China’s Yangtze River Rebounds After Fishing Ban and Investment to Reemploy 200,000 Fishermen

Shane Young The mighty Yangtze river has experienced a dramatic improvement in ecological health halfway through a 10-year fishing moratorium. The focus of a $2.7 billion restoration project, this crucial aquatic artery had been severely degraded by decades of damming, overfishing, fragmentation, pollution, and neglect. Now, a new study reports a tripling of fish biomass, … Read more

Making it rain: Why more and more countries are turning to cloud seeding

Commuters make their way past India Gate amid smoggy conditions in New Delhi, India, on October 29, 2025. Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Images Countries across the globe are increasingly turning to a decades-old weather modification technique as part of a push to control when and where it rains. Alongside the U.S. and China, which … Read more

Some U.S. allies see higher duties under new tariffs, rivals see relief, trade body says

The Portuguese cargo ship MSC Maxine is pictured at the Port of Balboa at the entrance to the Panama Canal in Panama City on April 23, 2025. The Port of Balboa is managed by CK Hutchison Holdings, based in Hong Kong. Martin Bernetti | Afp | Getty Images The U.K., the European Union and Singapore … Read more

Planting Billions of Trees Turned Barren Desert into a Carbon Sink That Lowers Atmospheric CO2

A mixed-species section of the Green Great Wall – Credit: 中国新闻网 CC 3.0. BY China’s multi-decade long, successful effort to plant a ring of trees around one of the world’s most hostile deserts has sprouted an unexpected benefit to humanity. Along with protecting the nation’s grasslands and agriculture from the spreading sands of the dismal … Read more

Much ado about nothing? TikTok’s U.S. usership steadies after turbulent start

The TikTok Inc. sign in front of the building on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026 in Culver City, CA. Kayla Bartkowski | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images TikTok’s U.S. joint venture seems to have survived a turbulent rollout with minimal change in usership, as early narratives of a mass user exodus prompted by service outages … Read more

Europe has ‘failed’ in the face of Trump and Putin’s ‘wrecking ball’ politics, top security official says

US President Donald Trump holds a bilateral meeting with European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on September 23, 2025. Brendan Smialowski | Afp | Getty Images Europe is “totally on the sidelines” on the global stage as “wrecking ball” politics has … Read more

U.S.-China power struggle thrusts Panama Canal back into the spotlight

This aerial view shows the Taiwanese cargo ship Yang Ming sailing out of the Panama Canal on the Pacific side in Panama City on October 6, 2025. Martin Bernetti | Afp | Getty Images A simmering dispute over two container ports at either end of the Panama Canal risks becoming a geopolitical flashpoint between the … Read more

China ramps up threats over Panama Canal ruling that handed Trump a major victory

A cargo ship transits through Panama Canal Cocoli locks in Panama City on February 21, 2025. Martin Bernetti | Afp | Getty Images The Chinese government has condemned a ruling from Panama’s top court, warning the Central American country “will inevitably pay a heavy price” unless it changes course. The rebuke comes shortly after Panama’s … Read more

Trump says India will stop buying Russian oil. Shadow fleet vessels are still unloading sanctioned crude at its ports

The oil tanker “Grinch” (R), suspected of belonging to the Russian’s shadow fleet, is seen outside the coast of Martigues near the port of Marseille-Fos on January 25, 2026, as it’s surveilled by the French Navy. Thibaud Moritz | Afp | Getty Images President Donald Trump announced a U.S. trade deal with India on Monday … Read more

Chinese organized crime networks moved $16 billion in crypto in 2025, according to report

Amber Casino and former scam center, owned by Chen Zhi, a Chinese businessman who was deported to China, is seen in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, on Jan. 18, 2026. Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Images Chinese-language money laundering networks funneled an estimated $16.1 billion in illicit funds through cryptocurrency transactions in 2025, according to a report released … Read more