Author: damazah@gmail.com

A mother’s gift to her daughter. A toddler’s favorite pacifier. The glasses he wore every day. His wedding ring,kept in a box with hers. For months after a devastating fire tore through seven Hong Kong apartment towers last year, the complex was sealed off to residents.This spring, residents were allowed to return to the ruins of the complex, Wang Fuk Court. Some homes were eerily frozen in time, with bowls still filled with food. In other apartments, residents sifted through the ashes with mesh baskets searching for anything that survived.The fire killed 168 people, most likely because of unscrupulous contractors…

‘A journalistic James Bond’: mourners continue tributes at Derryn Hinch’s state funeralDerryn Hinch’s longtime friend and colleague Darren James led mourners through a state funeral for the former broadcaster and senator on Monday. James said: double quotation markHe was a journalist, a newspaper reporter, a TV presenter, a godfather, an author, a senator and, a prisoner … he did it all. Some people pass through life without leaving a ripple, he created tsunamis. His ex-wife and friend, actor Jacki Weaver, sent a video tribute from America describing Hinch as a wonderful stepfather and companion. She also referenced Hinch’s reputation as…

Andy Burnham speaks after being confirmed as the Labour Party’s new leader and the country’s next prime minister, during ‘Labour’s Special Conference’ in central London on July 17, 2026. Henry Nicholls | Afp | Getty ImagesHello, this is Leonie Kidd coming to you from London. Football may not have come home this time, but Britain’s new Prime Minister Andy Burnham does have a new home. Read on!What you need to know todayToday, Andy Burnham will enter Downing Street as the British Prime Minister.He is expected to announce a raft of policy changes, from devolution from London to an overhaul of…

Zdravo, Victoria from Techpoint here, Here’s what I’ve got for you today: Kenya restores president’s website after hack How fertility struggles led to a health startup Tinubu signs virtual assets executive order Kenya restores president’s website after hack Kenya’s president official website hacked |Credit: ChatGPT Just hours after hackers took over Kenya President William Ruto’s official website with a Bitcoin ransom demand and anti-government messages, the government says it has regained control of the platform. On Saturday, July 18, 2026, Kenya’s ICT Ministry confirmed that the website had suffered a cybersecurity incident but insisted there was no evidence that sensitive…

Andy Burnham has pledged to undertake a summer tour across the UK during the early weeks of his premiership.

We visit Langford Lakes nature reserve in Wiltshire, home to the River Wylye chalk stream.

Marc Cucurella hailed Spain’s “incredible” defence after they won their second World Cup on Sunday with a 1-0 victory against Argentina. Substitute Ferran Torres scored in the second period of extra-time as Spain finally broke down 10-man Argentina at the MetLife Stadium. Coach Luis de la Fuente’s team conceded just one goal in their eight games at the 2026 tournament — the fewest by any side in a World Cup-winning campaign. Belgium were the only team to breach their defence, in the quarter-finals in Los Angeles. “When you don’t concede, I think it’s much easier to win,” said Cucurella, who…

Pick of the weekBuried: Dead RabbitMangled pheasants, mutilated foxes, weeping kids: the third series of the multi-award-winning show about environmental crime opens with a huge pile of murdered animals outside a primary school. The investigation leads to revelations about the world of illegal bloodsports and rural organised crime. It even recruits Chris Packham. “It’s low-level terrorism, isn’t it?” he exclaims at one point – and it’s hard not to agree. An essential listen. Alexi DugginsBBC Sounds, all episodes availableMystic MatesSecretly curious about tarot cards, crystals, astrology, reading tea leaves and the spiritual world? For actor mates Helen George and Yvette…

France captain and Real Madrid forward, Kylian Mbappé, has become the FIFA World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer after finishing the 2026 tournament with 22 goals. The updated all-time scoring chart, released by FIFA after the conclusion of the 2026 World Cup in the United States on Sunday, places Mbappe ahead of Argentina captain Lionel Messi, who retired from the tournament with 21 goals. Mbappé reached the milestone in just 22 World Cup appearances, while Messi scored his 21 goals across a record 34 matches spanning six editions of the tournament. Former Germany striker Miroslav Klose, who had held the outright…

A collection of poems, some scribbled on slips of paper between food deliveries, has won Wang Jibing one of China’s top literary honours.Low Flight, inspired by the everyday challenges delivery riders face, has bagged the Lu Xun Literary Prize – named after a writer who has been referred to as the father of modern Chinese literature. Wang, 56, who became a delivery rider around 2019, gained traction on social media for his poems and essays.He is part of a growing group of blue-collar workers who are being celebrated for their literary works, which offer a glimpse into the pressures that…