Happy Birthday to director-screenwriter George Lucas who turns 80. Receiving 5 Oscar nominations (including Best Picture) for his 1973 debut film American Graffiti proved that he could write and direct, and producing the groundbreaking science fiction franchise Star Wars proved he could create a cultural phenomenon worth billions of dollars. He also dreamed up Indiana…
Sarah Smith BBC News, reporting from Riyadh Bernd Debusmann Jr BBC News, Washington DC Timelapse: Dozens of Saudi Arabian officials queue to meet Trump US President Donald Trump has said the US has “no stronger partner” than Saudi Arabia during his first major foreign trip – a whirlwind visit of Gulf countries mainly focused on…
credit – Curated Lifestyle for Unsplash + There’s an old saying, often ignored in modern Western medicine, that an ounce of prevention beats a pound of cure. Establishing a new broad-spectrum, 20-year testing program for its younger generation, Poland has passed this Franklinian test of medical wisdom whose value has been recognized since the days…
Japanese carmaker Nissan has said it will cut another 11,000 jobs globally and shut seven factories as it shakes up the business in the face of weak sales. Falling sales in China and heavy discounting in the US, its two biggest markets, have taken a heavy toll on earnings, while a proposed merger with Honda…
748 years ago today, the ruler of a large Turkish beylik in southern Anatolia, Mehmet I of Karaman, issued a decree which read: “From now on nobody in the palace, in the divan, council and on walks speak no language other than Turkish.” It was the first time a modern Turkish state of any kind…
The Metropolitan Police say they are investigating whether two other incidents are connected to Monday’s fire at Sir Keir Starmer’s private home in north London. Emergency services were called to the Kentish Town property in the early hours of Monday, and counter terrorism police are investigating the cause. There was damage to the property’s entrance…
Dairy cows in Australia – Photo by Geraldine Lewa on Unsplash Australian dairies are breeding heat-tolerant cows and seeing big returns on hot days that are making the global industry stand up and take notice. Ever feel like wolfing down a big meal when it’s 85°F out with 80% humidity? If you recoil at the…
A father tried in vain to save his teenage son before both drowned off the coast of Australia, an inquest has heard. Robin Reed and his son Owen, of Blackwood, Caerphilly county, were swept out to sea while on holiday at a popular tourist beach in Queensland on 13 April. Opening the inquests into their…
225 years ago today, Luigi Vanvitelli, one of the most influential architects of 18th century Italy, was born. His birthday is a fitting day to celebrate the construction of his most famous design: The Bourbon Palace of Caserta in Naples, the largest former royal palace in the world and a structure which UNESCO describes as…
Sam Francis Political reporter EPA Sir Keir Starmer has promised to overhaul a “broken” immigration system, with plans to tighten English tests for all visa applicants and their adult dependents among the reforms being considered. Migrants will also have to wait 10 years to apply to settle in the UK, instead of automatically gaining settled…
