U.S., Australia close diplomatic facilities in Brazil ahead of election
The United States suspended consular services at its embassy and consulates in Brazil on Friday over unspecified security concerns, prompting Austr...
Major technology, telecom, aviation and crypto-related firms have pledged to strengthen cooperation to tackle the illegal wildlife trade according to statements made at a business forum convened by United for Wildlife during London Climate Action Week.
The initiative, led by United for Wildlife (a programme of the Royal Foundation established by Britain’s Prince William) brings together companies across the technology, transport and financial sectors to address trafficking networks operating through digital platforms and payment systems.
Companies including Google, Meta, TikTok and Alibaba have said they are working on measures to reduce illegal wildlife listings and related content on their platforms, including the use of automated detection systems and content moderation tools.
The firms collectively represent major parts of the global digital ecosystem.
Google, Meta, TikTok and Alibaba have also previously participated in industry-led efforts to curb online wildlife trafficking in coordination with conservation groups and enforcement agencies.
Telecom and mobile money operators, including Vodafone, Vodacom and Safaricom, have also outlined plans to strengthen monitoring systems aimed at detecting suspicious transactions linked to illegal wildlife trade, including through anti-money laundering tools used in mobile payment networks such as M-Pesa.
Crypto and blockchain analytics companies, including Chainalysis and TRM Labs, said they would continue developing tools to trace and identify illicit financial flows associated with environmental crime.
Airline and aviation stakeholders, including British Airways and Heathrow Airport, said they would support awareness campaigns aimed at reducing demand for trafficked wildlife products and improving detection along international travel routes.
Transport hubs are widely regarded as key transit points in global wildlife trafficking networks, according to conservation organisations and law enforcement agencies.
United for Wildlife and partner organisations, including the United Nations Environment Programme, have previously estimated that illegal wildlife trade generates up to $23 billion annually.
Biodiversity assessments indicate that around one million species face extinction risks driven by multiple factors, including habitat loss and trafficking.
The Royal Foundation established United for Wildlife in 2013 to convene governments, NGOs and private sector actors to address wildlife trafficking through cross-border cooperation and intelligence sharing.
The commitments are part of a broader pattern of voluntary industry collaboration rather than a binding regulatory agreement, with companies participating in taskforces and partnerships coordinated through United for Wildlife and related initiatives.
Yemen's air force carried out 20 strikes on Houthi targets earlier on Friday, Brigadier General Majid Abdullah Al-Nuzaili, Spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces, said. Meanwhile, the Iran-backed Houthis denied targeting a power plant supplying energy to a mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia.
Passengers from a flydubai flight that was diverted to Saudi Arabia after an alleged attempt to crash the aircraft have arrived safely in Israel.
Azerbaijan and Armenia will sign a final peace agreement once Armenia amends its constitution to remove territorial claims against Azerbaijan, Hikmat Hajiyev, Assistant to Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, has said.
Ukraine is working to resolve a diplomatic dispute with South Korea after Kyiv publicly disclosed the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Thursday, 1 October.
British counter-terrorism police have arrested a 27-year-old dual UK-Iranian national as part of an investigation into a suspected plot involving RAF Fairford, an airbase used by U.S. forces for operations against Iran.
Türkiye’s COP31 presidency has unveiled an action agenda designed to turn climate commitments into concrete projects and measurable results, focusing on clean energy, waste reduction, resilient cities and industrial decarbonisation.
Greenland and Antarctica have shed a combined 11.3 trillion tonnes of ice since 1979, according to the most comprehensive satellite study of the planet's ice sheets to date, with researchers warning the pace of loss has accelerated sharply in recent decades.
The European Union will continue allowing large-scale plastic waste exports to Türkiye despite concerns over recycling rates, environmental damage and the risk of illegal waste trafficking.
Hundreds of thousands of deep-diving turtles, known as olive ridley sea turtles, have arrived on Mexico’s southern coast for one of nature’s most striking nesting events. But conservation officials warn that climate change is making it increasingly difficult for their eggs to hatch.
August 2026 tied as the hottest month ever recorded globally, pushing average temperatures above the critical 1.5°C threshold as extreme weather swept across several regions, the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service said.
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