World News

By Stephanie Kelly, Reuters Robert F. Kennedy Junior ran for president before dropping and endorsing Trump. Photo: Olivier Touron / AFP The incoming US president Donald Trump announced he has selected Robert F. Kennedy Junior, an environmental activist who has spread misinformation on vaccines, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, the United States' top health agency. Kennedy ran for president in this year's election as an independent before dropping out in August and endorsing Trump in exchange for a role in the Republican's administration. "The Safety and Health of all Americans is the most important role of any Administration, and HHS will play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutic...

Alex Jones claimed that the Sandy Hook school killings were staged with actors as part of a government plot to seize Americans' guns. Photo: AP/ David J Phillip By Hadas Gold, CNN Satirical news site The Onion wins the auction to acquire conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' Infowars, which was sold off as part of a defamation settlement after he falsely called the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre a hoax. The Onion's bid was backed by the families of eight victims of school shooting and one first responder. It also will have an exclusive advertising deal with the gun control group Everytown for Gun Safety. CNN was first to report the humor web site had entered the bidding. Jones was previously ordered to pay $1.5 billion to families of the Sandy Hook shooting victims. But he had dragged ...

By David Shepardson, Reuters New York City's congestion pricing program is the first of its kind in the US. Photo: Edi Chen New York plans to revive a $9 congestion mitigation charge for driving in Manhattan starting in January that the state indefinitely put on hold earlier this year, governor Kathy Hochul said Thursday. New York City's congestion pricing program, the first of its kind in the United States, was initially to have charged a toll of $15 during daytime hours for passenger vehicles driving in Manhattan south of 60th Street starting June 30 before Hochul put it on hold indefinitely. Hochul said the new base charge for passenger vehicles would be $9 -- 40% less than initially announced -- and was crucial to make new investment in subways and buses in New York. She said the...

The suspension of Parliament following a haka during debate on the Treaty Principles Bill on Thursday has garnered international attention. Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke was suspended from Parliament and "named" after leading the haka. Labour MP Willie Jackson was also ejected from Parliament during the debate. BBC said the Treaty values had been "woven" into New Zealand laws "in an effort to redress the wrong done to Māori during colonisation". "The country is often considered a leader in indigenous rights, but opponents of the bill fear those same rights are being put at risk by this bill." Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipa-Clarke in Parliament during debate on the Treaty Principles Bill. Photo: RNZ/ Samuel Rillstone The Guardian said there had been "significant publ...

By Sarah N Lynch for Reuters Matt Gaetz was investigated by the Justice Department for nearly three years over sex trafficking allegations involving a 17-year-old girl. Photo: DREW ANGERER / AFP Republican US Senator John Cornyn says he "absolutely" wants to review an unreleased congressional ethics report on Matt Gaetz, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general. Gaetz resigned his seat in the US House of Representatives on Wednesday, which would end an ethics committee probe examining allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use. He has denied wrongdoing. Gaetz also was investigated by the Justice Department for nearly three years over sex trafficking allegations involving a 17-year-old girl. His office said in 2023 that he had been told by prosecutors tha...

By Mick Krever and Irene Nasser, CNN Displaced Palestinians are shown fleeing from Gaza City, arriving at the Nuseirat refugee camp amid ongoing battles between Israel and Hamas. Photo: MAJDI FATHI / AFP Israel has overseen the forced mass displacement of Palestinians in Gaza in a deliberate and systematic campaign that amounts to a war crime and a crime against humanity, according to a new Human Rights Watch report. The 154-page report, published by the US-based advocacy group this week, details more than 13 months of widespread destruction in Gaza that, according to the United Nations, has seen the displacement of about 1.9 million Palestinians - more than 90 percent of the territory's population. In a statement, Human Rights Watch (HRW) cited the illegal and "deliberate, controlle...

Roxie, the three-month-old red panda kit, died at Edinburgh Zoo on Guy Fawke's night. Her keepers believe her death was due to stress caused by fireworks nearby. Photo: Supplied / Edinburgh Zoo A rare baby red panda is believed to have been killed by stress caused by fireworks, leading to calls from experts to crack down on their use. Roxie, a three-month-old kit, died at Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland on Guy Fawke's night. Royal Zoological Society of Scotland deputy chief executive Ben Supple said Roxie's mother Ginger had died just five days earlier. "Roxie ... was responding well to specialist care from our expert team and was feeding independently," he said. "Very sadly, she choked on her vomit on bonfire night and our vets believe this was probably a reaction to fireworks. "Roxie had ac...

By Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN The Italian city of Florence has long been a draw for tourists due to its architecture and art. Photo: Getty Images The historic Italian city of Florence is taking steps to cut overtourism, introducing measures including a ban on key boxes used by short-term rental landlords and tour guide loudspeakers, amid complaints that a surge in visitors has become unsustainable. With stunning Renaissance art and architecture, Florence, in Tuscany, has long been popular with travellers. But, like many other places in Italy and elsewhere, it has seen a drastic increase in tourists in recent years, leading to a backlash from residents priced out of their homes. This week, as the city prepares to host tourism ministers from the G7 group of the world's most advanced econ...

The eruption of Mt Lewotobi Laki Laki as seen from the Eputobi rest area in East Flores, East Nusa Tenggara on 9 November, 2024. Photo: AFP / National Disaster Mitigation Agency Several international airlines cancelled flights to and from Indonesia's resort island of Bali on Wednesday, after further eruptions of a volcano that has spewed ash clouds as high as 10km (32,808 feet) and forced thousands to evacuate. Jetstar and Qantas said they had stopped flights to Bali on Wednesday for safety reasons because of volcanic ash, while plane tracking website Flightradar24 showed flights to the island by AirAsia and Virgin were also cancelled. Singapore Airlines said it had cancelled a flight on Wednesday from Bali to Singapore due to the eruption. Bali is Indonesia's top tourist hotspot and is...

By Jim Sciutto, CNN Pete Hegseth (file photo) has been announced as Donald Trump's selection for secretary of defence. Photo: Brett CARLSEN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP Analysis - Within minutes of President-elect Donald Trump's announcement of Fox News host and Army veteran Pete Hegseth as his selection for secretary of defence, current and former senior military commanders began messaging and calling me with their reactions. "Ridiculous," said one. "An effing (euphemism inserted) nightmare," said another. To be clear, these were not partisans, but senior commanders who have served under both Presidents Trump and Joe Biden. Their critiques, as they continued, were not personal. None had anything negative to say about Hegseth. Their central concern is that they see Trump, with ...