World News Hub

2,500 dead and rising: UN says DR Congo Ebola outbreak 'growing exponentially'

The Ebola outbreak raging in the Democratic Republic of Congo is growing "exponentially", with more than 2,500 deaths recorded and half of those in the last 20 days, the senior UN coordinator on the disease said Friday. The Ebola outbreak is already the biggest in the country's history and is spreading faster than any outbreak of the deadly virus on record.

E1 Israeli settlement poses ‘existential threat’ to two-state solution, UN chief warns

The United Nations on Wednesday said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was alarmed by reports of illegal Israeli settlement outposts in the West Bank, warning that development in the E1 area threatened a two-state solution. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the E1 settlement would sever the connection between the northern and southern West Bank and have severe consequences for the territo...

Police on alert as funeral held for teenagers killed in Ireland wrong-way crash

Funerals have been held for two teenagers killed when the car they were in drove the wrong way down a motorway and crashed into another vehicle.

Ex-Abercrombie & Fitch chief fit to stand trial in sex trafficking case, judge says

Jeffries was declared "mentally incompetent" by a court last year and said to be suffering with dementia and late onset of Alzheimer's disease.

Nearly 40,000 "non-compliant" condoms sold in France: authorities urge testing

Around 30 products sold online and in chemists have been flagged by the consumer watchdog as posing a risk of STIs or unwanted pregnancies.

The US offered a California family $4 million for its 6,300-acre island ranch; after they refused...

A federal jury awarded a California family $12.7 million for their Santa Cruz Island ranch. The government had seized the 6,300-acre property using eminent domain in 1996. This verdict concluded a decades-long property dispute between park officials and the Gherini family. The family's ancestors had owned part of the island since the late 19th century. The award allowed the National Park Servi...

‘We’re not remotely prepared’: Labour MPs fear party has gone soft on climate crisis

Polls suggest growing skepticism around net zero, with politicians left feeling uncertain on how to proceedUK politics live – latest updatesBritain has seen a summer of record-breaking wildfires, deadly heat and drought with almost 2, 900 heat associated deaths recorded in England during May and June alone. Homes have been destroyed more recently by the fires in the West Midlands and deadly wildfi...

Meghan as the next Bond? Five roles that almost certainly don’t lie behind UK return

Reports say Duke and Duchess of Sussex may have returned to Britain due to ‘top secret’ acting role for Meghan – we try to guess what it might be?In 2022, two years after she and Prince Harry bolted to California in an unhappy exit from the royal family, the Duchess of Sussex was asked if she could foresee ever returning to acting. “No, I’m done,” she told Variety magazine. “I guess never say neve...

Djibouti Football Federation accused of misusing funds from FIFA

FIFA and CAF provides more than $1m a year to Djibouti's federation, which faces corruption allegations over misuse.

First ever Fat Marmot Week to kick off in effort to raise money for research

Researchers hope contest – similar to Fat Bear Week – starting Monday will be latest wildlife watching crazeMonday sees the start of what researchers hope will be the latest wildlife watching craze – Fat Marmot Week.Last winter was tough for marmots living high in the Colorado mountains, where researchers say two-thirds of one population died while hibernating because of insufficient snow cover. C...

‘Shameful’: UK, Australia and Canada criticise Israel over Gaza aid convoy killings decision

Joint statement issued after IDF said it will not pursue criminal investigations into April 2024 strike that killed seven humanitarian workersBritain, Australia and Canada have called the decision of the Israeli military authorities not to open a criminal investigation into the April 2024 airstrikes that hit a convoy of aid vehicles in Gaza “shameful”. The strikes killed seven humanitarian workers...

Londoners react to Harry and Meghan's return to the U.K.

Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, are returning to the United Kingdom, six years after their separation from the British royal family and subsequent move to California. Ramy Inocencio asked some Brits what they think of the move.

PSG heavily favoured to win sixth successive Ligue 1 title

Paris Saint-Germain remains the team to beat in Ligue 1, with back-to-back Champions League triumphs bolstered by an influx of new arrivals this season. The team's opening match against Stade Rennais this Sunday has been moved to Rennes after their Parc de Prince pitch was deemed unsafe to play on after weeks of sweltering heat in Paris.

Labour stalling on Jackdaw and Rosebank because ‘heart’s not really in it’, says Badenoch – UK politics live

Conservative leader says it is essential decision on oil and gas fields made as soon as possible, despite widespread concerns about climate impactAfter Emily Thornberry’s call for the government to ban goods from the occupied West Bank (see post at 11:05), Peter Beaumont and Quique Kierszenbaum report on how Israeli settler attacks in areas designated for a future Palestinian state and currently u...

‘I saw it on TikTok’: 48% of Gen Z travellers turn to the platform for travel inspiration

Gen Z is leading the shift in how travellers discover, book and share their holidays, with almost half citing TikTok as their source of travel inspiration.

In 2022, MacKenzie Scott donated 2 Beverly Hills homes worth $55 million

Burnham to dispatch 100 Whitehall officials to help regional mayors

Civil service scheme announced after PM convened local leaders to ‘situation room’ meeting from No 10 NorthUK politics live – latest updatesAndy Burnham is to send more than 100 Whitehall officials to bolster the teams of regional mayors, after convening leaders from across England from his base at No 10 North to discuss how to spread growth.The government described the meeting as a “situation roo...

In 1986, a family sold California's 53,000-acre Santa Rosa Island to the US for nearly $30 million

In 1986, the United States government acquired Santa Rosa Island for close to thirty million dollars. This pivotal purchase marked the end of longstanding private ranching and agricultural practices on the sprawling island. Following the removal of cattle in 1998 and the cessation of residency in 2011, efforts towards environmental restoration commenced. Today, the island stands as a protected nat...

OpenAI-backed legal tech firm pivots to Chinese Kimi K3 open-weight model

A US artificial intelligence start-up backed by OpenAI has built its first in-house model on Chinese lab Moonshot AI’s Kimi K3, highlighting a growing shift by Western tech firms towards Chinese open-weight systems amid soaring development costs. San Francisco-based legal tech provider Harvey, whose high-profile backers also include Sequoia Capital and Andreessen Horowitz, said on Thursday that it...

China’s trade grip tightens in Europe as clock ticks towards October deadline

Midway through a three-month negotiating period with Beijing, new data show the trade balances of 24 European Union member states are still moving in what Brussels considers to be the wrong direction. China extended its trade surplus over all but three EU members in July compared to a year earlier, calculations based on new Chinese customs figures showed. In some instances, the monthly swing was d...

China’s trade grip tightens in Europe as clock ticks towards October deadline

Midway through a three-month negotiating period with Beijing, new data show the trade balances of 24 European Union member states are still moving in what Brussels considers to be the wrong direction. China extended its trade surplus over all but three EU members in July compared to a year earlier, calculations based on new Chinese customs figures showed. In some instances, the monthly swing was d...

War on Iran: The US could focus on economically isolating Iran

The US Treasury Secretary, has indicated a change in US strategy towards Iran, focusing on economic isolation.

Iran set to impose longer prison terms for any contact with foreign media

Iranians could soon face up to two years in prison for daring to communicate in any way with a foreign news outlet, embassy or institution.

Man claims Meta fired him after he refused to sign a Green Card letter for a Chinese visa worker, seeks $1 million in lawsuit

New videos show deadly landslide burying gold miners in Central African Republic

New videos filmed at the Zamboye mining site on 18 August appears to show the moment a landslide swept through an artisanal gold mine in the Central African Republic, burying miners beneath earth and sand.