CLIMATE CRIME: A judge in The Hague upheld a suit brought by the Netherlands’ citizens declaring the government’s stance on climate change illegal. The judge mandated a cut of 25% of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.

THE SIXTH SENESCENCE: A team of scientists reported that human activity on Earth is causing a massive die off of species—a “global spasm of diversity loss”—in what the team has labeled the Earth’s sixth mass extinction. The fifth event, which caused the dinosaur die-off, took place some 66 million years ago.

THE NOSE IN A MINUTE: Now you too can climb Yosemite’s famous cliff, El Capitan, at least virtually. Google Maps dispatched a team of some of the world's greatest rock climbers to document El Cap’s famous Nose route in a stitched-together Street View Trek you won’t soon forget. Next up? A float down the Colorado River.

DEADLY TEMPS: Over 1,000 people perished during a fierce heat wave that gripped the city of Karachi and the surrounding region, causing power outages and overcrowding in medical facilities. The hot temperatures coincided with Ramadan, the holy month in which observant Muslims fast during daylight hours.

PRICE GORGING: An investigation of Whole Foods grocery stores in New York City found inaccuracies in food sold by weight that have translated into overcharges to its customers since 2010. “Our inspectors told me it was the worst case of overcharges that they’ve ever seen,” New York City Department of Public Affairs Commissioner told New York’s Daily News.