Mexico: Colima volcano eruption lights up the night sky

Mexicos Colima or Fire Volcano spewed a large column of gas and ash some 2,500m high into a blue sky on 19 January. According to officials, the latest eruption took place at 8.30am local time. The morning explosion was preceded by an eruption of incandescent rock at the volcanos mouth at 11pm local time on 18 January. Jan 20, 2016

China smog: Greenpeace reports some easing pollution levels in 2015

China may have found itself once again in the news for the choking smog which blanketed many of its cities over the past month, but pollution in the worlds number two economy actually eased in 2015, data compiled by Greenpeace shows. The data, which covers 367 cities, showed average PM2.5 levels dropping by 10 percent in 2015 compared with the previous year. However, even with the improvement, 80 percent of the cities in the survey still failed to meet national air quality standards. Jan 20, 2016

Peru: Vultures fitted with GoPros to crack down on illegal dumping

Vultures in Lima are being equipped with GPS tracking devices and GoPro cameras to help environment officials crack down on illegal waste dumps surrounding the Peruvian capital. Ten trained vultures wearing purpose-designed vests have already started to monitor the city from above with the help of GPS trackers as part of the Vultures Detect programme. Jan 19, 2016