Evacuation orders issues in two counties as more than 14,000 firefighters battle wildfires up and down CaliforniaA wind-driven wildfire continued to advance towards Lake Tahoe, clouding the alpine vacation and tourist spot in a sickly yellow layer of s…
How a ‘lazy’ siesta could transform the UK’s working day | Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett
Longer breaks could mitigate some effects of extreme weather due to the climate crisisI will confess that my sleepy heart sang when I read the news that the National Trust would be introducing siestas for its staff. My people, I thought. A French frien…
Haiti’s earthquake has compounded years of corruption and political crisis | Jonathan M Katz
The 2010 earthquake response was riddled with failure. Haitians cannot afford another catastropheThe latest statistics from Haiti’s August 14 earthquake are stark: at least 2,207 people have been confirmed dead and more than 12,000 injured. More than 1…
German Greens under fire over 19th-century folk song in election ad
Greens go for wide appeal with reworked campfire song with no mention of devastating floodsGermany’s Green party has been accused of attempting to revive its hippyish origins rather than tackle the challenges of the present with the release of a campai…
Haiti earthquake 10 days on: survivors still ‘hungry and thirsty’ – video report
The death toll is still rising 10 days after a catastrophic earthquake struck southern Haiti on the morning of 14 August. More than 2,200 deaths have been recorded so far, while at least 30,000 families have had to abandon their homes. Many w…
Haiti needs help, but ‘not from aid workers who never leave their SUVs’
Beset by earthquakes, poverty and gang violence, the country is desperate for aid. However it must be the right kind, say localsThe death toll is still rising 10 days after a catastrophic earthquake struck southern Haiti on the morning of 14 August, le…
Henri makes landfall in Rhode Island, packing high winds and heavy rain
Biden says storm has ‘potential for widespread consequences’Inland rainfall seen as major threat in north-east statesTropical Storm Henri made landfall in Rhode Island on Sunday, packing high winds and heavy rains that were projected to leave devastati…
New England braces for first hurricane in 30 years as Henri barrels toward coast
Henri expected to intensify into a hurricane by Saturday, the US National Hurricane Center saidNew Englanders bracing for their first direct hit by a hurricane in 30 years began hauling boats out of the water and taking other precautions on Friday as T…
Million urged to seek shelter as floods and landslides hit Japan
Authorities in Hiroshima and northern Kyushu issue evacuation alert amid unprecedented rainfallMore than a million people have been urged to seek shelter as torrential rain triggered floods and landslides in western Japan, leaving at least one dead and…
July was world’s hottest month ever recorded, US scientists confirm
Global land and ocean surface temperature last month was 0.9C hotter than 20th-century average, beating July 2016 recordJuly was the world’s hottest month ever recorded, US government scientists have confirmed, a further indication of the unfolding cli…