A wildfire raged in a forested area of mountainous northern Lebanon on Wednesday, reaching just outside some residential homes and killing a 15-year old who was helping firefighters put out the blaze, the civil defense and state news agency said.

Firefighters, military helicopters and civilians battled the wildfire near the village of Qobayat in Akkar province that burned for hours and spread to nearby areas, the civil defense said.

Indonesia's Mount Sinabung erupted on Wednesday, spewing a massive column of smoke and ash into the sky.

The eruption of the volcano in North Sumatra province lasted about 12 minutes, a local geological agency said.

An out-of-control fire scorched forests at the base of Mount Penteli north of Athens Tuesday, threatening surrounding suburbs, firefighters and local authorities said.

Authorities have sent alerts to mobile phones of residents of the affected area, warning them to "be ready to follow instructions," but no evacuation orders had yet been issued.

A tropical storm was barreling towards northeastern Japan on Monday, forcing Tokyo Olympics organizers to reschedule rowing and archery that could be affected by high winds.

Tropical Storm Nepartak, packing gusts up to 108 kilometers (67 miles) per hour, was expected to make landfall Tuesday, Japan's meteorological agency said.

Nearly 200 nations started online negotiations Monday to validate a U.N. science report that will anchor autumn summits charged with preventing climate catastrophe on a planetary scale. 

"The report that you are going to finalize is going to be very important worldwide," World Meteorological Organization head Petteri Taalas told some 700 delegates by Zoom.

A young endangered monk seal who became the mascot of a Greek island in a marine protected area after surviving a cyclone and endearing himself to locals has been killed, sparking an uproar.

French President Emmanuel Macron faced pressure to apologize for the devastating impact of decades of nuclear testing as he kicked off his first official trip to French Polynesia.

Rescuers in India combed through mud and debris Saturday in a desperate search for survivors as the death toll from heavy monsoon rains climbed to 76, with nearly 90,000 others evacuated.

Villagers were evacuated over makeshift bridges Friday as floods submerged swathes of central China following a historic deluge which claimed at least 51 lives -- while an approaching typhoon threatened to dump more rain on the stricken area.

Millions have been affected by the floods in Henan province, which have trapped people for days without fresh food or water, and pulverized roads as they breached embankments, caking whole areas in thick ankle-deep mud.

Thirty-six people have died in landslides caused by heavy monsoon downpours in western India, with dozens more feared trapped, an official said Friday.