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U.S. forecasters say El Niño is strengthening, with more than an 83% chance that strong-to-very-strong conditions will continue through January-March 2027. NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center said Thursday that sea-surface temperature anomalies exceeded 4 degrees Celsius in parts of the eastern equatorial Pacific, while its Niño-3.4 index reached 2.1 degrees Celsius. The agency said there is an 83% chance during October-December of a historic-strength event, defined as a three-month relative Niño index of at least 2.5 degrees Celsius, surpassing events recorded since 1950. The World Meteorological Organization said Thursday that El Niño is nearly certain to persist through February 2027 and could rank among the strongest since 1950. The forecasts raise risks of altered rainfall, drought, flooding and extreme heat. A Climate Impact Lab projection estimates 451,000 excess heat deaths through February, but that figure is a projection, not a confirmed toll. The estimate compares projected mortality with a normal year.

The United States government announced the suspension of Microsoft, Adobe, and several major information technology firms from the Permanent Labor Certification program on Thursday. Senior officials cited alleged fraud and an initiative to encourage domestic hiring within the technology sector. Vice President JD Vance stated that companies must prioritize hiring American workers, while Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling confirmed that processing for pending or new permanent labor certifications involving firms such as Infosys, Tata, and Wipro has been halted. The Department of Labor requires this certification before employers can file petitions for employment-based green cards. Additionally, the administration launched investigations into nine universities regarding international student enrollment practices and research security. Officials served subpoenas to institutions including Harvard, Yale, and Stanford to examine potential visa abuses and foreign influence. Representatives for Microsoft did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the suspension.