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Virginijus Sinkevičius, a former environment commissioner, criticises bloc’s decision to delay deforestation lawA former EU environment commissioner has warned against backsliding on the protection of nature and the battle against the climate crisis after the bloc decided to delay its landmark deforestation law.Virginijus Sinkevičius, the Lithuanian MEP and a vice-president of the European parliament’s Green group, said he disagreed with the decision to amend...

Woman dies in tubing accident near Toowomba, while another drowns scuba diving near Wave Break Island on the Gold CoastGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA woman has died in a New Year’s Day scuba diving accident at a popular Gold Coast swimming spot.Meanwhile, another woman was found dead on Wednesday after an extensive search following a water tubing accident...

The incident occurred in the heart of Manhattan and a man has been taken into custody, but charges are yet to be filedA man waiting for the subway in Manhattan was pushed in front of an oncoming train on Tuesday afternoon, but survived with injuries to his leg and head, according to the New York police department.The apparent attack comes less than two weeks...

Debra Lee Miller, 26, was killed in her apartment in 1981 by James Vanest, who was shot dead by police last monthThe murder of an 18-year-old woman in Ohio 43 years ago has been solved with the help of DNA technology, authorities announced on Monday.Jason Bammann, the Mansfield police chief, said the cold case of Debra Lee Miller, a local waitress beaten to death...

Roy Cooper’s historic clemency action comes a week after Biden’s resentencings shielded dozens from executionThe governor of North Carolina has granted commutations to 15 people on death row on his final day in office, changing their sentences to life without the possibility of parole.Roy Cooper, a Democrat, announced his clemency action on New Year’s Eve, prompting praise from opponents of capital punishment, who have...

Sixteen air force personnel who apprehended boys being held in custody as inquiry into deaths continuesEcuador’s attorney general’s office has confirmed that incinerated bodies found on Christmas Eve belong to the four children missing since early December, in a case posing a severe challenge to President Daniel Noboa’s “war on drugs”.The four boys – all black, aged between 11 and 15, and residents of...

Agents discovered more than 150 pipe bombs and other devices in raid on home of Brad Spafford, 36, documents sayA federal judge has granted bond to a Virginia man accused of holding extremist views and amassing what prosecutors say is the largest ever cache of homemade explosives found by the FBI. The judge stayed the order pending government appeal.Agents found the weapons, including more...

Eight hospitalized after attempted balloon drop at Peabody family fun center knocked over display, which fell about 12ftTen people were injured when a toy brick display collapsed on to a crowd at an arcade center in Massachusetts, police said.Peabody police said the incident took place on Tuesday at the In the Game family fun center when “a display was pulled down by balloons attached...

Nearly entire island without electricity as Luma Energy estimates it will take at least 24 hours to restore powerMore than half of Puerto Rico remained without electricity early on Wednesday after a sweeping power outage on New Year’s Eve.Luma Energy, the private energy company primarily supplying power to the island, reported as of 10.45am on Tuesday morning that only 13.5% of the US territory’s...

Experts hope flight recorders will provide answers to key questions surrounding crash in which 179 diedAs investigators set to work unpicking the cause of Sunday’s devastating plane crash in South Korea, the black boxes carried on the aircraft will be of prime importance, with retrieval of data from the cockpit voice recorder under way.All but two of the 181 people onboard died in the...

President seeks to allay fears that world’s second-largest economy will falter in 2025 because of high US tariffsChina’s economy is on course to expand by 5% in 2025, according to its president, Xi Jinping, meeting official growth targets and rebutting concerns that Donald Trump’s incoming US administration will harm Beijing’s prospects in the new year.Using his annual address to the nation, Xi sought to...

Assaults on medical facilities could amount to war crimes in certain circumstances, human rights office report says Israel’s pattern of sustained attacks on Gaza’s hospitals and medical workers has brought the coastal strip’s healthcare system to the brink of “total collapse”, according to a report by the UN’s human rights office.The report, which catalogues the besieging and targeting of hospitals and their immediate grounds...

Exports to cease on New Year’s Day as Europe faces cold snap and higher than usual fall in reserves since SeptemberEurope will receive the last Russian gas sent via Ukraine’s pipelines in the early hours of the new year as the continent braces for a plunge in temperatures that could hasten the drain on gas reserves.The Russian state energy company, Gazprom, is expected to...

Ridah Bin Saleh al-Yazidi was held without charge for more than 20 years as prison facilitates burst of transfersA Tunisian national who had become one of Guantánamo Bay’s longest-held detainees has been released from the US military compound, the Pentagon announced on Monday night.Ridah Bin Saleh al-Yazidi was transferred to his home country after being held without charge since the detention facility opened in...

Nuns mark opening of Druk Amitabha nunnery with performance, five years after Covid closureAbout a dozen nuns performed hand chops and high kicks, some of them wielding swords, as they showed off their martial art skills to hundreds of cheering wellwishers at the reopening of their nunnery in Nepal.The nuns of the hilltop Druk Amitabha monastery put on the show of strength to mark...

South African dancer and choreographer died unexpectedly after a brief illness, her family saysThe dance world is mourning the internationally acclaimed South African dancer and choreographer Dada Masilo, who died in hospital at the weekend aged 39.Masilo died unexpectedly on Sunday after a brief illness, a spokesperson for her family said in a statement. Continue reading...

Some descendants are apprehensive but a historian says making 30m pages of records public is ‘important step’For 80 years, details of their ancestors’ collaboration with the Nazis have been buried in spotless rows of filing cabinets in The Hague. But thousands of Dutch families face having their relatives’ history laid bare later this week when an archive opens on 425,000 people accused of siding...

Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, says Iran-backed group in Yemen would be targeted by Israeli military after recent attacks on IsraelThe head of the UN aid agency for Gaza said “horrors continue unabated” 15 months since the war broke out between Israel and Gaza, triggered by the Hamas terror attack.Philippe Lazzarini said more than 250 members of United Nations Relief and Works...

Plea to partygoers comes as service struggles to handle ongoing ‘critical incident’ with patients facing delaysThe chief executive of the Welsh ambulance service has urged New Year’s Eve revellers to drink in moderation and eat before they begin partying to help it cope with an ongoing “critical incident”.Jason Killens admitted people may already have come to harm because of delays in paramedics reaching them...

Tenth and final payment means the 40,000-plus Ponzi scheme victims will have recovered 93% of investment lossesA US government fund to compensate people swindled by Bernie Madoff is making its final round of payments, taking the total paid from the fund to the late fraudster’s victims to $4.3bn (£3.4bn).The Madoff Victim Fund is paying out $131.4m from forfeited assets to 23,408 people around the...

China says claims a state-sponsored actor was behind cyber breach earlier this month are ‘groundless’Beijing has hit back at accusations that a China state-sponsored actor was behind a cyber breach at the US treasury department, calling the claims “groundless”.The breach was orchestrated via a third-party cybersecurity service provider. Hackers were able to gain access to a key used by the vendor to override certain...

‘Providing an opportunity for people to apply for a visa that will probably never come seems both cruel and unnecessary’, review saysGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWait times for visas to bring parents to Australia are so long that nearly 2,300 applicants died before receiving a visa in the last three years, according to the home affairs department.The department...

Police rushed to Edensor Park after two armed men were allegedly seen trying to break into a homeGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA man has been charged after an alleged bungled shooting resulted in a high-speed chase through south-west Sydney.Police had attended a home in Edensor Park about 1.30am on Tuesday after two men armed with guns were allegedly...

Exclusive: Care Quality Commission did not act on evidence casting doubt on care provider’s version of events, ruling saysThe NHS ombudsman has criticised the service’s care regulator for failing to properly investigate the death of a five-year-old boy in a specialist unit.The boy’s foster mother – an NHS doctor – has accused the care provider that looked after him of instigating “a cover-up” of...