Approvals for new coal-fired power plants in China dropped sharply in the first half of this year, according to an analysis released Tuesday, after a flurry of permits in the previous two years raised concern about the government's commitment to limiting climate change.

A review of project documents by Greenpeace East Asia found that 14 new coal plants were approved from January to June with a total capacity of 10.3 gigawatts, down 80% from 50.4 gigawatts in the first half of last year.

Tropical storm Jongdari moved toward South Korea's coast on Tuesday, prompting officials to shut roads and parks as the country braced for strong winds and rain.

As of 6:30 p.m., Jongdari was 100 kilometers (62 miles) west of the southern island of Jeju and headed north at 33 kph (20 mph) while packing 65 kph (40 mph) winds. It was forecast to weaken around midnight, hours before making landfall near the western city of Seosan.

Ernesto picked up strength as a hurricane early Monday as it headed farther out in the Atlantic toward easternmost Canada, but the storm is expected to stay offshore, causing powerful swells, dangerous surf and rip currents along the U.S. East Coast, the National Hurricane Center said.

Ernesto's maximum sustained winds increased Monday to near 80 mph (129 kph), with higher gusts, the hurricane center said. It is expected to weaken and become a post-tropical storm on Tuesday, the center said.

California's largest wildfire this year has been significantly tamed as the state's initially fierce fire season has, at least temporarily, fallen into a relative calm.

The Park Fire was 53% contained Monday after scorching nearly 671 square miles (1,738 square kilometers) in several northern counties, destroying 637 structures and damaging 49 as it became the state's fourth-largest wildfire on record.

After leading France's Olympic team to a silver medal at the Paris Games, Thierry Henry left his coaching job Monday, with the French soccer federation saying he had cited personal reasons for the departure.

The France great had a contract through the next season and was due to resume coaching the France under-21 team next month in its qualifying group for the 2025 European Championship.

Lionel Messi will not play in Argentina's next two World Cup qualifiers because of injury.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni announced his 28-man squad on Monday for the matches against Chile on Sept. 5 and Colombia five days later.

Bayern Munich and Croatia defender Josip Stanišić will miss the start of the Bundesliga season because of a knee injury, the club said Tuesday.

Stanišić tore a ligament in his right knee during a practice session Monday and will be "sidelined for several weeks," Bayern said.

BMW is recalling more than 720,000 vehicles due to an issue with the water pump's electrical connector that could potentially lead to a fire.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that the recall includes some X1, X3 and X5 vehicles as well as some other models.

World stocks mostly rose Tuesday after Wall Street pushed closer to record highs following its roller coaster of a summer.

Civilians with small children in their arms and lugging heavy suitcases fled Monday from Ukraine's eastern city of Pokrovsk, where the Russian army was bearing down fast despite a lightning Ukrainian incursion into Russia's Kursk region.

Local authorities said Russian forces were advancing so quickly that families were under orders to leave the city and other nearby towns and villages starting Tuesday. Around 53,000 people still live in Pokrovsk, officials said, and some of them decided to get out immediately.