Carpentras, France | AFP | Temperatures in France surpassed 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) Friday for the first time on record as Europe sweltered in an early summer heatwave that has caused several deaths. With France, Spain, Italy and parts of central Europe hard hit by the record-breaking temperatures, officials …
Read More »Africa cyclone survivors face ‘ticking bomb’ of disease: Red Cross
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | A powerful cyclone that pummelled southern African countries earlier this month has left survivors facing “a ticking bomb” of looming disease outbreaks, the Red Cross chief warned Monday. Cyclone Idai smashed into Mozambique’s coast 10 days ago, unleashing hurricane-force wind and rain that flooded swathes …
Read More »Mozambique, Zimbabwe cyclone deaths exceed 300
Beira, Mozambique | AFP | The death toll from a cyclone that smashed into Mozambique and Zimbabwe rose to more than 300 as rescuers raced against the clock to help survivors and the UN led the charge to provide aid. “We already have more than 200 dead, and nearly 350,000 …
Read More »Five die in California wildfires, 150,000 forced to flee
Paradise, United States | AFP | Five people were declared dead and 150,000 evacuated Friday as fierce wildfires raged across the western US state of California, with one rapidly spreading blaze threatening the famed resort of Malibu. The victims died in their vehicles trying to escape a massive late-season inferno …
Read More »US Air Force optimistic on hurricane-hit fighter jets
Washington, United States | AFP | The United States Air Force said Sunday that a group of F-22 stealth fighters left behind at a base to ride out Hurricane Michael were intact but it was too soon to say whether all of them would fly again. Tyndall Air Force Base in …
Read More »At least 116 killed as storms batter India
Agra, India | AFP | Lightning strikes and powerful dust storms across India have killed at least 116 people and injured more than 250 as meteorologists warned Thursday of more wild weather on the horizon. Dust clouds plunged swathes of north India into darkness as winds of more than 130 …
Read More »Double curse: After drought, Kenya’s Dadaab refugee camps hit by floods
Dadaab, Kenya | AFP | The children can’t believe their luck: storms and showers have turned their dirt football pitch into a lake. Youngsters scamper and splash through the murky water, chasing one another, leaping and laughing. Any entertainment is welcome in Dadaab, one of the biggest refugee bases in …
Read More »At least 16 dead as lightning strikes Rwanda church
Kigali, Rwanda | AFP | At least 16 people were killed and dozens more injured after lightning struck a Seventh-Day Adventist church in Rwanda, a local official said Sunday. Fourteen victims were killed on the spot as lightning hit the church in the Nyaruguru district in the Southern Province on …
Read More »Severe weather takes its toll on British sports fixtures
London, United Kingdom | AFP | A European-wide deep freeze that shows no sign of stopping anytime soon led Friday to the postponement of several British sports fixtures this weekend. And while no games in English football’s elite Premier League have yet been called off (pitches at most top-flight clubs …
Read More »Last three years hottest on record: UN
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The last three years were the hottest on record, the United Nations weather agency said Thursday, citing fresh global data underscoring the dramatic warming of the planet. Consolidated data from five leading international weather agencies shows that “2015, 2016 and 2017 have been confirmed as the …
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