Climate change, urban renewal, typhoons, land redistribution: enjoy this selection of material brought to you courtesy of the Rondebosch Boys' High School Library (If you would like to receive a weekly newsletter of the latest items in this Scoop just mail me at library@rondebosch.com)
Nepal's government says the severe flooding is not just a humanitarian crisis but an economic one, with hydropower plants, roads, bridges and entire villages damaged or destroyed. Authorities estimate that rebuilding could cost $5 billion, and with thousands of people, many of them breadwinners, still missing, the economic toll continues to rise.
South Africa’s agriculture sector is being urged to prepare for a potentially difficult summer as El Niño conditions are expected to bring below-normal rainfall and high temperatures across parts of the country.
Labour has promised to create 1.5 million new homes during this parliament. Prime Minister Andy Burnham says he wants to see more social housing. So if they build it - where will it go?
Enter the Grey Belt - a new designation which is meant to include previously developed land in the green belt - sites like old car parks and former petrol stations.
But critics say these potential rebuilding plans would mean the loss of much valued green landscapes.
AfD leader Tino Chrupalla called Germany's extreme summer "perfectly normal" and dismissed concerns as scaremongering. But temperature records — and climate science — tell a different story.
Summer 2026 was the UK's hottest on record, according to provisional data from the Met Office.
Figures for the months of June, July and August show that the average mean temperature - which includes day and overnight temperatures - was 16.5C, the warmest on record in a dataset going back to 1884.
The highest temperature recorded this summer was 38.1C (100.6F) at Kew Gardens in London on 13 August.
At a more regional level, England, Wales and Northern Ireland also broke their respective mean temperature records for summer, while Scotland reported its joint-sixth warmest summer on record.
At least 34 people have died and dozens more have been injured after a landfill collapsed in Guinea’s capital, Conakry. A huge mound of rubbish gave way following heavy rain, crushing nearby homes as families slept. Efforts are underway to rehouse hundreds of families affected by the disaster, while more heavy rain is expected, raising fears of further landslides.
In Tunisia, UNESCO recognised the town of Sidi Bou Said as a world heritage site this July. The designation marks a new period in the cultural preservation of this historic tourist site. The special status may help as it battles erosion, like in the floods this last January, but it will also help boost its lesser known Sufi mystical traditions. FRANCE 24's Lilia Blaise and Hamdi Tlili were there to report on the Kharja ceremonies, which run in the town from mid-august til the end of September.
While the exact cause of Wednesday’s disaster is still being analysed, scientists say it probably began with a massive ice-rock avalanche on the northern slopes of Nepal’s Langtang Lirung peak into the Lhende Khola River on the Tibetan side. Experts caution against describing climate change as the sole, immediate trigger, though they say that rising temperatures and melting glaciers probably played a role in the disaster.
A devastating flash flood has swept through the Nepal-Tibet border region, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
But what triggered the sudden collapse - and could a warming Himalayas, accelerated by burning fossil fuels, mean events like this are now more likely?
The Grand Canyon is considered one of the wonders of the natural world. Last Saturday a major flash flood tore through part of the canyon in the US state of Arizona. At least two people were killed, while several others remain missing. Dozens of visitors had to be evacuated by helicopter. The Grand Canyon attracts millions of visitors every year. So how did one of the world's most famous natural wonders turn into a deadly flood zone? We spoke with Grand Canyon researcher and expert Tom Martin, and with meteorologist Robert Rickey.
It's been a dreadful summer in parts of Europe, with more raging wildfires. More than 300-thousand people fled their homes in France and Spain. And that's despite having some of the best-equipped firefighters in the world.
The UN General Assembly has voted to replace the traditional world map with one that more accurately reflects the size of Africa.
Backed by African Union members and sponsored by Togo, the "Correct the Map" resolution passed with support from 164 nations, including France and the UK. The US was the only country to vote against it - while six nations abstained.
Although non-binding, the UN vote is expected to influence maps used by institutions around the world.
A volcanic eruption in Indonesia has disrupted air traffic at the capital’s main airport. Anak Krakatau, located between Java and Sumatra, erupted on Sunday, sending plumes of ash into the sky. Flights were also disrupted at several airports across the region.
A collapsed glacier in Nepal caused catastrophic flooding that killed more than a thousand people, while thousands more are still missing. Andrew Chang breaks down what accelerated the flood to such a violent degree and how factors like the scale of the Himalayan mountains and the region's climate make prediction and monitoring so challenging.
The potentially record-breaking El Niño has brought a relentless stretch of extreme weather across the country. Experts watching the climate and weather patterns are warning that the effects could persist well into 2027. William Brangham discussed the super El Niño with WFLA meteorologist Jeff Berardelli.
In June, the Supreme Court cleared the way to end temporary protected status for Haitians and Syrians living in the U.S. The Trump administration let that TPS expire last month, and about 350,000 Haitians became at risk of deportation. The impact is now hitting the small city of Springfield, Ohio, long a political flashpoint in the debate around immigration. Stephanie Sy reports.
One of the world's leading climate scientists has spoken to FRANCE 24 about the extreme heat events of this summer, and in the wake of the catastrophic flooding in Nepal, how other similar events are all but inevitable. Diana Ürge-Vorsatz is professor of environmental studies at the Central European University and vice-chair of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Damascus’ ancient Old City went car-free for 24 hours, giving residents a rare chance to walk its historic streets without traffic, noise and pollution. The experiment could pave the way for a more pedestrian-friendly city by 2030. Al Jazeera’s Heidi Pett reports.
Experts believe an avalanche triggered by a glacier collapse caused the devastating flash flood in Nepal. But how glaciers collapse in the first place? We speak to Dr C Scott Watson, who leads the Glacial Lake Observatory for Flood Hazards Impacted by Climate Change at the University of Leeds.
Kazakhstan recently made headlines following parliamentary elections that were widely seen as strengthening President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's grip on power. He is expected to continue the country's balancing act between Russia, China, and the EU. Right now, everyone seems to want a stake in Kazakhstan. Here's why the resource-rich Central Asian nation is having a moment.
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