- Nepal's urban poor count cost of 'nightmare' floods
- E.Guinea, Gabon clash at ICJ over oil-rich islands
- New blow for UK's Starmer as growth data disappoints
- China's top banks to tweak mortgage rates to boost housing market
- Muslim women break taboos navigating east London's waterways
- Nepal dam-building spree powers electric vehicle boom
- More than 60 dead from storm Helene as rescue, cleanup efforts grow
- Dozens missing, 9 dead in migrant boat wreck off Spanish Canaries
- Death toll from Hurricane John hits eight in Mexico
- Storm Helene's toll rises as rescue and cleanup efforts gain pace
- SpaceX launches mission to return stranded astronauts
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding as cleanup begins
- SpaceX set to launch mission to return stranded astronauts
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Boeing strike grinds on as latest talks fail to reach agreement
- Iran 'news' sites, hackers target Trump ahead of US election
- US ports brace for potential dockworkers strike
- Japan's speedy, spotless Shinkansen bullet trains turn 60
- US hurricane deaths rise to 44, fears of more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Global stocks mostly rise, cheering Beijing stimulus
- Europe en route for Moon with new simulator, says astronaut Pesquet
- Fireworks forecast if comet survives risky Sun flypast
- Argentina judge orders dictionary to delete pejorative definition of 'Jewish'
- Global stocks rise on rate hopes, Beijing stimulus
- S.African woman turns 118, among the oldest in the world
- UK clears $4 bn AI partnership between Amazon, Anthropic
- Barca fans barred from Champions League away game over racist banner
- Chinese stocks extend surge, Europe higher on Beijing stimulus
- Pope says Church must 'seek forgiveness' for child sexual abuse
- China caps week of 'bazooka' stimulus for ailing economy with rate cut
- Cuts, cash, credit: China bids to jumpstart flagging economy
- France's debt weighs heavier ahead of budget debate
- Iran treads carefully, backing Hezbollah while avoiding war
- Return to sender: waste stranded at sea stirs toxic dispute
- 'Broken' news industry faces uncertain future
- On remote Greek island, migratory birds offer climate clues
- Taken from mother by nuns, victim seeks answers as pope visits Belgium
- China cuts amount banks hold in reserve to boost lending
- Hong Kong, Shanghai extend surge as China optimism boosts markets
- Vietnam president reiterates support for Cuba during official visit
- Drought reduces Amazon River in Colombia by as much as 90%: report
- Stay or go? Pacific Islanders face climate's grim choice
- Florida bracing for 'unsurvivable' Hurricane Helene
- Poverty rises to over 52 percent in Milei's Argentina
- Chloe's see-through look may not be for Kamala Harris
- Champagne houses abuzz over English sparkling wine
- Macron, Trudeau pledge to work for 'decarbonized' economies
- Hurricanes, storms, typhoons... Is September wetter than usual?
- China stimulus, tech optimism boost stock markets
- 'Unsurvivable' Hurricane Helene races towards Florida
UK govt approves construction of road tunnel near Stonehenge
The British government on Friday approved the construction of a controversial road tunnel near the historic Stonehenge site in southwestern England.
The decision comes two years after campaigners won a legal battle to throw out permission for the project that would include digging a new two-mile (3.3 kilometre) tunnel running past the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The £1.7 billion ($2.2 billion) project is intended to ease congestion on an existing main road to southwest England that gets especially busy during the peak holiday periods.
It was initially authorised in 2020 by Grant Shapps, the transport minister at the time, despite a panel of planning experts warning of "permanent, irreversible harm" to the area.
The following year the decision was successfully challenged in the High Court.
But the court stressed that its ruling was not on the merits of the scheme, but on the legality of the minister's granting of approval.
In a 64-page letter granting fresh approval, Shapps' successor Mark Harper said he was "satisfied" that the project's "harm on spatial, visual relations and settings is less than substantial and should be weighed against the public benefits".
Opponents of the plan have warned against the massive engineering project in an area full of archaeological treasures around the standing stones, while UNESCO said the site could lose its World Heritage Site status if construction goes ahead.
Steve Gooding, head of the RAC motoring group, indicated that opponents of the project will likely mount another legal challenge.
"This saga is starting to feel almost as old as the stones themselves and it's not over yet," Gooding said.
A.Zimmermann--CPN