American forces resumed strikes against Iran on Tuesday, US Central Command said in a statement. It accused the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of “recent attempted attacks” against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and “American service members deployed to the region”. Centcom said US forces began striking IRGC targets at 12:00 ET (16:00 […]
Continue ReadingNorway’s Haakon VIII has sworn an oath before parliament in Oslo in the first major step of his reign as King. During Tuesday’s ceremony, parliament also held a minute’s silence for Haakon’s father, the late King Harald V, who died on Friday. Haakon’s wife, Queen Mette-Marit, was absent from the formalities as she continues to […]
Continue ReadingA network of AI licence plate readers run by a private company called Flock is rapidly expanding across the US. There are now about 130,000 across the country, mostly used by law enforcement agencies. The expansion has led to privacy concerns and protests. BBC Verify examines Flock’s system and the growing backlash against it – […]
Continue ReadingA weak orangutan was found laying on the ground in Ketapang, West Kalimantan on Borneo island. Indonesia has intensified efforts to contain haze from wildfires across six provinces in Borneo and Sumatra islands. The wildfires have destroyed part of the habitat of hundreds of orangutans and risking the survival of the species. “The situation is […]
Continue ReadingAlgerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has said he wants to reinstate the death penalty for arsonists, following a wave of forest fires that have killed at least 12 people. The president ordered the justice ministry to introduce changes to the criminal law introducing capital punishment for arsonists. Capital punishment remains in the country’s penal code for […]
Continue ReadingMore than 20 people are thought to be missing or unaccounted for after flash flooding swept through parts of the Grand Canyon. It hit at around 14:30 local time (22:30 BST) on Saturday in Bright Angel Canyon and Phantom Ranch area, according to the National Park Service (NPS). Sixty-two people have so far been airlifted […]
Continue ReadingNasa says its “crisp, sweeping surveys will help scientists investigate dark energy and dark matter, discover and characterise exoplanets, map billions of galaxies, study black holes, and explore objects from our own solar system to the edge of the observable Universe.” Dark matter, which is invisible, acts as a kind of gravitational glue, while dark […]
Continue ReadingOne person has died and five people are injured after shots were fired at an event in northern Switzerland overnight, local police say. “The manhunt for the unknown perpetrator is under way,” Aargau Cantonal Police said in a statement. “Possible motives as well as the exact circumstances of the crime are still unclear.” The force […]
Continue ReadingIceland’s closely fought referendum on whether to resume membership talks with the European Union is going down to wire, with the result too close to call. Based on the first 153,197 votes counted of the 270,000 voters eligible, 50.1% rejected the government’s proposal, while 49.9% said yes, public broadcaster RUV said, with just 435 votes […]
Continue ReadingA French couple – both conceived by sperm donors – wanted children. But with home DNA tests illegal, how could they be sure they were not related?
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