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Blame game as Brussels builds ‘Europe’s largest frying pan’ instead of shady square

Architect’s vision for redevelopment of heart of EU quarter unrealised amid political wrangling and rising costs The redevelopment plan for Schuman Square at the heart of the EU quarter in Brussels was very ambitious. From a traffic-clogged, nondescript roundabout, it would become “an urban agora”, a greener, calmer meeting place, nothing less, said a former head of the Brussels government, than “a symbol that beats as the heart … of the European project”. It did not turn out that way. The result, say critics, is Europe’s largest frying pan, a concrete expanse with little greenery or shade. While the number cars has reduced and the space is remodelled with smart grey paving, the centrepiece – a steel canopy with a green roof – was never built. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/yFobTLY via IFTTT
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Thailand school shooting toll rises to nine after 12-year-old dies, police say

Teenage girl treated in hospital after Friday’s school shooting has died, police say The death toll from a school shooting in Thailand rose to nine on Saturday, after police said a 12-year-old girl caught up in Friday’s incident had died. Police at the Plai Bang Police Station in Nonthaburi Province said the girl, who had been treated at hospital with critical wounds, had died, a day after a 14-year-old boy allegedly shot his grandparents and then killed more people at his school before turning the gun on ⁠himself. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/XraBej6 via IFTTT

Breakfast of champions: Australia’s best porridge makers cause a stir at inaugural national competition

On Saturday, a sold-out crowd cheered on as 15 contestants battled it out to claim the championship spurtle – with a pinch of Celtic salt the deciding factor Oatmeal sloshes out of pots and into stovetop flames as contestants frantically fumble with their finishing touches. The timer is ticking down but spectators clap and cheer, their whoops ringing through the rafters of Pearl Beach memorial community hall before a voice cuts through the chaos: “please make way for the porridge carriers”. The five cooks step back, glance at each other’s mess, and hope they’ve done enough. Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/XvHJMIc via IFTTT

Tate brothers’ lawyers urge ⁠US judge to release the two from Miami jail on bail

Andrew and Tristan Tate remain in jail as they fight extradition to UK to face charges of rape, assault and more Lawyers for Andrew and Tristan Tate urged a ⁠US judge on Friday ⁠ to release the ​brothers from a Miami jail as they fight the British government’s efforts to extradite them to face charges of rape, assault and facilitating trafficking for ⁠sexual exploitation. In a filing in Miami federal court, the Tate brothers’ lawyers said their “extraordinary public visibility” would make it impractical for them to try to flee, meaning there was ⁠no need to keep them behind bars until the extradition proceedings end. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3ZmwfrS via IFTTT

Remains of 56 people found decomposing at Chicago funeral home

Officials describe ‘deplorable conditions’ at home run by pair linked to crematory closed due to mishandled remains The remains of 56 people were found improperly stored and decomposing on Thursday at a Chicago funeral home run by a couple who previously operated a crematory that was similarly shut down because of mishandled remains, authorities said. Illinois state officials, meanwhile, suspended the license of one of the funeral home’s directors, alleging bodies were being kept in an unrefrigerated area in “deplorable conditions”. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/VblqZXJ via IFTTT

Argentina’s government posts ICE-style video of immigration operation

Social media video shows 60-year-old woman being led away in handcuffs, but she was released minutes later The Argentinian government posted a video on social media showing a 60-year-old woman being led away in handcuffs by two federal police officers during an immigration operation in Buenos Aires. The woman’s face is shown unblurred in the video, which has nearly 1m views and depicts one of hundreds of such operations carried out by the administration of the far-right president, Javier Milei, directly inspired by Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in the US. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/gIvdeiy via IFTTT

Covent Garden victims stabbed in the back with pair of scissors, court hears

Stella Gollovena, 47, has been charged with four counts of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm A woman has appeared in court accused of stabbing four men in the back with a pair of scissors in one of London’s busiest tourist districts. Stella Gollovena, 47, is accused of attacking Patrick De Barr, Thomas Harding, Adrian Lovett and Mantas Jankus during the attack in Covent Garden on Wednesday lunchtime. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/WChoKBP via IFTTT

Typhoon Dim-sum: how Hong Kong put a tasty snack on the storm map

A new name has been added to the list of future tropical cyclones for the Asia-Pacific region, including one with a culinary twist A “Typhoon Dim-sum” could one day be on the horizon after the name was added to the Asia-Pacific region’s official list of tropical cyclone names this week. It features among nine names to be added to the list of future tropical cyclones, with each name contributed by a country. The names of tropical storms are generally recycled, replacing those which have caused serious casualties and economic loss. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/RI5fPoC via IFTTT

Exiled PM vows to return to Bangladesh despite execution threat

Sheikh Hasina plans a December comeback two years after being ousted in a bloody uprising led by students Bangladesh’s ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina has vowed to return home by the end of the year, even though she faces a death sentence. “They may put me in a cell. They may kill me. Anything may happen, but still I have to go,” said Hasina, two years after a student-led uprising toppled her government. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/UuMfJtP via IFTTT

Plushies, Labubu dolls and Pokémon collectibles: claw machine craze sweeps Hong Kong

Claw machine shops have proliferated in the territory in recent years, filling vacant spaces left behind by businesses that closed during the pandemic In Hong Kong’s neon-lit arcades, a maze of claw machines illuminates the prizes of the day: plushies, Labubu dolls and an array of Pokémon collectibles. Across the city, claw machine shops have proliferated in recent years, now surpassing more than 2,500, many filling vacant spaces left by businesses that closed during the pandemic. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/s36urPW via IFTTT

Thar she blows! Hull Maritime Museum resurfaces with a walk-in whale and a ‘monkey mermaid’

The £20m reboot shows off exhibits ranging from a giant whale skeleton to tiny ‘scrimshaws’ of carved bone to a very strange mermaid, all telling a gripping tale of a great seafaring city The star attraction of Hull’s revamped and revitalised Maritime Museum is a colossal 40ft-long skeleton of an North Atlantic right whale, beached more than a century ago. The remains of this leviathan dominate an exhibition space scarcely large enough to contain its stupendous bulk. Children can crawl into its ribcage, like junior Jonahs, popping up in a clear plastic dome as digital images of swimming whales slowly unspool across the ceiling. Docile, leisurely and extremely blubbery – which meant that harpooned carcasses conveniently floated, as well as yielding copious quantities of valuable oil – the North Atlantic right whale was hunted almost to extinction during the whaling era. Today, it’s estimated that there are fewer than 400 left. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/LN6G...

Big Chicken: A Fast Food Conspiracy review – Mo Gilligan ruffles feathers in battle against ultra-processed foods

The ultra-likable comedian decides to go on a chicken shop diet for 28 days, but like a gen-Z Super Size Me uncovers some dark truths behind this billion-dollar industry ‘I think you’re going to die,” says a teenager bluntly to comedian Mo Gilligan when he tells her about his plan to eat only from chicken shops for one month. Spoiler: he lives. But after 84 fried chicken meals, Gilligan is heavier, unhealthier and starting to feel depressed. In this funny, slick and accessible Netflix documentary he takes on “Big Chicken”, the industrialised poultry farming industry. Flavouring doc-journalism with his brand of ultra-likable humour, he’s gen Z’s answer to Michael Moore or Morgan Spurlock (who pulled a similar trick 20 years ago, eating nothing but McDonald’s for one month in his 2004 documentary Super Size Me). At the start of the film, there is no guilt in Gilligan’s pleasure walking into a chicken shop (“Bring on the wings!”). Growing up in a low-income household in London, a bucket o...

Beast of Reincarnation review – a taxing reflection of human-made damage

PC, Xbox, PlayStation 5; Game Freak/Fictions Game Freak channels a post-apocalyptic reality that reflects our own repetitive erosion cycles, with a fair bit of hand-holding Most of your time in Beast of Reincarnation is spent collecting last words. You cross paths with robots lying on the ground, who muster whatever energy they have left to provide guidance. These interactions are fleeting. Attempt to talk to them a second time, and protagonist Emma makes their fates painfully clear: “They’ve already passed on.” The latest detour by Game Freak, the studio best known as the primary developer of Pokémon games, is an action RPG set in a post-apocalyptic Japan. Taking cues from Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Final Fantasy VII Remake, and NieR: Automata, you wield the sword of an outcast accompanied by an ever-loyal canine. The pair embark on a taxing and often monotonous journey to defeat the titular beast, which nonetheless serves a thematic purpose to bolster a decaying reality, while reflec...

NHS radiographers report rise in overt racist abuse by patients

Survey reveals medics were called ‘monkeys’ and ‘dirty foreigners’, and patients refused to be seen by black or Asian staff NHS radiographers are experiencing racist abuse by patients, who have called them “monkeys” and refused to be seen by black and Asian staff, according to a report. A survey of 381 members of the Society of Radiographers revealed a “noticeable” rise in instances of overt racism experienced and witnessed by radiographers across the health service over the past 18 months. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/fpx2SWl via IFTTT

Spider-Man: Brand New Day makes debut to $927m box office to land second biggest opening weekend in history

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige hails ‘phenomenal’ opening, which followed box office already buoyed by The Odyssey and Toy Story 5 Spider-Man: Brand New ⁠Day brought in a blockbuster $927m ⁠in worldwide ticket sales to deliver the second most lucrative opening weekend of all time both domestically and globally. The movie, which marks actor Tom Holland’s fourth ⁠outing as the web-slinging superhero, depicts Peter Parker fighting crime in a world that has forgotten he is Spider-Man. Zendaya, who is married to Holland, co-stars as MJ, the love of Parker’s life. The film explores Parker’s struggles ⁠with loneliness and his pursuit of human connection. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Ot1WucP via IFTTT

Ariana Grande to take ‘a step back’ from public life due to ‘endless, ongoing scrutiny’

Singer was due to reunite with Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey in London production of Sunday in the Park With George Ariana Grande has announced plans to take a break from public-facing work after her tour ends due to “endless, ongoing public scrutiny”. She is pulling out of the upcoming London revival of Sunday in the Park With George. The pop singer was due to appear opposite her Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey in a new production of Stephen Sondheim’s critically acclaimed musical at the Barbican in 2027. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/o9QWiGI via IFTTT

Artists, writers and scientists urge UK government to save Jodrell Bank Observatory

New Order and Simon Armitage among more than 100 signatories to criticise ‘foolish and shortsighted’ cuts More than 100 artists, writers and scientists have called for the UK government to save the “world’s clearest eyes on the sky”, after funding for thenetwork of radio telescopes at Jodrell Bank Observatory was slashed. New Order, the Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield and the poet laureate, Simon Armitage, are among those calling on the new prime minister, Andy Burnham, to save the deep space observatory which includes the Grade I-listed Lovell telescope, prized by astronomers who study galaxies, star formation and planets beyond the solar system. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/jIcBEv6 via IFTTT

Shooting at In-N-Out Burger restaurant in Idaho leaves multiple people dead, police say

Police chief says the shooter is among the dead in ‘very chaotic scene’ near busy shopping area in Twin Falls A shooting at an In-N-Out Burger restaurant in southern Idaho on Saturday afternoon left multiple people dead and others injured, police said. The shooter was among the dead, Twin Falls police chief Matthew Hicks said in a news conference. Police were still trying to determine the shooter’s identity and motive. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/67e40uE via IFTTT

Moscow restaurant bombing kills three people as device carried by woman explodes

More than 20 people injured in explosion near Italian restaurant on Saturday night, authorities say A homemade bomb carried by a woman killed three people and injured at least 21 in ⁠an explosion near a restaurant in central Moscow on Saturday evening, authorities said. The explosion occurred just before 8pm close to an Italian restaurant located in one of Moscow’s seven Stalin-era skyscrapers at Kudrinskaya ​Square, the police said. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/lB6A1ht via IFTTT

Sopranos actor Vincent Pastore, known for playing mobsters and tough guys, dies aged 80

Veteran actor best-known for playing Salvatore ‘Big Pussy’ Bonpensiero, friend of Tony Soprano who becomes FBI informant Vincent Pastore, a veteran actor who played mobsters and tough guys, and was best-known for playing Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero on The Sopranos, has died. He was 80. Bob McGowan, who had managed Pastore since his run on The Sopranos, told the Associated Press that he learned of his death Saturday from another client and actor on the show, Vincent Curatola. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/PGNjWCH via IFTTT

Justice department moves to dismiss its charges against Olympian over reflecting pool

Lawyers now say damage to pool liner attributed to David Hearn instead is result of installation by contractor The justice department has moved to dismiss a criminal case charging former Olympian David Hearn with deliberately damaging the Lincoln Memorial‘ reflecting pool, instead blaming damage to the pool liner as “the result of flawed installation by the contractor”. Government lawyers said in a 20-page court filing in DC superior court on Friday evening that they had received information about a “rush to complete the project prior to events associated with the America 250 celebration in the weeks surrounding Independence Day 2026”. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/grFATYK via IFTTT

Charley Hull doubles down on caddie prank after strong start to Women’s Open

English player’s actions called ‘extremely cruel’ Ryu Hae-ran leads on seven-under at halfway mark News that Charley Hull had slept for only three hours before her second round at the Women’s Open fuelled an obvious conclusion. With noisy fallout continuing from the 30-year-old’s prank on her caddie , it was assumed to be affecting her off the course. Not so, as it transpired. In typically emphatic style, Hull urged those who cannot accept criticism to “grow a pair of balls” after signing for a resilient 71 at Royal Lytham & St Annes. After Hull tricked her bag man Adam Woodward into believing he had won £100,000 from a fake scratchcard, some of the reaction was fierce. Laura Davies, one of the greats of women’s golf, called Hull’s actions “extremely cruel”. After round one at Lytham, Hull told her detractors to “loosen up”. That, too, fuelled castigation of the Englishwoman. Rather than back down, she has doubled down. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/HOdzZw...

‘A car in the bus!’: Toyota becomes airborne and then wedges in side of Brisbane bus

Queensland police fine driver of another car that allegedly caused Yaris to swerve before it hit kerb and catapulted into air – and bus A Queensland driver has been fined after being involved in a stunning crash that saw a car become airborne and then stuck in the side of a bus. The drama unfolded at Rocklea in Brisbane’s south on Wednesday evening. A blue Toyota Yaris hit a traffic island and was catapulted into the air before smashing into the side of the council bus. The back of the car was left protruding from the bus. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/xwROcSV via IFTTT
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