Humanitarian agencies are warning of a "second disaster" in flood-hit North Korea with tens of thousands -- many of them children -- still homeless as the region's bitter winter approaches.

The historic Paris climate pact dashed across the ratification finish line Wednesday to diplomatic cheers.

"A turning point for the planet," said US President Barack Obama.

The European Parliament Tuesday overwhelmingly backed the ratification of the Paris climate deal, in a vote attended by U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon that paves the way for the landmark pact to come into force globally.

The planet's three most dangerous greenhouse gases are rising, and fossil fuels must be taxed to protect children from the costly turmoil of rising seas and extreme storms, world-renowned climate scientist James Hansen warned Tuesday.

Vulnerable Haiti braced for flash floods and violent winds from the extremely dangerous Hurricane Matthew as the powerful storm kept on a path early Monday aiming at the hemisphere's poorest country.

The eye of the approaching Category 4 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (215 kph) early Monday, was expected to pass to the east of Jamaica and then cross over or be very close to the southwestern tip of Haiti late Monday or early Tuesday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said. It was predicted to hit the lightly populated eastern tip of Cuba on Tuesday afternoon.

India, the world's third biggest carbon emitter, ratified the Paris agreement on climate change on Sunday on the birthday of the country's famously ascetic independence leader Mahatma Gandhi.

EU environment ministers agreed Friday to fast-track the ratification of the landmark Paris agreement on climate change, despite the fact that some national parliaments have yet to approve the deal.

South Australia braced for a second night of severe weather Thursday, with tens of thousands of homes still without power after "catastrophic" storms knocked out supply to the entire population.

In a peaceful bay off Norway's Hitra island, massive nets teem with salmon destined for dinner tables worldwide -- an export boon for the Nordic nation that comes with a long list of environmental side-effects.

Hundreds of Vietnamese fishermen have filed claims against a Taiwanese steel company to be compensated for losses caused by its release of toxic chemicals.

The factory, owned by the Formosa Plastics Group, acknowledged in June that it was responsible for the pollution that killed large numbers of fish off the central Vietnamese coast in April, and pledged to pay $500 million to clean it up and compensate affected people.