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Tourists line the air-conditioned casino labyrinths amid record temperatures – but many locals are not able to take cover indoorsBy midnight on Wednesday, two days into a scorching heat wave to hit the US west, the air in Las Vegas had barely cooled.Throughout the day and for the days that followed, temperatures in the desert city hovered close to historic highs, peaking at 116...

Thousands expected to turn up to free event on 18 July where chess coaches will offer free lessonsIt has been one of the runaway success stories of the pandemic, fuelled by the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit and an explosion in online play. Now plans to stage Britain’s biggest ever chess festival in Trafalgar Square have been unveiled, with organisers hoping to showcase the...

David, 24, civil servant, meets Alex, 24, PR account executiveWhat were you hoping for?To meet someone new and enjoy a few drinks. Continue reading...

Observers warn established UK media that they write off the new channel and its chief, Angelos Frangopoulos, at their perilIt is probably fair to say that GB News, the UK’s new conservative TV channel, has launched to a somewhat mixed reception.The Telegraph derided the content as “unutterably awful; boring, repetitive and cheapskate”. Others criticised its claims of being “anti-woke” and unbiased as simply bias...

Newspaper staff gather outside court ahead of appearance of editor-in-chief Ryan Law and chief executive Cheung Kim-hung Two executives from Hong Kong’s pro-democracy Apple Daily have appeared in court, charged with collusion after authorities deployed a sweeping national security law to target the newspaper critical of Beijing.Editor-in-chief Ryan Law and chief executive Cheung Kim-hung are accused of colluding with foreign forces to undermine China’s...

Acting prime minister says ‘if other people have agendas that is a matter for them’ as speculation Barnaby Joyce is lining up for top jobAs leadership speculation erupts once again in his party, the Nationals leader Michael McCormack says he is going about his business in an orderly fashion “but if other people have agendas, that’s a matter for them”.The junior Coalition partner has...

Victoria also recorded one new case on Friday as its acting premier criticised the slow vaccine rollout Sydney’s eastern suburbs cluster growsNSW Covid hotspots and map; Victoria exposure sitesAstraZeneca now only recommended for Australians aged 60 and overFace masks will be mandatory on public transport in Sydney for at least five days, as New South Wales scrambles to prevent the eastern suburbs cluster from...

An art expert believes the paintings are by Dutch artist Samuel van Hoogstraten and Italian Pietro BellottiGerman police have appealed for information from the public after two 17th century paintings were discovered in a skip at a highway rest stop.Police said a 64-year-old man found the oil paintings at the rest stop near Ohrenbach in central Germany last month. He later handed them in...

Arrests made as police dealt with football crowds in Leicester Square and around Wembley after scoreless draw on Friday night More than two dozen people have been arrested as police dealt with football fans when England took on Scotland in a much-anticipated Euros match.Crowds thronged into Leicester Square in central London after the scoreless draw at Wembley on Friday night. Continue reading...

Coalition says despite going to the World Trade Organization it ‘remains open to engaging directly with Beijing to resolve the issue’Australia is lodging a formal complaint with the World Trade Organization over China imposing anti-dumping duties on Australian wine exports, the federal government announced on Saturday.The decision follows “extensive consultation with Australia’s winemakers”, it said, adding: “Australia remains open to engaging directly with China...

On Friday, Biden was asked for his response to the US Conference of Bishops taking steps toward rebuking Catholic politicians who receive communion and support abortion rights. 'I don't think that's going to happen,' the president said of the suggestion politicians may be blocked from receiving communion.'That's a private matter,' he said before leaving the briefing. The president took a couple questions from reporters...

England had the points on the board, they had the star quality and the theory was that they would drive home their favouritism, making a statement en route to the last 16 of this European Championship. So much for theories. Instead, it turned into a night of frustration, when the flaws in Gareth Southgate’s attacking gameplan were etched across Wembley and Scotland revelled in...

Pursuit of ‘normal birth’ has sometimes compromised the safety of mothers and babies, with consequences for maternity careWhen I was a medical student and junior doctor, the terms most commonly used to describe a vaginal birth without the use of instruments such as forceps or vacuum extractor were SVB (spontaneous vaginal birth) or SVD (spontaneous vertex delivery – the vertex is the top of...

Understanding the connection between humans, animals and the environment is key to planning for future pandemics, experts warnIn late 2019, Kirby Institute virologist Prof Stuart Turville was looking for another job.“The funding rates were too low to survive,” he says. Continue reading...

One firm’s attempt to regain control of illegal cultivation shows Wellington’s lack of leverage over its largest trade partnerIt is the story of a global superpower, a smuggling operation, pestilence and a small hairy fruit.Ubiquitous on supermarket shelves and in lunchboxes, the humble kiwi is New Zealand’s most valuable horticultural export. Recent battles for control of the fruit, however, have shone a light on...

Former vice-president heckled at conference in FloridaPence makes only passing reference to deadly Capitol attackMike Pence, the former US vice-president, has been heckled as a “traitor” for his refusal to overturn last year’s election result during a speech to a gathering of religious conservatives.Pence, who is widely seen as laying the groundwork for a White House run in 2024, had entered an auditorium in...

Course in Nova Scotia asked racist questions about residential schools, which forced the assimilation of Indigenous childrenA series of racist questions in a high school English course sparked outrage among parents and students and highlighted persistent shortcomings in how Canada teaches the grim legacy of colonialism and its impact on Indigenous peoples.Students taking a grade 10 correspondence course in the province of Nova Scotia...

The couple, from the eastern city of Kharkiv, decided to handcuff themselves together on Valentine’s Day in a last-ditch attempt to break the cycle of breaking up and making up.After 123 days handcuffed together to save their on-again, off-again relationship, Ukrainians Alexandr Kudlay and Viktoria Pustovitova shed their bonds on national TV, saying the experiment had brought home uncomfortable truthsUkraine’s inseparable couple ditch handcuffs...