Injured British man saved by off-duty medical students after jumping from clifftop in outback Australia

A 25-year-old British man who ignored safety warnings and leapt into a natural pool from a 100-foot clifftop in outback Australia suffered multiple injuries but was rescued by a group of medical students who happened to be passing by. Josh Jones, from Yorkshire, had reportedly drunk “about 10 beers” when he decided to jump from…

Disney fires Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn after old paedophilia jokes found on Twitter

Click:platform satellite The Hollywood director behind the blockbuster Guardians of the Galaxy films has been fired by Disney after it emerged he joked about paedophilia and rape on Twitter. James Gunn apologised for the tweets, posted between 2008 and 2011, saying he had "developed as a person". In one of the now deleted tweets he…

Russian spy offered sex for access and was praised for ‘upstaging Anna Chapman’, US prosecutors claim

A flame-haired female Russian student was a Kremlin spy who offered sex as she sought to make influential connections in the US political system, a court heard. Maria Butina, 29, took part in a "years-long conspiracy" to secretly advance the interests of the Russian government in America, it was alleged. Butina appeared in court in…

Polish ‘trash mafia’ paid millions to accept Britain’s plastic waste – but how much ends up in flames?

When the fire took hold of the rubbish dump in an industrial area outside Warsaw, the column of dense, black smoke was visible from more than 30 miles away. Firefighters from the town of Zgierz, 80 miles southwest of the Polish capital, fought the blaze for hours as tons of soot and toxins were sent…

Sir Elton John blasts Russia over its treatment of gay people

Sir Elton John has sharply criticised Russia and other eastern European governments for their treatment of gay people, warning that stigma and discrimination are contributing to a fast-growing Aids epidemic in the region. Sir Elton, who was speaking at the International Aids Conference in Amsterdam, has long been a champion of people with HIV/Aids through his foundation. He…

Egyptian archaeologists prepare to open huge mystery sarcophagus unearthed in Alexandria

Egyptian archaeologists are preparing to open a huge black sarcophagus unearthed in Alexandria, the city founded by Alexander the Great and where the legendary conqueror himself may be buried.  The almost three-metre long by two-metre high sarcophagus was discovered in a long-concealed tomb below the earth during a survey of a plot of land for…

Chinese premier calls for severe punishment amid growing anger over vaccine scandal

Li Keqiang, the Chinese Premier, has called for an immediate investigation into a scandal over faulty vaccines that he said had crossed a moral line, and urged severe punishment for the companies and people implicated. The scandal erupted a week ago, after major vaccine maker Changsheng Biotechnology Co was found to have violated standards in making…

Donald Trump says American Football stars who protest anthem should be suspended for season

President Donald Trump said on Friday that National Football League (NFL) players who do not stand for the national anthem should be suspended for the season without pay. The comments come a day after the NFL and the union representing its players said they were working on a resolution to the league’s national anthem policy….

British opera director criticised by Italy’s Right-wing over ‘anti-racist’ version of The Magic Flute

A British opera director has been lambasted by Italian MPs after staging an "anti-racist" performance of Mozart’s The Magic Flute featuring a bulldozer poised to raze a migrant tent camp. Graham Vick, of Birmingham Opera Company and a former director of Glyndebourne, revised the original plot in an experimental production at the Macerata opera festival….

Angry ‘Trump baby’ blimp to fly in London during president’s UK visit

A giant balloon depicting Donald Trump as an angry, orange baby will fly near Parliament during the US president’s controversial visit to the UK. Permission for the 20ft (6m) high inflatable, dubbed "Trump Baby", to rise above Parliament Square Gardens for two hours on the morning of Friday July 13 has been granted to protesters by the Greater London…