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Acclaimed actor Dame Maggie Smith has died aged 89. Photo: ANDREW COWIE / AFP Dame Maggie Smith, one of the most acclaimed British actors of her generation with a career ranging from Shakespeare to Harry Potter and Downton Abbey, has died aged 89, her family says. She was one of a select few to win the treble of an Oscar, Emmy and Tony during seven decades on stage and screen, becoming a star known for her sharp intelligence and waspish wit. King Charles led the tributes, saying he was deeply saddened by the news of Smith's death. "As the curtain comes down on a national treasure, we join all those around the world in remembering with the fondest admiration and affection her many great performances and her warmth and wit that shone through both on and off the stage," the monarch said in...

By Luc Cohen for Reuters New York City Mayor Eric Adams (front) with his lawyer Alex Spiro who spoke to media on 26 September 2024. Photo: Getty via AFP New York City Mayor Eric Adams has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of accepting bribes and illegal campaign contributions from Turkish nationals, as the Democrat resists mounting calls from within his own party to resign. Adams, 64, entered the plea before US Magistrate Judge Katharine Parker at his first appearance in the case in Manhattan federal court. He wore a dark blue suit with a purple dotted tie, and stared straight ahead as Parker explained the five felony counts he faces, including bribery and wire fraud. "I am not guilty, your honour," Adams said when Parker asked for his plea. His lawyer, Alex Spiro, said he would ...

The activists threw soup at the painting in a London gallery, then glued themselves to the wall. Photo: Supplied / Twitter Two climate activists from Just Stop Oil who threw soup at Vincent van Gogh's 'Sunflowers' painting in London's National Gallery were on Friday jailed for criminal damage. Phoebe Plummer, 23, and Anna Holland, 22, threw tins of Heinz tomato soup on the artwork in October 2022, before glueing themselves to the wall below the painting. The soup caused up to 10,000 pounds (NZ$21,120) worth of damage to the frame, prosecutors said, though the painting - which was behind a protective screen - was unharmed and went back on display later the same day. The pair pleaded not guilty but were convicted after a trial at London's Southwark Crown Court, where Plummer was sentenced...

By Sakura Murakami, John Geddie and Tim Kelly, Reuters Shigeru Ishiba (centre), former secretary-general of LDP, smiles after winning Japan's Liberal Democratic Party presidential election by runoff vote in Tokyo on 27 September. Photo: AFP/ Yomiuri Shimbun - Takuya Matsumoto Ruling party picks Ishiba to replace PM Kishida Veteran succeeds in fifth and final leadership bid Lone wolf popular with public, has enemies in LDP Former defence minister Shigeru Ishiba is set to become Japan's prime minister after winning a closely fought contest on Friday in his fifth - and what he called final - attempt to lead the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). The 67-year-old political veteran prevailed over hard-line nationalist Sanae Takaichi in a run-off vote in what was one of the most un...

West Sumatra in Indonesia. (File image) Photo: SUPPLIED / AFP / ADRIANA ADIE At least 15 people have died in the collapse of an illegal gold mine in Indonesia's province of West Sumatra, following a landslide caused by heavy rains, an official said on Friday, while rescuers are scrambling to locate seven missing. Small-scale and illegal mining has often caused accidents in Indonesia, where mineral resources are located in remote areas in conditions difficult for authorities to regulate. The illegal gold mine in the district of Solok collapsed after a landslide on Thursday evening due to heavy rain, said Irwan Efendi, the head of the provincial disaster agency. Rescuers must trek eight hours to get to the site, which is inaccessible by road, Irwan told Reuters, adding, "The victims are t...