World News

By Graham Fahy for Reuters Edna O'Brien in 1996. Photo: AFP / Jean-Pierre Couderc Edna O'Brien, the author who wrote of her native Ireland in such febrile prose, steeped in sex, love and religious angst, that it sparked national outrage and led to her self-imposed exile, has died aged 93, her agent said on Sunday. Her 1960 literary debut stirred national contempt in then-staunchly Catholic and conservative Ireland, prompting a priest in her hometown to call for it to be burned. The culture minister of the time branded it "a smear on Irish womanhood". But when a selection of her personal papers was added to Ireland's national library in 2021, Culture Minister Catherine Martin cited O'Brien's unique importance as a novelist and chronicler of a country that had once shunned and reviled...

Photo: BBC By Kaitlin Easton of the ABC The director of the BBC has been forced to respond to reports of abusive behaviour on the company's flagship show, Strictly Come Dancing. Director general Tim Davie said the line should never be crossed and the company will not tolerate unacceptable behaviour of any kind. It comes after allegations of abuse were made against two of the professional dancers on the show. So, what exactly is the Strictly Come Dancing scandal? Sherlock star raises concerns over dancer behaviour Actress Amanda Abbington quit the 12-week show after competing for just five weeks in October 2023. In January of this year, reports began swirling that Abbington had requested footage of her training sessions with dance partner Giovanni Pernice. The Sherlock star, 51, later rev...

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Israeli shelling in the southern Lebanese border village of Tayr Harfa. Photo: Kawnat HAJU / AFP A deadly rocket strike in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights has added to concerns that Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah could be sucked into a full-scale war - something they have both previously indicated they want to avoid but for which they have also said they are ready. Israel said on Sunday it would strike hard at Hezbollah after accusing the group of killing 12 children and teenagers in a rocket attack on a football field in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Hezbollah denied any responsibility for the attack on Majdal Shams, the deadliest in Israel or Israeli-annexed territory since Hamas' 7 October assault sparked the war in ...

Janet Andrewartha, who played Lyn Scully in Neighbours, has died at the age of 72. Photo: Freemantle By Charlotte Gallagher of BBC Janet Andrewartha, who played Lyn Scully in Neighbours, has died at the age of 72. The actress joined the long-running Australian soap in 1999 as the Scully family matriarch. She left the show in 2006 but returned multiple times, last appearing in Erinsborough in 2019. The soap's official Instagram account paid tribute to the star, with a post reading: "Everyone at Neighbours is deeply saddened by the passing of Janet Andrewartha. "Beloved by viewers for her role as Ramsay Street's Lyn Scully, Janet will be remembered for her wide body of work, which includes her memorable turn as Reb Keane in Prisoner." Jackie Woodburne who played Susan Kennedy on the soap ...

Druze elders and mourners surround the coffins of 10 of the 12 people killed in a rocket strike from Lebanon. Photo: Jalaa MAREY / AFP By Mallory Moench of BBC Thousands of people gathered on Sunday for the funerals of children and young people killed in a rocket strike in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, as world leaders scrambled to contain the attack's political fallout. Members of the Druze community wept as they carried caskets through the streets of Majdal Shams, while some yelled in anger at government ministers who attended the funeral, Israeli media reported. Israel blamed Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah for the strike, which killed 12. Hezbollah strongly denied carrying it out. On Sunday, global leaders condemned the attack and moved to de-escalate tensions amid fears ...

By Paul Adams, Barbara Plett Usher and Ido Vock, BBC A damaged gate and debris at a football pitch after a reported strike fell in Majdal Shams village in the Israeli-annexed Golan area on 28 July, 2024. Photo: AFP/ Menahem Kahana Israel's air force says it has hit Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, after 12 children and young adults were killed in a rocket attack while playing football in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Israel has blamed the Lebanese militant group for Saturday's attack on the Druze town of Majdal Shams, but Hezbollah has strongly denied any involvement. Early on Sunday, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said it had conducted air strikes against seven Hezbollah targets "deep inside Lebanese territory". It is unclear whether there were any casualties. The rising tension...

By Charlotte Gallagher, BBC Culture reporter Actress Nicole Rieko Setsuko is en garde and lost at sea in Something in the Water, one of several recent shark films. Photo: AFP/ StudioCanal From the Steven Spielberg classic Jaws, to predators stalking the Seine in Under Paris, there is no shortage of shark films. Hollywood and audiences love them, seemingly never tiring of the suspense, gore and terror. There are prehistoric giant sharks in The Meg, genetically engineered ones in Deep Blue Sea and sharks high on cocaine in the ingeniously named Cocaine Shark. Even Donald Trump is a fan - he was reportedly due to play the US president in a Sharknado film, before becoming the actual US president. I became hooked on them after watching the James Bond film, Thunderball, where the villain k...

By Philippa Roxby, BBC News Ultra-processed foods. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly They are the bête noire of many nutritionists - mass-produced yet moreish foods like chicken nuggets, packaged snacks, fizzy drinks, ice cream or even sliced brown bread. So-called ultra-processed foods (UPF) account for 56 percent of calories consumed across the UK, and that figure is higher for children and people who live in poorer areas. UPFs are defined by how many industrial processes they have been through and the number of ingredients - often unpronounceable - on their packaging. Most are high in fat, sugar or salt; many you'd call fast food. What unites them is their synthetic look and taste, which has made them a target for some clean-living advocates. There is a growing body of evidence t...

By Lucy Wallis, BBC The city of Hiroshima was left in ruins Photo: Supplied It was early in the day, but already hot. As she wiped sweat from her brow, Chieko Kiriake searched for some shade. As she did so, there was a blinding light - it was like nothing the 15-year-old had ever experienced. It was 8:15am on 6 August 1945. "It felt like the sun had fallen - and I grew dizzy," she recalls. The United States had just dropped an atomic bomb on Chieko's home city of Hiroshima - the first time a nuclear weapon had ever been used in warfare. While Germany had surrendered in Europe, allied forces fighting in World War Two were still at war with Japan. Warning: This article contains graphic content that some readers may find upsetting Chieko was a student, but like many older pupils, had be...

US Vice President Kamala Harris and former US President and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Photo: Brendan SMIALOWSKI and Patrick T. Fallon / AFP By Stephanie Kelly, Jeff Mason and Tim Reid, Reuters Vice President Kamala Harris cast herself as the "underdog" in the presidential race and called her Republican opponent Donald Trump "just plain weird," while Trump painted Harris as "evil," "sick" and "unhinged" as the rivals exchanged barbs from afar on Saturday. The dueling appearances capped a whirlwind week that saw Harris ascend to the top of the Democratic ticket after President Joe Biden, 81, dropped his reelection bid under mounting pressure from his fellow Democrats. A series of polls indicate that Harris' entry erased the lead Trump had enjoyed over Biden in a...