The historic fountains in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican lay empty Tuesday after the tiny city state turned them off as Italy struggles with a prolonged drought.

The number of rhinos killed for their horns by poachers in South Africa dipped slightly in the first half of this year, but more than 500 were still slaughtered, the government announced Monday.

North Korea is facing severe food shortages after being hit by its worst drought in more than 15 years, the UN said, calling for urgent food imports to stop children going hungry.

Shanghai sweltered under a new record high of 40.9 degrees Centigrade (105 F) on Friday, authorities said as they issued a weather "red alert" over a stubborn heat wave that has plagued much of the country.

Poachers in Ecuador have long known the hefty prices their country's rare frogs can fetch. But now environmentally conscious firms are starting to sell the amphibians too -- to try to save them from the black market and threatened extinction.

In San Rafael, just outside the capital Quito, the scientific company Wikiri is raising 12 species of frog. Some are native only to Ecuador, while others are at risk at disappearing from their natural habitat elsewhere.

California legislators late Monday approved extending the state's tough measures to fight climate change to 2030, a major victory for Democratic Governor Jerry Brown.

Ukraine's western city of Lviv is famous for its picture-postcard graceful domes and cobblestone streets but it's not such a pretty sight in the back alleys, which are blighted by growing mountains of garbage.

U.S. President Donald Trump suggested Thursday he could change his position on the Paris climate accord, in remarks after talks with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron.

Three male lions that escaped over the weekend from South Africa's Kruger National Park have been shot dead after a farmer found them eating his cattle, officials said Thursday.

Billionaire philanthropist Michael Bloomberg and the governor of California announced Wednesday a plan to quantify efforts by U.S. states, cities and businesses to drive down greenhouse gas emissions.

Bloomberg, the world's tenth richest person, leads more than 1,000 companies, organizations, state and local authorities who pledged to honor the Paris climate accord, after Donald Trump announced a US exit from the 190-plus nation pact.