Environment

BERLIN (AP) — German automaker Volkswagen says it will appeal a court ruling that orders it to buy back a six-year-old diesel vehicle at the original sales price.

In a statement Friday, Volkswagen said it expects an appeals court to overturn the verdict issued last week by judges in the southern German city of Augsburg.

The company has paid billions of dollars in fines and compensation to diesel car owners since 2015 for cheating on emissions tests.

22 Nov 2018; AFP: The levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the main driver of climate change, have hit a new record high, the UN said Thursday, warning that the time to act was running out.

Ahead of the COP 24 climate summit in Poland next month, top United Nations officials are again trying to raise the pressure on governments to meet the pledge of limiting warming to the less than two degrees Celsius, enshrined in the 2015 Paris accord.

Sydney, Nov 22 (AFP) A large dust storm swirled over eastern Australia on Thursday, driven over the coast by a weather front barrelling across the drought-stricken interior.

Authorities warned residents of Sydney and other parts of New South Wales state who had respiratory or cardiovascular conditions to limit their time outdoors until the dust settled.

21 Nov 2018; AFP: A sperm whale has been found dead in Indonesia with 115 plastic cups and 25 plastic bags in its stomach, raising concern among environmentalists and throwing the spotlight on the country's rubbish problem.

The items were part of nearly six kilograms (13 pounds) of plastic waste discovered in the 9.5-metre (31-foot) carcass when it washed ashore in Wakatobi National Park, in Southeast Sulawesi province, on Monday.

Other debris included flip flops and ripped tarpaulins, the head of Wakatobi tourism, La Ode Saleh Hanan, told AFP on Wednesday.

19 Nov 2018; AFP: China will expand its ban on imports of solid waste, local media reported Monday, almost a year after its first curbs caused havoc in countries that sent their rubbish to the Asian giant.

The regulatory action -- which expands the prohibition to 32 categories of solid waste from the 24 banned last year -- will go into effect from December 31, according to official news agency Xinhua, citing four Chinese government agencies.

18 Nov 2018; DW: A powerful cyclone has battered India's southeast coast, killing more than 30 people and forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes. Officials are scrambling to get food and water to people sheltering in relief camps.

The death toll from Cyclone Gaja rose to 33 on Sunday, authorities in India said, as emergency services rushed to deliver vital supplies to people sheltering in more than 400 state-run camps.

LONDON (AP) — Hundreds of protesters have turned out in central London and blocked off the capital’s main bridges to demand the government take climate change seriously.

A group called “Extinction Rebellion” encouraged sit-ins on the bridges Saturday as part of a coordinated week of action across the country.

Metropolitan Police said emergency vehicles were hampered from getting across London because of the “blockade” of five bridges. The force said it had asked all protesters to congregate at Westminster Bridge where officers can facilitate lawful protest.

CHICO, Calif. (AP) — Northern California crews battling the country’s deadliest wildfire in a century were bracing for strong winds, with gusts up to 50 miles per hour, creating the potential to erode gains they have made in containing a disaster that has killed at least 76 and leveled a town.

Bahraich, Nov 17 (PTI) Two cases were registered against former MLA Dilip Verma and his supporters for allegedly beating up a tehsildar in his chamber, police said Saturday.

Dilip Verma is the husband of sitting BJP MLA from Nanpara Assembly constituency Madhuri Verma.

In protest, the staff at the tehsil office locked its gate and abstained from work.

17 Nov 2018; AFP: The number of people listed as missing in a northern California wildfire jumped past 1,000 as searchers found the remains of eight more victims on the eve of President Donald Trump's trip to witness the devastation.

Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea told reporters the number of people unaccounted for almost doubled from 631 to 1,011 in 24 hours as authorities receive more reports of people missing and as emergency calls made when the fire broke out are reviewed.