U.S. Megadrought worst in 1,200 years

Published

3 years ago

August 18, 2022

Vast areas of the western United States are currently being affected by a megadrought, including states such as California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Nevada, Texas, Oklahoma, Utah, Montana, and New Mexico.

The US government recently permitted seven western states to use water from the Colorado river following cutbacks.

But also cautioned them to conserve water to protect drying reservoirs, which is only getting worst through climate change.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation had recently given western states 60 days to either organise their own reductions or face mandatory cutbacks.

Authorities asked for a reduction of water usage by 2 million acre-feet a year. That accumulates to anywhere between 15% to 20%

Officials said they will be co-ordinating with the seven Colorado River states on reaching a deal, which are Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming.

A new forecast indicated decreasing levels of the two largest reservoirs on the river, Lake Mead and Lake Powell.

Arizona, Nevada and Mexico will have supplies lowered for two years in a row now: 21% for Arizona, 8% for Nevada and 7% for New Mexico.

Water has been called the elixir of life, and negotiating its use is a difficult task at times like this.

John Entsminger, general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, says

“It is possible for us to make the larger necessary cuts, but I think it is going to take everyone at the table realizing that everyone needs to suffer a commensurate level of pain to get there”.

The 23-year megadrought has been recorded as the worst on record in at least 1,200 years.

And experts say at this point- there are two moves to make.

Swift action and water conservation.

Fourth death confirmed due to Optus outage issues

Fourth death confirmed following Optus outage that blocked Triple Zero calls for 13 hours during network upgrade

Published

8 hours ago

September 20, 2025

Ahron Young

Fourth death confirmed following Optus outage that blocked Triple Zero calls for 13 hours during network upgrade

In Short:
– A fourth death is confirmed due to an Optus network failure affecting emergency calls for 13 hours.
– Optus CEO announced an investigation after communication failures and criticism from politicians and emergency services.

A fourth death has been confirmed following an Optus network failure that prevented emergency calls to Triple Zero for 13 hours.

Initially, Optus reported three fatalities, including an infant and two elderly individuals from South Australia and Western Australia. The latest victim is a 49-year-old man from Perth.Optus CEO Stephen Rue expressed deep sorrow over the incident and announced a full investigation into the network update that caused the outage.

He stated that approximately 600 calls to emergency services were disrupted, impacting residents across South Australia, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory.

Rue confirmed that the outage stemmed from a problematic firewall upgrade and revealed details of communication failures within the company. Politicians and emergency services expressed anger at the lack of timely information during the crisis.

System Failure

South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas criticised Optus for their incompetence in handling the situation.

The federal communications minister also condemned the company, highlighting that such failures are unacceptable.

The incident follows a previous outage for which Optus was fined $12 million, raising serious concerns about their emergency service handling.

News

Israel launches its new “Iron Beam” laser system

Israel’s new “Iron Beam” laser defense system to deploy by year-end, promising cost-effective missile interception.

Published

1 day ago

September 19, 2025

ticker NEWS

Israel’s new “Iron Beam” laser defense system to deploy by year-end, promising cost-effective missile interception.

Israel’s Defence Ministry says its new “Iron Beam” laser system will be deployed by year’s end. The technology is designed to destroy incoming missiles, rockets, drones and mortars with precision.

Developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems in partnership with Elbit Systems, Iron Beam will sit alongside existing defences such as Iron Dome, David’s Sling and Arrow. Unlike traditional interceptors which can cost tens of thousands of dollars per shot, the laser comes at negligible expense.

Officials call it the world’s first high-power laser interception system to achieve operational maturity, hailing it as a game-changer for modern warfare. Military leaders expect the system to reshape air defence capabilities and cut costs dramatically.

#Israel #Defence #LaserWeapons #TickerNews

News

Stephen Colbert’s opening monologue on Jimmy Kimmel

Stephen Colbert condemns censorship and calls out Trump in powerful monologue dedicated to Jimmy Kimmel’s suspended show.

Published

1 day ago

September 19, 2025

ticker NEWS

Stephen Colbert condemns censorship and calls out Trump in powerful monologue dedicated to Jimmy Kimmel’s suspended show.

Stephen Colbert’s opening monologue is being hailed as one of the most powerful moments in modern late-night history. Standing on stage at the Ed Sullivan Theatre, Colbert dedicated his show to Jimmy Kimmel and his team after ABC suspended Kimmel’s programme under pressure from Washington.

Colbert called the move “blatant censorship” and directly accused President Trump of acting like an autocrat. “With an autocrat, you cannot give an inch,” he warned, making clear that the stakes reach far beyond late-night comedy.

#StephenColbert #JimmyKimmel #FreeSpeech #TickerNews