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Darius Campbell Danesh: Pop Idol and West End star dies aged 41

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Darius Campbell Danesh, a singer and actor who gained popularity on the ITV talent series Popstars and Pop Idol two decades ago, has passed away at age 41.

In 2002, the Scot finished third on Pop Idol behind Gareth Gates and Will Young. Later that year, he debuted at number one in the UK with Colorblind, while his album Dive In peaked at number ten.

He went on to become a West End sensation after his chart-topping performance, making appearances in shows like Chicago and the Olivier Award-winning Guys and Dolls.

He was found dead in his US apartment room, his family announced on Tuesday.

“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Darius Campbell Danesh,” they said in a statement. “Darius was found unresponsive in bed in his apartment room in Rochester, Minnesota, on August 11 and was pronounced dead in the afternoon by the local medical examiners’ office.

There were no indications of malice or strange circumstances, according to the local police department. His unexpected death has no known cause at this time, however investigations into his health are ongoing.

“Please accept our request for privacy at this time as we process the devastating death of our son and brother,” the request reads.

Campbell, who studied English literature and philosophy at the University of Edinburgh, was born in Glasgow in 1980 to a Scottish mother and an Iranian father.

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Cats in  German town will be released from a special lockdown

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When the authorities release a particular lockdown in one German town, cat owners will be able to let their cats out for the first time in three months. To safeguard an endangered bird, residents of Walldorf in the southwest were instructed to confine their cats inside in May.

Cats were only permitted to go outside if a leash no more than two metres (six feet) in length was used to control them. But starting at 00:01 local time on Monday, the animals will once more be free to wander. Owners were instructed to phone a special hotline, locate, and imprison the offending cat if one escaped while the lockdown was in effect.

Any violation would incur a fine. An owner who caused harm to or death to one of the protected birds was subject to a fine of up to €50,000 (£42,000). Because the crested lark is an endangered species in the German state of Baden-Württemberg and throughout the country, authorities have been working to safeguard the local population.

Only three breeding pairs were said to be left in Walldorf proper. While underlining their support for measures to protect the larks, activists criticised the limits, claiming they would be detrimental to the wellbeing of the cats.

According to Britain’s Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, many millions of birds die naturally each year, and there is no proof that cat assaults in gardens are to blame for the population drop (RSPB).

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Oder river: Mystery surrounds thousands of fish deaths

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Officials from Poland and Germany are attempting to determine what is causing a large-scale fish die-off in the Oder river, which divides the two nations. Since late last month, hundreds of kilometres of the river have been covered in thousands of dead fish.

Although tests have been conducted, it is believed that a harmful substance entered the water. However, the precise chemical is yet unclear. The German government has issued warnings about an impending environmental catastrophe and has advised people to stay away from the river.

However, activists have accused the government of both nations of neglecting to cooperate in order to promptly respond to the tragedy and protect people. Mateusz Morawiecki, the prime minister of Poland, fired two environmental officials on Friday for how they handled the situation.

German Environment Minister Steffi Lemke demanded a thorough inquiry into the incident and stated that investigators were working “full out” to determine its cause. Following the first complaints of a problem from Polish fishermen and anglers as early as July 28, tonnes of dead fish are alleged to have been pulled from the river.

According to the news agency AFP, the Oder is a river that is typically regarded as clean and serves as a habitat for 40 domestic fish species. However, a representative of the Brandenburg state in eastern Germany claimed test findings indicated elevated oxygen levels in the water, suggesting the presence of an alien material.

According to Katarzyna Kojzar, a journalist for the Polish investigative website OKO.press, beavers, birds, and ducks have also been impacted.

However, a heatwave and record low water levels on the Oder meant that fish were already in trouble, according to Christian Wolter of the Leibniz Institute.

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Medusa festival: One killed as strong winds cause stage collapse in Spain

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Early on Saturday, heavy winds at a festival in Spain caused pieces of a stage to fall, leaving one man dead and at least 40 others hurt.Video of the festival in Cullera, south of Valencia, showed some attendees scurrying away in fear while others could be seen carrying on with their revelry.

Later, the well-known electronic music festival Medusa was cancelled. According to local media, the deceased man was in his 20s. Three of the victims experienced severe trauma. Witnesses described an unexpected sandstorm that hit the festival site. In the country’s eastern coastal region at the time, winds gusting over 80km/h (50mph) were reported by Spain’s meteorological agency.

One of the attendees informed Spanish media that they were “in a state of disbelief.” “Anyone could have done it, including myself,”

The event’s organisers posted a statement on Facebook in which they expressed their “devastation and sadness” at what had occurred.

They said “severe strong winds” damaged the venue’s infrastructure at around 4:00 local time (02:00 GMT), and the decision to evacuate the area was made right away.

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Suspected bank robber rescued from tunnel near Vatican

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Police believe an Italian guy who was pulled from a collapsed tunnel not far from the Vatican may have been trying to tunnel his way into a bank. After firefighters spent eight hours pulling him out from beneath a road, he is now recovering in a hospital.

However, given that he and another man were both taken into custody by police for “resisting a public authority,” he may now need to bail himself out of even more trouble. He might have been a member of a gang trying to rob a bank, according to police speculation.

A police spokesman told the AFP news agency, “We are still investigating; we do not exclude that they are thieves, it is one of the ideas.

The two were also held for causing damage to public property. According to local media, the reason is obvious because the tunnel was discovered close to a bank just before the long weekend on August 15, when the majority of the city is empty.

The Corriere della Sera daily’s headline read, “The whole gang.”

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France firefighters battle ‘monster’ wildfire near Bordeaux

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Almost 7,000 hectares (17,300 acres) of woodland have already been burnt by a “monster” wildfire in southwest France, according to officials. A number of homes have been destroyed by the raging fire nearby Bordeaux, which has also compelled 10,000 locals to escape.

Gregory Allione, a firefighter spokesperson, told France’s RTL Radio that “it’s an ogre, it’s a monster.” The firefighting effort is being hampered by strong winds and hot heat. Austria, Germany, Greece, Poland, and Romania, according to President Emmanuel Macron, “are coming to aid” France in putting out the fire. He tweeted, “European solidarity at work!”

Several other European nations, including France, have experienced a wave of catastrophic wildfires this summer as a result of the continent-wide drought and high heat. In Portugal and Spain, the heat has been blamed for more than 1,000 fatalities.

With temperatures expected to reach 37C (99F) in some regions over the next four days, the UK has now issued an amber extreme heat warning. The officials warn that the heatwave would likely have an impact on transportation, working conditions, and health. About 30 kilometres (19 miles) south-east of Bordeaux, in the Gironde region of France, a sizable wildfire has been burning for the past two days close to the community of Landiras.

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Domino’s: the fast food juggernaut departs from Italy, the birthplace of pizza

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According to sources, Domino’s Pizza’s final locations in Italy have been shut down as a result of the bankruptcy of the company that ran its locations there. According to Bloomberg, who broke the news, the pandemic affected franchise owner ePizza SpA.

Since its arrival in the pizza capital in 2015, Domino’s had had trouble attracting customers. Some social media users rejoiced at the news of the fast food giant’s departure from the nation. After being adversely affected by coronavirus restrictions, EPizza SpA initially declared bankruptcy in the beginning of April.

“The Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent and prolonged restrictions from a financial point of view have seriously damaged ePizza,” the company said.

The business also said that as more conventional eateries began utilising delivery apps, competition was growing. The company received 90 days of creditor protection as part of the bankruptcy process. However, that defence expired last month.

Since its peak in 2020, the Italian company has already begun to reduce its operations, and deliveries ceased at the end of July. According to the bankruptcy records, as of 2020, the company operated 23 stores in Italy directly and six more through sub-franchising.

With more than 1,200 locations, the UK and Ireland is by far the largest Domino’s market in Europe. The largest pizza company in the world has more than 18,300 locations throughout more than 90 different countries, the majority of which are franchisee-run.

Domino’s set out to differentiate itself from the country’s traditional pizza producers seven years ago by offering a thorough home delivery service and a distinctive menu that featured US-style toppings like pineapple. Nevertheless, it encountered escalating competition during the epidemic as neighbourhood eateries joined services like Deliveroo and Just Eat for meal delivery.

Some social media users applauded the news that Domino’s was abandoning the birthplace of pizza.

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Russia using Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant as army base – Ukraine

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According to the CEO of Ukraine’s nuclear power corporation, Russian forces occupying the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station have turned the facility into a military base from which to assault Ukrainian positions.

The plant was under “huge” threat, but it was still safe, Petro Kotin told the BBC. Russia and Ukraine have been blaming one another for attacks on the station, Europe’s largest nuclear plant, for days now, heightening fears of a serious accident. The complex is still run by Ukrainian experts despite being occupied by Russia since early March.

Over the weekend, Ukraine accused Russian forces of bombing the Soviet-era plant, claiming three radiation monitors were damaged and two personnel were hospitalised with shrapnel wounds.

Enerhoatom’s CEO, Mr. Kotin, made unconfirmed accusations that 500 Russian military were stationed at the factory and had set up rocket launchers nearby.

Because nobody from Ukraine is likely to take action, “They [Russian soldiers] utilise it [the power plant] like a shield against the Ukrainian military,” Mr. Kotin stated.

“Any attack [on] a nuclear plant is a suicidal thing,” declared UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Russia’s actions “nuclear terrorism.”

However, Russia refuted the charges and claimed that the strikes were the work of Ukrainian forces. According to the nation’s defence ministry, the shelling had damaged a high-voltage power cable.

A Washington-based think tank called the Institute for the Study of War claimed last week that Russia was exploiting Western concerns about a nuclear disaster by building the facility, “presumably in an effort to weaken Western will to offer military support” to Ukraine.

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Roger E. Mosley: Magnum P.I. actor dies aged 83 after car crash

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The original Magnum P.I. actor Roger E. Mosley, who starred in all eight seasons, passed away at the age of 83. He played Theodore “T.C.” Calvin, Tom Selleck’s character’s friend and a helicopter pilot.

Last week, Mosley passed away as a result of injuries received in an automobile accident in Lynwood, Los Angeles. His death was verified to the Hollywood Reporter by his daughter Ch-a, who had earlier informed fans about the vehicle accident. We could never grieve such a lovely man, she later remarked on Facebook. Any wailing made in his honour would make him angry. It is time to honour the legacy he has left for all of us.

“I love you daddy. You loved me too. My heart is heavy but I am strong. I will care for mommy, your love of almost 60 years. You raised me well and she is in good hands. Rest easy.”

Tina Andrews, a friend of his, tweeted: “What a nice guy and talented actor who had fantastic parties. R.I.P., Roger. We will miss you and how much we loved you.”

Critics liked Mosley’s portrayal of The Midnight Special musician Huddie Ledbetter in the 1976 film Leadbelly.

Additionally, he made cameos in the movies Sweet, Jesus Preacherman, The Mack, Hit Man, The Greatest, and Darktown Strutters.

However, Mosley’s most well-known part was in Magnum P.I., where he appeared in 158 of the show’s 162 episodes from 1980 to 1988.

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Ukraine war: Four more grain ships leave Ukraine as hopes grow for export stability

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Through a secure maritime route, four more ships transporting grain and sunflower oil have departed Ukrainian ports. Due to Russian blockades, millions of tonnes of grain were delayed in Ukraine, causing shortages and higher food costs outside.

However, the first ship to leave Ukrainian ports since February did so last week. The most recent ships to leave port are headed for Turkey where they will be examined as part of an agreement negotiated with Russia and the UN. They began their journey over the Bosphorus strait on Sunday from the ports of Odessa and Chornomorsk.

Two are then slated to dock in Turkey following the inspections, with the other two sailing to Italy and China.

On Sunday afternoon, a new empty ship made her way to Chornomorsk and is now waiting to be loaded with grain for export.

Russia agreed last month not to attack ships that were in transit, and Ukraine said it would direct ships through mined seas as part of a pact mediated by Turkey and the UN.

If both parties concur, the 120-day agreement may be extended.

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