In a filing with the US

"Now we have this new amplifying effect, which is a real climate change feedback loop, where fires are just much more intense and much more ferocious than they've ever been."In total, the record loss of the world's old-growth (primary) tropical forests released 3.1 billion tonnes of planet-warming gases, the researchers estimate.

That's roughly the same as the emissions of the European Union.Countries in South East Asia, however, bucked the global trend.The area of primary forest loss in Indonesia fell by 11% compared to 2023, for example, despite drought conditions.

This was the result of a concerted effort by governments and communities working together to enforce "no burning" laws, according to Elizabeth Goldman, co-director of the Global Forest Watch project at WRI."Indonesia serves as a bright spot in the 2024 data," she said.

"Political will is a key factor of success - it's impossible otherwise," agreed Gabriel Labbate, head of climate change mitigation at the United Nations forests programme UNREDD, which was not involved in today's report.

Other countries, including Brazil, have seen success in the past with similar approaches, but started to see losses increase again in 2014 following a change in government policies..

The suspect accused of gunning down two Israeli embassy staff members outside a Jewish museum in Washington DC has been charged with first-degree murder, as well as murder of foreign officials and related firearm charges.Wednesday night's attack is being investigated as a hate crime, and more charges are expected, US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said at a news conference.

"This is a death penalty-eligible case," she said on Thursday, adding that it is too early to say whether prosecutors will decide to seek a death sentence.Steve Jenson, from the FBI's Washington DC field office, called the killings "an act of terror and directed violence against the Jewish community".