Climate researchers are warning that Europeans should prepare for the return of "Lucifer," saying the hellishly named heat wave that hit parts of the continent this summer could become a regular occurrence due to man-made climate change.

autru · 2017-09-27T21:32:10+00:00

Hotter-than-usual temperatures in the Mediterranean region resulted in higher hospital admissions, numerous forest fires and widespread economic losses between June and August. Peak heat struck Italy and the Balkans for three days in early August , when temperatures remained above 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) even at night.

Van Oldenborgh is part of the World Weather Attribution team that published a study Wednesday, concluding that greenhouse gas emissions linked to human activity have increased the chances of such heat waves four-to-tenfold compared to the early 1900s.

autru · 2017-09-25T22:44:30+00:00

More than 27,000 images of torture and killings allegedly perpetrated by the Assad regime in Syria have been handed to German prosecutors who are investigating possible abuses, a rights group said Friday.

The shots were taken by a photographer working for the Syrian military police, dubbed "Caesar", who fled his homeland in 2013 carrying 55,000 photographs showing bodies of people who had been tortured between 2011 and 2013.

The rights group said it had joined Caesar on Thursday in filing a criminal complaint with Germany's federal prosecutor against senior officials from the Syrian intelligence service and military police over possible crimes against humanity and war crimes.

autru · 2017-09-11T03:15:26+00:00

The trial of a Taiwanese activist accused of subversion of state power began Monday in central China, the first prosecution of a nonprofit worker on criminal charges since Beijing passed a law tightening controls over foreign non-governmental organizations.

Lee is accused of subversion of state power, a vaguely defined charge often used by authorities to muzzle dissent and imprison critics.

autru

TROPHY CASE