Chevron confirms leak at its Gorgon gas project in Australia

SYDNEY (Reuters) - A gas leak has occurred at the Gorgon liquefied natural gas (LNG) export project on Barrow Island in Australia, Chevron said.

Read more

BHP says will fight $6 billion claim over Samarco disaster

SYDNEY (Reuters) - BHP Billiton on Friday said it would appeal against the decision by a Brazilian court to reinstate a $6 billion public civil claim over last year's Samarco iron ore mine disaster.

Read more

Volkswagen believes it can fix 85,000 polluting U.S. vehicles

SAN FRANCISCO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A lawyer for Volkswagen AG said at a court hearing Thursday the German automaker believed it could fix 85,000 polluting 3.0-liter VW, Audi and Porsche diesel cars and SUVs, a move that could help the company avoid a second pricey vehicle buyback.

Read more

Two bodies found in area burned by California wildfire

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Two bodies were found on Wednesday in a rural area of San Diego County charred by a major wildfire, sheriff's officials said, as firefighters increasingly gained control over a larger blaze that also killed two people in central California.

Read more

Best foot forward: Thai elephant gets her ninth prosthetic leg

LAMPANG, Thailand (Reuters) - Mosha the elephant, who stepped on a landmine along the Thai-Myanmar border 10 years ago, received her ninth prosthetic leg on Wednesday.

Read more

Vietnam says Formosa unit's steel plant caused environmental disaster

HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam said on Thursday a $10.6 billion steel plant run by a unit of Taiwan's Formosa Plastics caused an until-now mysterious environmental crisis by releasing toxic wastewater into the sea.

Read more

Britain targets 57 percent emissions cut by 2032

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will aim to reduce emissions blamed for climate change by 57 percent by 2032, the government said on Thursday.

Read more

Germany waters down climate protection plan

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany has abandoned plans to set out a timetable to exit coal-fired power production and scrapped C02 emissions reduction goals for individual sectors, according to the latest draft of an environment ministry document seen by Reuters on Wednesday.

Read more

Murders, violence on rise as parched central India battles for water

BHOPAL, India (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Imrat Namdev and her younger sister Pushpa Namdev were neighbors in Chhatarpur district, in the drought-hit Indian region of Bundelkhand. Both relied on the same well for water and, according to police, frequently quarreled over how much the other was using.

Read more

Search for entangled blue whale resumes off California

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Marine mammal rescue teams were hoping on Tuesday to renew their attempt to disentangle a blue whale found enmeshed in fishing line off the Southern California coast a day after initial efforts to free the giant creature failed.

Read more

U.S. Attorney General Lynch says probe into VW scandal ongoing

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said on Tuesday that a Department of Justice investigation into the Volkswagen emissions scandal was continuing, and that it was important to look at the individuals involved.

Read more

Indoor farming gives former New Jersey arena new lease on life

NEWARK, N.J. (Reuters) - In an old warehouse in Newark, New Jersey, that once housed the state's biggest indoor paint ball arena, leafy green plants such as kale, arugula and watercress sprout from tall metal towers under bright lights.

Read more

Zimbabwe's wildlife agency suspends boss over missing rhino horns

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's wildlife authority has suspended its director general and is investigating the disappearance of 228 kg (500 pounds) of the agency's stored rhino horn, it said on Tuesday.

Read more

Shortage of safe land blocks Sri Lanka disaster relocation efforts

GAMTHUNA, Sri Lanka (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Every time the wind picks up in the night, the Karunadasas get the shivers.

Read more

Washington state must fix salmon-blocking pipes: appeals court

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Washington state must repair road culverts that are blocking salmon from swimming to spawning areas because the pipes violate fishing rights protected by tribal treaties, a federal appeals court ruled on Monday.

Read more

South China Sea reefs 'decimated' as giant clams harvested in bulk

TANMEN, China (Reuters) - Ornaments made from the shells of endangered giant clams, renowned in China for having auspicious powers and the luster of ivory, have become coveted luxuries, a trend which has wreaked havoc on the ecosystem of the South China Sea.

Read more

Volkswagen's U.S. diesel emissions settlement to cost $15 billion: source

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Volkswagen AG's settlement with nearly 500,000 U.S. diesel owners and government regulators over polluting vehicles is valued at more than $15 billion cash, a source briefed on the matter said on Monday.

Read more

Magnitude 5.7 quake shakes southern Mexico, no damage reported

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit Mexico's southern state of Oaxaca on Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said, shaking buildings as far away as Mexico City, but officials reported there were no immediate damages.

Read more

China city shuts down waste burning plant over protests

BEIJING (Reuters) - A city in central China is shutting down a waste incineration project, it said, after thousands of people protested against the plant over fears it will damage the environment and residents' health.

Read more

Air pollution to kill millions more without change of energy policy: IEA

LONDON (Reuters) - Premature deaths from air pollution will continue to rise to 2040 unless changes are made to the way the world uses and produces energy, the International Energy Agency said on Monday.

Read more

Rosatom's global nuclear ambition cramped by Kremlin politics

PARIS/MOSCOW (Reuters) - The $100 billion overseas order book of Russia's nuclear power plant builder Rosatom -- bigger than all its Western competitors combined -- makes it look like the giant in its field.

Read more

After deadly China tornado, rescuers clean up hazardous chemicals

BEIJING (Reuters) - Rescue workers have been trying to safely dispose of hazardous chemicals after a deadly tornado hit eastern China on Thursday, killing at least 98 people and injuring more than 800 others, Chinese state media reported late on Saturday.

Read more

Peru state energy company reports Amazon oil spill

LIMA (Reuters) - An oil spill in the Amazon region of Peru was detected on Friday night, state energy company Petroperu said in a statement on Saturday, adding that measures were being taken to fix the ruptured pipeline and to protect the environment.

Read more

U.S. states, Rockefellers clash with U.S. House panel on Exxon climate probes

HOUSTON (Reuters) - With a number of U.S. states proceeding with investigations of Exxon Mobil Corp's record on climate change, the attorney general of Massachusetts and investment funds of the Rockefeller family on Friday told a Congressional committee it lacked powers to oversee those probes.

Read more

Flint children's blood lead levels rose in water crisis: U.S. officials

DETROIT (Reuters) - Federal health officials on Friday confirmed that the blood lead levels of children in Flint, Michigan, rose after the city switched to the Flint River as the source of its drinking water, exposing residents to dangerously high contamination.

Read more

Firefighters injured, homes destroyed in new California wildfire

(Reuters) - Three firefighters were injured in a central California wildfire that has scorched 5,000 acres (2,023 hectares) of parched and rugged terrain in less than a day, destroying 80 homes and forcing the evacuation of hundreds more, fire officials said on Friday.

Read more

Four dead in West Virginia floods as rain-swollen rivers crest

(Reuters) - West Virginia declared a state of emergency amid the worst flooding in more than a century that killed at least four people and prompted rescues of hundreds of others forced to evacuate swamped homes, officials said on Friday.

Read more

Savage storm pummels eastern China, killing 98

FUNING, China (Reuters) - A violent storm in eastern China that packed gale-force winds and hail killed 98 people and injured hundreds as it flattened power lines, overturned cars and ripped roofs off houses in Jiangsu province.

Read more

EPA says filtered Flint, Michigan drinking water safe to drink

DETROIT (Reuters) - Federal officials said on Thursday it is safe for anyone to drink properly filtered water in Flint, Michigan, where a public health crisis erupted after residents were exposed to dangerously high levels of lead.

Read more

California regulators voice support for cap and trade program

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Staff for California's air regulator on Thursday recommended the state extend its carbon cap and trade system beyond 2020, a move supported by utilities and some environmental groups but opposed by environmental activists representing low income communities.

Read more

California oil pipeline spill stopped before reaching beach

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - An oil spill of 700 barrels of crude spilled from a pipeline near California's coast on Thursday but was quickly contained in a dry creek bed and did not reach the Pacific Ocean in Ventura County, officials said.

Read more

Tornado, hail storms kill at least 78 people in eastern China

BEIJING (Reuters) - A tornado, hail storms and driving rain killed at least 78 people and injured some 500 in eastern China on Thursday, flattening power lines, overturning cars and ripping roofs off houses in Jiangsu province.

Read more

Illinois residents clean up after tornadoes hit homes, trap residents

(Reuters) - Several communities in Illinois were cleaning up wreckage on Thursday following a series of tornadoes that destroyed homes, smashed vehicles and trapped residents a night earlier, weather officials said.

Read more

Disney World's ongoing battle against 'nuisance' alligators

(Reuters) - Walt Disney Co has had more than 240 "nuisance" alligators captured and killed over the last 10 years at its Florida theme park property, according to state records.

Read more

Firefighters to battle against flames, dry California weather

(Reuters) - Firefighters on Thursday were set to face high temperatures and gusty winds as they battle five large fires burning in drought-stricken California, officials said, though progress allowed authorities to lift some earlier evacuation orders.

Read more

Heavy rains cause flooding in southeast England as Britons vote on EU

LONDON (Reuters) - Heavy rains in southeast England on Thursday flooded streets, disrupted travel and closed two polling stations on the day Britons voted whether to remain in the European Union.

Read more

Midwest braces for severe weather, threat of high winds

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Midwestern residents braced for severe storms on Wednesday, as the threat of dangerous tornadoes and forecasts of a possible "derecho" storm system were expected to menace a wide swath from Illinois to Ohio.

Read more

Court sets aside Obama administration fracking rules for public lands

(Reuters) - A federal judge in Wyoming has set aside new regulations for hydraulic fracturing on public lands that were vehemently opposed by oil and gas producers.

Read more

Firefighters battle to tame Los Angeles-area wildfires

(Reuters) - Firefighters were working to expand fire-breaks on Wednesday around two wildfires blazing across drought-parched foothills northeast of Los Angeles, as evacuation orders for hundreds of residents stretched into a second day, authorities said.

Read more

Dutch test 'Ocean Cleanup' plan to collect floating plastic trash

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A Dutch foundation has developed floating barriers to try to collect trash from the world's oceans, and will launch a 100 meter-long prototype in the North Sea this week to see how it fares during storms.

Read more

Two L.A.-area wildfires threaten to merge after forcing evacuations

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Two rapidly growing wildfires burning a few miles apart through drought-parched foothills northeast of Los Angeles prompted the evacuation of nearly 800 homes on Tuesday, as a heat wave continued to bake much of the U.S. Southwest for a third straight day.

Read more

In Chile's forests, shadowy rebel groups threaten logging industry

ANGOL, Chile (Reuters) - A few moments of relaxation for Chilean logger Nelson Hidalgo were shattered one day last month when 12 armed men piled out of a pick-up truck and demanded he step outside his work-site dining trailer.

Read more

At least six dead as rains batter quake-hit southwestern Japan

TOKYO (Reuters) - At least six people died and a university student was missing on Wednesday as record-breaking rains battered parts of southwestern Japan still reeling from earthquakes two months ago, setting off flooding and landslides.

Read more

Firefighters killed tackling huge Cyprus forest blaze

NICOSIA (Reuters) - Two firefighters were killed and a third was critically injured while tackling one of the largest forest fires in Cyprus in years.

Read more

Traditional irrigation keeps water flowing in drought-hit India

BAKSA, India (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Ask the farmers in remote Baksa district, in the northeast Indian state of Assam, whether they are affected by climate change and they usually respond with a look of surprise.

Read more

Danielle weakens to a tropical depression: NHC

(Reuters) - Danielle, the fourth named tropical storm of 2016, has weakened to a tropical depression and is expected to dissipate Tuesday morning, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in its latest advisory.

Read more

China prosecutors win landmark lawsuit against environmental department

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Chinese prosecutors have successfully sued a county environmental agency for inadequately punishing a sewage firm that produced dye without appropriate safeguards, the first-such public interest case against a government department.

Read more

Cub of well-known grizzly killed by a car in Wyoming

(Reuters) - A bear cub believed to be the offspring of Grizzly 399, one of the best-known bears in the United States, has been hit by a car and killed in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, a park spokesman said on Monday.

Read more

California power grid braces for heat wave, blackout potential

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California's power grid operators warned homes and business on Monday to conserve electricity as rising demand for air conditioning stoked by a record-setting heat wave across the U.S. Southwest tested the region's generating capacity.

Read more

Firefighters hold 'sleeping giant' wildfire in check in California

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A stubborn wildfire stoked by triple-digit temperatures blazed for a sixth day outside Santa Barbara in coastal Southern California on Monday as crews worked to keep the blaze some have called a "sleeping giant" in check, officials said.

Read more

Britain, Greece, Israel help fight forest fire in Cyprus

NICOSIA (Reuters) - Greece, Britain and Israel sent planes and helicopters to Cyprus on Monday to fight one of the largest forest fires to hit the island in years, and a firefighter was killed when a water carrier overturned, authorities said.

Read more

U.S. offshore regulator to unveil tougher environmental safeguards

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The U.S. government agency created after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill plans in coming weeks to unveil tougher financial requirements for offshore oil producers aimed at protecting taxpayers from the risk of cleaning up abandoned oil rigs, an agency executive told Reuters.

Read more

South China floods kill 22, with more rain forecast

BEIJING (Reuters) - Severe floods in southern China have killed at least 22 people and left 20 missing since Saturday, the government said, with the rains expected to continue for the next three days.

Read more

Nearly 50 die in Indonesia landslides, authorities warn of more rain

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesian authorities raced on Monday to rescue victims of landslides and flash floods caused by torrential rain at the weekend that killed nearly 50 people and left many missing in the main island of Java.

Read more

Tropical depression four could become a storm on Monday - NHC

(Reuters) - Tropical depression four could become a storm before it makes landfall in Mexico on Monday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in it latest advisory.

Read more

California power grid urges energy conservation on Monday due to heat wave

(Reuters) - The California Independent System Operator, or ISO, which operates the state's power grid, issued a Flex Alert for Monday for Southern California from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. PDT because of high temperatures expected in the region.

Read more

Storm forms in Gulf of Mexico, heads for Mexico: Hurricane Center

(Reuters) - A tropical depression formed over the southwestern Gulf of Mexico on Sunday and was expected to develop into a tropical storm within 24 hours before moving over eastern Mexico and the city of Veracruz on Monday.

Read more

Flash floods kill 24 in Indonesia, thousands of homes damaged

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Flash floods and landslides killed 24 people in Indonesia's Central Java province, officials said on Sunday, forcing residents to evacuate to safer areas as torrential rains damaged thousands of homes.

Read more

Obama extols U.S. national parks in picture-perfect social media moments

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (Reuters) - The moon was just rising over Half Dome, the setting sun reflected off its sheer granite face, as President Barack Obama and his family landed by helicopter in a meadow, the knee-high grass waving wildly while campers cheered.

Read more

Amid melting Arctic ice, Kerry sees looming climate catastrophe

ABOARD THE HDMS THETIS, Greenland (Reuters) - Standing near Greenland's Jakobshavn glacier, the reputed source of the iceberg that sank the Titanic over a century ago, U.S Secretary of State John Kerry saw evidence of another looming catastrophe.

Read more

House panel claims oversight of state climate probes into Exxon

HOUSTON (Reuters) - A Republican-led congressional committee sought on Friday to assert oversight over inquiries that about 20 states are making into Exxon Mobil and climate change, reiterating demands to know more about state attorneys general's consultations with environmental groups.

Read more

EPA warns Flint, Michigan of long-term threats to water supply

(Reuters) - The city of Flint faces multiple long-term threats to its water supply, even though short-term progress has been made in reducing lead contamination in the drinking water, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has warned the city and the state of Michigan.

Read more

Obama heads to national parks with climate message in mind

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama is taking his family to two national parks this weekend on a working vacation where he will spend some time with his teenaged daughters while making the case for more spending on conservation and curbing climate change.

Read more

Flooded Canadian towns in gas heartland declare state of emergency

VANCOUVER (Reuters) - Intense flooding has prompted two northern communities in the Canadian province of British Columbia to declare states of emergency, just a month after intense forest fires prompted evacuations in the region.

Read more

China orders 255 Shanghai industrial facilities to shut for G20

BEIJING (Reuters) - China ordered at least 255 Shanghai-based industrial facilities, including part of a major oil refinery operated by Sinopec Corp, to shut for 14 days to reduce pollution ahead of the G20 summit, according to an official document reviewed by Reuters.

Read more

Wildfires in California, New Mexico trigger hundreds of evacuations

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hundreds of people have evacuated to escape a wildfire in coastal Southern California and a larger blaze in rural New Mexico as hot weather feeds the flames, raising health concerns in other regions, officials said on Thursday.

Read more

Taiwan activists press Formosa Plastics over dead fish in Vietnam

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Activists in Taiwan called on the island's largest industrial group, Formosa Plastics, to investigate recent mass fish deaths in Vietnam, near where the company has a steel plant.

Read more

China climate goals trigger launch of new derivatives

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's clean energy pledges are prompting a supply of new financing tools to fund the estimated 43 trillion yuan ($6.53 trillion) needed to switch from heavy, polluting industries to clean projects.

Read more

Brussels steps up effort to halt Poland's logging plan in primeval forest

BRUSSELS/WARSAW (Reuters) - The European Union executive on Thursday stepped up efforts to stop Poland from its planned increase in logging in Europe's last primeval forest, adding to bad blood between Brussels and Warsaw.

Read more

Most of beached whales free themselves in Indonesia

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Most of the 29 whales trapped in an Indonesian mangrove swamp on Thursday managed to free themselves or were gently helped out to sea as the tide rose, fisheries officials said.

Read more

Satellite tags aim to shed light on endangered hawksbill sea turtle migration

June 16 (Reuters) - Scientists are tagging hawksbill sea turtles in a key South Pacific breeding ground, hoping that information fed to satellites will help them better understand the endangered species' nesting, feeding and migration patterns.

Read more

From green slime to jet fuel: algae offers airlines a cleaner future

OTTOBRUN, Germany (Reuters) - As airlines struggle to find cleaner ways to power jets and with an industry-wide meeting on CO2 emissions just months away, scientists are busy growing algae in vast open tanks at an Airbus site at Ottobrun, near Munich.

Read more

Quake of magnitude 5.3 in Japan's Hokkaido, no tsunami danger

TOKYO (Reuters) - An earthquake of magnitude 5.3 jolted Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido on Thursday, but there was no danger of a tsunami and no immediate report of injuries or major damage.

Read more

Exxon says Torrance refinery taking precautionary measures from wildfire

(Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp on Wednesday said it was taking precautionary measures to ensure safety of its personnel at its Torrance, California refinery following reports of a wildfire in a forestland north of Santa Barbara.

Read more

Exxon asks U.S. court to throw out subpoena in climate change inquiry

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp asked a federal court on Wednesday to throw out a subpoena that would force the oil company to hand over decades of documents as part of a wide-ranging inquiry into whether it misled investors about climate change risks.

Read more

EU proposes stricter tests on car emissions from 2017 in wake of VW scandal

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU regulators proposed stricter tests on Wednesday on car fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions from late next year to plug loopholes highlighted by the Volkswagen emissions scandal.

Read more

California's landmark cap and trade program faces uncertain future

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California's greenhouse gas reduction program is in a battle for its life, and uncertainty about its future has spooked buyers of its carbon permits

Read more

France ratifies Paris climate agreement

PARIS (Reuters) - President Francois Hollande on Wednesday signed a bill formally ratifying the Paris climate agreement reached last December by nearly 200 countries to limit global warming.

Read more

Solar, wind costs could fall up to 59 percent by 2025, study says

LONDON (Reuters) - The average cost of electricity generated by solar and wind energy could fall by up to 59 percent by 2025 if the right policies are in place, a report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) said on Wednesday.

Read more

Humans probably caused Fort McMurray wildfire: Canadian police

CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - The Fort McMurray wildfire in northern Alberta that forced the evacuation of 90,000 residents and shut in more than a million barrels per day of oil output was most likely caused by human activity, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said on Tuesday.

Read more

Supreme Court rejects challenge to Obama mercury air pollution rule

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday turned aside the latest effort by a group of states led by Michigan to block Obama administration environmental regulations limiting power plant emissions of mercury and other toxic pollutants.

Read more

Film links melting glaciers, land loss in Bangladesh

UNITED NATIONS (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Melting ice in Antarctica puts as many as 30 million people in Bangladesh at risk of losing their homes over the coming century, according to a new documentary focused on the human cost of climate change.

Read more

Zambia halts hippo culling after protests by animal rights activists

LUSAKA (Reuters) - Zambian wildlife authorities said on Tuesday they had suspended the controlled slaughter of up to 2,000 hippos over the next five years following concerns from animal rights activists who described it as trophy hunting.

Read more

Nissan to develop ethanol-based fuel cell technology by 2020

TOKYO (Reuters) - Nissan Motor Co said on Tuesday it was developing fuel cell vehicle (FCV) technology using ethanol as a hydrogen source in what would be an industry first, and planned to commercialize its system in 2020 as part of efforts to develop cleaner cars.

Read more

'Mercedes' cocoa helps Ivorian farmers speed to better harvest

OUATTARADOUGOU, Ivory Coast (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Abou Ouattara has grown cocoa for the last 17 years, but luckily the 52-year-old does not have a sweet tooth.

Read more

Brazil judge dismisses $5.7 billion civil suit against Samarco: Vale

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilian iron ore miner Vale SA said on Monday that a 20 billion reais ($5.7 billion) civil lawsuit seeking environmental and property damages for last year's deadly Samarco mine disaster has been dismissed.

Read more

In Flint, Michigan water crisis, city mayor did not violate ethics

(Reuters) - The mayor of the city of Flint, Michigan, did not redirect donations to her personal campaign from a charity meant to help families hurt by a water crisis in the city, an independent attorney said on Monday.

Read more

At ground zero of warming, Greenland seeks to unlock frozen assets

BUKSEFJORD, Greenland (Reuters) - On top of the world, by a fjord in western Greenland, a remote hydro power plant is buzzing with extra water from the melt of ancient glaciers. This island at ground zero of global warming is seeking to be one of the few places on Earth to benefit.

Read more

Australian PM pledges A$1 bln to help ailing Great Barrier Reef

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, facing a tight re-election battle, pledged on Monday a A$1 billion ($738 million) fund for the Great Barrier Reef, where scientists say mass coral bleaching has destroyed vast tracts of the World Heritage site.

Read more

Indonesians will not be prosecuted by Singapore over haze, says VP: media

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia will not allow Singapore to prosecute its citizens over forest fires that blanketed the region in toxic smog in 2015, media on Monday quoted Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla as saying.

Read more

Solar plane lands in New York City during bid to circle the globe

(Reuters) - A solar-powered airplane finished crossing the United States on Saturday, landing in New York City after flying over the Statue of Liberty during its historic bid to circle the globe, the project team said.

Read more

The bright side: global 'light pollution' obscures starry nights

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When Vincent van Gogh peered out the window of the Saint-Paul asylum at the nighttime sky in Saint-Rémy in 1889, he saw the brilliant light of innumerable stars over southern France that inspired his evocative painting "The Starry Night."

Read more

Daimler to unveil long-distance electric car in October

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Germany's Daimler will lift the curtain on its much-anticipated long-distance electric car at the Paris Motor Show in October, as the automaker gears up to compete with Tesla Motors Inc's Model X sport-utility vehicle (SUV).

Read more

EU says seeks swift ratification of Paris climate accord

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union called on its 28 member states on Wednesday to speed up ratification of the Paris climate accord so the bloc is not left behind in an international push to curb global warming.

Read more

Globalized economy more susceptible to weather extremes, scientists warn

BARCELONA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The globalization of the world's economy this century has made it far more vulnerable to the impacts of extreme weather, including heat stress on workers, scientists said on Friday.

Read more

Shallow earthquake shakes southern California

(Reuters) - A shallow earthquake measuring 5.2 magnitude struck early on Friday in Southern California, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Read more

Green groups fund-raise against Trump’s climate stance

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Donald Trump’s promise to gut U.S. environmental regulations and revive the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline if elected president is a nightmare for green groups, but it may be a dream come true for their fund-raisers.

Read more

Ten EU nations still breaching pollution limits: EEA

LONDON (Reuters) - Air pollution from sources such as transport and agriculture is still above legal limits in 10 European Union member states, data from the European Environment Agency (EEA) showed on Friday.

Read more

France to formally ratify Paris climate accord on June 15 - Minister

PARIS (Reuters) - President Francois Hollande will formally sign the Paris climate agreement on Wednesday, June 15, making France the first industrialized nation to ratify the landmark accord, Environment Minister Segolene Royal said on Friday.

Read more

Japan weather bureau sees high possibility of La Nina

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's weather bureau said on Friday there was a high possibility that a La Nina weather pattern would emerge during the country's summer, which runs from around June to August, and continue through autumn.

Read more

Quake of magnitude 6.4 strikes in Nicaragua: USGS

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - An earthquake of magnitude 6.4 struck in the central American nation of Nicaragua on Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

Read more

Brazil police complete criminal probe into Samarco dam burst

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazil's federal police said on Thursday they have completed a criminal investigation into a dam burst last November at a mine run by Samarco, a joint venture between Vale SA and BHP Billiton, in which they accused three companies and eight employees of various crimes including willful misconduct.

Read more

South African firefighters leaving Canada blaze after pay dispute

CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - A team of South African firefighters dispatched to Canada to fight a massive wildfire in the oil sands region is heading home after a pay dispute, South African officials said on Thursday.

Read more

ADM, biofuel supporters say EPA underestimates use of higher-ethanol fuels

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Reuters) - Archer Daniels Midland Co and other supporters of biofuels on Thursday said U.S. regulators grossly underestimated the amount of higher-ethanol fuel blends at pumps when requirements for next year's use of renewables were proposed.

Read more

Thailand's animal tourism under scrutiny after Tiger Temple raid

BANGKOK (Reuters) - From selfies with tigers to elephant rides and orangutan boxing, Thailand offers tourists an array of attractions that animal rights activists say are cruel and should be shut down.

Read more

German prosecutors investigate VW over deleted data

HAMBURG/LONDON (Reuters) - German prosecutors are investigating whether Volkswagen employees deleted data that could be harmful to the company before the carmaker admitted to U.S. authorities that it had cheated diesel-emissions tests.

Read more

OECD warns of rising premature deaths, costs of air pollution

LONDON (Reuters) - Outdoor air pollution could cause 6 to 9 million premature deaths and represent an economic cost of around $2.6 trillion a year by 2060 unless action is taken, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said in a report released on Thursday.

Read more

Unlikely casualty in California's renewable energy boom: natural gas

(Reuters) - In February of 2001, then California Governor Gray Davis stood at the site of Calpine Corp's new Sutter natural gas power plant and unveiled his plan to fast-track construction of similar stations to add 20,000 megawatts of modern, efficient generation to the state in three years.

Read more

Strong quake rattles Indonesia's Lombok, no tsunami

MATARAM, Indonesia (Reuters) - An earthquake of magnitude 6.2 struck off the Indonesian island of Lombok on Thursday, the United States Geological Survey said, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

Read more

Arizona wildfire burns near site of 2013 blaze that killed 19 firefighters

PHOENIX (Reuters) - A major brush fire burned on Wednesday in central Arizona forcing roughly 250 residents to evacuate a small town near the site where 19 firefighters died in another blaze roughly three years ago, authorities said.

Read more

Floating school in Lagos lagoon collapses under heavy rains

LAGOS (Reuters) - A floating school built to withstand storms and floods at a lagoon in Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos and educate children from a nearby slum has collapsed only seven months after its official opening.

Read more

No longer tropical storm, Colin still felt in Florida

TAMPA, Fla. (Reuters) - The storm Colin dissipated off coastal North Carolina on Tuesday and moved out to sea after pounding the U.S. Southeast with torrential rains and winds, but flooding remained a concern in parts of Florida that received the brunt of the tropical storm.

Read more

VW receives regulatory approval for fixes on 1.1 million cars

BERLIN (Reuters) - Volkswagen said on Wednesday it received regulatory approval to fix another 1.1 million cars, raising the number of VW models cleared for refitting to more than 2.5 million since the start of the year.

Read more

Monsoon rains arrive at India's Kerala coast - weather office source

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Annual monsoon rains arrived at the Kerala coast in southern India on Wednesday, a day later than forecast, a weather office source said, easing fears over farm and economic growth after two straight droughts hit rural income and agricultural output.

Read more

Floods set to peak across Australian state of Tasmania, threaten historic city

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Flooding in Tasmania - Australia's southernmost state - will peak on Wednesday, the country's Bureau of Meteorology said, threatening one of the country's oldest cities.

Read more

Magnitude 6.6 earthquake strikes off Indonesia's Moluccas: USGS

LONDON (Reuters) - An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.6 struck off the eastern coast of Indonesia on Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Read more

Obama: discussed with Modi how to speed enactment of climate pact

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Tuesday that he and visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed how to ensure a worldwide agreement forged in Paris to curb climate change could be enacted swiftly.

Read more

Palm plantations shaken by the green body they helped create

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - In 2004, Malaysian palm oil producer IOI Group became a founding member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and later an executive board member in what seemed like a cosy arrangement.

Read more

Tropical depression forms off Mexico's southern coast

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A tropical depression has formed off the southern coast of Mexico, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said on Monday, adding it was expected to become a tropical cyclone within 48 hours.

Read more

No charges against mother in Cincinnati gorilla case: prosecutor

CINCINNATI (Reuters) - No criminal charges will be filed against the mother of the 3-year-old boy who fell into a gorilla enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo, causing zookeepers to kill an endangered gorilla to protect the child, an Ohio prosecutor said on Monday.

Read more

Two rescued Colombian circus lions die at South African refuge

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Two lions rescued from circuses in Colombia and brought to a South African refuge in April have died, the organization that arranged the rescue and airlift operation said on its website.

Read more

Abundant Ivory Coast rains expected to improve cocoa crop

ABIDJAN (Reuters) - Abundant rain mixed with sunshine last week in most of Ivory Coast's main cocoa growing regions will help the April to September mid-crop finish strongly, although farmers in some areas feared humidity could cause diseases.

Read more

Groups urge U.S. Congress to reject TPP over environmental concerns

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than 450 groups on Monday called on Congress to reject the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) if it comes up for a vote this fall, saying the trade deal would allow fossil fuel companies to contest U.S. environmental rules in extrajudicial tribunals.

Read more

Sydney storms have silver lining for big wave daredevils

SYDNEY (Reuters) - The heavy storm that battered eastern Australia over the weekend had a major silver lining for a bunch of big wave surfers in the south of Sydney on Monday.

Read more

Storms threaten East Coast; Florida under tropical storm warning

TAMPA, Fla. (Reuters) - While the U.S. West Coast sweated out a heat wave, forecasters warned of severe thunderstorms along the East Coast on Sunday and issued a tropical storm warning for Florida's Gulf Coast.

Read more

Tropical Storm Colin threatens Florida, southeastern U.S.

(Reuters) - A tropical depression threatening Florida and parts of the southeastern United States with severe thunderstorms was upgraded on Sunday to Tropical Storm Colin by the U.S. National Hurricane Center.

Read more

Cleanup underway after Oregon train carrying oil derailed

(Reuters) - Most of the cars from a Union Pacific train carrying crude oil that derailed and burst into flames in Oregon on Friday have been removed and the remaining oil will be hauled away on flatbed trucks, a spokesman for the company said on Sunday.

Read more

Australia flooding forces hundreds into evacuation centers

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Torrential rain and high winds battered Australia's east coast on Sunday, leaving up to 26,000 homes without power while flooding forced hundreds of people into evacuation centers.

Read more

Southern California brush fire threatens homes, prompts evacuations

(Reuters) - A brush fire outside Los Angeles was threatening thousands of homes and has prompted mandatory evacuation of local residents, authorities said on Saturday.

Read more

At least 16 killed in Texas floods, four soldiers' bodies found

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - At least 16 people in Texas, including four soldiers who went missing when their vehicle overturned in flood waters, have died due to torrential rains in the past week that have deluged hundreds of homes and led to prison evacuations, officials said on Friday.

Read more

Bonnie again becomes tropical storm: U.S. National Hurricane Center

(Reuters) - Bonnie returned to tropical storm status after weakening earlier this week, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said on Friday.

Read more

VW receives approval for fixes on more than 800,000 cars

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Volkswagen has received regulatory approval for technical fixes on some models, it said on Friday, meaning it could now recall more than 800,000 of the 8.5 million cars affected by its diesel emissions scandal in Europe.

Read more

EU transport ministers to debate defeat device loophole -document

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU transport ministers will debate next week whether there is an urgent need to close loopholes in EU regulations that allow defeat devices in car engines under certain circumstances, according to a document seen by Reuters.

Read more

Paris museums move artworks to safety as Seine river keeps rising

PARIS (Reuters) - The Louvre and Orsay museums in Paris moved scores of artworks and precious artifacts to safety and soldiers evacuated residents trapped in some of the capital's outlying suburbs as the rain-swollen river Seine hit its highest level in 30 years.

Read more

Thai police charge 22 with wildlife trafficking at Tiger Temple

KANCHANABURI, Thailand (Reuters) - Thai police have charged 22 people, including three Buddhist monks, with wildlife trafficking and removed more dead animals including a bear and a leopard from the infamous Tiger Temple, authorities said on Friday.

Read more

Paris museums move art works as flood waters rise

PARIS (Reuters) - The Louvre and Orsay museums in Paris moved art works stored underground to safety on Friday as the swollen river Seine kept rising, the city's deputy mayor said, following days of torrential rains that have killed two people.

Read more

Texas floodwaters claim three soldiers' lives at Fort Hood

AUSTIN, Texas/SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - A U.S. Army truck overturned in a swollen Fort Hood creek on Thursday, killing three soldiers and leaving six missing as storms dumped more rain on flood-hit parts of Texas.

Read more

In Alabama, 100,000 people told not to drink water due to contamination

(Reuters) - A water provider in northern Alabama warned more than 100,000 customers on Thursday not to drink or cook with tap water, saying it could be contaminated with potentially dangerous levels of a chemical that federal health officials have linked to cancer, according to local media reports.

Read more

Michigan will still give water to Flint after emergency ends

(Reuters) - Michigan will give supplies of water to Flint residents even after a federal emergency declaration over lead in drinking water expires on August 14, a state official said on Thursday.

Read more

Bonnie strengthens back to tropical depression off North Carolina

(Reuters) - Bonnie, the first tropical storm to reach the United States this year, has built back into a tropical depression after weakening earlier this week, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said on Thursday.

Read more

Researchers find 39 unreported sources of major pollution: NASA

(Reuters) - Researchers in the United States and Canada have located 39 unreported sources of major pollution using a new satellite-based method, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration said.

Read more

Three monks charged in Thailand as tiger potions, charms point to illicit trade

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai authorities charged three Buddhist monks on Thursday after they were caught trying to smuggle tiger skins and charms made from tiger parts out a temple which monks said was a tiger sanctuary but critics said was a money-spinning tourist trap.

Read more

Archaeologists vs. robbers in Israel's race to find ancient scrolls

TZEELIM VALLEY, Israel (Reuters) - The disposable paper face masks offer little protection from the clouds of dust that fill the cliffside cave where Israeli archaeologists are wrapping up the largest excavation in the Judean desert of the past half-century.

Read more

Floods kill woman in Paris region, Seine river rises

PARIS (Reuters) - A woman was killed and thousands of homes were evacuated in the central French regions along the Loire and Seine rivers after days of almost non-stop rain caused the worst floods in a century in some areas.

Read more

At least four people killed in flooding in south Germany

BERLIN (Reuters) - At least four people have been killed in floods in the southern German state of Bavaria and thousands of households were cut off from electricity, officials said on Thursday.

Read more

Lack of water limits Madagascar's climate-smart agriculture

BESAKOA, Madagascar (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Most days, Hitasoa ignores breakfast and lunch. She is too busy finding enough money to buy food for dinner - and even that is a challenge in Madagascar's dry south, where the worst drought in 35 years has wiped out the maize crop.

Read more

Texas' Brazos River hits century high, Houston braces for floods

SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - The Brazos River in Texas surged to its highest level in more than a century in an area outside of Houston on Wednesday after floods killed at least six people, damaged hundreds of buildings and turned roads into lakes over the past week.

Read more

Magnitude 6.5 quake felt off Indonesia's Sumatra: USGS

SYDNEY (Reuters) - An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.5 was recorded off the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

Read more

Craft brewer looks to solve vexing pollution problem

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) - A small craft beer company in South Florida is trying to make a big impact on oceanic pollution with biodegradable, edible packaging in an eco-friendly twist to protect marine life.

Read more

Chile court orders salmon farms antibiotic use be disclosed

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - A Chilean appeals court has ordered the government's Sernapesca fisheries body to disclose the details of antibiotic use by salmon producers operating in the country, court documents showed on Wednesday.

Read more

Dead tiger cubs found in Thai temple amid trafficking fears

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai wildlife authorities found 40 tiger cub carcasses in a freezer in Thailand's infamous Tiger Temple on Wednesday as they removed live animals in response to international pressure over suspected trafficking and abuse.

Read more

Trepidation lingers as Canada wildfire evacuees begin to return

LAC LA BICHE, Alberta (Reuters) - Thousands of evacuees who fled a massive wildfire in the Canadian oil hub of Fort McMurray are set to return home on Wednesday, though concerns ranging from contaminated drinking water to insurance claims linger as the city seeks to rebuild.

Read more