On Tuesday, the United Nations' weather agency reported on the longest lightning flash ever recorded. The lightning bolt shot through the sky over the US in 2020, crossing three states. It covered a total distance of 477 miles (768 kilometers).
Published in “South America”
When a volcano in Tonga erupted on January 15, the effects were felt around the world. Peru - all the way across the Pacific Ocean - is now trying to clean up an oil spill caused by the eruption. The spill is killing animals and polluting the area.
Worldwide, many groups are pushing governments to protect 30% of the world's oceans by 2030. Today, NFK looks at new marine reserves created by Ecuador and Bangladesh in an effort to protect large areas of the oceans near them.
Several countries have gotten new leaders in the last week. Today, NFK looks at new leaders in the Czech Republic, Sweden, and Honduras.
In today's news roundup, leaders of a military coup in Sudan bring back the prime minister they removed, thousands of musicians in Venezuela set a record for the largest orchestra, and Taylor Swift sets a musical record by reaching #1 with a 10-minute song.
On Saturday, people representing nearly 200 countries agreed to a new climate deal called the Glasgow Climate Pact. The deal shows more progress than many people expected, but it's still not strong enough to avoid the worst effects of global warming.
In today's news roundup, Nicaragua's president wins an election that's widely seen as unfair, toxic foam covers a river being used in a religious festival in India, and four astronauts have to wear diapers because of a broken toilet in their return capsule.
The winner of this year's Children's Climate Prize was announced on Monday. Fifteen-year-old Reshma Kosaraju was chosen from among the finalists for her project, which uses artificial intelligence to predict forest fires.
Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso has announced that a huge new section will be added to the protected area of ocean around the Galapagos islands. The move will make one of the world's largest marine reserves almost 50% larger.
World leaders have only met for a few days in Glasgow, Scotland to discuss new steps to fight the climate crisis. But already some important new promises are being made that could protect large areas of forests and lead to less pollution.