Italian rescuers recover 10 bodies after migrant boat capsizes off Malta

The China-North Korea relationship has been strained by a fall in trade during the pandemic and Pyongyang’s increasing ties with RussiaXi Jinping visits North Korea on Monday for a two-day trip, his first in nearly seven years, as China’s president looks to revitalise ties with his junior ally.Xi is expected to meet North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, in Pyongyang. North Korea is China’s only formal treaty ally but in recent years their relationship has been strained by a virtual freeze in trade during the Covid-19 pandemic and Pyongyang’s increasingly close relationship with Russia. Continue reading...

This year’s Tony awards have already seen wins for musicals Schmigadoon! and Cats: The Jellicle Ball Kevin Adams, Chess Jane Cox, The Rocky Horror Show Donald Holder, Schmigadoon! Adam Honoré, Cats: The Jellicle Ball Adam Honoré and Donald Holder (Lighting Design) and 59 Studio (Projection Design), RagtimeJen Schriever and Michael Arden, The Lost Boys – WINNER! Continue reading...

Without it the ‘true scale’ of former Harrods owner’s alleged network will stay hidden, says survivors’ groupSurvivors of abuse perpetrated by the former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed are calling for a full trafficking investigation to be launched, arguing that without it the “true scale” of the billionaire’s alleged network would remain hidden.Survivors at No One Above (NOA), a collective founded by victims of abuse at the hands of Fayed, are calling for the Metropolitan police to broaden their investigation into the billionaire and make trafficking the main focus. Continue reading...

David Rush, who was arrested in May, stole millions from US government through ‘special access program’, officials sayA former executive intelligence agent who is accused of stealing more than $40m in gold bars from the CIA reportedly created a fake spy program to siphon money, the latest on his fraudulent activity, the Washington Post first reported.David Rush, who was a senior-level employee of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for 17 years, was arrested in May after FBI agents discovered Rush had taken 303 bullion bars, each about 2.2lbs, dozens of luxury watches, and more than $2m in foreign currency from his government office. Continue reading...

Call for ‘clear and truthful account’ comes amid questions about the Reform leader’s property spendingThe Labour party has written to Nigel Farage urging him to stop “evading reasonable scrutiny” over the £5m personal gift he received from the Thailand-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne.The letter coincides with approval of a planning application that reveals the Reform leader’s plans to transform a dilapidated Kent property into a luxury beachfront residence. Continue reading...

Support for prime minister Anthony Albanese slumps; King’s Birthday honours awardedGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastProf Richard Scolyer, the world-renowned cancer researcher and former Australian of the year, has died at the age of 59.Scolyer’s family shared a statement the eminent pathologist and melanoma expert penned before his final stages of illness. Continue reading...

Scolyer, who did pioneering work on immunotherapy, was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer in 2023Prof Richard Scolyer, the world-renowned cancer researcher and former Australian of the year, has died at the age of 59.Scolyer’s family shared a statement the eminent pathologist and melanoma expert penned before his final stages of illness. Continue reading...

Congressman issues qualified defense of Maine Senate candidate who is seeking to unseat Republican incumbentProgressive Democratic congressman Ro Khanna issued a qualified defense of Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner on Sunday, saying “his actions were misogynistic, they were shameful, they were wrong, but they didn’t come as a surprise to a lot of the folks in Maine.”The former Marine-turned-oyster farmer, who is campaigning to unseat the state’s Republican senator Susan Collins in November, has been hit with successive waves of accusation about his past actions, including sending sexually explicit messages he sent to women while married and being stenciled with a Nazi-themed tattoo. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer hosts Ukrainian, French and German leaders in Downing Street amid optimism in Kyiv over state of warVolodymyr Zelenskyy met his staunchest allies at Downing Street on Sunday night, hours after a Russian drone strike damaged a storage centre for spent nuclear fuel nine miles from the Chornobyl nuclear power plant.Keir Starmer welcomed Zelenskyy, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz for a meeting to discuss ongoing support for Ukraine as the country seeks to capitalise on a series of strikes on key Russian positions. Continue reading...

Potential proposal would secure control of Diego Garcia base amid stalled UK plans to cede sovereignty of territoryDonald Trump is reportedly weighing a plan to buy the Chagos Islands from Mauritius amid stalled plans from the UK to cede sovereignty of the territory, the Telegraph first reported.The White House did not respond to the Guardian’s request for comment on the report about the potential plan. Continue reading...

The moderate Republican, an advocate of abortion rights, resigned in 1995 amid accusations of sexual harassmentFormer US senator Bob Packwood, a moderate Oregon Republican whose reputation as a champion of abortion and women’s rights was spoiled at the end of his career by allegations of sexual harassment, has died. He was 93.Packwood’s death on Saturday was announced in an obituary sent to media outlets by his family. Continue reading...