UK military equipment used by militia accused of genocide found in Sudan, UN told

Posted on by

Exclusive: two dossiers of material seen by the security council raise questions over export of British arms to the UAE, which has been accused of supplying weapons to paramilitary RSF group

British military equipment has been found on battlefields in Sudan, used by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group accused of genocide, according to documents seen by the UN security council.

UK-manufactured small-arms target systems and British-made engines for armoured personnel carriers have been recovered from combat sites in a conflict that has now caused the world’s biggest humanitarian catastrophe.

Continue reading...

Woman arrested after allegedly sabotaging gas supplies at two Sydney hospitals

Posted on by

NSW police allege 42-year-old ‘cut water and gas mains’ at first hospital in Sutherland before switching off gas mains at nearby facility

A woman has been arrested after allegedly sabotaging gas supplies at two Sydney hospitals.

Sutherland hospital in southern Sydney lost medical gases on Tuesday morning, requiring them to switch to portable oxygen and air as part of their contingency plans, the New South Wales health minister, Ryan Park, said in a statement

Continue reading...

All schools in England with removal grants to be Raac-free by 2029, says Phillipson

Posted on by

Education secretary promises ‘clear timelines’ are in place to permanently remove crumbling concrete

All schools in England that received grant funding to pay for the removal of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) should be free of it by the end of this parliament, the education secretary has pledged.

Setting out a new timeline for dealing with the crumbling concrete crisis in schools, Bridget Phillipson said: “We inherited a crumbling education estate, but I won’t let that be our legacy.

Continue reading...

Organised crime making millions from illegal waste dumping in UK, says committee

Posted on by

Peers say ‘woeful’ record on prosecutions has led to a ‘low-risk, high-reward’ criminal culture

Organised crime groups in the UK are making millions every year from illegally dumping and burning rubbish, peers have told ministers, after an inquiry found a lack of enforcement made it a “low-risk, high-reward” criminal enterprise.

“Criminality is endemic in the waste sector,” a Lords committee told the government on Tuesday, after it found at least 38m tonnes of waste was illegally managed every year, “leading to serious environmental, economic and social consequences”.

Continue reading...

Picture of health: going to art galleries can improve wellbeing, study reveals

Posted on by

Viewing original works of art can relieve stress, cut heart disease risk and boost immune system, first study of its kind finds

Enjoying original works of art in a gallery can relieve stress, reduce the risk of heart disease and boost your immune system, according to the first study of its kind.

Researchers measured the physiological responses of participants while viewing masterpieces by world-renowned artists including Manet, Van Gogh and Gauguin in a gallery.

Continue reading...

Lammy tells Labour to learn from Caerphilly defeat as party seeks reset

Posted on by

Deputy PM tells MPs party must pick clearer fights that show its values after byelection slump

David Lammy has urged Labour MPs to see the party’s defeat in the Caerphilly byelection as a moment of reflection, arguing progressive governments around the world have recovered from worse to “win big”.

The deputy prime minister pointed to Canada’s Liberals, Norway’s Labour party and Australia’s Labor party as examples of centre-left groups who “roared back” from mid-term slumps to secure significant victories.

Continue reading...

Cobar: two people killed in Endeavour mine explosion in far western NSW

Posted on by

Woman and man confirmed dead and another woman airlifted to hospital after blast at underground Endeavour mine 600km north-west of Sydney

Two people have been killed by an explosion at an underground mine in the far west of New South Wales.

Police said emergency services were called to the mine on Endeavour Mine Road at Cobar, about 600km north-west of Sydney, at about 3.45am on Tuesday after being told two people had been critically injured in a workplace incident.

Continue reading...

Lithuania Will Shoot Down Balloons Crossing Border From Belarus After Dozens Detected Overnight – The War Zone

Posted on by
  1. Lithuania Will Shoot Down Balloons Crossing Border From Belarus After Dozens Detected Overnight  The War Zone
  2. Von der Leyen says EU ‘cannot tolerate’ disruption of airspace, calling balloons over Lithuania a ‘provocation’ – Europe live  The Guardian
  3. Balloon-smuggling warrants new Belarus sanctions, Lithuania urges EU  politico.eu
  4. Lithuania shuts Vilnius airport, Belarus border in fourth airspace incident this week  Reuters
  5. Lithuania to shoot down smuggling balloons, PM warns  BBC
Posted in Uncategorized

Australia’s largest aluminium smelter Tomago ‘not commercially viable’ and facing closure, says Rio Tinto

Posted on by

Consultation over future pathway with employees as smelter struggles with high power prices

Rio Tinto says it is contemplating ceasing operations at its New South Wales-based Tomago aluminium smelter at the end of its current electricity supply contract.

The Tomago aluminium smelter, Australia’s largest, had been struggling with high power prices. It had started a consultation process with employees on the potential future of its operations, but was yet to reach a decision and is weighing a possible closure.

Continue reading...