Frequent Heavy Rain Has Made California a Mudslide Hotspot

This story originally appeared on Inside Climate News and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Picture the minute hand at about 8 past the hour. That’s the slope of Viet’s backyard in southern Los Angeles County. It’s a bit too aggressive for a slip-and-slide. In fact, Viet doesn’t even let his 7-year-old daughter play … Read more

India seeks to boost rooftop solar, especially for its remote areas

BENGALURU, India — Just a few years ago, someone who wanted to install a rooftop solar connection in India faced getting multiple approvals, finding a reliable company to install the panels and spending heavily before seeing the first surge of clean energy. But that’s changing. The government has streamlined the approvals process, made it easier … Read more

Shrinking international aid and enduring conflict compound earthquake misery for Syrians one year on

JINDERIS, Syria — A year ago, Sido Naji woke to his house shaking in northwest Syria. He was used to the sounds of shelling and airstrikes after more than a decade of war, but this time the assailant was a force of nature: a massive earthquake. The 16-year-old and his father managed to flee before … Read more

Japan launches an intelligence-gathering satellite to watch for North Korean missiles

TOKYO — Japan launched a rocket carrying a government intelligence-gathering satellite Friday on a mission to watch movements at military sites in North Korea and improve responses to natural disasters. The H2A rocket, launched by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan, carrying the optical satellite as part … Read more

Climate change has displaced millions in Pakistan, China and India

A girl sits on a cot as she crosses a flooded street in Pakistan on October 4, 2022. A record 32.6 million internal displacements were associated with disasters in 2022 — more than the 28.3 million with conflict and violence, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. Fida Hussain | Afp | Getty Images As … Read more

AP Photos: Search presses on for earthquake survivors as Japan grieves the lives lost

SUZU, Japan — Rescuers searched the rubble of collapsed homes in western Japan on Wednesday in the hopes of finding survivors of this week’s earthquake, which killed dozens of people. The magnitude 7.6 temblor Monday, which has had many aftershocks, rocked the Ishikawa prefecture and the surrounding area, toppling thousands of buildings, sparking fires and … Read more

6.5 magnitude earthquake shakes part of Indonesia’s Papua region, no immediate reports of casualties

JAKARTA, Indonesia — A powerful earthquake shook Indonesia’s easternmost region of Papua early Sunday, but there were no immediate reports of serious damage or casualties. The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 6.5 quake was centered 162 kilometers (101 miles) northeast of Abepura, a subdistrict in Jayapura, the capital of Papua province. It happened at … Read more

Eurostar cancels trains due to flooding, stranding hundreds of travelers in Paris and London

LONDON — Eurostar services to and from London were canceled Saturday after a tunnel under the River Thames became flooded due to heavy rain, disrupting festive travel plans. Hundreds of travelers trying to get across the English Channel were stranded at London’s St. Pancras International station and the Gare du Nord station in Paris. Eurostar, … Read more

5.9 magnitude earthquake shakes Indonesia’s Aceh province. No casualties reported

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia — A strong and shallow undersea earthquake shook part of Indonesia’s Aceh province Saturday, but there were no immediate reports of serious damage or casualties. The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 5.9 earthquake was centered 362 kilometers (225 miles) east of Sinabang, a coastal town in Aceh province at a depth … Read more

Lovers of sweet treats could be hit by rising sugar prices

Sugar for sale at a supermarket in Yichang City, in China’s Hubei province, on April 6, 2023. Future Publishing | Future Publishing | Getty Images A mammoth rally in 2023 for El Niño-exposed raw materials will likely hit consumers’ pockets over the coming months, according to one specialist food and agribusiness bank. Soft commodities have … Read more