The China Mail

Featured

Canadian firm makes first bid for international seabed mining license

Canada's The Metals Company said Tuesday it applied to the United States to mine deep sea minerals in international waters, a world first made possible by President Donald Trump's embrace of the industry.

Kenya's desperate need for more snake antivenom

Writhing in pain on a hospital bed in a Kenyan coastal town, teenage snakebite victim Shukurani Konde Tuva faced the grim reality of his left leg from above the knee being amputated.

Last news

'Not the most attractive': Underdog snail wins Mollusc of the Year

In the end it was neither beauty, nor gymnastic mating rituals that won the public over.

Controversial gold mine reopens in Thailand

A controversial gold mine in Thailand restarted operations on Thursday, more than six years after the government forced it to close over health and environmental concerns.

France-Germany tensions loom over EU leaders' summit

A burgeoning row between France and Germany fired by differences over nuclear energy and combustion engines threatens to spill over into a gathering of the 27 European Union leaders on Thursday.

Canada sees record population growth as immigration leaps

Canada saw record-high population growth last year due to a surge in immigrants and temporary residents, the government statistical agency said Wednesday, adding that if the trend continues the nation will double its population in 26 years.

Humanity has 'broken the water cycle,' UN chief warns

The future of humanity's "lifeblood" -- water -- is under threat across the planet, the UN secretary-general warned Wednesday at the opening of the first major UN meeting on water resources in nearly half a century.

EU bids to clean up product 'greenwashing' mess

The European Union's executive arm waded into the forest of dubious green labels, fairy tale carbon footprints and false eco-friendly advertising on Wednesday, proposing ways to clean up the "greenwashing" of consumer products.

Natural disasters, inflation upped insurers' costs in 2022: Swiss Re

Natural disasters increased insurers' costs in 2022, with inflation pushing up the bill even more, reinsurer Swiss Re said Wednesday, warning of likely further rises in the future due to climate change.

'Uncharted territory': South Sudan's four years of flooding

It had not rained properly for months but the floods kept coming, inching up the mud-earth fortifications that stood between Bentiu's marooned and starving people and the endless water beyond.

Manpower shortage dims solar panel boom in Germany

Balancing on a sloping tiled roof, apprentice Pascal Ode installs a solar panel under the watchful eye of his trainer.

Dust storms cause air pollution spike across north China

Air pollution soared in Beijing on Wednesday as the Chinese capital was hit by a huge sandstorm, and dust also shrouded other parts of the country in a sickly orange haze.

Drought, floods and sickness: Key takeaways from UN's water report

Billions of people experience water-related issues on a daily basis -- from contaminated drinking water, to droughts and floods -- with a UN report warning Tuesday that the risk of a global crisis is "imminent."

Ghost lake set to reappear as California hit again by rain

A lake that dried up 80 years ago looked set on Tuesday to reappear, as monster rainfall accumulated over California's wet winter season overwhelms the state's rivers.

Leading ozone scientist says more climate surprises likely

Susan Solomon, a leading scientist in the fight to tackle the Antarctic ozone hole, says people are now getting worried enough to spur climate action.

Dreaming the impossible dream: the 1.5C climate target

In the realm of climate diplomacy, it's the little engine that could, the 80-to-1-odds Kentucky Derby winner, the low-budget multiverse fantasy that came out of nowhere to sweep the Oscars.

California's desert farmers defend their river rights

A blanket of crops covers the floor of the Imperial Valley in southern California, a patchwork of vibrant greens given life by the Colorado River in a landscape bleached by the desert sun.

Mountain forests disappearing at alarming rate: study

Logging, wildfires and farming are causing mountain forests, habitat to 85 percent of the world's birds, mammals and amphibians, to vanish at an alarming rate, according to a study published on Friday.

UK parliament passes trophy hunting law

A planned law to ban the import of hunting trophies to Britain was on Friday passed by the UK parliament, despite criticism from conservationists in South Africa who have accused it of being counterproductive.

Their time to slime: who will be 'Mollusc of the Year'?

Will you choose beauty? The carnivorous Wavy Bubble Snail, perhaps, with its billowing skirts shimmering under UV light. Or will it be age? Like the venerable 500-year-old Methuselah oyster.

Cyclone Freddy death toll in Malawi hits 326

The death toll in Malawi from Cyclone Freddy has risen to 326, the country's president said Thursday, bringing the total number of victims across southern Africa to more than 400 since February.

Protests rock France after Macron rams through pension reform

French President Emmanuel Macron's government on Thursday rammed a controversial pension reform through parliament without a vote, sparking angry protests in Paris and other cities as well as tumult in the legislature.

Paris' Moulin Rouge promises to scrap troubled snake act

Paris' storied Moulin Rouge cabaret venue said Thursday it would stop immersing non-aquatic snakes in water after the controversial stage act provoked outcry from animal rights activists.

Macron rams through pension change without parliament vote

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday rammed a controversial pension reform through parliament without a vote, deploying a rarely used constitutional power that risks inflaming protests.

Farmer protest party wins 'monster' Dutch vote victory

The Netherlands woke up to a political earthquake Thursday after a farmers' protest party won key elections, throwing the government's environmental policies into doubt.

EU to unveil green tech plans to take on US, China

The EU will reveal hotly debated proposals on Thursday to boost spending on clean tech, possibly overcoming internal divisions to include nuclear energy in the mix, to confront growing industrial competition from the United States and China.

Albania's 'wild river' granted national park status

Environmental campaigners scored a rare victory in Albania on Wednesday after authorities announced the creation of a national park to protect the Vjosa River, one of Europe's largest undammed waterways.

What makes Cyclone Freddy an exceptional storm

Cyclone Freddy, which has twice smashed into the African coast after traversing the Indian Ocean, may be enshrined in the history books as the longest ever documented, meteorologists say.

Smog a major buzzkill for insect mating

The rigours and rituals of mating among fruit flies are challenging under the best of circumstances, but add ozone-laden smog into the mix and things really fly apart, according to a study published on Tuesday.

New US standards to limit 'forever chemicals' in drinking water

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed new standards on Tuesday to limit levels of harmful so-called "forever chemicals" in public drinking water.

Indonesians seeking climate justice take aim at Swiss concrete giant

Sitting near a wall of stacked rocks, fisherman Mustagfirin looks out to sea from the tiny Indonesian island of Pari, wondering whether his home will exist for much longer.

Hot spring baths block Japan's geothermal potential

With over 100 active volcanos, Japan has the world's third largest geothermal resources, but also a powerful industry that has steadfastly opposed developing the sector: hot springs.

Biden administration approves controversial Alaska oil drilling project

The Biden administration, brushing aside climate concerns from environmental groups, approved a controversial oil drilling project on Monday on Alaska's North Slope.

Ivory Coast to host World Environment Day on June 5

Ivory Coast announced Monday that it will host this year's World Environment Day on June 5 on the theme of "solutions to plastic pollution".

The China Mail - Nature (English)