Thursday, May 21

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Liam Payne fans organise vigils in London, Liverpool and Buenos Aires | Ents & Arts News
Business

Liam Payne fans organise vigils in London, Liverpool and Buenos Aires | Ents & Arts News

Liam Payne fans have gathered for a vigil in his memory in London's Hyde Park.Hundreds of people stood in silence to remember Payne at the park's Peter Pan statue on Sunday.They brought pictures of the star and his former One Direction bandmates, alongside flowers, balloons, and handwritten notes. Image: Crowds gather around the Peter Pan statue in Hyde Park on Sunday Image: One Direction lyrics in a frame in Hyde Park Image: Liam Payne fans lay tributes to him in London's Hyde Park Read moreWhat we know about singer's death so farGrief as details emerge of s...
B.C. Election: What the party leaders said as votes continue to be counted
Politics

B.C. Election: What the party leaders said as votes continue to be counted

By Chuck Chiang The Canadian Press Posted October 20, 2024 9:50 am 2 min read Descrease article font size Increase article font size The outcome of British Columbia’s election was unclear after a close race between the NDP and the B.C. Conservatives, with the Greens poised to play a role in a potential minority government. Here’s what the party leaders said on Saturday’s election night.“We don’t know what the final count is going to be in the province, but what we do know is that there was a clear majority for the progressive values. And I take a lot of comfort from that … There is also another message in this narrowest of marg...
Ex-MI6 boss warns UK may face more Islamist extremism due to Middle East unrest | World News
Business

Ex-MI6 boss warns UK may face more Islamist extremism due to Middle East unrest | World News

Islamist terrorism may get a "further boost" from recent unrest in the Middle East, including the killing of the leader of Hamas, a former head of MI6 has warned.Yahya Sinwar, the architect of the 7 October attack, was killed by Israeli troops following a chance encounter this week, after years of being hunted. A former British intelligence chief said that his death along with anger around the unresolved "Palestinian question" and the violence people in Gaza see "every day" could fuel possible terror attacks beyond the Middle East.Middle East latest Image: Thousands of Jordanians protest in memory of killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar Pic: AP Sir John Sawers, who led the Secret Intelligence Service in Britain for five years,...
Bishnoi gang has stoked fear in Canada for years, says B.C. city councillor
Politics

Bishnoi gang has stoked fear in Canada for years, says B.C. city councillor

Alleged members of an Indian gang and its leader have been sending shivers down the spines of members of the South Asian diaspora in Canada for years, says a city councillor in Richmond, B.C. Kash Heed said the Bishnoi gang, led by Lawrence Bishnoi, gained notoriety and instilled fear among Indian Canadians well before the RCMP accused the syndicate this week of orchestrating violent crimes on Canadian soil.Mounties have alleged Indian diplomats shared information about Sikh separatists in Canada with the Indian government and top Indian officials then passed information to the Bishnoi.“(Lawrence Bishnoi’s) reputation precedes him,” said Heed, also a former B.C. solicitor general and a West Vancouver police chief, in an interview.“He is an individual that is prone to violence in India. A c...
Cuba suffers third major setback to restoring national grid – leaving millions in the dark | World News
Business

Cuba suffers third major setback to restoring national grid – leaving millions in the dark | World News

Authorities in Cuba have suffered a third major setback to restoring power, leaving millions in the dark.The country's national grid crashed around midday Friday after the Antonio Guiteras power plant, the island's largest, shut down, causing the biggest blackout in at least two years. Despite the best efforts of authorities, the grid collapsed again on Saturday morning. Image: People cooked soup over an open fire this weekend in Havana, amid the blackouts. Pic: AP Image: Residents line up to buy bread during the massive blackout over the weekend. Pic: AP Image: Residents were left in the dark after the ini...
Guy Maddin’s ‘Rumours’ a weird, wacky, laugh-out-loud Canadian satire – National
Entertainment, Movies

Guy Maddin’s ‘Rumours’ a weird, wacky, laugh-out-loud Canadian satire – National

There’s something so unique about the dry, wry Canadian sense of humour — and Guy Maddin‘s latest movie, Rumours, captures it perfectly. Set during a fictional G7 summit, Rumours sees political leaders from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Japan and France bumble along as they attempt to draft a statement on an unspecified global crisis. When a catastrophic force from thousands of years ago rises to threaten humanity, it also forces the seven wealthy politicians into the woods to fend for themselves.Co-directed by Maddin, Galen Johnson and Evan Johnson (who also wrote the screenplay), Rumours takes its audience on an absurd, witty and melodramatic journey.Like all of Maddin’s earlier works, the film finds a precise balance between campy comedy and dramatic com...
Arrest over suspected Islamic State plot to attack Israeli embassy in Berlin | World News
Business

Arrest over suspected Islamic State plot to attack Israeli embassy in Berlin | World News

A man with suspected ties to the Islamic State terror group who was allegedly planning a firearms attack on the Israeli embassy in Berlin has been arrested.Police and other security forces detained the man on Saturday in the town of Bernau, just outside the German capital, and conducted a search of his home there, the Federal Prosector's Office said in a statement. It said the suspect is a Libyan national whom officials identified only as Omar A."He intended to carry out a high-profile attack with firearms on the Israeli embassy in Berlin," the statement said.In his planning, the statement added, "the accused exchanged information with a member of IS in a messenger chat". Another search was carried out in the home of a person who is considered a witness and not a suspect, the prosecutor of...
Israel’s military says it attacked Hezbollah’s intelligence HQ in Beirut
World News

Israel’s military says it attacked Hezbollah’s intelligence HQ in Beirut

Cross-border fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has been ongoing for the past year. Photo: ETIENNE TORBEY / AFP Israel says its air force has attacked Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters in Beirut as well as an underground workshop for the production of weapons. In a statement, the Israeli military said its fighter jets killed three Hezbollah commanders, including Alhaj Abbas Salameh, a senior figure in the group's southern command, Radja Abbas Awache, a communications expert, and Ahmad Ali Hussein, who it said was responsible for strategic weapons development. It was not clear if the three were killed in the attack on the headquarters on Sunday (local time) or in separate actions. Hezbollah made no immediate comment. Israel's military said on Saturday it had destroyed tunnel shaft...
Musk promises to award $1 million each day to a signer of his petition
Business

Musk promises to award $1 million each day to a signer of his petition

SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk participates in a town hall-style meeting to promote early and absentee voting at Ridley High School on October 17, 2024 in Folsom, Pennsylvania. Anna Moneymaker | Getty ImagesBillionaire Elon Musk promised on Saturday to give away $1 million each day until November's election to someone who signs his online petition supporting the U.S. Constitution.And he wasted no time, awarding a $1 million check to an attendee of his event in Pennsylvania aimed at rallying supporters behind Republican Donald Trump. The winner was a man named John Dreher, according to event staff."By the way, John had no idea. So anyway, you're welcome," the Tesla founder said as he handed Dreher the check.The money is the latest example of Musk using his extraordinary wealth to influe...
Fast Favourites: The Aussie Office’s Edith Poor
World News

Fast Favourites: The Aussie Office’s Edith Poor

It's one of the most popular shows of the 21st century and now, another iteration is taking place downunder. The Office is set in Australia with the first female boss - Hannah Howard, at a Sydney-based packaging company, played by actor and comedian Felicity Ward.  The British version which first aired in 2001 was created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. Four years later, Steve Carrell took on the US version which ran for nine seasons.  The Australian version has a cast of both Aussies and Kiwis, including Josh Thomson, Edith Poor and Jonny Brugh, and it's also co-directed by our own Jackie Van Beek.  Edith Poor plays the straight-laced, 'front desk executive' and productivity manager Lizzie Moyle. An original fan of the first series, she describes it as "an honour" to be part of thi...