Lead Story
2026 Nobel Prize in Physics honors Francis Halzen for opening a neutrino window on the cosmos
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics on Oct. 6 to Francis Halzen, a Belgian-born physicist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, for his decisive leadership of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin. Halzen spent decades championing the idea of turning a cubic kilometre of Antarctic ice beneath the South Pole into a giant particle detector, a project long dismissed as implausible that ultimately let scientists trace ghostly cosmic particles back to blazars and other extreme sources far beyond our galaxy, opening an entirely new way of observing the universe.
Read more →Lead Story
2026 Nobel Prize in Physics honors Francis Halzen for opening a neutrino window on the cosmos
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics on Oct. 6 to Francis Halzen, a Belgian-born physicist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, for his decisive leadership of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin. Halzen spent decades championing the idea of turning a cubic kilometre of Antarctic ice beneath the South Pole into a giant particle detector, a project long dismissed as implausible that ultimately let scientists trace ghostly cosmic particles back to blazars and other extreme sources far beyond our galaxy, opening an entirely new way of observing the universe.
UN General Assembly adopts its first-ever declaration on sea level rise, securing island nations' statehood
Meeting alongside the 81st UN General Assembly session, member states unanimously adopted a declaration on Sept. 24 affirming that low-lying island nations do not lose their statehood or maritime zones if rising seas submerge their territory, the first time the US and other major powers have joined a common text on the issue. The four-page declaration calls for stronger early-warning systems, coastal protection and climate adaptation financing, especially for Small Island Developing States, and is meant to give new momentum to emissions cuts and resilience funding for the nations most existentially threatened by ocean warming and melting ice sheets.
Read more →UN General Assembly adopts its first-ever declaration on sea level rise, securing island nations' statehood
Meeting alongside the 81st UN General Assembly session, member states unanimously adopted a declaration on Sept. 24 affirming that low-lying island nations do not lose their statehood or maritime zones if rising seas submerge their territory, the first time the US and other major powers have joined a common text on the issue. The four-page declaration calls for stronger early-warning systems, coastal protection and climate adaptation financing, especially for Small Island Developing States, and is meant to give new momentum to emissions cuts and resilience funding for the nations most existentially threatened by ocean warming and melting ice sheets.
Assam records zero rhino poaching in 2025, only the second such year since the 1970s
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that the state, home to roughly 3,260 greater one-horned rhinos and close to 80% of the global population, recorded no known poaching incidents in 2025. Officials credited a conservation push built around 253 anti-poaching camps, drone surveillance, specialized forest-protection units and shoot-on-sight orders, which together have driven an 86% drop in poaching since 2016. Kaziranga National Park, which holds more than 2,600 of Assam's rhinos — the largest single population of the species anywhere — remains the centrepiece of the recovery effort.
Read more →Assam records zero rhino poaching in 2025, only the second such year since the 1970s
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that the state, home to roughly 3,260 greater one-horned rhinos and close to 80% of the global population, recorded no known poaching incidents in 2025. Officials credited a conservation push built around 253 anti-poaching camps, drone surveillance, specialized forest-protection units and shoot-on-sight orders, which together have driven an 86% drop in poaching since 2016. Kaziranga National Park, which holds more than 2,600 of Assam's rhinos — the largest single population of the species anywhere — remains the centrepiece of the recovery effort.
Bulgaria's battery storage boom keeps the lights on through a summer drought, cementing its global lead
Bulgaria's rapid build-out of grid-scale batteries — rising from almost no capacity in 2024 to roughly 5.7 gigawatts by September 2026, the highest share of storage relative to electricity-system size of any country in the world — proved its worth this year as a severe drought cut output from the country's hydropower plants. Operators leaned on the battery fleet to smooth supply and avoid shortfalls, validating a storage push driven by EU recovery funding and the RESTORE grant programme, which approved dozens of new projects adding several gigawatt-hours of capacity over the past year.
Read more →Bulgaria's battery storage boom keeps the lights on through a summer drought, cementing its global lead
Bulgaria's rapid build-out of grid-scale batteries — rising from almost no capacity in 2024 to roughly 5.7 gigawatts by September 2026, the highest share of storage relative to electricity-system size of any country in the world — proved its worth this year as a severe drought cut output from the country's hydropower plants. Operators leaned on the battery fleet to smooth supply and avoid shortfalls, validating a storage push driven by EU recovery funding and the RESTORE grant programme, which approved dozens of new projects adding several gigawatt-hours of capacity over the past year.
Amazon deforestation falls to its lowest level in a decade under Brazil's renewed crackdown
Brazilian government data show deforestation alerts in the Amazon fell 36.87% in the year to July 2026, the lowest level since satellite record-keeping began in 2016, as President Lula's administration relaunched an anti-deforestation action plan and stiffened penalties for environmental crimes. The area flagged for clearing, just over 2,874 square kilometres, sat more than 55% below the average of the previous ten monitoring cycles, reinforcing a downward trend that campaigners say keeps Brazil's goal of zero net deforestation by 2030 within reach.
Read more →Amazon deforestation falls to its lowest level in a decade under Brazil's renewed crackdown
Brazilian government data show deforestation alerts in the Amazon fell 36.87% in the year to July 2026, the lowest level since satellite record-keeping began in 2016, as President Lula's administration relaunched an anti-deforestation action plan and stiffened penalties for environmental crimes. The area flagged for clearing, just over 2,874 square kilometres, sat more than 55% below the average of the previous ten monitoring cycles, reinforcing a downward trend that campaigners say keeps Brazil's goal of zero net deforestation by 2030 within reach.