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Four-metre shark euthanised after becoming beached on shore at Kingscliff on Tweed CoastFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastA great white shark washed up on to a beach on the New South Wales north coast, shocking locals and attracting a crowd of beachgoers.The 4m shark was seen swimming close to...

Two groups are striking for better working conditions and investment in Germany’s underfunded public transportAt first sight, the gathering in an office complex in east Berlin resembles a self-help group. But the public transport workers and climate protesters sitting in a semi-circle introducing themselves have been thrown together, they say, to fight for a common cause.“Hello, my name is Erdogan. I’m a bus driver...

Decision by premier Danielle Smith further pits Canadian province against environmental groups pushing green energyAlberta will block renewable energy projects on “prime” agricultural land and limit the placement of wind turbines to preserve “pristine viewscapes”, a decision that increasingly pits the western Canadian province against environmental groups pushing green energy – and the companies investing in it.The decision, announced by the premier, Danielle Smith,...

Yemeni government warns of Red Sea environmental disaster after cargo ship struck by rebels last weekMiddle East crisis – live updatesHouthi leaders have denied they have targeted critical underwater sea telecommunication cables, as Yemen’s UN-recognised government warned of an imminent marine environmental disaster if a cargo ship struck by the rebels last week was not quickly rescued.The Rubymar, a Belize-flagged but British-owned bulk carrier,...

Hanah Lahe is just 24 but she is already a leading voice for change in the former Soviet Baltic stateHanah Lahe can’t remember the fall of the iron curtain. Estonia’s youngest MP grew up surfing the web and consuming American television. Just nine years before her birth, it was all so different. When borders reopened after the end of Soviet rule in 1991, Estonians...

Research reveals area size of France is under threat by restoration projects taking place in unsuitable landscapesMisguided tree-planting projects are threatening crucial ecosystems across Africa, scientists have warned.Research has revealed that an area the size of France is threatened by forest restoration initiatives that are taking place in inappropriate landscapes. Continue reading...

Dueling petitions raise concerns over interior department’s five-year plans to offer drilling leases in Gulf of MexicoOil and gas companies and environmental groups on Monday filed dueling legal challenges to the Biden administration’s five-year plan to offer drilling leases in the Gulf of Mexico.The petitions to a US appeals court come four months after the interior department unveiled a congressionally-mandated plan for offshore leasing...

Upturned and largely submerged vessel of unknown origin is leaking hydrocarbon off south-west coast or TobagoTrinidad and Tobago’s prime minister has said that a large oil spill near the twin-island nation has caused a “national emergency” and vowed that the government will spare no expense to help rehabilitate the island’s beaches.Oil from the spill has coated numerous beaches on Tobago’s south-west coast, and the...

Weather system brings heavy rainfall, strong winds and mudslides. Elsewhere, Nova Scotia declares state of emergencyDuring the first week of February two storms hit California in quick succession, both featuring intense precipitation thanks to the “pineapple express” atmospheric river.Atmospheric rivers are long narrow channels of very moist air that flow through the atmosphere, transporting impressive amounts of water vapour that eventually fall as heavy...

This blog is now closedCalifornia is grappling with another round of strong storms this week and the dangerous potential for flash flooding, landslides, and furious winds expected to come with them.Much like last year, when record rainfall lashed the state, the storms are attributed to atmospheric rivers (ARs), systems that have long played a role in California’s precipitation levels – both for good and...

People in affected areas say they are still waiting for government help after more than 300 deaths and widespread devastationTens of thousands of people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are living in temporary accommodation and waiting for government help after the country experienced its worst flooding in six decades.More than 300 people have died and 280,000 households in more than half the...

Sawangjit Kosoognern charged with illegal possession after video showing animal being driven around Pattaya gains 2.6m viewsA Thai woman has been charged with illegal possession of a lion cub, police said on Friday, after a video of the animal cruising in a Bentley went viral online.The police ordered an investigation after a video showing a lion cub riding around the raucous Thai resort town...

Call for companies to ‘clean up their mess’ as Athabasca oil sands emissions vastly exceed industry-reported levelsToxic emissions from the Canadian tar sands – already one of the dirtiest fossil fuels – have been dramatically underestimated, according to a study.Research published in the journal Science found that air pollution from the vast Athabasca oil sands in Canada exceed industry-reported emissions across the studied facilities...

The first successful embryo transfer in a southern white rhino paves way for using technique to save rarer northern cousinsThe critically endangered northern white rhino could be saved from the brink of extinction after scientists performed the first successful embryo transfer in white rhinos.After the last male northern white rhino, Sudan, died in 2018, the disappearance of the species looked imminent. Just two infertile...

Scientists call for urgent intervention, as bearded pig populations are devastated by the deadly virus on islands such as BorneoPopulations of wild pigs are crashing due to the spread of African swine fever (ASF), threatening the livelihoods of millions who depend on them for food, researchers warn.With a fatality rate of almost 100%, ASF has swept across Asia, Europe and Africa, devastating domestic and...

Scientists say sea level rises, flooding and extreme weather will accelerate release of arsenic into water supplyClimate breakdown will put tens of millions of people in Bangladesh at heightened risk of cancer from contaminated well water, according to research.Sea level rises, unpredictable flooding and extreme weather caused by the climate heating up will accelerate the release of dangerous levels of arsenic into the country’s...

For some farmers already struggling, paying for more of their pollution is a step too far. Germany is the latest country to see anger boil overThe columns of tractors that have blocked roads in Germany, causing chaos in cities and headaches for commuters, are the latest wave in a growing tide of anger against efforts to protect Europe’s nature from the pollution pumped out...

Despite leading lavish lifestyles, some monarchs are influencing people to make greener choicesWhen Prince Frederik takes the throne on Sunday, the Danish crown will pass from his mother, Queen Margrethe II, a monarch who has cast doubt on the fact that human pollution is heating the planet, to one who feels bound by duty to call for stronger action on climate breakdown.“I think it’s...

Two Siamang gibbons rescued from the illegal pet trade have been rehabilitated in a new Indonesian centreThe forest chorus of South Sumatra in Indonesia has some of its finest singers back: a pair of rare Siamang gibbons, rescued from the illegal pet trade, have been released into the wild.Siamang gibbons (Symphalangus syndactylus) are known for their distinctive large throat sacs. But their powerful, haunting...

EPA says funds to be given to 280 school districts to ‘help secure a healthier future where our children can breathe cleaner air’The US has announced nearly $1bn in grants to replace diesel-powered school buses with electric and lower-emitting vehicles.The Environmental Protection Agency will disburse funds to 280 school districts serving 7 million children across the country in an effort to curb harmful air...

Temperatures could be 10-15C below seasonal average in some areas, with Calgary and Edmonton experiencing low of -30CArctic air will sweep across western Canada and parts of the US early this week, leading to a cold snap that will probably last through the rest of this week and possibly beyond.By Wednesday, temperatures in western Canada could be as much as 10-15C below the seasonal...

Angry protests by farmers, hauliers and railway workers risk being exploited by populists such as Alternative für DeutschlandThe symbolism that German farmers chose to express their discontent with the government in the first days of the new year was as unambiguous as it was ominous: by the side of rural roads across the country, there were sightings of makeshift gallows dangling traffic-light signs, a...

Hot weather has proved deadlier in the Croatian city of Osijek than in any other European city but little is being done to work out whyThe green LEDs on the cross outside the pharmacy read 38C for the second day running, but the noontime crowds in the centre of Osijek seemed untroubled by the danger that signalled. “We work in the sun but for...

Photograph taken at wildlife reserve shows baby nestled with his mother after his return A baby elephant who was separated from his mother and the rest of his herd in a wildlife park in Tamil Nadu, south India, has been reunited with them by park officials.An aerial photograph taken by officials shows the mother and calf, three days later, enjoying a nap on a...