A rare tornado injured 19 people, two of them severely, in Luxembourg, while 15 soccer players were injured by a lightning strike in southern Germany as unseasonal storms hit northern Europe late Friday.
The tornado in the southwestern Luxembourg communities of Pettingen and Kaerjeng left a path of destruction that made up to 100 homes uninhabitable, local media reported Saturday.
Debris and damaged cars were left strewn around the area, while at least four power poles were destroyed.
"Architects are going to come and survey the damage. Meanwhile, we will coordinate to cover the roofs," Paul Schroeder, director general of Luxembourg's fire and rescue service, told residents, according to Luxembourg French-language newspaper L'Essentiel.
In nearby eastern France the tornado was less severe, but local media there reported that dozens of roofs were destroyed and cars were damaged in the communities of Longwy and Herserange.
Tornadoes are a very rare weather condition in Europe, which is .

Tornado hits Luxembourg injuring 19, damages up to 100 homes

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Australian authorities said Saturday that they are investigating a letter circulated on social media to see whether it was written by disgraced Cardinal George Pell, which would be in violation of prison rules.
Pell, 78, is the highest-ranking Catholic cleric to be found guilty of child sex abuse. Formerly Pope Francis' finance chief and one of his closest advisers, Pell was convicted last December on one charge of sexual penetration of a child and four charges of committing an indecent act with or in the presence of a child.
Authorities are investigating whether the letter, dated August 1 and spread on Twitter, breaches rules forbidding prisoners from posting on social media or using the internet, or asking others to post on their behalf.
The letter was posted on Friday night by a Twitter account called "Cardinal George Pell Supporters."
A spokeswoman from the Department of Justice of Victoria state, where Pell is in prison, said the letter was being investigated.
"(The department) ..

Disgraced Cardinal Pell investigated over letter from jail

Branded as a "terrorist" at a London playground, a 10-year-old British Sikh schoolgirl has hit back with a social media message saying greater "exposure and knowledge" should be promoted about the community to "handle racism".
Munsimar Kaur's video message, posted by her father on Twitter, has attracted over 47,000 views already since it was went live on Thursday.
The video shows the young turbaned girl bravely relate the incident, which took place at Plumstead playground in south-east London earlier in the week.
"On Monday and Tuesday at a park, I was greeted not very nicely by four kids and a mother of a young girl," says Kaur, reading from a notebook in which she has written about her experience.
"On Monday, two boys who looked like 14 to 17 years old and two girls who looked like they were in their late teens  when I asked to play the game they were playing and the queue was a mile long  they said, loud and clear, 'no, you can't play because you are a terrorist'," she ...

British Sikh schoolgirl hits back after being branded 'terrorist'

Fifty-seven people perished in Tanzania on Saturday when a fuel tanker exploded after overturning on a road west of the country's economic capital Dar es Salaam, police said.
The disaster took place near the town of Morogoro, with police saying the blast may have been sparked by a cigarette as people rushed to collect leaking fuel from the stricken truck.
"There was a huge blast which has so far killed at least 57 people," regional police chief Willbrod Mtafungwa told reporters.
Witnesses told AFP by telephone that they saw the charred remains of a number of motorcycle taxis and trees scorched by the power of the explosion.
Mtafungwa said the dead were mainly drivers of the taxis known as "boda-boda" and local residents flocking to the scene for the fuel after the tanker crashed.
Police later announced the blaze had been brought under control.
"The Morogoro region had never experienced a disaster of such magnitude," Morogoro governor Stephen Kebwe told reporters at the scene in the ...

Tanzania fuel tanker blast kills 57

The death toll from a landslide triggered by monsoon rains in eastern Myanmar rose to 34, an official said Saturday, as emergency workers continued to search through mud for scores more feared missing.
"We found 34 dead, and the search for dead bodies is still ongoing," said local administrator Myo Min Tun.
Officials believe that more than 80 people could still be missing.

Myanmar landslide kills 34, scores missing: official

Protesters marched in two Hong Kong neighbourhoods Saturday in defiance of a ban by police who have clashed repeatedly with government critics.
Hong Kong is in its ninth week of demonstrations that began in response to a proposed extradition law but have expanded to include other grievances and demands for more democratic freedoms.
Protesters are calling for the resignation of the territory's leader, Chief Executive Carrie Lam, and an investigation into complaints of abuses by police.
Police refused permission for two rallies Saturday but they went ahead despite that. Reporters saw officers in riot gear on a road where hundreds of people gathered for one of the rallies.
That followed a separate march earlier Saturday, which received police approval, by parents who called for greater protection for children following incidents in which ordinary people have been caught in clashes between police and protesters.
Demonstrators complain China's ruling Communist Party and Hong Kong leaders ..

Hong Kong protesters march in defiance of police ban

A lightning strike in southern Germany has injured 15 soccer players, while thousands were asked to leave a concert early and a circus tent collapsed as storms hit across northern Europe.
German news agency dpa reported Saturday that the lightning struck the field in Rosenfeld-Heiligenzimmern where the players were exercising.
They were injured only slightly but were taken to the hospital as a precaution.
In Bavaria, thousands of music fans were asked by police to leave an open-air concert in Rothenburg early due to the weather, while gusty winds led to the collapse of a circus tent in Neckarsulm.
One horse had to be euthanised, while 15 other horses and camels ran away and had to be caught by police.
Severe weather warnings have already led to the cancellation of a number of outdoor events in Britain this weekend.

15 soccer players injured by lightning in southern Germany

A 43-year-old driver from Kerala has won USD 272,260 in a mall raffle draw contest here, according to a media report on Saturday.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Abdul Salam Shanavas, who hails from Thiruvananthapuram, said, "Even if I had worked for 50 years, I wouldn't have earned anything close to this amount. I arrived here in 1997 empty-handed, but with lot of expectations. I took my driver's licence and started off as a driver in Sharjah but couldn't save much. I then moved to Abu Dhabi as a family driver and now earn Dh2,500 (USD 650)."
Shanavas won the prize through 'Mall Millionaire' campaign which is part of the 47-day Retail Abu Dhabi summer sales by the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi. He spent about USD 54 for entering the draw.
"I was informed on August 5 that I am the draw winner and had to keep it a secret till official announcement was made. I didn't even tell my family back in Kerala. I just told my wife there's a big surprise in store," he said.
However, ...

Kerala man wins USD .27 million in UAE raffle draw

Oscar-nominated actor Lesley Manville has boarded the cast of the second season of Sky drama "Save Me".
The "Phantom thread" actor will star alongside Lennie James, Suranne Jones and Stephen Graham, who are reprising their roles in the London-based drama, the network said in a statement.
Manville, 63, will portray Jennifer Charles, the wife of Adrian Edmondson's character Gideon Charles.
"I couldn't be more delighted to be joining this phenomenal series. 'Save Me' was a major highlight of 2018, a testament to Lennie James' writing and acting and the exceptional cast and creative team," Manville said.
The official plotline for the second season reads, "Jennifer is forced to make an almost impossible choice that will place her in direct conflict with James' Nelly, following the return of the vulnerable girl, Grace (Olive Gray), who Nelly rescued whilst searching for his own daughter Jody."
The network also announced that production of the second season has commenced.
The first season of 

Lesley Manville joins 'Save Me' season two

Libya's government has said it is willing to accept a truce in fighting around Tripoli for the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha that starts Sunday but on four conditions.
The United Nations had called on the UN-recognised Government of National Accord and forces of strongman Khalifa Haftar to commit to a humanitarian truce by midnight on Friday.
Late Friday, the GNA said it was keen to "ease the suffering of the citizens and allow rescue workers to accomplish their mission".
Therefore it said it "accepted a humanitarian truce for Eid al-Adha,"  which will be celebrated in Libya on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
But it listed "four conditions".
It said the ceasefire must be observed "in all combat zones, with a cessation of direct and indirect fire and movement of troops".
It said the truce must include "a ban on flights and reconnaissance overflights across the entire (Libyan) airspace as well as a halt to flights from airbases".
Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army launched an ...

Libya government says ready for conditional Eid truce

Rapper Quavo has decided to turn TV producer with an animated series based on the hip-hop scene of his Atlanta stomping grounds.
The untitled Marginal Mediaworks series will be targeted towards kids from the age of eight to 12, reported Variety.
"I have long seen how hip-hop as well as our music really impacts kids. I've loved animation my whole life, whether on TV or in movies, and I wanted my first jump into this premium content world to be a show just for kids.
"It will definitely reflect the creativity, love and families in and around the north side of Atlanta, where we grew up," Quavo said.
The Migos frontman will serve as the executive producer of the project.

Quavo to produce kids animated series on Atlanta hip hop scene

National Grid, which runs Britain's power network, said Saturday it was confident of "no malicious intent" behind a major outage Friday that hit nearly one million people and caused travel chaos.
The company has blamed the blackouts, that left more than 900,000 customers without power for several hours and transport systems reeling, on the loss of two generators in quick succession.
It has vowed to "learn any lessons" from what it described as an "unexpected and unusual event", which saw evening commuters stranded on trains, traffic lights failing and homes plunged into darkness.
"We are already very confident that there was no malicious intent or cyber attack involved," National Grid director of operations Duncan Burt told the BBC.
"This will require careful study to make sure that we do learn any lessons that come out of it and that the next time this happens disruption is minimised."
He said the company would provide a technical report on the outage to industry regulator Ofgem, ...

UK power operator says 'no malicious intent' behind mass blackout

Police say an explosion outside a neighborhood police station in the Danish capital, Copenhagen, has damaged the outside of the building but there were no injuries.
The explosion occurred at in the early hours of Saturday morning and was the second in the city in four days. On Wednesday, a large explosion damaged the Danish Tax Agency.
A large police operation is underway at the site of the new blast, but police say it is "way too early" to say whether the two attacks are related.
They are currently appealing for witnesses and are looking for a man wearing dark clothes and white shoes seen leaving the scene near the time of the attack.

2nd explosion in Danish capital damages police station

Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro says his upcoming directorial "Nightmare Alley" will rated "double R".
The new project, which is del Toro's follow-up to his Oscar-winning film "The Shape of Water", will feature Bradley Cooper and Cate Blanchett in the lead.
The filmmaker will direct the film from a script he has co-written with Kim Morgan. It is based on the 1946 novel of the same name by William Lindsay Gresham.
In an interview with Collider, del Toro shared a few details about the project, saying the film will be a "really dark story" without any "supernatural elements".
"Well what it is is that book was given to me in 1992 by Ron Perlman before I saw the Tyrone Power movie, and I loved the book. My adaptation that I've done with Kim Morgan is not necessarily -- the entire book is impossible, it's a saga.
"But there are elements that are darker in the book, and it's the first chance I have --in my short films I wanted to do noir. It was horror and noir. And now is the first chance I ...

'Nghtmare Alley' with be 'double R' rated, says Guillermo del Toro

Iran's supreme leader called on all Muslims to support the Palestinian people in their opposition to the Trump administration's "deal of the century" Middle East peace plan.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a letter Saturday marking the Islamic hajj pilgrimage, said the still-unreleased US plan was a "ruse" that's "doomed to failure."
He also called for "active participation" in efforts to block the US plan, which faces deep skepticism from the Palestinians because of policies they see as biased toward Israel.
The Trump administration plan centers on a $50 billion Palestinian investment and infrastructure proposal, but avoids core political issues that are key to resolving the dispute.
This year's hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia comes amid heightened tensions in the nearby Persian Gulf between the US and Iran.

Iran leader urges Muslims to block 'doomed' US peace plan

Fifty-seven people died Saturday when a fuel tanker exploded after an accident at Morogoro, 200 kilometres (120 miles) west of the Tanzanian capital Dar es Salaam, police said.
"There was a big blast which has so far killed at least 57 people," mainly people trying to collect leaking fuel, regional police chief Willbrod Mtafungwa told reporters.

Fuel tanker explodes killing 57 in Tanzania accident: Police

An explosion rocked a Copenhagen police station in the early hours Saturday, causing damage but no injuries just days after a similar blast at the national tax agency.
The glass entrance doors were shattered and debris was scattered on the ground outside, images showed.
The cause of the explosion was not yet known, police said.
The blast occurred at 3:18 am (0118 GMT) in the Norrebro neighbourhood, near the Osterbro district where a powerful explosion late Tuesday caused severe damage to the tax agency headquarters.
"It's too early to say whether there is any connection (with the explosion at the tax agency) but that is something we are looking into," Copenhagen deputy police inspector Rasmus Agerskov Schultz told news agency Ritzau.
Police wrote on Twitter that they were looking for a man seen fleeing from the police station blast, dressed in dark clothing and white shoes, and asked any witnesses to come forward.
On Wednesday, police described the tax agency explosion as a deliberate 

Blast rocks Copenhagen police station, no injuries

Paramount and Hasbro is planning to develop a yet  another "G.I. Joe" spinoff film.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the project is in the early stages of planning. It is being described as an "ensemble piece" and might feature the character of Chuckles, who is quite popular for his undercover and infiltration work.
Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec, the scribes of films such as "Mission: Impossible  Ghost Protocol" and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles", are penning the script.
Paramount is also working on another "G.I. Joe" project which is based on the character of Snake Eyes.
Snake Eyes was previously portrayed by actor Ray Park in two films -- "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" and "G.I. Joe: Retaliation".
The released date for this film was recently moved from March 27, 2020, to October 16, 2020.

Paramount, Hasbro working on another 'G.I. Joe' spinoff

More than 2 million Muslims are gathered at the sacred hill of Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia for an intense day of worship and reflection on what's considered the climax of the Islamic hajj pilgrimage.
Some had tears streaming down their faces as the men, wearing simple white garments, and women raised their hands in worship on the slopes of the rocky hill.
Many walked through the pre-dawn darkness early Saturday to the hill where the Prophet Muhammad delivered his final sermon some 1,400 years ago, calling for equality and unity among Muslims.
One of the largest religious gatherings on earth, the second day of the hajj is often the most memorable for pilgrims.
They stand shoulder to shoulder with Muslims from around the world seeking God's mercy and blessings.

Muslim hajj pilgrims ascend Mount Arafat for day of worship

Actor Emily Hampshire has been roped in to play the lead role in horror film "Home".
The independent psychological horror project is directed by Adam O'Brien.
The "Schitt's Creek" star is also executive producing the project, reported Variety.
Philip Kalin-Hajdu has penned the script which follows a couple whose newborn has recently died.
Following the tragedy, the couple separate and alone in her house, the woman is convinced that her son is still alive, "unaware that the death of her baby has caused the birth of something terribly sinister".
Hampshire is best known for playing motel clerk and owner Stevie Budd in "Schitt's Creek" and Jennifer Goines in Syfy's series "12 Monkeys".
"Emily has shown extraordinary acting range with roles from Jennifer Goines to Stevie. With 'Home', she is going to surprise everyone," O'Brien said.

Emily Hampshire to star in horror film 'Home'

Jamie Dornan, Alec Baldwin and Christian Slater will lead the series adaptation of popular podcast "Dr Death".
The podcast, which hailed from Wondery network, was about Dr Christopher Duntsch, a neurosurgeon, whose malpractice resulted in the death and maiming of multiple patients in Dallas.
He was accused of maiming four patients and killing two more, and was found guilty of maiming one and sentenced to life in prison in 2017.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the show will explore the twisted mind of a sociopath as well as highlighting the faults that lies in the system which was meant to protect the people.
Dornan will take on the role of Duntsch in the show, while Baldwin will portray Robert Henderson, the quiet and methodical neurosurgeon who believes in the system.
Slater will essay the role of Randall Kirby, the vascular surgeon who is brash and impulsive and ready to burn the system to the ground in the name of justice.
The show comes from Universal Content ...

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