Deaths reported in Romania, Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic where police say seven people are also missingWatch footage from Central Europe, which has been hit with torrential rain and flooding.Hungary's Viktor Orban, who was scheduled to speak at the European parliament this week, said he is postponing all my international obligations" due to the ongoing floods. Continue reading...
Nicholas Prosper charged over deaths of Juliana Prosper, 48, Kyle Prosper, 16, and Giselle Prosper, 13An 18-year-old has appeared in court charged with the murder of a woman and two teenagers in Luton.The bodies of 48-year-old Juliana Prosper, 13-year-old Giselle Prosper and 16-year-old Kyle Prosper were found at a flat in the north-west of the town on Friday. Continue reading...
Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia among worst affected as extreme rainfall and floods result in number of deathsA deep area of low pressure over central and eastern Europe has resulted in extreme rainfall and catastrophic flooding over the past few days. Named Storm Boris, the severe weather has particularly affected Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Alpine regions of southern Germany, Austria and into Hungary.As well as the torrential rain and flooding, which has resulted in significant loss of life, exceptional snowfalls have blanketed upland regions of the Alps, with strong winds aiding huge snowdrift formation. The unsettled weather is expected to last through Monday and Tuesday but, gradually, high pressure will build from the north, allowing conditions to settle down, although it will take several days for river levels to subside. As high temperatures this week cause snow to melt in Alpine regions, some rivers may remain elevated. Continue reading...
Flow of foreign artists to China has slowed to a trickle, but economic pressures could be forcing authorities to rethinkWhen Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, took to the stage in Haikou on Sunday, his Chinese fans could barely believe it. One of the biggest and most controversial foreign acts in the world had been allowed in by China's notoriously censorious regime.Ye's only China show - all the more shocking for skipping big cities in lieu of the holiday island of Hainan - was announced just days earlier, and more than 42,000 tickets sold out within minutes. It was his first time back in the country for 16 years. In that time the Chinese government's tolerance for western musicians has diminished, while Ye's reputation for controversy has grown. Continue reading...
Hope Rowe, 32, charged with murder of 31-year-old woman named by police as Charlotte LawlerA woman has been charged with murder after another woman was stabbed to death in east London, police have said.Hope Rowe, 32, from the Tower Hamlets area of the capital, has also been charged with possession of a bladed article, and is due to appear at Thames magistrates court on Monday morning, Scotland Yard has said. Continue reading...
Period epic is first non-English language series to win for best drama as breakout hit takes home four awardsShgun has made Emmys history as the first ever non-English language series to win for best drama.The historical epic, based on the 1975 novel, picked up four awards during the evening, including Emmys for lead stars Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai, the first Japanese actors to win their respective awards. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Senior political correspondent on (#6QRQJ)
Martin Hewitt's appointment to tackle small boat crossings comes as PM heads to Italy to learn about its immigration policiesThe appointment of a former police chief to head the new border security command shows ministers are making serious attempts to stop unofficial Channel crossings rather than the gimmicks" of the last government, the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, has said.Ahead of talks centred on migration between Keir Starmer and the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, in Rome, Cooper said such international cooperation was the only way to make progress - but declined to say when the pace of arrivals might drop. Continue reading...
Chu Kai-pong, 27, pleaded guilty to act with seditious intent' for displaying slogan Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times'A man in Hong Kong has pleaded guilty to sedition for wearing a T-shirt with a protest slogan, becoming the first person to be convicted under the city's controversial national security law known as Article 23, passed in March.Chu Kai-pong, 27, pleaded guilty to one count of doing acts with seditious intent". Continue reading...
Rapid assembly of structure for 1851 Great Exhibition in London was possible thanks to nut-and-bolt revolutionIt was built at unprecedented speed to exhibit the British empire's greatest treasures and manufacturing achievements to the world. Now, the mystery of how the Victorians managed to erect the Crystal Palace so quickly in 1851 has finally been solved.Experts have discovered that the answer to this 173-year-old riddle lies in the first known use of standardised nuts and bolts in construction - a humble engineering innovation that would power the British empire and revolutionise the industrial world. Continue reading...
London-based doctor Tajwer Siddiqui says Home Office rules are separating him from his wife and Alina, 19An experienced and highly regarded doctor who is working at a GP surgery in east London says he has no choice but to walk away from his job because the Home Office is separating him from his wife and autistic daughter.Tajwer Siddiqui says he has found himself in this situation at a time when the number of full-time GPs in the UK is falling. Continue reading...
Olaf Scholz's government says acute dangers' led to decision but some EU criticise unacceptable' decisionGermany will reintroduce temporary checks at all nine of its land borders on Monday in a move that has drawn criticism from several of its European partners but praise from the far right.The embattled coalition government in Berlin said last week that checks already being carried out on its borders with Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland would be extended to France, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark. Continue reading...
by Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent on (#6QRN8)
Committee says major overhaul required to restore public confidence among victims and survivorsPublic inquiries should be shortened and the progress of their recommendations tracked, according to a House of Lords committee, which says a major overhaul is required to restore public confidence among victims and survivors.The committee's report, published in the wake of the Grenfell Tower public inquiry, which took almost seven years, warns there is a perception that inquiries are frequently too long and expensive", undermining their credibility and prolonging trauma for those affected. Continue reading...
At least 320,000 people have been displaced and 64 were still missing after the strongest storm to hit Asia this yearMyanmar's death toll from floods rose to at least 113, the country's military government said, following heavy rains brought on by Typhoon Yagi that has caused havoc across parts of Southeast Asia.At least 320,000 people have been displaced and 64 were still missing, government spokesperson Zaw Min Tun said, according to a late-night bulletin on state-run MRTV. Continue reading...
by Sally Weale Education correspondent on (#6QRHN)
Jonathan Noakes also suggests training teachers to encourage discussion, as government focuses on oracyState schools in England should set up debating clubs and train teachers in the art of encouraging classroom discussions in order to improve children's oracy and help them develop speaking skills for life, a senior leader at Eton college has said.While private schools have greater resources to work on enrichment and life skills outside the demands of the GCSE and A-level curriculum, teachers in state schools, who often work with disadvantaged children with additional needs, say they do not have sufficient time or training to focus on oracy. Continue reading...
Backbenchers and NGOs criticise decision to explore how country has cut migrant numbers at Rome talksKeir Starmer is under pressure from Labour backbenchers and NGOs to distance his government from Giorgia Meloni's hard-right immigration policies on the eve of bilateral talks in Rome.After the UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, said the UK would consider copying Italy's plans to process asylum applicants in a third country such as Albania, one backbencher questioned why a Labour administration was seeking to learn lessons from a neo-fascist government". Continue reading...
Bedfordshire police believe Juliana Prosper, 48, Kyle, 16, and Giselle, 13, were victims found in flatTributes have been paid after the devastating" loss of a mother and two of her teenage children who were found dead at a flat in Luton.Bedfordshire police said it believed the victims to be Juliana Prosper, 48, Kyle Prosper, 16, and Giselle Prosper, 13, all of Leabank, although formal identification has yet to take place. Continue reading...
Workers voted overwhelmingly to reject wage proposal from aviation giant last weekTalks between Boeing and striking US factory workers will resume on Tuesday under a federal mediator, the union said, after workers voted overwhelmingly to reject a proposal from the embattled aviation giant.On Tuesday, the Union will meet with federal mediators assigned through the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) and Boeing to begin discussions," a chapter of the machinists union called IAM-District 751, which represents more than 33,000 union members in the Seattle region, said late on Saturday on its website. Continue reading...
by Jessica Elgot Deputy political editor on (#6QRF7)
Exclusive: Ex-Labour leader gives speech at event where organisers say they aim to start party named CollectiveJeremy Corbyn has addressed a meeting for a new leftwing political party named Collective attended by the former Unite general secretary Len McCluskey and a number of former independent candidates.Key figures in the group said they hoped the party would act as an incubator for future leaders who could replace Corbyn as a figurehead of the left, and aim to contest seats at the next general election. Continue reading...
More than a dozen who served under Republican president quote his call for a Time for Choosing'More than a dozen former Ronald Reagan staff members have joined dozens of other Republican figures endorsing the Democratic nominee and vice-president, Kamala Harris, saying their support was less about supporting the Democratic party and more about our resounding support for democracy".In a letter obtained by CBS News, former Reagan aides and appointees - including Ken Adelman, a US ambassador to the United Nations and arms control negotiator, as well as a deputy press secretary, B Jay Cooper - said they believed that, if alive today, Reagan would have supported Harris. Continue reading...
Tory leadership hopeful says comments about Diane Abbott were completely wrong' and donor has apologisedThe Conservative party leadership candidate James Cleverly has declined to rule out accepting future donations from Frank Hester, the businessman who said Diane Abbott made him want to hate all black women".A Guardian investigation revealed in March that Hester had told a meeting he did not hate all black women but seeing Abbott on TV meant you just want to hate all black women because she's there". He also said the Labour MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington should be shot". Continue reading...
Investigation opens in France into deaths as David Lammy says UK could process asylum claimants in third countryEight people died overnight trying to cross the Channel from France to England, French regional authorities have said, as the UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, said the government could follow Italy's lead and process asylum claimants in a third country.The French maritime prefecture said 59 people were onboard the boat, which got into difficulty off the coast of France, and 51 of them were rescued. An investigation has been opened by the Boulogne-sur-Mer public prosecutor's office. Continue reading...
Audience award, typically handed to film that goes on to enjoy Oscar success, was won by Tom Hiddleston-led dramaThe Tom Hiddleston-led drama The Life of Chuck is the surprise winner of this year's Toronto film festival audience award.The under-the-radar adaptation of Stephen King's novella beat out competition from higher-profile titles to gain the majority of attendees' votes. The film entered the festival without distribution. Continue reading...
Storm Boris has caused rivers to burst banks and trapped people in their homes across Austria, Poland and SlovakiaSeven people have drowned in Austria, Poland and Romania and four others are missing in the Czech Republic as Storm Boris continues to lash central and eastern Europe, bringing torrential rain and floods that have forced the evacuation of thousands of people from their homes.Swathes of Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia have been battered by high winds and unusually fierce rains since Thursday. Continue reading...
Film producer's former assistant says decision calls into question CPS's ability to deal with rape and sexual assault casesWomen who were key to exposing the disgraced Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein have told of their frustration at the decision by UK prosecutors to discontinue two indecent assault charges against him.Zelda Perkins, a former personal assistant to Weinstein who broke a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to help expose him as a rapist, said the decision called into question the justice system's attitude towards sexual assault and rape. Continue reading...
Israeli prime minister speaks after Yemen's Houthis claim responsibility for ballistic missile attack that reached central Israel for the first time Continue reading...
Prices at the News Corp-controlled realestate.com.au can be as high as $4,000 for a single listing, prompting complaints from vendors, agents and industry disruptors
Minor party could be largest group on MidCoast council and state MP John Ruddick says if you put in a development [application] we will approve it'The Libertarian party could have up to 15 councillors across New South Wales and take control of a major regional council following the Liberal party's failure to nominate more than 100 candidates for the weekend's local government elections.The NSW Liberal leader, Mark Speakman, said on Sunday his party had performed strongly" where it had fielded candidates - despite 16 council areas either having no Liberal candidates or fewer than they were meant to. Continue reading...
David Baddiel and Jonathan Freedland among those to resign over articles by former IDF soldier Elon PerryA number of prominent columnists have resigned in protest from the Jewish Chronicle after allegations it printed articles about the Gaza conflict that were based on wild fabrications".The weekly title, the world's oldest Jewish newspaper, is facing calls for an investigation after it deleted nine articles by Elon Perry because of doubts over their accuracy and concerns he had misrepresented his CV. Continue reading...
Figure of woman on her back underwater draws inspiration from Hamlet's Ophelia and death of senior Tudor judgeAlmost 500 years ago, a wealthy and well-connected judge named Sir James Hales walked into the river Stour near Canterbury in order to take his own life. Hales had risen to favour under King Henry VIII, but had refused to convert to Catholicism under the repressive regime of his daughter Mary, and was imprisoned in the Tower of London.Battling with his mental health after his release in 1554, he drowned himself. But as suicide was a crime at the time, his widow was denied the right to inherit his property and so took the matter to law, in a case that became so famous in the 16th century that it inspired Shakespeare's portrayal of the suicide by drowning of Hamlet's Ophelia. Continue reading...
Basic classes continue for some but resources are lacking and many children have been put to workEvery evening, for two hours, Asma Mustafa sits down with the small children of Nuseirat camp in central Gaza for what now passes as school in the beleaguered strip. She makes do with what is available: sometimes there are pens and paper for basic maths and literacy, but most of the time class time is taken up with storytelling, singing and play.I have been doing this since November," said Mustafa, 38, who taught at a girl's high school in Gaza City before the war. Many children are now working or helping their families find basic things like food during the day, but I try to give them a little bit of structure and normality in the evenings." Continue reading...
Labyrinthine drama over which Murdoch child will get Fox Corp empire begins out of public view on MondayThe Murdoch family succession drama enters a new phase in a Reno, Nevada, courtroom this week when patriarch Rupert Murdoch will probably argue that plans by three of his children to potentially change the business model of the news-communications empire will damage the interests of Fox Corp shareholders.Sadly for followers of the intense and labyrinthine Murdoch family drama - one that partly inspired the fictional HBO series Succession and many of its plot lines - the arguments and testimony stemming from the bitter feud will not be in public view. Continue reading...
Anti-Trump Republican stymied investigation of activist married to supreme court justice, says reporter David BrockLiz Cheney, the Republican vice-chair of the House January 6 committee, did all she could" to protect the rightwing supreme court justice Clarence Thomas and his wife, the political activist Ginni Thomas, by blocking an in-depth investigation of Ginni's involvement in Donald Trump's attempt to overturn the 2020 election, a new book says.In Stench: The Making of the Thomas Court and the Unmaking of America, the reporter and Democratic operative David Brock writes that two Capitol Hill sources with personal knowledge" revealed a dramatic truth, which might shock even some jaded Washington veterans not easily surprised by callow examples of power protecting power. Continue reading...
Destruction of Ukraine's energy infrastructure puts botanical garden's rare and exotic species in dangerZhanna Yaroslavska showed off a barrel-shaped stove in the middle of a tropical greenhouse. Nearby was a large pile of logs. It's a pretty neanderthal arrangement," she explained. When the power shuts off we feed the stove with wood. In winter we do this round the clock. Our plants require constant temperatures. They don't like cold and hot."Inside the glass nursery were dozens of rare specimens. All were bromeliads native to the Americas. Silvery wisps of beard-like Tillandsia descended from a pipe. A pineapple poked out of a stem. A screen next to the stove protected a group of starfish-like earth stars, native to Brazil. The collection needed a minimum temperature of 10C, Yaroslavska - a senior researcher - said. Below that everything would die off. Continue reading...
by Vanessa Thorpe Arts and Media Correspondent on (#6QR5V)
Free publication of Lucio Silla by JS Bach's youngest son could see his talent recognised once more in the city he made his home0London is about to recognise the significance of one of its greatest composers. But rather than being a British genius, he is a long dead German whose surname is already very famous. The work of Johann Christian Bach, once lauded as the London Bach", has been largely overlooked by the city he made his home from 1762.This is despite the string of popular operas he created and his early influence on an eight-year-old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, whom he met and performed with in London. Continue reading...
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