Climate Change & Environment
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Magnitude 6.5 Earthquake Hits off Puerto Rico

A strong earthquake struck off the south of Puerto Rico early Tuesday, the US Geological Survey said, the latest in a series of tremors that have shaken the island since December 28.

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Australia Firefighters Race to Contain Blazes as Heatwave Looms

Firefighters raced to quell massive bushfires in southeastern Australia Tuesday, taking advantage of a brief drop in temperatures and some much-needed rainfall before another heatwave strikes later this week.

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Fire-Hit Australia Gets $1.4 Billion Recovery Fund as Troops Deployed

Reserve troops fanned out across fire-ravaged regions in three Australian states on Monday after a horror weekend, as the government pledged $1.4 billion over two years to help recover from the devastating months-long crisis.

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Military Evacuates Fire-Hit Australian Town

Australia's military launched the seaborne evacuation of hundreds of people trapped in a southeastern town Friday, as the country braced for yet more catastrophic bushfire conditions.

A navy landing craft from HMAS Choules docked in the town of Mallacoota, where residents who had been stuck on the foreshore since New Year's Eve clambered aboard with family, pets and a few belongings. 

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Volkswagen in Talks to Settle German 'Dieselgate' Mass Lawsuit

Car giant Volkswagen said Thursday it would open talks on a possible settlement in a mass lawsuit brought by hundreds of thousands of German diesel car owners over emissions cheating.

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Australia Orders Evacuation of Fire-Ravaged Towns before Heatwave

Australia ordered residents and tourists out of the path of raging bushfires Thursday as the country braced for a weekend heatwave expected to fan the deadly inferno.

Catastrophic blazes ripped through the country's south-east on New Year's Eve, killing at least eight people and stranding holidaymakers.

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Thai Retailers Ban Single-Use Plastic Bags

Thai retailers kicked off 2020 with a ban on single-use plastic bags, joining the battle against throwaway carriers in the Southeast Asian nation where citizens go through an average of eight every day. 

The move, taken on Wednesday by several major mall operators and the ubiquitous 7/11 convenience stores, will see customers instead paying a small fee for a reusable bag made of a cloth-like fabric. 

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Dozens of Monkeys Die in German Zoo Fire

Flames from flying New Year's Eve lanterns might have sparked a blaze that killed dozens of monkeys at a zoo in northwestern Germany, management and security services said Wednesday.

The blaze tore through the monkey enclosure shortly before midnight, killing at least 30 animals, including orangutans, chimpanzees and marmosets, police said.

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Thousands Trapped on Australia Beaches Encircled by Fire

Thousands of holidaymakers and locals were forced to flee to beaches in fire-ravaged southeast Australia Tuesday, as blazes ripped through popular tourist areas leaving no escape by land.

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2019 Was Hottest Year on Record for Russia

This year was the hottest ever registered in Russia, the country's weather chief said on Monday, as climate change pushes global temperatures to record highs.

"This year in Russia was the hottest for the entire period of instrumental observations," the head of the Gidromedtsentr weather service, Roman Vilfand, told Russian news agencies.

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