Antarctica
Russia has no intention of attacking EU or Nato states, foreign minister says
Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov says his country has no intention of attacking EU or Nato member states but warned of a decisive response to any aggression directed towards Moscow. In a wide-ranging speech delivered at the UN General Assembly on Saturday, Lavrov said threats against Russia by Western countries were becoming increasingly common. He also took aim at Israel, saying that while Russia condemned the 7 October 2023 attacks by Hamas, there was no justification for the brutal killings of Palestinians in Gaza, or for plans to annex the West Bank. Israel has previously said its Gaza operation is necessary to defeat Hamas. At least 65,926 people have been killed by Israeli strikes, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, while about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage in the 7 October attacks.
The LA Fires Spewed Out Toxic Nanoparticles. He Made It His Mission to Trace Them
The LA Fires Spewed Out Toxic Nanoparticles. Nicholas Spada is one of the only scientists in the world using a nuclear x-ray process to study deadly nanoparticles in wildfire smoke. What he's uncovered in California is a nightmare. Nicholas Spada was used to fielding urgent requests when wildfire smoke blanketed cities. Winter was supposed to be the quiet period when wildfires die down and researchers like Spada perform instrument maintenance, write grant proposals and go home for dinner. Instead, 2025's so-called offseason ignited January 7, when the Santa Ana winds came howling through Los Angeles, bringing gusts upwards of 100 miles per hour, after more than eight months without meaningful rainfall. By nightfall, thousands of homes in Los Angeles' swanky Pacific Palisades neighborhood and the Altadena community north of the city were gone. The next morning, Spada was fielding call after call at the University of California, Davis, from fellow air researchers at universities across the country who were packing instruments and other gear and heading for Los Angeles, many on their own dime. They would be studying urban fires--not normal wildfires or even urban-wildland interface fires--but urban fires in which most of the fuel was manmade: lawn chemicals, asbestos insulation, lead paint, lithium batteries. They asked Spada which instruments to bring, what measurements to take, where to set up downwind and when he would be there. The calls quickly morphed into a WhatsApp group that's still going strong, as results continue to roll in sporadically all these months later. Spada, a trim, energetic man with a close-trimmed beard and reddish hair, is a project scientist at UC Davis' Air Quality Research Center. He is one of only a handful of scientists in the world proficient at using a nuclear method for detecting toxic substances in air particles to understand their impact on human health and the environment.
Drones seen over Danish military bases in latest air disruption
Drones have been seen near military facilities including Denmark's largest, following a series of incidents that caused air disruption earlier this week. The devices were observed above Karup airbase, among others, forcing it to briefly close its airspace to commercial traffic. Possible sightings were also reported in Germany, Norway and Lithuania. It is the latest in a string of suspicious drone activity in Denmark, raising concerns about the nation's vulnerability to aerial attack and sparking fears of potential Russian involvement. Danish authorities said Thursday's incursions appeared to be a hybrid attack, but cautioned that they had no evidence to suggest Moscow was behind it.
Watch: Polar bears occupy abandoned Soviet-era research station
Drone footage has captured a group of polar bears living inside an abandoned research station on Russia's Kolyuchin Island. Travel blogger, Vadim Makhorov, shared video that shows several bears inside the scattered building, looking through windows and walking around the island. A bear could be seen trying to catch the blogger's drone as it approached. The Kolyuchin weather station was abandoned in the early 1990s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Russian Alexey Molchanov breaks his own 2024 world record in one of the most technically challenging freediving events.
Watch: Moment freediver sets new world record with breath-defying 126m plunge
Russian freediver Alexey Molchanov plunged 126m (413ft) in a single breath to set a new world record at the AIDA Freediving World Championships in Limassol, Cyprus. He descended deep below the Mediterranean Sea with nothing but a headlight, two fins and a rope as a guide, in a feat considered one of the most technically challenging freedive categories. Mr Molchanov broke his own 2024 world record of 125m, during which he held his breath for a staggering four minutes and 32 seconds. The BBC's Russia editor, Steve Rosenberg, reports from joint manoeuvres by Russia and Belarus, as part of the Zapad 2025 (West 2025) military drills. 'Looks like a toy, but it's real': BBC examines a downed Russian drone Drones like this one were shot down over Polish airspace in the early hours of Wednesday.
Israeli strike on Yemen's Houthis reportedly kills eight
Israeli strike on Yemen's Houthis reportedly kills eight The Israeli military says its air force has carried out its most powerful strike in Yemen in response to the Houthi movement's repeated drone and missile attacks on Israel. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said dozens of its aircraft bombed targets belonging to the Houthis' security and intelligence services, and military in the capital Sanaa. The Houthi-run government's health ministry denounced what it called Israel's brutal crime, saying civilian facilities and residential buildings were hit and that eight people were killed. It comes a day after 22 people were injured, two of them seriously, in a Houthi drone attack in the Israeli Red Sea resort of Eilat. The Houthis have controlled much of north-western Yemen since they ousted the country's internationally recognised government from there 10 years ago, sparking a civil war.
Drone attacks leave Denmark exposed - and searching for response
A night of drone incidents at airports and military bases all over Jutland, western Denmark, has not caused any harm or damage - and yet it has exposed the country's defences as vulnerable to attack. In an era of hybrid warfare, there is a sense of embarrassment in Denmark - a founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) alliance - that its critical infrastructure has become so vulnerable. Aalborg and Billund airports had to close, while drones were spotted at Esbjerg, Sonderborg and Skrydstrup. Aalborg also serves as a military base and Skrydstrup is home to some of the air force's F-35 and F-16 war planes. Drones were also seen over the Jutland Dragoon regiment at Holstebro .
Is Sega restarting Nintendo rivalry with new Sonic Racing game?
The slogan, from the 1990s, is one of the most famous in video game history. It was a time when the bitter rivalry between the two Japanese game companies was at its fiercest. Today, that relationship has softened. You can play Sonic games on Nintendo consoles and the characters have even appeared in games together. But is Sega trying to restart the beef?
Astronomers Have Found 6,000 Planets Outside the Solar System
From lava worlds to gas giants, NASA says the variety of these worlds is staggering--and that signs of a further 8,000 distant planets are awaiting confirmation. The number of confirmed planets outside of our solar system--known as exoplanets-- has risen to 6,000, NASA has said. There is huge variety across these distant worlds, the space agency says, with discoveries including rocky planets, lava worlds, and gas giants enveloping their stars. Plenty more discoveries are likely on the way. As a result of continued monitoring by NASA's Exoplanet Science Institute (NExScI), there are more than 8,000 potential planets that have been identified and are awaiting confirmation.
Australian film altered in China to make gay couple straight
An Australian film that was digitally altered to change a same-sex couple to a heterosexual one has drawn backlash from moviegoers in China. Together, a horror film starring Dave Franco and Alison Brie, was shown in selected Chinese cinemas in advance screenings on 12 September. Cinemagoers later realised some scenes had been modified after screenshots showing the original scenes went viral online. The film was due to be publicly released on 19 September - but as of Thursday has yet to be aired in cinemas. The film's global distributor, Neon, later condemned the edit, saying they did not approve of [this] unauthorised edit... and demand they ceased distribution, according to reports.