68 m. ago David Stratton, esteemed Australian film critic, dies aged 85

The international cinema expert was beloved for his film reviews, particularly on television with Margaret PomeranzDavid Stratton’s closing credits: ‘I’ve done the best I could’David Stratton, the revered Australian film critic and beloved co-host of television programs The Movie Show and At The Movies with fellow critic Margaret Pomeranz, has died aged 85.Born in the English town of Trowbridge in 1939, Stratton was sent to live with his grandmother in Hampshire during the second world war. An avid filmgoer, she took Stratton to the cinema almost every day, which changed his life. In the 2017 documentary David Stratton: A Cinematic Life, Stratton said he watched “at least one” film he hadn’t seen every day, and had seen more than 25,000 films in his life. Continue reading...

Events

78 m. ago Eight things we learned from Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s marathon New Heights podcast

If you don’t have a spare two hours to listen to Swift talking about The Life of a Showgirl on her boyfriend’s podcast, we did it for youTwo years ago, American footballer Travis Kelce famously used the New Heights podcast – which he hosts with his brother Jason – to announce that he wanted to date Taylor Swift. This was after he failed to get her attention at her Eras tour show at Arrowhead Stadium, home to his team, the Kansas City Chiefs. Somehow, it worked: he managed to get the girl. Continue reading...

Politics

88 m. ago ‘No country is safe’: deadly Nordic heatwave supercharged by climate crisis, scientists say

Historically cool nations saw hospitals overheating and surge in drownings, wildfires and toxic algal bloomsThe prolonged Nordic heatwave in July was supercharged by the climate crisis and shows “no country is safe from climate change”, scientists say.Norway, Sweden and Finland have historically cool climates but were hit by soaring temperatures, including a record run of 22 days above 30C (86C) in Finland. Sweden endured 10 straight days of “tropical nights”, when temperatures did not fall below 20C (68F). Continue reading...

Events

2 h. ago As Ukraine battles to hold lines, Trump may find Putin difficult to persuade

Despite huge numbers of casualties, Russian leader believes he is slowly winning war – so he can afford to string talks outFor Ukraine, the break in the frontline is unfortunately timed. Lightly armed Russian saboteur groups – three on one count – cut though Ukrainian positions in the Donbas countryside east of the key junction at Dobropillia. Though one group has been eliminated, as of Tuesday two were thought to remain at large – and although their numbers are small for now, perhaps 20 to 30, the breach is significant.At the beginning of the year it was safe to visit Dobropillia, which had become a bustling market centre busy with soldiers and locals, nearly 15 miles north of the frontline in Pokrovsk. But since then the town, where once busy supply roads from Pokrovsk to Kramatorsk split, has come under sustained attack with glide bombs, while FPV (first person view) drones strike targets on the move. Continue reading...

Politics

2 h. ago London museum tells forgotten story of African and Indian troops in second world war

National Army Museum’s Beyond Burma exhibition examines stories of soldiers from Britain’s coloniesThe forgotten story of African and Indian troops who fought in south Asia against Japanese forces during the second world war and who have largely been omitted from the official history is to be brought to life in a London exhibition.The National Army Museum’s Beyond Burma: Forgotten Armies show includes rare items from Indian and African soldiers who toiled in some of the harshest conditions seen anywhere during the conflict. Continue reading...

Events

2 h. ago Spanish people know deadly heatwaves are now an annual event. So why are our politicians in denial? | María Ramírez

We need everyday solutions like ‘cool banks’ and shaded areas, as well as serious policies on emissions. The government must step upGrowing up in Madrid, intense summer heat was nothing unusual. I quickly learned always to cross the street in search of shade, and never to be caught out in the sun at 3pm. But as a child in the early 1980s, I never felt dizzy after spending more than a few minutes outdoors, nor did I struggle to study or sleep at home because of the heat. Back then, air conditioning was a rarity, something only Americans had. But we were fine: the stuttering fan in my mother’s Ford Fiesta was enough to keep us comfortable on holiday escapes from the capital.What is happening in Spain now goes far beyond discomfort. More than 1,500 deaths have already been linked to heatwaves this summer alone. Public-sector workers are collapsing from heatstroke on our city streets. Entire communities in the Madrid suburbs have been devastated by wildfires. On Monday, 198 weather stat...

Politics

2 h. ago Sticky end? The British pudding faces extinction, English Heritage warns

Not just boiled or steamed desserts in danger, charity finds, households also rarely make fruit pies and crumblesAt the end of the 17th century a French travel writer who crossed the Channel was clearly impressed by the sweet, comforting treats offered to him, declaring with relish: “Ah! What an excellent thing is an English pudding!”More than three centuries on, English Heritage has sounded the alarm that the good old British pudding is facing extinction. Continue reading...

Events

2 h. ago 3 Virginia sheriff's deputies who were shot while executing a search warrant are OK

Three sheriff's deputies shot Wednesday while executing warrants in southern Virginia were shaken up but are “OK."

Events

3 h. ago Australia’s Molly Picklum and Jack Robinson dominate Teahupo’o swell to win Tahiti Pro titles

Picklum scores three eight-point rides to beat American Caitlin SimmersBoth Australians lock in WSL finals spots for Fiji later this monthAustralian surfers Molly Picklum and Jack Robinson have dominated the waves at Teahupo’o to take out the Tahiti Pro titles.Picklum out-pointed American rival Caitlin Simmers to win the women’s competition in a statement result before her Fiji world title charge. Continue reading...

Events

3 h. ago What Manchester United would get from Carlos Baleba transfer

Man Utd transfer latest as the Reds continue to be linked with Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba

Sport

4 h. ago Father of New Zealand woman held in US by Ice along with six

Rod Price recounts ‘frantic’ call he received from Sarah Shaw after her detention at US border while returning from CanadaThe father of a New Zealand woman who has been held in a US immigration detention centre for three weeks with her six-year-old son is hopeful the pair will be released by the end of the week.US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) detained Sarah Shaw and her youngest son after they attempted to re-enter the US from Canada on 24 July. Continue reading...

Politics

4 h. ago US teen pilot claims innocence after charges dropped in Antarctica flight case

Ethan Guo, an American pilot and influencer trapped in Antarctica, insists he's innocent after being charged by Chilean authorities with submitting a false flight plan to reach Antarctica

Politics

6 h. ago Trump revokes Biden order promoting competition in the US economy

Move further unwinds initiative to crack down on anti-competitive practices in agriculture, drugs and laborDonald Trump on Wednesday revoked a 2021 executive order on promoting competition in the US economy issued by Joe Biden, the White House said.The move by the Republican US president further unwinds a signature initiative by his predecessor, a Democrat, to crack down on anti-competitive practices in sectors from agriculture to drugs and labor. Continue reading...

Politics

6 h. ago My children were abused in care. The silence that followed was suffocating | Anonymous

For so many other kinds of traumas we have a shared language, grief and ritual. But what happens when these stories belong to our children?The moment I discovered both of my children had been sexually abused by our babysitter’s partner, I was hollowed out by the greatest sorrow I’d ever known.They were aged four and two. Continue reading...

Events

6 h. ago Taylor Swift reveals details of The Life of a Showgirl ahead of October release: ‘Infectiously joyful and wild’

Swift appears on her boyfriend Travis Kelce’s New Heights podcast to discuss the new album, which features Sabrina Carpenter and will come out on 3 OctoberTaylor Swift has revealed more details about her upcoming album, The Life of a Showgirl, which includes a collaboration with Sabrina Carpenter on the title track and will be released 3 October.The singer shared the cover and track listing for The Life of a Showgirl on Wednesday night, timed for her appearance on her boyfriend Travis Kelce’s podcast New Heights, which he hosts with his brother, the former fellow professional footballer Jason.The Fate of OpheliaElizabeth TaylorOpaliteFather FigureEldest DaughterRuin the FriendshipActually RomanticWi$h Li$tWoodCancelled!HoneyThe Life of a Showgirl featuring Sabrina Carpenter Continue reading...

Politics

6 h. ago Jimmy Lai trial: closing arguments begin in Hong Kong trial of pro

Lai has been detained since December 2020, with western nations and rights groups calling for his releaseJailed Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai’s national security trial, which began in late 2023, will enter its final stages on Thursday as lawyers present closing arguments.The 77-year-old founder of the Apple Daily newspaper is charged with foreign collusion under Hong Kong’s national security law, which Beijing imposed following huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in 2019. Continue reading...

Politics

6 h. ago Jimmy Lai trial: closing arguments in Hong Kong delayed by aftermath of Typhoon Podul

Lai has been detained since December 2020, with western nations and rights groups calling for his releaseThe closing arguments in the national security trial against jailed Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai were postponed on Thursday after the Asian financial hub issued its highest-level “black” weather warning, stemming from ex-typhoon Podul.Queues had formed outside the court for the public gallery, but torrential rain saw the closing arguments in the trial, which began in late 2023, delayed. Proceedings are expected to resume on Friday. Continue reading...

Politics

7 h. ago Newborn baby is among 27 dead after migrant boat capsizes off the coast of Italy

The tragedy occurred 14 miles south of the island of Lampedusa on Wednesday - with a search continuing into the night for people still missing.

Events

7 h. ago Warnings issued for thunderstorms and high temperatures as heatwave continues

Flood alerts have also been issued.

Events

7 h. ago Brit hotspots are burning: Three are killed as wildfires tear through Greek Islands, Spain, Portugal and the Balkans as heatwaves hell continues

Sunseekers have been fleeing Greece 's Zakynthos and Kefalonia islands 'by the minute' as raging infernos ripped through homes and farmland.

Events