ENVIRONMENT - SKY NIGHTLY

'How many will die?': the mysterious ailment killing Kenyan elephants

Aug 19, 2026 (AFP)

Lying on the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust, the elephant slowly exhausted himself in futile attempts to stand, the latest victim of a mysterious ailment...

France endures more than 50 heatwave days in 2026: AFP analysis

Aug 19, 2026 (AFP)

France has already endured a record 52 days of heatwaves since mid-June, with summer yet to end, according to an AFP analysis of Meteo-France data.

Evacuation orders lifted in Belgian wildfire zone

Aug 19, 2026 (AFP)

Authorities in Belgium and Germany on Wednesday lifted the last remaining evacuation orders in the border region where firefighters appeared to be gaining the u...

Belgian wildfire 'encircled' but situation still 'complicated'

Aug 19, 2026 (AFP)

Firefighters managed overnight to fully surround Belgium's largest wildfire in a century, but the situation on the ground "remains complicated" with crews battl...

Parched and desperate for rain, Kazakhstan turns to cloud-seeding

Aug 19, 2026 (AFP)

There were only arid steppes in sight when a small plane took off from an airport in southern Kazakhstan, embarking on a delicate mission: bringing rain for the...

Lake Zurich sees water level hit record low amid drought

Aug 19, 2026 (AFP)

Lake Zurich's water level sank to its lowest level in 75 years on Wednesday, official measurements showed, as a drawn-out drought also took a toll on a range of...

New blaze breaks out west of Madrid weeks after major wildfires

Aug 19, 2026 (AFP)

Firefighters were battling a new blaze west of Madrid on Wednesday, just weeks after some of the worst wildfires in the Spanish region's history forced tens of ...

Bodies of Belgian climbers who vanished in 1992 found in Swiss Alps

Aug 19, 2026 (AFP)

The bodies of two Belgian climbers who disappeared in the Swiss Alps 34 years ago have been found, freed from the melting Trift Glacier, police said Wednesday.

North Sea drilling tests UK govt climate pledge

Aug 19, 2026 (AFP)

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham must decide in the coming weeks whether to authorise two North Sea drilling projects, an issue which has divided his own Lab...

New Zealand blocks lawsuits against firms over climate harm

Aug 19, 2026 (AFP)

New Zealand has passed hotly contested legislation to block lawsuits that seek to hold companies liable for climate change harm.

Confinement orders lifted after wildfire west of Madrid stabilised

Aug 19, 2026 (AFP)

Authorities lifted confinement orders on a town west of Madrid after firefighters on Wednesday stabilised a nearby wildfire, just weeks after huge blazes forced...

Honduras places 80% of country on El Nino drought alert

Aug 19, 2026 (AFP)

The Honduran government on Wednesday placed 80 percent of the country, including the capital, on drought alert as El Nino scorches harvests and causes livestock...

Belgian fire of the century 'encircled' but fight goes on

Aug 19, 2026 (AFP)

Firefighters hacked their way through boggy terrain overnight to fully surround Belgium's largest wildfire in a century, but crews were still battling numerous ...

7,300 excess deaths and counting in France's historically hot summer

Aug 19, 2026 (AFP)

France saw more than 7,300 excess deaths during heatwaves so far this year, health authorities said Wednesday, as the country has also endured a record number o...

More than 7,300 excess deaths in France's historically hot summer so far

Aug 19, 2026 (AFP)

France saw more than 7,300 excess deaths during heatwaves so far this year, health authorities said Wednesday, as the country has also endured a record number o...

Italian scientists bet on octopus to fight crab invasion

Aug 19, 2026 (AFP)

From a fishing trawler in the Adriatic, Italian scientists gently release thousands of tiny octopuses in the hope of fighting an invasive crab species that has ...

'How many will die?': the mysterious ailment killing Kenyan elephants

Aug 19, 2026 (AFP)

Lying on the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust, the elephant slowly exhausted himself in futile attempts to stand, the latest victim of a mysterious ailment...

Firefighters in 'decisive' push to encircle Belgian wildfire

Aug 18, 2026 (AFP)

Firefighters were locked in a potentially decisive push Tuesday to encircle Belgium's largest wildfire in a century, despite rainclouds hampering air support op...

Firefighters in 'crucial' push to encircle Belgian wildfire

Aug 18, 2026 (AFP)

Firefighters headed into a "crucial" all-night push Tuesday to encircle Belgium's largest wildfire in a century, despite rainclouds paralysing air support opera...

Make it rain: Indonesia chases clouds to stem El Nino fires

Aug 18, 2026 (AFP)

Indonesia's Borneo, home to pristine rainforest and protected species, is burning. Meteorologist Safillah Anggie Wahyuni hopes a solution lies in the clouds.