Europe

"In a busy world, it’s easy to think about climate change as a far-away problem – one there’s still time to work on later, that’s happening far away from where we live, that will affect our children or grandchildren but not us. That’s gotten a little harder in the United Kingdom this past month, as the heaviest winter rain in more than 250 years has lashed the country into a sodden, leaking mess, and moved worries about extreme weather right up the list."

"BURROWBRIDGE, England -- Severe flooding and landslips cut off rail links to large parts of southwest England for more than 24 hours at the weekend as the government came under pressure for its handling of storms battering Britain."

"Sochi — Just outside the Olympic Park in Sochi, where the Winter Games open on Friday, is a green space with benches, artificial ponds and a couple of hides. 'Ornithological Park', the sign declares. The problem is that there is not a bird in sight in the park, which was set up as a replacement for sensitive wetlands that were covered over for the construction of Games venues."

"Wild salmon will become as rare in Scotland as the giant pandas in Edinburgh Zoo because they are being threatened by sea lice, according to magazine Country Life."

"LONDON — For years, Europe has tried to set the global standard for climate-change regulation, creating tough rules on emissions, mandating more use of renewable energy sources and arguably sacrificing some economic growth in the name of saving the planet."

"Russian courts sentence Evgeny Vitishko, a critic of the Sochi Olympics construction developments, to three years."

"As builders worked feverishly to get the Black Sea resort ready for winter games so closely tied to President Vladimir Putin's legacy, they failed to notice the effects their work was having on the village below."

"The Italian government agreed Tuesday to send in the army to fight the mafia which it blames for illegally dumping tonnes of toxic garbage around Naples, in an area dubbed the 'Triangle of Death'."

"The Camorra mafia has been dumping and burning toxic waste for decades in the area between Naples and the province of Caserta."

"Bill Williams, the president of the company that wants to open a $1.5 billion iron ore mine in northern Wisconsin, is being charged with contaminating an emergency water supply at a mine in Spain."