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Rainforests, rivers and sacred sites ‘ripped to shreds’ by feral pigs, Queensland traditional owners warn

Destruction wrought by pig-borne disease is thining the canopy of bunya pine forests and the problem is getting worse, experts say Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast High up in an ancient conifer rainforest, at what was once the largest Indigenous gathering place in eastern Australia, there is sunlight where there shouldn’t be. Among the eponymous pine trees of the Bunya Mountains, in south-east Queensland, a deadly disease has taken root. Walking through the forest, Adrian Bauwens, a Wakka Wakka man, says pockets of sunlight have replaced what is “usually quite a dense canopy where’s it’s quite heavily shaded”. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/jkBbZzN

UK retailers urge faster end to tax break on low-value imported goods

Primark, Currys and Boohoo criticise government for waiting until 2029 to phase out exemption on customs duty British retailers including Primark, Currys and Boohoo have criticised the government for waiting until 2029 to end a tax break on low-value imported goods that has allowed them to be undercut by the likes of Shein and Temu. The British Retail Consortium, which represents all the major retailers, said there were 1.6m parcels arriving in the UK every day, double the number from last year, and “businesses cannot afford any delay on scrapping the existing rules”. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/ucs4lTH

Reeves freezes fuel duty for now as she confirms 3p-a-mile electric vehicle charge

Rishi Sunak’s ‘temporary’ 5p-a-litre cut to be reversed in stages from next September in effort to keep EVs attractive Budget 2025 – live updates Fuel duty will be frozen again, but only for five months until September 2026, the chancellor has announced, as she confirmed a new 3p-a-mile charge for electric cars from 2028. Rachel Reeves will freeze fuel duty in April at 52.95p a litre for petrol and diesel – a 16th successive year without a rise – but the so-called “temporary” 5p cut introduced by Rishi Sunak will be reversed in stages from September. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/wyRPa87

Rush Hour 4 in the works at Paramount after reports of Trump intervening

Brett Ratner, accused of sexual misconduct by several women, will bring his hit franchise back to the big screen Rush Hour 4 is reportedly a go at Paramount – after Donald Trump intervened on behalf of the movie. The studio will now release the next sequel by Brett Ratner, the director, who had retreated from Hollywood after numerous allegations of sexual misconduct during the #MeToo movement. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/CAYzp7r

‘It’s hell for us here’: Mumbai families suffer as datacentres keep the city hooked on coal

As Mumbai sees increased energy demand from new datacenters, particularly from Amazon, the filthiest neighbourhood in one of India’s largest cities must keep its major coal plants Each day, Kiran Kasbe drives a rickshaw taxi through his home neighbourhood of Mahul on Mumbai’s eastern seafront, down streets lined with stalls selling tomatoes, bottle gourds and aubergines–and, frequently, through thick smog. Earlier this year, doctors found three tumours in his 54-year-old mother’s brain. It’s not clear exactly what caused her cancer. But people who live near coal plants are much more likely to develop the illness, studies show , and the residents of Mahul live a few hundred metres down the road from one. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/7F9AtXc