The Mediterranean is known as the most polluted sea on Earth, with the equivalent of 34,000 plastic bottles dumped into it every minute. This pollution is devastating for both human and marine life.

Corsica

Young scientists and volunteers in Corsica are confronting the issue of plastic pollution in the Mediterranean Sea. Using specialized nets, they collect floating plastic and micro-debris, revealing that only a quarter of the waste remains visible on the surface, with the rest sinking to the sea floor. Most of the plastic originates from land-based sources, with a significant portion also coming from fishing and shipping activities.

The environmental NGO Mare Vivu, founded in 2016, leads expeditions to map and analyze waste, identifying over 15,000 pieces of debris—primarily food wrappers and packaging—on Corsican coasts. Their research highlights the risks of microplastics entering the food chain and impacting human health. The group collaborates with scientific institutions and policymakers to advocate for reduced single-use plastics and improved waste management, aiming to protect the Mediterranean ecosystem.

Inside the fight to save the Mediterranean Sea from plastic pollution

A wild, hidden beach in Corsica. Seems like paradise on Earth. But on one of these boats, young scientists have spotted something fishy. And are taking action. We're letting the manta net drift. The net's mouth skims the surface and collects floating plastic and micro-debris from the top of the water column. It's all collected at the bottom of the net. The Mediterranean is suffocating. Too warm, too polluted, too plasticky. Every day, the 22 countries on its coastline dump an estimated 730 tons of plastic waste into the sea. What you see on the surface is just a quarter of it. The rest sinks. Plastic doesn't biodegrade. It breaks down into tiny pieces. Eighty percent of it comes from land. The rest from fishing and shipping. Pierre-Ange grew up here. The scale of the pollution changed the course of his life. I'm from the village just behind us. I spent every summer in the sea and I was sick of seeing plastic every time I swam. One summer we decided to do something about it. We contacted scientists and offered to collect data. And that's when it hit me. The amount of pollution was simply overwhelming. I couldn't just turn a blind eye. In 2016, he founded the environmental NGO Mare Vivu. Every summer, volunteers and marine scientists head out on expeditions around the island of Corsica in southern France. Their aim? Address the issue at its root. The beach isn't crowded, so the trash here doesn't come from locals. It's brought in by currents, which shift with the seasons. We need to study the type of products, where they're coming from, which neighboring countries or industries are operating near the sea. Their mapping surveys have helped identify over 15,000 pieces of waste on the Corsican coast — mostly thin, plastic packaging. A lot of it is food wrappers, sugary snacks, processed food. The Mediterranean is a hotspot for microplastic pollution. These nanoparticles make their way into the food chain, starting with marine life and ending up in humans. Studies show that they're linked to heart diseases. They can be found in the bloodstream, the brain, even testicles. It's extremely worrying. The floating lab also runs underwater experiments to track the health of the ecosystem. They record the sound of wild animals, collect DNA samples, and identify species. With our computer, we're going to cover 100 meters at 3 meters deep. We snap a photo and estimate the species' size. Together with France's leading marine and scientific research institutions, these volunteers have monitored the same sites for a decade, urging companies and governments to act. You feel so powerless, but suddenly you see what's worth saving. It's an emotional rollercoaster. At first, the team simply cleaned the seashore, but soon realized they were only hiding the problem, not solving it. Our job actually consists in understanding how this waste ended up here. We're collecting and recording it to determine which kinds of waste are the most problematic. The NGO now works with policy makers to cut back on single-use plastics, pushing for more public fountains to reduce bottle waste, in a bid to protect the Mediterranean.

The United States says it will not allow Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to travel to New York next month for a United Nations gathering of world leaders, where several U.S. allies are set to recognise Palestine as a state.

New York

Middle East Conflict

U.S bars Palestinian leadership from attending UN

The Department of Homeland Security is preparing for an immigration crackdown in Chicago as early as next week, sources told CBS News. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker blasted the Trump administration's plans.

Chicago

Chicago immigration crackdown could happen next week, sources say

The Israeli military on Friday declared Gaza City a “dangerous combat zone” before a new offensive in the Palestinian enclave's largest city. Israel is moving forward with plans to seize Gaza City despite growing international pressure to end the nearly two-year conflict.

Tel Aviv-Yafo

Israel declares Gaza City a 'dangerous combat zone'

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has been blocked from attending the UN General Assembly in New York next month. That's as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has cancelled visas for the Palestinian delegation.

U.S. blocks Palestinian officials from attending UN general assembly

The death toll of a devastating Russian air assault in Kyiv earlier this week has been revised upward to 25. Now European allies suggest Russian President Vladimir Putin is playing U.S. President Donald Trump if he runs out the clock on Washington's peace efforts.

Paris

Ukraine Invasion

Macron says Putin 'played Trump' if Zelenskyy meeting isn’t set soon

The Trump administration is planning expanded immigration operations in Chicago next week, two Department of Homeland Security sources tell CBS News. Camilo Montoya-Galvez reports.

Trump planning immigration crackdown in Chicago next week: sources

Iran-backed Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi was killed in Israeli airstrikes on Sanaa, according to Yemeni and Israeli reports. The strikes also targeted top military officials, including the group's defence minister.

Sana'a

Iran-backed Houthi PM killed in Israeli airstrikes on Yemen's capital

Thailand's Constitutional Court dismissed 39-year-old Paetongtarn Shinawatra from office on Friday (August 29) on an ethics violation, abruptly ending the term of Thailand's youngest prime minister after just over a year in office.

Bangkok

Thai court ousts PM Paetongtarn for ethics violation

Chinese President Xi Jinping will be flanked by leaders of some of the world's most heavily sanctioned nations at a World War Two military parade in Beijing next week, in a show of solidarity against the West.

Beijing

China to stage massive military parade as Xi hosts sanctioned leaders

The multinational peacekeeping force known as UNIFIL has played a significant role in monitoring the security situation in southern Lebanon for decades, including during the Israel-Hezbollah conflict last year.

Beirut

UN votes to end peacekeeping force in Lebanon after five decades

Russia, set to assume the UN Security Council presidency in October, has proposed extending the resolution that governs the snapback mechanism, potentially intensifying a diplomatic standoff with European powers.

Moscow

Russia slams European push to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran

It's been 13 days since President Trump said he could strike a peace deal in Ukraine, following his meeting with Russia's leader, Vladimir Putin. But Russia shows no signs of backing down, launching an aerial assault on Kyiv.

Kyiv

Russian attack on Kyiv kills more than a dozen people

The shooter in Minneapolis fired more than 100 rounds from a rifle at the church where students at Annunciation Catholic School attended Mass. City and state officials highlighted this fact as they called for stricter gun control.

Minneapolis

Minneapolis officials call for stronger gun laws after school shooting

The shooter who killed 2 kids and injured 17 at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis had ties to the church where he targeted children celebrating a new school year during mass.

Annunciation school shooter had knowledge of church he targeted

The White House is responding to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Susan Monarez's refusal to step down from her role. CBS News' Olivia Rinaldi reports.

Washington

White House reacts to CDC director refusing to step down from role

In Tehran on Thursday, Iran’s currency traded at over 1 million to $1. At the time of the 2015 accord, it traded at 32,000 to $1, showing the currency’s precipitous collapse in the time since.

Tehran

Europe prepares sanctions as Iran's currency falls

Two children, ages 8 and 10, were killed in a school shooting at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis. The FBI is investigating the shooting as an act of terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics. Warning, this video is difficult to watch.

FBI investigating Minneapolis Catholic school shooting as hate crime

UN officials and aid agencies have warned that famine in Gaza is no longer a looming threat but a present reality, with children increasingly dying of hunger. In a blunt address to the UN Security Council, officials described the famine and widespread hunger in the enclave as “engineered” and “man-made” disasters.

UN Security Council affirms Gaza famine is manmade

Denmark summoned the top U.S. diplomat in the country to protest what Danish officials say is an unprecedented effort by people close to U.S. President Donald Trump to conduct secret influence operations in Greenland.

Copenhagen

Denmark accuses U.S. of covert operations in Greenland

Two young children were killed, and 17 others were injured in a shooting during a Catholic Mass packed with young students in Minneapolis. The gunman is also dead.

Minneapolis Catholic school shooting leaves two children dead

The group is accused of attempting to infiltrate Greenlandic society, including allegedly recruiting locals for a new independence movement from Denmark, according to the Danish public broadcaster, DR, who was first to break the story.

Nuuk

Denmark summons U.S envoy over claimed interference in Greenland

SpaceX on Tuesday launched its Super Heavy-Starship, the most powerful rocket in the world, for a test flight after three other flights failed earlier this year. NASA hired SpaceX to build a lunar lander version of Starship to carry astronauts to the moon.

Starbase

SpaceX launches Super Heavy-Starship in test flight

The United States has doubled tariffs on many imports from India to 50 percent, as U.S. President Donald Trump followed through on his threat to punish New Delhi for buying discounted Russian oil.

New Delhi

Global Tariffs

U.S. raises India tariffs to 50 percent over Russian oil purchases

President Donald Trump said he would seek the death penalty for murders in Washington, as part of a crackdown on what he calls out-of-control crime in the US capital.

Trump endorses death penalty return in Washington D.C.

As the Israeli military gives an initial assessment of deadly strikes on a Gaza hospital, hundreds of thousands of protesters urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept a ceasefire with Hamas in exchange for a hostage deal.

Protesters urge Netanyahu to reach hostage deal

Cracker Barrel says it will go back to its old logo after facing intense backlash and seeing its company value to sink by nearly $100 million after switching to a new design last week. In a statement, Cracker Barrel thanked their guests for sharing their voices.

Cracker Barrel scrapping new logo, returning to old one after backlash

The small West Tennessee town of Mason, just 2 square miles in size, is home to about 1,000 people. But its residents are now divided by what a new immigration detention facility will mean for the area.

Mason

Small Tennessee town divided over new ICE detention facility

A standoff is brewing between President Trump and economist Lisa Cook. Mr. Trump tried to fire her, claiming "there is sufficient cause" to believe that Cook made false statements on one or more mortgage agreements.

Breakdown