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Martial artist ‘burst into Brit father’s Thai hotel room via balcony before strangling him’ after noise complaint – The Sun

A NORWEGIAN martial artist accused of choking a British dad to death in a Thai hotel stormed into the alleged victim's room via his balcony, cops said.

Roger Bullman, 53, has been charged with the manslaughter of Amitpal Singh Bajaj after launching a frenzied attack because the father from Southall, west London, confronted him for being too loud.

Police in Bangkok now say Bullman used his armed forces training to strangle Amitpal in his room in the Centara Grand Resort in Phuket where he was staying with his wife and young son.

Karon police major Techin Deethongon said: "They fought, and because of his military background the Norwegian strangled the victim.

"He confessed and said he did not think his act would cause the victim to die."

LATE NIGHT SCRAP

Techin said the fight started when Amitpal complained about noise from Bullman's room disturbing his family's sleep.

Bullman, who now faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted, was granted bail of 400,000 baht (around £10,750).

Bandhna Kaur Bajaj, 34, said Amitpal screamed for her to take their son, Veer, to safety as he was being choked to death.

Bandhna said: "As the man was kicking, punching and just, beating him up, my husband told me to please leave and save our son. He said, ‘Please just go, go, save Veer’."

She said as she took their young child, she saw her husband fall to the ground and then fled the hotel before hiding in a tree.

Bandhna said she begged reception to send someone to help her husband.

“I could still hear him screaming. I didn't want to be attacked,” she said.

“My husband sacrificed his life to save my son's life and mine. He will always be our hero.”

Earlier the family had asked the hotel staff at the five star Centara Grand Hotel in Karon, Phuket, to intervene after the noise continued for two hours in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

'HEARD HIM SCREAMING'

Security guards visited the room of Bullman but the noise is said to have became worse — with the Norwegian singing on the balcony.

Amitpal then allegedly grabbed a steak knife from his room and decided to confront Bullman at 4am on Wednesday, according to The Phuket News.

But troublemaker Bullman, who was drunk, allegedly refused to lower his noise and continued yelling and singing, according to the cops.

They started quarrelling which later turned into a fight.

The suspect told police that Amitpal first stabbed him in his left shoulder before he used his martial-art skills to grip the Briton in a choke hold and continued choking him to death as Ampital's horrified wife looked on.



Bullman was arrested for manslaughter in the morning at Karon police station.

He told the police that he acted out instinctively and was not intentionally trying to kill him.

Police have said Norwegian suspect has admitted that he was arguing with Mr Bajaj and entering his room through the wood door on the balcony.

He has admitted placing Mr Bajaj in a choke hold but has said wanted to stop the victim used too much force, say the cops.

HARM RESULTING IN DEATH

Police Major Ekkachai Siri of the Phuket Tourist Police said that the Norwegian has been charged for ''causing harm resulting in death''.

The police chief said: “Mr Bullman was drunk and causing so much noise that hotel security came to warn Mr Bullman twice.

''Mr Bajaj carried a steak knife into Mr Bullman’s room. They started fighting and Mr Bajaj stabbed Mr Bullman in left shoulder.

''Bullman has been released on bail by the Phuket Provincial Court. He now must remain in Thailand until the charge against has been heard in court.

''Meanwhile, British consular officials are in contact with Mr Bajaj’s family and already inform them about his tragic death.''

DEADLY FIGHT

Later Karon Police chief Col Prawit provided more details about the fatal altercation.

"Both were fighting inside the room, and (at least one) bottle was used in the fight.

“The fight continued outside the room. Mr Bullman was bigger and stronger, and had Mr Bajaj in a hold with his arm across his neck.

“Mr Bullman choked and hit Mr Bajaj until he was unconscious. A security guard arrived at the scene and saw Mr Bullman on top of Mr Bajaj while choking him with his arm.

“The security guard shouted at Mr Bullman to stop, which he did immediately."

A Foreign Office spokesman told The Sun Online: “We are supporting the family of a British man following his death in Phuket, and are in contact with the Thai authorities.”




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England boss Eddie Jones ready to hand squad BOOZE BREAK – despite Te’o and Brown bust-up – The Sun

EDDIE JONES has arranged special BOOZING sessions for his England players during this week’s Italy training camp.

Head coach Jones has given the green light for drinking — despite Ben Te’o and Mike Brown’s bust-up on their last trip to the same Treviso base, which led to their axing from the World Cup squad.


Following Saturday’s 57-15 Twickenham thrashing of Ireland, Jones revealed: “In a Test week, it’s business all the time.

"Now we have time to have sessions — they’re not all drinking sessions! But we do have some.

“The sessions are where the players just communicate. To have time together as a team and work out differences for a better relationship is massive for us.”

Jones is a big fan of Treviso’s red wines but picked the training base in northern Italy as its heat and humidity are like World Cup venue Japan.

When England went to Italy last month, each player lost up to half a stone in each session.

That hard work looks to be paying off after they slaughtered Ireland with a record points tally and winning margin.

With the final warm-up game against Italy in Newcastle on Friday week, cautious Jones said: “The only thing you do know is you’ve got to keep going forward — and that’s hard.”

England are joint- second favourites with South Africa to lift the Webb Ellis Trophy for only the second time.

And when asked if England fans should start believing rugby is coming home, Jones added: “The message was the 80 minutes we played against Ireland. You can’t give a better message than that.”



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Placido Domingo gets standing ovation at first show since sex-harass claims

Opera legend Placido Domingo was greeted with a standing ovation in Austria on Sunday, his first gig since nine women accused him of sexual harassment dating back three decades.

The 78-year-old baritone hadn’t hit a single note when the audience at the Salzburg Fesitval got on its feet and gave him a rousing show of support prior to a performance of Verdi’s “Luisa Miller.”

“Wonderful public, good performance all,” the Spanish-born singer said as he signed autographs after the show. “I mean so much love from the public.”

The rousing response comes two weeks after the multiple Grammy-winner was accused of years of sexual harassment that one victim called “an open secret.”

Three of the women claimed Domingo, who has been married since 1962, forced wet kisses on them in a dressing room, hotel room and at a lunch meeting, and another said he stuck his hand down her skirt.

Soprano Patricia Wulf, the only accuser to identify herself, said the opera singer never touched her but constantly pressed her for sex which “absolutely and most certainly … was sexual harassment.”

One accuser claimed the singer left her $10 after they had sex so she didn’t “feel like a prostitute.”

Two opera houses — the Philadelphia Orchestra and the San Francisco Opera — cancelled performances after the allegations surfaced, while others, including New York’s Metropolitan Opera, took a wait-and-see attitude pending an investigation into the allegations.

As of Sunday, Domingo was still booked to star in “Macbeth” at the Met next month.

But the crowd in Salzburg was firmly behind the star, with one fan calling it “a public rehabilitation.”

“It was an outstanding performance,” said Michael Burggasser, a German literature professor in Vienna who was in the audience. “But it was also a public rehabilitation of Mr. Domingo. Because when the people stood up in the beginning and cheered for him — that expresses their support for him.”

Domingo received an additional 10 minutes of standing ovation after the performance as well.

With Post wires

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10pm transfer news LIVE: PSG chase £100m Zaha, Suarez to Juventus, Doumbia and Bony wanted by Inter – The Sun

IT'S approaching crunch-time around Europe with the transfer window set to slam shut.

Wilfied Zaha is being eyed-up by clubs across the continent, whilst Luis Suarez has been linked with a shock move away from Barcelona.

  • Aug 31: Window closes in Spain, France, Germany
  • Sept 1: Scotland, Turkey
  • Sept 2: Italy, Holland
  • Sept 6: Russia
  • Sept 22: Portugal

Follow all the latest transfer news and gossip here…

  • AROUND Europe, clubs are planning late swoops as the transfer window draws towards it's conclusion.

    With the business already concluded for Premier League clubs, it looks like there are still some big deals still to be done.

    Inter Milan want Seydou Doumbia and Wilfried Bony as back-ups to Romelu Lukaku.

    According to Goal, Antonio Conte will seek out the two Ivorians before the closure of the European transfer window on September 2.

    Both players are now free agents after being released by their respective clubs.

    Whilst Alexis Sanchez is due to clinch his loan move to Inter on Monday – in a deal that will cost Manchester United £22million.

    United have been desperate to off-load the flop forward all summer but struggled to find anyone willing to take him off their hands.

    And PSG are plotting a shock £100m bid for Wilfried Zaha as a replacement for Neymar, it has been claimed.

    The French club are currently holding out for the right price before allowing their Brazilian superstar to return to Spain – with Barcelona and Real Madrid both fighting it out for his services.

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Ryan Reynolds Trolls Pregnant Blake Lively on Her 32nd Birthday

Nice try, Ryan Reynolds.

The 42-year-old actor took to Instagram on Sunday to troll wife Blake Lively on her birthday…again.

Reynolds posted several carefully selected candid photos of the star, who turns 32, and by carefully selected, we mean shots of her with her eyes closed, out of focus images and other less flattering pics.

“Happy Birthday, @blakelively,” he wrote.

Of course, we’re talking about Blake Lively, so by less flattering, we mean, still above average compared to most women.

“Haha! Happy birthday shes still always so beautiful ❤️” commented Stranger Things actress Millie Bobby Brown.

“There are no bad pictures of @blakelively and happy [three birthday cake emojis],” commented Rob Liefeld, creator of Deadpool, the character Reynolds plays on the big screen.

Reynolds appears with Lively in most of the photos, which appear to have been taking during trips or on dates.

In two pics, Lively is standing next to Reynolds, cradling her baby bump.

Instagram / Ryan Reynolds

Blake Blinks for a Selfie With Ryan…

…and is still cute.

Instagram / Ryan Reynolds

Blake Does’t Pay Attention During Her Beach Trip With Ryan…

…and is still cute.

Instagram / Ryan Reynolds

Blake Is Off the Meet the Wizard and Looks Like the Tornado Got Her…

…and is still cute.

Article continues below

Instagram / Ryan Reynolds

Blake Blinks for Another Selfie With Ryan…

…and is still cute.

Instagram / Ryan Reynolds

Blake Blinks During a Trip to Universal Studios With Ryan…

…and is still cute.

Instagram / Ryan Reynolds

Blake Blinks and Sits on a Luggage Cart…

…and is still cute.

Article continues below

Instagram / Ryan Reynolds

Blake Has an Out-of-Focus Cuddle With Ryan…

…and is still cute.

Instagram / Ryan Reynolds

Blake Isn’t Ready to Say Cheese at the Beach…

…and is still cute.

Instagram / Ryan Reynolds

Pregnant Blake Doesn’t Notice She’s Being Photographed With Ryan…

…and is still cute.

Article continues below

Instagram / Ryan Reynolds

Pregnant Blake Shares a Laugh With Ryan…

…and is so cute.

She revealed in May that she is pregnant with their third child. The two are parents to two daughters, James, 4, and Inez, who will turn 3 next month.

Anyway, the fan-favorite couple is famous for trolling each other on social media.

In 2017, on Lively’s 30th birthday, Reynolds posted a throwback photo of one of his and his wife’s most prominent red carpet moments together while largely cropping her out of the picture.

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How Antonio Brown still wins after losing helmet saga

Antonio Brown definitely won’t be able to wear his preferred helmet after losing his second grievance, according to multiple reports, yet he’s still going to come out of this whole thing ahead.

The Raiders wide receiver has multiple helmet manufacturers lined up to pay him to wear a custom-made helmet, according to ProFootballTalk. Brown has yet to make a decision, but he won’t be wearing his old Schutt Air Advantage when he suits up for the Raiders’ opener on Sept. 9 against the Broncos.

So it seems as if the Helmetgate saga is finally nearing its end. Brown has been making a fuss all summer about wanting to wear his preferred helmet — which doesn’t meet safety standards.

Seemingly fed up with the whole situation, Raiders GM Mike Mayock last week gave Brown an ultimatum to be “all in or all out.” Brown then returned to Raiders camp with a certified helmet, but still filed another grievance against the NFL.

Brown, 31, also dealt with frostbitten feet this summer, the result of not wearing proper footwear in a cryotherapy machine.

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Madame Tussauds Las Vegas Unveils Aaliyah Wax Figure

The Princess of R&B Aaliyah has been memorialized by Madame Tussauds Las Vegas, as they unveiled a wax figure of the late songstress on Wednesday with a little help from her brother Rashad Haughton.

“The team at Madame Tussauds welcomed a collaborative effort in choosing the pose and look of my sister’s figure. They made sure my mother and I were comfortable and supported through an amazing but understandably emotional process,” Haughton shared with Vibe.

Haughton is also the creator of “The Aliyah App,” which fans can use to share videos related to music, dance, art, makeup and much more.

Aaliyah’s figure, inspired by her iconic look in her 2000 music video for “Try Again,” is also the first to have an AR feature; fans can now use Haughton’s app to try out various makeup features on her face when they visit the figure.

“Aaliyah was ahead of her time in her career, why should her wax figure be any different? Her figure is the first to have an AR feature!” Haughton shared.

The Brooklyn-based singer rose to stardom at the mere age of 10 when she appeared on Rysher Entertainment’s “Star Search” and performed alongside Gladys Knight. She was tragically killed in a plane crash on August 25, 2001, at the age of 22.

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Barcelona vs Real Betis live stream FREE: How to watch La Liga fixture without paying a penny – The Sun

REAL BETIS are the visitors as Barcelona look to forget their opening day horror show.

The Catalan giants got the defence of their La Liga title off to the worst possible start last week as they were stunned 1-0 by Athletic Bilbao.

What time is kick-off?

THIS La Liga clash will be held TONIGHT, August 25.

Kick-off is at 8pm BST.

When the sides met here last term, Betis shocked Barca with a 4-3 win.

How can I watch for free?

YOU can catch this game live on free-to-air TV here in the UK.

It will be broadcast live on ITV4 and ITV4 HD, where coverage starts at 7.45pm.

La Liga matches don't currently have an official broadcaster on these shores.

Up until the first international break, ITV will show three games from Spain's top-flight, inluding this one from the Nou Camp.

Stream using the ITV Hub or by signing up for a free account on TVPlayer.

What is the team news?

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Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Newcastle United: Joelinton gives Steve Bruce first Newcastle win

Club record signing Joelinton’s first goal in English football gave Newcastle United a surprise win at Tottenham – and Steve Bruce his first Premier League points as their manager.

The Brazilian striker took advantage of sleepy Tottenham defending to control substitute Christian Atsu’s through pass beautifully before drilling past Hugo Lloris.

Atsu, sent on after Allan Saint-Maximin had to go off with an early hamstring injury, provided the assist with his first significant contribution.

Spurs lacked the creativity to break down a resolute Newcastle side, whose four-man midfield spent a large chunk of the contest sitting deep in front of a back five.

Son Heung-min, making his first Tottenham appearance of the season after completing a three-match suspension, saw a bouncing first-half volley beaten away by Martin Dubravka, then rolled a shot wide shortly before the interval.

Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino sent on Christian Eriksen and Giovani lo Celso for the final half-hour in an attempt to salvage something from the 500th match of his managerial career.

It almost worked: Lo Celso’s pass for Harry Kane ended with the England captain falling under Jamaal Lascelles’ challenge – but Mike Dean ruled it was not a penalty, and was backed up by the check from video assistant referee (VAR) Anthony Taylor.

Then Eriksen’s superb diagonal pass gave Moussa Sissoko the room to cross low, but Lucas Moura skied his shot over the bar from around eight yards.

  • Sunday’s Premier League reaction

Robust Newcastle’s perfect response

Newcastle’s fans have had to spend a fair amount on petrol money in the season’s first three weeks – with a 516-mile round trip to Norwich last weekend followed up by this 560-mile round journey to north London.

They must have wondered why they had bothered going to Carrow Road, given a feeble display in a 3-1 defeat, with centre-back Paul Dummett later acknowledging that “it wasn’t right” in the warm-up – and admitting that the players had to take responsibility.

Manager Bruce was looking for a lift after beginning his reign with two defeats – and his players provided it for that loyal travelling support.

Newcastle produced a display of immense discipline in intense heat in north London, with Dummett and his fellow centre-backs Jamaal Lascelles and Fabian Schar working themselves into the ground.

It was not just the defenders who toiled, though – striker Joelinton showed he was willing to help at both ends of the field by getting back to heard away two early Erik Lamela corners, and he ran himself to the point of exhaustion, eventually coming off in the final moments with apparent cramp.

The visitors had only 20% possession, and had to absorb plenty of early Tottenham pressure, but it was a sign of how well they did that Tottenham managed just two shots on target.

Newcastle had the game’s first shot on goal, with Sean Longstaff’s rising drive tipped away by Lloris after Joelinton had held up the ball for him.

Bruce was not thrown by the early injury to French winger Saint-Maximin, who pulled up in the first 15 minutes after chasing a Matt Ritchie free-kick that ran out of play.

Newcastle’s manager will have been pleased that his players showed such a willingness to work for the cause – a characteristic that will be vital in the months ahead.

Son cannot find the spark

Tottenham have conceded the first goal in all three of their Premier League matches this season – but while they recovered to beat Aston Villa and draw at Manchester City, they could not fight back here.

They may well have had a case for a 78th-minute penalty as Lascelles leaned across Kane as they chased Lo Celso’s pass; with VAR official Taylor deciding to back referee Dean’s original decision.

But Spurs did not do anywhere near enough to pick holes in Newcastle’s blanket defence until time was running out. They failed to register a single shot on goal until the 33rd minute, when Son was denied by Dubravka.

The South Korean forward was given a sign of just how tough an afternoon he would have when a promising second-minute run down the left was snuffed out by Emil Krafth, the Newcastle right-wing back.

On the occasions when Son managed to get past Krafth, he then found Schar blocking his path.

Perhaps if Moura had not steered wide when Dubravka missed Kane’s cross right on half-time, Tottenham would have had the platform on which to build a victory.

But then if Eriksen had played from the start, Spurs maybe would not have found themselves still chasing an equaliser as time ran out.

The Dane, whose contract expires at the end of this season, has made it clear he wants a new challenge – but while he remains a Tottenham player, the question for Pochettino is: Why not make full use of him?

Man of the match – Paul Dummett (Newcastle)

So much possession, so little to show for it – the key facts

  • Tottenham had 79.8% possession, the second-highest figure for a losing side in the Premier League since those records began in 2003-04 – behind only Liverpool’s 80.4% against Burnley in August 2016
  • Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino marked his 500th match as a manager in all competitions (W231 D112 L157), with this his first defeat against Newcastle since May 2016 (5-1).
  • Newcastle boss Steve Bruce (five) became the sixth manager in Premier League history to register a victory with five or more different teams after Alan Pardew (five), Harry Redknapp (five), Mark Hughes (six), Roy Hodgson (five) and Sam Allardyce (seven).
  • Bruce recorded his first away win against Spurs in the Premier League, ending a run of nine games without victory (D2 L7).
  • Spurs’ Harry Kane has scored in just two of his nine Premier League appearances versus Newcastle and had the fewest touches of any home player to start this match (24).
  • Newcastle registered their first away Premier League win against ‘big six’ opposition since December 2015, when they beat Spurs 2-1; it ending a run of 15 such matches without a victory (D1 L14).

What’s next?

Newcastle are in Carabao Cup action at home to Leicester on Wednesday (19:45 BST) before Watford visit them in the Premier League next Saturday (15:00). Tottenham have a clear week to prepare for the big north London derby at Arsenal next Sunday (16:30).

Line-ups

Tottenham

Substitutes

Newcastle

Substitutes

Match Stats

Live Text

Match ends, Tottenham Hotspur 0, Newcastle United 1.

Full Time

Second Half ends, Tottenham Hotspur 0, Newcastle United 1.

Attempt missed. Ben Davies (Tottenham Hotspur) left footed shot from the left side of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Moussa Sissoko with a cross.

Attempt blocked. Lucas Moura (Tottenham Hotspur) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Christian Eriksen.

Foul by Davinson Sánchez (Tottenham Hotspur).

Miguel Almirón (Newcastle United) wins a free kick on the left wing.

Attempt missed. Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) right footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Moussa Sissoko.

Attempt blocked. Son Heung-Min (Tottenham Hotspur) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Harry Winks.

Corner, Tottenham Hotspur. Conceded by Paul Dummett.

Corner, Tottenham Hotspur. Conceded by Matt Ritchie.

Attempt blocked. Christian Eriksen (Tottenham Hotspur) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Giovani Lo Celso.

Attempt blocked. Son Heung-Min (Tottenham Hotspur) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked.

Substitution

Substitution, Tottenham Hotspur. Ben Davies replaces Danny Rose.

Substitution

Substitution, Newcastle United. Yoshinori Muto replaces Joelinton.

Booking

Joelinton (Newcastle United) is shown the yellow card.

Corner, Newcastle United. Conceded by Danny Rose.

Attempt blocked. Miguel Almirón (Newcastle United) left footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Joelinton.

Harry Winks (Tottenham Hotspur) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

Foul by Joelinton (Newcastle United).

Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham Hotspur) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

Foul by Christian Atsu (Newcastle United).

Corner, Newcastle United. Conceded by Danny Rose.

Attempt blocked. Miguel Almirón (Newcastle United) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Christian Atsu.

Substitution

Substitution, Newcastle United. Federico Fernández replaces Jamaal Lascelles because of an injury.

Attempt missed. Lucas Moura (Tottenham Hotspur) right footed shot from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Moussa Sissoko with a cross.

Delay over. They are ready to continue.

Delay in match because of an injury Jamaal Lascelles (Newcastle United).

Delay over. They are ready to continue.

VAR Decision: No Penalty Tottenham Hotspur.

Delay in match (Tottenham Hotspur). VAR checking.

Attempt saved. Son Heung-Min (Tottenham Hotspur) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Giovani Lo Celso.

Offside, Newcastle United. Fabian Schär tries a through ball, but Christian Atsu is caught offside.

Attempt missed. Giovani Lo Celso (Tottenham Hotspur) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Son Heung-Min.

Delay over. They are ready to continue.

Delay in match because of an injury Joelinton (Newcastle United).

Attempt blocked. Christian Eriksen (Tottenham Hotspur) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Son Heung-Min.

Corner, Tottenham Hotspur. Conceded by Miguel Almirón.

Booking

Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

Foul by Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur).

Fabian Schär (Newcastle United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

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Amazon Rainforest Fire: How the EU caused blazes worldwide with ‘broken’ policy

Amazon rainforest fires provoked fury from EU leaders such as Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel, who were spotted ‘plotting’ against Mr Bolsonaro today. The EU has reportedly threatened to tear up a trade deal with South America in response to the Brazilian President’s failure to deal with the issue. However, Brussels appears to have a patchy record when it comes to preventing these sorts of rainforest fires.

Environmental group Rainforest Rescue – an organisation which has rallied to protect the Amazon and other rainforests – lashed out at Brussels last month for their ‘environmental hypocrisy’.

They blamed the EU’s lenient stance on palm oil production for the devastation of rainforests worldwide.

A statement read: “The EU wants to save our climate with supposedly green biofuels and has deemed palm oil ‘sustainable’.”

“Yet on the other side of the globe, rainforests are being clear-cut to produce the 1.9 million tons of palm oil that end up in European fuel tanks every year.

Amid chaos caused by wildfires in Indonesia, the group took aim at Brussels for being complicit in allowing oil companies to burn the forests.

June 2013 saw the EU industry committee vote to increase the biofuel share in motor vehicle fuels.

According to the group, this was the last straw when it came to the EU’s policy.

A statement read: “Various committees are currently reviewing the EU’s agrofuel policy.

“Most recently, the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy met on June 20 and poured oil on the fire.

“The committee voted to increase the share of biofuels from food crops to 6.5 percent, rather than capping it at 5 percent as planned.

“Furthermore, the emission of greenhouse gases from indirect land-use change (ILUC) – the need to cultivate new land for food crops to compensate for land lost to the production of agrofuels – is not going to be taken into account, nor even determined.”

Evidence suggested that palm oil companies were burning hundreds of ‘hotspots’ to make way for their vast monocultures.

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By taking a lenient stance on the industry and their actions, Rainforest Rescue activists suggested the EU was exacerbating the issue when it should be solving it.

The EU is the second-largest importer of palm oil after India.

Yesterday Irish President Leo Varadkar slammed Mr Bolsonaro for failing to deal with the wildfires.

He said: “His statement that Brazil will stay in the Paris accords on climate change ‘for now’ will raise antennas across Europe.

“There is no way we can tell Irish and European farmers to use fewer pesticides, less fertilizer, embrace biodiversity and plant more of their land and expect them to do it, if we do not make trade deals contingent on decent environmental, labour and product standards.”

He warned that Ireland would vote against the pending EU trade deal with South America if nothing changed.

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