China says island-building has limited impact on coral reefs

Construction of artificial islands in the South China Sea has had little impact on local coral reef ecosystems, according to a government spokesman on Friday.

Australia's Great Barrier Reef suffers worst bleaching

Australia's Great Barrier Reef is currently experiencing the worst, mass bleaching event in its history, with the overwhelming majority of reefs being ranked in the most severe bleaching category, according to a statement by the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies.