In the World

UNITED NATIONS

Headed for warmest year ever recorded

This year is on track to be the hottest on record, with rising sea surface temperatures linked to the spread of extreme weather events around the globe, the United Nations climate agency reported Wednesday.

The global average air and sea temperatures for the first 10 months of 2014 were 1.03 degrees Fahrenheit over the 1961-1990 average used by the World Meteorological Organization as a basis for charting climate change.

That is 0.16 of a degree above the average for the past 10 years and, if the warming trend continues through November and December, will make this year the hottest since record-keeping began in the 19th century.

"What we saw in 2014 is consistent with what we expect from a changing climate, said Michel Jarraud, secretary-general of the climate agency. - L.A. Times
NORTH KOREA

It's his name alone

North Koreans are prohibited from sharing the name of their leader, South Korean media reported Wednesday. The ban on anyone else being named Kim Jong Un would probably affect thousands in the reclusive nation as the surname Kim is one of the most common in both Korean states and the given name Jong Un is also popular. South Korea's KBS network also reported that the government had recently reiterated that "no newborn could be given the name, and those who already had it should amend their birth certificates." - L.A. Times

INDIA

Disaster recalled

Three decades after lethal gas swept through Bhopal, the central Indian city remains haunted by memories of the world's worst industrial disaster. Hundreds of survivors of the gas leak that claimed thousands of lives took to the streets in protest Wednesday to mark the anniversary. - AP