Tropics

Avocados instead of cucumbers, mangos instead of oranges, guavas instead of watermelons, lychees instead of apricots: Such a prospect may look unrealistic for Greece right now, but it will not be so in not-too-distant future.

Sneakers made from banana or pineapple leaves, dresses from nettles or fish scales, the search for sustainable materials has taken the fashion industry to some wild places.

Experts warn these new textiles are not a quick fix for fashion's enormous problems with over-consumption and waste, but may be a necessary step in developing cleaner technologies.

 The death toll from a storm that struck the Philippines shortly after Christmas rose to 68 with the number of fatalities expected to climb even higher, civil defence officials said Monday.

A powerful tropical storm, dubbed "Medicane," made landfall on Greece mainland on Sept. 29 and changed course before barreling toward Turkey's western coast. 

AFP - A powerful typhoon hurtled toward Japan's mainland Sunday after injuring dozens on southern islands, as weather officials warned that fierce winds and torrential rain could trigger landslides and floods.

Authorities have banned boats from leaving two western Turkish ports on Sept. 29 and Sept. 30 ahead of the expected landfall of Medicane, which was predicted to become the first hurricane in Turkey's modern history.

AFP - Typhoon Mangkhut rocked Hong Kong en route to mainland China on Sunday, lashing its coastline and sending skyscrapers swaying, after killing at least 30 people in the Philippines and ripping a swathe of destruction through its agricultural heartland.

Super Typhoon Mangkhut -- the biggest storm of the year -- smashed through the Philippines onSept. 15, claiming its first victims as two women were killed when a rain-drench hillside collapsed on them and another drowned in Taiwan.    

Wilmington. Hurricane Florence weakened to a Category 2 storm on Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center, but remained on course to deliver a powerful blow to the US east coast, AFP reported.

AFP - Hurricane Florence is expected to grow into an "extremely dangerous" hurricane by Monday as it approaches the US East Coast, the National Hurricane Center said, urging residents to make preparations.