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Rain offers hope in Japan's worst wildfire in 50 years
Japan battled its worst wildfire in half a century Wednesday in a region hit by record-low rainfall, as wet weather gave hope for some relief.
US embassies end pollution data popular in China and India
The United States on Tuesday ended pollution tracking by its embassies that had been a vital source of data especially in Beijing, as President Donald Trump slashes overseas and environmental spending.
World's biggest iceberg runs aground, sparing wildlife haven island
The world's biggest iceberg appears to have run aground roughly 70 kilometres from a remote Antarctic island, potentially sparing the crucial wildlife haven from being hit, a research organisation said Tuesday.
Japan's worst wildfire in half a century spreads
Firefighters were Tuesday battling Japan's worst wildfire in half a century, which has left one dead and forced the evacuation of nearly 4,000 local residents.
Japan deploys 2,000 firefighters to tackle forest blaze
More than 2,000 firefighters are battling Japan's biggest forest fire in three decades, officials said Monday, as some 4,600 residents remain under an evacuation advisory.
Heat wave shuts down schools in nearly half Philippine capital
Soaring temperatures shut down schools in nearly half the Philippine capital on Monday, local officials said, as the torrid dry season started in the tropical Southeast Asian country.
Eight dead in India avalanche as rescue operation ends
Rescuers recovered the eighth and final body from the site of an avalanche in a remote area of northern India, the army said Sunday, marking the end of a marathon operation in sub-zero temperatures.
Rescue efforts enter third day at India avalanche site
Indian rescuers hurried in sub-zero temperatures Sunday to dig out four missing workers presumed buried by an avalanche in a remote border area, with snowfall increasing the risk of more sliding snow.
Four dead from India avalanche, five still missing: army
At least four people died from their injuries in India after an avalanche hit a remote border area, officials said Saturday, as rescuers deployed helicopters to search for the remaining five missing.
Vietnam drags feet over 'urgent' pollution problem
Toxic smoke billows from a burning mound of plastic bags and leaves on Le Thi Huyen's farm in Hanoi, a city battling an alarming air pollution surge that the communist government appears in no hurry to fix.
A public bust-up, a royal invite, and wild AI - a week in Trumpworld
Even by his standards, President Donald Trump generated a pile of eye-popping news items this week. Here are some of the highlights:
World agrees hard-fought nature funding plan at UN talks
Nations cheered a last-gasp deal to map out nature funding to 2030 Thursday, breaking a deadlock at UN talks seen as a test for international cooperation in the face of geopolitical tensions.
Climate crisis revives Soviet hydro plan in Central Asia
Central Asian countries are setting rivalries aside to build a giant hydroelectric plant originally planned in Soviet times, a bid to strengthen energy and food security and mitigate the effects of climate change.
UN nature talks in last sprint to break fund deadlock
Nations prepared for a showdown on funding on the last day of UN nature talks in Rome Thursday, amid alarm over slow progress in the face of accelerating species loss.
Nauru sells citizenship to fund climate change mitigation
Pacific microstate Nauru is selling citizenship to fund its retreat from rising seas, President David Adeang told AFP, opening a contentious "golden passport" scheme as other climate financing runs dry.
In Brazil's Amazon, dolphin therapy aids people with disabilities
Floating in the Rio Negro river in the Brazilian Amazon, Luiz Felipe, who has Down Syndrome, beams as he hugs a pink dolphin during a special therapy session.
UN warns nations at climate science meeting 'time is not on our side'
Tense negotiations on the timing and content of the UN's next blockbuster assessment of global warming science opened in China on Monday, with US scientists reportedly absent.
Nations at odds over major UN climate science report
Representatives of nearly 200 countries gather Monday to continue fraught negotiations on the timing and content of the UN's next blockbuster assessment of global warming science.
US pipeline case heads to court in high-stakes free speech fight
Nearly a decade after activists led one of the largest anti-pipeline protests in US history, the fight shifts to court as Energy Transfer sues Greenpeace for $300 million in a case with far-reaching free speech implications.
Japan cabinet approves 'emergency' urban bear shootings
Japan's cabinet approved a bill Friday allowing hunters to shoot bears in populated areas at their own discretion after human encounters with the wild animals hit record levels.
Trump aid cut imperils water scheme in Pakistan's hottest city
In Pakistan's hottest city, fresh and filtered water can quench the searing onslaught of climate change -- but US President Donald Trump's foreign aid freeze threatens its vital supply, an NGO says.
Fishermen, sailing champions clean up trash-covered Rio island
Fisherman Jose Antonio Crispin recalls the days when he would throw out a net and get a decent haul of fish around Pombeba Island, a small oasis in Rio de Janeiro's iconic Guanabara Bay that is being suffocated by trash.
Two of a kind: Najin and Fatu, the last northern white rhinos
Najin spends a lot of time by herself these days because her rebellious daughter prefers to hang out with her best friend.
Groups launch first green lawsuits against new Trump administration
Green groups on Wednesday launched the first environmental challenges against the new Trump administration, targeting the president's plans to expand offshore drilling.
Global glacier melt is accelerating, scientists say
Ice loss from the world's glaciers has accelerated over the past decade, scientists said on Wednesday, warning that melting may be faster than previously expected in the coming years and drive sea levels higher.
Rangers to euthanise 90 dolphins stranded on remote Australian beach
Wildlife rangers will Wednesday begin shooting 90 dolphins stranded on a remote Australian beach, saying the stressed creatures would be euthanised after attempts to refloat them failed.
India's infrastructure push engulfs Kashmir farmers' land
Farmers in Indian-administered Kashmir say a major government infrastructure drive is taking their deeply cherished land, fearing it spearheads a push to "Hinduise" the disputed Muslim-majority territory.
Fruit feast as Sri Lanka's first jumbo orphanage marks golden jubilee
Sri Lanka's main elephant orphanage marked its 50th anniversary Sunday with a fruit feast for the 68 jumbos at the showpiece centre, reputedly the world's first care home for destitute pachyderms.
Argentina's giant rodents dyed Hulk green by algae
First a river ran blood red. Now Argentina's beloved giant rodent, the capybara, has been coated in Hulk-green slime as pollution turns the country's waterways traffic light colours.
Indonesia hands lengthy sentences to Javan rhino poachers
An Indonesian court has handed lengthy prison terms to poachers who killed dozens of rare Javan rhinos, court rulings seen by AFP Friday showed, drawing praise from conservationists who said it would help deter lucrative wildlife crime.
Conservation efforts can shift nature loss to more vulnerable regions: study
Could restoring the environment in one place -- say by turning farmland in Europe into a nature reserve -- harm plants and animals on the other side of the planet?
US State Dept walks back purported $400 mn Tesla contract
The US State Department backtracked Thursday on a document saying it would award $400 million for electric armored cars by Tesla, whose chief Elon Musk has been aggressively slashing government spending on behalf of President Donald Trump.