Environment

• Monday, January 25th 2016 - 20:12 UTC

  Four dead sperm whales wash on to the beaches of eastern England

  

  Four dead sperm whales have washed up on beaches in eastern England, coastguard authorities said Sunday, a week after similar deaths across the North Sea in Germany and the Netherlands. Two whales washed up near the resort of Skegness on the English east coast on Saturday, said the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). They laid side by side on the beach. A third dead whale appeared on Sunday.

• Monday, January 25th 2016 - 08:54 UTC

  “Snowzilla” froze the East Coast of the US and left at least 29 dead

  

  Millions of people across the eastern US are clearing up after the weekend's massive snowstorm that virtually paralysed the region. They have been digging out their cars and clearing pathways of snow which reached 91cm in five states.

• Monday, January 25th 2016 - 08:41 UTC

  Tompkins widow plans to hand over thousands of acres to create national parks in Patagonia

  

  The widow of American conservationist Doug Tompkins, who died last month while kayaking in South America's Patagonia region, says she'll build on her husband's legacy of protecting threatened ecosystems in Argentina and Chile.

• Monday, January 25th 2016 - 08:24 UTC

  Storm Jonas heading for UK across the Atlantic, with forecasts of torrential rain

  

  The storm that battered America is on its way to Britain, forecasters have warned. But instead of dumping loads of snow, it’s going to bring severe rainfall across large parts of the country. It is expected that the ‘remnants’ of Storm Jonas will hit the UK on Tuesday, with torrential rain and heavy winds on their way.

• Thursday, January 21st 2016 - 07:59 UTC

  Last year was the hottest in modern times since 1880, shattering 2014 record

  

  2015 was by far the hottest year in modern times and raising new concerns about the accelerating pace of climate change. Not only was 2015 the warmest worldwide since 1880, it shattered the previous record held in 2014 by the widest margin ever observed, said the report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

• Friday, January 15th 2016 - 12:31 UTC

  Toxic gas cloud in Brazil's main and busiest port area sends tens to hospital

  

  Toxic gas which on Thursday leaked from tanks in a cargo warehouse in the Brazilian coastal city of Guaruja, close to Santos the country's largest and busiest port, has sent some 40 people to hospitals.

• Friday, January 15th 2016 - 08:45 UTC

  UK ambassador participates in academic forum on climate change in Chile

  

  British Ambassador Fiona Clouder and United States Ambassador Michael Hammer participated in the event “Sustainable Investment” last week organized by the Corporate Leaders Group on climate change (CLG Chile) in conjunction with the Faculty of Business and Economics from the University of Chile and the Harvard Law School.

• Friday, January 15th 2016 - 08:06 UTC

  Strong hints of a vast canyon system hidden under the Antarctic ice sheet

  

  A vast, previously unrecognized canyon system could be hidden under the Antarctic ice sheet. Hints of its presence are seen in the shape of the white continent's surface, in a largely unexplored region called Princess Elizabeth Land. If confirmed by a proper geophysical survey - now under way - the winding canyon network would be over 1,000km long and in places as much as 1km deep.

• Tuesday, January 5th 2016 - 08:22 UTC

  US Justice Department seeking billions of dollars from Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche

  

  The United States Justice Department has filed a federal lawsuit against Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche that seeks billions of dollars in penalties over claims that the car companies installed devices to deliberately misreport emissions. Nearly 600,000 diesel-engine vehicles were installed with these devices since 2009.

• Tuesday, January 5th 2016 - 08:12 UTC

  Ascension Island to become a marine reserve as big as the UK, in 2017

  

  The British Overseas Territory of Ascension Island is set to become a marine reserve almost as big as the UK, the British government has announced. Using a £300,000 grant from the Bacon Foundation, the UK government will close 52.6% of the south Atlantic island's waters to fishing. In the rest of the waters there will be a monitored tuna fishery.