Beijing removes 180,000 old, polluting cars from roads from January-April

BEIJING (Reuters) - Beijing removed 180,000 old and polluting vehicles from its roads in the first four months of 2017, the Chinese capital's environmental bureau has said, as part of its efforts to tackle congestion and cut smog.

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Human noise pollution 'pervasive' in U.S. protected areas

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Potentially harmful human-caused noise pollution affects nearly two-thirds of all protected areas in the United States, according to a report released on Thursday.

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Lion cubs born in Chile after world first veterinary procedure

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Two baby lion cubs were presented to the public at a zoo in Chile on Thursday, born after a pioneering veterinary procedure that involved a reversed vasectomy of their father.

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U.S. will lose jobs if it quits Paris climate deal: U.N.

GENEVA (Reuters) - The United States will shoot itself in the foot if it quits the Paris climate accord because China, India and Europe will snap up the best power sector jobs in future, U.N. Environment chief Erik Solheim said on Thursday.

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Do-or-die: EU pushes Trump to stick to Paris climate deal

BRUSSELS/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - EU officials are scrambling to persuade U.S. President Donald Trump not pull out of the Paris climate accord after his advisers warned of legal problems if Washington stayed in but lowered its commitments.

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Rain threatens U.S. Midwest as flooding force hundreds from homes

(Reuters) - Unrelenting rain will drench the already saturated U.S. Midwest on Thursday and Friday, forecasters said, after floods in the region killed at least five people and forced residents in vulnerable areas to evacuate their flooded communities.

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Seasonal rains bring hope and disease to drought-ravaged Somalia

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Heavy seasonal rains have started in Somalia, aid officials and residents said on Thursday, reducing the risk that the drought-ravaged Horn of Africa nation will plunge into famine.

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Growing Antarctic crack primes Delaware-sized iceberg

(Reuters) - A crack that could create an iceberg the size of Delaware - and destabilize one of the largest ice shelves in the Antarctic - has branched out and begun to widen more quickly, a scientist said on Wednesday.

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Ohio lawmakers add budget provision that could open state parks to fracking

CLEVELAND (Reuters) - Ohio legislators took a step toward allowing fracking in state parks, adding a provision in a pending budget that would strip the governor of the ability to control the issuing of licenses for the oil and gas drilling practice that has raised environmental concerns.

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Flooding forces hundreds from homes in Canadian province

MONTREAL (Reuters) - Flooding in towns across the Canadian province of Quebec has forced hundreds of residents from their homes, and public security officials fear water levels will rise further with forecasters expecting rain on Friday, local media reported on Wednesday.

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NATO urges global fight against climate change as Trump mulls Paris accord

NORFOLK, Va. (Reuters) - Climate change poses a global security threat that all countries must fight together, a NATO general said on Wednesday, as U.S. President Donald Trump nears a decision on whether to pull out of the Paris climate deal.

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Business wins, 'clobbered' Philippines environment chief says after ouster

MANILA (Reuters) - In less than 10 months, Regina Lopez ordered the closure of more than half the mines in the Philippines, canceled dozens of contracts for future projects and banned open-pit mining.

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Major flooding in Missouri kills at least 5; more rain expected

(Reuters) - Floods across the U.S. Midwest that have killed at least five people shut major roadways in the St. Louis area on Wednesday, while residents of vulnerable areas piled sandbags to avert destruction as rivers were expected to crest.

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China's Silk Road push in Thailand may founder on Mekong River row

KHON PI LONG, Thailand (Reuters) - China's plan to blast open more of the Mekong River for bigger cargo ships could founder on a remote outcrop of half-submerged rocks that Thai protesters have vowed to protect against Beijing's economic expansion in Southeast Asia.

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Indonesian activists rescue albino orangutan

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesian environmentalists have rescued a rare albino orangutan from captivity on the island of Kalimantan, a conservation charity said on Tuesday.

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Conservationists sue to halt fracking in Ohio's only national forest

(Reuters) - Four conservation groups on Tuesday sued the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management in an attempt to halt fracking plans in a portion of Ohio's only national forest.

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Rwanda brings rhinos back to boost tourism

KIGALI (Reuters) - A decade after poachers wiped out its native population of rhinos, Rwanda has reintroduced the animals to its national parks after flying up a group of 10 from South Africa on Tuesday.

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German minister to try to persuade U.S. to remain in climate pact

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks said on Tuesday she would seek to convince the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump to remain part of the Paris Climate Agreement during her trip to the United States later this month.

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UK seaside towns fight back against seagull attacks

LONDON (Reuters) - Fed up with holidaymakers being divebombed by greedy seagulls in "horror movie" scenes, one British costal area is fighting back by making it an offence to feed the birds.

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UK will not appeal court ruling on air pollution plan: PM May's spokesman

LONDON (Reuters) - The British government will not appeal a court ruling on its plans to tackle air pollution and will meet a deadline for May 9 to detail its efforts to improve air quality, Prime Minister Theresa May's spokesman said on Tuesday.

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Twin polar bear cubs born at Sea World in Australia

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Two polar bear cubs born a week ago at Sea World in Australia's Gold Coast are expected to make their public debut in three months time, but staff have seen the blind and toothless pair suckling milk from their mother inside their den.

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Powerful storm front that killed 16 threatens eastern United States

(Reuters) - A powerful storm system bore down on the eastern United States on Monday after spawning tornadoes and torrential rains that killed at least 16 people and shut down hundreds of roads over the weekend, forecasters said.

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Fire in Georgia wildlife refuge could take months to fight: U.S. officials

(Reuters) - A wildfire that has burned more than 100,000 acres (40,469 hectares) at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in southern Georgia could take until November before it is put out, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said on Monday.

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Mississippi River likely to close at St. Louis as waters rise: Coast Guard

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The Mississippi River was expected to be closed to boat traffic at St. Louis on Tuesday as waters rose to moderate flood level due to heavy precipitation, a U.S. Coast Guard spokesman said on Monday.

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Strong quake hits sparsely populated area in Southeast Alaska

(Reuters) - A strong earthquake struck Southeast Alaska near its border with Canada's Yukon Territory on Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, followed by a series of minor seismic events in the sparsely populated area.

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