody agreement, according to court documents obtained by People. He had reportedly sought sole custody of the couple’s two children, eight-year-old Indy and six-year-old Ocean. Commissioner Kim…

A US Air Force trainee has died in connection with a flu outbreak that has now infected 284 recruits at a Texas training base, according to a Democratic congressman, in a case that has intensified scrutiny of the Pentagon’s decision earlier this year to make flu vaccination optional for recruits. Keon McDaniel, 26, from Grand Rapids, Michigan, was in his sixth week of basic training at Lackland Air Force Base, part of Joint Base San Antonio, when he suffered what the Air Force described as a “medical emergency” on 12 June. He was transferred to Brooke Army Medical Center, where…

Beachgoers hoping to escape a punishing heatwave in New York City were instead forced out of the water on Thursday, after a string of shark sightings prompted lifeguards to close Rockaway Beach at the height of the afternoon heat. According to the New York Post, the city’s Parks Department raised red flags along the entire Queens coastline at around 11am, after multiple sightings of the animals, which officials described as aggressive. Sightings of sharks swimming in groups were reported roughly once an hour throughout the day, keeping the water off-limits for much of the afternoon just as real-feel temperatures climbed…

A 50-year-old Tiger man is facing multiple felony charges after Rabun County deputies said they uncovered suspected methamphetamine, suspected hydrocodone pills and nearly $12,000 in cash during a search of a campsite. According to the Rabun County Sheriff’s Office, deputies executed a search warrant Tuesday, June 30, at a campsite on Lake Rabun Road as part of an active investigation. Investigators said they took Tracy Phillips, 50, of Tiger, into custody without incident when they arrived at the campground. During the search, deputies said they found suspected methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, hypodermic needles and a large quantity of suspected hydrocodone pills.…

The WNBA announced the starters for the 2026 All Star Game on Thursday, with two Dallas Wings players among the 10 selected. Guard Paige Bueckers is a starter for the second consecutive season after being selected as a rookie in 2025. She is in the top 10 for both points and assists per game this season. Bueckers was the top vote-getter from fans, the WNBA said. The fan vote accounts for 50 percent of the voting for WNBA All Stars; the players and media account for 25 percent each. Bueckers was the top-ranked guard in the players vote and second from the media. Forward…