Climate & Energy · Sunday, 1 November 2026

Bolivia declares a national emergency over El Nino, with drought already hitting 78,000 families and floods ahead

17 stories 18 sources

Signals on this beat

The bar and the word are our reading of how hard each one is pushing, and the arrow is where it is heading.

Heavy rain and drought at once High↑

Drought hits 78,000 Bolivian families as the rainy season brings flood warnings. [1]
Chile's capital, Santiago, had its rainiest October on record. [1]
Flood watches cover nearly all of Arizona after an autumn of soaking rain. [16]

Rebuilding after disasters running slow High→

A year after a storm, about 30 of the 361 people of Kwigillingok, in Alaska, are back in the village. [4]
Low-income countries need 92% longer to recover from disasters, a global study finds. [5]
Broughshane Waterfowl Park stays shut until its oiled pond is fully clean. [6]

Britain leaning back toward gas and oil Building↑

Britain's finance minister will veto new offshore wind farms that do not lower bills. [3]
Scotland's government approved a new gas power station at Peterhead. [8]
Deals for UK oil and gas firms reached 19.6 billion dollars this year, more than in all of 2025. [9]

Wildlife returning to restored land Steady↑

Larvae of a rare beetle were found in Wales after the species went missing there for 60 years. [11]
An endangered damselfly was seen beside a restored chalk river in England. [12]

The stories

17 stories on this beat today.

Every story told the same way: what happened, who is involved, why it matters, how it works, the truth and the good news.

01
Bolivia declares a national emergency over El Nino, with drought already hitting 78,000 families and floods ahead

78,000

families in Bolivia already hit by drought

the figure comes from a government report this week [1][2]

75,000

cattle Bolivia has lost to the drought

and officials now warn of floods as the rainy season starts [2]

451,000

extra deaths this El Nino's heat could cause worldwide

a researchers' estimate for June 2026 to February 2027 [2]
What happened
- Bolivia's president, Rodrigo Paz, declared a national state of emergency on Saturday because of El Nino. [1]
- Drought already hits 78,000 families in Bolivia, a government report says. [1][2]
- The country has lost more than 75,000 cattle to the drought. [1][2]
- The decree sends extra rescue teams and brings in the army and police. [2]
- It could become the strongest El Nino in recorded history, Al Jazeera reports. [1]
- Bolivia's rainy season is now starting, and officials warn of floods and landslides. [2]
- Paz said El Nino will have "very severe impacts in terms of drought and floods". [1][2]
- Next door, Chile's capital, Santiago, had its rainiest October on record. [1]
- In Peru, wildfires killed at least 12 people in October. [1]
- The United Nations has called this El Nino "heading off the charts". [2]
Who is involved

El Nino is a natural warming of the sea surface in the Pacific near the equator. [2]
It returns every two to seven years and shifts winds and rain around the world. [1]
It often brings drought to some regions and heavy rain to others. [2]
- Rodrigo Paz Bolivia's president; he signed the national emergency decree on Saturday
- The World Meteorological Organization the UN's weather agency; it gave El Nino a nearly 100% chance of lasting to February 2027
- Bolivia's army and police the armed services the decree brings into the disaster response
How it unfolded

This El Nino formed in June and has grown stronger quickly since then. [2]
In December 2025, floods in Bolivia's Santa Cruz region killed dozens of people. [1]
1. June El Nino forms
2. Since then it grows fast
3. Dec 2025 floods kill dozens in Santa Cruz
4. Now the rains start again
5. December expected peak
6. 2027 effects go on
7. Dec 2025 Floods in Bolivia's Santa Cruz region kill dozens [1]
8. Jun 2026 El Nino forms in the Pacific [2]
9. Sep 2026 The UN's weather agency puts the odds of it lasting to February 2027 near 100% [1]
10. Sat 31 Oct Bolivia declares a national emergency [1]
11. December El Nino expected to peak [2]
Why it matters

Researchers estimate this El Nino's heat could cause about 451,000 extra deaths worldwide by February 2027. [2]
Scientists say the poorest countries will be hit worst. [1]
How it works

Emergency managers call this stage preparedness: moving people and money before the worst arrives. [2]
Bolivia's decree is meant to mobilise resources as the country braces for drought and floods. [2]
Why rebuilding after a disaster takes years longer than the rescue

Emergency managers split a disaster into stages: the rescue gets emergency powers and fast money, while rebuilding waits years on ordinary budgets and rules.

The twist

Most of a disaster happens after the rescue: rebuilding takes years, because it waits on ordinary budgets, permits and appeals.

The picture

Alaska's money so far75 million dollars
Full recovery, estimated400 million dollars
A year after Typhoon Halong, Alaska has put in 75 million dollars. Its emergency chief expects the recovery to cost more than 400 million.
Step by step
1. Emergency managers split a disaster into four stages: prevent, prepare, respond, recover
2. A declared emergency sends rescue teams, soldiers and money fast
3. The rescue is over in days or weeks
4. Rebuilding homes, pipes and schools waits on ordinary budgets, permits and appeals
5. Families with less to fall back on wait longest, so the poorest lose most
The same force, elsewhere today

Where this chain is also running, in today's other stories.
- Bolivia's emergency decree
  
  Bolivia is at the preparing stage: the decree lines up rescue teams, the army and police before the floods arrive.
- Kwigillingok, a year on
  
  The recovery stage stalled: no repair crews worked for about six weeks while they waited for federal money, and Alaska is preparing to appeal a refused housing grant.
- The study of 132 countries
  
  Low-income countries needed 92% longer to recover, and the poorest people carried a third of the losses.
- The oiled pond at Broughshane
  
  Oil booms went on the pond quickly, but the park stays shut until the pond is fully clean, and no date is given.
Where you've seen this

Hospitals

an operation takes hours; learning to walk again afterwards can take months

Wars

a ceasefire is signed in a day; rebuilding bombed cities takes decades

Computer system failures

systems come back in hours; checking and repairing the lost data takes months

The catch

Slow recovery is sometimes the right choice: rebuilding houses on ground the sea keeps flooding can set up the next disaster, which is why Kwigillingok voted to move.

And the whole of it

Behind one emergency decree are years of grant forms, building permits and appeals. The families waiting in Bethel, the officials deciding their grants and the taxpayers paying for both each see only their own part of that wait.
The truth
- What is really going on Bolivia declared a national emergency on Saturday so it can move rescue teams, soldiers and police before El Nino's floods add to a drought already hitting 78,000 families. [1][2]
- Families already hit by drought now also face the flood risk the rains bring. [1][2]
- Al Jazeera says drought hits 6 of Bolivia's 9 regions; Germany's DW says 7. [1][2]
- Who pays Bolivian families on drought-hit land — 78,000 families are already hit and more than 75,000 cattle lost, before the rainy season's flood risk. [1][2]
- Nobody knows yet
  How far Bolivia's drought has spread.
  
  Al Jazeera reports Bolivia's government count as six of nine regions and DW as seven, and neither publishes the report itself. [1][2]
- Nobody knows yet
  How strong this El Nino will be at its peak.
  
  It is expected to peak in December; until then 'strongest on record' is a possibility reported, not a measurement. [1][2]
What comes next

The UN's weather agency put the chance it lasts to February 2027 at nearly 100%. [1]
It is expected to peak in December, with effects that could last into 2027. [1][2]

02
Britain's finance minister to veto costly wind farms
What happened
- Britain's finance minister, John Healey, will veto new offshore wind farms that do not lower bills. [3]
- Wind farms bidding for subsidies will pass only if the grid can carry all their power. [3]
- He wrote in the Times: "There's no sense building power that can't connect." [3]
- Healey's Budget on Wednesday also cut more than 3 billion pounds from the energy department. [3]
- Healey said: "This is not a retreat from clean power." [3]
Who is involved
- John Healey Britain's chancellor, the finance minister
How it unfolded

Britain's grid operator pays wind farms to switch off when cables cannot carry their power. [3]
A September audit put the possible cost at 7.8 billion pounds a year by 2030. [3]

Why it matters

The move looks like a further step away from Labour's goal of clean power by 2030. [3]
Healey says cheaper electricity will make it easier for homes and firms to go electric. [3]

How it works

Grid engineers call this a grid constraint: the wires, not the wind, limit the power. [3]
The truth
- Households pay for those switch-offs, because the grid operator is funded through energy bills. [3]
- Healey has not said how ministers will measure whether a project lowers bills. [3]
- Who pays Offshore wind developers in Britain — A new veto can block subsidy deals for farms the grid cannot carry, on a test not yet explained. [3]
- Who pays British households — Bills already fund payments to switch off wind farms the cables cannot carry, a cost that could reach 7.8 billion pounds a year by 2030. [3]
- Nobody knows yet
  How British ministers will judge whether a wind farm lowers bills.
  
  Healey announced the test but gave no method or threshold for it. [3]
What comes next

He will apply the new test in the next auction for renewable power contracts. [3]
03
A year on, an Alaska village is still empty
What happened
- A year after a storm hit Kwigillingok, Alaska, most of its people still cannot go home. [4]
- The surge lifted 46 of the village's 99 houses and carried them for miles. [4]
- Three people died. [4]
- About 30 people are back, out of 361 who lived there before the storm. [4]
- Repair crews stopped from early September to mid-October, waiting for federal money. [4]
- Across the storm zone, Alaska has committed 75 million dollars; recovery may top 400 million. [4]
Who is involved

Kwigillingok is a Yup'ik village a quarter mile from the Bering Sea. [4]
- Kwigillingok's families
- Bethel and Anchorage
- Darell John resident
- Alaska's transport department
How it unfolded

On 12 October 2025, the remains of Typhoon Halong drove the sea into the village. [4]
1. 12 Oct 2025 the sea floods the village
2. Now most people still away
Why it matters

Families wait in Bethel and Anchorage, and leaders fear city life will harm Yup'ik culture. [4]

How it works

Emergency managers call this the recovery phase, and here it will take years. [4]
US disaster money is built for rebuilding, not for moving a village to higher ground. [4]

The recovery stage stalled: no repair crews worked for about six weeks while they waited for federal money, and Alaska is preparing to appeal a refused housing grant.
The idea, in story 01: Why rebuilding after a disaster takes years longer than the rescue →
The truth
- A resident says crews fixed long-empty houses; the state says it worked with village leaders. [4]
- Nobody knows yet
  When Kwigillingok's families can go home.
  
  The village is still under a no-go-home order, and its tribal resilience coordinator says she does not know when people can return. [4]
- Nobody knows yet
  Whether Alaska wins more federal money for housing.
  
  Its request was refused after eight months and the state is only preparing its appeal. [4]
What comes next

Alaska plans to appeal after a request for federal housing money was refused. [4]
04
Poor countries take far longer to recover
What happened
- A new study in Nature Sustainability measured how disasters hurt people, not only buildings. [5]
- Across 132 countries, 1 dollar of damage cost people about 2 dollars of lost well-being. [5]
- The poorest people suffer only 9% of the damage but 33% of the well-being losses. [5]
- Low-income countries need 92% longer to recover than high-income countries. [5]
- Their well-being losses per dollar of damage are 72% bigger. [5]
Who is involved

Lost well-being here means people having to spend less on daily living. [5]
Why it matters

Most disaster studies count damaged property and often miss who is hurt most, the authors say. [5]

How it works

Researchers call the power to take damage without going short socio-economic resilience. [5]
A country 10% richer per person is about 1 point more resilient, the study finds. [5]

Low-income countries needed 92% longer to recover, and the poorest people carried a third of the losses.
The idea, in story 01: Why rebuilding after a disaster takes years longer than the rescue →
The truth
- What is really going on A year after a storm in Alaska, most people from the village of Kwigillingok still cannot go home, and a study of 132 countries finds low-income countries take 92% longer to recover from disasters. [4][5]
- Aiming help at the poorest usually buys the most well-being per dollar, the authors find. [5]
- Who pays The poorest people in any disaster — They suffer 9% of the damage but 33% of the well-being losses, the study of 132 countries finds. [5]
05
Spilled heating oil kills 13 birds in a park
What happened
- Heating oil from a vandalised tank has killed 13 birds at Broughshane Waterfowl Park. [6]
- More than 20 birds went to the USPCA, an animal welfare charity, for specialist care. [6]
- The park is closed while the oil is removed, and police want witnesses. [6]
Who is involved

The park is in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, and keeps 120 collection birds. [6]
How it unfolded

A volunteer smelled kerosene one Thursday morning and found the black swans covered in oil. [6]
Northern Ireland's environment agency was alerted on 22 October and laid booms that soak up oil. [6]
1. 22 Oct agency alerted
2. Then oil booms laid
Why it matters

Most of the birds are not native and cannot return until the pond is fully clean. [6]

How it works

Carers gave the birds charcoal to help fight the poisons they had swallowed. [6]

Oil booms went on the pond quickly, but the park stays shut until the pond is fully clean, and no date is given.
The idea, in story 01: Why rebuilding after a disaster takes years longer than the rescue →
The truth
- Birds hide illness well, so carers cannot yet say whether more will die. [6]
- Nobody knows yet
  Whether more of the oiled birds at Broughshane will die.
  
  Carers say birds hide illness, so symptoms can show only when it is too late. [6]
06
The US EPA plans to shut its web archive
What happened
- The US Environmental Protection Agency plans to shut its online web archive on 31 December. [7]
- The archive holds tens of thousands of EPA documents going back to the 1990s. [7]
- Keeping the archive online cost about 2 million dollars a year, a 2022 records request showed. [7]
Who is involved

The EPA writes US rules on pollution, from power plants to methane leaks. [7]
How it unfolded

It kept climate pages that the first Trump administration deleted open to the public. [7]
In 2022, the Biden administration's EPA also planned to close it, then backed down. [7]
1. Weeks ago closing date set
2. 31 Dec archive to shut
3. 2022 closure planned, then delayed
4. Now closure set again
Why it matters

Residents near Camp Lejeune, a Marine base, used its records to judge chemical exposures. [7]

How it works

Record-keepers see a public archive as a tool for oversight: anyone can check past rules. [7]
The truth
- Without it, researchers must file freedom-of-information requests for once-public records, a secrecy expert says. [7]
- The EPA did not reply when Grist asked for comment. [7]
- Who pays Researchers and residents who rely on EPA records — Once the archive shuts, they must ask for once-public papers through slow information requests. [7]
- Nobody knows yet
  How much of the EPA archive will survive.
  
  The agency points to its snapshot collections but did not answer questions, and the co-founder of a group that tracks federal environmental data says three snapshots will not suffice. [7]
What comes next

The EPA says some history can still be found in its snapshot collections. [7]
07
Campaigners protest a new Scottish gas plant
What happened
- Climate campaigners protested outside Bute House, the Scottish first minister's official home in Edinburgh. [8]
- They oppose the Scottish government's approval of a new gas-fired power station at Peterhead. [8]
- Kate Whitaker of Friends of the Earth Scotland called it "a catastrophic failure". [8]
- The Scottish government says it remains committed to net zero by 2045. [8]
Who is involved

Peterhead is a town in Aberdeenshire, in Scotland. [8]
- Climate campaigners
- Scotland's government
How it unfolded

The protest came after the UK government also allowed the Jackdaw gas field near Aberdeen. [8]

Why it matters

Campaigners say the plant fails to protect people from rising household energy bills. [8]

How it works

Planners call it cumulative effects: judging a project together with others nearby. [8]
The truth
- The BBC report gives no size, cost or opening date for the Peterhead plant. [8]
08
UK North Sea oil deals pass last year's total
What happened
- Mergers and takeovers involving UK oil and gas firms reached 19.6 billion dollars this year. [9]
- That beats 16.5 billion dollars for the whole of 2025. [9]
Who is involved

BP, the last big oil firm focused on the North Sea, plans to sell those fields. [9]
How it unfolded

Oil and gas prices hit multiyear highs after the US-Israeli war with Iran. [9]
UK oil and gas profits face a headline tax rate of 78%. [9]

Why it matters

Fewer, bigger firms will run Britain's ageing oil and gas fields. [9]

How it works

Bankers call this consolidation: small firms merge to share costs and use tax credits. [9]
The truth
- The war's high prices have filled oil companies' accounts with cash. [9]
- Those price rises have also pushed up living costs for everyone else. [9]
- Who gains North Sea oil companies looking to buy — War-high prices give them cash, and BP's fields go up for sale with bids due in December. [9]
- Who gains EnQuest, Ithaca and NEO NEXT+ — An analyst at Cavendish, an investment bank, names them as possible buyers of BP's North Sea fields; merging lets a firm use tax credits. [9]
What comes next

Analysts think the sale could raise 2 billion dollars; the next bids are due in December. [9]
09
Electric scooters take a third of Vietnam's sales
What happened
- Electric scooters and motorbikes made up about 32% of two-wheeler sales in Vietnam this year. [10]
- Electric sales rose 90.5% to 973,247 in the first nine months of 2026. [10]
- All motorbike and scooter sales passed 3 million, up 25.9%. [10]
- VinFast's sales rose 152.1% this year; Honda's grew 8.4%. [10]
Who is involved

VinFast, a Vietnamese electric vehicle maker, is now second, behind Honda. [10]
- Honda first
- VinFast second
How it unfolded

Honda, the Japanese company, has led Vietnam's motorbike market for decades. [10]

Why it matters

Vietnam's government wants to cut air pollution in its cities. [10]

How it works

Market analysts watch share: Honda still sells most, but its share is shrinking. [10]
The truth
- Honda still gains: its sales are growing, just more slowly than the electric makers'. [10]
- Who gains VinFast — Its sales in Vietnam rose 152.1% as Vietnam's government plans limits on petrol motorbikes in Hanoi. [10]
Good news
- Nearly a million electric two-wheelers were sold in Vietnam in nine months. [10]
- Vietnam sold 973,247 electric scooters and motorbikes in the first nine months of 2026, about a third of all two-wheelers sold there.
What comes next

Vietnam plans to restrict petrol motorbikes in parts of Hanoi, its capital. [10]
10
A rare beetle is breeding in Wales again
What happened
- The short-necked oil beetle has been found in Pembrokeshire after 60 years missing from Wales. [11]
- Last year's survey at Castlemartin, in Pembrokeshire, found only dead adults. [11]
- This year, after three years of searching, experts found larvae there. [11]
- Castlemartin is now the only place in Wales where the beetle lives. [11]
Who is involved

The beetle depends on solitary bees to complete its life cycle. [11]
- Short-necked oil beetle vulnerable on the IUCN Red List
- Natural Resources Wales runs the survey
How it unfolded

It was not reported anywhere in the UK for almost 60 years after 1948. [11]
It was rediscovered in Devon in 2006, after habitat loss pushed it near extinction. [11]
1. 1948 last UK record for decades
2. 2006 found again in Devon
3. Last year only dead adults found
4. This year larvae found
Why it matters

It is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of threatened species. [11]

How it works

Conservationists say it needs thick plants for shelter and plenty of flowers. [11]
The truth
- Natural Resources Wales says only a handful of UK sites suit it. [11]
Good news
- The larvae show the beetle is breeding in Wales again. [11]
- Larvae of the short-necked oil beetle were found at Castlemartin in Pembrokeshire, so the beetle is breeding in Wales again after 60 years missing from the country.
11
An endangered damselfly finds a restored river
What happened
- The scarce blue-tailed damselfly was seen beside the River Ash, near Hertford, England. [12]
- Mayflies and stoneflies increased after the work, monitoring found. [12]
- A new British Red List moved this damselfly from Near Threatened to Endangered. [12]
Who is involved

It is one of the world's earliest flying insect species. [12]
The River Ash is one of about 260 chalk rivers in the world. [12]
How it unfolded

A wildlife trust restored this stretch of the river and made new wetlands beside it. [12]
1. Before Near Threatened
2. Now Endangered
Why it matters

Eight British dragonfly and damselfly species are now endangered, twice the number in 2008. [12]

How it works

A river restorer says connected floodplains can help protect against both flooding and drought. [12]
The truth
- The damselfly was seen at only two monitoring sites, close together, in late summer. [12]
Good news
- Brown trout already spawn on the restored river's new gravel beds. [12]
- Brown trout are already spawning on new gravel beds in the restored River Ash near Hertford, and an endangered damselfly has been seen beside it.
12
A study traces South China's record spring rain
What happened
- Scientists traced why South China had record-breaking rain in April and May 2024. [13]
- Two areas of high pressure, over the tropical Pacific and north-east Asia, trapped moist air there. [13]
- The north-eastern one grew inside a wave pattern steered by the jet stream, a fast wind. [13]
- Europe's main forecast model caught the warm seas but missed how much rain fell. [13]
Who is involved

The team is based at Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, in China. [13]
- Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology the study team
How it unfolded

Warm seas usually get the blame for South China's extreme rain. [13]

Why it matters

Forecasting South China's floods may need the jet stream right, not only the oceans. [13]

How it works

Meteorologists call these chains of highs and lows Rossby waves, which carry weather across continents. [13]
The truth
- The study looks at one record spring, 2024; how often this pattern repeats is untested here. [13]
13
Sudden heatwaves in North China sorted into four types
What happened
- Scientists found 107 sudden, fast-rising heatwaves in North China in summers from 1940 to 2024. [14]
- These heatwaves arrive abruptly, leaving little time to prepare. [14]
- The team sorted them into four types by where the heat struck. [14]
- Warm air blowing in, and sinking air that warms as it is squeezed, drove the heat. [14]
- Heatwaves driven from the tropics were the easiest to forecast weeks ahead. [14]
- Those driven by two wave patterns in northern winds were the hardest. [14]
Who is involved
- Health
- Farming
- The economy
Why it matters

Sudden heat hits public health, farming and the economy hardest, the authors say. [14]

How it works

Forecasters call the weeks-ahead range subseasonal prediction, between weather forecasts and seasonal outlooks. [14]
The truth
- Some types remain hard to see coming, even with today's best forecast systems. [14]
14
Climate shocks threaten malaria progress in Asia
What happened
- Experts warn climate change threatens decades of progress against malaria across the Asia Pacific. [15]
- They say climate shocks disrupt health services and force people from their homes. [15]
- They want malaria control built into disaster response, and early warnings tied to action. [15]
Who is involved

Malaria spreads through mosquitoes, and the authors call for mosquito control that moves with displaced people. [15]
The policymakers and researchers wrote in Nature Medicine, a medical journal. [15]
- Malaria control
- Disaster response
How it unfolded

Cases rose sharply in parts of Pakistan after its 2022 floods. [15]
1. 2022 floods in Pakistan
2. After malaria cases rise
Why it matters

Countries near the end of malaria need plans for sudden shocks, not only slow warming. [15]

How it works

Public health planners call acting on a warning before disaster strikes anticipatory action. [15]
The truth
- Most research and plans so far focus on gradual warming, not sudden shocks, the authors say. [15]
15
More rain hits the soaked US Southwest
What happened
- Up to 4 inches of rain was forecast for the US Southwest from Saturday to Monday. [16]
- Flood watches cover nearly all of Arizona and parts of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada. [16]
- Phoenix firefighters rescued people from four vehicles on flooded streets on Friday night. [16]
- In Henderson, near Las Vegas, a person pulled from a flooded wash later died. [16]
- A forecaster said it is "not going to take much rainfall to be impactful". [16]
How it unfolded

The ground is already soaked after an autumn of deadly rain. [16]

Why it matters

Soaked ground cannot take in more water, so even small storms now cause floods. [16]

How it works

Hydrologists call it saturation: once soil is full, new rain runs straight off. [16]
The truth
- Most of Friday's rescues were of people in cars on flooded streets. [16]
16
Musk's AI firm loses a bid to end a turbine case
What happened
- A US judge kept alive a lawsuit over gas turbines powering Elon Musk's AI data centres. [17]
- It says the turbines give off smog-forming gases and fine dust. [17]
- The company argued the turbines were "mobile" and so needed no permit. [17]
Who is involved

The NAACP, a US civil rights group, sued under the Clean Air Act, a pollution law. [17]
The AI firm, xAI, is now owned by SpaceX, Musk's rocket company. [17]
- NAACP civil rights group
- xAI Musk's AI firm
How it unfolded

The suit says xAI ran 27 gas turbines without an air permit in Southaven, Mississippi. [17]
Two weeks earlier, the same court refused a US Justice Department request to end the case. [17]
1. Mid-October Justice Department request refused
2. Friday xAI's request refused
Why it matters

The Colossus data centres and a new power plant have faced local anger for years. [17]

How it works

Lawyers call this a citizen suit: the Clean Air Act lets groups sue polluters directly. [17]
The truth
- The ruling lets the case go ahead; it does not decide whether xAI broke the law. [17]
- Who gains The NAACP and residents near Southaven — Their pollution case against xAI can now go to trial instead of being thrown out. [17]
- Nobody knows yet
  Whether xAI's turbines broke US pollution law.
  
  The judge only refused to throw the case out; nothing has been decided about the turbines. [17]
17
The UAE calls leaders to December's UN water talks
What happened
- The UAE urged world leaders to attend December's UN Water Conference in Abu Dhabi. [18]
- Its foreign ministry briefed 180 diplomats and officials on Friday, up from 150 in May. [18]
- It aims to speed up the UN goal of safe water and toilets for everyone. [18]
- For the first time, one session is only about paying for water projects. [18]
- Abdulla Balalaa, a UAE minister, said progress on access remains "far too slow". [18]
How it unfolded

It will be only the third UN Water Conference in 50 years. [18]
1. 8 Dec conference opens
2. 10 Dec conference closes
Why it matters

Balalaa called water security "fundamental to national security". [18]

How it works

Planners track this as Sustainable Development Goal 6: safe water and sanitation for all. [18]
The truth
- The hosts want the talks to mobilise investment; what countries will pledge is not yet known. [18]
What comes next

It runs from 8 to 10 December, co-hosted with Senegal. [18]

Bolivia declares a national emergency over El Nino, with drought already hitting 78,000 families and floods ahead

17 stories on this beat today.

Why rebuilding after a disaster takes years longer than the rescue