Years of toxic waste dumping in a Jersey Shore community where childhood cancer rates rose caused at least $1 billion in damage to natural resources, according to an environmental group trying to overturn a settlement between New Jersey and the corporate successor to the firm that did the polluting. Save Barnegat Bay and the township of Toms River are suing to overturn a deal between the state and German chemical company BASF under which the firm will pay $500,000 and carry out nine environmental remediation projects at the site of the former Ciba-Geigy Chemical Corporation plant.
The United States, joined by Arab mediators, sought on Wednesday to conclude an agreement between Israel and Hamas to halt the 14-month-old war in the Gaza Strip where medics said Israeli strikes killed at least 16 Palestinians overnight. On Tuesday, sources close to the talks in Cairo, the Egyptian capital, said an agreement could be signed in coming days on a ceasefire and release of hostages held in Gaza in return for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Medics said an Israeli airstrike killed at least 10 people in a house in the northern town of Beit Lahiya, where army forces have operated since October, while six were killed in separate airstrikes in Gaza City, Nuseirat camp in central areas, and Rafah near the border with Egypt.
Pakistani veterinary surgeons found that a bacterial infection killed an elephant at a safari park in the city of Karachi earlier this month, a veterinarian with a global animal welfare organization said Wednesday. Dr. Amir Khalil with the Vienna-based Four Paws told The Associated the infection spread through 19-year-old Sonia’s body from her foot, leading to her death. “We are very sad for Sonia,” he said, raising concerns about how Pakistani authorities handle animals.
Matteo Salvini, Italy's deputy prime minister, faces a possible six-year prison term if a court finds him guilty on Friday of kidnapping a boat full of migrants who were held offshore Italy for almost three weeks in 2019. Salvini was interior minister at the time and has always denied the charges, arguing that he was defending national interests by trying to prevent a Spanish charity rescue ship from bringing 147 asylum seekers to Italy. Salvini, the head of the far-right League party, portrays himself as a victim of judicial persecution.
Ghana's President-elect John Dramani Mahama has named an anti-corruption team to gather information on suspected graft, his transition team said in a statement on Wednesday. Mahama, the main opposition candidate in a Dec. 7 presidential election he won with around 56% of the vote, has promised to recover corruption proceeds and hold perpetrators accountable when he assumes office next month. An anti-graft team has been set up in preparation.
An injured cave explorer in northern Italy was carried to safety Wednesday, 75 hours after she fell while attempting to map an unexplored branch of the Bueno Fonteno cave, alpine rescuers said. The last leg of the rescue operation proceeded more smoothly than expected, and workers carrying 32-year-old Ottavia Piana strapped into a stretcher reached the cave’s mouth in the early morning hours. The Bueno Fonteno cave is located some 500 meters (yards) below ground, with the mapped area reaching some 19 kilometers (nearly 12 miles).
Tired and sad, Palestinian activist Fakhri Abu Diab stood amid the rubble of his home in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, just a narrow valley away from the famed domes of the Old City.Israel conquered east Jerusalem, including the Old City, in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, and swiftly annexed the area.
Asian markets swung Wednesday ahead of the Federal Reserve's much-anticipated policy announcement, while shares in Japanese car titan Nissan soared more than 20 percent after reports said it was in merger talks with rival Honda.Tokyo closed down, although Nissan scorched 23.7 percent higher soon after opening in response to reports it was in preliminary merger talks with Honda, adding the move would help them better compete against Tesla and other electric vehicle makers.
The legs are made up of the glutes, quads, hamstrings, hips, adductors, abductors and calves. These are the best leg exercises for strength using bodyweight.
Russia's Investigative Committee said that the unnamed suspect had told them he had come to Moscow to carry out an assignment for Ukraine.
Hundreds gathered outside Wisconsin State Capitol on Tuesday night despite the freezing temperatures to remember victims of a private school shooting that left one teacher and a student dead and wounded six others.
To start the new year with healthier skin, dermatologists have one major piece of advice for you. How to change your skin-care routine for better skin in 2025.
The U.S Department of Defense on Wednesday announced the repatriation of two Guantanamo Bay detainees to Malaysia, where the government said it was planning a reintegration programme for the two men. Mohammed Farik bin Amin and Mohammed Nazir bin Lep had each pled guilty to multiple offenses before a military commission, the defense department said in a statement. "In consultation with our partners in Malaysia, we completed the requirements for responsible transfer," the department said in a statement.
Inflation in the U.K. rose to its highest level in eight months during November, official figures showed Wednesday, a development that has cemented market expectations that the Bank of England will opt against cutting borrowing costs this week. The Office for National Statistics said consumer price inflation rose by 2.6% in the year to November, up from 2.3% the previous month. It said stubbornly high inflation in the crucial services sector, which accounts for around 80% of the U.K. economy, and an increase in fuel prices was largely behind the overall increase.
Rescue teams dug for survivors trapped in crumpled buildings in the Pacific nation of Vanuatu on Wednesday after a powerful earthquake killed at least nine people, burying some in rubble and landslides.A string of aftershocks has since shaken the Pacific island nation.
Shares in Japanese chipmaker Kioxia closed 10 percent higher in Tokyo on Wednesday after an initial public offering that valued the firm at more than $5 billion.Its shares closed 10 percent higher at 1,601 yen.
While divorce rates in the U.S. may be declining a new trend is emerging in how people approach long-term relationships: a phenomenon known as gray divorce.
A 29-year-old Uzbek citizen has been detained for allegedly planting the bomb that killed senior Russian general and his assistant, the Russian Investigative Committee said Wednesday.
Some experts say intermittent fasting is better than dieting. Here is what to know before you start.
Luigi Mangione was indicted on first-degree murder and other charges in the ambush killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson this month, the Manhattan district attorney's office announced Tuesday.