Environment

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Ernie Els’ victory in the British Open at Royal Lytham & St. Annes ended a drought of more than two years. (Associated Press)

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Smoke clings to the trees as fires burn in Boadella, Spain, on Monday. Fires broke out Sunday in several parts of the Catalonia region. A vacationing French family of five in a group of other tourists trying to escape flames went off a cliff and the father and a daughter were killed Sunday night. (Associated Press)

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Officials face an immense challenge of pacifying Rio de Janeiro’s slums as the city prepares to take the global stage for the 2016 Olympics and the 2014 World Cup. Human rights groups have raised concerns about the evictions of thousands of families, especially in poor neighborhoods. (Associated Press)

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Nawal El Moutawakel, head of the coordination commission for the Rio Games, is working with Brazil Olympic Committee President Carlos Nuzman. “There is a large volume of work that needs to be accomplished between now and 2016,” she said. (Associated Press)

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Tower Bridge over the Thames River displays the iconic Olympic rings to welcome athletes, spectators and visitors to the 2012 Summer Games. (Associated Press)

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This CD cover image released by Mercury/Island Def Jam shows the latest release by The Gaslight Anthem, "Handwritten." (AP Photo/Mercury/Island Def Jam)

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This CD cover image released by Mercury/Island Def Jam shows the latest release by The Gaslight Anthem, "Handwritten." (AP Photo/Mercury/Island Def Jam)

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Venus Williams laughs during a press conference before a match between the Washington Kastles and the Kansas City Explorers. (Ryan M.L. Young/The Washington Times)

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Bright orange, bright blue and calico lobsters turned up recently at New Meadows Lobster in Portland, Maine, prompting some to ask why more rare-colored lobsters are showing up in fishermen’s traps. (Associated Press)

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King Juan Carlos has been ousted by the World Wildlife Fund’s branch in Spain as its honorary president after deciding his elephant hunting safari was incompatible with its goal of conserving endangered species. (Associated Press)

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Colorado Gov. Jon Hickenlooper talks during a news conference at the Century 16 theatre east of the Aurora Mall in Aurora, Colo., on Friday, July 20, 2012. A gunman in a gas mask hurled a gas canister and opened fire in the sold-out theater during a midnight showing of the new Batman movie Friday. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

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A bomb disposal vehicle arrives July 21, 2012, near the Aurora , Colo., apartment of James Holmes, the alleged gunman in an assault at a movie theater that left 12 dead and more than three dozen people injured. (Associated Press)