France: Poll shows Le Pen and Melenchon head for run-off as political divide deepens

Urn with Anita Mui's ashes missing from Lantau monastery as family appeals for help

The urn containing the ashes of late Hong Kong Cantopop star Anita Mui Yim-fong was discovered missing from a monastery three months ago, the singer’s family has revealed, saying police have made “no progress” in their investigation and that the incident has caused “immense distress.” A police spokesman said on Sunday that the force had received a report on July 18 that an item stored in a Lantau monastery was suspected to have gone missing. The case has been classified as a “request for police assistance” and is being investigated by Lantau district crime squad. No arrest has been made so far, the spokesman said. Mui’s family made a public appeal for information on the whereabouts of the ashes in a statement issued on Saturday, Mui’s birthday. The singer, who died in 2003 aged 40, would have been 63. The statement, reposted by one of the singer’s biggest fan groups — the Anita Mui International Fan Club — on its Instagram account, said police had made no progress after a three-month investigation. “This incident has brought immense distress and mental torment to

Saudi airport passenger terminal is struck again, a day after 12 were killed

CAIRO — A projectile struck a passenger terminal at the international airport in Riyadh on Sunday, a day after a missile hit the same terminal and killed 12 people , the Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said. The Houthis claimed responsibility for those attacks and others. Saudi authorities said one person, described as a Pakistani national, was killed, and 11 were injured in the latest attack on the domestic terminal complex at King Khalid International Airport. The airport — struck four times in the past five days — has been closed since Saturday’s missile attack, which was the deadliest in a Gulf Arab nation since the Iran war began. Over 300 other people were wounded, some critically. The sharp escalation in the war's new front threatens to draw in greater U.S. military involvement. President Donald Trump has said he is weighing joining the fight against the Houthis. There was no White House comment Sunday. India’s embassy in Saudi Arabia said one of its citizens died Sunday of injuries sustained in Saturday’s attack, which would bring the t

Global poverty index rises for first time since its 2010 creation

WASHINGTON — A UN global poverty index has risen for the first time since its creation in 2010, bringing the number of people affected to 1.2 billion, the United Nations Development Programme reported Monday. In the 2026 edition of their annual report, the UNDP and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative research center counted 51.5 million more people living in "acute" poverty compared to the previous year. UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo said the increase in poverty should be a "wake-up call for the world." "Behind these figures are 1.2 billion people facing hardships that reinforce one another: hunger, missed schooling and a lack of clean water or electricity. This is unacceptable," he said in a press release. More than half of those in acute poverty were children. However, UNDP said a major factor in the recorded increase was population growth, and new data was only available for 13 of the 108 developing countries covered by the report. While the total number of people in poverty has increased, the report provides a mixed picture. Some 33 nations have halved the perc

Campaigners claim minister attempting to undermine 'Holiday Hunger Bill'

The education minister has warned it would immediately cost his department £20m a year at a time when it is already struggling to balance its budget.

France: Poll shows Le Pen and Melenchon head for run-off as political divide deepens

France: Poll shows Le Pen and Melenchon head for run-off as political divide deepensFrench far-right leader Marine Le Pen and hard-left rival Jean-Luc Mélenchon have strengthened their positions against mainstream opponents, raising the prospect of a highly polarized presidential election...

Fire burns down Paris's oldest covered food market

A fire "completely destroyed" Paris's historic Marché Couvert des Enfants Rouges overnight Monday, authorities said. The cause of the fire that swept through the capital's oldest covered food market remains unknown.

Jantar Mantar de-notified as protest venue, Delhi Police circular says | All you need to know

Delhi Police has de-notified Jantar Mantar as a protest venue, according to a police circular.

Toto Wolff hails Kimi Antonelli despite ‘stress’ over pushing track limits

The 20-year-old could confirm his place as Formula One’s youngest world champion at the next round in Texas in a fortnight.

How the ICE surge in Minnesota could impact the midterms

Operation Metro Surge is still a "fresh wound" in Minnesota, where a sweeping immigration crackdown saw thousands of arrested and two U.S. citizens killed. Minnesotans organized grassroots opposition against the federal officers. Now many of those same people have signed up for training to protect the polls in a Senate race that could be pivotal.

'We can’t deal with it in Canada': Some women turn to Mexico for endometriosis care

While endometriosis affects one in 10 women, Canada’s health care system is doing a “poor” job in providing them care and many women are seeking treatment outside the country.

Amid public anger over housing crisis, Spain's PM takes bold gamble to secure majority

By making housing affordability the centrepiece of his campaign, Pedro Sánchez hopes to unite progressive voters while deflecting attention from other pressing political vulnerabilities.

Critics react to series three of Time starring David Tennant