A beetle that has previously devastated Norway spruce populations across continental Europe has been found to be equally attracted to the Sitka spruce, a finding experts say could have significant implications for commercial forestry. The eight-toothed European spruce bark beetle has now been found in the UK, raising fears for the Sitka, which accounts for…
A group of more than 900 Labour members and trade unionists, including MPs and peers, have accused the government of copying the “performative cruelty” of the Conservatives in its migration and asylum policy. In a joint statement, they singled out the Home Office’s decision, revealed last week, to refuse citizenship to anyone who arrives in…
Wes Streeting has said that “waging a campaign” on behalf of Lucy Letby is “not the right thing to do”. The health secretary said he would believe Letby’s conviction was fair unless a court decided otherwise. Letby, 35, from Hereford, is serving 15 whole-life orders after she was convicted across two trials at Manchester crown…
China’s president, Xi Jinping, has met some of the country’s top business leaders, including the Alibaba founder, Jack Ma, as he attempts to halt an economic slump in the world’s second-largest economy. Xi met Ma, who was at the centre of a crackdown on the tech industry in recent years, as well as the bosses…
A teenage boy was allegedly punched in the face, stabbed and stomped on before he was abducted by some of the men accused of murdering Cassius Turvey, a court has heard. Cassius, a 15-year-old Noongar Yamatji boy, died in hospital 10 days after prosecutors say he was chased down, knocked to the ground and “deliberately…
Tropical Cyclone Zelia may have dissipated but it won’t be the last to threaten Australia’s coastline and the next one has forced a name change before it even forms. Zelia, which crossed the Western Australian coast on Friday, brought the Bureau of Meteorology to the end of an alphabetical list that alternates by gender, with…
Police are investigating if two alleged assaults in Melbourne were Islamophobic incidents after women in hijabs were attacked during the day. Victoria police said two women, a 30-year-old from Lalor and a 26-year-old from Wollert, were allegedly attacked by the same assailant at Epping shopping centre on High Street between 1.10pm and 1.20pm on Thursday….
The Cook Islands says it has signed a deal to expand relations with China, stressing that the accord does not impinge on ties with former colonial power New Zealand. Prime minister Mark Brown said he signed an “action plan for the comprehensive strategic partnership” with Chinese premier Li Qiang in the northern city of Harbin…
Britain’s poorest households are paying an increasing share of their income on council tax, according to new analysis that likened it to the poll tax that contributed to the downfall of Margaret Thatcher. The poorest fifth of households paid 4.8% of their income on council tax in England, Wales and Scotland and on domestic rates…
A New Zealand tourism campaign targeting Australian visitors has been ridiculed for sounding like a clearance sale slogan and for being tone-deaf amid widespread public service job cuts and record numbers of New Zealanders moving overseas. The government launched its “Everyone must go!” campaign on Sunday, in a bid to encourage Australian holiday-makers to visit…
