Seven states must make deal for sharing basin that supplies 40 million people, before US government steps in. With negotiations at an impasse, what’s at stake?
The future of the American west hangs in balance this week, as 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. Time is running short to reach a deal before a critical deadline, set for Saturday.
In the region where water has long been the source of survival and conflict, the challenges hindering consensus are as steep as the stakes are high.
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
02/13/2026 - 10:11
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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02/12/2026 - 19:01
Report by Tony Blair Institute urges government to drop some green policies amid criticism of decarbonisation goal
Analysis: Blair’s oil lobbying is a misleading rehash of fossil fuel industry spin
Tony Blair’s thinktank has accused Ed Miliband of driving up energy prices in his push to make Britain’s energy supply more environmentally friendly.
The Tony Blair Institute (TBI) published a report on Friday criticising the government’s green policies and urging the energy secretary to drop some of them altogether, including almost completely decarbonising the electricity system by 2030.
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02/12/2026 - 14:03
Rollback of government’s ability to limit climate-heating pollution will make families ‘sicker and less safe’, environmental advocate says
The Trump administration has revoked the bedrock scientific determination that gives the government the ability to regulate climate-heating pollution. The move was described as a gift to “billionaire polluters” at the expense of Americans’ health.
The endangerment finding, which states that the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere endangers public health and welfare, has since 2009 allowed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to limit heat-trapping pollution from vehicles, power plants and other industrial sources.
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02/12/2026 - 14:00
Doubling of fish biomass and rebounding of endangered species shows government measures starting to work, biologists say
The Yangtze River in China, which has been in ecological decline for 70 years, is showing signs of recovery thanks to a sweeping fishing ban.
The ban was made more effective by the implementation of “evolutionary game theory”, which included finding alternative employment for fishers.
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