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ROME (AP) — The Mediterranean of our ancestors is no more. Scientists say climate change, caused mainly by burning oil, coal and gas, is making the Mediterranean Sea hotter, bringing hundreds of new and invasive fish species that decimate indigenous populations. As biodiversity diminishes, coastal communities will struggle to make ends meet in the ways they’ve known for generations. “The Mediterranean of our grandfathers, of our elders, and of the Greeks, of ancient Greece is lost forever. So many of those changes are irreversible,” said Ernesto Azzuro, a marine biologist with the Italian National Research Council’s Institute for Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnology. Scientists have designated the Mediterranean as a climate change “hot spot,” with its waters expected to warm by 2 to 6 degrees Celsius (3.6 to 10.8 degrees Fahrenheit) by 2100. Heat waves are likely to become more frequent and more extreme, according to the Mediterranean Experts on Climate and Environmental Change, an independent network of scientists. Ronan McAdam, an oceanographer with the Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change, said a key factor in the warming is that the sea is an enclosed basin and warmth can’t dissipate like in the vastness of the oceans. The warming waters have made an inviting new home for invasive species like the spotted puffer fish, a voracious predator and the “worst invader,” Azzuro said. These species are now heading toward France and Spain after entering the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal. The U.N. food and agriculture body’s General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean said such invasive species have been present for decades, but their spread accelerated after the early 2000s, coinciding with rising sea temperatures. For example, the lionfish was first recorded in the eastern Mediterranean in 2012 and has expanded rapidly westward. “The Mediterranean will be even poorer, even with less species, simply because climate change is really making this part of the Mediterranean, especially the eastern part of the Mediterranean, really unsuitable for native species,” Azzuro said. Cyprus, due to its proximity to the Suez Canal, was first to feel the impact of these invasive fish. Lionfish supplanted indigenous stocks like the red mullet to the dismay of fishers, who have seen local varieties popular with customers greatly diminish. Then there are rabbitfish that can devour algae from the sea bottom, destroying the habitat for many indigenous species. “We know what should be done. We should reduce the use of fossil (fuels),” said Piero Genovesi Papik, a zoologist with Italy’s Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research. “But that’s definitely an urgent matter for the humanity, and we all know the solutions, but of course they require a global and joint vision.” Azzuro said about 1,000 invasive species have been identified in the Mediterranean, with 800 of them firmly established. The changes are stark. Azzuro said the shallows of the eastern Mediterranean have lost 93% of their mollusk population. Along the Adriatic coast, once abundant with mussels, nearly all have died off because of the sea temperatures that at times have exceeded 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit). From Venice in the north to Bari in the south, “the die-off was spectacular,” he said. “Unless we … find population able to survive through these different climates, the future of mussels is not a happy future, at least in the Adriatic Sea.” Azzuro said his institute and its partner a few years ago launched a campaign, “Beware of those four,” to raise awareness about the dangers that invasive species pose to human health. For instance, puffer fish is toxic and potentially lethal if consumed by humans. The lionfish’s poisonous spikes can badly hurt anyone who’s stung. Scientists are discussing how coastal communities can cope. One way is to commercialize invasive species that are edible. Another is to pay fishers to catch inedible ones like the puffer fish so they can be incinerated. Some species, like the lionfish, have “clear economic benefits because it’s sold at very high prices, especially in some countries,” Azzuro said. But fishers haven’t taken advantage of the invasive dusky spinefoot, whose population has grown significantly in Italian waters. Papik, the zoologist, said that while it’s “too late” to reverse the spread of invasive species in the Mediterranean, there are practical ways to mitigate the impact. First is to prevent their further migration by enforcing an international treaty obliging national authorities to treat ballast waters inside incoming ships that may carry such species. “This is something that is technically doable and that can reduce the number of … new alien species by 95 to 99%,” he said. Another tactic is treating ship hulls with special paint that thwarts unwanted hitchhikers from latching on. Papik also said fishing policies are being amended that would allow native species to reclaim some of their number, like growing mollusks that are less susceptible to the alien blue crab. “In the coming years, I think that the challenge will be to restore, to find new ways to restore the environment,” Papik said. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

LONDON (AP) — Voters in the English city of Manchester are electing a new mayor Thursday to replace Andy Burnham, who quit the job to become Britain’s prime minister. It’s also chance for some 2 million voters to pass judgment on the governing Labour Party, whose sagging popularity Burnham hopes to revive. Polling stations are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., with vote-counting starting Friday morning. Burnham was mayor of Greater Manchester for nine years until he won a special election for a seat in Parliament last month with the intention of challenging then- Prime Minister Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership. Burnham’s momentum spurred Starmer to announce he would resign after just two years in office. Burnham was the only candidate in Labour’s leadership election, and he became prime minister on July 20. He has established a branch of the prime minister’s office in the city, dubbed “No. 10 North,” to help fulfil his pledge to give local leaders more powers and spread economic growth around the country. The Greater Manchester region has a population of about 3 million and includes the city of Manchester and surrounding towns. Burnham won three straight mayoral elections, in 2017, 2021 and 2024, and Labour candidate Bev Craig, the current leader of Manchester City Council, is hoping to retain the mayoralty for the party. Burnham said serving as mayor had been an “immense privilege,” and he urged voters to back Craig to “build on the progress we’ve all made together.” Craig faces six other candidates, including Sian Astley from the anti-immigration party Reform UK, which won big in many areas of Greater Manchester in local elections in May. Labour has also lost voters to the Green Party, which won a special parliamentary election in the Gorton and Denton district of Greater Manchester in February, pushing Labour into third place and heightening concerns in the governing party about Starmer’s leadership. Those worries came to a head after the May election rout, leading to Starmer’s fall and Burnham’s rise. Rob Ford, professor of politics at the University of Manchester, said “Labour want a show of strength in a city region where the party has long been politically dominant.” “A big win in his former stomping ground will provide a significant boost for Andy Burnham,” Ford wrote in a blog post for the U.K. in a Changing Europe think tank. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — The noise is everywhere in Hanoi. The crack of a hydraulic breaker, the groan of excavators, the crunch of brick and concrete being torn apart. As Vietnam pushes for double-digit economic growth, its capital is pursuing an ultramodern vision for the next 100 years. In the first half of 2026 alone, Hanoi spent $2.4 billion clearing land for nearly 1,500 projects, transforming one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited capitals. Authorities say the redevelopment includes flood-controls and measures to reduce air pollution as Hanoi adapts to extreme weather from climate change. Vietnam is among the nations most vulnerable, enduring frequent and intense typhoons, floods and extreme heat. The capital often is enveloped in thick smog as one of the world’s most polluted cities. The promise of progress comes at a cost of homes, livelihoods and familiar sites, as dust from demolitions drifts across neighborhoods, settling on rooftops, trees and the few buildings still standing. Nguyen Thi Nhan used to sell fruit from her 300-square-meter (3,230-square-foot) street front home. It was demolished to make way for a road. She has yet to get compensation for its loss and now rents a home for her family and parents. “We just have to wait. I don’t know where they will relocate us,” she said. Big billboards display impressive visions of gleaming towers of steel and glass in new business and industrial districts, broad boulevards, parks and waterfront promenades. The plans call for the demolition of colonial villas, traditional narrow shophouses and densely packed low-rise buildings. The city will have new roads, bridges and transit links to airports and neighboring provinces. The centerpiece is a $28 billion redevelopment along both banks of the silty Red River that runs through the city. It will cover 11,400 hectares (28,170 acres) — larger than the size of central Paris — and will feature new roads, parks, urban districts and, crucially drainage and other flood controls to contain chronic inundations. A $35.2 billion Olympic sports area backed by Vietnam’s biggest company Vingroup will be anchored by one of the world’s largest soccer stadiums, shaped like a drum and capable of holding 135,000 fans. Authorities also plan a major transport overhaul designed to reshape how Hanoi grows, reducing pressure on the city’s historic center by creating multiple transport hubs. Such modern infrastructure is vital to Vietnam’s efforts to attract foreign investment and create new opportunities for residents and businesses, said Nguyen Khac Giang, a visiting fellow at the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore. But he warned the construction boom also risks diverting capital from the high-tech industries Vietnam wants to develop. And it could also raise property prices, leaving banks exposed to bad loans if the market weakens. Apartment and land prices have risen sharply, making homes in the country’s biggest cities unaffordable for many. Meanwhile many developers are heavily indebted, with debt levels higher than those of peers in countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines, according to a 2025 S&P Global report. Real estate makes up about 3.5% of Vietnam’s GDP, but accounts for roughly a quarter of bank lending. “There are huge economic opportunities arising from those projects, but at the same time, there are risks that need to be considered,” Giang said. As Hanoi races to rebuild itself, residents are grappling with what that means for the communities and memories left behind. Small changes in Hanoi’s streets can mean big disruptions for those who depend on them, as signs and awnings that have long been part of the city’s street life disappear. A citywide crackdown since November has been clearing sidewalks of illegal parking, street vendors and commercial encroachments. Police vans roam the Old Quarter in the evenings, using loudspeakers to remind vendors to remove brightly colored plastic stools that spill onto sidewalks. Thuy, a beef noodle soup seller who gave only one name, said the four stools and tables outside her shop once allowed her to serve four additional customers every hour or so. Now she can’t and is only scraping by. “My profits are already small to begin with,” she said. In a rare show of public dissent, residents of the Bac Cau community along the Red River hung banners “imploring” city authorities to let thousands of families remain in their homes. The villagers fear planned roads will eventually wipe out their community. “We want to continue to live here, we’ve been here for generations,” said Van, a local resident who gave only her first name given risks of trouble with authorities for speaking out. Hanoi has set compensation and resettlement rules for land acquired for redevelopment projects, covering damaged structures, relocation costs and support for families moving graves. But some residents said they had yet to receive any compensation and were uncertain about where they would live or what the future holds. The challenge is not modernization itself, but its rapid pace and a lack of consultation with residents and experts, said Giang. It would be better, he said, to find ways to preserve the city’s history, street culture and livelihoods as it rebuilds. Beijing, for instance, tore down most of its centuries-old city walls in the 1960s to make way for its first subway line and what is now a major ring road. Similar redevelopment drives in China and other Asian cities have sparked disputes as residents were relocated to suburbs that often lacked basic amenities, breaking apart long-established communities. “Once we depart from the city’s history, it’s very hard to revert or to turn back,” Giang said. Unlike the past two decades of outward expansion through new urban areas, Hanoi’s current reconstruction is focused on reshaping the existing city, said Linh Nguyen, lead analyst at Control Risks. This means redeveloping existing neighborhoods and relocating institutions — a far more complex task since it involves residents, property rights and compensation. The key challenge is execution, particularly land acquisition, relocation and coordination across government agencies. It’s also about whether Vietnam’s increasingly centralized state can deliver projects that have been planned for decades but never carried out. “The last 20 years were about building a bigger Hanoi. The next 20 years will be about rebuilding the Hanoi that already exists. That’s a fundamentally different challenge,” she said. ___ The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

SINGAPORE (AP) — A French student was fined 600 Singapore dollars ($465) after pleading guilty Thursday to a public nuisance charge in Singapore for filming himself licking a straw from an orange juice vending machine and putting it back in what lawyers described as a social media stunt. Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien, 19, admitted to licking the straw and returning it to the vending machine while recording the act for his online followers. It happened at a shopping mall in March and he was charged in April after his video spread rapidly. Another charge of mischief was taken into consideration during sentencing. The court imposed the fine and did not order any community-based sentence after considering mitigating factors. The public nuisance charge carries a penalty of up to three months in prison. Prosecutors sought only the maximum fine of 2,000 Singapore dollars ($1,551), saying the staged act was intended for social media and risked undermining confidence in the hygiene of a commonly used vending machine. They noted Maximilien retrieved the straw himself, no member of the public used it, there was no evidence of harm, he was young and pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity. Maximilien studies in a business school in Singapore, but prosecutors told the court he would also be in France from September to December as part of his studies. Prosecutors said immigration authorities will decide if Maximilien can keep his student pass in Singapore after considering all relevant factors. Defense counsel Kalidass Murugayan said the student has been living in Singapore without family support and expressed deep remorse for his actions. He said the video was a stunt for social media followers and that Maximilien later removed the contaminated straw from the machine to use for his own drink, meaning it was never intended for anyone else. “He is truly sorry for having caused all this trouble,” the lawyer said. His parents will ensure that he paid the fine himself, the counsel added. The student left the court without speaking to reporters. IJooz, the company operating the juice vending machine, filed a police report over the stunt and sanitized the dispenser while replacing all 500 straws in the machine. It has said it would upgrade its machines to include measures such as individually packaged straws and compartments that unlock only after the transaction is completed. Singapore, a densely populated city-state, tightly regulates public behavior and cleanliness and has strong penalties for littering and vandalism. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — David Cifaldi and his two hiking companions were crossing Montana’s ominous Froze-to-Death Plateau and approaching the top of the state’s highest peak when their adventure took a bizarre and dangerous turn: Cifaldi slipped and impaled himself on his trekking pole as he fell. The 44-inch (112-cenimter) steel-tipped pole passed through the flesh beneath Cifaldi’s left arm, missing any vital organs, and protruded from his back. After conferring with his friends — and considering the high cost of a helicopter rescue — Cifaldi knew who would save him: himself. “I was like, ‘We’ve got to get off this mountain.’ And they’re both like, ‘I don’t know about that,’” Cifaldi said of his friends’ initial reaction. “I’m pretty confident this is outside my chest wall. ’Tis but a flesh wound.” The 32-year-old nurse, who works in wound care at a Billings, Montana, hospital, did a self-assessment. He was alert. There was little pain or blood. And the pole wasn’t moving. The group used a satellite-based communication device, a Garmin inReach, to contact local authorities and inform them of their plan to self-rescue. Then they started hiking out. They carefully descended from the plateau along an unmarked route, navigating through boulders and snowfields before bushwacking their way to an established trail. After more than six hours in which they traveled about 10 miles (16 kilometers) and descended roughly 5,000 feet (1,500 meters), the group reached a trailhead where one of them, Cifaldi’s friend Jesse Ross, had parked a vehicle. “The only reason it was possible at all was his confidence,” Ross recalled. “Who are we to say anything? He’s the medical person. Our job is just to support at that point.” Cifaldi had long wanted to climb Granite Peak. At 12,800 feet (3,900 meters), Montana’s tallest mountain is prone to unpredictable weather including dangerous lightning storms and bitter cold. Hundreds of people annually try to reach the rocky summit; many come up short. In 2019, authorities said a 65-year-old Minnesota man who was an experienced climber fell about 150 feet (45 meters) to his death after reaching nearly the top of Granite Peak with his son. As Cifaldi and his companions started hiking out, the pole awkwardly sticking out of his side, Stillwater County Search and Rescue team commander Ty Williams monitored the group’s progress via a dispatcher who took calls from the group. The first call came in at 9:44 a.m. on July 20, right after Cifaldi impaled himself. At 1:30 p.m. the trio said they were getting closer to the trailhead and to let the nearest hospital know they were coming, Williams said. “There was no danger to anybody else. He didn’t want our help and so we’re not going to essentially violate his rights or go against his wishes by forcing our help on him,” Williams said. By about 3:30 p.m. the hikers were in Ross’ vehicle headed to the nearest clinic, Cifaldi said. When they arrived, they were told Cifaldi needed more advanced treatment, in Billings. So they got back in Ross’ truck and kept driving to the hospital where he works, St. Vincent Regional Hospital. Doctors removed the pole, bandaged him up and Cifaldi was back at work this week. “I think 99 times out of a hundred I would make the same decision,” Cifaldi said as he sat in Ross’ front yard in Billings. “Search and rescue coming to help you is free. The flight’s not. That was a factor in me deciding to self-rescue. But the fact that I had two experienced great friends with me and we had the ability to contact search and rescue if something went wrong made that a lot more of an easy decision.” Brought to you by www.srnnews.com