Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Israeli attack kills famed turtle sanctuary ecologist in Lebanon

admin — Sat, 20 Jun 2026 11:32:09 +0000

Mona Khalil led decades-long effort to protect nesting site for turtles near her home in south of the country

The Lebanese marine activist Mona Khalil, who became a beloved figure in the country for a decades-long effort to protect a nesting site for turtles near her home, has died from injuries sustained in an Israeli strike.

Khalil, 76, ran a sanctuary called the Orange House Project near the Mediterranean city of Tyre. She hosted volunteers in her house to clean and monitor a mile-long beach and welcomed tourists to stay and learn about conservation.

Skeleton of the world’s rarest marine mammal preserved by digital imaging

admin — Sat, 20 Jun 2026 11:00:02 +0000

The reconstruction of the vaquita, whose numbers barely reach double figures in the wild, is designed to help research and conservation efforts

Scientists have created a digital reconstruction of the world’s most endangered marine mammal, preserving its anatomy in three dimensions to aid research and conservation efforts as the species teeters on the brink of extinction.

From coal to cabernet: the wine seller using a flooded mine to cut heating bills

admin — Sat, 20 Jun 2026 09:00:05 +0000

Lanchester Wines in north-east England uses heat from a disused coalmine to maintain wine temperatures and with 23,000 flooded mines in the UK, there’s huge potential for more businesses and homes to follow its lead

Shove them in a fridge, stash them in a cellar – this is how most people store their favourite bottles of wine. But if you have warehouses full of thousands of vintages, you have to think a little differently.

JLR at risk of battery supply delays after Somerset factory turmoil

admin — Sat, 20 Jun 2026 08:18:44 +0000

Supplier Agratas sacks its main building contractor on the government-backed project amid a budget mismatch

Jaguar Land Rover faces the risk of delays to the first deliveries of electric car batteries from a £5.2bn government-backed factory in Somerset after construction problems.

Can we electrify the world? Ambition moves from nerdish backwater to centre stage

admin — Sat, 20 Jun 2026 04:00:51 +0000

Apart from effort to electrify, there were geopolitical tensions around climate science and the 1.5C goal at pre-Cop31 climate talks

First pelicans in 360 years hatch in St James’s Park London

admin — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 17:32:46 +0000

Birds have been in the park since the Russian ambassador gave King Charles II two in 1664 – but none ever bred there

They arrived in the royal park shortly before the Great Fire of London, when the Russian ambassador presented a pair to King Charles II as a gift.

But although pelicans have been living in St James’s Park since 1664, none ever learned the art of courtship – until now, when for the first time in more than 360 years, chicks have been born.

Heathrow third runway GDP yield may be 90% less than previous estimates

admin — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 15:26:25 +0000

Department for Transport analysis suggests tiny economic boost would be outweighed by up to £62.5bn in trade-offs

The economic boost from a Heathrow third runway could be a tiny fraction of previous estimates, government analysis shows, while the overall trade-off from the bigger airport could set the UK back by as much as £62.5bn.

Kidney cancer rates near Pfas factory in Lancashire a ‘major source of concern’

admin — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 13:42:25 +0000

Experts cast doubt on conclusion of government-funded study of factory emitting forever chemicals near Blackpool

Questions have been raised about the conclusions drawn by a government-funded study into kidney cancer rates near a factory linked to forever chemicals near Blackpool.

Two World Cup matches were played in ‘severe heat’, analysis finds

admin — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 12:30:31 +0000

Games in Miami and Monterrey were at heat level a players’ union had warned in the past should trigger delays

Two of the first round of matches at the World Cup were played at a level of severe heat that a football players’ union has previously said should trigger the delay or postponement of games, a Guardian analysis has found.

A further four games were played in cities with temperatures also beyond that level of heat, though conditions inside the stadiums were mitigated by air conditioning.

Macron calls for vigilance as western Europe faces second heatwave of year

admin — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 11:39:11 +0000

More than half of France’s population under severe weather warning with temperatures expected to exceed 40C

More than half of France’s population is under a severe weather warning as large swathes of western Europe endure the second extreme heat event of the year, with temperatures expected to exceed 40C (104F).

The French president called for “extreme vigilance”, urging people to “take care of our oldest and most vulnerable people” and follow government advice. “We are going through difficult days,” Emmanuel Macron said.