Hans-Martin F?ssel, one of the lead authors of the European Environment Agency report, said that scientific evidence was pointing increasingly to a speeding up in the pace of climate change. In the Arctic, one of the most rapidly warming parts of the planet, many habitats for flora and fauna such as sea ice, tundra and permafrost peat lands have already been lost. The report, which contains new observations and projections, looked at a wide range of indicators including agriculture, health, transport and biodiversity. ?Species are adpating but not as fast as the climate is changing and this may cause disturbances in the equilibrium of ecosystems,? Bruyninckx said. The paper is intended to spur Europe?s sluggish moves towards adaptation strategies for dealing with the impacts of climate change, ahead of an EU review later this year.

German police have detained two people after a series of raids against far-right suspects accused of plotting attacks on refugees, Jews and police officers. Another suspect was believed to have offered assistance to the group, including by acquiring weapons. According to the domestic intelligence service, the Reichsb?rger movement has about 10,000 members. ?The Reichsb?rger group ? continues to win new followers,? the domestic security chief, Hans-Georg Maa?en, told the DPA, voicing concern about the ?increased aggressiveness? of its followers. Most Reichsb?rger members believe in the continued existence of the German empire (Reich) and many refuse to pay taxes, social security contributions and fines owed to the state.

LONDON ? Kuwaiti authorities hanged seven prisoners on Wednesday in a mass execution, including a member of the royal family. ?The death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman, degrading punishment,? Samah Hadid of Amnesty International?s Beirut office said in a statement. The motive for the killing was unclear, though Kuwaiti authorities concluded that it was not political, according to local news reports. The prince who was executed was Faisal Abdullah al-Jaber al-Sabah, a captain in the Kuwaiti Army. Human rights groups condemned the executions, which were the first in Kuwait in more than three years and reflected a wider return to the death penalty in the region.