South African farmers fear devastation as foot-and-mouth takes hold
The government has begun a vaccination programme but officials have been blamed for a slow response.
Hamas holds vote to choose new interim leader, source tells BBC
The armed group is electing a new head after its top leaders were killed by Israel.
The Grammy winner bringing traditional country to new audiences
Zach Top discusses winning the first ever Grammy Award for best traditional country album.
The Russian village that lost its men to war
In the remote village of Sedanka in Russia's Far East, almost all of its fighting-age men have left to join the Ukraine war.
Lion DNA helps convict poachers for first time
Investigators reveal how they were able to identify a missing animal using a database of lions in Zimbabwe.
IMF warns Venezuela’s economy and humanitarian situation is ‘quite fragile’
Figures show Venezuela's public debt sits at roughly 180 percent of its GDP as the country struggles with tumult.
Iran deal prospects will be clear within 10 days, Trump says as military buildup grows
Second carrier strike group heads for region as US waits for Iran to respond after talks in Geneva
Donald Trump has said it will be clear within “probably 10 days” whether he can reach a nuclear deal with Iran, as the US military buildup in the Middle East intensifies with the impending arrival of a second carrier strike group.
The US president, speaking at the inaugural meeting of his Board of Peace in Washington DC, insisted Iran could not have a nuclear weapon and emphasised that “bad things will happen” if the country continued “to threaten regional stability”.
Continue reading...Chris Baghsarian: police hopes fade of finding 85-year-old kidnap victim alive after raid on Dural property
NSW police search ‘makeshift stronghold’ in Wildthorn Ave, Dural after Baghsarian abducted from North Ryde home last Friday in case of mistaken identity
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Police say “hope is fading” to find Chris Baghsarian alive as investigations continue into an abandoned and “derelict” house where they believe the grandfather was kept sometime in the past week.
A warrant has been executed and a crime scene has been established at the semi-rural property on Wildthorn Ave in Dural, about 36km north-west of Sydney, after police swarmed the area on Thursday night.
Continue reading...Bard hires top law firm to investigate links between college president and Epstein
WilmerHale to conduct review following new revelations about Leon Botstein’s dealings with convicted sex offender
Bard College’s board of trustees has retained the outside law firm of WilmerHale to conduct an independent investigation into communications between Jeffrey Epstein and the college’s longtime president Leon Botstein.
WilmerHale’s will conduct an “independent review” of the “full scope of these communications”, financial contributions connected to Epstein, and any related matters, the board said in an announcement on Thursday evening.
Continue reading...New Zealand vs Pakistan: T20 World Cup Super Eights – teams, start, lineups
New Zealand and Pakistan play the first game of the Super Eights stage at the T20 World Cup with both eyeing title tilt.
Abigail Spanberger to give Democratic response to Trump’s State of the Union address
Virginia governor is seen as a model for the party to win back power in midterm elections
Virginia’s governor Abigail Spanberger will deliver the Democratic response to Donald Trump’s State of the Union address next week, elevating a pragmatic voice whose affordability-focused gubernatorial campaign is seen as a model for the party to win back power in the November midterm elections.
The Democratic rebuttal will immediately follow Trump’s address to Congress on 24 February. Spanberger, a former undercover CIA officer who served three terms in Congress, became Virginia’s first female governor earlier this year, resoundingly winning an office previously held by a Republican. She won the race by a double-digit margin, campaigning on affordability and lowering costs for families.
Shrai Popat contributed reporting
Continue reading...Macron and Meloni clash over killing of French far-right activist in Lyon
A war of words has erupted between the French president and Italian prime minister over the murder of Quentin Deranque.
The Chinese AI app sending Hollywood into a panic
Clips of Deadpool and other film characters have sparked alarm within Hollywood over copyright infringement.
Strike over labour reforms brings Argentina’s capital to a near-standstill
The Chamber of Deputies is weighing a labour bill that would increase work hours, cut severance pay and ease firing.
Army veteran sues federal government after ICE detains him for three days
US citizen George Retes was held without access to family, an attorney, or information about the charges against him
An army veteran detained by federal immigration agents in southern California during his work commute in July has filed a lawsuit against the federal government.
According to the lawsuit, filed on Wednesday with the help of the nonprofit law firm Institute for Justice, George Retes was held in a detention center for three days without access to his family, an attorney, or any information about the charges against him, in what the suit argues was an unconstitutional detention.
Continue reading...Why was former Prince Andrew arrested by UK police?
Mountbatten-Windsor, the former UK prince, has not been charged with a crime and was released under investigation.
Ex-Prince Andrew’s arrest spurs Epstein accountability calls from UK to US
US lawmakers call on the Trump administration to pursue justice for victims, as UN expert urges probes across the world.
Man allegedly assaulted by Shia LaBeouf in New Orleans wants to see hate crime charges
Jeffrey Damnit says actor punched him and second man on Tuesday, calling both ‘faggot’ repeatedly
One of the men whom Shia LaBeouf allegedly battered and insulted with a homophobic slur on Mardi Gras morning in New Orleans on Tuesday, leading to his arrest, would like to see the actor face hate crime charges.
Jeffrey Damnit, who dresses in drag and was in makeup at the time of the encounter with LaBeouf, said on Thursday that the behavior attributed to the Transformers film franchise star was “a complete slap in the face to any alternative-culture person”.
Continue reading...Revealed: Epstein cultivated relationship with CBP officer, causing US investigation
Guardian review of US justice department files reveals Epstein interacted with six CBP officers. The officer investigated denied any knowledge of trafficking underage girls
Federal investigators examined Jeffrey Epstein’s relationship with a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer who worked at the St Thomas airport to which Epstein regularly flew on his private planes before traveling by boat or helicopter to his private island, newly released documents reveal.
As part of that investigation, which did not result in any charges, investigators also issued subpoenas related to three additional CBP officers working at the Cyril E King airport (STT) on St Thomas, documents show. The Guardian also identified two other CBP officers on St Thomas and in Florida who were in contact with Epstein, based on emails and text messages between Epstein, his staff and the officers. It does not appear the FBI ever investigated those two officers.
Continue reading...Deer shooting to be facilitated in England to protect woodlands
Government plans legislation giving landowners and tenants rights to cull deer to protect crops and property
It will be much easier to shoot deer in England under government plans that aim to curb the damage the animals are doing to the country’s woodlands.
Emma Reynolds, the environment secretary, plans to bring forward new legislation to give landowners and tenants legal rights to shoot deer to protect crops and property.
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