Thailand’s central rice belt has recorded its lowest reservoir inflows in 73 years, leaving a second consecutive harvest exposed as the dry season approaches. A new regional analysis warns that, if October rains fail, as much as 28% of the basin’s rice crop could be lost, with consequences for food prices across mainland South-East Asia.
A refrigeration mechanic’s chance find has helped scientists verify an unprecedented September heatwave across China’s Sichuan basin, with dangerous nights forecast to persist into October. Researchers warn that, if the high-pressure system holds, 24 million people could face two more weeks of oppressive heat as officials insist supplies remain secure.
A proposed A$52 million (about €30 million) takeover would put the Western Kites under the same owner as Coastline Athletic, the rival that thrashed them 4-0 days ago. The deal has turned a months-long fight over the Kites’ future into an urgent test of Australia’s football rules on shared ownership.
A Swiss public glacier-monitoring portal marked dozens of retreating ice fronts as showing “no shift”, an audit has found. Scientists say the redesign did not alter the underlying measurements, but its default display stripped away context that matters as Alpine ice loss accelerates.
South Africa will freeze new deployments of public facial-recognition software while it imposes a national set of safeguards, the communications ministry announced Tuesday. The decision came hours after thousands of demonstrators gathered in Pretoria to oppose the spread of face-scanning cameras.
A software update sent hundreds of passengers’ bags bouncing between Arctic airports before a claims agent found the route code buried in her own old paperwork. The code, she discovered, was one she had helped create 17 years ago.
A new flood-storage basin near Dordrecht was briefly overwhelmed during its opening, as a study published on Tuesday warned that severe compound floods could strike parts of the Netherlands once every six years by 2040. A storm now forecast to bring heavy rain and a North Sea surge later this week has turned that awkward debut into an urgent test of the country’s defences.
A health authority has ordered an urgent recall of three batches of a popular kelp supplement after tests found each capsule contained 17 times the iodine stated on its label. The company says the capsules reached pharmacies and health shops across New Zealand, but officials had received no reports of serious illness by Tuesday afternoon.
A protest in Minas Gerais forced a municipal council to reverse plans to strip Vila do Cedro of its local service office and road funding. By Monday night, councillors had approved a dedicated budget line worth R$21.6 million (about €3.6 million) over three years.
A new Punjab law making mobility aids and rehabilitation free at public hospitals has turned a limited pilot into a province-wide service, with thousands seeking appointments on its first day. Officials say the surge is larger than expected but that a fresh funding pool and extra clinic hours should keep the rollout on track.
A baffling burst of long, glassy waves gave Brazilian surfer Eliza Piotrowski-Czerwiński the conditions to earn the first perfect final score in South Atlantic Games history. Her victory helped Brazil finish the Florianópolis tournament with a record 31 gold medals.
A veteran Australian referee who once labelled footage for an automated offside system helped lead a walkout that halted six league matches on Monday. The stoppage has exposed how little power officials have when software, and not the person on the pitch, makes the call.