The private ownership of wild animals has been outlawed in the United Arab Emirates, where keeping exotic creatures as pets is a status symbol for some, reports said Wednesday.

Almost 300 tonnes of oil spilled into Malaysian and Singaporean waters after two container ships collided in a Malaysian port, officials said Wednesday.    

The sun sets in eastern Spain and dozens of ancient olive trees cast long shadows on the ground.

Once dug up and sold as luxury items for the wealthy, they are increasingly protected as farmers and authorities realise these trees, some of which were planted by the Romans, are an invaluable part of Spain's heritage.

Floods in two northeast Malaysian states have now forced almost 23,000 people from their homes and extra relief centres have been opened, rescue officials said Wednesday.

Seasonal flooding hits Malaysia's east coast states every year and regularly results in mass evacuations. 

Beijing and other cities across northern and central China are shrouded in thick smog, prompting authorities to delay dozens of flights and close highways.

The Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau on Monday extended an "orange alert" for heavy air pollution for three more days. Beijing's smog had initially been forecast to lift by Monday.

China will ban all ivory trade and processing by the end of 2017, the government said, in a move hailed by conservationists as a "game changer" for African elephants.

A top Swedish court on Friday allowed the hunting of 24 wolves early next year in a decision slammed by environmental campaigners who fear a shooting spree could put the species at risk. 

Madrid on Thursday lifted an unprecedented ban on half of most private cars as pollution in the Spanish capital eased up.

Madrid's city hall announced Wednesday it had ordered half of most private cars off the roads to fight a particularly bad bout of pollution, a first in Spain.

Russian investigators said Tuesday they were looking into a disturbing video of a bear being crushed to death by a group of men riding in off-road vehicles over Siberian tundra.