Mysterious elephant deaths in Kenya raise questions around pesticides
A wave of Kenyan elephant deaths has been blamed on pesticides, but experts tell the BBC they are doubtful.
‘My grandmother subjected my baby to female genital mutilation behind my back’
In Colombia, where FGM is still practised by some members of an indigenous group, a landmark bill banning the practice has been enacted.
Ohio Republican Max Miller faces growing calls to resign over domestic abuse allegations
Miller calls women accusing him liars as Republican senator Bernie Moreno says former son-in-law unfit for Congress
Max Miller, the beleaguered US Republican representative from Ohio, has vowed to defy a rising groundswell of resignation calls from his own party over domestic abuse allegations after his ex-father-in-law, Bernie Moreno, a GOP senator, said he was unfit to serve in Congress.
In a combative interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Miller turned the tables by attacking Moreno, accused three women – including his ex-wife – of lying by saying he had been violent towards them, and invoked Donald Trump in insisting that he would not resign.
Continue reading...Campaign warns of perils UK waters can pose for dogs and owners
Dogs Trust points to hundreds of incidents over recent years, some involving deaths of pets or people
With its gentle rippling water, tall purple flowers and rustling trees, Earlswood Lakes near Solihull in the West Midlands seems the perfect spot for dogs to paddle. But their owners have been warned that the otherwise idyllic open water could prove perilous to pets.
“We’ve had all this hot weather and millions of families are now spending time around open bodies of water, and it’s easy to not realise the dangers,” said Emma-Jane Thomas, rehoming manager at Dogs Trust Kenilworth during a walk around Earlswood.
Continue reading...Charity Commission to investigate donations to illegal Israeli settlements
Official action by regulator for England and Wales comes after formal complaint made by Labour MP about the funds
An official investigation has been launched into charities in England and Wales donating funds to illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine.
The Charity Commission will aim to establish the amount of charitable funds going to illegal settlements, whether the spending was in furtherance of their purposes and any regulatory action that may be necessary.
Continue reading...ICE detainee reveals video of drinking water apparently contaminated with worm-like creatures
‘Disturbing’ footage shared by California detainee surfaces amid wider complaints about conditions in ICE detention
Attorneys for a man detained in a California immigration detention center have released footage showing him holding up a bottle of water from inside the facility that appeared to be contaminated with worm-like creatures.
The footage came from a video call with Carlitos Ricardo Parias, a Los Angeles man who has been detained for months at the Adelanto Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility, north-east of LA.
Continue reading...Jetstar to charge fees up to $52 to put carry-on baggage in overhead lockers
Airline says struggling to find room in overhead lockers on planes a ‘stressful part of the airport experience’
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Jetstar will charge its passengers up to $52 to put carry-on baggage in the overhead locker, in a major change to the budget airline’s carry-on rules.
In a press release on Wednesday morning, the airline announced it would remove the 7kg weight limit for carry-on bags, beginning in February 2027. There will still be size restrictions.
Continue reading...Naplan results 2026: reading and writing worsens in Australian schools as one in three students fail to meet benchmarks
Education minister Jason Clare says the results showed ‘real challenges’ but numeracy scores were heartening
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Reading and writing scores are going backwards for almost every age group in Australia’s national standardised school tests, with one in three students still failing to meet Naplan benchmarks.
This year’s tests were taken in March by 1.2 million students across years 3, 5, 7 and 9 to measure literacy and numeracy proficiency, with results released on Wednesday by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (Acara).
Continue reading...MI6 is top European foreign intelligence service, peer review finds
UK’s Secret Intelligence Service praised for playing long game and having ‘a taste for dirty tricks’
MI6 has been ranked as the most powerful foreign intelligence service in Europe ahead of France and the Netherlands, according to a peer review.
The British intelligence agency scored 251 points in the research and was commended for its expertise in recruiting high-level informants and penetrating the ruling elites in Russia, China, Iran and Turkey, according to the review by 60 professionals from 25 countries.
Continue reading...‘I was slut-shamed’ – Indian women ‘cockroach’ protesters doxxed and abused
Women tell the BBC how they were harassed for participating in the CJP protest and posting about it online.
‘I feel like I dug my own grave’: The workers caught in the AI transition
AI is reshaping the Philippines' outsourcing industry, raising questions over the future of the industry.
The avalanche that killed a climbing legend – and a generation of record-setting guides
Their fellow guides say their deaths in Pakistan dealt a devastating blow to Nepal's mountaineering community.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX reports losses but less than expected
Revenue was up more than 90 percent from the same period a year ago, beating analyst expectations.
EU commends Spain’s ‘swift response’ to Ceuta migrant crisis
About 70,000 of the 72,000 people who came to Ceuta illegally last week have been returned to Morocco, Spain says.
How the far right weaponised the Ceuta crisis
More than 72 migrants died trying to reach Ceuta, but within hours the tragedy had become a political flashpoint.
Projectile sinks Indian-flagged ship off Yemen coast
All 14 people on board the Indian-flagged vessel were safely rescued, India's ministry of external affairs says.
Funeral for family killed in US strike on Iran’s Qeshm Island
The funeral for a couple and their toddler took place after they were killed in the US strike on Iran's Qeshm Island.
Death toll rises to 87 in India’s flood-stricken Assam
Flood victims in India’s Assam district are living in makeshift shelters after monsoon rains caused widespread flooding.
Six years on, Beirut blast families still await justice
Families of victims of the Beirut port blast marked six years since the explosion by demanding truth and accountability.
National Guard deployment to Washington, DC, will cost US roughly $1.4bn
The figure offers a glimpse of how much taxpayer money will be spent on a deployment that has been widely criticised.