Exclusive: High levels of banned ‘forever chemical’ have been detected in rivers and groundwater at 25 sites
A string of toxic pollution hotspots has been uncovered across Cumbria and Lancashire, with high levels of the banned cancer-causing “forever chemical” Pfos detected in rivers and groundwater at 25 sites.
The contamination, spread across a large area, was uncovered by Watershed Investigations and the Guardian after a freedom of information request revealed high concentrations of Pfos in Environment Agency samples taken in January 2025.
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
02/14/2026 - 01:00
02/13/2026 - 19:47
NAACP alleges artificial intelligence firm is violating Clean Air Act and polluting Black communities in Mississippi
Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI is facing a second lawsuit alleging it is illegally emitting toxic pollutants from its enormous datacenters, which house its supercomputers and run the chatbot Grok.
The new pending suit alleges xAI is violating the Clean Air Act and was filed Friday by the storied civil rights group the NAACP. The group’s 40-page notice of intent to sue alleges xAI has been polluting Black communities near its facility in Southaven, Mississippi. The pollution comes from more than a dozen portable methane gas generators that xAI set up without permits, the notice alleges.
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02/13/2026 - 13:00
Images confirm xAI is continuing to defy EPA regulations in Mississippi to power its flagship datacenters
Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company is continuing to fuel its datacenters with unpermitted gas turbines, an investigation by the Floodlight newsroom shows. Thermal footage captured by Floodlight via drone shows xAI is still burning gas at a facility in Southaven, Mississippi, despite a recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ruling reiterating that doing so requires a state permit in advance.
State regulators in Mississippi maintain that since the turbines are parked on tractor trailers, they don’t require permits. However, the EPA has long maintained that such pollution sources require permits under the Clean Air Act.
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02/13/2026 - 10:11
Negotiators disbanded on Friday without a plan for the basin supplying water to 40m people, thrusting the region into uncertainty
The future of the American west hung in the balance after seven states remained at a stalemate over who should bear the brunt of the enormous water cuts needed to pull the imperiled Colorado River back from the brink.
Negotiators, who have spent years trying to iron out thorny disagreements, ended their talks on Friday without a deal – one day before a critical deadline to form a plan that had been set for Saturday.
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02/13/2026 - 08:00
EPA’s records show one environmental consent decree filed in last year – 26 were filed in year one of first Trump term
Enforcement of environmental laws against major polluters has virtually ground to a halt under the Trump administration, a new analysis of Environmental Protection Agency records from January 2025 to January 2026 shows.
Major polluters typically include companies that are among the largest in the oil, gas, coal and chemical industries.
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02/13/2026 - 07:50
Thomas Woldbye says part of airport’s problem is UK passengers walk on the left while others walk on the right
Heathrow airport has revealed a crowding problem that a third runway cannot solve: British and foreign travellers walk on different sides, and keep colliding, according to its chief executive.
Thomas Woldbye said that while Heathrow serviced more passengers in a smaller overall area than comparable European hubs, part of the London airport’s trouble was the differing continental sense of direction.
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02/13/2026 - 03:00
This week’s best wildlife photographs from around the world
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02/13/2026 - 02:00
Choice could prove difficult for Thames Water, which is trying to push through a water recycling scheme nearby
The first designated bathing water area on the River Thames in London has been shortlisted as one of 13 new monitored swimming areas across the country.
The Thames at Ham, in south-west London, was shortlisted as a new river bathing water after campaigners gathered evidence to show thousands of people use the river for swimming throughout the year.
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02/13/2026 - 01:00
Number of males at RSPB Abernethy rises to 30, after ‘huge amount of work’ by conservationists in Highlands forests
After decades of decline, there are signs of hope for the capercaillie, one of Britain’s most endangered birds.
Populations of the charismatic grouse, which in the UK is found only in the Caledonian pine forests of the Scottish Highlands, have increased by 50%, from 20 males in 2020 to 30 in 2025 at RSPB Abernethy.
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02/12/2026 - 23:19
Japan says vessel failed to comply with order to stop, with incident coming weeks after row with China over Taiwan
Authorities in Japan have seized a Chinese fishing boat and arrested its captain in a move that is likely to inflame an ongoing diplomatic row between Tokyo and Beijing.
The seizure, which occurred on Thursday about 105 miles (170km) from the south-western port city of Nagasaki, came after the skipper refused an order to stop for an onboard inspection, according to media reports.
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