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Robert Downey Jr has been announced to return for two Avengers movies - as the villain. Photo: CHRIS DELMAS / AFP Robert Downey Jr is returning to Marvel movies - but not as Iron Man. A panel at the San Diego Comic Con today announced that Oscar winner Downey will be returning to play an entirely different character, the iconic comic book villain Dr. Doom, in two new Avengers movies, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. Downey was unveiled as Dr. Doom, a foe who first appeared in Fantastic Four comics in the 1960s, to a rapturous crowd at the comic convention. "New mask, same task," Downey said. "What can I tell you? I like playing complicated characters." In the comics, he's the evil ruler of the European nation Latveria and has battled the Avengers and Fantastic Four many tim...

Firefighters watch as flames and smoke move through a valley in the Forest Ranch area of Butte County as the Park Fire continues to burn near Chico, California. Photo: AFP / Josh Edelson By Joseph Ax, Reuters Thousands of firefighters were battling a rapidly growing wildfire in northern California on Saturday after the blaze more than doubled in size in a 24-hour span. The Park Fire had burned more than 350,000 acres (141,640ha) about 144km north of the state capital city of Sacramento as of Saturday afternoon, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. Cooler temperatures and more humid air were expected in the region, potentially helping efforts to slow the spread of the fire, which was still 0 percent contained. The fire has destroyed 134 str...

By Danielle Broadway and Rollo Ross, Reuters Yvette Nicole Brown, Patrick Mckay, Charlie Vickers, JD Payne, Morfydd Clark, Daniel Weyman, Benjamin Walker, Megan Richards, Robert Aramayo, Tyroe Muhafidin, Charles Edwards, Maxim Baldry, Sophia Nomvete, Ismaël Cruz Córdova, Ema Horvath, Lloyd Owen, Trystan Gravelle and Cynthia Addai-Robinson speak onstage during "he Lord Of The Rings: Rings Of Power Panel during 2024 Comic-Con International. Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP Note: This story contains spoilers for season one of The Rings of Power. Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power unveiled the first look at season two on Friday (US time) as the cast shared insights into what is coming next in the fantasy series at San Diego Comic-Con. The fantasy...

By Maayan Lubell, Maya Gebeily and Laila Bassam, Reuters Israeli emergency services and local residents gather near a soccer field where a rocket hit in Majdal Shams. Photo: AFP / Jalaa Marey A rocket attack on a football ground in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights killed 11 people including children on Saturday, Israeli authorities said, blaming Hezbollah and vowing to respond against the Iran-backed Lebanese group. Hezbollah denied any responsibility for the strike, the deadliest in Israel or Israeli-annexed territory since the start of the conflict in Gaza. "The Hezbollah attack today crossed all red lines, and the response will be accordingly. We are approaching the moment of an all-out war against Hezbollah and Lebanon," Foreign Minister Israel Katz told Axios. In a written sta...

By Lucy Clarke-Billings, BBC News Gianmarco Tamberi of Team Italy celebrating his wife Chiara Bontempi after winning the gold medal in the Men's High Jump Final during day five of the 26th European Athletics Championships at Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, on 11 June, 2024. Photo: Massimo Valicchia / NurPhoto / NurPhoto via AFP Italian high jumper Gianmarco Tamberi has issued a grovelling apology to his wife after losing his wedding ring during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. The 32-year-old world champion was flag-waving for Italy, as the boat carrying its athletes sailed down the River Seine, when the ring slipped off his finger. "I'm sorry my love, I'm so sorry," he wrote on Instagram in a post dedicated to his wife, Chiara Bontempi Tamberi. The athlete blamed "losing ...

In this 24 July, 2024, image obtained from the Jasper National Park in Canada, smoke rises from a wildfire burning in the park. Photo: Handout / Jasper National Park / AFP Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has thanked New Zealand firefighters for their help battling a wildfire raging through Jasper National Park. Trudeau posted a message on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), thanking the brave first responders and mentioning firefighters from New Zealand, Australia, Mexico and South Africa. And, to reinforce their efforts, over 400 firefighters from our friends in Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, and South Africa are on their way to fight wildfires in Alberta, shoulder-to-shoulder with our Canadian teams.— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) July 25, 2024 Rain and ...