Hong Kong is bracing itself for the arrival of typhoon Usagi, which is expected to be the strongest storm to hit the city in more than 30 years. Officials have suspended activity at the port - one of the world's busiest - and cancelled most flights.

- More than 5,000 people have been evacuated on the Gulf of Mexico - It is considered to pose a serious risk to several communities in the region. - Will cause rivers to overflow and create flash floods and mudslides.

The volume of sea ice in the Arctic hit a new low this past winter, according to observations from the European Space Agency's (Esa) Cryosat mission.

Germany has pledged to take in 5,000 refugees from Syria. But they still haven't arrived. Human rights organizations complain that the EU's refugee policy is marked by a lack of solidarity.

Now there are 1 million child refugees from Syria. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23803308

Some facts about the refugees and where they stay. Worth a look. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23801200

The German cities of Passau and Rosenheim have declared a state of emergency. In Austria, the meteorological service said two months of rain had fallen in just two days.

For pictures : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22747240

Britain will become a net importer of wheat for the first time in a decade this year because of bad weather, the National Farmers' Union has said. The prolonged cold weather is expected to impact this autumn's harvest The average yield fell from 7.8 tonnes a hectare to 6.7 tonnes last summer. Looking ahead to the 2013 harvest, farmers had only managed to get three quarters of the planned wheat planted this year, so the UK was already 25% down on potential production.

The second wettest summer on record was followed by a harsh winter, flooded grazing land and ruined crops, all resulting in soaring feed prices many farmers struggle to pay. Food prices today are roughly twice what they were six years ago - in some cases even triple. A poorer diet for the livestock has resulted in smaller animals which are less marketable, less fertile and make far less money for farmers.

The Argentinean government is currently investigating 11 projects to be part of the country's new renewable energy initiative. Four projects have already been approved by the government and are awaiting financial aid in order to begin taking form. One of these projects comes from China's Sky Solar Holdings. The other projects are likely to be approved in the coming months and will help the country reach its 2013 renewable energy goals effectively.

Ikea has withdrawn a batch of frozen meatballs from sale in the food section of stores in the UK, and other European countries, after tests in the Czech Republic found traces of horsemeat.

Includes video and good facts : Approximately 11 million gallons, or 257,000 barrels, of oil spilled into Prince William Sound, and approximately 1,300 miles of shoreline were impacted. Congress passed legislation to improve tanker safety and increase spill prevention and response preparation in the still-recovering sound.

Britain's worst oil spill

Pictures here : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-21228335

This pdf-format about Hamburg and why it's so green is very in-depth and is about how Hamburg has become such a green city and what its future is.

Website about forests in Brazil Includes Brazil Forest Figures The Causes Future implications

Malalai was just 11 years old when the Taliban took over the Swat Valley, and ordered girls' schools to close. In her diary, which she kept for the BBC's Urdu service under a pen name, she exposed the suffering caused by the militants as they ruled. Malalai Yusufzai was attacked on her way home from school in Mingora, the region's main town

Mukhtar Mai was brutally gang-raped on the orders of her village council. everybody expected her to commit suicide, as is often the case after rape in Pakistan. She captured the imagination of millions around the world. She is one of Pakistan's most prominent rights activists, and she has since become an icon for women's rights in Pakistan.

"This is both hopeful and sad. When girls are discarded, because they are not the preferred offspring it not only is a tragedy for the girls themselves but the society at large. Where will the young men go when they are grown and there are not enough women? Bless those who preserve these young ladies who hold India's future." - a comment for the video