Peruvian cardinal hails $150m lead poisoning settlement for 1,300 people as a ‘historic milestone’

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Cardinal Pedro Barreto received death threats and harassment during his almost 20-year campaign against a US mining company’s operations in the Andes

A Peruvian cardinal who received a barrage of death threats when he challenged the firm behind a toxic smelter has called a $150m (£111m) out-of-court settlement to more than 1,000 people who were allegedly poisoned by the plant as children “a historic milestone”.

Cardinal Pedro Barreto, 82, was in Rome meeting Pope Leo XIV and other cardinals in June when he received news that the firm that ran the smelter, the Doe Run Company, a subsidiary of Renco Group, would pay $150m to 1,373 Peruvians who have suffered health impacts since childhood.

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Afghan migrant suspected in killing Scottish aid worker, stuffing body in suitcase appears in court – New York Post

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  1. Afghan migrant suspected in killing Scottish aid worker, stuffing body in suitcase appears in court  New York Post
  2. Afghan boxer arrives at Greek court in connection with death of Scottish woman  BBC
  3. Man arrested after body found in suitcase; female tourist planned to meet US friends  Syracuse.com
  4. Athens suitcase death: suspect admits hiding body but denies murder  The Guardian
  5. Afghan boxer accused of killing British woman in Athens appears in court  Reuters
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China complains to Japan over defence white paper, foreign ministry says – Reuters

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  1. China complains to Japan over defence white paper, foreign ministry says  Reuters
  2. Japan’s 2026 Defense White Paper Digest  USNI News
  3. Japan outlines its military build-up plan, citing threats from China, Russia and North Korea  CNN
  4. Japan says combat drones key to adapting to new warfare as regional tensions rise  AP News
  5. Japan defense report says China challenge must be met with ‘overall national strength’  The Japan Times
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Ghoul dressed as ‘Grim Reaper’ busted for staring at patients, doctors from hospital roof – New York Post

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  1. Ghoul dressed as ‘Grim Reaper’ busted for staring at patients, doctors from hospital roof  New York Post
  2. Man dressed as Grim Reaper arrested after hospital disturbance  USA Today
  3. Man arrested after dressing up in 'Grim Reaper' costume on hospital roof and staring at patients  Daily Mirror
  4. Man arrested after dressing as Grim Reaper on hospital roof and staring at patients  The Independent
  5. ‘Grim Reaper’ stared at patients from hospital roof  The Telegraph
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Burnham not considering public inquiry into UK activities of Jeffrey Epstein

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Victims’ minister said earlier that PM was ‘looking into’ inquiry into Epstein and another into Mohamed Al Fayed

Andy Burnham is not actively considering a public inquiry into the actions of Jeffrey Epstein in the UK, despite claims to the contrary, it is understood.

The victims’ minister, Alex Davies-Jones, said on Tuesday had the prime minister had agreed to meet the sex offender’s victims, was “looking into” an inquiry and was “taking this very seriously”. A separate inquiry into the alleged actions of the former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed is also being considered. But the Guardian understands a public inquiry is not being actively considered by No 10.

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Record heat wave impacts people and animals in Japan and Korean Peninsula – AP News

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  1. Record heat wave impacts people and animals in Japan and Korean Peninsula  AP News
  2. Matthew McConaughey meets Pope Leo XIV  AP News
  3. East Asia is baking in ‘cruelly hot’ summer  NBC News
  4. Seoul braces for heatwave sweeping South Korea as death toll reaches 16  The Guardian
  5. South Korea province deploys drones to warn elderly farmers amid heatwave  Reuters
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Zelenskyy calls for more air defences as Russian attack on Kyiv kills at least 17

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Ukraine shoots down most drones but no ballistic missiles in overnight attack that mainly targeted civilian facilities

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has blamed allies for not delivering air defences fast enough after Ukraine failed to shoot down a single Russian missile in a deadly overnight attack that killed at least 17 people and ⁠injured dozens more.

Preliminary data from the Ukrainian air force showed its defences shot down 98 of the 115 drones fired by Russia overnight, but no ballistic missiles.

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Pope Leo to visit Uruguay, Argentina and Peru in November – vaticannews.va

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  1. Pope Leo to visit Uruguay, Argentina and Peru in November  vaticannews.va
  2. Pope Leo to visit Peru, where he served as bishop, as part of first Latin American trip as pontiff  CNN
  3. Pope Leo will make 12-day trip to Peru, Argentina and Uruguay, Vatican announces  America Magazine
  4. Pope Leo Will Visit Peru, Where He Lived for Years, in November  The New York Times
  5. Pope Leo to visit Uruguay, Argentina and Peru in November, Vatican says  Reuters
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North Korea’s Kim Yo Jong warns of new military options over Japan’s strike capabilities – nbcnews.com

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  1. North Korea’s Kim Yo Jong warns of new military options over Japan’s strike capabilities  nbcnews.com
  2. North Korea’s Kim Yo Jong issues military threat over Japan missile test  Al Jazeera
  3. North Korea Warns of More Military Steps Over Japan’s Rearmament  Bloomberg.com
  4. Japanese Destroyer Launches Tomahawk for the First Time in Drill with U.S. Navy  USNI News
  5. North Korea vows to teach ‘war criminal state’ Japan lesson over missile test  South China Morning Post
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Turkey aiming to end conflict with, disband Kurdistan Workers Party – The Jerusalem Post

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  1. Turkey aiming to end conflict with, disband Kurdistan Workers Party  The Jerusalem Post
  2. Turkey unveils draft law to reintegrate PKK militants, achieve peace  Reuters
  3. Bill aiming for peace between Turkey and Kurdish fighters goes to parliament  AP News
  4. How Turkey's PKK amnesty law entwines Kurds' hopes with Erdogan's ambitions  Al-Monitor
  5. Turkish parliament indicates support for PKK peace bill  Courthouse News
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How Being Cool Is Making The Hague a Vacation Hot Spot – The New York Times

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  1. How Being Cool Is Making The Hague a Vacation Hot Spot  The New York Times
  2. Are coolcations still cool? Why you should consider going to a hot place  The Seattle Times
  3. Surging temperatures are taking the coolcation trend global  The Telegraph
  4. Baking Brits ditch boiling Med heatwaves and wildfires for Scottish 'coolcations'  dailystar.co.uk
  5. 'I ditched my dream Italy holiday for a 'coolcation' - UK heatwaves changed me'  AOL.co.uk
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Mexico’s top university orders 58,000 students to resit entrance exam after suspected cheating

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National Autonomous University of Mexico says applicants must take test in person after online debacle

Mexico’s largest and most prestigious university has announced that about 58,000 students will have to resit their entrance exam after abnormally high test results raised suspicions of widespread cheating.

The National Autonomous University of Mexico (Unam) said the exam would take place in person after its first attempt at a fully remote online version led to a debacle and thousands of annulled results.

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North Korean missile unit deploys in Russia for Ukraine war, Kyiv says – The Japan Times

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  1. North Korean missile unit deploys in Russia for Ukraine war, Kyiv says  The Japan Times
  2. Russia deploys North Korean missile unit to Ukraine, Moscow-Pyongyang axis deepens: report  Fox News
  3. Funeral held for family "wiped off the map" in Russian strike on Ukraine, neighbor says  cbsnews.com
  4. Russia is deploying North Korean unit armed with dozens of ballistic missiles to attack Ukraine, Reuters repo  Українська правда
  5. At least five members of same family killed in Russian missile attack, Zelensky says  BBC
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Chris Bowen vows to override Queensland and NT to force renewables-powered AI datacentres

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Energy minister says Australian households and energy reliability will be protected by new federal legislation

The energy minister, Chris Bowen, says the federal government will override state governments that oppose new national rules on datacentres, with commonwealth legislation forcing new AI datacentres to be powered by renewable energy and banning those fuelled by gas.

Bowen said he expected his counterparts in Queensland and the Northern Territory – who had protested against the new federal rules at a meeting last week – to be unhappy with the move, but said the Albanese government was committed to powering the AI revolution with renewable energy.

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El Niño could push 50m people into acute hunger before end of next year

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UN forecasters warn of worsening conditions in 45 countries currently experiencing severe food insecurity

About 50 million people are likely to be pushed into acute hunger before the end of next year by the rapidly developing El Niño weather system, according to forecasting.

This is in addition to the hundreds of millions of people already facing dangerous levels of hunger, owing to years of drought in parts of Africa and pressure on food prices from the war in Iran.

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El Niño could push 50m people into acute hunger before end of next year – The Guardian

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  1. El Niño could push 50m people into acute hunger before end of next year  The Guardian
  2. What the ‘strongest El Niño on record’ actually means (for humans)  CNN
  3. Strong El Niño could push 49 million more people into acute hunger, UN agency says  Reuters
  4. World Food Programme ramps up preparedness and response plans as El Niño threatens to push tens of millions into acute hunger  UN World Food Programme
  5. What’s happening in the Pacific Ocean could change your fall and winter  WBKO
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Test for Australia’s best laundry detergent sees Aldi and Omo tied for first place

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In a Choice test of 48 products, the Aldi powder also came out on top for top loaders

Consumer advocacy group Choice has put more than 40 supermarket laundry detergent products through the wringer, naming two Omo and one Aldi product as its best performers – while some other brands perform barely better than water.

In a lab test of 48 laundry powders, liquids and capsules, Aldi Trimat Advanced Laundry Powder Concentrate, Omo Active Clean Powder and Omo Ultimate Powder shared equal-first billing for front loader washing machines, with all three products scoring 82% overall.

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