Residents living in the path of a devastating Washington state landslide had virtually no warning before a wave of mud, trees and other debris swept through the area. Some homeowners had no idea the hillside could give way at any time. Unlike the warning systems and guided maps that help residents and officials plan for natural disasters such as floods and hurricanes, there’s no national system to monitor slide activity and no efforts underway to produce nationwide hazard maps because it’s too expensive and labor-intensive. (Read full story here.)

Russia has begun making demands for a diplomatic resolution to the crisis in Ukraine, stating the former Soviet Republic should be united in a federation, allowing wide autonomy to its various regions. On Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met in Paris in another effort to calm tensions between the regions.

Information is from the Associated Press.

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