British Ambassador to Lebanon Hamish Cowell and Minister of Environment Tamara al-Zein have inaugurated the “King Charles III Cedar Trail”, a new reforestation and eco-tourism initiative in the Shouf Biosphere Reserve.

The event was attended by Noura Jumblat, the mayors and makhateer of Ain Zahalta, Bmahray and Mokhtara, the head of the reserve committee Faisal Abu Ezzeddine, and the reserve's staff.

The death toll from flooding in southern Thailand has reached at least 145, officials said Friday, as receding waters started to reveal devastating damage across the region.

More than 1.2 million households and 3.6 million people have been affected by floods triggered by heavy rains in 12 southern provinces, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said Friday.

Rescuers were hampered by damaged bridges and roads and a lack of heavy equipment Friday after flash floods and landslides on Indonesia's Sumatra island left 79 people dead and dozens missing.

Rescuers searched Thursday in rivers and the rubble of villages for bodies and possible survivors after flash floods and landslides on Indonesia's Sumatra island left 69 people dead and 59 missing.

Monsoon rains over the past week caused rivers to burst their banks in North Sumatra province Tuesday. The deluge tore through mountainside village, swept away people and submerged more than 2,000 houses and buildings, the National Disaster Management Agency said. Nearly 5,000 residents fled to government shelters.

Sri Lanka stopped passenger trains and closed roads in some parts of the country where landslides and floods triggered by heavy rains have caused more than 40 deaths, officials said Thursday.

The government's disaster management center said 25 of the reported deaths occurred in the mountainous tea-growing regions of Badulla and Nuwara Eliya in the country's central province about 300 kilometers (186 miles) east of the capital, Colombo.

A pair of snowy owls spotted along a Lake Michigan beach has drawn curious crowds and sparked happy speculation about how long the Arctic birds of prey will call Chicago home.

Word of the two owls has circulated on birder forums in the nation's third-largest city for about a week, according to the Chicago Ornithological Society. While snowy owls aren't rare in Chicago, their frequency varies widely each winter. Generally, a handful are reported around December, but sometimes there aren't any.

The pollution from food is sneaky. Because the apple sitting on your kitchen counter isn't really causing any harm.

But chances are good that you didn't pick it from a tree in your backyard. It required land and water to grow, machines to harvest and process, packaging to ship, trucks to transport and often refrigerators to store. Much of that process releases planet-warming greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Thousands of Cubans remain without power, water or proper shelter almost a month after Hurricane Melissa pummeled the island's eastern region as one of the strongest Atlantic storms in history.

By day, families walk toward the nearest river to fill plastic containers with water and by night, they squeeze together to sleep under temporary shelters and tents.

Severe flooding in southern Thailand has caused at least 33 deaths since the weekend, officials said, as dramatic video footage showed people whose homes were virtually engulfed by water awaiting help on rooftops.

About 1 million households and more than 2.7 million people have been impacted by floods in 12 southern provinces triggered by heavy rains, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said Wednesday.

Rescuers recovered more bodies in the search for dozens of people buried under landslides or swept away after torrential rains unleashed flash floods and triggered landslides on Indonesia's Sumatra island, increasing the death toll to 17 and leaving six people missing, officials said Wednesday.

Rescue teams were struggling to reach affected areas in six regencies of North Sumatra province after the monsoon rains over the past week caused rivers to burst their banks, tearing through hilly villages as mud, rocks and trees tumbled down, leaving destruction in their wake, the National Police said in a statement.