The Prime Minister of Ireland has said he is glad that Catholic church is less dominant in public life ahead of a Papal visit this weekend. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar also said he hoped Pope Francis would address the victims of abuse suffered in church institutions. "I think in the past the Catholic Church had too…
The Duke of Cambridge will today launch a financial task force to disrupt international money flows linked to the illegal wildlife trade as part of a British-led diplomatic effort to end the global poaching crisis. More than 30 international banks and financial institutions will pledge to train staff to identify and share intelligence on suspicious…
Heroes aren’t born, forged, plucked from obscure, charming villages or raised from centuries of slumber in Darkest Dungeon – they are broken in. Or at least, broken. Out on Switch today, Red Hook’s festering roguelike sees you battling to reclaim a cliffside manor from the cosmic terrors unleashed by your dead, yet mysteriously talkative Ancestor,…
A volcano has erupted on the same central Indonesian island hit by a devastating earthquake and tsunami five days ago. Mount Soputan, in North Sulawesi province, began spewing ash 6,000 metres (19,600 feet) into the sky on Wednesday morning. Authorities warned about the risk to planes from volcanic ash in the air. A huge aid operation is…
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards yesterday vowed “deadly and unforgettable” vengeance for the mass shooting at a military parade as Iran’s president blamed US-backed insurgents for killing 25 people in a hail of bullets. President Hassan Rouhani accused the US of inciting an unnamed ally in the Persian Gulf to carry out the attack, which saw four…
One of the most enigmatic mysteries in art history appears to have finally been laid bare. The identity of the model who posed for the most scandalous painting of the 19th century, Gustave Courbet’s L’Origine du monde (The Origin of the world), has been revealed 152 years after it was painted. Experts insist they are…
Some of the world’s biggest employers are being urged to provide free eye tests to their staff to boost productivity and save lives. To mark World Sight Day, the Clearly campaign is calling on over 100 of the world’s largest private sector employers, including McDonald’s, Unilever and Coca Cola, which employ millions of people globally, to help…
A Chinese citizen was arrested in Chicago for allegedly acting as an “illegal agent” on behalf of Beijing, adding further strain between the US and China. Ji Chaoqun, 27, has been charged by the US Department of Justice for violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) after allegedly providing information about American defence contractor employees…
France’s increasingly unpopular president, Emmanuel Macron, has suffered a further blow after an MP quit his party, saying she felt as if she was “on the Titanic”. Frédérique Dumas resigned from Mr Macron’s centrist Republic on the Move party because she said the government had “forgotten the fundamental principles of Macronism”. She added: “Some decisions…
The Senate Judiciary Committee chairman has said there is “no hint of misconduct” by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh in a confidential FBI report. Donald Trump’s choice for America’s highest court is facing allegations that he sexually assaulted Prof Christine Blasey Ford at a house party when they were teenagers. Testifying before the judiciary committee…