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Witnesses say people climbed on to vehicle to gather petrol after tanker overturned on roadsideMore than 40 people have been killed and dozens badly burned when a petrol tanker exploded in central Liberia, the country’s chief medical officer has said.Witnesses said people clambered on to the lorry to try collect petrol leaking from its tank after it crashed and tipped into a ditch along...

Unidentified man in life-threatening condition after enduring temperatures of around -50C on Air Algerie flight from OranA man has been discovered hidden in the landing gear compartment of a commercial aircraft that flew into Paris from Algeria with severe hypothermia but alive, French authorities have said.The man, believed to be in his 20s, was found during technical checks after the Air Algerie flight from...

Bulk carrier hit by Russian mine in Black Sea; Zelenskiy thanks US for latest weapons package amid uncertainty over future aid Continue reading...

Drivers in Brisbane bear brunt of record petrol prices this year – ‘only now are we starting to see some relief’Australian motorists are copping the cost of volatile world oil prices but relief could be in sight.Drivers in Brisbane bore the brunt of record petrol prices this year, making the Queensland city the nation’s most expensive capital to put fuel in the tank. Regular...

Then PM was advised to ‘encourage’ British Museum to agree long-term loan in return for Greek support Tony Blair considered a “long-term loan” of the Parthenon marbles to Greece in the hope of support for a London 2012 Olympic Games bid, newly released documents reveal.Twenty years before Rishi Sunak cancelled a meeting with the Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, over the ownership question of...

Artyom Kamardin, 33, got seven years after attending anti-Ukraine war protest and Yegor Shtovba, 23, was given five and a halfA Moscow court on Thursday sentenced two men to years in prison for taking part in the recital of verses against the Ukraine campaign during an anti-mobilisation protest last year.Artyom Kamardin, 33, received a seven-year sentence for reciting a poem, and Yegor Shtovba, 23,...

James Bond star in hot water for stepping out of bounds at hot springs area in US national park – and must appear in courtPierce Brosnan, whose fictitious movie character James Bond has been in hot water plenty of times, is now facing heat in real life, charged with stepping out of bounds in a thermal area during a recent visit to Yellowstone national...

Far-right Colorado representative had won the third district by just 546 votes in 2022 and will move to the fourth for a ‘fresh start’Colorado’s Republican representative Lauren Boebert has announced that she will be changing congressional districts ahead of her 2024 Republican nomination bid for the House.In a Facebook video on Wednesday, the 36-year old, far-right representative announced that she would be moving from...

‘Time marker’ legislation means Indigenous peoples can only lay claim to lands they occupied in 1988, invalidating scores of claimsA controversial law curtailing Indigenous rights in Brazil has come into force, marking a victory for the powerful agribusiness caucus in congress.The new legislation upholds the so-called “time marker” theory (marco temporal), which establishes that Indigenous peoples can only lay claim to land they physically...

Critics call decision by Steve Jones a ‘disgrace’ and say recently redrawn maps dilute voting power of minority residentsA federal judge in Georgia on Thursday upheld a Republican-drawn congressional map, a ruling branded “a disgrace” by voting rights advocates who claim that the latest district lines illegally dilute the voting power of minority residents.The decision from Steve Jones set the stage for next year’s...

Nicolás Maduro orders ‘defensive’ manoeuvres as British Navy deploys vessel in territorial disputeVenezuela’s president Nicolás Maduro has ordered more than 5,600 military personnel to participate in “defensive” exercises, after the UK deployed a warship to waters off the coast of Guyana in a show of support for the former British colony.Maduro said he was launching an action “of a defensive nature in response to...

Bella Nilsson’s company NMT Think Pink accused of illegally dumping tens of thousands of tonnes of wasteEleven people have been charged by a Swedish court in what is being billed as potentially the country’s worst environmental crime in half a century.NMT Think Pink – a previously celebrated waste management company known for its trademark pink rubbish bags – is accused of illegally burying and...

Prank call to police claimed a shooting occurred at Scott’s Naples home, prompting a Swat team to deploy before standing downThe Republican Florida senator Rick Scott has said that his home was “swatted” on Wednesday night.While he was dining with his wife, Ann, local Naples authorities responded to what was revealed to be a prank call intentionally made to lure resources like a Swat...

Two countries agree to enhance efforts to tackle human smuggling, poverty and violence and promote legal ‘pathways’US and Mexican officials have hailed the success of talks held on Wednesday aimed at curbing historically high unauthorized immigration across their shared, 2,000-mile border that risks becoming a humanitarian disaster and an election year political crisis for Joe Biden.After the closed-door meeting between the US secretary of...

Farmers in Texcaltitlán in central Mexico, tired of being extorted, chased down gang members and killed 10 earlier this monthA drug cartel in central Mexico has kidnapped 14 local residents, including four children, in apparent retaliation for an uprising by angry farmers earlier this month that killed 10 cartel gunmen, officials said.Farmers in the village of Texcaltitlán and a neighboring hamlet had apparently grown...

Departures are part of purge of figures linked to military, thought to be related to a procurement investigationThree senior aerospace and defence business leaders have been removed from a top political advisory body to the Chinese Communist party (CCP), in the latest purge of figures linked to China’s military.State media reported that the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) had revoked the seats of...

Officials’ warning echoes those of two ministers, as fighting with Hezbollah intensifies on boundaryIsrael-Gaza war: live updatesIsraeli officials have hinted that the “diplomatic hourglass” is running out to reach a negotiated solution to the escalating fighting on the boundary with Lebanon, even as the war in Gaza continues at a ferocious pace.Security sources said the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fired the most rockets and...

Statement was made after the US government announced $250m of new weapons for UkraineWhat we know on day 673 of the warUkraine military has said a Panama-flagged civilian vessel has hit a mine in the Black Sea leaving two people injured, Reuters reported.Russia is resolved to achieve its goals in its military operations in Ukraine, its foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has said, adding that...

French president tells Netanyahu of ‘deepest concern’ over civilians as Israeli forces pound central Gaza by land, sea and airSee all our coverage of the Israel-Gaza warIn a statement, Israel’s military says it has been operating “in the heart of Daraj Tuffah” in Gaza City in the north of the territory.It claims “after RPG missiles were fired from inside a building toward an IDF...

Party has asked former Ofsted head Sir David Bell to find new ways to increase levels of childcareLabour is considering creating thousands of nursery places inside existing primary schools in England and has tasked the former Ofsted head Sir David Bell with finding new ways to increase levels of childcare.In the latest evolution of Labour’s policy in an area that still has a widespread...

Search crew finds body of man near Rosebud beach on the Mornington Peninsula after two-hour searchA kayaker has died in waters off Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.Emergency services were called to Rosebud beach about 3.30pm on Thursday. Continue reading...

The £62m dispensed on last Friday before Christmas beat £51m record set in 2022 to reflect sharp annual rise in inflationMore than £62m in cash was withdrawn from Post Office branches on the Friday before Christmas, the most ever in a single day, as people rushed to finish their festive shopping.The record withdrawals on 22 December from the 11,500 Post Office branches across the...

Thousands of homes without power and rail travel in chaos after strong winds, heavy snow and rainA “localised tornado” caused significant damage to properties in Greater Manchester as Storm Gerrit swept the country, with thousands of homes remaining without power and travellers likely to face continued disruption.The storm also brought heavy snow, high winds and rain across parts of Scotland, whichdamaged electricity networks in...

Patterson allegedly served death cap mushrooms to visitors at the residence, three of whom later diedTwo people are under arrest following an alleged burglary at the home of accused triple murderer Erin Patterson in Victoria’s east.The 49-year-old is currently behind bars charged with three counts of murder after allegedly serving death cap mushrooms in a meal at the residence.She is also charged with five...