More than 160 Chinese nationals were found living in ‘degrading’ conditions and working excessive hours
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Brazilian authorities have halted the construction of a factory for the Chinese electric vehicle company BYD, after they found more than 160 Chinese nationals living in “slavery-like” conditions.
The workers, based in a construction site in the north-eastern Brazilian state Bahia, were found to be labouring for excessive hours – sometimes for seven days straight – and living in “degrading” accommodation.
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12/24/2024 - 06:01
Government to ban sales of new petrol and diesel cars but will relax rules that force firms to sell more electric vehicles every year
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The British car industry has welcomed government proposals that could allow Toyota Prius-style hybrids to continue to be sold in the UK after 2030, as part of a package of measures to ease regulations on carmakers.
The UK government published details on Christmas Eve of a consultation on which cars should be allowed on sale after 2030 – when sales of new petrol and diesel cars will be banned – as well as on how it will relax rules that force manufacturers to sell more electric cars every year.
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12/24/2024 - 06:00
Betchcott Hill has glorious views across the county and a mix of habitats home to curlew, cuckoo and lapwing
One of the most scenic and nature-rich spots in western England could be protected for ever in a boost for the curlew, cuckoo, lapwing and snipe that nest there.
Betchcott Hill has views across much of the county and its mix of grassland, wet flushes, woodland and heath sings with the calls of endangered birds in spring.
This article was amended on 24 December 2024 to correct the size of the site, which is 50 hectares, not 50 acres.
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12/24/2024 - 03:00
From the Flask glacier to King George Island, intrepid researchers expect good cheer, snow and penguins
Many of us will not get a white Christmas this year, but a group of scientists are guaranteed one while carrying out research on the Antarctic peninsula.
While ice and good cheer are expected, their yuletide activities will be very different from those back home. Dr Kate Winter, of Northumbria University, and colleagues will be deploying instruments on Flask glacier to study the way that meltwater affects how quickly glaciers flow into the ocean.
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12/24/2024 - 00:00
Conservationists and scientists in New Zealand were astonished to find the world’s rarest whale washed ashore in the South Island in July. As only the seventh spade-toothed whale identified, and with none ever seen alive, this month saw the first dissection of a complete specimen
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12/23/2024 - 16:14
President Nayib Bukele pushed for the legislation that will grant government sole authority over mining activities
El Salvador’s legislature has overturned a seven-year-old ban on metals mining, a move that the country’s authoritarian president, Nayib Bukele, had pushed for to boost economic growth, but that environmental groups had opposed.
El Salvador became the first country in the world to ban all forms of metals mining in 2017. Bukele, who took office in 2019, has called the ban absurd.
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12/23/2024 - 14:00
Prosecution of three companies and one director relate to 26 sites, including Rozelle parklands. They have denied the alleged offences
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The New South Wales Environment Protection Authority is prosecuting three companies and one individual in response to its investigation into Sydney’s asbestos in mulch scandal.
The prosecutions encompass 102 alleged offences relating to 26 sites, including Rozelle parklands.
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12/23/2024 - 09:00
Exclusive: UK’s biggest water company assessed risks before cutting back on cost of environmental work, investigation shows
Thames Water intentionally diverted millions of pounds pledged for environmental clean-ups towards other costs including bonuses and dividends, the Guardian can reveal.
The company, which serves more than 16 million customers, cut the funds after senior managers assessed the potential risks of such a move.
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12/23/2024 - 09:00
Read more from My DIY climate hack, a series on everyday people’s creative solutions to the climate crisis
Single-use plastic bags are not only wasteful, they cause serious damage to the environment and our health. Anne-Marie Bonneau, 56, is on a mission to put more reusable produce bags into the world. With the help of her sewing bee group, who make them from upcycled fabric, they’ve given more than 4,000 bags away.
As more cities and states implement plastic bag bans, Bonneau, who is known online as the Zero-Waste Chef, is helping people in California’s Silicon Valley make the move away from single-use plastic bags and spreading joy in the process.
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12/23/2024 - 08:25
The reptile, who later became Australia’s answer to Paul the octopus, ‘passed away peacefully’ in Darwin
Burt, the giant crocodile that featured in hit Australian comedy Crocodile Dundee, has died.
Crocosaurus Cove, an aquarium and exhibition space in Darwin, Australia, where Burt was housed, announced the news on social media, saying that the crocodile “passed away peacefully” and was “estimated to be over 90 years old”.
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