Lead Story
UN adopts first-ever declaration protecting statehood of island nations threatened by rising seas
The UN General Assembly adopted the landmark Declaration on Sea Level Rise by consensus on September 24, affirming that countries threatened by rising oceans keep their statehood, sovereignty and maritime boundaries even if their territory is physically lost to the sea. The text establishes a presumption in favour of maintaining recognized maritime zones and UN membership for low-lying island nations, marking the first time UN member states, including the United States, have agreed on a common response to accelerating sea level rise, which the World Meteorological Organization says has more than doubled in pace since the early 1990s.
Read more →Lead Story
UN adopts first-ever declaration protecting statehood of island nations threatened by rising seas
The UN General Assembly adopted the landmark Declaration on Sea Level Rise by consensus on September 24, affirming that countries threatened by rising oceans keep their statehood, sovereignty and maritime boundaries even if their territory is physically lost to the sea. The text establishes a presumption in favour of maintaining recognized maritime zones and UN membership for low-lying island nations, marking the first time UN member states, including the United States, have agreed on a common response to accelerating sea level rise, which the World Meteorological Organization says has more than doubled in pace since the early 1990s.
Five countries and territories in the Americas recognized for eliminating major diseases
PAHO/WHO announced on September 29 that five countries and territories earned certification, validation or verification over the past year for eliminating a communicable disease as a public health problem. Brazil was validated for eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV, becoming the world's most populous country to do so; Chile became the first country in the Americas verified for eliminating leprosy and, separately, the first in South America validated for eliminating dog-transmitted rabies; El Salvador became the first Central American country validated for eliminating trachoma; and the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands were both certified for eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV, with Turks and Caicos also eliminating hepatitis B transmission.
Read more →Five countries and territories in the Americas recognized for eliminating major diseases
PAHO/WHO announced on September 29 that five countries and territories earned certification, validation or verification over the past year for eliminating a communicable disease as a public health problem. Brazil was validated for eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV, becoming the world's most populous country to do so; Chile became the first country in the Americas verified for eliminating leprosy and, separately, the first in South America validated for eliminating dog-transmitted rabies; El Salvador became the first Central American country validated for eliminating trachoma; and the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands were both certified for eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV, with Turks and Caicos also eliminating hepatitis B transmission.
China connects record-setting deep-sea wind farm to the grid with world's most powerful offshore converter
China Three Gorges Corporation announced that the first turbines of the Yangjiang Qingzhou phase V and VII offshore wind farms, 163 turbines with a combined capacity of 2 million kilowatts located 70 kilometres off Guangdong province, were connected to the grid in late September. The project relies on the Haifeng Heart ('Heart of the Sea Wind') converter station, the world's first ±500 kilovolt, 2,000-megawatt flexible direct-current offshore converter, which lets power travel hundreds of kilometres underwater with minimal loss and is expected to deliver around 6 billion kilowatt-hours of clean electricity a year once fully operational.
Read more →China connects record-setting deep-sea wind farm to the grid with world's most powerful offshore converter
China Three Gorges Corporation announced that the first turbines of the Yangjiang Qingzhou phase V and VII offshore wind farms, 163 turbines with a combined capacity of 2 million kilowatts located 70 kilometres off Guangdong province, were connected to the grid in late September. The project relies on the Haifeng Heart ('Heart of the Sea Wind') converter station, the world's first ±500 kilovolt, 2,000-megawatt flexible direct-current offshore converter, which lets power travel hundreds of kilometres underwater with minimal loss and is expected to deliver around 6 billion kilowatt-hours of clean electricity a year once fully operational.
Scientists discover two new giant stick insect species in Australia, one with never-before-seen 'lidded' eggs
University of Sydney researchers revised the Australian stick insect genus Anchiale, published in Austral Entomology on September 21, identifying two new species and reinstating a third that had been hiding in plain sight for decades under mistaken identity. One of the new species, Anchiale mabiensis, found so far only in the Mabi rainforest on Queensland's Atherton Tablelands, lays eggs with a distinctive ringed 'lid' that detaches when the insect hatches -- a structure researchers say has never been recorded before in stick insects or their closest relatives.
Read more →Scientists discover two new giant stick insect species in Australia, one with never-before-seen 'lidded' eggs
University of Sydney researchers revised the Australian stick insect genus Anchiale, published in Austral Entomology on September 21, identifying two new species and reinstating a third that had been hiding in plain sight for decades under mistaken identity. One of the new species, Anchiale mabiensis, found so far only in the Mabi rainforest on Queensland's Atherton Tablelands, lays eggs with a distinctive ringed 'lid' that detaches when the insect hatches -- a structure researchers say has never been recorded before in stick insects or their closest relatives.
Rhino numbers climb and poaching hits record lows across southern Africa and Asia
South Africa's rhino population rose 4.9% to at least 15,096 animals by the end of 2025, comprising more than 12,500 white rhinos and over 2,500 black rhinos, with both Kruger National Park and KwaZulu-Natal recording lower poaching losses. Namibia recorded its lowest rhino poaching toll in more than a decade in 2025, while Zimbabwe, Nepal and India all reported zero rhino poaching incidents, and Assam logged zero poaching for only the second time since the 1970s. Conservationists credit sustained anti-poaching operations and community programmes for the turnaround, even as isolated poaching incidents continue in parts of the region.
Read more →Rhino numbers climb and poaching hits record lows across southern Africa and Asia
South Africa's rhino population rose 4.9% to at least 15,096 animals by the end of 2025, comprising more than 12,500 white rhinos and over 2,500 black rhinos, with both Kruger National Park and KwaZulu-Natal recording lower poaching losses. Namibia recorded its lowest rhino poaching toll in more than a decade in 2025, while Zimbabwe, Nepal and India all reported zero rhino poaching incidents, and Assam logged zero poaching for only the second time since the 1970s. Conservationists credit sustained anti-poaching operations and community programmes for the turnaround, even as isolated poaching incidents continue in parts of the region.