Trump’s diesel deal derailed Ukraine-Russia peace progress, says Czech president



People near south Wales river were told to keep windows and doors shut after thousands of litres of kerosene from a GE Aerospace site got into the water
Oily slicks of kerosene still appeared to be leaking into the River Taff this week, several days after a breach of thousands of litres was spotted by members of the public.
The breach into the Welsh river was identified last Friday, after people reported strong chemical odours emanating from it. Natural Resources Wales (NRW) officers arrived on site soon afterwards to identify the source of the pollution and were assisted by the south Wales fire and rescue service, which placed absorbent mats and booms to contain as much kerosene as possible.
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© Photograph: Jeremy Inglis/Alamy

© Photograph: Jeremy Inglis/Alamy

© Photograph: Jeremy Inglis/Alamy


Cyprus recycled just 27.8 per cent of its plastic packaging waste in 2024, placing it among the EU countries with the lowest recycling rates, according to Eurostat figures published on Thursday.
The island generated 23.31kg of plastic packaging waste per inhabitant, considerably below the EU average of 35.9kg.
Cyprus’ recycling rate was also well below the EU average of 42.4 per cent, with only France at 27.4 per cent, Finland at 26.9 per cent and Denmark at 22.5 per cent recording lower rates.
Across the EU, the plastic packaging recycling rate increased by 0.6 percentage points compared with 2023.
The highest recycling rates were recorded in Latvia at 71 per cent, followed by Belgium at 58 per cent, Poland at 56 per cent and the Czech Republic at 53.7 per cent.
Between 2014 and 2024, the amount of plastic packaging waste generated across the EU increased by 6.1kg per inhabitant, while the amount recycled also increased by 3.4kg per inhabitant.
Overall, approximately 81.5 million tonnes of packaging waste were generated in the EU in 2024, equivalent to 181kg per inhabitant, an increase of 19.6kg compared with 2014.
Paper and cardboard accounted for the largest share of packaging waste, at 40.8 per cent, followed by plastic at 19.6 per cent and glass at 18.1 per cent.
Wood and metal also accounted for significant shares of the total packaging waste generated across the bloc.




© PA Wire

© PA Archive

© PA Wire



This animated map shows the insect’s population exploding in Australia’s eastern states, with the endangered species coming back from the brink
If you live anywhere on the eastern side of Australia, you’ve probably noticed that bogong moths are back in a big way.
While we don’t yet have figures from ecologist-led surveys to compare with previous years, there is a wealth of data on the great moth revival being generated by citizen scientists across the eastern states.
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© Illustration: Guardian Design

© Illustration: Guardian Design

© Illustration: Guardian Design
Be Ready campaign aims to prepare UK for impact of climate crisis, technological dependency and threats by hostile state
Every Briton is being urged to stock up to nine litres of bottled water and three days’ worth of food in new government guidance designed to ensure that households can survive a weather, cyber or other serious emergency.
The Be Ready campaign is aimed at persuading people to stock up with supplies to last 72 hours, amid growing official concern about the impact of the climate crisis, technological dependency and hostile state threats.
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© Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian

© Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian

© Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian


Violent storms overnight knocked over utility poles and trees and carried thunder and heavy winds through state
Yet more severe weather struck Thursday in the US south-west as the Four Corners region surveyed blown-away roofs, trees knocked on to homes and power lines downed from overnight tornadoes that injured one person.
The injuries weren’t life-threatening but rare for an area better known for scalding heat. But this fall has been unusually soggy in the south-west with El Niño conditions that have sent one tropical system after another in from the Pacific, causing the Grand Canyon and surrounding deserts to rage with floods.
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© Photograph: Ross D Franklin/AP

© Photograph: Ross D Franklin/AP

© Photograph: Ross D Franklin/AP