Zürcher Nachrichten

Featured

Common water disinfectant creates potentially toxic byproduct: study

A group of chemical compounds used to disinfect water for one-third of the US population and millions of others globally produces a potentially toxic byproduct, according to new research published Thursday, sparking calls for an "immediate" investigation into possible health impacts.

Fears rise of gender setbacks in global climate battle

As global climate negotiators seek to eke out progress, participants say they are witnessing backsliding in one unexpected area -- gender.

Last news

Dead rivers: The cost of Bangladesh's garment-driven economic boom

Bangladeshi ferryman Kalu Molla began working on the Buriganga river before the patchwork of slums on its banks gave way to garment factories -- and before its waters turned pitch black.

'World's biggest' freshwater fish netted in Cambodia

A fisherman on the Mekong river in Cambodia has hooked the biggest freshwater fish ever recorded, scientists said -- a 300-kilogram stingray.

Honduran hydroelectric executive jailed for environmentalist murder

A senior executive of a hydroelectric dam in Honduras was handed a prison sentence of more than 22 years on Monday for his role in the 2016 murder of renowned environmentalist Berta Caceres.

No relief as heat wave in US moves east

A heat wave that baked much of the central United States last week will start to move eastward with dangerously high temperatures, forecasters said Monday.

Remains of British journalist Dom Phillips identified: Brazil police

Brazil's Federal Police said Friday it had officially identified the remains of British journalist Dom Phillips, who was found buried in the Amazon after going missing on a book research trip.

Amazon killers acted alone: Brazil police

Brazilian police said Friday the killers of British journalist Dom Phillips and his expert guide Bruno Pereira had acted on their own initiative and not as part of a criminal group -- an assertion rejected by Indigenous leaders.

Biden calls clean energy matter of national security

US President Joe Biden told a climate conference for major economies Friday that Russia's war in Ukraine shows the shift to renewable energy is a matter of national security as well as key to preventing global warming.

Australia's new climate promise meets mining reality

Flood, fire and drought-battered Australia is trying to clean up its act on climate change, but dependence on fossil fuel riches could stymie the national makeover.

Suspect confesses to burying bodies of two men missing in Amazon

One of two men arrested over the disappearance of a British journalist and an Indigenous expert in the Brazilian Amazon confessed to having buried the pair in the jungle, federal police said Wednesday after human remains were found.

Human remains found buried at Amazon missing search site: minister

Human remains were found buried at a site in the Brazilian Amazon during a search for a missing British journalist and an Indigenous expert, a minister said Wednesday.

Yellowstone Park closed as swollen river destroys roads

Yellowstone, one of the best-known national parks in the United States, has been shut because flooding and rockslides have cut roads, leaving some communities stranded.

Spain in grip of heatwave as France braces for soaring temperatures

Spain was on Monday already in the grips of a heatwave expected to reach "extreme" levels, and France is bracing for one, too, as meteorologists blame the unusually high seasonal temperatures on global warming.

Thousands of sheep drown as Sudan ship sinks

An overladen ship crammed with thousands of sheep sank Sunday in Sudan's Red Sea port of Suakin drowning most animals on board but with all crew surviving, officials said.

Climate: Africa's energy future on a knife's edge

With more than half its population lacking mains electricity and still using charcoal and other damaging sources for cooking, Africa's energy future –- torn between fossil fuels and renewables -- is up for grabs.

Textile industry set to unravel under Pakistan's power crisis

Pakistan's textile exports are set to dramatically dip as the sector is hobbled by a nationwide energy crisis forcing daily power cuts on factories, with an industry leader warning about "a state of emergency" for the manufacturing hub.

The age of outbreaks: Experts warn of more animal disease threats

With the spread of monkeypox across the world coming hot on the heels of Covid-19, there are fears that increasing outbreaks of diseases that jump from animals to humans could spark another pandemic.

'No choice': The young UK climate activist pushing protest boundaries

At the age of just 21, former engineering student Louis McKechnie has already been arrested 20 times and spent six weeks in prison.

Brazil leader complains to Biden about pressure over Amazon

Brazil's right-wing leader on Thursday complained to US President Joe Biden about international pressure over the Amazon amid calls for more action on climate change.

Brazil leader complains on Amazon in Biden meeting

Brazil's right-wing leader on Thursday complained to US President Joe Biden about international pressure over the Amazon amid calls for more action on climate change.

Dozens treated in Chile for suspected pollutant exposure

More than 100 people have sought medical treatment this week after suspected exposure to a pollutant in an area known as the "Chilean Chernobyl" for the environmental impact of heavy industry.

Europe's 'largest predatory dinosaur' found by UK fossil hunter

A giant crocodile-faced dinosaur discovered on the Isle of Wight by one of Britain's best fossil hunters was probably the largest predator ever to stalk Europe, scientists said on Thursday.

US to ban single-use plastics on public lands by 2032

The United States will phase out single-use plastics in national parks and other public lands over the next decade, President Joe Biden's administration announced Wednesday as part of actions on World Oceans Day.

Climate action must not be delayed by global crises, UN talks told

Negotiators from almost 200 countries met in Germany Monday for climate talks tasked with reigniting momentum on tackling global warming, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine overshadows the threat from rising emissions.

60 Rohingya found abandoned on Thai island: police

Fifty-nine Rohingya people have been discovered on a Thai island, saying they were abandoned by traffickers en route to Malaysia, a senior police officer said Sunday.

Greece evacuates Athens suburb under wildfire threat

A wildfire whipped by gale-force winds blazed through vegetation in a southern suburb of Athens on Saturday, the fire brigade said, forcing residents to evacuate and damaging about 20 properties.

Atmospheric CO2 more than 50 percent higher than pre-industrial era

Concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in May were 50 percent higher than during the pre-industrial era, reaching levels not seen on Earth for about four million years, the main US climate agency said on Friday.

Seen from space, the snow-capped Alps are going green

The famous snow-capped peaks of the Alps are fading fast and being replaced by vegetation cover -- a process called "greening" that is expected to accelerate climate change, a study said Thursday.

Ford to invest $3.7 bn, boosting legacy Midwestern plants

Ford on Thursday announced fresh multi-billion-dollar capital projects in Midwestern factories near its Detroit home, as the auto giant spreads new investments throughout the United States.

Brazil facing more deadly storms: expert

Tragedies like the floods and landslides that killed more than 100 people in northeastern Brazil will likely keep happening as climate change advances unless authorities act to protect poor communities in high-risk areas, an expert said.

Gabon takes grassroots approach in anti-poaching drive

A whistle blows. The car stops, and the driver is politely asked to turn off the engine and get out.

Lumberjack athletes battle for woodcutting crown

Sixteen athletes from around the world sent woodchips flying on Saturday in an unusual competition, as they battled it out in Vienna for the Timbersports World Trophy.

Decline in North Sea puffins causes concern

The Isle of May, off Scotland's east coast, is home to one of the UK's biggest colonies of seabirds. Some 200,000 birds, from kittiwakes to guillemots can flock to the rocky outcrop at the height of the breeding season.

Jordan's plastic trash turned into art with a message

Jordan-based artist Maria Nissan is on a mission: to rid the world of single-use plastics and to raise public awareness about the environmental scourge through eye-catching art.

Climate change effect on Peruvian glaciers debated in German court

German judges and experts have arrived at the edge of a melting glacier high up in the Peruvian Andes to examine a complaint made by a local farmer who accuses energy giant RWE of threatening his home by contributing to global warming.

In Bogota, trash of the rich becomes lifeline for the poor

They appear at nightfall, dragging heavy carts from dustbin to dustbin in the affluent northern suburbs of the Colombian capital Bogota.

Vanuatu declares climate emergency

Vanuatu's parliament has declared a climate emergency, with the low-lying island nation's prime minister flagging a US$1.2 billion cost to cushion climate change's impacts on his country.

Two mountaineers killed in Swiss Alps ice fall

A Frenchwoman and a Spaniard were killed and nine other mountaineers were injured Friday in an ice fall in southwest Switzerland, police said following a rescue attempt involving several helicopters.

US securities regulators unveil proposal to fight 'greenwashing'

US securities regulators unveiled Wednesday a proposed rule to tighten disclosure requirements on the rising number of investments that tout their commitment to environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals.

Zimbabwe rallies allies to push for legal ivory trade

Zimbabwe will this week press a drive to legalise the ivory trade, inviting officials from 15 nations to meet in a national park that's a beacon of success in protecting elephants.

Zürcher Nachrichten - Nature (English)