Climate Change & Environment
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Overstayed Welcome? Henri Takes Its Time Drenching Northeast

Henri was downgraded to a tropical depression as it churned deeper inland early Monday, with experts predicting it will settle for awhile near the New York-Connecticut border before heading back east. Here's everything to know about the Northeast weather that's tropical in name, but far from its titular home:

IS HENRI STILL A HURRICANE?

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Census Could be Blessing or Bane for Romania's Bears

Romania will soon conduct a census of its protected brown bears using DNA for the first time, with tensions raised between villagers fearing further attacks and conservationists warning against looser hunting laws.

Incidents with hungry bears descending into villages have sparked the ire of residents, in a country that has seen around 100 attacks over the last three years. 

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Grace Heads for a Second Hurricane Hit on Mexican Coast

Hurricane Grace — temporarily knocked back to tropical storm force — headed Friday for a second landfall in Mexico, this time taking aim at the mainland's Gulf coast after crashing through the country's main tourist strip.

The storm lost punch as it zipped across the Yucatan Peninsula, but it emerged late Thursday over the relatively warm Gulf of Mexico and was gaining energy.

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2 Dead, 20 Missing in North Carolina County Flooded by Fred

Authorities combing areas of North Carolina flooded by the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred said Thursday that two people have been found dead and about 20 were unaccounted for.

Meanwhile, Fred — now a post-tropical cyclone — was pushing through New York and New England with drenching rains, and Tropical Storm Henri was sending dangerous waves onto East Coast beaches. Forecasters said Henri will likely strengthen into a hurricane as it approaches the northeastern U.S. early next week.

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Summer Wildfires Growing More Intense as Climate Sizzles

July was the planet's hottest month in 142 years of record keeping, according to U.S. weather officials. Several U.S. states — including California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington — also saw their hottest ever July.

In August, wildfires continued to rage across the western United States and Canada, southern Europe, northern Africa, Russia, Israel and elsewhere.

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Major Baze Continues Northwest of Athens

A major wildfire burning northwest of the Greek capital decimated large tracts of pine forest for a third day as hundreds of firefighters, assisted by water-dropping planes and helicopters, battled the flames Wednesday.

The blaze in the Vilia area broke out Monday shortly after another wildfire started to the southwest of Athens. Several villages and a nearby nursing home received evacuation orders.

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Fueled by Winds, Largest Wildfire Moves Near California City

A wildfire raged through a small Northern California forest town Tuesday, burning dozens of homes as dangerously dry and windy weather also continued to fuel other massive blazes and prompted the nation's largest utility to begin shutting off power to 51,000 customers.

The Caldor fire in the northern Sierra Nevada had burned an estimated 50 homes in and around Grizzly Flats, a town of about 1,200 people, fire officials said at a community meeting.

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U.N. Hot on the Trail of Temperature Records

During last week's heatwaves in Italy and Spain, meteorologists in both countries announced provisional data suggesting temperature records had been set there.

But such claims need to be verified by the United Nations before being confirmed or rejected -- a process that can take months of careful scientific checking.

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Indonesia Arrests Five in Decapitated Elephant Case

Five suspected poachers have been arrested over the beheading of an endangered Sumatran elephant, Indonesian authorities said Tuesday, as the Southeast Asian archipelago's battle with wildlife crime continues.

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Portugal Battles Wildfire as Heatwave Persists

Hundreds of Portuguese firefighters on Tuesday struggled to control a blistering blaze that broke out in southern Portugal the day before, forcing the evacuation of around 60 people. 

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