General news

• Brazil: Amazon deforestation drops 34% in first six months under Lula

  06-07-2023 23:52 via theguardian.com
  
  Government data shows marked reduction against same period last year, reversing trend of destruction during Bolsonaro reignAfter four years of rising destruction in Brazil’s Amazon, deforestation dropped by 33.6% during the first six months of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s term, according to new government satellite data.From January to June the rainforest had alerts covering 2,650 sq km (1,023 sq miles), down from 4,000 sq km –during the same period last year un
  
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• China must rethink its reliance on property sales to see real growth

  06-07-2023 23:51 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The country's economy was expected to blast out of the blocks after Covid - but that hasn't happened.
  
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• Iowa teen jailed for killing Spanish teacher over bad grade

  06-07-2023 23:29 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The judge says the 2021 murder of the 66-year-old mother-of-three by two Iowa students was "evil".
  
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• DeSantis campaign says he raised $20M since launching presidential bid weeks ago

  06-07-2023 23:28 via abcnews.go.com
  
  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has raised $20 million since the launch of his presidential bid, his campaign announced on Thursday
  
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• WATCH: Rare okapi calf explores the outdoors at UK zoo

  06-07-2023 23:23 via abcnews.go.com
  
  An endangered okapi calf at the Chester Zoo ventured outside for the first time at six weeks old, running on the grass playfully under the watchful eye of its mom.
  
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• UN condemns Israel’s use of excessive force in attack on Palestine

  06-07-2023 23:20 via theguardian.com
  
  Secretary general António Guterres calls on Israel to abide by international law after its attack on Jenin in the West BankIn a rare condemnation of Israel, the UN has denounced the country’s excessive use of force in its largest military operation in two decades targeting a refugee camp in the West Bank.The UN secretary general, António Guterres, clearly angered by the impact of the Israeli attack on the Jenin refugee camp, said it had left more than 100 civilians injured, f
  
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• Coco Lee: Death of pop icon sparks mental health discussion in China

  06-07-2023 23:12 via bbc.co.uk
  
  As tributes pour in, many are focusing on the wider mental health issues facing China.
  
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• Kevin Costner's estranged wife ordered to leave home by the end of the month in divorce battle

  06-07-2023 23:08 via nbcnews.com
  
  LOS ANGELES — Kevin Costner's estranged wife, Christine Baumgartner, must move out of the California home they shared, a judge ruled, saying Baumgartner's claims that Costner was trying to unfairly kick her out are "without merit."
  
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• 2 firefighters die while battling blaze aboard ship in New Jersey

  06-07-2023 22:58 via abcnews.go.com
  
  Two firefighters died and several more were injured while battling a blaze aboard a cargo ship docked in Newark, New Jersey, on Wednesday night, officials said.
  
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• A dormant California lake that reappeared isn't going anywhere fast

  06-07-2023 22:42 via nbcnews.com
  
  The once-dormant California lake resurrected in this year’s extreme sequence of storms won’t disappear anytime soon.
  
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• WATCH: Dogs dive into pool at day care to keep cool

  06-07-2023 22:41 via abcnews.go.com
  
  Dogs at the Lucky Puppy day care center in Maybee, Michigan, beat the heat in the facility's swimming pool.
  
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• Netherlands to return treasures to Indonesia and Sri Lanka

  06-07-2023 22:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Indonesian and Sri Lankan artefacts include jewels looted from a palace by Dutch soldiers.
  
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• OceanGate: Owner of Titan submersible suspends exploration

  06-07-2023 22:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The firm posts a one-line statement saying it has stopped "all exploration and commercial operations".
  
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• No criminal charges in fatal Buffalo fire that killed firefighter who was trapped

  06-07-2023 21:29 via abcnews.go.com
  
  Authorities say a fire in a Buffalo costume shop where a trapped firefighter died earlier this year has been ruled accidental and no criminal charges will be filed
  
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• Andrew Tate loses appeal against house arrest as human trafficking case continues

  06-07-2023 21:26 via abcnews.go.com
  
  Andrew Tate has lost an appeal against a court’s earlier decision to keep him under house arrest
  
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• TikTok and 5 content creators ask federal judge to block Montana from banning app

  06-07-2023 21:19 via abcnews.go.com
  
  TikTok and a group of five content creators who are suing the state of Montana over its first-in-the-nation law to ban the video sharing app are now asking a federal judge to block implementation of the law while the case moves through the courts
  
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• Russia-Ukraine war live: Joe Biden set to announce weapons package that includes controversial cluster munitions

  06-07-2023 21:08 via theguardian.com
  
  Cluster munitions banned by most of world under treaty US, Russia and Ukraine did not signAt a glance: what we know on day 498 of the invasionOn his recent visit to the US, Boris Johnson “reminded” Donald Trump he “actually played an important role” in supporting and arming Ukraine against its Russian invaders, the former British prime minister said, adding that British aid to Kyiv was “enabled” by Trump’s example.Johnson made the claim about the notorio
  
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• Is this largest jewellery heist in US history?

  06-07-2023 21:02 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Body cam footage shows the aftermath of a jewellery robbery in 2022 that could be valued at $100 million.
  
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• Trump valet Walt Nauta pleads not guilty in Mar-a-Lago documents case – live

  06-07-2023 21:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Former US president’s ‘body man’ appears in Miami court on charges relating to classified documents found at resortWalt Nauta is facing six federal charges, including conspiracy to obstruct justice, corruptly concealing a document or record, and making false statements.That’s fewer than the 37 federal charges Donald Trump is facing, but both men are named in the indictment brought last month by special counsel Jack Smith. You can read it below: Continue reading...
  
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• Twitter threatens to sue Meta over Threads app – report

  06-07-2023 21:00 via theguardian.com
  
  In a letter to CEO Mark Zuckerberg, a lawyer for the Elon Musk-owned app reportedly said Meta had unlawfully misappropriated trade secretsTwitter has threatened to sue Meta over its new Threads app, the news outlet Semafor reported on Thursday.In a letter to CEO Mark Zuckerberg published by Semafor, a lawyer for Twitter said the company “has serious concerns that Meta Platforms (Meta) has engaged in systematic, willful and unlawful misappropriation of Twitter’s trade secrets and othe
  
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• Kevin Spacey came out as gay to ‘disguise’ behaviour, UK court hears

  06-07-2023 20:53 via theguardian.com
  
  Alleged victim says actor was ‘hiding in plain sight’ as he made sexual comments and grabbed him at theatreAn alleged victim of the actor Kevin Spacey has accused him in court of being “insensitive” after claiming his decision to come out as gay was used to “disguise” his behaviour.The actor was “hiding in plain sight” as he allegedly directed a “machine gun” of vile sexual comments at the man in a London theatre and grabbed him in an i
  
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• OceanGate suspends operations after Titan submersible implosion

  06-07-2023 20:43 via theguardian.com
  
  Organization will no longer send individuals down to Titanic wreckage or elsewhere after five killed on subNearly three weeks after its submersible vessel Titan imploded, killing all five people on board, OceanGate is suspending all exploration and commercial operations.The organization posted on its website on Thursday that it would no longer be sending individuals down to the wreckage of the Titanic, or elsewhere. Continue reading...
  
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• 'I want you dead': Survivors of El Paso shooting address gunman in court

  06-07-2023 20:41 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Survivors of the 2019 shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, have addressed the attacker in court.
  
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• Iyad Halaq: Israeli court acquits officer who killed autistic Palestinian man

  06-07-2023 20:39 via bbc.co.uk
  
  An Israeli border policeman shot Iyad Halaq as he walked to his special needs school in Jerusalem.
  
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• Wagner Group: Russian state media takes aim at Prigozhin

  06-07-2023 20:36 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Piles of cash, weapons and a giant sledgehammer seen in pictures allegedly showing a raid on his home.
  
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• Mermaids v LGB Alliance: who was involved in tribunal case?

  06-07-2023 20:32 via theguardian.com
  
  As judges rule trans children’s charity cannot challenge charitable status of gay rights organisation, we look at decisionA tribunal has ruled that the law does not allow the transgender children’s charity Mermaids to challenge the charitable status of the gay rights organisation LGB Alliance. Who was involved?LGB Alliance was founded in October 2019 to campaign for the rights of same-sex attracted people by two veteran lesbian activists: Bev Jackson, a founder member of the Gay Libe
  
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• Russia-Ukraine war at a glance: what we know on day 498 of the invasion

  06-07-2023 20:22 via theguardian.com
  
  US set to announce new weapons aid package for Ukraine; Kyiv and Moscowurged to stop using cluster munitions; at least five killed in strike on LvivSee all our Russia-Ukraine war coverage Continue reading...
  
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• Leeds hospital trust apologises after rapper MF Doom Dumile Daniel Thompson died in its care

  06-07-2023 20:12 via theguardian.com
  
  London-born musician Dumile Daniel Thompson, 49, had a lack of oxygen to his brain after a reaction to a blood pressure drugAn NHS trust has apologised for the substandard care given to MF Doom, an underground rap icon who died aged 49 while having hospital treatment.The artist behind songs including Accordion and That’s That, whose real name was Dumile Daniel Thompson, died in October 2020 due to a lack of oxygen to his brain after a reaction to a drug prescribed for blood pressure. Conti
  
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• ‘A huge relief’: scientists react to hopes of UK rejoining EU Horizon scheme

  06-07-2023 20:10 via theguardian.com
  
  Expected return also greeted with dismay at UK’s decision to avoid being a net contributor to EU’s flagship programmeScientists including the physicist Brian Cox have reacted with a mixture of caution, anger and relief that the UK appears set to rejoin the EU’s flagship £85bn Horizon science research programme after a protracted Brexit row.Sources indicate that an announcement could come in days, possibly next week when Rishi Sunak is scheduled to meet the European Commis
  
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• US expected to provide cluster bombs to Ukraine

  06-07-2023 20:03 via theguardian.com
  
  Human Rights Watch calls for immediate halt and urges US not to supply bombs amid reports Biden is to include them in aid packageExplainer: What are cluster bombs?Human Rights Watch has called on Russia and Ukraine to stop using cluster bombs, and urged the US not to supply the munitions to Kyiv, amid reports the Biden administration is poised to include the controversial weapons in a new military aid package.Russian and Ukraine forces have used cluster bombs, which break apart in the air and re
  
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• Benefits claimants in UK were underpaid by record £3.3bn last year

  06-07-2023 20:03 via theguardian.com
  
  National Audit Office criticises Department for Work and Pensions over its ‘material fraud and error’Thousands of people in the UK could receive a payout after official figures revealed that benefit claimants were underpaid by £3.3bn last year, the highest level on record.The Department for Work and Pensions also admitted that as many as 330,000 people, some of whom have since died, may have missed out on as much as £1.5bn of valuable state pension entitlement – a d
  
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• London Underground staff to take week of industrial action at end of July

  06-07-2023 19:57 via theguardian.com
  
  ‘Rolling action’ by RMT members between 23 and 28 July likely to cause widespread disruption across capitalLondon Underground staff will take industrial action over a week at the end of July, spelling widespread transport disruption in the capital.Members of the RMT union will take “rolling action” between Sunday 23 July and Friday 28 July. The RMT said there would be no strike on Monday 24, with staff in different sections and grades halting work on different shifts on
  
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• Eight-year-old girl dies after car hits London primary school

  06-07-2023 19:47 via theguardian.com
  
  Sixteen people treated at scene and 10 taken to hospital, as woman in her 40s arrested over incident in WimbledonAn eight-year old girl has died and at least ten other people have been treated in hospital after a car crashed into a primary school in Wimbledon, south London.The Metropolitan police declared a major incident on Thursday morning when a Land Rover ploughed through a fence and collided with a building at the Study private preparatory school for girls aged four to 11. Continue reading.
  
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• OceanGate suspends all exploration and commercial operations after Titan implosion

  06-07-2023 19:35 via abcnews.go.com
  
  OceanGate said it is suspending all exploration and commercial operations after five people were killed during its expedition to the Titanic wreckage.
  
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• Russia mutiny had no heroes, says Lukashenko

  06-07-2023 19:31 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Belarusian leader tells the BBC groups like Wagner must be watched closely to stop rebellions.
  
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• Yosemite hiker missing after being swept away by fast-moving creek

  06-07-2023 19:28 via theguardian.com
  
  Hayden Klemenok, 24, went missing while backpacking with group at Upper Chilnualna Falls, National Park Service saysA hiker has been missing in Yosemite national park since the holiday weekend after being swept away by a cold and fast-flowing creek as California’s epic winter snowpack melts.Hayden T Klemenok vanished while backpacking with a group at Upper Chilnualna Falls on Sunday, the National Park Service said in a statement. Continue reading...
  
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• FTSE 100 falls to lowest closing level in 2023 as interest rate fears grip markets

  06-07-2023 19:26 via theguardian.com
  
  Markets suffer on both sides of Atlantic as Fed signals more rate hikes and recession fears grow in UKGlobal financial markets fell sharply on Thursday as investors braced for central banks driving interest rates up further to combat high inflation across the world’s leading economies.Share prices fell on both sides of the Atlantic with the FTSE 100 tumbling by 161 points, or 2.2%, to finish the day at 7,280 – its lowest level since last November – while stocks fell by a simila
  
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• Britney Spears reportedly assaulted by NBA security guard

  06-07-2023 19:25 via theguardian.com
  
  Pop singer files police report after being allegedly backhanded by security guard for Victor Wembanyama in Las Vegas on WednesdayBritney Spears has reportedly filed a police report alleging battery after she was backhanded and knocked to the ground by a member of the NBA star Victor Wembanyama’s security team on Wednesday night in Las Vegas.The alleged incident, first reported by TMZ and later confirmed by Rolling Stone and Us Weekly, occurred at Catch restaurant at the Aria hotel around 8
  
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• Paddleboarders in close brush with hammerhead shark off Florida coast

  06-07-2023 19:18 via theguardian.com
  
  Gabriel Barajas and Malea Tribble thought ‘it was all over for us’ – but marine expert suggests shark was merely being ‘inquisitive’A pair of paddleboarders raising money for charity had a frightening encounter with a hammerhead shark that circled them near Florida’s coast – and the entire incident was caught on video.Gabriel Barajas and Malea Tribble were paddling from Florida to the Bahamas, an 80-mile journey, to raise money for cystic fibrosis awaren
  
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• WATCH: Video shows Russian fighters 'harassing' US drones over Syria

  06-07-2023 19:00 via abcnews.go.com
  
  The U.S. military has released video of a tense encounter over eastern Syria as Russian fighter jets were seen "harassing" three American military drones.
  
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• Tour de France: Tadej Pogacar beats Jonas Vingegaard to win stage six after thrilling finale

  06-07-2023 18:45 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Tadej Pogacar produces a superb late attack to power away from defending champion Jonas Vingegaard and win stage six of the Tour de France.
  
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• Trump aide Walt Nauta pleads not guilty in Mar-a-Lago documents case

  06-07-2023 18:36 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Walt Nauta faces charges related to hiding secret records for the former president at Mar-a-Lago.
  
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• Sweden jails Kurd for financing terrorism after Turkey calls for crackdown

  06-07-2023 18:29 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The judge insists the verdict is not related in any way to Sweden's bid to join Nato.
  
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• Canadian judge rules thumbs-up emoji can represent contract agreement

  06-07-2023 17:58 via theguardian.com
  
  A Saskatchewan court rules emoji is just as valid as a signature and orders a farmer to pay $61,442 for unfulfilled contractA Canadian judge has ruled that the “thumbs-up” emoji is just as valid as a signature, arguing that courts need to adapt to the “new reality” of how people communicate as he ordered a farmer to pay C$82,000 ($61,442) for an unfulfilled contract.In a recent case the Court of King’s Bench in the province of Saskatchewan heard that a grain buyer w
  
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• Instagram's Threads: 'Almost every influencer will be hopping on it'

  06-07-2023 17:33 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Some of the people using Threads on its first day tell the BBC what they think about the app and its future.
  
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• WATCH: Giant panda celebrates her 10th birthday

  06-07-2023 17:24 via abcnews.go.com
  
  The first giant panda born in Taiwan celebrated her 10th birthday with an ice birthday cake and hundreds of visitors as party guests.
  
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• Kenya Brown's cheese: Female workers made to strip over used sanitary pad

  06-07-2023 17:20 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Kenyan cheese factory employees were reportedly made to undress after a pad was put in the wrong bin.
  
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• Where is Yevgeny Prigozhin? And why does it matter?

  06-07-2023 17:17 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The BBC's analysis editor Ros Atkins answers questions about where the Wagner mercenary group leader is.
  
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• ‘Rollercoaster of a sickness’: how a horror flu season is catching Australian families off guard

  06-07-2023 17:00 via theguardian.com
  
  About 69% of people admitted to hospital with confirmed influenza since April are aged under 16Flu cases are on the rise across Australia. Do I need a winter vaccination?Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastFeverish and lethargic, Emily Smith’s two-year-old daughter could barely open her eyes on the plane ride home from a family holiday in January.In fear, she took Billie to hospital right after their plane landed in Sydney, at the beginning of what has
  
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• Political future of renegade senator Gerard Rennick to be determined at LNP conference

  06-07-2023 17:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The Liberal senator is vying for a winnable spot on the party’s federal ticket at Friday’s preselectionGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe political future of the renegade Queensland Liberal senator Gerard Rennick will be determined on Friday amid a push to remove him from a winnable spot on the party’s Senate ticket.Rennick is vying for a third spot on the ticket in Queensland, with hundreds of state councillors to determine preselectio
  
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