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FIFA World Cup draw in Vegas on December 5: reports
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Japanese qualifier Ito ousts seventh seed Paolini in Montreal
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New Athletic captain Williams 'lucky' to represent migrants in Spain
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Musetti, Rune set winning pace for ATP seeds in Toronto
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Venus Williams gets US Open mixed doubles wild card spot
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Global stocks mixed as market focus shifts to earnings deluge
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Tens of thousands of Catholics head to Vatican's Jubilee of Youth
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Trump says fell out with Epstein because he was taking Mar-a-Lago spa staff
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Russia strikes kill 25 in Ukraine as Trump shortens Moscow deadline
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US pushes to revoke scientific ruling that underpins climate regulations
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US says Trump has 'final call' on China trade truce
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Goalkeeper Trafford returns to Man City from Burnley
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Boeing reports smaller loss as CEO sees progress in turnaround
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Qatar, Saudi, Egypt join call for Hamas to disarm, give up Gaza rule
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Trump opens Scottish golf course and vows 'peaceful world'
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Aubameyang close to Marseille return: club
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Gucci owner Kering posts 46% profit slump before new CEO arrives
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Cambodia-Thailand truce broadly holds despite shaky start
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P&G estimates $1 bn tariff hit, plans some US price hikes
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Wiebes claims Tour de France stage as Vos holds lead
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Mbeumo looks forward to Fernandes link-up at Man Utd
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Displaced Cambodians return home after Thailand truce
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Stock market attention shifts from trade deals to company results
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Tens of thousands in Rome for Vatican's Jubilee of Youth
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Pogacar to skip Vuelta after Tour de France triumph
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New York mass shooter blamed NFL for his brain injuries
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Impressive Scandinavia delivers O'Brien Goodwood Cup 1-2
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US to overturn foundational climate ruling on Tuesday
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Russia strikes kill 25 in Ukraine as Kremlin notes new Trump deadline
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Boeing reports smaller loss, sees more 'stability' in operations
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Jeep owner Stellantis says has turned corner on sales
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India coach Gambhir clashes with Oval staff ahead of final Test
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Netherlands bars two hardline Israeli ministers
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IMF lifts 2025 growth forecast on 'fragile' easing in trade tensions
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Portugal's Joao Felix joins Ronaldo at Al Nassr in Saudi
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Ledecky wins 22nd world title as Popovici savours 'scary' gold
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Stock markets rise as attention shifts from trade deals to company results
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'Nervous' McKeown beats rival Smith for more backstroke gold
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Fossil-fuel pledge in EU-Trump deal sparks climate fears
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Novo Nordisk cuts earning forecasts again, names new CEO
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Popovici says came close to going home before winning world gold
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LA wildfires push insurance losses to highest since 2011: Munich Re
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Spotify sees 12% rise in paid subscribers
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England's Lionesses party in London after Euro 2025 triumph
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European pharma industry still worried about tariffs
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Ageless Ledecky wins 1,500m freestyle for 22nd world gold
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Russia kills 25 in Ukraine, as Kremlin says 'committed' to peace
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French health experts speak out against bee-killing pesticide
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'Better than Olympics' as Popovici wins world 200m free gold
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European stocks rally with eyes on earnings, trade deal
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US braces for intense hurricane season as climate agency is gutted
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on Thursday predicted a more intense Atlantic hurricane season this year -- even as the Trump administration moves to gut the agency's workforce and slash its budget.
NOAA is forecasting a 60 percent chance of an above-normal season, with between 13 to 19 named storms with winds of 39 mph (63 kph) or higher.
Of those, six to 10 are expected to become hurricanes with winds of 74 mph or higher, including three to five major hurricanes classed as categories three, four, or five, with sustained winds of at least 111 mph.
There is also a 30 percent chance of a near-normal season and a 10 percent chance of a below-normal season, the agency said.
The administration is also seeking to dismantle the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), calling for it to be shut down and its duties instead handed to individual states.
FEMA's acting head, Cameron Hamilton -- who was appointed by the Trump administration -- was fired earlier this month after saying that eliminating the agency was not "in the best interests of the American people."
- Warming oceans -
The forecast cites a confluence of factors: neutral conditions in the El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climate pattern, warmer-than-average ocean temperatures, predictions of weak wind shear, and increased activity from the West African Monsoon -- the starting point for Atlantic hurricanes.
"As we witnessed last year with significant inland flooding from hurricanes Helene and Debby, the impacts of hurricanes can reach far beyond coastal communities," said Acting NOAA Administrator Laura Grimm in a statement.
"NOAA is critical for the delivery of early and accurate forecasts and warnings, and provides the scientific expertise needed to save lives and property."
But Rick Spinrad, the former NOAA administrator, told AFP he was deeply concerned about the agency's ability to respond following mass layoffs of meteorologists, technicians and other key personnel, spearheaded by Elon Musk's so-called "Department of Government Efficiency."
"I worry about the ability to fly the aircraft, run the models, answer the phones as these storms start bearing down on the country -- at the same time that the Weather Service is going to have to be dealing with tornadoes, wildfires, floods, extreme precipitation," said Spinrad.
Seawater temperatures have been rising for decades as a result of burning fossil fuels, Spinrad added. "So it's not a surprise, and undoubtedly, climate change has contributed to some of the ocean temperatures that are a major factor in this forecast."
President Donald Trump is seeking to cut NOAA's research operations budget by $1.3 billion next year. Project 2025 -- the conservative blueprint the administration is using to guide its second-term agenda -- has labeled the agency a key driver of "climate alarmism."
Last year, five storms that were big enough that they were assigned names caused economic losses exceeding a billion dollars, adjusted for inflation, according to NOAA.
The deadliest of these was Helene, responsible for 250 US deaths — the most since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
The Trump administration announced earlier this month it will stop updating its billion-dollar disaster database, which for 44 years illustrated the rising cost of climate destabilization.
R.Lee--AT