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Ireland's prime minister has set a date for a general election and will ask the president to dissolve parliament ahead of voting.Simon Harris announced the polling date as 29 November, saying the "time is now right" to ask the Irish people for a new mandate. It means a relatively short campaign of just three weeks will be run ahead of polling day, bringing to an end the four-and-a-half-year lifespan of the historic Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and Green Party coalition government.After the 2020 general election delivered an inconclusive result, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, two parties forged from opposing sides of Ireland's Civil War of the 1920s, agreed to set aside almost a century of animosity and share power.The Green Party joined the administration as a junior partner. This breaking news stor...

A film festival in Istanbul has been scrapped in protest at a reported ban on their opening film, Queer, starring Daniel Craig.Streaming service Mubi say they decided to pull Mubi Fest Istanbul 2024 after local authorities said the movie could not be shown "for security reasons". Image: Pic: BFF via Getty Mubi say local authorities claimed the "provocative content" in Queer would "endanger public peace".In the historical drama, Bond star Craig plays a drug-addicted American living in 1950s Mexico.Directed by Luca Guadagnino, it's based on the 1985 semi-autobiographical novel by Beat Generation author William Burroughs and explores the colourful nightlife of Mexico City. Mubi said Turkish authorities told them just hours be...

England cricket legend Sir Ian Botham was rescued by a former Australian rival after he fell off a boat into water "infested" with sharks and crocodiles.The retired all-rounder was on a fishing trip with former Australian fast-bowler Merv Hughes when he got his flip-flops caught in some roping and plunged head-first into the Moyle River near Darwin, northern Australia. Sir Ian, nicknamed Beefy, suffered severe bruising to his torso after hitting the boat on his way down – but escaped a worse fate when Hughes and fellow fishermen quickly pulled him out. Image: Merv Hughes was an on-pitch rival of Sir Ian during their cricket careers. Pic: Reuters The 68-year-old wrote on Instagram on Friday: "My catch of the day was the barr...

A white supremacist has become the first person in Australia sentenced to jail for doing a Nazi salute - but ended up spending just an hour in custody.Jacob Hersant, 25, performed the gesture outside a Melbourne court in October 2023 after avoiding being locked up for violent disorder. At the same time, he praised Adolf Hitler and stated: "Australia for the white man."The salute had been made illegal by state parliament days before and has since been outlawed across Australia.Hersant was convicted last month and had been on bail until sentencing. He faced a maximum 12-month jail term and a A$24,000 (£12,300) fine but received a single month in prison."If there was physical violence, then I would have imposed a sentence close to the maximum penalty," said magistrate Brett Sonnet. He sai...