Al Jazeera chief urges better protection for journalists in conflict zones
Al Jazeera Director General Sheikh Nasser bin Faisal Al Thani says 'protecting journalists is protection of the truth.'
Illegal gold mining clears 140,000 hectares of Peruvian Amazon
Armed criminal groups tear down precious rainforest to capitalise on record gold prices, report finds
An illegal gold rush has cleared 140,000 hectares of rainforest in the Peruvian Amazon and is accelerating as foreign, armed groups move into the region to profit from record gold prices, according to a report.
About 540 square miles of land have been cleared for mining in the South American country since 1984, and the environmental destruction is spreading rapidly across the country, Monitoring of the Andean Amazon Project (MAAP) and its Peruvian partner organisation, Conservación Amazónica, found.
Continue reading...‘Veggie burgers’ could be off EU menu as MEPs back renaming plant-based foods
Proponents say move would strengthen position of farmers in supply chain but critics dismiss it as ‘hotdog populism’
Veggie burgers, tofu steak and cauliflower schnitzel will be off the menu if the European parliament gets its way after a vote on food names.
MEPs voted on Wednesday by 355 in favour to 247 against to reserve names such as “steak”, “burger” and “sausage” exclusively for products derived from meat, a longstanding demand of farm unions.
Continue reading...Outgoing French PM says ‘path still exists’ to avoid snap elections
Sébastien Lecornu says majority of MPs willing to seek agreement on budget and avoid further instability
France’s caretaker prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, has said a majority of MPs “rejects the idea” of snap elections and that “a path still exists” that should allow Emmanuel Macron to appoint a new premier within 48 hours.
“Several groups are willing to seek agreement on a budget” for 2026, Lecornu told France 2 public television on Wednesday, and were making clear their “conditions”. Talks would be difficult, he said, but “the prospect of a dissolution [of parliament] is fading”.
Continue reading...Social media content restricted in Afghanistan, Taliban sources confirm
It comes just over a week after a two-day total internet shutdown across the country ended.
Israel’s national security minister urges ‘complete victory’ over Hamas
Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called for “total victory" in Gaza in a video posted to X.
What kind of future does Gaza face, if Israel ends its war on it?
Palestinians in Gaza face monumental challenges to rebuilding their homeland and lives once Israel's genocide ends.
More than 40 Trump administration picks tied directly to oil, gas and coal, analysis shows
Report looks at White House nominees and appointees and agencies dictating energy, environment and climate policy
Donald Trump has placed dozens of people with ties to the fossil fuel sector in his administration, including more than 40 who have directly worked for oil, gas or coal companies, according to a new analysis.
The report from Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy and ethics non-profit that has been critical of the Trump administration, alongside the Revolving Door Project, a corporate watchdog, analyzed the backgrounds of nominees and appointees within the White House and eight agencies dictating energy, environmental and climate policy. That includes the Environmental Protection Agency, the interior and energy departments and others.
Continue reading...Starmer leads 125-strong delegation to India in bid to ‘turbocharge’ trade
The UK leader wants the trade mission, Britain's largest ever to India, to build on a recent deal between the countries.
Starmer leads 125-strong delegation to India in bid to ‘turbocharge’ trade
The UK leader wants the trade mission, Britain's largest ever to India, to build on a recent deal between the countries.
US Attorney General grilled on Epstein case and bias claims
US Attorney General Pam Bondi faced heated questioning in the Senate over the Jeffrey Epstein case.
Tory plan to abolish stamp duty ‘will benefit London and the wealthiest the most’ – as it happened
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Voting in the Labour deputy leadership election opens today. Lucy Powell, the former Commons leader, is seen as the favourite and, as Jessica Elgot reports, Powell told supporters yesterday that, if she is elected, she will use the post to argue for changes in the way the government is operating. “We can’t sugarcoat the fact that things aren’t going well,” she said.
Powell is no longer a government minister and, if she is elected deputy leader, she will do the job from the backbenches. In an interview on Newsnight last night, Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary standing against Powell, said a Powell victory would be “destabilising” for the party. She said:
[Electing Powell] risks destabilising the party … we best achieve what we need to do together when we have those fierce conversations, including disagreements, behind closed doors.
Members need to understand that there’s a potential challenge around all of that – that if you’re not inside when the big decisions are being made, you’re not at that table, you’re not in those conversations.
Continue reading...‘From reef to retail’: experts warn global marine aquarium fish trade relies heavily on wild populations
New research finds 90% of marine fish sold by major US retailers are wild-caught, including threatened or endangered species
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The global trade in marine aquarium fish relies heavily on fish sourced directly from wild populations, with many consumers unaware of the practice due to murky supply chains.
New research has revealed the scale of the issue, finding most marine aquarium fish sold online in the US were wild-caught, mainly from the western Pacific and Indian oceans.
Continue reading...Cristiano Ronaldo becomes first billionaire footballer
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward's wealth has been boosted by his contract extension with Al-Nassr.
Watch: Two people rescued after plane crashes in Everglades
The small plane crashed 20 miles west of the Miami Executive Airport with an instructor and student on board.
Legal experts question reasoning behind CPS dropping China ‘spies’ case
Ex-DPP Ken Macdonald says prosecutors may have been ‘over-fussy’ in seeking further assurances from government
Legal experts have questioned the explanation given by the Crown Prosecution Service for its sudden decision to drop charges against two Britons accused of spying for China amid a political row over who was responsible.
The expert lawyers expressed surprise that the CPS thought it needed further assurance from the government that China was an enemy insofar as it posed “a current threat to national security” before the trial of Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry could go ahead.
Continue reading...Ex-FBI director James Comey pleads not guilty on lying to Congress charge
Case marks significant step in Trump’s efforts to politicize the justice department and punish political enemies
The former FBI director James Comey pleaded not guilty in court on Wednesday in connection with federal charges that he lied to Congress in 2020.
Comey entered the federal courthouse shortly before 10am through a private entrance. He was joined in court by his legal team, as well as his wife and daughter, Maurene, who was fired last month as a federal prosecutor in the southern district of New York. Troy Edwards Jr, Comey’s son-in-law who resigned as a prosecutor in the eastern district of Virginia immediately after Comey was indicted, was also seen at the courthouse.
Continue reading...Lazio Ultras arrested after 2026 Winter Games corruption attempt
Prosecutors in Venice make two arrests relating to corruption before the Olympics in February.
Two years of war, two years of telling Gaza’s stories
Al Jazeera’s journalists have faced unprecedented risk in covering Israel’s two years of war on Gaza.
Four dead after six-storey building partially collapses in Madrid
An architect and three workers were among those who died at the building which was being renovated.