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French prosecutors demand Volkswagen face fresh Dieselgate trial

Prosecutors in Paris have called for German carmaker Volkswagen to face justice in France to compensate French consumers over the Dieselgate emissions fraud scandal, according to a court filing seen by AFP on Tuesday.

Battery boom drives Bangladesh lead poisoning epidemic

Bangladeshi Junayed Akter is 12 years old but the toxic lead coursing through his veins has left him with the diminutive stature of someone several years younger.

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Tourists and locals enjoy 'ephemeral' Tokyo cherry blossoms

Tourists and Japanese locals marvelled at Tokyo's cherry trees on Monday at the peak of the annual blossom season that traditionally represents fresh starts but also life's fleeting impermanence.

Japan-Australia flagship hydrogen project stumbles

Japan wants to become a hydrogen fuel leader to meet its net-zero goals, but one blockbuster project is hanging in the balance over questions about its climate credentials.

Tunisian startup turns olive waste into clean energy

In a northern Tunisian olive grove, Yassine Khelifi's small workshop hums as a large machine turns olive waste into a valuable energy source in a country heavily reliant on imported fuel.

Clouds changing as world warms, adding to climate uncertainty

People have always studied the skies to predict the weather, but recently scientists have noticed that clouds are changing on a global scale -- posing one of the greatest challenges to understanding our warming world.

Clean energy giant Goldwind leads China's global sector push

China has rushed ahead in recent years as the world's forerunner in wind energy, propelled by explosive local demand as Beijing aggressively pursues strategic and environmental targets.

Arctic sea ice hits lowest peak in satellite record, says US agency

This year's Arctic sea ice peak is the lowest in the 47-year satellite record, the US National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) said Thursday, as the planet continues to swelter under the mounting effects of human-driven climate change.

Just Stop Oil activist group says to stop climate protest stunts

British environmental activist group Just Stop Oil said on Thursday it would halt its high-profile climate protest stunts after a final demonstration in London in April.

Deep sea mining impacts visible for 'many decades'

Scientists said they have seen the first signs of life returning to deep sea mining tracks carved into the abyssal seabed more than four decades ago, but warned on Wednesday that full recovery may be "impossible".

Protecting undersea cultural heritage in spotlight at mining code talks

The world's oceans harbor a cultural heritage of sunken ships, remains of those lost in the transatlantic slave trade and Indigenous islanders' spiritual ties to the sea that must be protected, NGOs and native peoples say.

'We are not in crisis': chair of IPCC climate body to AFP

Jim Skea insists the IPCC, the UN climate panel he chairs, is not in crisis and remains relevant despite criticism it is too slow in publishing its landmark scientific reports on climate change.

'Unprecedented' mass bleaching drains life from Australian reef

An "unprecedented" mass bleaching event has been recorded off Australia's western coast, scientists said Wednesday, turning huge chunks of a celebrated reef system a sickly dull white.

'Shocking' mass bleaching drains life from Australian reef

Alarming levels of coral bleaching have been recorded off Australia's western coast, scientists said Wednesday, turning huge chunks of a celebrated reef system a sickly dull white.

Rising seas test defenses of South American ports

When waves come crashing over the sea wall in Chile's biggest port of San Antonio, dockers run for cover.

COP30 president vows to defend global climate fight

Brazil's UN COP30 president on Tuesday said that this year's summit would aim to defend climate action by governments against "serious" geopolitical challenges, while also pushing the private sector to contribute more to the fight.

Colombia's lonely chimp Yoko finds new home in Brazil

Kidnapped from his family as an infant, then raised by a drug lord before ending up in a Colombian zoo, Yoko the chimpanzee has lived the last two years of his life alone.

Brazil chief Raoni says will challenge Lula on Amazon oil project: AFP interview

Brazilian environmental campaigner and tribal leader Raoni Metuktire is pitting himself against the government to stop plans for an oil mega-project at the mouth of the Amazon river.

Ukraine hopes for at least 'partial ceasefire' at Saudi talks

Ukraine hopes to secure at least a partial ceasefire at upcoming talks in Saudi Arabia, during which US officials will meet separately with Russian and Ukrainian delegations, a senior Ukrainian source told AFP on Friday.

World's glacier mass shrank again in 2024, says UN

All 19 of the world's glacier regions experienced a net loss of mass in 2024 for the third consecutive year, the United Nations said on Friday, warning that saving the planet's glaciers was now a matter of "survival".

Spain reverses ban on hunting wolves in north

Spanish lawmakers on Thursday voted to end a ban on hunting wolves in the north of the country, three years after its introduction by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's minority leftist government.

In poor areas of Peru's capital, running water is a dream

In the bone-dry hills overlooking Lima, the luxury of running water is just a dream for thousands of Peruvians who get theirs delivered by tanker truck.

Trump advances another LNG project, drawing environmentalist ire

President Donald Trump's administration advanced another major US natural gas export project on Wednesday, handing oil companies a win the same day as a White House meeting with industry executives.

Mozambique cyclone cluster raises fears of new norm

Three cyclones have battered Mozambique in three months, pounding one of the world's most impoverished regions, pushing thousands of people into distress and leaving experts wondering whether more frequent storms will become the norm.

S. Africa court bars fishing to protect endangered African Penguins

A South African court order issued Tuesday barred for at least 10 years commercial fishing at key breeding colonies for African penguins that are facing extinction in part because of threats to their food supply.

Bulgaria ski resort, once buzzing, creaks under crumbling infrastructure

Bulgarian slalom star Albert Popov, who recently claimed his first World Cup win, learned how to ski at Vitosha, the mountain towering over his native capital Sofia.

Kiribati eyes deep-sea mining deal with China

Pacific nation Kiribati says it is exploring a deep-sea mining partnership with China, dangling access to a vast patch of Pacific Ocean harbouring coveted metals and minerals.

Talks on divisive deep-sea mining resume in Jamaica

Several countries united with campaign groups Monday to call for caution in regulating the divisive practice of deep-sea mining at a meeting on the issue in Jamaica.

Peruvian farmer demands 'climate justice' from German energy giant

A Peruvian farmer taking a German energy giant to court says he is battling for "climate justice" and wants the company to pay for the consequences of rising temperatures.

UK energy minister in Beijing seeks to press China on emissions

UK energy minister Ed Miliband met officials in Beijing on Monday after vowing to press them on China's emissions as well as touchy topics such as Hong Kong and forced labour.

Mount Fuji hikers to be charged $27 on all trails

Hikers attempting any of Mount Fuji's four main trails will be charged an entry fee of 4,000 yen ($27) from this summer, after local authorities passed a bill on Monday.

UK energy minister in Beijing to press China on emissions

UK energy minister Ed Miliband is in Beijing Monday for talks with Chinese officials in which he has vowed to press them on the country's emissions as well as touchy topics like Hong Kong and forced labour in supply chains.

Colombia's 'Lord of the Fruit' fighting for native species

Bent over his cellphone on the terrace of his Bogota apartment, Colombia's "Lord of the Fruit" describes the flavors, textures, and potential uses of rare species to thousands of social media followers.

Greece experiences weather 'rollercoaster'

Greece is riding a weather "rollercoaster", with weekend temperatures spiking to a record high for March just ahead of a forecast bout of snow and frost, meteorologists said on Sunday.

Zürcher Nachrichten - Nature (English)