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Mexican officials ordered facility to shut down after report on very high levels of pollutants in surrounding neighborhoodRevealed: US hazardous waste is sent to Mexico – where a ‘toxic cocktail’ of pollution emergesAuthorities ordered the shutdown of a Mexican recycling plant that processes hazardous waste exported from the US, after an investigation by the Guardian and Quinto Elemento Lab that revealed heavy metals contamination...

MP says he is totally committed to his constituency after Isabel Oakeshott moved to the Emirates One weekend, it will be the straightforward delights of Skegness seafront; the next, the flashy private beach clubs of Dubai.Richard Tice, deputy leader of Reform UK and its MP for Boston and Skegness, is splitting his time not just between his Lincolnshire ­constituency and the House of Commons,...

Case was fast-tracked after crime in Kolkata sparked protests across India amid concern for women’s safetyA police volunteer has been found guilty of the rape and murder of a trainee doctor who was on duty in Kolkata, a crime that sparked protests across India amid concern about violence against women and girls.The outcry over the killing of the 31-year-old physician in August led to...

Social media accounts blocked for breaking Beijing rules as millions of users join up before ban takes effectNine invaluable things I’ve learned from TikTokWhen Angelica Oung received the notification that her Xiaohongshu account had been blocked for violating the social media app’s code of conduct, her mind started racing.The only picture she had posted on her account, apart from her profile headshot, was of...

Italian PM’s office confirms she will join foreign politicians including France’s Éric Zemmour in WashingtonItaly’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, will attend Donald Trump’s inauguration as US president, joining other European far-right figures including Éric Zemmour, a one-time French presidential candidate known for his xenophobia.Meloni’s attendance at the event in Washington DC on Monday was confirmed by her office and will be seen as further...

WHO is ‘critical in protecting US business interests’, says CEO of firm that may see lean years if Trump carries out vowThe World Health Organization (WHO) could see lean years ahead if the US withdraws membership under the new Trump administration. Such a withdrawal, promised on the first day of Donald Trump’s new administration, would in effect cut the multilateral agency’s funding by one-fifth.The...

Diaries, believed to be genuine, chronicle 139 pre-war meetings between antisemitic aristocrat and Nazi leaderThe diaries of an antisemitic British socialite who was obsessed with Adolf Hitler and struck up a personal relationship with the Nazi leader have been discovered, according to the Daily Mail.The leather-bound journals, which had been lost to historians and unseen for eight decades, appear to reveal the extent of...

Unusually late migration season means poultry operations may continue to see H5N1 outbreaks, officials sayMaryland has detected bird flu among three different commercial poultry flocks in the past week, marking the state’s first outbreak in more than a year. The discoveries come shortly after the establishment of a joint command with Delaware following the latter state’s detection of H5N1 in two other poultry operations.Although...

Michael Whitbread, 75, is on trial in Lanciano for murder of fellow Briton Michele Faiers, 66, in October 2023A British man living in Italy has admitted stabbing his partner to death, claiming he did it after she accused him of cheating on her.Michael Whitbread, 75, told a court he could not remember how many times he stabbed fellow Briton Michele Faiers, 66, in October...

Italian region comes surprise eighth place and has plenty of budget package deals available, according to Which?January is the best month to book a summer holiday – and this year there is a surprise budget option: Tuscany. According to Which?, the central Italian region is among the cheapest package holiday destinations for 2025.Researchers analysed almost 6,000 package holidays from three of the UK’s biggest...

Sound was also recorded in footage of space rock hitting house entranceway, producing cloud of smoke and a crackleA doorbell camera on a Canadian home has captured rare video and sound of a meteorite striking Earth as it crashed into a couple’s walkway.When Laura Kelly and her partner returned home after an evening walk, they were surprised to find their walkway littered with dust...

Populist leader allegedly had a child with a teen girl in 2016, which would constitute statutory rape under Bolivian lawA Bolivian judge has ordered the arrest of the former president Evo Morales over his alleged abuse of a teenage girl while in office, raising the stakes in the state’s months-long showdown with the former leader.The judge in the southern city of Tarija called for...

Former leader and wife found guilty of illegally obtaining lucrative plots of land in deal with property tycoonPakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for corruption, another setback for the beleaguered leader who has already spent over 18 months in jail and is facing more than 100 cases.Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were found guilty of...

Chinese president declines US president-elect’s unusual invitation but sends special representative Han ZhengTrump inauguration: 10 things to know – from when it starts to how to watchThe Chinese president, Xi Jinping, will not attend Donald Trump’s inauguration, but he is sending his vice-president, Han Zheng, as his special representative.The decision, announced on Friday in China by the foreign ministry, came more than a month...

Latter part of 2024 ‘recovered remarkably’ after stimulus measures, says National Bureau of StatisticsBusiness live – latest updatesChina’s economy grew by 5% in 2024, in line with government targets but at the slowest rate since 1990 outside the Covid pandemic, according to official data.Growth accelerated through the year, with an expansion of 5.4% in the final quarter, up from 4.6% in the third quarter,...

Lisa Nandy defends Yvette Cooper’s decision to order urgent review following pressure driven by Elon MuskLisa Nandy has said government ministers are considering a “whole range of alternatives” to the BBC licence fee, criticising it as “regressive” but also saying it raises “insufficient money to support the BBC.”Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Nandy appeared to rule out raising money for the BBC from general taxation....

Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says that security cabinet will meet on Friday following earlier delays in talks to release hostages in return for ceasefireAnalysis: Islamist groups will emerge from Gaza war weakenedDuring his final press conference earlier on Thursday, US secretary of state Antony Blinken was heckled by two journalists who criticised him for his support for the war in Gaza.That includes providing Israel with...

Negative stereotypes linked to some accents raise serious concerns of bias in justice system, warn researchersResearchers have said a study that found people who speak with accents perceived as working class are more likely to be suspected of committing a crime raises “serious concerns” about bias in the UK criminal justice system.People with accents from Liverpool, Newcastle, Bradford and London risked being stereotyped, according...

Region hit by strong winds, flash flooding and giant hailstones, causing one death and widespread power cutsSevere thunderstorms have been wreaking havoc across eastern Australia this week, unleashing heavy rain, strong winds, flash flooding and giant hailstones.In some regions there were wind gusts of more than 100mph (160km/h) and strong winds caused operational disruptions at Sydney airport as well as extensive damage nearby, including...

Ukrainian police said officers were conducting 200 searches nationwide amid probe into illegal exit of military-aged men from the countryGerman foreign minister Annalena Baerbock indirectly criticised chancellor Olaf Scholz for his reluctance to approve a further 3 billion euros ($3.09bn) in additional military aid for Ukraine.“To be honest, it hurts me a lot,” she said without mentioning the chancellor’s name in an interview with...

Trump’s second term will be marked by a rare level of influence in Congress and the highest courtDonald Trump will come in to power with a “trifecta” of governmental control after his Republican party won the House of Representatives, the Senate and the presidency in the 2024 US election.Control of both chambers of Congress is not uncommon for US presidents. Trump achieved a trifecta...

Charities and experts call for national conversation to move away from sensationalism after Musk criticismKeir Starmer must move the conversation on child sexual exploitation away from sensationalism to support for victims who have had help and protection reduced in recent years, charities, campaigners and experts have said.A joint statement, whose signatories include government services contractors such as the Salvation Army and the Snowdrop Project,...

More than 1,000 trees have fallen in Sydney as wild weather causes problems around cityFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAt least two people have been hit after a huge fig tree fell in Sydney’s centre amid strong winds.The large tree in Hyde Park crashed to the ground across a footpath and...

Latest setback, after talks with Treasury, blamed on lack of clarity about implementation in USBusiness live – latest updatesThe Bank of England has delayed the introduction of tougher global banking capital rules by a further year to prevent another 2008-style crash, blaming the second delay on a lack of clarity about its implementation in the US.The Bank’s regulator, which made the decision after consultation...