Zürcher Nachrichten

Featured

Europe wildfires: latest developments

Countries across Europe were battling a wave of new wildfires Friday as blistering temperatures and tinder-dry landscapes made for dangerous conditions, with thousands evacuated and even some medieval sites threatened.

Hotter Europe isn't cooling investor fervor for stocks

The heatwaves pummelling Europe this summer will have costly impacts on industries ranging from agriculture to tourism -- but that hasn't stopped stock markets from hitting all-time highs.

Last news

Wildfire forces hundreds to flee in western Germany

Around 1,800 people had to flee their homes in western Germany overnight after a wildfire spread nearby, officials said Friday, with helicopters and army equipment deployed to help battle the flames.

Latest developments: Europe battles wildfires

Countries across Europe were battling a wave of new wildfires Friday as blistering temperatures and tinder-dry landscapes made for dangerous conditions.

New wildfire forces evacuation of 500 people in France

A new wildfire in southwestern France has forced the evacuation of more than 500 people and burned 1,100 hectares (about 2,700 acres), officials said on Friday.

Romania shuts nuclear plant as Danube drops

Romania shut down its only nuclear plant on Thursday, in a rare move due to drought that has caused the Danube river, whose waters cool the plant, to fall to record lows.

Tourists rescued by boat as forest fire threatens Greek beaches

A fleet of small boats evacuated hundreds of tourists from beaches in northern Greece as a forest fire bore down on two popular resorts.

Millions of Europeans struggle with another wave of extreme heat

Millions of people across Europe -- particularly in France, Italy, Spain and the UK -- sweltered through another wave of extreme temperatures Thursday as the continent's latest heatwave intensified.

Heavy rain soaks eastern Japan, prompting highest-level warning

Torrential rain pummelled eastern Japan on Thursday, triggering landslides and power outages, and prompting the weather authority to issue its highest-level heavy rain warning for the region for the first time.

'How many will die?': the mysterious ailment killing Kenyan elephants

Lying on the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust, the elephant slowly exhausted himself in futile attempts to stand, the latest potential victim of a still-mysterious ailment in southern Kenya.

German steel giant Thyssenkrupp weighs options as Rhine drops

German steel giant Thyssenkrupp said Thursday that it was monitoring water levels in the Rhine and ready to respond if they drop further, after boat deliveries of raw material deliveries were disrupted.

Germany's dry rivers spark battle on engineering vs restoration

As a heat wave dries Germany's rivers, government ministers are at odds over what to do about it -- re-engineer the waterways or restore them to their natural state.

Spain darkens as solar eclipse races south from Arctic

Day briefly turned to night in Spain on Wednesday, as the country witnessed its first total solar eclipse in more than a century, plunging it into eerie darkness in one of nature's greatest spectacles.

Total solar eclipse to cast its shadow over Europe

Millions of people will turn their gaze towards the heavens on Wednesday to witness one of nature's greatest spectacles -- a rare total solar eclipse -- as it sweeps over mainland Europe to briefly turn day into night.

Extreme weather, jellyfish knock one-fifth of France's nuclear capacity offline

France on Wednesday recorded a more than 20 percent shortfall in nuclear power production capacity, a record deficit caused by environmentally related outages linked to drought, extreme heat and a jellyfish invasion.

How Britain's mapmakers track climate change

Once used to defend Britain's shores against Napoleonic France, the Ordnance Survey's detailed maps are now essential for tracking and adapting to climate change.

New plastic treaty document criticised for weaker ambition

A new document attempting to resuscitate a floundering global plastics treaty suggests that negotiations are trending in a less ambitious direction, a leading scientific expert told AFP on Tuesday.

AI's hunger for power sparks US private gas plant boom

As US tech companies race to build the data centers fueling the AI boom, they are increasingly putting up their own power plants -- off the grid and running on gas -- to get online faster.

Parts of Germany's Rhine could become unnavigable, group warns

Parts of the Rhine river in Germany could soon become unnavigable as water levels drop further due to soaring summer temperatures and low rainfall, an industry group warned Monday.

Record July heat in regions home to 900 mn people: AFP analysis

Regions home to around 900 million people experienced their hottest July on record in 2026, including in the Sahel, Central America, France and Spain, according to AFP analysis of Copernicus data.

Energy transition threatens to wipe Dutch village from map

Residents of Moerdijk, a small Dutch port village that survived WWII bombing and subsequent flooding, are facing a new existential challenge: the threat of being bulldozed in the name of clean energy.

Indonesia closes national park as wildfire spreads

Indonesian authorities have closed access to a national park on Java Island as firefighters battle a wildfire raging there for nearly a week.

Afghanistan's gold rush upends lives and landscapes

In Afghanistan's northeastern Badakhshan province, dozens of excavators operate day and night to extract gold from the mountains where villagers and their livestock once roamed.

Amazon behind massive private gas plant for new data centers

Amazon confirmed Friday it is financially backing a massive, private gas power plant in Texas that could become the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.

Indonesia traps monkey to end rampage that wounded 18 people

Animal trappers have cut short the two-week rampage of a monkey that randomly attacked 18 people on Sumatra island in Indonesia, prompting dozens of schools to close in fear.

Camels find unlikely home in outback Australia

Far from their origins in the Arabian desert, hundreds of thousands of camels roam outback Australia where they are used for wild races, an alternative milk source and even to make beer.

French winemakers dread 'smoky taste' after wildfires

Brushing his hand over crackling vine leaves, French winemaker Gregory Guibergia was relieved a wildfire only scorched the edge of his vineyard but he feared its smoke would ruin this year's vintage.

Austria, Slovakia hit new temperature records

Austria and neighbouring Slovakia on Wednesday set new temperature records as a sweltering heatwave batters central Europe.

Butterflies seek new habitats as climate changes: study

Climate change is driving shifts in where butterflies are found globally, a major study said Wednesday, with many species moving into new areas while others are retreating from traditional habitats.

Britain's Royal Mint strikes gold in electronic waste

At the heart of Britain's coin factory, old Bank of England telephones are stripped down and dipped into giant vats to recover a hidden treasure: the gold in their circuits.

Suspected heatstroke kills three lions at Japan zoo

Three lions from a Tokyo zoo have died from suspected heatstroke and others are under treatment, a spokeswoman said Tuesday, with the big cats struggling with high levels of humidity.

'Damn hot': Last summer for Japan cosplay extravaganza

Shawn, like her sister Whitney dressed as a character from "Demon Slayer", has two words to describe the weather as she waits to watch the grand parade at this year's annual cosplay extravaganza in Japan: "Damn hot".

Firefighters in Greece 'pushed to the limit' as winds rage

Hundreds of firefighters in Greece on Saturday were being pushed to the limit to save a popular coastal resort and other areas as violent winds lashed the country, the civil protection minister said.

Forever chemicals and pesticides under Trump: what to know

Since returning to power, President Donald Trump's administration has approved five new pesticides considered by many to be PFAS "forever chemicals," a class of toxic substances facing increasing restrictions around the world.

Zürcher Nachrichten - Nature (English)