Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein has returned to the US Senate after almost three months of absence due to a shingles virus. Feinstein's absence led to Democrats calling for her resignation, fearing that her missing votes could hurt their efforts to push through President Joe Biden's top issues. Her health had also been a concern among media and colleagues in recent years. Though little has been revealed about her health or workload balance, Feinstein assisted in pushing through bipartisan-supported nominations that had been stalled during her absence.
Hungary’s foreign minister, Peter Szijjarto, has said that Hungary will continue to block the disbursement of a new tranche of European Union military support to Ukraine until Kyiv removes Hungary’s OTP Bank from a list of international sponsors of Russia’s war. Szijjarto said that Hungary wouldn’t approve the release of €500m ($543m) from the EU’s European Peace Facility until the bank is removed from the list. Hungary’s nationalist government, which maintains close ties with Moscow, has also argued against EU sanctions on Russia, and sought to cement Hungary’s dependence on Russian fossil fuels since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
A 29-year-old has been arrested for stalking outside the Montecito home of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the former Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Kevin Garcia Valdovinos triggered the arrest when he was spotted by security staff. The couple were not at home at the time of the incident, which occurred at around 2am on 27 September, TMZ reported. This is the second attempt intruders have made to infiltrate the security of the former royals since they moved to California, where their neighbours include Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres.
A Russian family has asked for permission to change their son's name from Putin back to Rasul. The family renamed the boy Putin in honour of the president when he was one-and-a-half years old, but in an unexpected move asked registry officials in the town of Aleksandrov, 90km north-east of Moscow, to restore his original name. No reason for the request to change the boy's name has been given. His grandfather is a strong supporter of Putin.
Canadian province Prince Edward Island requires 1,200 extra health-care workers over the next decade, according to a report from health consultancy Health Intelligence. The report points out that the larger number of necessary hires is due to an extensive health system reform plan, which includes adding nurses, pharmacists and doctors to the network. A less ambitious reform plan would necessitate just 245 new workers, the report added. The Health Intelligence report considers factors including worker migration, retirement and mortality, and identifies major health problems affecting the province including cancer, diabetes, chronic pulmonary disease and cardiovascular issues.
Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal posed for photographers at the Cannes Film Festival promoting their film 'Strange Way of Life', a new Pedro Almodóvar Western. Johnny Depp also made an appearance, saying that he had 'no further need for Hollywood', whilst promoting his film 'Jeanne du Barry', which he stars in opposite Maïwenn. Director Steve McQueen premiered his four-hour documentary 'Occupied City', which he collaborated on with his wife. And the film 'Monster', from Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda, was showcased with appearances from Hollywood stars like Hawke, Gemma Chan, Sara Sampaio, and Viola Davis.
A 6.4 magnitude earthquake was recorded in Guatemala, with the epicenter located near Canilla, a town 120 miles north of the capital. The quake struck at a depth of 158 miles and while people in the capital experienced the temblor, there have been no reports of injuries or damage.
The Western film "Rust" is being put up for sale at the Cannes Film Festival seeking international buyers, a year and a half after the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during the filming. Last month, filming resumed in Montana to finish the independently financed production that was shut down. The film still lacks North American distribution. Meanwhile, actor Alec Baldwin has booked another film circulating the Cannes market called "Kent State," a dramatization of the 1970 killing of four students by the National Guard protesting the Vietnam War. Baldwin will play Kent State’s then president.
A federal judge in Houston has dismissed criminal charges against Paulo Murta, a Swiss banker accused of helping stash millions in bribes paid to senior Venezuelian oil officials in a money laundering case. The judge ruled that the delays violated his constitutional rights to a speedy trial. Murta was indicted in 2019 on money laundering charges and spent nine months in pre-trial detention before being released on bond. Prosecutors are appealing against the dismissal of charges. Murta was accused of creating fake loans and setting up shell companies in Switzerland, Curacao and Dubai to hide the proceeds of PDVSA's bribery scheme.
Northern Italy has been hit by heavy rain and flooding, with some areas cut off from highways, electricity and mobile phone signals. The flooding has damaged farmland, storefronts and infrastructure, with the death toll standing at nine and additional people missing. President of the worst-affected Emilia-Romagna region, Stefano Bonaccini, estimated that losses have reached multiple billions, compared to the earlier estimate of $1.1bn due to heavy rains earlier in the month. Over 5,000 farms have been affected with incalculable damage to current and future harvests expected due to permanent damage to roots. Bonaccini has called for the national government to declare a state of emergency.
Hong Kong's public libraries will not recommend books featuring "bad ideologies," according to Chief Executive John Lee. He addressed questions from legislators after books concerning the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown and those written by pro-democracy politicians and commentators were removed from public libraries. Critics argue that the move undermines Hong Kong's reputation for free access to information and freedom of expression. Following a security law passed in 2020, the city's arts and media communities have been cautious about producing content that might be viewed as challenging China's Communist Party, and an annual vigil for Tiananmen Square no longer exists.
India's Supreme Court has permitted the bull-taming sport of jallikattu, ruling the state government was taking sufficient steps to prevent animal suffering. The sport, which is popular in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, sees participants leap on to the back of a bull and remain in place for up to 30 seconds in a bid to win prizes such as cooking equipment and motorbikes. Five justices dismissed animal rights groups' claims that the sport was a bloodsport that posed numerous dangers to riders and spectators.
Rail traffic has been suspended between Simferopol and the city of Sevastopol following the derailment of a freight train carrying grain. Crimean railways said in a statement that the incident was caused by “interference by outsiders” and Baza, a pro-Kremlin Telegram channel, said it had been caused by an IED that detonated on the tracks. Reports claim that eight cars came off the tracks, five of which overturned. The incident comes following two previous explosions on freight trains in Russia's Bryansk region earlier this month. There has been no claim of responsibility for any of the attacks to date.
The G-7 meeting began recently with world leaders arriving in Hiroshima. The leaders are expected to discuss how to deal with China’s expanding military and growing assertiveness, amidst concerns that it could try to seize Taiwan by force. Meanwhile, Russia’s war in Ukraine’s ongoing conflict is also high on the agenda. The summit was begun by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida meeting with US President Joe Biden after his arrival at a nearby military base, while security was tight throughout the city.
Researchers have completed the first full-size digital scan of the Titanic using two remote-operated submersibles. The project, which took place last summer, collected more than 715,000 images over the course of six weeks and is estimated to be 10 times larger than any other underwater 3D model that has been created. The debris field surrounding the wreckage was mapped by the team of researchers. Previous images of the ship were limited by light levels and viewers could only see one area of the wreck at a time. A documentary on the project is expected next year.
Japan and the UK have signed an agreement to collaborate in areas including semiconductors, defence, cybersecurity and clean energy. The two countries’ agreement includes the establishment of a semiconductors partnership aimed at strengthening the supply chain for the components that are essential for defence, cars and many modern consumer goods. Japanese companies have agreed to invest £17.7bn ($22bn) in clean energy projects in the UK, including funding for offshore wind, low carbon hydrogen and other projects. The UK is trying to forge closer trade relationships with Japan and other Asian countries as part of an effort to replace trade with the EU.
Austrian actor Helmut Berger, movie star in the 1960s and 1970s, dies at 78
Associated Press
23-05-18 13:49
Helmut Berger, a prominent European movie star in the 1960s and 1970s, has died at the age of 78. The Austrian-born actor rose to fame with roles in films by Italian director Luchino Visconti, including "The Damned," "Ludwig," and "Conversation Piece." He had other notable appearances in films such as "The Garden of the Finzi-Continis" and "The Godfather Part III." After experiencing a number of health issues, Berger retired from acting in 2019. His agent described him as having "enjoyed his motto ‘La Dolce Vita’ to the full all his life."
The caretaker deputy prime minister of Lebanon has called for Riad Salameh, Governor of the country's central bank, to resign. Salameh is widely blamed for the economic collapse that began in 2019, which has seen the Lebanese pound plummet in value and an estimated 75% of the population fall into poverty. Salameh has also had allegations of corruption levelled against him by a range of international jurisdictions. A French investigative judge recently issued an international arrest warrant for Salameh over corruption charges, which allege illicit enrichment and laundering of $330m.
Kacper Tekieli, the husband of two-time Olympic champion Justyna Kowalczyk, died in an avalanche in the Swiss Alps on Thursday. Tekieli, a sports climber, was 38 years old and a climbing instructor who had climbed in the Himalayas and the Alps. He married Kowalczyk in 2020, and the couple had a 20-month-old son. Kowalczyk, a retired cross-country skier who won gold medals at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics, expressed her grief on social media.
Russian soldiers fighting on the front line in Ukraine are suffering, and with rising casualty rates, Putin is paying a high price for his decision to invade. The Russian Army moved into the Crimea in February 2014, and fighting began with Ukrainian forces in the Donbas that April. The casual factors that Putin has been successful in hiding until now are becoming readily apparent, and a peace recessions looks like it would probably result in Putin's forced military collapse. It is thought that the reasons Putin would not want a ceasefire are that it would confirm the values of the international order, which he loathes, and second, would make it difficult for him to expand his military objectives in fighting in Syria, where he supports President Assad.
