President is convening so-called ‘God squad’ to override provisions of Endangered Species Act for ‘national security’
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Donald Trump is dispatching a so-called “God squad” of top officials to revoke protections for endangered species in the Gulf of Mexico, purportedly to protect national security by expanding oil and gas industry operations.
If successful, the administration may kill off dozens of protected species – from Rice’s whales and whooping cranes to sea turtles.
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
03/30/2026 - 01:00
As the clocks go forward and the UK enters British summer time, the Guardian photographer Sarah Lee has been trying to distract herself from gloomy world news by focusing on the miracles of springtime and coming of longer days
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03/30/2026 - 00:44
In today’s newsletter: Nearly a year after disposable vapes were outlawed, new figures suggest the policy has delivered only modest gains while creating new challenges
Good morning. They seemed to come from nowhere: millions of multicoloured plastic contraptions, each producing a plume of sweet-smelling steam. Love them or loathe them, vapes are now an inescapable part of life in the UK – 5.4 million adults are now vaping daily or occasionally in Great Britain, according to ONS figures.
To advocates, vapes and e-cigarettes contribute a massive public health benefit by helping people to avoid the toxins and tar that come with tobacco smoking, a major cause of cancer and other health conditions. But detractors caution that they can be equally as addictive, with long-term health outcomes still being studied. Vapes have also been an environmental mess – with millions of single-use devices made from plastic and cheap lithium-ion batteries thrown into landfill.
Middle East | Iran has warned the US that it is prepared to confront any ground assault, accusing Washington of secretly planning a land attack while publicly seeking talks.
Politics | Keir Starmer will launch Labour’s local elections campaign by saying that a vote for Reform UK will put at risk progress his government is making on the cost of living, arguing that Britain’s values are being tested in a volatile world.
UK news | A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a car struck several pedestrians on one of Derby’s busiest streets.
Religion | Pope Leo has said God ignores the prayers of leaders who wage war and have “hands full of blood”, in an apparent rebuke to the Trump administration.
UK news | The NHS is set to miss key targets to shorten waiting times for help at A&E, cancer care and planned hospital treatment, leaving millions of patients facing persistently long delays.
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03/29/2026 - 18:08
Levi Vargas, 30, was competing in Baker to Vegas race through Mojave desert as US south-west faces extreme heat
A Los Angeles county sheriff’s deputy, Levi Vargas, died on Saturday after a medical emergency while participating in an annual relay race through the Mojave desert. He was 30 years old.
Vargas had been competing at the Baker to Vegas Challenge Cup relay race, which follows a 120-mile (193km) course from Baker, California, to Las Vegas, Nevada, through the Mojave desert. Several law enforcement agencies send 20-runner teams annually to compete in the race.
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03/29/2026 - 08:00
Two kona low storms dumped up to 50in of rain on Oahu, flooding fields and submerging equipment
Eddie Oroyan’s farm was thriving when the storms hit. He and his wife had started LewaTerra Farm last year on a gorgeous stretch of land on the north shore of Oahu. They were delivering vegetables to customers in the community, selling at farmers’ markets and to local restaurants.
Then, on the week of 10 March, a first kona low storm hit the island, bringing copious amounts of water, flooding their land and wiping out crops. Nearly all their papayas were gone. And the tomatoes didn’t survive. But the couple quickly began cleaning, replanting and tying down crops, confident that they would get back on their feet shortly.
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03/29/2026 - 08:00
Fossil-fuel burning at Ohio facility could burn longer, leaving Middletown residents to face environmental risks
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It was just a few months after moving from Louisville to Middletown, Ohio, four years ago that Vivian Adams’s six-year-old daughter’s asthma problem worsened.
“My daughter was born prematurely so she already had lung issues,” she says, “[but] it’s gotten worse. She stays sick and coughing and can’t breathe. She’s had to go on everyday medication for her asthma, plus she has a rescue inhaler.”
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03/29/2026 - 07:00
Peaches, strawberries and grapes were almost always found to be contaminated with ‘forever chemicals’ in the analysis
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A first-of-its-kind analysis has identified Pfas pesticide residues on 37% of conventional California produce, with peaches, strawberries and grapes almost always found to be contaminated with the toxic “forever chemicals”.
The analysis coincided with the introduction of California legislation that would by 2035 fully ban Pfas from being used as active ingredients in pesticides, and require warning labels and other restrictions in the meantime.
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03/27/2026 - 23:00
npj Ocean Sustainability, Published online: 28 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s44183-026-00189-y
Assessing the status and challenges of vulnerability to viability transitions: small-scale fisheries in the transboundary Sundarbans mangrove forest
03/26/2026 - 23:00
npj Ocean Sustainability, Published online: 27 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s44183-026-00193-2
Antarctic Sanctuary: fishing effort responses to an international MPA in the Southern Ocean
World Ocean Explorer Wins Gold Medal Serious Simulation Award from Serious Play Annual International Competition
10/26/2023 - 14:35
For Immediate Release October 19, 2023
Sedgwick, Maine USA World Ocean Explorer, a 3D virtual aquarium and educational simulation, was recently cited for excellence, winning a Gold Medal Award in the 2023 International Serious Play Awards Program.
World Ocean Explorer is an innovative 3D virtual aquarium designed for educational exploration of the world’s oceans. With interactive exhibits and a lobby space, visitors can immerse themselves in realistic marine environments, including a DEEP SEA exhibit funded by Schmidt Ocean Institute, showcasing unprecedented deep-sea discoveries off Australia. Targeted at 3rd graders and beyond, this immersive experience offers a range of perspectives on the ocean environment and can be explored through guided tours or user-controlled interfaces. Visit DEEP SEA at worldoceanexplorer.org/deep-sea-aquarium.html.
Serious Play Conference brings together professionals who are exploring the use of game-based learning, sharing their experience, and working together to shape the future of training and education. For more information on Serious Play Award Program visit seriousplayconf.com/international-serious-play-award-programs.
World Ocean Explorer is a transformative virtual aquarium designed to deepen understanding of the world ocean and amplify connection for young people worldwide. Organized around the principles of Ocean Literacy and the Next Gen Science Standards, World Ocean Explorer brings the wonder and knowledge of ocean species and systems to students in formal and informal classrooms, absolutely free to anyone with a good Internet connection. As an advocate for the ocean through communications, World Ocean Observatory believes there is no better investment in the future of the sustainable ocean than through a new approach to educational engagement that excites, informs, and motivates students to explore the wonders of our marine world and to understand the pervasive connection and implication for our future, inherent in the protection and conservation of all aspects of our ocean world.
World Ocean Explorer presents an astonishing 3-dimensional simulated aquarium visit, organized to reveal the wonders of undersea life, with layers of detailed data and information to augment the emotional connection made to the astonishing beauty and complexity of the dynamic ocean. Within each of the virtual exhibits, students visit exemplary theme-based sites with myriad opportunities to understand the larger perspectives of scientific knowledge as organized and visualized to dramatize the impact and change on ocean life as a result of natural and human-generated events. Through immersion among displays, mixed media and 3D models, the experience of an aquarium visit will be brought into classrooms or home school environments as a free, accessible, always available opportunity for teaching and learning. All of this will be available to a world audience without physical limitation or cost. World Ocean Explorer, a project of the World Ocean Observatory, receives support from the Seth Sprague Educational and Charitable Foundation, Visual Solutions Lab, the Climate Change Institute, the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation, and The Fram Museum Oslo. To learn more about the current and future exhibits of World Ocean Explorer, visit worldoceanexplorer.org.
media contact
Trisha Badger, Managing Director, World Ocean Observatory | [email protected] +12077011069
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