President Nicolas Maduro said three parties which boycotted mayoral elections should be ineligible for future votes. He said the ruling party won at least 90 percent of the 335 mayorships..

Fishing nets and lack of food blamed for pushing number of the world’s most endangered marine animal to just 450

Sand seems like a limitless resource, but mounting evidence suggests this is far from the case. We use sand as a key ingredient in the production of glass, electronics and – most importantly – concrete, but the growing need for construction materials means in some parts of the world, supplies of sand are dwindling rapidly.

Around 45,000 protesters have taken to the streets outside EU institutions in Brussels in support of Catalan independence. The demonstration is partly in solidarity with exiled and disputed president Carles Puigdemont.