ENVIRONMENT

A female platypus that got accidentally trapped in a car engine during a 15-kilometre ride through Murrumbidgee River in Canberra, Australia miraculously survived the ordeal.

Sydney was set ablaze as Australia's Olympic Park in Sydney caught fire Sunday as the fire broke out after a cigarette butt thrown away in the area, according to reports.

China has pledged to stop operations of at least 2,000 coal mines by 2015 in its bid to regulate production of the raw commodity and clean up the air.

What the world will be like under a changed climate – a leaked report from IPPC reveals the answer

Six workers of Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant have been directly exposed to leaking radioactive water. The Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO), the plant's operator, on Wednesday said the unfortunate accident occurred due to carelessness when one of the workers detached a pipe connected to a water treatment system at the site.

Member nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) collectively agreed on Wednesday to share satellite data information that will monitor the haze development in each country in a bid to curb illegal fires and prevent its occurrence and spread in the region.

Apparently, some male insect-eating marsupials, such as the mouse-like antechinus and the possum-like phascogales, have killer sex. In fact, the very act of mating with their own kind literally kills them.

Australia's south coast is expected to reach 40 degrees, a little over that and it may well be the hottest day of the year. One cause of this might be the hot air mass that has been building over the northern parts of the territory while the bodies of water surrounding the continent have been no help as the warm surface temperature continues to rise.

Typhoon Fitow, the strongest typhoon to hit China since 1951 that emanated from the east coast, has left at least five people dead, four missing and half a million people affected and displaced by floods.

What could have been a peaceful and relaxing week-long holiday for residents turned otherwise when northern China was again surrounded by fog and pollution on Sunday. The situation was so extreme that authorities had to suspend air flight operations as well as closed at least six expressways.

Australia's newly rebadged Climate Council is naming this year as the hottest calendar year documented since record keeping began. 2013 is set to have the highest temperatures, passing by far 2005's warm climate. The elevated temperature is cause for concern as local governments are concerned with spontaneous bush fires may erupt should this budding heat wave continue. This is one hot streak that the public should be talking about.

The Lake Natron mystery started making buzz online when photographer Nick Brandy shared the captures of animals that appeared as corpses after having allegedly crashed on the form of water in Tanzania.

Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant is at it again, this time leaking 114 gallons of highly radioactive contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean.

Extinction of koalas is now beginning to unfold as another casualty of the burgeoning global climate change, which has dried up too many trees.

Churchgoers, beware! The Holy water was reportedly to contain fecal matter. A recent study shows that around 86 percent of Holy water, which is generally used in baptism, may be infected with harmful bacteria.

It was a photo contest not meant to show the most vivid, beautiful and eye-turning picture. It was a photo contest meant to show off the most thought-provoking and livid picture that would most perfectly capture the state of Florida's water pollution problem.

A study by Environment Canada reveals that human activities kill over 270 million birds every year.

An exciting new film has just been announced: "Unacceptable Levels" exposes the hidden world of toxic chemicals now inundating society and destroying our health worldwide.

A 10-year-old Mexican boy was killed on Friday by a 4-metre crocodile in the state of Oaxaca. The boy was playing with his older brother, aged 13, near a swollen river when the reptile just grabbed the child's heat and dragged him for several metres before releasing the child.

U.S. President Barack Obama is under increasing pressure from Americans for the White House to rejects any deals with Canada that would pave the way for the operation of the Keystone XL pipeline project by TransCanada, even if Ottawa is promising to be tougher on carbon emissions.

China is planning to build as much as to 40 massive projects to convert coal to synthetic natural gas (SNG) as it zealously works to curb its coal pollution emissions. But a group of researchers had strongly warned it best to all together shelve the project because the SNG plants will greatly increase China's greenhouse emissions, releasing yet another environmental disaster.

David Suzuki gave his thoughts about Tony Abbott's firing of Tim Flannery as Flannery launches new Climate Council.

People wanting to live longer and breathe in fresher, cleaner air may want to get out from mega cities in China, India, Indonesia and Europe and migrate to other regions in the world. A map recently released by NASA has specifically and graphically pinpointed where air pollution is at its deadliest around the globe.

Seeking closer cooperation with India in space data, Australia has expressed keenness to collaborate with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for sharing scientific space data to guard its 59,736-km-long coastline against tsunami and storms.

Australia has more pet than people, with domesticated animals numbering 2 million more or about 25 million of the four-legged creatures or fins living with 63 per cent living in Australian homes.

Fukushima Prefecture, already reeling from the problems brought about the by radiation contamination at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, has been struck by a 5.3 magnitude earthquake early Friday morning.

Still days away from the expected impact, but China, Hong Kong and Taiwan has sounded all the distress alarms as it braces for the wrath of Typhoon Usagi, dubbed 2013's strongest storm yet.

In what has to be its most drastic move yet to rein in its country's pollution crisis, the Chinese government will be coming out with a monthly list of 10 most polluted cities and 10 cities with cleanest air. Australia could be at risk with this as China has likewise ordered coal-reduction targets for its provinces.

New Zealand is hoping to join the ranks of oil and gas-producing countries in the world by beginning a 40-year cycle in oil and gas exploration.