Thursday, September 3

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Ceasefire begins in Israel-Hezbollah war
World News

Ceasefire begins in Israel-Hezbollah war

By Laure Al Khoury, AFP US President Joe Biden speaks about a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, in the Rose Garden of the White House on November 26, 2024, in Washington, DC. Photo: AFP / SAUL LOEB A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon took effect on Wednesday after more than a year of fighting that has killed thousands of people. The truce, which began at 4am (0200 GMT), should bring to a halt a war that has forced tens of thousands of people in Israel and hundreds of thousands more in Lebanon to flee their homes. The Israeli army warned soon after the ceasefire began that residents of south Lebanon should not approach Israel Defense Forces positions and villages its forces had ordered to be evacuated. "With the entry into force of the ceasefire agree...
Why movies like Catwoman and the original Dune flopped at the box office
World News

Why movies like Catwoman and the original Dune flopped at the box office

Kyle MacLachlan as Paul Atreides in David Lynch's Dune (1984), based on the novel by Frank Herbert. Photo: Universal - Dino De Laurentiis C / Collection ChristopheL via AFP Dune, based on the 1965 novel of the same name by Frank Herbert, raked in a combined US$355 million with its recent two-part rendition by Denis Villeneuve - but an earlier version in 1984 flopped badly at the box office. Daily Telegraph film critic Tim Robey delves into why 26 films, like Rex Harrison's Doctor Dolittle (1967) and Catwoman (2004), didn't make waves financially in his latest book Box Office Poison: Hollywood's Story in a Century of Flops. The earlier version of Dune was made by David Lynch, who went on to famously direct Blue Velvet, and was riding high on the success of his 1980 film The Elephant Man,...
Police officer Kristian White found guilty of manslaughter after tasering 95yo Clare Nowland
World News

Police officer Kristian White found guilty of manslaughter after tasering 95yo Clare Nowland

By Adriane Reardon for ABC Clare Nowland, who had symptoms of dementia, was tasered by Senior Constable Kristian White. Photo: A police officer who tasered a 95-year-old woman in her New South Wales aged care home has been found guilty of manslaughter. Kristian White, 34, discharged his taser at Clare Nowland in a nurses' room at Yallambee Lodge, Cooma on May 17, 2023. White and another officer responded to a triple-0 call made by staff as the great-grandmother roamed the facility in her walker while holding a steak knife. Nowland, who suffered symptoms of dementia, fell and hit her head after she was tasered and died a week later in Cooma Hospital from an inoperable brain bleed. A 12-person jury delivered its judgement on the fifth day of deliberation in the NSW Supreme Court in Sy...
Drake alleges Universal inflated popularity of Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’
Entertainment, Movies

Drake alleges Universal inflated popularity of Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’

Drake alleged in a court filing Monday that Universal Music Group falsely pumped up the popularity on Spotify and other streaming services of Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us, a song that viciously attacked Drake amid a bitter feud between the two hip-hop superstars. The petition in a New York court by the rapper’s company Frozen Moments LLC demands the preservation and divulgence of information that might be evidence in a potential lawsuit against UMG, which is the distributor for the record labels of both Drake and Lamar. 0:45 Drake announces tour, opening night coincides with rival Kendrick Lamar’s Superbowl performance In allegations that UMG ...
Bandish Bandits 2: Siddharth Mahadevan and Souumil Shringarpure compose music
Entertainment, Movies

Bandish Bandits 2: Siddharth Mahadevan and Souumil Shringarpure compose music

Among the contributing factors behind the success of the Prime Video show Bandish Bandits was its intricately designed music, crafted by composers Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. However, for the upcoming second season that will release on December 13, a bevy of musicians take on the reins from the trio to serve as the musical backbone of the 17-song series. Two among them, however, will carry the legacy of the original trio ahead owing to their connection with Shankar Mahadevan. The ace composer’s son, Siddharth, and nephew Souumil Shringarpure have crafted two of the songs, with the latter also continuing his work as the show’s background score composer.  “We [repeatedly listened] to the music of season one because it was clearly iconic when one considers the way it was received by people. The onl...
Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire begins amid cautious hope in the Middle East | World News
Business

Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire begins amid cautious hope in the Middle East | World News

A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah has begun.Commencing at 2am UK time (4am local time) on Wednesday, the deal marks a notable step forward in diplomatic efforts in the region. Previously such talks had floundered and failed to produce results - until this week.Read more:Analysis: Dark clouds hang over Middle EastExplained: Israel-Hezbollah ceasefireThe deal, brokered by the US and France, was announced by President Joe Biden and will see an initial 60-day halt to the fighting that has claimed thousands of Lebanese lives and displaced over a million people. It will also allow tens of thousands of people both sides of the border to return home.Israel will gradually withdraw its forces from Lebanon as the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah leaves its positions in the region, and r...
World’s oldest man, John Tinniswood, dies aged 112
World News

World’s oldest man, John Tinniswood, dies aged 112

By Jack Guy, CNN Tinniswood described how he managed to live for so long as pure luck. Photo: Guinness World Records John Tinniswood, the world's oldest man, dies at the age of 112. Tinniswood died on Monday at a care home in Southport, England, according to a news release from Guinness World Records (GWR) on Tuesday. "His last day was surrounded by music and love," his family told GWR in a statement, according to the release. Born 26 August 1912, Tinniswood had held the record for the world's oldest living man since April 2024, following the death of 114-year-old Juan Vicente Pérez of Venezuela. Tinniswood didn't have any particular explanation for how he managed to live for so long, describing it as "pure luck," according to GWR. "You either live long or you live short, and you can...
What does the truce between Israel and Hezbollah involve and what happens if it’s broken? | World News
Business

What does the truce between Israel and Hezbollah involve and what happens if it’s broken? | World News

Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah have agreed a ceasefire deal that will end more than a year of fighting.The deal was announced by US President Joe Biden, who said it is "designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities". Sky News takes a look at what the US-proposed deal involves, what happens if it's broken and what will come next.Middle East latest: Biden insists ceasefire deal will be 'permanent'When will the fighting stop? Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah will end at 4am local time (2am GMT) on Wednesday, Mr Biden said.It will bring an end to nearly 14 months of fighting which has seen more than 3,500 Lebanese killed and more than 15,000 injured.Israeli strikes into Lebanon have forced 1.2 million people to leave their homes, while Hezbollah attacks have driven som...
Kiwi killed in South Africa robbery remembered as ‘one-of-a-kind person’
World News

Kiwi killed in South Africa robbery remembered as ‘one-of-a-kind person’

Eugene Robbemond. Photo: Facebook The Whanganui motor sport community is paying tribute to Eugene Robbemond who, according to media reports, has been killed during a robbery in South Africa. Local media outlet The Daily Voice reported a man was trying to stop a robbery in Monte Vista and shot dead. Police spokesman Malcolm Pojie confirmed to The Daily Voice the man was 49-years-old and died around 1.30pm on Friday on Mostert Street in Monte Vista. "We have reason to believe that it was a bank-following-robbery as the motive, even though the suspects fled the scene without any loot," the outlet reported Pojie as saying. "The vehicles of the suspects were traced and recovered in a parking lot in Parow." The Daily Voice reported the dead man's parents were the intended victims of the robbe...
Dark clouds hang over Middle East despite optimism surrounding Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire | World News
Business

Dark clouds hang over Middle East despite optimism surrounding Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire | World News

A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah has been agreed, to celebrations in Lebanon but scepticism in Israel.Lebanese people are finally looking forward to some calm after months of heavy bombardment in the capital Beirut and across the country. An estimated 1.2 million people have been displaced and many towns and villages heavily damaged.Middle East latest: Israel and Lebanon agree ceasefireBut a snap poll for one Israeli news channel found only 37% of Israelis in favour of the deal. Not everyone in the Israeli cabinet was supportive of the deal, either.Itamar Ben-Gvir describes it as "a historic mistake" but didn't threaten to withdraw his party from government. He was the one person who voted against the truce. So what have those critics extracted from Prime Minister Benjamin Neta...