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Three Sri Lankan elephants killed in blow to conservation efforts

At least three wild elephants were found dead across Sri Lanka on Friday, officials said, a day after six young rescued elephants were returned to the jungle under a conservation drive.

54 people killed in 24-hours of heavy monsoon rain in Pakistan

Heavy rains have been linked to 54 deaths in the last 24 hours in Pakistan, taking the toll to about 180 since the arrival of the monsoon in late June, the government's disaster agency said on Thursday.

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German Wellbrock wins world 10km swim after water quality delay

Germany's Florian Wellbrock won the men's 10km at the world championships in Singapore on Wednesday after the race had been postponed for several hours because of poor water quality.

Pakistan's quiet solar rush puts pressure on national grid

Pakistanis are increasingly ditching the national grid in favour of solar power, prompting a boom in rooftop panels and spooking a government weighed down by billions of dollars of power sector debt.

Two men who chopped down iconic UK tree handed jail sentences

Two men found guilty of the "mindless" and "deliberate" felling of one of the UK's most iconic trees, which sparked national outrage, were on Tuesday jailed for more than four years.

Drought-hit Serbian raspberry farmers fear 'catastrophic' future

Facing drought and record heat, raspberry farmers in western Serbia are warning of the worst season in decades for one of the world's largest exporters of the fruit.

Two men who chopped down iconic UK tree to be sentenced

Two men guilty of the "deliberate and mindless" felling of one of the UK's most iconic trees, sparking national outrage, will find out on Tuesday if they are to be jailed.

New UK weather records being set 'very frequently': report

Extremes in temperature and rainfall in the UK are becoming increasingly frequent, the nation's meteorological service said Monday in a report on Britain's changing climate.

500 tourists evacuated from Grand Canyon wildfires

Fast-spreading wildfires have forced the evacuation of part of the Grand Canyon, with the US National Park Service saying at least 500 people had been guided out of the danger zone.

Moscow sizzles in record-breaking heatwave

Moscow sweltered on Friday in a heatwave with temperatures topping 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the Russian weather service, breaching a municipal record registered nearly 30 years ago.

Wildfire forces evacuation of part of Grand Canyon

Spreading wildfires forced the evacuation on Friday of part of the famed Grand Canyon, with the US National Park Service appealing for visitors to stay calm.

Fatigued Afghan taxi drivers take novel approach to AC

Broken air conditioning? Afghan taxi drivers have cobbled together a creative solution to spare them and their passengers from the sweltering heat.

Hippo birthday: Thai internet sensation Moo Deng is a year old

Thailand's pygmy hippo Moo Deng marked her first birthday on Thursday, drawing crowds of diehard fans even as she left behind the cute animal infancy that earned her worldwide internet fame.

China heatwaves boost ice factory sales

In a high-ceilinged room on the outskirts of eastern China's Hangzhou, workers use tongs to slide large blocks of frosty white ice along a metal track into a refrigerated truck.

Finns flock to 'shepherd weeks' to disconnect on holiday

Finnish holidaygoers are clamouring to shell out hundreds of euros to work as shepherds for a week as a vacation, seeking tranquility in nature and a chance to disconnect from their busy lives.

'Hippo Birthday': Thailand's Moo Deng marks one year old

Thailand's pygmy hippo Moo Deng marked her first birthday on Thursday, leaving behind the animal infancy which boosted her to worldwide internet fame for her cute antics.

US senator warns of fossil fuel coup, economic reckoning

One of the US Senate's leading climate advocates says President Donald Trump's administration no longer governs -- it "occupies" the nation on behalf of Big Oil.

June was hottest on record in western Europe: EU monitor

Western Europe sweltered through its hottest June on record last month, as "extreme" temperatures blasted the region in punishing back-to-back heatwaves, the EU climate monitor Copernicus said Wednesday.

Alpha males are rare among our fellow primates: scientists

New research on Monday contradicted the commonly held idea that males dominate females among primates, revealing far more nuanced power dynamics in the relationships of our close relatives.

Children's camp confirms 27 dead, with Texas flood toll over 80

Rescuers in the US state of Texas on Monday searched for bodies swept away by flash floods that killed more than 80 people, including 27 girls and counselors at a summer camp.

NGOs laud tougher Malaysia plastic trash import laws

Environmental groups welcomed on Monday Malaysia's decision to tighten regulations on plastic waste imports, but urged stricter enforcement of the laws in a country that recycles tonnes of trash from the United States, Europe, and elsewhere each year.

Desperate search for the missing as more than 80 people dead in Texas floods

Rescuers in Texas raced against time to find dozens of missing people, including children, swept away by flash floods that killed more than 80 people, with forecasters warning of new deluges.

Syria fights 'catastrophic' fires for fourth day

Syrian authorities said some 100 square kilometres (40 square miles) of forest had "turned to ash" in wildfires as firefighters from neighbouring Jordan arrived Sunday to battle a fourth day of blazes in the province of Latakia.

Rescuers search for missing girls as Texas flood death toll hits 50

Rescuers searched Saturday for 27 girls missing from a riverside summer camp in Texas, after torrential rains caused devastating floods that killed 50 people in the US state.

AI robots fill in for weed killers and farm hands

Oblivious to the punishing midday heat, a wheeled robot powered by the sun and infused with artificial intelligence carefully combs a cotton field in California, plucking out weeds.

US rescuers search for missing girls in deadly Texas flash floods

Rescuers were on Saturday searching for more than 20 girls missing from a riverside summer camp in the US state of Texas, after torrential rains caused devastating flooding that killed 24 people -- with more rain on the way.

'Childhood dream': Seine reopens to Paris swimmers after century-long ban

The River Seine reopened to swimmers in Paris on Saturday morning, marking the first time since 1923 that bathers could take a dip in the iconic waterway following a years-long cleanup effort.

Texas flood toll rises to 24 as rescuers search for missing children

Rescuers were desperately searching for at least 20 girls missing from a riverside summer camp, officials said Friday, after torrential rains caused a "catastrophic" flash flood that killed at least 24 people as it swept through south-central Texas.

BRICS nations to denounce Trump tariffs

BRICS leaders meeting in Rio de Janeiro from Sunday are expected to decry Donald Trump's hardline trade policies, but are struggling to bridge divides over crises roiling the Middle East.

'Frogging' takes off in Borneo's jungle

Dodging fire-ants, snakes and millions of nighttime creepy-crawlies, a group of trekkers advances through the humid Bornean rainforest, scanning with torches for some of the jungle's most unlikely stars: frogs.

Inter-American court says states must protect people from climate change

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled Thursday that countries belonging to the Organization of American States (OAS) have an obligation to take "all necessary measures" to protect populations from climate change.

Two dead as wildfires rage near Turkish resort of Izmir

An elderly man and a forestry worker died on Thursday in wildfires in Turkey, as firefighters battled high winds fanning two blazes in the western province of Izmir, lawmakers said.

Thousands evacuated as Greek, Turkish wildfires rage

A wildfire fanned by gale-force winds on the southern Greek island of Crete has forced the evacuation of thousands of residents and tourists, officials said Thursday.

Japan plans 'world first' deep-sea mineral extraction

Japan will from January attempt to extract rare earth minerals from the ocean floor in the deepest trial of its kind, the director of a government innovation programme said Thursday.

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