Iran’s customs office (IRICA) says non-oil exports from the country rose by 18% year on year in the eight months to November 20.

IRICA chief Foroud Asgari said on Tuesday that Iran had exported $38.152 billion worth of goods and commodities in the eight months to late November.

He said that export shipments had also increased by 14.66% in volume terms over the same period to reach 103.558 million metric tons.

His figures showed that petrochemicals had accounted for 29.79% of Iran’s total non-oil exports in the eight months to late November as shipments generated $17.5 billion worth of revenues.

Main export items included liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) at $5.1 billion, liquefied propane at $2.2 billion, and methanol at $1.7 billion, the figures showed.

China was the largest buyer of Iranian export shipments over the April-November period with $9.9 billion worth of purchases, followed by Iraq at $8.3 billion and the United Arab Emirates at $4.8 billion, IRICA figures showed.

Figures released earlier this month pointed to a major month-on-month increase in Iran’s non-oil exports in October thanks to a surge in shipments delivered to neighboring Iraq.

...

My voice was cloned by the same expert that did James Nesbitt's - his was for an awareness-raising campaign by Starling Bank. Mine was easily generated using an interview I had done on the radio.

While we had fun typing in different phrases for my clone to say back, the serious issue was finding out how convincing it really was.

Colleagues in the You and Yours office struggled to tell the difference between the two voices.

But rather than seeing if an AI voice could dupe people into believing they were listening to the voice of a real person, I wanted to see how it fared against a piece of tech.

Could it get past my bank account's voice ID system?

Several banks use a system called voice ID or 'my voice is my password' for their phone banking.

The phrase allows the bank to automatically confirm an account holder's identity without the need to remember a security number.

So that was what I asked my cloned voice to say.

Armed with a recording of an AI version of me saying "my voice is my password" I called up my bank, Santander.

"Thanks for calling Santander," came the automated response. "I can see you're calling from your registered phone number. Let's quickly confirm your identity with your voice."

I pressed play.

"My voice is my password," said an AI version of me.

After a very brief pause, the bank replied: "Thank you for using your voice as your password."

Then it asked the reason for my call.

I was in. Or at least, this AI cloned version of my voice was in.

I then tried the same trick with my other bank, Halifax, and it resulted in another successful hack by the AI clone.

I should point out that those initial logins were done in the office, using BBC studio speakers to play my cloned voice down the phone.

So later, a my kitchen table at home on Merseyside, I did it again using a basic iPad speaker. And it worked, which suggested there was no need for top-quality sound.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to attack decision-making centres in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv with the country's new ballistic missile, Oreshnik.

Putin was speaking hours after Russia launched a “comprehensive” strike on Ukraine’s energy grid overnight, in what he called a response to "continued attacks" using US-supplied Atacms missiles on Russian soil.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that any "Russian blackmail" would be met with a "tough response".

Ukraine used Atacms and UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles to strike inside Russian territory last week for the first time since the full-scale invasion of February 2022, following approval by the Western suppliers, the US, the UK and France.

The overnight Russian strike unfolded over several hours with waves of drones and missiles flying across the length and breadth of Ukraine - the second attack of its kind this month.

There were no fatalities, but it left more than one million people in Ukraine without power.

Zelensky said cluster munitions had been used against civilian and energy infrastructure.

"Cluster warheads [are] a particularly dangerous type of Russian weaponry used against civilians," he said, adding that they "significantly complicated" the work of rescuers and repair crews.

Putin said the Russia attack involving 90 missiles and 100 drones also included the "Oreshnik" - a new ballistic missile which, according to Putin, cannot be intercepted.

US officials believe Russia is likely only to have a small number of the experimental Oreshnik missiles and would need time to produce more of them.

The world gets a first look inside a resplendent new Notre-Dame on Friday, as France's President Emmanuel Macron conducts a televised tour to mark the cathedral's imminent re-opening.

Five-and-a-half years after the devastating fire of 2019, Paris's Gothic jewel has been rescued, renovated and refurbished - offering visitors what promises to be a breathtaking visual treat.

The president - accompanied by his wife Brigitte and Archbishop of Paris Laurent Ulrich - are kicking off a programme of ceremonies that culminates with an official "entry" into the cathedral on 7 December and the first Catholic Mass the next day.

After being shown highlights of the building’s €700m (£582m) renovation - including the massive roof timbers that replace the medieval frame consumed in the fire - he will give a speech of thanks to around 1,300 craftsmen and women gathered in the nave.

Notre-Dame's re-vamped interior has been kept a closely-guarded secret - with only a few images released over the years marking the progress of the renovation work.

But people who have been inside recently say the experience is awe-inspiring, the cathedral lifted by a new clarity and brightness that mark a sharp contrast with the pervading gloom of before.

Canada's Competition Bureau is suing Google for alleged anti-competitive conduct in its online advertising.

In a statement, the country's antitrust watchdog alleged Google had illegally linked two advertising tools to maintain market supremacy and used this dominant position to distort ad auctions by preferring its own tools.

The agency said it had filed an application with the Competition Tribunal, a court-like independent body, that would require Google to sell two of its ad technology tools.

In a statement Google said the complaint out of Canada "ignores the intense competition where ad buyers and sellers have plenty of choice and we look forward to making our case in court".

"Our advertising technology tools help websites and apps fund their content, and enable businesses of all sizes to effectively reach new customers," said Dan Taylor, vice-president of global advertising.

This case centers on online web advertisements - the ads shown to users while visiting other websites.

Digital ad inventory - the space website publishers make available for sale - is often bought and sold through automated auctions using digital platforms.

These platforms are known as ad tech tools, while the entire set of tools used through the purchasing process are known as the ad tech stack.

According to the Competition Bureau, an investigation found that Google had "abused its dominant position" as the biggest ad tech stack in Canada.

“Through a series of calculated decisions, taken over the course of multiple years, Google has excluded competitors and entrenched itself at the center of online advertising,” the Competition Bureau said in its notice announcing the suit of Thursday.

“Google’s near-total control of the ad-tech [software] is a function of premeditated design and conduct, rather than superior competitive performance or happenstance.”

The agency said it was asking the Competition Tribunal to force Google to sell two of its ad tech tools, and pay a fine of as much as 3% of the company’s global revenue "to promote compliance" with Canada's competition laws.

Google has 45 days to file its response with the tribunal.

Can a navigation app be held responsible if a user gets into an accident?

That is the question being asked in India after three men died when their car veered off an unfinished bridge and fell on to a riverbed in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

Police are still investigating the incident, which took place on Sunday, but they believe that Google Maps led the group to take that route.

A part of the bridge had reportedly collapsed earlier this year because of floods and while locals knew this and avoided the bridge, the three men were not aware of this and were from outside the area. There were no barricades or sign boards indicating that the bridge was unfinished.

Authorities have named four engineers from the state's road department and an unnamed official from Google Maps in a police complaint on charges of culpable homicide.

A spokesperson from Google told BBC Hindi that it was co-operating with the investigation.

The tragic accident has spotlighted India's poor road infrastructure and sparked a debate on whether navigation apps like Google Maps share responsibility for such incidents.

Some blame the app for not providing accurate information while others argue that it is a larger failure on the part of the government for not cordoning off the place.

President-elect Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that the President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, has agreed to halt migration into the United States after a recent conversation.

The president-elect issued a statement on Truth Social saying he had a “wonderful conversation” with the leader of America’s southern neighbor.

“Just had a wonderful conversation with the new President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo. She has agreed to stop Migration through Mexico, and into the United States, effectively closing our Southern Border,” he said.

“We also talked about what can be done to stop the massive drug inflow into the United States, and also, U.S. consumption of these drugs. It was a very productive conversation!” he added.

The president-elect’s announcement comes after he recently threatened both Mexico and Canada with a 25 percent tariff on all products if they did not crack down and crime and drugs pouring through U.S. borders.

“As everyone is aware, thousands of people are pouring through Mexico and Canada, bringing Crime and Drugs at levels never seen before. Right now a Caravan coming from Mexico, composed of thousands of people, seems to be unstoppable in its quest to come through our currently Open Border,” he said.

“On January 20th, as one of my many first Executive Orders, I will sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% Tariff on ALL products coming into the United States, and its ridiculous Open Borders,” he added. “This Tariff will remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country! Both Mexico and Canada have the absolute right and power to easily solve this long simmering problem. We hereby demand that they use this power, and until such time that they do, it is time for them to pay a very big price!”

A teenager accused of killing four people while they slept appeared in a Los Angeles court to face the murder and arson charges on Tuesday, Nov. 26.

Miguel Sandoval, 19, was charged with six counts, including four counts of murder, one felony count of first-degree residential burglary with a person present, and one felony count of arson of an inhabited structure or property, according to an L.A. District Attorney Office press release.

Sandoval is accused of killing Matthew Montebello, 21, Montebello’s partner Janvi Maquindang, 21, Maquindang’s sister, Christine Aca-ac, 26, and Aca-ac’s fiancée Edwin Garcia, 24, inside their Lancaster, Calif. home on Nov. 16.

Sandoval appeared in court shirtless, per photos obtained by The Daily Mail. Per the L.A. District Attorney site, court attendees are instructed not to wear shorts, tank tops, clothing that shows their stomachs, beachwear, flip-flops, or clothing with inappropriate words or signs.

Man Fatally Stabs Wife and 3 Children Aged 10, 12 and 17 in Hawaii Apartment in Suspected Murder-Suicide Aca-ac and Maquindang’s 16-year-old sister was uninjured after she hid in the closet and called 911. The surviving family member was taken to the L.A. Sheriff’s office and said she heard the gunshots around 1:27 a.m. “She stayed in her room because she was scared, and that's when deputies were able to locate her and extract her," said LASD Lt. Steve Dejong, per ABC 7.

Around 1:30 a.m., Sandoval allegedly entered and burglarized the home while the residents were asleep. He then allegedly shot them and set the house on fire to cover-up his crimes. before fleeing the scene. He was later arrested on Nov. 21, per KTLA.___

...

Three dogs were also fatally shot, according to authorities. The motivation for the murders remains unknown, and the L.A. Sheriff’s Department’s investigation is ongoing.

Montebello's mother Maria told ABC7 she recognized Sandoval’s name but never met him. Maria told the news station she only knew of him as an ex-boyfriend of one of the younger siblings in the house.

When the police asked her where she was going, she simply replied: "With my mom and dad" and when they asked her where they were, she simply answered: "United States"

A migrant girl from El Salvador, only two years old, was found alone on the border between the United States and Mexico, holding a piece of paper with a name and a phone number, according to the authorities of the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) through social networks.

The discovery occurred on Sunday in Maverick County, Texas, where a group of more than 200 migrants, including 60 unaccompanied minors, were detained after crossing the border irregularly. Among them, the minor, dressed in a bright pink jacket, drew attention because of her young age and because she was traveling completely alone.

In a video released by DPS, the girl answered questions from an officer. When questioned about her fate, she said she was looking for her parents: "With my mom and dad," she said. When asked about his location, he replied, "The United States."

The minor showed a small piece of yellow paper on which a name and a telephone number were written. The authorities have not reported whether they have already managed to locate the girl's parents or identify the person to whom the contact corresponds written on the paper.

Chris Olivarez, a lieutenant and spokesman for DPS, said on social media that the girl's case was a clear example of the "precarious journey" that children make from their country of origin "and how criminal organizations traffic them across the southern border and into the interior."

"Regardless of political opinions, it is unacceptable for a child to be exposed to dangerous criminal trafficking networks," Olivarez said in his X (formerly Twitter) post.

The spokesman added that there is a "record number" of unaccompanied children and another "hundreds of thousands" who are missing, likewise, there is no one to guarantee their safety, except for "the men and women who are on the front line every day." Similarly, he commented that "many children" suffer from exploitation and trafficking "and nothing is ever heard from them again."

"DPS has rescued more than 900 children during Operation Lone Star from abandonment and human trafficking," Olivarez said.

Attached to the information of the discovery of the two-year-old girl, the DPS spokesman shared a series of images and videos of unaccompanied minors, highlighting that of a Salvadoran infant who was heading to Washington state.

In the same clip, a group of unaccompanied minors of different ages can be seen, some from El Salvador, others from countries such as Guatemala and Honduras with destinations as varied as California, North Carolina, Florida, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin.

The youngest of all those interviewed in the videos shared by Olivarez was a 9-year-old boy who claimed to be from El Salvador and who was looking to go to California.

On the other hand, the department's agent attached a clip in which an exclusive row of underage women was interviewed. It was found that some came from Venezuela, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Honduras, Guatemala and other countries, highlighting the discovery of a four-year-old girl and a seven-year-old girl.

The next Republican administration will coexist in the region with allied countries, Caribbean dictatorships and a bloc of nations that are strategic partners of China, Russia and Iran

(From Washington, United States) The triumph of Yamandú Orsi in the presidential elections in Uruguay ends up assigning the pieces of the puzzle that Donald Trump will have to put together in Latin America, a geopolitical scenario that exhibits allies of the next Republican administration, Marxist dictatorships and a bloc of countries that will have zigzag diplomatic relations with the United States due to their ties with China. Russia and Iran.

Trump's regional agenda aims to end China's influence, force institutional change in Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua, facilitate government management in Argentina, Paraguay, the Dominican Republic and El Salvador, and establish specific political agreements with Brazil and Mexico.

However, Trump appointed Marco Rubio as secretary of state, a descendant of Cuban exiles who will not miss the historic opportunity: it is the first time that the head of American diplomacy knows – for real – what is happening from Mexico City to Santiago de Chile.

Dictators Nicolás Maduro, Daniel Ortega and Miguel Díaz-Canel have transformed Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba into proxies for China, Russia and Iran. In addition, these authoritarian leaders exercise state control over the opposition that violates all the human rights established by the United Nations (UN) and the Organization of American States (OAS).

Trump plans a roadmap that will involve greater economic and financial sanctions on Havana, Managua and Caracas, instead of establishing certain agreements from the White House as Joe Biden executed without result. Maduro committed fraud against Edmundo González Urrutia and María Corina Machado, and Biden barely had a diplomatic response that Venezuela's regime treated like tropical rain.

If there were an order of priority for Trump and Secretary Rubio, Maduro heads the list and behind Díaz-Canel, who deploys his intelligence apparatus in Venezuela to capture and torture members of the opposition, and also meet the members of the Armed Forces who are already proposing an orderly democratic transition.

Unlike the political cold that it will apply to Caribbean dictatorships, the Republican administration plans to promote a privileged relationship with Javier Milei, Santiago Peña, Luis Abinader and Nayib Bukele. This political relationship will not be linear – Trump foresees a protectionist agenda that may affect regional exports to the United States – but it will aim to grant certain benefits to Argentina, Paraguay, the Dominican Republic and El Salvador.

In this context, Milei participated in a dinner with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, and Paraguayan Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez Lezcano was with the president-elect in his condo, before leaving for Taiwan. Milei is negotiating a new agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and President Peña supports his Foreign Minister Ramírez as a candidate for Secretary General of the OAS.

Trump will support Milei and Peña to fulfill their political objectives. If you look at the whole regional puzzle that the future president of the United States will have to put together, Argentina and Paraguay are the only two pieces with their own volume that will be aligned with Trump's global agenda.

Brazil and Mexico lead a bloc of nations that, due to their ideological outlook and strategic agreements with China, Russia and Iran, will be refractory to Trump's foreign policy. Those countries are Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Peru and certain Caribbean islands that need oil from Venezuela and military intelligence from Cuba.

From this perspective, Trump will have to maximize Rubio'sdiplomatic capacity. Lula da Silva is president of the most important country in the region, while Claudia Sheinbaum acceded to the presidency of Mexico with a notable victory in the general elections.

Mexico is a privileged trading partner of the United States – along with Canada – and Brazil has enough political capacity to condition Trump's international agenda. Lula is playing on par with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, and Sheinbaum will demand that the Republican government establish a common policy regarding undocumented immigrants and the Fentanyl crisis.

Rubio will announce his team for Latin America in the coming weeks, following his approval hearing as secretary of state in the Senate. He has a team of experts who have accompanied him for years in his parliamentary activity. Unlike other heads of American diplomacy - both Republicans and Democrats - Rubio knows the region and speaks the same language.

The governor of the state of Sinaloa spoke about a statement in which he referred to "meetings" with organized crime groups and authorities and clarified that he was referring to clashes.

Rubén Rocha Moya, governor of the state of Sinaloa, has responded to insinuations of a possible link between authorities and criminal groups in the state. During an appearance on a national radio program, the president flatly ruled out any meeting with drug trafficking leaders.

"I categorically deny any meeting of any authority, of any of the three levels of government with criminals. In any case, they are confrontations. Until now, what the government is doing is confronting violence and confronting it with government operations against armed civilian groups, or groups of criminals," he said during an interview on Joaquín López Dóriga's radio program. In addition, he clarified that these security actions focus on the pacification of the region.

The security context in the state remains a matter of public interest, and Rocha Moya admitted that while clashes between criminal factions have been reduced, they have not been completely eliminated. In this regard, in the radio space he said:

>"Confrontations between criminal groups and also confrontations between a criminal group and the authorities have been reduced, and those have been reduced, but they have not ended. Unfortunately they occur, but less so, and that tells us that the generation of violence has been reduced."

In the context of these events, Rocha was questioned about the existence of an alleged meeting with Héctor Melesio Cuén Ojeda and criminal leaders in a place identified as Huertos del Pedregal. Rocha categorically denied having participated in such a meeting, commenting that he was not even invited to the alleged event on July 25.

>"That version has never existed either, that I agreed to go to a meeting with these characters, neither aware of it, nor invited by any means, I was not summoned to this meeting that took place on July 25, much less to have been there; So, I was not there, nor was I invited, nor did I have any knowledge of that meeting at all, there is no paper, call, statement, that someone has invited me to that meeting, definitely, I did not know about it and much less attend," he reiterated.

WASHINGTON/SEOUL, Nov 25 (Reuters) - North Korea is expanding a key weapons manufacturing complex that assembles a type of short-range missile used by Russia in Ukraine, researchers at a U.S.-based think tank have concluded, based on satellite images.

The facility, known as the February 11 plant, is part of the Ryongsong Machine Complex in Hamhung, North Korea's second-largest city, on the country's east coast.

Sam Lair, a research associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS), located at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, said the plant was the only one known to produce the Hwasong-11 class of solid-fuel ballistic missiles. Ukrainian officials say these munitions - known as the KN-23 in the West - have been used by Russian forces in their assault on Ukraine. The expansion of the complex has not been previously reported.

Both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied that North Korea has transferred weapons for Russia to use against Ukraine, which it invaded in February 2022. Russia and North Korea signed a mutual defense treaty at a summit in June and have pledged to boost their military ties. North Korea's mission to the United Nations did not respond to a request for comment for this story.

The satellite images, taken in early October by the commercial satellite firm Planet Labs, show what appears to be an additional assembly building under construction as well as a new housing facility, likely intended for workers, according to the analysis by researchers at CNS.

PITTSBURGH, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump warned on Monday that, if elected, he would punish Mexico and China with tariffs unless both governments moved to stop the flow of fentanyl into the United States.

At a campaign rally in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Trump said he would move quickly to crack down on drug trafficking along the southern U.S. border with Mexico and that he would use tariffs. "We will immediately stop the drugs pouring across our border," he said.

Trump said he would impose tariffs on goods from Mexico of 25% and would do the "same thing to China" for exporting fentanyl to Mexico. "Every damn thing that they sell into the United States is going to have like a 25% (tariff) until they stop drugs from coming in. And let me tell you something, those drugs will stop so damn fast that your head will spin," Trump said.

“Child sex crimes and child trafficking. How could you nominate someone with allegations of child trafficking or trafficking across state lines and having sex with a 17-year-old?” Hostin asked on the yesterday’s (Nov. 19) episode of the show.

Minutes later, Whoopi Goldberg announced that Hostin has a “legal note” to share, as she often does on the show. However, this one felt a little poorly timed after Hostin had spent air time ripping the politician apart.

“I do have a legal note. Thank you, Whoopi,” Hostin replied, before reading the note. “Matt Gaetz has long denied all allegations, calling the claims, quote, ‘invented,’ and saying in a statement to ABC News that ‘this false smear following a three-year criminal investigation should be viewed with great skepticism.’ The DOJ investigation was closed with no charges being brought.”

The show then promptly went to commercial break without any further discussion about the topic.

A Florida sheriff’s deputy accused of Tasing a gas-soaked biker during a botched arrest — and sparking a fire that burned more than 75% of the man’s body three years ago — has been acquitted of negligence charges.

Osceola County Deputy David Crawford tackled victim Jean Barreto at a Wawa gas station after Barreto had allegedly run red lights, ridden on the sidewalk and sped into oncoming traffic before stopping to refuel on Feb. 27, 2022, local reports said.

Crawford shouted to his partners to turn off the gas pump during the caught-on-camera encounter, which knocked Barreto’s bike over and soaked him with gasoline.

Prosecutors said that’s when Crawford raised his Taser, fired the weapon and ignited a blaze that torched Barreto from neck to ankles.

They charged the deputy with culpable negligence for the act. But on Friday, a jury declared him not guilty after a week-long trial, according to WESH 2 in Orlando.

...

The defense claimed Crawford didn’t actually shoot the Taser, but it went off on its own when he threw it to the side.

“Every single witness, every single video conclusively shows you that he never intentionally discharged that Taser,” Crawford’s attorney said at the trial’s end.

When Crawford was asked if he remembered the Taser going off either in his hand or after he tossed it, the deputy simply replied, “I have no memory of turning the safety off.”

He also said he wouldn’t have done anything differently during the arrest — even with the horrific second- and third-degree burns that covered most of Barreto’s body.

The teenage son of an Israeli diplomat is accused of intentionally driving his motorcycle into a Florida cop because he “hates waiting behind traffic,” but could have his charges dropped because of his father’s immunity, according to his attorney.

Avraham Gil, 19, appeared to be hysterically crying in his mugshot after he was arrested for striking a Sunny Isles Beach police lieutenant just after 3:30 p.m. Jan. 27.

The lieutenant was conducting a traffic stop on Collins Avenue, one of the main roadways on the Miami barrier island, when he saw Gil weaving through traffic and yelled at the teen to stop, according to WPLG.

As the cop motioned for Gil to stop, the teen reportedly continued to ride and “intentionally ran him over.”

The officer sustained an “incapacitating” injury to his left leg, but grabbed Gil off his bike and brought him to the ground, according to the outlet.

Gil, who lives in Aventura, was charged with aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting an officer with violence, both felonies, according to court records viewed by The Post.

Gil’s father, Eli Gil, is the consul for administration at the Israeli Consulate in Miami.

You can see thick plumes of smoke rise from the Agbogbloshie dumpsite from miles away.

The air at the vast dump, in the west of Ghana’s capital Accra, is highly toxic. The closer you get, the harder it is to breathe and your vision starts to blur.

Around these fumes are dozens of men, who wait for tractors to unload piles of cables before setting them on fire. Others climb up a toxic waste hill and bring down TVs, computers and washing machine parts and set them alight.

The men are extracting valuable metals like copper and gold from electrical and electronic waste - or e-waste – much of which has made its way to Ghana from rich countries.

“I don’t feel well,” says young worker Abdulla Yakubu, whose eyes are red and watery as he burns cables and plastic.

“The air, as you can see, is very polluted and I have to work here every day, so it definitely affects our health.”

Abiba Alhassan, a mother of four, works near the burning site sorting out used plastic bottles, and the toxic smoke does not spare her either.

“Sometimes, it’s very difficult to breathe even, my chest becomes heavy and I feel very unwell,” she says.

E-waste is the world's fastest-growing waste stream, with 62 million tonnes generated in 2022, up 82% from 2010, according to a UN report.

It is electronisation of our societies that is primarily behind the e-waste rise — ranging from smartphones, computers and smart alarms, to automobiles with electronic devices installed, whose demand is steadily on the rise.

Annual smartphone shipments, for instance, have more than doubled since 2010, hitting 1.2 billion in 2023, according to a UN Trade and Development report this year.

The UN says only around 15% of the world’s e-waste is recycled, so unscrupulous companies are seeking to offload it elsewhere, often through middle men who then traffick the waste out of the country.

Such waste is difficult to recycle because of their complex composition including toxic chemicals, metals, plastics and elements that cannot be easily separated and recycled.

Even developed countries do not have adequate e-waste management infrastructure.

UN investigators say they are seeing a significant rise in the trafficking of e-waste from developed countries and rapidly emerging economies. E-waste is now the most frequently seized item, accounting for one in six of all types of waste seizures globally, the World Customs Organisation has found.

Officials at Italy’s Naples port showed the BBC World Service how traffickers mis-declared and hid e-waste, which they said made up around 30% of their seizures.

They showed a scan of a container bound for Africa, carrying a car. But when port officials opened the container, broken parts of vehicles and e-waste were stacked inside, with oil leaking from some of them.

The New York Giants were embarrassed at home on Sunday in a 30-7 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that saw Tommy DeVito get sacked four times and the offense only gained 17 first downs.

The lack of offensive production appeared to stick in the craw of rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers, and he didn’t mince words when he spoke about the team after the game. He was targeted nine times and had six catches for 64 yards. All of his targets came in the second half.

He called the Giants "soft as f—" and complained about the play-calling.

"First, second quarter, I don’t get the ball," Nabers said, per the New York Post. "Start getting targets at the end. I mean, can’t do nothing. Start getting the ball when it’s 30-0. What do you want me to do?"

Nabers told reporters to talk to head coach Brian Daboll when asked why he wasn’t getting looked at early in the game.

"They come up to me and ask me what plays I want and that was that. I don’t know."

Even with the lack of targets in the first half, Nabers’ numbers were good enough to lead the team in receiving for the game.

Daboll did address Nabers’ lack of targets in his media availability after the game.

"We didn't have very many plays," he said. "Certainly, had some there dialed up, and they had, whether it's a coverage designed to, I'm not saying double him or anything like that, just a better coverage for the play in and of itself. But didn't have very many plays.

"We tried to mix in the run. Started off the game with a good run and not much after that. The game got away from us and turned into a pass-a-thon, which is not what we want to do."

DeVito was asked whether there was anything specific going on with Nabers.

"No, not necessarily. Kind of just going through my reads. Kind of just how it played out," he said.

A court in South Korea has found a man guilty of trying to avoid mandatory military service by deliberately gaining weight, local media report.

The 26-year-old began binge eating before his physical examination for the draft, a judge in the capital, Seoul, said. He was categorised as obese, allowing him to serve in a non-combat role at a government agency.

The defendant received a one-year suspended sentence. A friend who devised a special regimen that doubled his daily food intake got a six-month suspended sentence, the Korea Herald newspaper reports.

All able-bodied men in South Korea over the age of 18 must serve in the army for at least 18 months.

According to the Korean Herald, the defendant was assessed as fit for combat duty during an initial physical exam.

But at the final examination last year, he weighed in at over 102kg (225 lbs, 16 stone), making him heavily obese.

The man who recommended binge dieting had denied the charge of aiding and abetting, saying he never believed his friend would through with it, the newspaper adds.