Australia has launched what it describes as a landmark AU$2 billion (€1.2 billion) lawsuit against US consumer products giant 3M, alleging contamination at military bases where firefighting foam containing so-called "forever chemicals" was used. The case against the Minnesota-based chemicals company and its Australian subsidiary is the biggest legal claim the country has ever filed, according to the government, underscoring the environmental, economic and cultural damage already caused — and the costs still expected to come.…

Just hours before Eid al-Adha, a buffalo in Bangladesh known as "Donald Trump" for its sweeping blond hair was pulled back from sacrifice and granted an unlikely new future at the national zoo. In Muslim-majority Bangladesh, the South Asian country of 170 million people, Eid al-Adha — the "feast of the sacrifice" — will be observed tomorrow. The 700kg bull, a rare albino buffalo crowned with a pale, flowing mane that recalls the trademark hairstyle of the US president, had been set to be slaughtered for the occasion.…

NASA has laid out an ambitious blueprint for its first Moon base, sketching a path that could put people living and working on the lunar surface within six years. The outpost would rise at the Moon’s south pole and, over time, could grow into a network of sites stretching across hundreds of square miles. Under the plan, the base would be built in phases, gradually adding the systems and infrastructure needed to support a lasting human foothold. Agency officials say the effort is aimed at opening the door to fresh scientific…

After decades spent out of sight, Daniela Klette has been handed a 13-year prison sentence by a German court for a string of armed robberies carried out between 1999 and 2016, in a case that revives one of the country’s darkest chapters of political violence. Klette, 67, was arrested in 2024 after evading authorities for more than 30 years. Investigators found her living in Berlin under an assumed name after an investigative journalist tracked her down with the help of facial recognition software. The Red Army Faction, born…

With a sweeping new warning, Israel’s military has told residents across a broad stretch of southern Lebanon to head north, declaring the area a combat zone and signaling that the confrontation with Hezbollah is entering a more dangerous phase. The announcement pointed to a fresh escalation after more than 120 strikes hit Lebanon yesterday, even though a ceasefire was announced on 16 April. "We advise residents of southern Lebanon to evacuate to the north of the Zahrani River, as all areas south of the river are considered a…

Ireland is moving to outlaw imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, but Taoiseach Micheál Martin has ruled out widening the measure to cover services, saying such a step is “not implementable”. The legislation, designed to ban the import of goods from those settlements, cleared Cabinet this morning and the Government intends to have it signed into law within weeks. Speaking to reporters ahead of the Cabinet meeting, Mr Martin said extending the bill to services could carry consequences for…

Israel says it has killed Hamas's newly installed armed wing commander in Gaza, only days after killing his predecessor, as it ramps up military pressure in the enclave and broadens its campaign in Lebanon. The Israeli military said Mohammad Odeh was killed in an operation in Gaza tomorrow. Hamas has not issued an official statement, though a message from Odeh's family said he was killed alongside his wife and son. Gaza health officials said six people were killed in the same Israeli strike, including at least one woman, and…

Europe is sweltering through a punishing heatwave this week, with temperatures surging to levels rarely seen this early in the year. The continent is heating faster than any other on Earth, and its reach into the rapidly warming Arctic is helping drive the trend. Record May temperatures were shattered in Ireland, France and the UK on Monday and yesterday, and forecasters say the intense heat is far from over as even hotter conditions loom in the days ahead. At the center of the episode is a so-called "heat dome" — a mass of…

A surge in Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon killed 31 people yesterday, Lebanon’s health ministry said, as Israel signaled it was stepping up its campaign despite a truce in the war with Hezbollah. At the same time, Hezbollah said its fighters were confronting Israeli troops who had moved into the southern town of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, while the Israeli military said it was widening its ground offensive. In a statement, the health ministry said 31 people were killed in the attacks and 40 wounded, among them at least…

Europe is sweltering under an unusually early blast of heat, with forecasters warning that a powerful "heat dome" is driving temperatures far beyond what is typical for this point in the year. The surge came after a record-setting Monday, when France registered its hottest May day ever recorded, according to the national weather agency, while the UK also hit unprecedented highs. Meteorologists say the spike is being fuelled by a mass of hot air from northern Africa, trapped beneath a high-pressure system over western Europe…