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Extend fuel subsidy or watch costs go up, Hong Kong taxi, minibus drivers warn

Hong Kong taxi and minibus drivers have called for a two-month liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) subsidy scheme to be extended amid uncertainty over war in the Middle East, and warned monthly operating costs could rise by up to 33 per cent when the policy ends. A government task force rolled out the subsidy on May 31, which offers a 50 HK cents per litre rebate on LPG at the pump for taxis, minibuses ...

Extend LPG subsidy or watch costs go up, Hong Kong taxi, light bus drivers urge

Hong Kong taxi and light bus drivers have called for a two-month liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) subsidy to be extended amid uncertainty over wars in the Middle East, and warned monthly operating costs could rise by up to 33 per cent when the scheme ends. A government task force rolled out the subsidy on May 31, which offers a 50 HK cents per litre rebate on LPG at the pump for taxis and public and ...

Record-low Danube River affects tourism and industry as drought, heat grip Europe

As wildfires and successive heatwaves in France and Spain highlight climate change's impact, a severe drought is causing record low water levels on the Danube River, affecting tourism and industry

‘Shy’ Chinese Elon Musk lookalike chef draws photo-seeking crowds, prefers work over fame

A barbecue chef in northwest China has become an internet sensation after users noticed his striking resemblance to Elon Musk, prompting a wave of memes and jokes online. Ma Jianping, 48, from Tongchuan in Shaanxi province, co-owns and operates Yilan Restaurant, where he showcases his culinary skills. Originally from Gansu province, Ma spent years working as an electrician before transitioning to ...

熊本県で震度7 同程度の地震に注意 猛暑で熱中症対策を

28日に最大震度7の揺れを観測し、大きな被害が出ている熊本県では29日夜も震度5弱の揺れを観測するなど地震活動が活発な状態が続いています。気象庁は1週間ほどは最大震度7程度の地震に注意するよう呼びかけています。熊本県では30日も気温が上がり猛烈な暑さとなっていて、復旧作業などの際は熱中症を防ぐためにできるかぎりの対策を行ってください。

Germany heatwave sees Cologne residents cool off in mist

Residents cool off in public sprinklers across Cologne, Germany, as temperatures near 35C, while low Rhine water levels reflect the impact of dry summer weather.

‘It’s irreplaceable’: Fury over Reform plans to expand quarry in ancient Kent woodland

Forty hectares of Oaken Wood could be razed after it was identified as potential site of expansion by Reform-run councilIt was at the confluence of seven forest paths that Allison Sweetman came to a stop. Trees rose on all sides, save for a recently coppiced section to the north-east. The noon heat had silenced most birds, but the quiet was peaceful.“This is what they call Seven Wents,” she said. ...

Campaigners rail against ‘plundering’ of ancient Kent woodland to make way for quarry expansion

Forty hectares of Oaken Wood could be razed after it was identified as potential site of expansion by Reform-run councilIt was at the confluence of seven forest paths that Allison Sweetman came to a stop. Trees rose on all sides, save for a recently coppiced section to the north-east. The noon heat had silenced most birds, but the quiet was peaceful.“This is what they call Seven Wents,” she said. ...

Polls open in Greater Manchester mayoral byelection overshadowed by new PM and Farage’s antics

Labour’s Bev Craig expected to win contest that lost column inches to Andy Burnham’s ascent and Reform UK leader’s self-imposed Clacton voteVoting has begun in the biggest byelection in British political history, with more than 2 million people eligible to choose Andy Burnham’s successor as Greater Manchester mayor.In normal times, such a large and politically significant byelection would have dom...

China lodges protest after NZ foreign minister’s ‘go back’ slur in parliament

China has lodged formal diplomatic representations with New Zealand over “negative remarks” made in its parliament, after Foreign Minister Winston Peters told a Chinese-born opposition lawmaker to “go back to your own country”. The official protest on Thursday, accompanied by a rare social media statement from Beijing’s ambassador in Wellington, escalated a fiery domestic exchange over race and go...

China envoy makes a rare response after NZ foreign minister’s ‘go back’ slur

A parliamentary clash in Wellington has elicited a subtle rebuke from Beijing after New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters told a Chinese-born opposition lawmaker to “go back to your own country”. The comments on Wednesday prompted a rare social media response from Beijing’s envoy in Wellington, adding an international dimension to an already contentious domestic debate over governance and ...

Security guard jailed for tying up cat in plastic bag, dumping it in rubbish bin

A Hong Kong security guard who tied up a building resident’s missing cat in a plastic bag and dumped it in a rubbish bin has been sentenced to four months in prison, with the magistrate saying his actions had probably led to the animal’s death in a landfill site. Kwun Tong Court on Thursday sentenced Chou Wing-lok, a former security guard at a residential building in Ngau Tau Kok, for one count of...

4 months’ jail for security guard who dumped building resident’s cat in rubbish bin

A Hong Kong security guard who tied up a building resident’s missing cat in a plastic bag and dumped it in a rubbish bin has been sentenced to four months in prison, with the magistrate saying his actions had probably led to the animal’s death in a landfill site. Kwun Tong Court on Thursday sentenced Chou Wing-lok, a former security guard at a residential building in Ngau Tau Kok, for one count of...

The Mediterranean's warming waters are drawing hundreds of invasive species

Scientists say climate change is heating the Mediterranean Sea, inviting invasive fish species that harm native populations

Record-low Danube River affects tourism and industry as drought and heat grip Central Europe

As wildfires and successive heatwaves in France and Spain highlight climate change's impact, a severe drought is causing record low water levels on the Danube River, affecting tourism and industry

In 1995 Yellowstone began bringing back wolves; 30 years later young aspens returned, but the wider recovery remains uneven

Thirty years after wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park, researchers say aspen trees are showing stronger signs of recovery. The findings add to growing evidence that restoring a top predator can reshape an entire ecosystem.

Middle East live: Tehran threatens to 'punish the aggressor today' after deadly US strikes on Iran

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on Thursday promised to “punish the aggressor today”, state media reported, following a heavy wave of overnight US air strikes on the Islamic Republic that killed at least three people, one of whom was a two-year-old child. The US military said it had struck dozens of Revolutionary Guard targets across the country, including military command centres and drone facilities...

Middle East live: US air strikes on Iran's Qeshm island kill three people

A US attack killed three people, including a two-year-old child, on Iran's Qeshm island, the Fars news agency reported on Thursday after the US military said it wrapped up a heavy wave of strikes. The US military said the strikes were retaliation for Iranian attacks targeting US military bases in Jordan. Follow our liveblog for all the latest updates.

An ancient Mexican city once home to 90,000 people vanished nearly 1,000 years ago. Scientists think a 650-year drought may explain why

Samsung profit jumps 1,814% as South Korean tech giants benefit from global AI boom

Operating profit at Samsung’s semiconductor division rose to more than 220 times its year-earlier level. However, the company warned that memory chip shortages could worsen next year as AI infrastructure expands rapidly.

British YouTuber and rapper found not guilty of raping woman

British YouTuber and rapper Yung Filly has been found not guilty of raping a woman in an Australian hotel room almost two years ago.

Millions of birds follow a 9,000-kilometre invisible highway every year, crossing mountains, deserts and oceans without a map

Viral finger-clicker suspended as cricket storm remains in global spotlight

Saltburn's amateur cricketer at centre of cheating allegations that grabbed global headlines is suspended by club.

Russia strikes Ukrainian cities in major attack, Poland’s airspace violated

Russia pounded Ukraine with dozens of missiles and hundreds of drones, killing eight people in overnight attacks on Thursday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, decrying shortages of air defence supplies and urging allies to help. Russia launched more than 70 missiles and about 280 drones, Zelensky said in a statement on the Telegram app. The capital Kyiv and the western region of Lviv on Ukraine’...

Russia strikes Ukrainian cities, Poland scrambles fighter jets

Russian air strikes killed at least eight people in Ukraine on Thursday, including one in Kyiv, in attacks extending as far as the western city of Lviv, forcing neighbouring Poland to scramble fighter jets to secure its airspace. The attacks come as President Volodymyr Zelensky returns from the United States, where he said President Donald Trump agreed to give Ukraine ‌licences for Patriot missile...