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Whale stranded off Germany swims to freedom after days of efforts to save it
Rescuers used boats and excavators to try to guide 10-metre long sea mammal to deeper watersA humpback whale stranded on Germany’s Baltic Sea coast since early this week has freed itself and swum into deeper waters, rescuers said on Friday.A flotilla of vessels were following the weakened animal at a distance, hoping to help guide it into the North Sea and toward the Atlantic Ocean, its natural habitat. Continue reading...
Scientists film whale giving birth while other whales work together to help her
Female named Rounder surrounded by family members when about to give birth to her second calfScientists have managed to film a sperm whale giving birth while other female whales worked together to support the mother and her newborn.A team from Project Ceti, an international effort seeking to understand how whales communicate, was in a boat near a pod of 11 whales off the coast of the Caribbean island of Dominica on 8 July 2023. Continue reading...
Italy investigates beauty brands over concerns about young girls’ mental health
Regulator fears use of ‘covert marketing strategies’ by Sephora and Benefit might fuel compulsive habits Italian regulators are investigating Sephora and Benefit Cosmetics over the apparent use of “covert marketing strategies” to sell beauty products to young girls that might be fuelling an unhealthy skincare obsession known as “cosmeticorexia”.The Italian Competition Authority said it was looking into promotions for skincare products such as face masks, serums and anti-ageing creams that in some cases appeared to target girls under 10. Continue reading...
Missing aid boats have safely reached Cuba, US confirms
Two convoy vessels that were supposed to get to Havana by Wednesday have made it to Cuba, says US Coast GuardTwo sailing boats that went missing while carrying humanitarian aid to Cuba have safely reached the Caribbean island, the US Coast Guard said on Friday.Earlier in the day Cuba’s president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, had said his country would do everything it could to save the people on the two boats that disappeared while travelling to Cuba from Mexico. Continue reading...
European intelligence agencies believe Russia is supplying drones to Iran, says official
Intelligence reports find Russia is close to completing phased shipment of drones, medicine and foodMiddle East crisis – live updatesIntelligence agencies in Europe believe Russia is in the final stages of preparing to supply drones to Iran for use in its war with the US and Israel, according to a senior European official.Russia has already been providing intelligence sharing with Tehran to help it target US forces in the region, the official said, but the upcoming delivery of explosive-laden drones would mark the first evidence of lethal support since the start of the war. Continue reading...
Whale swims for freedom after big German rescue effort on Baltic coast
Rescue teams now believe the whale has reached deeper water in Lübeck Bay and hope it will head for the wider sea.
Why is it so hard to pass through the Strait of Hormuz?
Paul Adams explains why it is so dangerous to navigate the strait, one of the world's busiest oil shipping channels.
‘It’s fired people up’: support grows, including within Labor, for new gas tax to curb wartime profits
Government, industry and opposition see growing public support for a new gas tax but the industry is fighting backGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe gas industry is mobilising in opposition to a potential new tax on the sector as political momentum builds – including among Labor MPs – for the government to use the May budget to prevent producers profiting from the Middle East war.The Australian Energy Producers (AEP) chief executive, Samantha McCulloch, claimed a new tax would punish the same Asian trading partners Australia was leaning on to supply more fuel amid the global energy crisis. Continue reading...
Blink and miss: Trump’s tactic of threats first and U-turn later is proving stale in Iran war
President’s move, dubbed Trump Always Chickens Out, appears to have soured as he loses hold on situation in IranFrom Wall Street to the White House, the dish everyone’s talking about this week is the Persian Taco. It’s what’s served when Trump chickens out in Iran.In the early hours of Monday morning, witnessing oil prices surge, stock futures plummet and bond yields climb due to his threat to pummel Iran’s civilian power infrastructure, the president hurriedly walked it back, announcing he would put off the bombing because talks with Iran were actually going great. After the bombast and bloodshed, it was time for Taco (Trump Always Chickens Out), a move he first put on display during the tariffs crisis last year. Continue reading...
Older Australians in ‘immediate danger’ as fuel crisis affects travel for aged care workers
Unions and farmers call for government intervention as agriculture, construction and waste industries also at risk from higher pricesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastCare workers, tradespeople and transport drivers are being hit hard by ballooning fuel costs, with some industry groups urging the government to roll out assistance packages or even a jobkeeper-style wage assistance program to help businesses avoid laying off staff.Reports of small mining businesses scaling back operations and some construction companies deciding against hiring more apprentices have prompted suggestions the government should step in to help, with the Master Builders Association already forecasting a downturn in the number of homes that will be built this year. Continue reading...
Savannah Guthrie to return to Today show as search for mother continues
The US television presenter will return to hosting the NBC news programme in April.
UN human rights chief calls on US to conclude probe into Iran school strike
The strike - which killed at least 168 people, mostly children - "evoked a visceral horror", Volker Türk said.
Is Trump's pause on attacking Iranian energy for diplomacy or an escalation?
The US president's commitment to deadlines is fluid but he uses them for a purpose, writes the BBC's James Landale.
UN’s landmark slavery ruling energises African Union’s fight for reparations
• UN votes to describe slave trade as ‘gravest crime against humanity’Despite resistance from states who had role in chattel slavery, many feel this is an idea whose time has comeJohn Mahama knows a thing or two about beating the establishment. On Wednesday, less than two years after completing a remarkable comeback as Ghana’s president with a landslide defeat of the ruling party candidate, he rallied the world to ratify a landmark vote against transatlantic chattel slavery, despite major opposition from the same western entities that drove it for centuries.The resolution to declare the practice as “the gravest crime against humanity” passed with a decisive majority at the UN general assembly and has been largely welcomed across Africa. Yet the details of the tally reveal a world still deeply divided on the gravity of the sin of enslaving more than 15 million people as chattel over the course of 400 years. Continue reading...
BBC journalist caught in travel chaos at Houston Airport
The airport is experiencing some of the longest delays in the US as TSA agents work without pay in a partial shutdown.
Palestinian man killed as death toll from West Bank settler violence climbs
Mohammad al-Malhi is the seventh Palestinian killed by a settler in a surge of violence since the start of the war with Iran.
Spanish woman who died through euthanasia failed by state, say critics
Noelia Castillo died on Thursday evening in a Barcelona hospital, after a protracted legal battle with her own father.
Rationing power and diluting petrol - how African countries are coping with effects of Iran war
The disruption in oil supplies has caused shortages and concerns in several African countries.
Weather tracker: Cold weather sweeps Europe and cyclone hits Australia
Low pressure brings unsettled conditions to southern Europe, and rain and snow to western and central areasSouthern Europe has been under a variety of severe weather warnings this week owing to widely unsettled conditions driven by an area of low pressure in the region. This area of low pressure – previously part of the system that brought colder conditions to swathes of the UK earlier this week – moved southwards across Europe through the middle of the week.In doing so, it brought a cold front across western and central parts of Europe, with spells of rain and hill snow across the Alps on Wednesday, followed by snow showers on a brisk north-westerly wind. By Friday morning, accumulations of 20-40cm were expected above 600 metres, and 60-100cm above 1,000 metres in the Swiss Alps. Continue reading...
Saudi Arabia urging US to ramp up Iran attacks, intelligence source confirms
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is said to view US-Israeli war as ‘historic opportunity’ to remake Middle EastMiddle East crisis – live updatesSaudi Arabia has urged the US to ramp up attacks on Iran, a Saudi intelligence source has confirmed, while it is weighing a decision on whether to join the fight directly.The Saudi source confirmed reporting in the New York Times that said the kingdom’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has urged Donald Trump not to cut short his war against Iran, and that the US-Israeli campaign represented a “historic opportunity” to remake the Middle East. Continue reading...
Wild autumn weather delivers snow, dangerous swells and power cuts to eastern Australia
East coast slammed on Thursday night with wind and rain, while Friday brings freezing temperatures and marine warningsCyclone Narelle to make landfall today and bring possible flash flooding to PerthGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA dangerous swell has forced the suspension of some ferries across Sydney harbour, the latest in a spate of wild weather that has brought snowfall, power outages and storms to the country’s south-east.Surf Life Saving NSW is warning the highest waves may surge close to 15 metres during the next 24 to 48 hours, which could be the biggest in 100 years, as dangerous swells and strong winds create deadly conditions. Continue reading...
‘The violence of racist tyranny’: African Guernica goes on display alongside Picasso masterpiece
Piece by late South African artist Dumile Feni is part of new series History Doesn’t Repeat Itself, But It Does Rhyme On the second floor of the Reina Sofía, in the very spot where Picasso’s Guernica was first exhibited when it arrived in the Madrid museum 34 years ago, there now hangs a smaller, near-namesake of the Spanish artist’s most famous work.While African Guernica, which was drawn by the late South African artist Dumile Feni in 1967, may lack the scale of Picasso’s masterpiece, its depth, anger and unnerving juxtaposition of man and beast, light and dark, and innocence and cruelty, are every bit as disturbing. Continue reading...
Women secretly filmed, then ridiculed and abused online
Women in Kenya and Ghana tell the BBC about being approached by a Russian man who later posts videos of them without their consent.