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Tue, 18 Nov 2025 11:00:50 GMT |
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It is one of the world’s most vital carbon sinks, but this tropical rainforest is losing out when it comes to climate policy and funding In October 2023, leaders, scientists and policymakers from three of the world’s great rainforest regions – the Amazon, the Congo, and the Borneo-Mekong basins – assembled in Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of Congo. They were there to discuss one urgent question: how to save the planet’s last great tropical forests from accelerating destruction. For those present, the question was existential. But to their dismay, almost no one noticed. “There was very little acknowledgment that this was happening, outside of the Congo basin region,” says Prof Simon Lewis, a lecturer at the University of Leeds and University College London, and co-chair of the Congo Basin Science Initiative (CBSI). Continue reading...
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Mon, 17 Nov 2025 23:00:17 GMT |
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Campaigners say the company is contributing to rising rates of childhood obesity, while the firm says it is helping to combat malnutrition Nestlé is still adding sugar to most baby cereals sold across Africa, according to an investigation by campaigners who have accused the company of “putting the health of African babies at risk for profit”. The food firm was accused of “double standards” over the researchers’ findings, which come at a time when rates of childhood obesity are rising on the continent, prompting calls for Nestlé to remove all added sugar from baby-food products. Continue reading...
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Mon, 17 Nov 2025 19:24:54 GMT |
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Rapper to give address on Tuesday after supporting Trump’s post condemning Nigerian government The US-based Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj will work alongside the White House to highlight claims of Christian persecution in Nigeria. Minaj is expected to deliver a speech at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Tuesday, according to a Time journalist who first posted about the collaboration on Sunday, adding that it was arranged by Alex Bruesewitz, an adviser to Donald Trump. Continue reading...
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Mon, 17 Nov 2025 17:47:41 GMT |
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Trump administration struck largely secretive deals with at least five African countries to accept migrants Eswatini has confirmed for the first time that it had received more than $5m from the United States to accept dozens of people expelled under Washington’s aggressive mass deportation drive. The tiny southern African kingdom has taken in 15 men since Donald Trump’s administration struck largely secretive deals with at least five African countries to accept migrants under a third-country deportation programme fiercely criticised by rights groups. Continue reading...
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Mon, 17 Nov 2025 09:13:28 GMT |
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Abdalmonim Alrabea has appeared in hundreds of videos in which he expresses support for paramilitary group accused of committing genocide A British citizen based in Sheffield appeared in a TikTok live broadcast laughing along while a notorious fighter from Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces group boasted about participating in mass killings in the city of El Fasher. The video, broadcast on 27 October, is just one of hundreds posted to social media in which 44-year-old Abdalmonim Alrabea expresses support for the RSF and the ethnically targeted atrocities it has committed in Sudan’s western Darfur region. Continue reading...
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Tue, 18 Nov 2025 17:46:23 GMT |
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Mexico’s president responds to Trump’s latest warning that he could authorize strikes against drug cartels in country Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has again dismissed Donald Trump’s threat of military action against drug cartels inside her country, telling reporters: “It’s not going to happen.” Sheinbaum made the comments on Tuesday morning in response to the US president’s latest warning that he could authorise strikes in Mexico. Continue reading...
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Tue, 18 Nov 2025 16:15:52 GMT |
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Tue, 18 Nov 2025 15:50:46 GMT |
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María Corina Machado pens a ‘freedom manifesto’ as plan to force Nicolás Maduro from power remains unclear Venezuela’s top opposition leader, the Nobel laureate María Corina Machado, has declared her country “at the edge of a new era” as Donald Trump refused to rule out a ground invasion to topple its authoritarian leader, Nicolás Maduro, but also signalled he was open to talks. Machado, who has lived in hiding since her movement’s candidate was widely believed to have beaten Maduro in last year’s presidential election, made her claim in a “freedom manifesto” that was published on Tuesday as uncertainty continued to shroud the South American country’s future. Continue reading...
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Mon, 17 Nov 2025 21:03:36 GMT |
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As the summit entered its second week, complex issues remain with anxiety growing over conference outcomes Colombia will host a first international conference on the phase out of fossil fuels in April next year, according to advocates of more ambitious action to eliminate the main source of the gases that are heating the planet. The South American country, which has demonstrated strong climate leadership in recent years, is among a group of 17 nations that have joined the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative which held a press conference on its plans at Cop30 on Monday. Continue reading...
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Mon, 17 Nov 2025 15:35:01 GMT |
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Yvette Cooper makes first public comments by minister over issue linked to bombing campaign in Caribbean Britain’s foreign secretary has downplayed reports that the UK had stopped sharing intelligence with the US that could be used by the Americans to conduct deadly attacks against alleged narco-traffickers in the Caribbean. Yvette Cooper, speaking on a ministerial trip to Naples, said “longstanding intelligence and law enforcement frameworks” that existed between the countries were continuing as the US deployed a carrier strike group to the region. Continue reading...
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Tue, 18 Nov 2025 08:52:07 GMT |
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Chinese airlines offer free cancellations and film releases postponed after Japanese PM’s comments on Taiwan Chinese travellers are estimated to have cancelled hundreds of thousands of tickets to fly to Japan amid reports of suspended visa processing and cultural exchanges as a diplomatic dispute over Japan’s stance on Taiwan continues. Under pressure from business groups, Japan has sent a senior diplomat to Beijing in an attempt to calm tensions after Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, said her country could get involved militarily if China attempted to invade Taiwan. Her comments prompted fury from China’s government, which issued warnings against Chinese travellers and students going to Japan. Continue reading...
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Tue, 18 Nov 2025 03:37:05 GMT |
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Communications undersecretary Claire Castro says claims from the president’s sister may be an attempt to distract from investigations into a corruption scandal Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos Jr has denied accusations made by his estranged sister that he is longtime drug addict, whose alleged cocaine dependence has led to governance issues, including corruption, a spokesperson for the president has said. Communications undersecretary Claire Castro described the comments by the president’s sister, senator Imee Marcos’, as baseless, and suggested they may have been a desperate attempt to distract ongoing investigations into a corruption scandal involving flood control projects that may implicate her allies in the Senate. Continue reading...
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Tue, 18 Nov 2025 00:55:29 GMT |
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Ockham Book Awards dropped two titles from contention after new guidelines introduced on artificial intelligence use The books of two award-winning New Zealand authors have been disqualified from consideration for the country’s top literature prize because artificial intelligence was used in the creation of their cover designs. Stephanie Johnson’s collection of short stories Obligate Carnivore and Elizabeth Smither’s collection of novellas Angel Train were submitted to the 2026 Ockham book awards’ NZ$65,000 fiction prize in October, but were ruled out of the competition the following month in light of new guidelines around AI use. Continue reading...
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Mon, 17 Nov 2025 14:46:26 GMT |
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Johnson Wen, who jumped over a barricade at Universal Studios Singapore and rushed at the Wicked star, has been convicted of being a public nuisance The man who grabbed Ariana Grande at a red-carpet premiere for Wicked: For Good in Singapore has been jailed for nine days. According to BBC News, Australian national Johnson Wen was convicted of being a public nuisance. Wen, 26, has a history of disrupting public events and rushing concert stages. Continue reading...
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Mon, 17 Nov 2025 14:00:51 GMT |
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Decision announced at Cop30 climate conference signposts risks for Australia’s reliance on fossil fuel exports, analysts say The Australian government has been urged to prepare for a shift away from thermal coal exports and accelerate green industries after one of its main international customers signed up to close all coal-fired power plants by 2040. South Korea, Australia’s third-biggest market for coal burned to generate electricity, announced at the Cop30 climate conference in Brazil that it was joining the “Powering Past Coal Alliance”, a group of about 60 nations and 120 sub-national governments, businesses and organisations committed to phasing out the fossil fuel. Continue reading...
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Tue, 18 Nov 2025 14:00:49 GMT |
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Online gaming company says voluntary age assurance technology will limit teens and children messaging users outside their own age groups As Roblox rolls out new age assurance features to prevent teens and kids from chatting with adults they do not know, it has insisted Australia’s upcoming under-16s social media ban should not apply to its services. The company, which is releasing the new features in Australia first, said that from Wednesday users will be able to voluntarily have their age estimated by going through the Persona age estimation technology, built into the Roblox app. It will access the camera of a user’s device and take a live estimation of their age based on their facial features. Continue reading...
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Tue, 18 Nov 2025 08:11:42 GMT |
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Australia’s national scientific agency announces more research job losses as it looks for budgetary savings Australia’s national scientific agency is expected to cut up to 350 more research roles from next year as it looks for savings and new sources of funding to plug budgetary shortfalls. The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) held a town hall on Tuesday afternoon, when the agency’s leaders outlined the troubled times ahead. Continue reading...
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Tue, 18 Nov 2025 07:45:35 GMT |
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The Coalition is preparing to thrash out the design of a policy to significantly reduce immigration places Liberal MPs say skilled migration and international student numbers must be cut to reduce overseas arrivals into Australia, but have warned colleagues against demonising multicultural communities ahead of the next election. The Coalition is preparing to thrash out the design of a policy to significantly cut immigration places, as the opposition leader, Sussan Ley, struggles to keep moderates and conservatives united. Ley and shadow ministers Jonathon Duniam and Paul Scarr want the policy debate before the end of the year, and could link places for overseas arrivals to capacity for home construction and health and education funding. Continue reading...
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Tue, 18 Nov 2025 07:23:12 GMT |
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This blog is now closed The NSW premier, Chris Minns, says a $60 toll cap for Sydney’s roads will be extended beyond its expiry date at the end of this year, and the government is considering two-way tolling on the Harbour Bridge to fund the cap permanently. The cap, under which drivers claim up to $340 a week back from the government after spending $60 for each registered vehicle, was put in place at the start of 2024, and was due to expire on New Year’s Day, 2026. We’re going to keep it. We can’t get rid of it. It’s a massive cost-of-living relief measure for literally hundreds of thousands of people who live in western Sydney, and without a $60 a week toll cap, they’ll be paying full market rates to use toll roads in Sydney. It’s hugely, hugely onerous for them. Continue reading...
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Tue, 18 Nov 2025 07:06:09 GMT |
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Early investigations suggest device was using software incompatible with emergency calls on TPG network TPG – the parent company of Vodafone – has said a Lebara customer who tried to dial triple zero on an incompatible Samsung device could not make the call and subsequently died. TPG said in a statement to the ASX that it was informed of the incident – which took place on 13 November in Sydney – at 5.22pm yesterday after advice from NSW Ambulance. Galaxy A7 (2017) Galaxy A5 2017 Galaxy J1 2016 Galaxy J3 2016 Galaxy J5 2017 Galaxy Note 5 Galaxy S6 Galaxy S6 Edge Galaxy S6 Edge+ Galaxy S7 Galaxy S7 Edge Continue reading...
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Tue, 18 Nov 2025 17:54:04 GMT |
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Donald Tusk warns Polish parliament of an ‘escalation’ of Russian intelligence activities ‘across the whole of Europe’ Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk has just told lawmakers that the authorities investigating the rail sabotage incidents over the weekend identified two main suspects. He says the suspects are Ukrainian men, who crossed into Poland from Belarus this autumn, and are believed to have been working for Russian intelligence services. Continue reading...
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Tue, 18 Nov 2025 17:53:11 GMT |
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Youth wing of conservatives say younger people will be left carrying can for older generation A row over pension reform is threatening the future of the German coalition government, with a youth wing of the conservatives of chancellor Friedrich Merz gaining support for an attempt to block legislation which they argue will leave younger Germans carrying the can for the older generation. An 18-strong group of young MPs, the Junge Union, has been accused of holding Merz’s coalition government to ransom over its demands to revise proposed pension reforms, which would guarantee pension increases for the next six years. Continue reading...
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Tue, 18 Nov 2025 16:33:57 GMT |
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German pop duo who last year said their wish was ‘to leave together’ had joint assisted death at their home in Grünwald Alice and Ellen Kessler, the pop singing sisters who were famous in Europe in the 1960s, especially in Italy where they were credited for bringing glamour to the country’s TV network, have died aged 89. The identical twins had chosen to have a joint assisted death at their home in Grünwald, close to Munich, on Monday, said Wega Wetzel, a spokesperson for Deutsche Gesellschaft für Humanes Sterben (DGHS), a Berlin-based assisted dying association. Continue reading...
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Tue, 18 Nov 2025 16:04:59 GMT |
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Director Joachim Trier’s family drama has five nominations, including best actor for Skarsgård, while Oliver Laxe’s techno thriller Sirāt has four nominations Norwegian director Joachim Trier is leading the race for a triumph at the European film awards, with five nominations in key categories for his family drama Sentimental Value. The Cannes Grand Prix winner is nominated for best European film, best screenplay and best director, with further best actor and best actress nominations for Stellan Skarsgård and Renate Reinsve. Continue reading...
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Tue, 18 Nov 2025 14:13:12 GMT |
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Brazilian actor will star in The Trial: Enemy of the People, which examines modern political and environmental conflicts The award-winning Brazilian actor Wagner Moura is to star in a new play being staged at three European festivals next year, in the first joint production since their foundation two years after the second world war. Moura, who is being tipped for an Oscar nomination for the Secret Agent, will take the lead role in a new production updating the Henrik Ibsen play An Enemy of the People to examine modern political and environmental conflicts. Continue reading...
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Tue, 18 Nov 2025 17:52:40 GMT |
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President set to sell F-35 stealth jets to the kingdom in crown prince’s first US visit since 2018 killing of regime critic Jamal Khashoggi A reminder that Donald Trump’s family has a strong personal interest in Saudi Arabia. In September, London real estate developer Dar Global announced that it plans to launch Trump Plaza in the Red Sea city of Jeddah. It’s Dar Global’s second collaboration with the Trump Organization, the collection of companies controlled by the US president’s children, in the kingdom. Last year, the two companies announced the launch of Trump Tower Jeddah. Continue reading...
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Tue, 18 Nov 2025 12:54:05 GMT |
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Senior aide to Mohammed bin Salman allegedly led campaign to identify users who were posting critically about Saudi regime A senior official in Mohammed bin Salman’s entourage, who is expected to travel with the crown prince on his first trip back to the US in seven years, has previously been accused by US prosecutors of playing a central role in a conspiracy to infiltrate Twitter and identify users who were posting critically about the Saudi regime. Bader al-Asaker, who has headed Prince Mohammed’s private office since before he became crown prince, has never been formally charged by the US government for his role in the 2014-15 scheme, but was accused in court in 2022 by a US government lawyer as having led the campaign to find a “mole” who would be able to extract sensitive information from the social media company, which is now known as X. Continue reading...
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Tue, 18 Nov 2025 12:16:49 GMT |
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Kingdom’s de facto ruler to arrive on first White House trip since killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 Donald Trump is to welcome Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Mohammed bin Salman to Washington on Tuesday, in a red-carpet visit expected to result in the sale of highly advanced US F-35 fighter jets to the Gulf monarchy. The crown prince’s arrival in Washington will be his first White House visit since the 2018 killing of the Washington Post journalist and critic of the kingdom Jamal Khashoggi. The CIA later determined Khashoggi’s murder was approved by the crown prince, leading to global condemnation. Continue reading...
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Tue, 18 Nov 2025 06:27:47 GMT |
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The hazy UN resolution dictates that Trump’s ‘board of peace’ will supervise an International Stabilisation Force, whose membership is as yet undetermined The resolution passed by the UN security council on Tuesday evening, aimed at turning the precarious Gaza ceasefire into a real peace plan, is one of the oddest in United Nations history. It puts Donald Trump in supreme control of Gaza, perhaps with Tony Blair as his immediate subordinate in a “board of peace”, which will oversee multinational peacekeeping troops, a committee of Palestinian technocrats and a local police force, for a period of two years. Continue reading...
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Tue, 18 Nov 2025 05:00:27 GMT |
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UN logs 260 attacks in October alone, its highest monthly tally, as settlers attack farmers and burn olive trees Violence has increased across the occupied West Bank as Palestinian farmers try to harvest their olive trees before the end of the season, in the face of a concerted campaign of harassment by groups of armed and aggressive Israeli settlers. Dozens of new incidents have occurred in recent days across much of the occupied territory as settlers step up a broader effort to intimidate and harm Palestinian communities. Continue reading...
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Tue, 18 Nov 2025 15:00:51 GMT |
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Exclusive: Tshering Tobgay says his country is doing ‘a lot more than our fair share’ on climate and west must cut emissions ‘for the happiness of your people’ The wealthy western countries most responsible for the climate crisis would improve the health and happiness of their citizens by prioritising environmental conservation and sustainable economic growth, according to the prime minister of Bhutan, the world’s first carbon-negative nation. Bhutan, a Buddhist democratic monarchy and biodiversity hotspot situated high in the eastern Himalayas, is among the world’s most ambitious climate leaders thanks to its people’s connection with nature and a strong political focus on improving gross national happiness rather than just GDP, Tshering Tobgay told the Guardian. Continue reading...
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Mon, 17 Nov 2025 15:42:25 GMT |
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Hasina sentenced in absentia by court in Dhaka over deadly crackdown on student-led uprising last year Bangladesh’s deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina has been sentenced to death in absentia by a court in Dhaka for crimes against humanity over a deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising last year. A three-judge bench of the country’s international crimes tribunal convicted Hasina of crimes including incitement, orders to kill and inaction to prevent atrocities as she oversaw a crackdown on anti-government protesters last year. Continue reading...
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Sat, 15 Nov 2025 07:18:57 GMT |
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The accidental explosion comes days after a deadly car blast in New Delhi which killed at least eight people near the city’s historic Red Fort At least nine people were killed and 32 injured after a cache of confiscated explosives detonated inside a police station in Indian-controlled Kashmir, police have announced. The blast occurred in the Nowgam area of Srinagar, the region’s main city, late on Friday while a team of forensic experts and police were examining the explosive material, said Nalin Prabhat, the region’s police director general. He ruled out any foul play, saying it was an accident. Continue reading...
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Fri, 14 Nov 2025 23:43:51 GMT |
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Wed, 12 Nov 2025 17:46:13 GMT |
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Cabinet says explosion near Red Fort that killed 12 is suspected to have been perpetrated by ‘anti-national forces’ India has confirmed it is treating the explosion that killed 12 people outside Delhi’s Red Fort on Monday as a “terror incident” perpetrated by “anti-national forces”. The statement by the cabinet, led by the prime minister, Narendra Modi, confirmed mounting speculation that a terrorist attack was behind the blast that took place during peak time in one of the capital’s busiest areas and outside one of India’s major landmarks. Continue reading...
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Tue, 18 Nov 2025 17:50:09 GMT |
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Total of 48 degrees could disappear from Russell Group institution, with falling revenues and rising costs blamed Nottingham will be the only Russell Group university not to teach modern foreign languages degrees if it approves plans to close a swath of courses including Spanish and French as well as music and dozens of others. The University of Nottingham’s council will next week decide the fate of 48 degree courses currently on offer but many staff fear the worst after the university said it would not accept applications for places next year. Continue reading...
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Tue, 18 Nov 2025 17:41:30 GMT |
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Breeders welcome initiative from all-party parliamentary group on animal welfare, but question its usefulness With their huge eyes, large heads and tiny snub noses, the public perceptions of flat-faced dogs as “cute” and “infant-like” has driven demand over recent years. Film, TV and the greetings card industries have long capitalised on this anthropomorphism, attracting criticism from animal welfare campaigners who highlight the painful health disorders experienced by the extreme conformation of short-muzzled or brachycephalic breeds such as the English bulldog, French bulldog and pug. Continue reading...
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Tue, 18 Nov 2025 17:40:34 GMT |
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Dan Jarvis, the security minister, says China is trying to contact MPs and peers to get sensitive information about parliament Back at the Reform UK press conference, Zia Yusuf, the party’s head of policy, has just finished outlining his plan to cut spending on foreigners As he finished, Yusuf claimed this was “treachery”. Labour is making the conscious and deliberate decision to continue funding extortionate amounts to foreign nationals, to the detriment of British citizens. And I don’t know what to call that. Frankly, in my view, it’s treachery. I think it’s appalling. British people are sick and tired of it. Just a few months ago, Rachel Reeves was saying she couldn’t afford to scrap the two-child benefit cap. Now it looks like becoming her latest U-turn. This isn’t because the economic circumstances have improved. Quite the opposite. Continue reading...
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Tue, 18 Nov 2025 16:55:12 GMT |
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Spy agency says Amanda Qui and Shirly Shen have been using LinkedIn to ‘obtain non-public and insider insights’ MI5 has issued an espionage alert to MPs and peers warning that two people linked to the Chinese intelligence service are actively seeking to recruit parliamentarians. The two people operated as headhunters on the LinkedIn professional networking website aiming to obtain “non-public and insider insights”, MI5 said. They are also said to be targeting economists, thinktank staff and others with access to politicians. Continue reading...
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Tue, 18 Nov 2025 16:19:21 GMT |
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US oil firm blames UK government policy and supply costs for closure of site near Cowdenbeath in Scotland ExxonMobil is to close a chemicals plant in Scotland that employs hundreds of workers within months, blaming the decision on the UK government’s “economic and policy environment”. Workers at Fife Ethylene Plant were told on Tuesday that the oil company would shut the 40-year-old facility near Cowdenbeath by February next year owing to the difficult policy and market conditions in the UK. Continue reading...
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Tue, 18 Nov 2025 17:52:10 GMT |
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Critics accuse the US president of trying to ‘shut women journalists up’ with ‘demeaning language’ Donald Trump, who has a history of making extremely personal attacks on female journalists, referred to a Bloomberg News correspondent as a “piggy” during a clash onboard Air Force One on Friday. While the remark did not initially get much attention, it picked up some traction on Tuesday and has drawn backlash from fellow journalists, including some who have previously been attacked by Trump themselves. Continue reading...
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Tue, 18 Nov 2025 17:51:32 GMT |
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Move comes after Donald Trump dropped his opposition to a vote on releasing files on the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein The Harvard professor and economist Larry Summers said he would be stepping back from public life after documents released by the House oversight committee revealed email exchanges between Summers and the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who called himself Summers’ “wing man”. Politico reported on Monday that Summers, a former treasury secretary, expressed deep regret for past messages with Epstein. Continue reading...
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Tue, 18 Nov 2025 17:25:58 GMT |
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Survivors were joined by lawmakers including Marjorie Taylor Greene before House vote on releasing Epstein files A group of survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse gathered outside the US Capitol on Tuesday morning, demanding justice, accountability and the release of the justice department files related to the late convicted sex offender. “It’s time that we put the political agendas and party of affiliations to the side. This is a human issue, this is about children,” Haley Robson, one of the survivors, said. “There is no place in society for exploitation sexual crimes or exploitation of women in society.” Continue reading...
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Tue, 18 Nov 2025 16:31:30 GMT |
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Deal requires Sackler family members who own company to contribute up to $7bn over 15 years A federal bankruptcy court judge on Tuesday formally approved OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma’s plan to settle thousands of lawsuits over the harms of opioids. The deal approved by US bankruptcy Judge Sean Lane requires members of the Sackler family who own the company to contribute up to $7bn over 15 years. Most of the money is to go to government entities to fight the opioid crisis that has been linked to 900,000 deaths in the US since 1999. Continue reading...
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Tue, 18 Nov 2025 16:01:53 GMT |
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Leah Lendel was bitten by a bull shark as she was snorkeling with her family from a beach in Boca Grande A 10-year-old girl whose hand was reattached after it was severed in a shark attack has spoken of her remarkable recovery after a “miracle” six-hour operation that has allowed her to resume knitting outfits for her beloved Barbie dolls. Leah Lendel’s right hand was left hanging by shreds of skin after the bite by a 9ft bull shark as she was snorkeling with her family at a beach in Boca Grande, Florida, in June. Continue reading...
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