Climate Change & Environment
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La Palma's Volcanic Eruption Is Going Strong 3 Weeks Later

Three weeks since its eruption upended the lives of thousands, the volcano on Spain's La Palma island is still spewing out endless streams of lava with no signs of ceasing.

Authorities on Sunday monitored a new stream of molten rock that has added to the destruction of over 1,100 buildings. Anything in the path of the lava — homes, farms, swimming pools and industrial buildings in the largely agricultural area — has been consumed.

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Tornadoes Cause Damage in Oklahoma; Storms Rock Central U.S.

Several reported tornadoes ripped through Oklahoma late Sunday into early Monday morning, causing damage but no immediate word of deaths or injuries.

The severe weather system also brought heavy rain, lightning and wind to parts of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Texas, and more stormy weather is predicted for later this week in parts of the central U.S.

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Flooding Sends Bus into River in China; 120,000 Evacuated

A bus fell into a river in northern China on Monday, leaving at least three people dead and 11 others missing after flooding from heavy rains destroyed homes and covered farmland.

Video posted online showed people on top of an almost submerged bus in a rushing river flowing over a nearby bridge outside the city of Shijiazhuang, about 265 kilometers (165 miles) southwest of Beijing.

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Pope Francis Not Going to U.N. Climate Summit

The Vatican said Friday that Pope Francis does not plan to attend the upcoming U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland.

Francis has made care for the environment a hallmark of his papacy, and he said in a recent interview that he intended to participate in the Oct. 12-Nov. 12 event and had a speech being drafted. Scotland's bishops also were preparing for a visit.

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Phoenix, Other Cities Keep Growing as Climate Danger Rises

The mustard-colored apartments built as public housing more than half a century ago are among the hottest spots in Phoenix, with only a few scrawny trees and metal clothesline poles offering shade in dusty courtyards.

The two-story stucco structures in Edison-Eastlake, a historically Black neighborhood that has become majority Latino, are among the last still standing halfway through a six-year redevelopment project that aims to better protect residents from extreme heat amid a mega drought in the West.

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At Flooded Restaurant Near Bangkok, The Special Is a Splash

A flood-hit riverside restaurant in Thailand has become an unlikely dining hotspot after fun-loving foodies began flocking to its waterlogged deck to eat amid the lapping tide.

Now, instead of empty chairs and vacant tables, the Chaopraya Antique Café is as full as ever, offering an experience the canny owner calls "hot-pot surfing."

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UAE Targets Carbon Neutrality by 2050

The United Arab Emirates, one of the world's biggest oil exporters, has launched a "strategic initiative" targeting carbon neutrality by 2050, ahead of a U.N. climate conference late this month. 

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Google to Ban Ads Appearing Next to Climate Denial Content

Google is taking action to stop climate change deniers from spreading misinformation or making money by blocking digital ads promoting false climate change claims from appearing alongside content on its platforms.

The company said Thursday in a blog post that it was rolling out a new policy for YouTube video creators. advertisers and publishers.

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China Orders Mines to Up Coal Production by Nearly 100 Million Tons

Chinese authorities have ordered dozens of coal mines to expand production amid a nationwide energy crunch, state media reported Friday.

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Alabama Swamped, Child Died in Floods from Slow-Moving Front

Flash flood warnings were in effect Thursday for a swath of the southeastern U.S. after a stalled weather front drenched Alabama, leaving high water that covered roads, swamped a Piggly Wiggly, unleashed sewage and forced water rescues. A child's death was blamed on the floods.

As much as 6 inches (15 centimeters) of rain fell in about a day as the low-pressure system lingered over Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. The forecast called for particularly intense rain Thursday in parts of metro Birmingham, which were under a flash flood watch, but meteorologists predicted another wet day for most of the state and parts of Florida.

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