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Communities on Paraná River fear privatisation of waterway operations will destroy way of life River communities in Argentina fear that Javier Milei’s plans to privatise operations on a key shipping route could lead to environmental damage and destroy their way of life.Since taking office almost a year ago, the self-styled “anarcho-capitalist” president has pledged to privatise a number of the state’s assets. The latest...

Al-Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud had been convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanityThe international criminal court has sentenced an al-Qaida-linked extremist leader to 10 years in prison for war crimes and crimes against humanity carried out when he headed the Islamic police in Timbuktu in Mali, west Africa.Al-Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud was convicted in June...

Furore over whether Chidimma Adetshina was really South African led to invitation to represent NigeriaA beauty queen who pulled out of the Miss South Africa competition when her nationality was questioned has said she wants to relocate to Nigeria, after coming second in the Miss Universe pageant while representing the West African country.Chidimma Adetshina, whose father is Nigerian, was crowned Miss Universe Africa and...

Detained pro-democracy activist spoke for first time about charges against him under Hong Kong national security lawJimmy Lai, the detained pro-democracy activist and media mogul who is the target of Hong Kong’s most high-profile national security case, took the stand in court on Wednesday. For the first time since he was detained in December 2020, Lai spoke publicly about the charges against him, for...

UN inspectorate chief calls Tehran’s move a ‘concrete step in the right direction’, amid threat of restored sanctionsIran has offered to keep its stock of uranium enriched up to 60% – below the purity levels required to make a nuclear bomb – the head of the UN nuclear inspectorate, Rafael Grossi, has confirmed amid the threat of restored European sanctions over Tehran’s nuclear activities.“I...

Legacy of African Brazilians honored on 329th anniversary of resistance leader Zumbi’s death by Portuguese forcesDuring the more than 350 years during which slavery was legal in Brazil, harsh conditions prompted a string of uprisings, often resulting in the establishment of quilombos – independent communities formed by escaped Africans who were formerly enslaved, and their descendants.None were more prominent than the one known as...

Russian spokesperson attacks the Biden administration, saying it has shown it is committed to continuing the warIn a television interview in France, foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot has dismissed Vladimir Putin’s approval of a new nuclear doctrine yesterday as rhetoric, and, Reuters reports, said “We are not intimidated.”The change in nuclear doctrine yesterday lowered the threshold for Russia’s use of nuclear weapons, with a significant...

Ofgem says nearly 250,000 people will each receive average of £144 in compensation and refundsBusiness live – latest updatesThe energy regulator has ordered power supplier E.ON Next to pay £14.5m in compensation to nearly 250,000 prepayment customers, after an investigation found “unacceptable” failures to pay credit they had on accounts or final bill payments they were owed.Ofgem found that the customers were affected over...

Only 2.5% of more than 300,000 farms were inspected at least once in 2022 and 2023, researchers findThere is just one local authority inspector for every 878 farms in England, Scotland and Wales, according to a report, which says that the current welfare system is continuing to fail animals.Researchers for the Animal Law Foundation found that only 2.5% of the more than 300,000 UK...

Government to meet union officials again on Thursday after a Wednesday meeting didn’t resolve the industrial disputeFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSydney’s trains are set to shut down this weekend after an emergency meeting between rail unions and the New South Wales premier on Wednesday produced no solutions.The government will meet...

Rate cut unlikely until 2025 as energy prices blamed for stronger-than-expected inflation of 2.3%Inflation rises to 2.3%Any lingering hope that the Bank of England might deliver a pre-Christmas interest rate cut next month appears to have evaporated, after official data showed inflation jumping to 2.3% in October.The CPI measure had been expected to tick up, after dipping to 1.7% in September, but 2.3% was...

Met Office yellow alert for ice remains for much of southern England, the Midlands and eastern WalesCommuters face widespread travel disruption after heavy snowfall and ice affected parts of the UK.The Met Office put in place a yellow warning for ice for much of southern England, the Midlands and eastern Wales from 5pm on Tuesday to 10am on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Figure is above Bank of England target after energy bills push up pricesBusiness updates – liveInflation increased to 2.3% in October, heaping pressure on the Bank of England to delay further interest rate cuts until next year.Figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Wednesday showed that a rise in energy bills pushed up the consumer prices index (CPI), reversing a downward...

Bipartisan human rights committee says there could be a ‘significant intervening period’ before non-citizens are accepted by other countriesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe human rights committee has warned the Albanese government’s migration bill could result in lengthy spells in detention before non-citizens are deported to countries paid to take them.In a report tabled on Wednesday the bipartisan committee,...

Lower third-quarter profits reported alongside first estimate of financial fallout from loan mis-selling scandalBusiness live – latest updatesSantander UK has put aside £295m to cover potential payouts to car loan customers, as the bank issued its first estimate of the financial fallout from the growing car loan mis-selling scandal.The figures were released alongside the bank’s third-quarter results, which were delayed last month after a...

Founder of Apple Daily paper denies seeking to influence foreign policy against China and says advocating for the independence of Hong Kong was ‘a reality too crazy to think about’Pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai has said he “never” tried to influence foreign policy or ask foreign officials to take concrete action on Hong Kong, on his first day giving evidence at his national security...

Jacinta Allan says project will be able to power more than 51,000 homes and include 119MW solar facility and 100MW two-hour batteryFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Victorian government will spend $370m to build a massive solar and battery farm able to power more than 50,000 homes, which it says will...

This blog is now closedBullying increase at Rio Tinto linked to ‘retaliation’ against diversity programs as rape allegations also rise, report findsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOxfam reacts to Australia’s Cop29 pledgeOxfam Australia has welcomed the government’s Cop29 pledge of $50m towards a global loss and damage fund to help the world’s most vulnerable people to repair the damage...

People with genital or pelvic symptoms may feel a sense of false reassurance with a negative result, sexual health expert warnsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWith rates of some sexually transmitted infections in Australia on the rise, women will soon be able to test themselves for chlamydia and gonorrhoea at home...

Three years after Halyna Hutchins was killed on set, Olga Solovey says there has been ‘no justice for my daughter’ and claims Baldwin has not apologisedThe mother of Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer who was fatally shot on the set of the film Rust by actor Alec Baldwin, has refused to attend the film’s world premiere on Wednesday, alleging the star has still not apologised...

Parents ‘want to ensure no other family’ feels same anguish as Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles remain in Thai hospitalsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe family of one of two teenagers fighting for life in hospital after a suspected methanol poisoning incident in Laos hope authorities work out exactly what happened “as soon as possible”.Melbourne friends Bianca Jones and...

Coming hot weather prompts Australian Energy Market Operator to predict shortfall in electricity supplies for NSW and QueenslandFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSouth-eastern Australia will endure its first big heatwave of the season in the coming days, elevating fire risks and potentially straining the power grid in some states.Dean Narramore, a...

Madrid Exhibition intends to rescue the technique – coloured paint applied to statues – from centuries of indifferenceIn a darkened corner of the Prado, not far from an outsized crucifixion and a sculpture of a dead, recumbent Christ with eyes of glass, teeth of ivory and fingernails of horn, is another depiction of Jesus that is remarkable in its poignancy, its humanity and its...

Targeting of substations connected to three working nuclear plants risks nuclear catastrophe in Europe, says GreenpeaceRussia-Ukraine war live: latest news updatesUkraine’s power network is at “heightened risk of catastrophic failure” after Russia’s missile and drone attack on Sunday, Greenpeace has warned, raising fears about the safety of the country’s three operational nuclear power stations.The strikes by Moscow were aimed at electricity substations “critical to...