Featured
Last news
![Switzerland reopens door for new nuclear power plants](https://www.thenationaltimes.au/media/shared/articles/c9/51/e3/Switzerland-reopens-door-for-new-nu-475447_small.jpg)
Switzerland reopens door for new nuclear power plants
Switzerland said Wednesday it was open to building new nuclear power stations in the long term, given new geopolitical uncertainties, climate targets and population growth boosting the demand for electricity.
![Wildfires push Canada into top four CO2 emitters](https://www.thenationaltimes.au/media/shared/articles/8e/66/3d/Wildfires-push-Canada-into-top-four-671452_small.jpg)
Wildfires push Canada into top four CO2 emitters
Record wildfires last year bumped Canada into the top four CO2-emitting countries in the world, according to a study Wednesday that also cast doubt on its forests' future ability to capture and store significant amounts of carbon dioxide.
![Tens of millions bake under extreme heat in eastern United States](https://www.thenationaltimes.au/media/shared/articles/d7/1c/a1/Tens-of-millions-bake-under-extreme-746616_small.jpg)
Tens of millions bake under extreme heat in eastern United States
Nearly 60 million people were sweltering under heat alerts on Wednesday as a late-summer surge of extreme temperatures blanketed much of the eastern half of the United States.
![China's solar sector blazes trail in commitment to renewables](https://www.thenationaltimes.au/media/shared/articles/80/03/01/China-s-solar-sector-blazes-trail-i-527257_small.jpg)
China's solar sector blazes trail in commitment to renewables
Hundreds of rows of gleaming panels blanket swathes of scrubby sand at sunset in a remote northern Chinese desert -- once the biggest solar farm in the world.
![Toyota shutters Japan factories as typhoon approaches](https://www.thenationaltimes.au/media/shared/articles/8b/0d/2d/Toyota-shutters-Japan-factories-as--226224_small.jpg)
Toyota shutters Japan factories as typhoon approaches
Auto giant Toyota is suspending production at all its factories in Japan because of an approaching typhoon, the company said Wednesday.
![US patient dies from rare mosquito-borne disease](https://www.thenationaltimes.au/media/shared/articles/6b/a7/79/US-patient-dies-from-rare-mosquito--471477_small.jpg)
US patient dies from rare mosquito-borne disease
A person in the northeastern US state of New Hampshire has died after contracting the rare mosquito-borne eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus, health authorities announced Tuesday.
![The battle over mining mineral-rich deep sea 'nodules'](https://www.thenationaltimes.au/media/shared/articles/64/1e/42/The-battle-over-mining-mineral-rich-791005_small.jpg)
The battle over mining mineral-rich deep sea 'nodules'
They might look like pebbles strewn across the seafloor, but to the unique animals of the ocean deep, polymetallic nodules are a crucial habitat.
![As climate warms, S. Korea fights new border threat: malarial mosquitoes](https://www.thenationaltimes.au/media/shared/articles/88/aa/d4/As-climate-warms--S--Korea-fights-n-207242_small.jpg)
As climate warms, S. Korea fights new border threat: malarial mosquitoes
Near the heavily fortified border that divides North and South Korea, a monitoring device is working 24-7 -- not tracking missiles or troop movements, but catching malaria-carrying mosquitoes that may cross the border.
![UN's Guterres issues 'global SOS' over fast-rising Pacific ocean](https://www.thenationaltimes.au/media/shared/articles/06/d7/6e/UN-s-Guterres-issues--global-SOS--o-732571_small.jpg)
UN's Guterres issues 'global SOS' over fast-rising Pacific ocean
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres voiced a global climate "SOS" at a Pacific islands summit on Tuesday, unveiling research that shows the region's seas rising much more swiftly than global averages.
![Fires in Brazil's Sao Paulo state under control: authorities](https://www.thenationaltimes.au/media/shared/articles/04/08/g0/Fires-in-Brazil-s-Sao-Paulo-state-u-303137_small.jpg)
Fires in Brazil's Sao Paulo state under control: authorities
Fires that have razed thousands of hectares of forest in Brazil's Sao Paulo state have been brought under control, authorities said Monday, though an alert for fresh blazes remained in place.
![ExxonMobil expects global oil demand near current levels in 2050](https://www.thenationaltimes.au/media/shared/articles/f6/0d/d9/ExxonMobil-expects-global-oil-deman-336668_small.jpg)
ExxonMobil expects global oil demand near current levels in 2050
Global oil demand is unlikely to fall by 2050 despite progress on renewable energy, the US oil and gas giant ExxonMobil said Monday, pointing to rising population and demand for energy worldwide.
![Floods ease in Bangladesh but 300,000 still in shelters](https://www.thenationaltimes.au/media/shared/articles/c6/90/42/Floods-ease-in-Bangladesh-but-300-0-231527_small.jpg)
Floods ease in Bangladesh but 300,000 still in shelters
River waters in low-lying Bangladesh are receding after days of deadly floods but 300,000 people are still in emergency shelters requiring aid, disaster officials said Sunday.
![S.Africa plan to 'bomb' mice that eat albatrosses alive](https://www.thenationaltimes.au/media/shared/articles/5f/ea/d0/S-Africa-plan-to--bomb--mice-that-e-509944_small.jpg)
S.Africa plan to 'bomb' mice that eat albatrosses alive
Conservationists said Saturday that they plan to bomb a remote South African island with tonnes of pesticide-laced pellets to kill mice that are eating albatrosses and other seabirds alive.
![S.Africa plan to 'bomb' mice that eat alabatrosses alive](https://www.thenationaltimes.au/media/shared/articles/5f/ea/d0/S-Africa-plan-to--bomb--mice-that-e-551112_small.jpg)
S.Africa plan to 'bomb' mice that eat alabatrosses alive
Conservationists said Saturday that they plan to bomb a remote South African island with tonnes of pesticide-laced pellets to kill mice that are eating albatrosses and other seabirds alive.
![Whaling: why the practice will not go away](https://www.thenationaltimes.au/media/shared/articles/e4/95/fa/Whaling--why-the-practice-will-not--723674_small.jpg)
Whaling: why the practice will not go away
The detention in Greenland of anti-whaling campaigner Paul Watson pending possible extradition to Japan has turned the spotlight on the widely condemned practice of hunting whales.
![Berlin zoo panda gives birth to twins for second time](https://www.thenationaltimes.au/media/shared/articles/23/45/41/Berlin-zoo-panda-gives-birth-to-twi-741040_small.jpg)
Berlin zoo panda gives birth to twins for second time
Berlin Zoo said Friday its resident panda Meng Meng had delivered twins for the second time, hailing the rare births as a boost to the endangered creatures.
![Energy-hungry Singapore eyes deserts, forest for renewables](https://www.thenationaltimes.au/media/shared/articles/71/c8/e8/Energy-hungry-Singapore-eyes-desert-923143_small.jpg)
Energy-hungry Singapore eyes deserts, forest for renewables
With huge data centres set to drive up already outsized energy demand, the tiny city-state of Singapore is looking to Australia's deserts and Malaysia's rainforests for clean power.
![Australia tackles poor Great Barrier Reef water quality](https://www.thenationaltimes.au/media/shared/articles/cd/5f/25/Australia-tackles-poor-Great-Barrie-521772_small.jpg)
Australia tackles poor Great Barrier Reef water quality
Australia on Friday launched a multi-million dollar effort to stop pesticide runoff and other water quality issues on the Great Barrier Reef, the latest effort to save the ailing natural wonder.
![Portugal seeks EU help as wildfire threatens UNESCO-listed forest](https://www.thenationaltimes.au/media/shared/articles/b4/db/ff/Portugal-seeks-EU-help-as-wildfire--982764_small.jpg)
Portugal seeks EU help as wildfire threatens UNESCO-listed forest
Portugal on Wednesday appealed to EU partners for assistance in fighting a wildfire on the Atlantic island of Madeira that has raged for a week and threatened a UNESCO-listed forest.
![Record-breaking Nepali teen eyes final 8,000-metre peak](https://www.thenationaltimes.au/media/shared/articles/cc/e9/18/Record-breaking-Nepali-teen-eyes-fi-828124_small.jpg)
Record-breaking Nepali teen eyes final 8,000-metre peak
At just 18 years old, Nepali mountaineer Nima Rinji Sherpa is on the brink of a remarkable achievement.
![Australia approves world's 'largest' solar hub](https://www.thenationaltimes.au/media/shared/articles/03/99/94/Australia-approves--world-s--larges-801182_small.jpg)
Australia approves world's 'largest' solar hub
Australia on Wednesday approved plans for a massive solar and battery farm that would export energy to Singapore, a project dubbed the "largest solar precinct in the world".
![Tesla faces lower-rate EU tariffs on China-made EVs](https://www.thenationaltimes.au/media/shared/articles/32/c7/g0/Tesla-faces-lower-rate-EU-tariffs-o-789478_small.jpg)
Tesla faces lower-rate EU tariffs on China-made EVs
The European Commission announced plans Tuesday to impose an extra nine-percent tariff on Tesla's China-made electric cars, much lower than what Chinese firms face unless Beijing compromises in a trade row.
![Oil spill hits beaches on Venezuela's northwest coast](https://www.thenationaltimes.au/media/shared/articles/39/a0/3e/Oil-spill-hits-beaches-on-Venezuela-121274_small.jpg)
Oil spill hits beaches on Venezuela's northwest coast
An oil spill has dumped black sludge on beaches along Venezuela's northwestern coast and affected fishing in the area, residents and environmental activists said Monday.
![Brazil fishermen turn to mobile app to combat pollution scourge](https://www.thenationaltimes.au/media/shared/articles/b4/9c/db/Brazil-fishermen-turn-to-mobile-app-711187_small.jpg)
Brazil fishermen turn to mobile app to combat pollution scourge
Brazilian activist and fisherman Alexandre Anderson uses one hand to steer his boat, and the other to film an oil stain spreading over Rio de Janeiro's Guanabara Bay.
![Indonesia leader reshuffles cabinet weeks before leaving office](https://www.thenationaltimes.au/media/shared/articles/c7/d0/f0/Indonesia-leader-reshuffles-cabinet-202040_small.jpg)
Indonesia leader reshuffles cabinet weeks before leaving office
Indonesian President Joko Widodo reshuffled his cabinet on Monday just weeks before he steps down in an effort to ease the transition to his successor, Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto, his office said.
![Apes to stay at home as Malaysia tweaks 'orangutan diplomacy'](https://www.thenationaltimes.au/media/shared/articles/48/1b/a3/Apes-to-stay-at-home-as-Malaysia-tw-281443_small.jpg)
Apes to stay at home as Malaysia tweaks 'orangutan diplomacy'
Malaysia is inviting countries that buy its palm oil to adopt orangutans but leave them in their natural habitat, local media reported, tweaking a plan that originally sought to send some abroad.
![Trump's strategy on climate? Amplify myths about Harris](https://www.thenationaltimes.au/media/shared/articles/2f/10/9c/Trump-s-strategy-on-climate--Amplif-525237_small.jpg)
Trump's strategy on climate? Amplify myths about Harris
An unrelentingly bitter US presidential race, defined by name-calling, attack ads and stunted campaigning, has so far left little space for discussion about climate change, despite the world experiencing unprecedented heat and disasters.
!['It's scary': Israeli frontline city in dark over port blast risks](https://www.thenationaltimes.au/media/shared/articles/9b/3a/50/-It-s-scary---Israeli-frontline-cit-618870_small.jpg)
'It's scary': Israeli frontline city in dark over port blast risks
The smell of fuel wafts from storage tanks to Dovi Sonny's apartment -- a long-time irritant, and now a major worry after Hezbollah revealed that the facility in northern Israel was in its sights.
![Greenland court extends whale activist Watson's detention](https://www.thenationaltimes.au/media/shared/articles/22/42/ae/Greenland-court-extends-whale-activ-102341_small.jpg)
Greenland court extends whale activist Watson's detention
A Greenland court on Thursday ordered US-Canadian anti-whaling activist Paul Watson to be kept in custody until September 5 pending a decision on his possible extradition to Japan.
![Japan cancels flights and trains as another typhoon approaches](https://www.thenationaltimes.au/media/shared/articles/3a/f9/2a/Japan-cancels-flights-and-trains-as-322424_small.jpg)
Japan cancels flights and trains as another typhoon approaches
Hundreds of Japanese flights and trains were cancelled Thursday in the middle of a major holiday week as another typhoon roared towards the archipelago.
![Scorching heat magnifies housing crunch for Hong Kong's elderly](https://www.thenationaltimes.au/media/shared/articles/45/87/a8/Scorching-heat-magnifies-housing-cr-362060_small.jpg)
Scorching heat magnifies housing crunch for Hong Kong's elderly
Even with two electric fans whirring, retired janitor Chun Loi was sweating profusely in her windowless, one-room flat that swelters during Hong Kong's humid summer.
![Uganda garbage landslide death toll rises to 30](https://www.thenationaltimes.au/media/shared/articles/33/57/56/Uganda-garbage-landslide-death-toll-563547_small.jpg)
Uganda garbage landslide death toll rises to 30
Six more bodies, including those of two children, were recovered on Wednesday from the site of a massive garbage landslide in the Ugandan capital Kampala, bringing the death toll so far to 30, police said.