Zürcher Nachrichten

Featured

Secretive game developer codes hit 'Balatro' in Canadian prairie province

There are no photos or videos of LocalThunk, an anonymous computer programmer who lives in the vast and desolate prairies of Canada's Saskatchewan province, far from Silicon Valley.

Scientists observe 'negative time' in quantum experiments

Scientists have long known that light can sometimes appear to exit a material before entering it -- an effect dismissed as an illusion caused by how waves are distorted by matter.

Last news

WWII veteran with US 101st Airborne Division dies at 101

A US paratrooper who participated in the 1944 D-Day invasion, and lived to reenact the famed World War II landing 75 years later, has died aged 101, his unit -- the 101st Airborne Division -- announced Thursday.

UN chief says stop 'blame game' at deadlocked climate talks

UN chief Antonio Guterres urged rich and developing nations to stop the "finger pointing" at crunch climate talks on Thursday and reach a deal on covering the losses suffered by vulnerable nations battered by weather disasters.

Fixing climate trumps economic woes, threat of war: YouGov survey

Government action to curb global warming should be a top concern despite inflation, an energy crisis and nuclear sabre-rattling by Russia, according to a YouGov survey in wealthy nations published exclusively by AFP.

France backs Lula's proposal to hold climate conference in the Amazon

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday backed a proposal by Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to hold a 2025 United Nations climate conference in the Amazon rainforest.

Battle to save Panama turtle at center of aphrodisiac superstition

The sea turtles of Punta Chame, a peninsula of Panama that juts into the Pacific Ocean, face an existential threat similar to the rhino and pangolin: human superstition.

Climate change fuelled rains behind deadly Nigeria floods: study

Heavy rains behind floods that killed over 600 people in Nigeria this year were about 80 times likelier because of human-induced climate change, scientists reported Wednesday.

Webb telescope reveals blazing hourglass around forming star

The James Webb Space Telescope unveiled its latest image of celestial majesty on Wednesday, an ethereal hourglass of orange and blue dust being shot out from a newly forming star at its centre.

Liftoff! NASA launches mega Moon rocket, ushering new era of exploration

NASA launched the most powerful rocket ever built on a journey to the Moon on Wednesday, in a spectacular blaze of light and sound that marked the start of the space agency's new flagship program, Artemis.

Brazil's Lula to take star turn at UN climate talks

After years of Amazon deforestation under Brazil's outgoing leader Jair Bolsonaro, president-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will address Wednesday a UN climate conference eager to hear how he will protect the rainforest.

Rich, developing nations head toward climate compensation clash

Wealthy and developing countries set the stage Tuesday for a showdown at UN climate talks over demands for rich polluters to compensate vulnerable nations for damages caused by natural disasters.

Indigenous campaigners at COP27 channel 'spirit' of nature

Delegates at COP27 representing Indigenous communities -- some of the world's most vulnerable to the climate crisis -- have used traditional clothing to draw attention to their plight and urge action.

Pressed by climate vulnerable nations, EU tweaks emissions goal

Developing nations admonished rich polluters for falling short on efforts to help them cope with global warming at UN climate talks Tuesday, as the EU vowed to speed its emissions reductions.

Protesters pour black liquid on Klimt masterpiece in Vienna

Climate activists poured black liquid over a glass screen protecting Gustav Klimt's masterpiece "Death and Life" in Vienna on Tuesday, in the latest protest at inaction over global heating.

EU vows more emissions cuts at UN climate talks

The EU vowed to step up its emissions cuts at UN climate talks on Tuesday as developing nations admonished rich polluters for falling short on efforts to help them cope with global warming.

Nigeria's ancient Benin Bronze treasures go digital

Nigeria's famed Benin bronzes -- artefacts stolen during British colonial rule and scattered across the globe -- have a new online archive that aims to become a digital record of the treasures.

Rich nations target $20 bn to wean Indonesia off coal

Rich nations pledged Tuesday to raise at least $20 billion to help wean Indonesia off coal and reach carbon neutrality by 2050, a decade earlier than planned, the White House said.

Born this way: rats move to beat of Lady Gaga, study says

Nodding along to catchy music is not just a human habit, according to Japanese scientists who have discovered that rats also move to the beat of songs by stars like Lady Gaga.

NASA returning to the Moon with mega rocket launch

Third time's the charm?

Final preparations underway for NASA's Moon rocket launch

After two failed attempts this summer, NASA was busy Monday completing final preparations for the launch of its new mega Moon rocket, now scheduled for early Wednesday from Florida.

UN climate talks enter home stretch split over money

COP27 entered its final week Monday with countries that grew rich burning fossil fuels and developing nations reeling from climate impacts at loggerheads over how to speed and fund reductions in carbon pollution.

Western thirst for African gas raises alarm at COP27

Wealthy Western nations facing an energy crunch are eyeing natural gas in Africa at the expense of supporting green transition in poorer countries, climate activists at COP27 charge.

Fort McKay: where Canada's boreal forest gave way to oil sands

The acrid stench of gasoline permeates the air. And the soot coats everything in sight: the trees, the bushes, even the snow in winter. And all day long, explosions send the birds soaring to safety.

'Like the Moon': Astronauts flock to Spanish isle to train

Kneeling on the edge of a deep crater, astronaut Alexander Gerst uses a chisel to collect a sample of volcanic rock which he carefully puts inside a white plastic bag.

Alibaba keeps Singles Day sales tally under wraps for first time

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has not released full sales figures for its annual Singles Day event for the first time ever, as a cooling economy dampened demand.

NASA sticks to plan to launch Moon rocket Wednesday

NASA said Friday it plans to attempt its long-delayed uncrewed mission to the Moon as scheduled next Wednesday, after inspections revealed only minor damage from Hurricane Nicole's passage through Florida.

US targets fossil fuel 'super-emitters' of methane

On the hunt for the methane "super-emitters", US President Joe Biden on Friday unveiled a plan to plug oil and gas leaks and tighten regulation as several global emitters vowed to step up efforts to slash pollution of the powerful greenhouse gas.

UN unveils satellite-based system to spot methane

The UN unveiled on Friday a satellite-based system to detect methane emissions as part of efforts to cut down on the major contributor to global warming.

Exoskeleton helps wounded French soldiers get back on their feet

When Cesar stood up for the first time in years with the help of a robotic exoskeleton, the quadriplegic former French soldier said what he noticed most was being able to look people in the eye.

Chinese shoppers spend billions but Singles Day more muted

Chinese shoppers flocked to online commerce giants on Friday, snapping up hundreds of billions of yuan in bargains, though an economic malaise took some shine off the annual Singles Day fever.

Finland's foresters decry 'unfair' EU climate plans

Standing next to a freshly-cut clearing the size of seven football fields, Finnish forest engineer Matti Jappila pointed to growth rings in an up to 300-year-old tree stump.

Piece of Challenger space shuttle found off Florida coast

Divers searching for a World War II-era aircraft near the Bermuda Triangle have found a piece of an entirely different sort of vessel: part of the US Challenger space shuttle that exploded soon after takeoff in 1986.

Japan govt backs major firms in next-gen chip project

The Japanese government will pour half a billion dollars into a new project to develop and make next-generation microchips, chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said Friday.

Zürcher Nachrichten - Technology (English)