General news

• South African president signs controversial land seizure bill, eroding private property rights

  24-01-2025 23:59 via foxnews.com
  
  South African President Cyril Ramaphosa signed into law a bill that will allow the government to seize land without having to pay compensation, which some in the government say is a threat to private ownership.The law, which replaces the pre-democratic Expropriation Act of 1975, "outlines how expropriation can be done and on what basis" by the state, the government says, according to the BBC. Ramaphosa's party, the African National Congress, or ANC, hailed the law as a "significant mileston
  
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• Woman charged after death of US patrol agent in gunfight near Canadian border

  24-01-2025 23:43 via theguardian.com
  
  Teresa Youngblut, 21, charged with weapons crimes over highway shootout in which German man also diedA Washington state woman has been charged in the fatal shooting of a US border patrol agent during a Vermont traffic stop that happened days after authorities began watching her and a German companion, who also died in the highway shootout, the FBI said on Friday.Teresa Youngblut, 21, faces two weapons charges in connection with the death of the border patrol agent David Maland, 44, who died on M
  
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• Colombia president decrees emergency powers to restore order in coca region wracked by rebel combat

  24-01-2025 22:16 via foxnews.com
  
  Colombia’s president issued a decree Friday giving him emergency powers to restore order in a coca-growing region bordering Venezuela that has been wracked in recent days by a deadly turf war among dissident rebel groups.President Gustavo Petro's decree, which can be extended, gives him 90 days to impose curfews, restrict traffic and take other steps that would normally violate Colombians' civil rights or require congressional approval.AT LEAST 80 PEOPLE KILLED IN NORTHEAST COLOMBIA AS PEA
  
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• Metropolitan police officer convicted of ‘abhorrent’ rape

  24-01-2025 21:44 via theguardian.com
  
  PC Samuel McGregor, formerly attached to the central north command unit, will be sentenced on 10 MarchA Metropolitan police officer has been convicted of rape.PC Samuel McGregor, 33, was found guilty of raping a woman at an address in London on 11 May 2021 after a trial at Inner London crown court, Scotland Yard said. Continue reading...
  
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• Hamas releases names of 4 female hostages to be released next, possibly violates deal

  24-01-2025 21:42 via foxnews.com
  
  The families of Israeli hostages Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag have been informed that that their daughters, held in Gaza for 475 days, are slated to be freed on Saturday in the second round of hostage releases. Hamas revealed the names of the four women, all of whom are members of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Friday, though the media was asked to wait until their families had been informed before releasing their identities. While the exchange of another
  
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• Israel’s military will remain in Lebanon as ceasefire deadline nears

  24-01-2025 21:15 via foxnews.com
  
  The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Friday confirmed that it will keep its forces in southern Lebanon as the 60-day truce comes to an end on Sunday.Under the ceasefire deal agreed to in November, Jerusalem was to begin withdrawing troops from its northern neighbor – where it launched operations last fall in an effort to dismantle Hezbollah – and have all troops removed within 60 days. But Israeli officials have argued that the IDF will not withdraw its forces, because stipulation
  
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• Ontario premier Doug Ford to call snap election to fight Trump tariff threat

  24-01-2025 20:41 via theguardian.com
  
  Progressive Conservative leader of Canada’s most populous province seeks ‘strong mandate’ to counter 25% tariff planThe Ontario premier, Doug Ford, has said an early election is needed in the Canadian province in order to fend off an income “attack” from Donald Trump as a trade war looms between the close allies.But opposition parties criticized the move, calling it a “distraction” from an ongoing criminal investigation into the government’s handli
  
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• Belize removes Queen Elizabeth’s image on banknotes as ‘step in decolonisation’

  24-01-2025 20:29 via theguardian.com
  
  New dollar bills will honor national heroes including George Cadle Price, considered country’s father of independenceBelize has taken a “significant step” toward removing the remnants of colonialism by replacing the image of the late Queen Elizabeth on its dollar bills with those of national heroes.Unveiling the new design of the bank notes late on Thursday, the governor of Belize’s central bank, Kareem Michael, said that along with improved security and anti-counterfeit
  
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• Scientists point to Andes potato pathogen as origin of Irish famine

  24-01-2025 20:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Researchers say study may help global efforts in controlling disease that still destroys crops todayIt was a disaster that killed about 1 million people, devastating 19th century Ireland, but while the potato disease linked to the Irish famine is well known, a battle has raged over where it originated.Scientists have long been divided over whether the fungus-like pathogen Phtytophthora infestans cropped up in the Andes or originated in Mexico. Continue reading...
  
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• Storm Éowyn hits UK and Ireland: 1,000 flights cancelled amid ‘danger to life’

  24-01-2025 19:51 via theguardian.com
  
  One dead, rail and ferry services also badly hit and hundreds of thousands of people left without powerStorm Eowyn live – latest updatesMore than 1,000 flights were cancelled and a number of main roads closed as millions of people in the UK and Ireland were asked to stay home amid red “danger to life” warnings owing to a rare “weather bomb” brought by Storm Éowyn.Rail and ferry services were cancelled on Friday as the storm left hundreds of thousands of peopl
  
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• Storm Éowyn: man killed and 725,000 properties without power in Ireland

  24-01-2025 19:44 via theguardian.com
  
  Record gusts of 113mph recorded, with ‘unprecedented’ power cuts, fallen trees and 130,000 homes without waterStorm Éowyn live – latest updatesA man has been killed and more than 725,000 homes and businesses have been left without power in Ireland after Storm Éowyn battered the country, leaving a trail of destruction.More than 500,000 homes were at risk of disruption to water supplies, and boil-water notices were issued in several counties. Authorities said it wou
  
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• Police locked in long US legal process to access Southport killer’s online history

  24-01-2025 19:41 via theguardian.com
  
  Investigators fear it could be years before they get Axel Rudakubana’s search data which could hold vital cluesPolice have been unable to see what Axel Rudakubana was searching online before his “sadistic” Southport attack as they are locked in a lengthy US legal process to obtain the data from Google and Microsoft, it can be revealed.The missing internet history could hold vital clues about why the killer targeted young girls, but it was deleted by Rudakubana 10 minutes before
  
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• Wes Streeting to criticise Nigel Farage’s ‘miserabilist, declinist’ vision of Britain

  24-01-2025 19:16 via theguardian.com
  
  Health secretary will say it is time to fight battle of ideas against populist right and repairing NHS is vital for successWes Streeting is to criticise Nigel Farage for pushing a “miserabilist, declinist” vision of Britain, arguing it is time to start fighting a battle of ideas against the rightwing populists.In a speech on Saturday the health secretary will say failing public services have been a “fertiliser of populism” because they have bred cynicism about the ability
  
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• UN concerned by Israeli use of ‘unlawful lethal force’ in West Bank

  24-01-2025 18:44 via theguardian.com
  
  UN human rights office criticises use of ‘methods and means used for war fighting’ in assault on city of JeninThe UN has expressed concern that the ceasefire in Gaza could be endangered by Israel’s assault on the West Bank city of Jenin, which has involved what the UN human rights spokesperson labelled “unnecessary or disproportionate use of force”.Thameen al-Kheetan, of the UN human rights office, called Israeli tactics in Jenin “deadly operations”, aft
  
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• Man arrested after climate activists cut UK insurance firms’ fibre optic cables

  24-01-2025 18:36 via theguardian.com
  
  Protest group says it targeted insurers ‘due to their critical role underpinning the fossil fuel economy’A man has been arrested after environmental activists claimed responsibility for sabotage attacks on fibre optic cables outside major insurance companies.The 29-year-old was arrested by City of London police after activists said they had cut the cables to insurance company offices in London, Leeds, Birmingham and Sheffield on Monday. Continue reading...
  
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• Dior’s British designer Kim Jones awarded knighthood in Paris

  24-01-2025 18:24 via theguardian.com
  
  Artistic director collects award at Paris fashion week while rumour mill suggests Gucci, Burberry or Margiela moveFriday afternoon in Paris was a big one for the British designer Kim Jones. The artistic director not only presented his latest menswear collection for Dior, he also collected the prestigious Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur, a rarity for someone from outside France. In a fashion moment par excellence, the award was presented to him by Anna Wintour, becoming a knight in
  
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• Military chief killed as M23 rebels close in on Goma in eastern DRC

  24-01-2025 18:04 via theguardian.com
  
  Maj Gen Peter Cirimwami Nkuba shot near frontline as advance causes panic among civilian populationThe military governor of North Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has died from injuries sustained during the army’s fight against the M23 rebel group as it advances towards the city of Goma.Maj Gen Peter Cirimwami Nkuba, who led the province since 2023, died after being shot near the frontline on Thursday, government and UN sources told various news agencies. Continue read
  
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• Hamas names four female Israeli soldiers it will release from Gaza this weekend

  24-01-2025 17:57 via theguardian.com
  
  Final female Israeli civilian held in Gaza not on list of names supplied by Hamas for next exchangeHamas has published the names of four female Israeli soldiers being held captive in Gaza who it says it plans to release this weekend as part of the continuing ceasefire agreement between the armed group and Israel.In the hours following the release of the names, however, the office of Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to indicate it believed Hamas had breached the fragile ceasefire deal because the four
  
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• Putin ‘ready for negotiations’ with Trump on Ukraine war

  24-01-2025 17:36 via theguardian.com
  
  Russian president strikes noticeably favourable tone, downplaying Trump’s economic threatsVladimir Putin has said he is ready to discuss the war in Ukraine with Donald Trump and suggested it would be a good idea for them to meet.In his first comments since Trump issued threats to inflict economic damage on Russia if it failed to end the war in Ukraine, Putin struck a favourable tone towards the US president. Continue reading...
  
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• Relatives plead with Thailand not to deport 48 Uyghur men to China

  24-01-2025 17:06 via theguardian.com
  
  Detainees fear their return could be imminent despite UN experts urging Bangkok to halt possible transferRelatives of Uyghurs detained in Thailand for more than a decade have begged the Thai authorities not to deport the 48 men back to China, after the detainees suggested their return appeared imminent.A UN panel of experts this week urged Thailand to “immediately halt the possible transfer”, saying the men were at “real risk of torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading trea
  
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• Portuguese politician accused of stealing suitcases at airports

  24-01-2025 15:33 via theguardian.com
  
  Miguel Arruda charged with theft after allegedly removing baggage from carousel and taking it home, reports sayA far-right politician in Portugal has been accused of stealing suitcases at several airports and kicked out of his political party as a result, the party has said.According to several news outlets, police questioned Miguel Arruda on Tuesday at Lisbon airport and charged him with luggage theft after some of the missing suitcases were allegedly found at his home. Continue reading...
  
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• Israel will not withdraw troops from Lebanon by deadline, Netanyahu says

  24-01-2025 15:15 via theguardian.com
  
  PM says Lebanon has not fully met conditions for Israeli withdrawal under ceasefire dealBenjamin Netanyahu has announced that Israeli troops will not comply with a Sunday deadline for them to withdraw from southern Lebanon, throwing the ceasefire with Hezbollah into crisis.Confirming that Israel would not meet the 26 January deadline, the prime minister’s office said in a statement: “The IDF’s withdrawal process is conditional on the Lebanese army deploying in southern Lebanon
  
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• ‘Cosy boys’ club’: anger over low proportion of women in Irish cabinet

  24-01-2025 15:09 via theguardian.com
  Social Democrats and Sinn Féin criticise inclusion of just three women in cabinet of new taoiseach Micheál MartinThe number of women in the Irish cabinet has fallen from four to three, dealing a further blow to the country’s reputation on gender equality in politics.“There are now as many men named James in the cabinet as there are women,” the Social Democrat TD (MP) Jennifer Whitmore said, after the 15-member cabinet was announced by the new taoiseach (prime mini
  
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• Invasion Day 2025: a guide to protest marches and events across Australia on 26 January

  24-01-2025 15:00 via theguardian.com
  
  From dawn ceremonies to rallies, festivals and other gatherings, here is what’s happening in each state and territoryGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIndigenous communities and allies will mark Invasion Day, or Survival Day, on 26 January with marches, rallies and gatherings for ceremonies and festivals across the country.Here’s a guide to what’s happening in each state and territory.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue r
  
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• Advice to Scott Morrison at centre of five-year legal battle that cost taxpayers $400,000 finally released

  24-01-2025 15:00 via theguardian.com
  Exclusive: ‘Transparency warrior’ obtains release of advice written by then attorney general Christian Porter over authority of minister to direct $100m sports grants Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA chapter has finally closed on a five-year legal battle, costing more than $400,000 of taxpayer money, over a letter of advice from the former attorney general Christian Porter to then prime minister Scott Morrison on the “sports rorts” saga.The let
  
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• Bacteria and pesticides found in cannabis sold in Dutch coffee shops

  24-01-2025 13:59 via theguardian.com
  
  ‘Baseline’ contamination study to inform Netherlands trial in which shops will sell drug produced by licensed growersLead, pesticides and potentially harmful bacteria were among the contaminants found during an investigation into cannabis sold in semi-legal “coffee shops” in the Netherlands.The research, which aimed to establish a “baseline” level of typical contamination, was carried out by the Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction (Trimbos Ins
  
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• How the world has responded to Trump’s Paris climate agreement withdrawal

  24-01-2025 13:00 via theguardian.com
  
  From Europe to Africa and South America, countries reaffirm commitment to tackle crisisWorld leaders, senior ministers and key figures in climate diplomacy have, one by one, reaffirmed their commitment to the Paris agreement this week, in response to the order by Donald Trump to withdraw the US from the pact.The prospect of the world keeping temperatures to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, as the treaty calls for, was damaged by the incoming US president’s move. Hopes of meeting the targe
  
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• Three admits 999 calls didn't get through during outage

  24-01-2025 12:47 via bbc.com
  
  The company says it has now launched an investigation to determine the cause.
  
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• Trump told not to put massive tariffs on UK

  24-01-2025 12:46 via bbc.com
  
  Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds says there is no need for tariffs because the US has no goods trade deficit with the UK.
  
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• Injured Djokovic booed off after quitting semi-final

  24-01-2025 12:45 via bbc.com
  
  Novak Djokovic is booed off court by some fans after retiring injured from his Australian Open semi-final against Alexander Zverev.
  
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• 'Costs just keep rising' - jump in firms in trouble

  24-01-2025 12:35 via bbc.com
  
  Businesses in the most distress include those in hospitality, leisure and retail, say insolvency specialists.
  
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• CCTV footage shows flooding outside Galway aquarium

  24-01-2025 12:29 via bbc.com
  
  Hundreds of thousands of properties have been left without power as Storm Éowyn batters Ireland.
  
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• England did not lose because of athleticism - Lewis

  24-01-2025 12:27 via bbc.com
  
  Australia are more athletic and powerful than England - but that is not the reason for the gulf between the two teams, says head coach Jon Lewis.
  
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• Rolls-Royce strikes £9bn nuclear submarine deal

  24-01-2025 12:11 via bbc.com
  
  A deal for nuclear submarine reactors is agreed between the Ministry of Defence and Rolls-Royce.
  
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• Appeal won to name Sara Sharif's family court judges

  24-01-2025 11:47 via bbc.com
  
  A decision not to name judges in historical family court cases about Sara's care has been appealed.
  
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• What are my rights if home and travel are hit by storms?

  24-01-2025 11:41 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Your rights explained as residents and businesses count the cost of storm damage.
  
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• Hamas to name next Israeli hostages set to be released

  24-01-2025 11:32 via bbc.com
  
  Four are due to be freed in a second exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.
  
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• Campaigners dismiss loan charge review as 'sham'

  24-01-2025 10:41 via bbc.com
  
  The charge aimed to close a tax loophole and recover backdated taxes, but has left many facing big bills.
  
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• A decade in the making, rapper Central Cee says you Can't Rush Greatness

  24-01-2025 10:31 via bbc.com
  
  The UK rapper releases his anticipated debut album after eight top 10 singles and years making music.
  
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• 'Our life went with her. He took us too': What the victims' families told the judge

  24-01-2025 10:28 via bbc.com
  
  A court hears from the parents of two of the girls killed and other victims of Axel Rudakubana.
  
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• North Korea preparing to send more troops to Ukraine war, says South Korea

  24-01-2025 10:20 via theguardian.com
  
  Pyongyang said to be planning to increase support despite high casualties among estimated 11,000 already sentNorth Korea is preparing to send more soldiers to fight in the Ukraine war, military officials in South Korea have said, despite reports of heavy casualties among troops from the communist state who have already been sent to the battlefield.The claim that Pyongyang could be planning to increase its support for the Kremlin came as Donald Trump suggested he would attempt to rekindle his rel
  
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• Trump's pick for UN ambassador hailed by Israeli minister as 'warrior against antisemitism’

  24-01-2025 10:00 via foxnews.com
  
  TEL AVIV - The Trump administration will do more than its predecessor to combat the tidal wave of Jew-hatred unleashed by Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, Israeli Minister for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Amichai Chikli told Fox News Digital. Chikli noted that, when confirmed, the new U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, former Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., will enter into one of the epicenters of the global assault on the Jewish people and their state."We saw Stef
  
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• MP calls for harsher sentence for Southport killer

  24-01-2025 09:56 via bbc.com
  
  Axel Rudakubana, 18, was jailed for a minimum of 52 years for the murders of three girls.
  
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• Weather tracker: Floods and landslides in Indonesia leave at least 20 dead

  24-01-2025 09:51 via theguardian.com
  
  Bridges collapse and houses and cars buried in thick mud after intense rainfall triggers landslides in central JavaHeavy rain across Indonesia has caused major flooding. On Java, the country’s main island, flooding caused a landslidethat has killed more than 20 people, with several more missing.The landslide was triggered by particularly intense rainfall in the mountainous area close to Pekalongan in the central part of the island, leading to bridges collapsing and houses and cars being bu
  
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• MP abuse worse than Jo Cox era, says sister Leadbeater

  24-01-2025 08:30 via bbc.com
  
  Leadbeater says her bill to legalise assisted dying has exposed her to unprecedented levels of "nastiness".
  
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• How could Man City look after January signings?

  24-01-2025 07:20 via bbc.com
  
  BBC Sport has a look at how Manchester City's new players could fit into the side after making three January signings.
  
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• 'Hot garbage': Australians react to smell of 'corpse flower' in bloom

  24-01-2025 07:13 via bbc.com
  
  Almost 20,000 people visited Sydney's Botanic Gardens to catch a whiff of a rare plant in bloom.
  
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• How Palmer has inspired kids of St Kitts

  24-01-2025 07:05 via bbc.com
  
  Cole Palmer's pride in his family history is inspiring children on the Caribbean island of St Kitts - as BBC Sport discovered when speaking to Prime Minister Terrance Drew.
  
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• Europe overhauls funding to Tunisia after Guardian exposes migrant abuse

  24-01-2025 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Allegations of rape, beatings and collusion by EU-funded security forces prompt shift in migration arrangementsThe European Commission is fundamentally overhauling how it makes payments to Tunisia after a Guardian investigation exposed myriad abuses by EU-funded security forces, including widespread sexual violence against migrants.Officials are drawing up “concrete” conditions to ensure that future European payments to Tunis can go ahead only if human rights have not been violated.
  
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• IDF said bombed apartments were Hezbollah base - but most killed were civilians

  24-01-2025 06:30 via bbc.com
  
  The missile strike on a Lebanese apartment block targeting Hezbollah left mostly civilians dead, BBC finds.
  
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