It's too late to stop summer Arctic sea ice melting — even in a low-emissions scenario that caps global warming at a 1.5°C target in line with the Paris Agreement, according to a new study.
Why it matters: The peer-reviewed findings on the effects of human-caused climate change in the region, published in Nature Communications, suggest the first ice-free summer could be in the 2030s. That's a decade sooner than previously projected.
Thousands of Ukrainians who were already on the front lines of the war in Ukraine now face a "monumental humanitarian, economic and environmental catastrophe" after the destruction of a key dam on the Dnipro River, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned on Tuesday.
The big picture: The collapse of the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam unleashed floodwaters downstream, destroying the homes of at least 16,000 people, threatening drinking and irrigation water supplies in the region, and raising concerns about the potential consequences for the massive Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Tensions between the U.S. and Chinadominated an annual defense summit in Singapore over the weekend.
Driving the news: A tense encounter between U.S. and Chinese military planes occurred last week over the South China Sea, and during the summit, U.S. and Chinese naval vessels nearly collided in the Taiwan Strait, adding to the tensions.
Why it matters: Xi's erosion of established guidelines for succession creates uncertainty and puts China at risk for high-level power struggles in the future.
Why it matters: Latinos are one of the nation's fastest-growing voting demographics. The rise of LGBTQ+ Latino elected officials — as tracked by the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute — illustrates Hispanics' evolving diversity.
A dam along the river that separates Russian and Ukrainian troops in southern Ukraine was destroyed early Tuesday morning, with each side blaming the other.
Why it matters: The explosion carries the immediate prospect of severe flooding in communities around the reservoir, which is near the city of Kherson, and a longer-term risk of overheating at the massive Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Water from the Kakhovka dam's reservoir was used to cool the plant's reactors.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) accused Florida officials on Monday of misleading migrants over their transportation from the Texas border to Sacramento.
Driving the news: Bonta told KCRA he has evidence that the two flights that arrived in Sacramento within four days of each other were part of a "scheme" that's "official policy of the state of Florida whereby the state of Florida used public tax dollars to fund this program, the so-called voluntary transportation program."
At least 275 peoplewere killed and around 1,200 were injuredin a train crash in eastern India that authorities say was caused by an electronic signaling system error.
The big picture: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made modernizing India's vast rail system a major priority, increasing spending by 5x from before he took office to $30 billion last year.
The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday it's filed a criminal case with the Texas county's district attorney over flights Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) arranged transporting 49 undocumented migrants from San Antonio to Martha's Vineyard last September.
Driving the news: "The charge filed is Unlawful Restraint and several accounts were filed, both misdemeanor and felony," said Adelina Simpson, a spokesperson for the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, in an emailed statement Monday evening.
