The Spatial Update

Morning Edition · Thursday, July 16, 2026
Port Orchard🌧️61°Flight rain · H70° L58° · 37% rain
Lebanon, OR☁️59°Fovercast · H73° L55° · 20% rain
How Israel Tried and Failed to Change the Iranian Regime
nytimes.com · 4h ago

The U.S. and Israel were united in going to war with Iran to change the regime. Mark Mazzetti, a New York Times investigative reporter, explains how the failure of Israel to install Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as Iran’s new leader led the U.S. to narrow its efforts in Iran to just launching attacks with no plan for a new government.

Deceitful firms mostly to blame for deadly Tai Po blaze, government counsel says
scmp.com · 48m ago

Hong Kong authorities’ role in last year’s deadly Wang Fuk Court blaze was secondary to that of construction and fire service firms, which either conspired to circumvent supervision or neglected their statutory duties, a government counsel has argued. Wrapping up the government’s arguments at an independent committee inquiry into the tragedy, Jenkin Suen SC on Thursday attributed the inferno to the “deceit, inaction and deliberate omission” of contractors who exploited regulatory regimes founded...

Philippine military assures ‘no vacuum’ over top officer’s retirement
scmp.com · 1h ago

Senior Philippine officers from the armed forces have emphasised continuity among the military leadership, with the expected retirement of chief of staff General Romeo Brawner Jnr coming at a sensitive moment for President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr. The transition comes as Manila continues to face pressure from Beijing in the South China Sea and calls from several retired officers for the military to reconsider its support for Marcos. Whoever Marcos appoints to replace Brawner has to ensure that the...

Private schools offer 41% more tree shade than state schools in England
theguardian.com · 13m ago

Analysis reveals stark socioeconomic divide, with schools with highest free school meal eligibility having fewer trees Private school grounds in England offer 41% more tree cover than state schools for cooling and shade in extreme temperatures, research has found. As teachers and students prepare to take their summer holidays after weeks of high temperatures where some classrooms reached highs of 40C, an analysis of tree cover in schools in England reveals a stark socioeconomic divide. Continue reading...

Young Galaxy Cluster
nasa.gov · 15m ago

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope takes us 4.4 billion years in the past with this July 3, 2026, image of a young galaxy cluster, MACS J0553.4-3342. The cluster is composed of two actively merging sub-clusters, roughly equal in mass. Each sub-cluster is anchored on an immensely bright and massive elliptical galaxy, easily identifiable as the […]

Snake in a chain: lucky escape for Australian woman after bite from deadly eastern brown caught in bike wheel
theguardian.com · 7h ago

Woman in her 60s was riding on popular cycling trail in northern NSW when she ran over the two-metre-long eastern brown snake, one of the world’s most venomous A woman in her 60s is recovering after being bitten by a two-metre-long eastern brown snake that had become entangled in her bike chain in regional Australia. She was riding on the northern rivers rail trail near Burringbar, in the Tweed shire in northern New South Wales, when she ran over the snake. Continue reading...

Quantum breakthrough links light and magnetism in atomically thin materials
sciencedaily.com · 10h ago

A new review highlights exciting progress in atomically thin quantum materials where light and magnetism work together in ways never before possible. In these materials, light-generated excitons can interact directly with magnetic behavior, creating opportunities to control magnetic states using light alone. Scientists believe this could pave the way for advanced optical memory, quantum devices, and ultra-efficient photonic technologies.

Ontario Wildfire Smoke Moves East
science.nasa.gov · 10h ago

Canadian wildfires sent plumes of smoke streaming over Ontario, Quebec, and parts of the U.S. Midwest and Northeast.

How global heating supercharged floods in West Africa, displacing thousands
theguardian.com · 14h ago

Adaptation to frightening new normal and reducing emissions further and faster is critical, scientists warn Dozens of people drowned, hundreds had to be rescued and thousands were displaced when floods struck the coasts of west Africa last month. Now scientists have concluded that the rains that caused the floods were supercharged by climate breakdown. Global heating, they say, turned what should have been a routine weather event into a climate catastrophe. Continue reading...

NASA Uses Subscale Aircraft to Accelerate Flight Innovation
nasa.gov · 16h ago

Testing new aerospace concepts in flight remains one of NASA’s most effective ways to advance knowledge and reduce risk. The Dale Reed Subscale Flight Research Laboratory at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, supports this mission by using small, remotely piloted and autonomous aircraft as cost‑effective platforms to mature innovative ideas, accelerate learning, […]

NASA Study of Pristine Meteorite Adds to Story of Ancient Asteroids
science.nasa.gov · 19h ago

A meteorite recovered immediately upon its fall to Earth on July 16, 2024, is helping NASA scientists uncover new clues about ancient water, the chemical evolution of primitive asteroids, and the ingredients that may have helped make life possible throughout the early solar system.

How NASA’s Artemis III Lander Test Will Pave Way for Moon Landings
nasa.gov · 20h ago

Before Artemis astronauts land on the Moon’s surface in 2028, NASA will conduct the Artemis III demonstration mission in 2027, allowing teams on Earth and in orbit to practice rendezvous and docking operations between commercial human landing systems and the Orion spacecraft. Data from that mission, along with future uncrewed demonstration missions at the Moon, […]

Anil Menon Launches to Space Station
nasa.gov · 20h ago

NASA astronaut candidate Anna Menon and her children watch as a Soyuz rocket launches to the International Space Station with NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina, Tuesday, July 14, 2026, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The trio lifted off for the Soyuz MS-29 mission at 7:47 p.m. local […]

Hubbell Rubbell in Howard, Kansas
atlasobscura.com · 51m ago

The small grass lot along Highway 99 is packed with Jerry Hubbell's welded folk-art creatures, a whole menagerie built from farm equipment, scrap metal, and whatever else he had lying around. The cowboy, the dinosaur, the tin man, the giant insect and the pig in glasses all sharing space in this rusty universe. Jerry Hubbell was a rancher who learned welding only to repair farm implements, then he turned that skill into decades of outsider art until health issues finally forced him to stop. Many of these pieces have been freshened over the years and some even appeared new as recently as 2020. What struck me most was how familiar the impulse behind it felt. I've been to the Toilet Garden in Potsdam NY, the Apple Valley Hillbilly Garden and Toyland in Calvert City KY, and Fort Apache near…

Would You Like Sugar With Your Stars? Sugar Detected in Interstellar Space for the First Time
goodnewsnetwork.org · 1h ago

Scientists have detected a simple sugar found in raspberries within the gas and dust at the center of the Milky Way. It’s the first time a sugar molecule has been identified in interstellar media, having previously been found in our solar system on asteroids. Called erythrulose, it’s found in raspberries and suntan lotion, but the […] The post Would You Like Sugar With Your Stars? Sugar Detected in Interstellar Space for the First Time appeared first on Good News Network .

Maine Counts Over 20 Million River Herring During Annual Run, the Highest in Decades
goodnewsnetwork.org · 3h ago

A beloved local fish staple that was illegal to harvest as recently as 2012 has seen an incredible recovery in Maine’s rivers following the removal of several large dams. Particularly on the Penobscot River, the removal of 2 dams has resulted in the “premier success story of our time,” for Maine’s alewife fish, which had […] The post Maine Counts Over 20 Million River Herring During Annual Run, the Highest in Decades appeared first on Good News Network .

Good News in History, July 16
goodnewsnetwork.org · 7h ago

1404 years ago today, the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (PBUH), journeyed with his followers from Mecca to Medina. As an event it’s known as the Hijrah, and the start of the Islamic calendar. The whole departure spanned about three months, during which Muhammad remained behind to convince those who were reluctant. The second Rashidun Caliph, […] The post Good News in History, July 16 appeared first on Good News Network .

5 Epic Facts About Homer’s ‘Odyssey’
mentalfloss.com · 14h ago

From the lost sequel to the poem's oral roots, here are five things you might not know about the origins and mystique surrounding Homer's epic poem, the 'Odyssey.'

MLSPortland 0–0 SeattleScheduled
World Cup 2026: UK government backs calls for Fifa to investigate Argentina over Falklands banner; Tuchel takes blame amid criticism of tactics – live
theguardian.com · 15m ago

⚽ Latest news in aftermath from dramatic day in Atlanta ⚽ Tuchel takes blame | Player guide | Golden Boot | Mail us Thomas Tuchel had already shown this week he’s not someone who is prone to mere pleasantries after a game . The head coach shouldered the blame for England becoming too passive after taking the lead against Argentina, but at the same time said he had “no regrets”. I don’t believe so much in an English thing and a curse or whatever. It’s repeating itself in different moments. It’s different coaches, different players, different situations. What cost us today was that we were not active enough in any structure. I can understand these discussions are out there and of course a million coaches after the game know it better. You can discuss this with a million coaches. I have to…

Football Daily | It’s the end of the World Cup as England know it
theguardian.com · 1h ago

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! They say never go that far back. In the last half an hour of their end-of-days Geopolitics World Cup semi-final with Argentina, England committed to the bit in the Deep South. No wonder there were gaps. Thomas Tuchel stood and watched national trauma unfold in front of his eyes as towering aerial threats such as Alexis Mac Allister and Lautaro Martínez beat his four centre-backs to cross after cross. Forget the ghosts of ‘66, the spectre of Southgate loomed over his successor as realism reared its ugly head at the business end of an England men’s major-tournament run once again . Continue reading...

Kylian Mbappé feels sands of time shifting as France suffer fresh World Cup angst
theguardian.com · 19h ago

France’s captain has played with a sense of unfinished business but he will be 31 when the next World Cup begins It was only last month that Kylian Mbappé suggested all roads may lead to Florida. He was in sufficiently mischievous mood to reveal David Beckham had been chewing his ear off about a move to Major League Soccer, dangling the prospect of a reunion with Lionel Messi at Inter Miami. “We will see, I don’t know,” he said. “The American culture is different. There are no limits to ambitions, I like it.” Continue reading...

In this star-powered World Cup, Spain show value of collective and control | Sid Lowe
theguardian.com · 20h ago

Luis de la Fuente’s final-bound team have been fuelled by togetherness and a commitment to each other that goes back a long way On the way out of the dressing room in Arlington, Luis de la Fuente gathered his “family” and delivered one last message before the World Cup semi-final against France . He had long known what he was going to say, if not exactly how – it’s what he has been saying for 50 days and more. “I’ll tell them that this is a unique stage, the kind of moment that may never be repeated again, and that we have to be ourselves,” he had suggested 18 hours earlier; now that idea crystallised in a line. “We’re facing one of the best lineups in the world,” the Spain coach told them, “but we’re the best team in the world.” By the time they made their way back in again, a voice was…

Precise-location events from GDELT · last 6h

Washington, District of Columbia, United States — A US and ACTOR — diplomatic cooperation (engaging in cooperation) reported near Washington, District of Columbia, United States, covered by 79 source(s) across 322 mentions. source
Tehran, Tehran, Iran — AL JAZEERA and AMERICAN — fighting / clashes (in conflict) reported near Tehran, Tehran, Iran, covered by 70 source(s) across 216 mentions. source
Washington, District of Columbia, United States — ADMINISTRATION and AZERBAIJAN — intent to cooperate (engaging in cooperation) reported near Washington, District of Columbia, United States, covered by 62 source(s) across 294 mentions. source