A fresh UN warning underscores how relentlessly the planet is heating up: global average temperatures are expected to stay at or near record highs this year and through the following four years. Every one of the 11 hottest years ever observed has occurred since 2015, and the UN’s weather and climate agency says that pattern is poised to persist, with another hottest-ever year considered "likely" before 2031. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said there is a 75% chance that the average temperature across the…

Mount Everest saw an unprecedented rush of climbers yesterday, with a record 274 people reaching the summit from the Nepali side in a single day — the most ever to stand atop the world’s highest mountain in 24 hours. Rising 8,849 metres, Everest sits on the border between Nepal and China’s Tibet region, and expeditions can approach the peak from either side. But expedition operators said no climbers attempted the mountain from the Tibetan side this year after Chinese authorities did not issue permits. Among those who reached…

SpaceX, Elon Musk’s rocket and satellite company, has filed for what could become the biggest initial public offering ever, outlining plans to raise as much as $75 billion from public investors. If the deal goes ahead on those terms, the company’s market debut would eclipse every previous IPO on record. The filing states that after the offering, Mr Musk would serve as chief executive, chief technology officer and chair of the board. US media reports said SpaceX is seeking to raise $75bn and secure a valuation of up to $1.75…

April 2026 underscored the planet’s persistent warmth, delivering the second-highest sea surface temperatures ever recorded for oceans outside the polar regions. Across broad stretches of the tropical Pacific, sea temperatures hit record highs, driven by intense marine heatwaves. The global average surface air temperature reached 14.89°C. That placed the month 1.43°C above pre-industrial levels for April. According to the EU Copernicus Climate Change Service, that made April the joint third-warmest April recorded worldwide.…

Humanity’s next chapter in deep space is edging into view as the four astronauts of NASA's Artemis II mission cross into the Moon's gravitational sphere of influence, riding a trajectory that will soon carry them above the shadowed lunar far side and place them farther from Earth than any people have ever travelled. The Artemis II crew, aboard their Orion capsule since lifting off from Florida last week, are expected to wake at about 10.50am ET (3.05pm Irish time) for the mission’s sixth day in flight. At 7:05pm ET (12.05am…

By Hon. Ali M OmarSunday April 5, 2026 The Federal Government says it will not accept lessons in democracy from critics it accuses of trying to weaken Somalia’s hard-won political progress. A wave of commentary on Somalia, both online and in other forums, has offered what the government sees as a selective and misleading picture of the country’s politics. The debate over South West State, it argues, has similarly obscured the deeper question: whether Somalia’s federal arrangement can be protected and strengthened. That,…

Gokhan ErgocunFriday March 27, 2026 Markets on Thursday traded under a heavy cloud of uncertainty, with the New York Stock Exchange recording its steepest one-day decline since the start of the Iran war amid heightened tensions across the Middle East. The Dow slid 1.01%, losing 469.38 points to end at 45,960.11. The Nasdaq Composite fell 2.38%, or 521.74 points, to 21,408.08, while the S&P 500 dropped 1.74%, down 114.74 points, to close at 6,477.16. The Volatility Index (VIX), commonly dubbed the market’s “fear index,”…

Bruno Fernandes closed in on the Premier League single-season assists record as Manchester United tightened its grip on Champions League qualification with a 3-1 win against Aston Villa on Sunday, while Tottenham halted a damaging losing run by snatching a 1-1 draw at Liverpool. Fernandes set up two of United’s goals at Villa Park to move to 16 assists this league campaign, four shy of the record of 20 jointly held by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne. The Portugal playmaker, who now has 100 assists as a United player in all…

World logs fifth hottest February as atmospheric rivers drench western Europe, Copernicus reports The world registered its fifth hottest February on record as extreme rainfall and widespread flooding inundated parts of western and southern Europe, according to the European Union’s Copernicus climate monitor. Global temperatures last month were 1.49C above pre-industrial levels, defined as 1850-1900, underscoring the persistent heat that is shaping weather extremes worldwide. Europe’s picture was split between temperature and…

Record 129 journalists killed in 2025, CPJ says, with two-thirds linked to Israel A record 129 journalists and media workers were killed worldwide in 2025, the Committee to Protect Journalists said, marking a second straight annual high and the deadliest year since the watchdog began tracking deaths more than three decades ago. “Journalists are being killed in record numbers at a time when access to information is more important than ever,” CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg said in a statement. “We are all at risk when journalists are…