Svati Kirsten Narula

This post has been updated.

A predictable consequence of today’s massive strike by London Underground workers: Uber implemented surge pricing amid the gridlock, charging as much as three times the normal fare for rides in the city.

A “firefly park” in Shanghai, where visitors walk amongst thousands of captive lightning bugs, was designed to play into widespread nostalgia for firefly-dotted summer evenings, which were once common throughout China but are now rare because of light pollution and environmental damage to the insects’ habitats.

A grassroots network of reporters in Nepal is alleging that CNN correspondent Sanjay Gupta grossly misrepresented his involvement in the brain surgery of a local girl after the country’s April 25 earthquake.

Travelers with tickets for United Airlines flights were stopped cold at US airports this morning, due to a system-wide computer glitch. Starting around 7:30 am ET, passengers were unable to check in for their flights and all United planes not currently in the air were grounded. The Federal Aviation Administration said the cause was “automation issues.”

Russia’s police force has unveiled new brochures, signs, and online notices urging the public to stop putting themselves in dangerous situations for the sake of selfies.

In an attack reportedly orchestrated by the Islamic militant group al-Shabab, gunmen opened fire on sleeping quarry workers in Mandera County, Kenya, near the Somali border, early this morning (July 7). At least 14 people were killed and 11 injured.

BP has tentatively resolved the largest of its pending claims for damages from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, reaching a deal to pay $18.7 billion to the US federal government and individual states affected by the spill. That would be the largest environmental settlement in history—fitting for what is considered the largest environmental disaster to ever occur in the United States.

An investigation by New York City last month revealed that Whole Foods grocery stores have been mischarging customers for a variety of prepared items, which the company vigorously contested.

Geneticists at the University of Vermont have revealed links between eye color and alcohol dependency, suggesting it occurs more frequently among people with blue eyes and less frequently among those with dark brown eyes.

Heathrow is the dilemma of the moment for UK politicians. The world’s third-busiest airport could benefit from an additional runway, but such an expansion would inconvenience thousands of Londoners unlucky enough to live within earshot of its many airplanes. Some would suffer more than a mere inconvenience; nearly 800 homes in the area would have to be demolished for the runway to be constructed.

Greg Glassman, the founder and CEO of CrossFit—a global fitness brand with thousands of its own gyms, special workout plans, and loyal evangelists—was recently quoted on his company’s official Twitter account, making fun of global beverage giant Coca-Cola:  ”‘Make sure you pour some out for your dead homies.’—Greg Glassman.”

A 6-foot-tall statue engraved with the Ten Commandments has been generating controversy ever since its installation on the grounds of Oklahoma’s state capitol in 2012. The monument was paid for with private funds, but critics argue that it’s a state-sanctioned endorsement of religion—and they argued this all the way up to the Oklahoma Supreme Court, which ruled today that the monument must be removed.

A 71 year-old man doused himself with kerosene and set himself afire on a speeding train south of Tokyo today, killing himself and one other passenger. More than twenty other people were hurt, suffering from burns and smoke inhalation.

An Indonesian air force plane crashed in a residential area in Sumatra today, killing at least 50 people. The death toll may be greater than 100, officials say; details are still emerging and the number of passengers on board the plane is still unclear.

India is one of the fastest-growing alcohol markets in the world, but parts of the country are under modern prohibition laws advocated by Mahatma Gandhi. Not so the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, which just extended its hours for selling booze—and made headlines when a government minister told the press that he believes drinking alcohol “is one’s fundamental right.”

After a prolonged hunt for two escaped convicts in New York, one of the escapees was killed by law enforcement agents in a shootout near the Canadian border today.

More than 1,100 people have died in the city of Karachi, Pakistan, in recent days due to an intense heat wave. Record high temperatures, power outages, and traditional religious observances, combined, are suffocating and dehydrating the poor, the elderly, the young, and the homeless.

This story is developing and the post will be updated as more information becomes available. (Last updated at 12:26 pm)

Univision, the biggest Spanish-language television channel in the US, announced today that it will not broadcast the upcoming Miss USA or Miss Universe pageants, nor will it do any other business with the Miss Universe Organization, which is co-owned by Donald Trump and NBCUniversal.

At a White House reception yesterday to celebrate advancements in civil rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Americans, Barack Obama was addressing the crowd when an audience member—identified by the New York Times as Jennicet Gutiérrez, a transgender woman who says she is an undocumented immigrant—raised her voice in protest: “President Obama, release all LGBTQ immigrants from detention and stop all deportations!”

Whole Foods grocery stores in New York City have been labeling a variety of items with the wrong prices, according to an investigation by the city’s department of consumer affairs. The agency said it found more than 800 pricing violations in local Whole Foods stores since 2010.

The Netherlands is negligently violating its citizens’ human rights by not doing enough to lower its emissions of greenhouse gases, a Dutch district court ruled today in a landmark judgement, as it ordered the national government to speed up cuts to greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide.

What to watch for today