Author: Andrew Rogers

Visiting Odense, on the Danish island of Fyn, feels like stepping into one of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales. From golden pantaloons in mirrors to talking peas and towering stacks of mattresses, the city’s HC Andersens Hus museum immerses visitors in the whimsical world of the 19th-century author. The redesigned museum, opened in 2021 by Japanese architects Kengo Kuma and Associates, presents Andersen’s life and stories with humour, irony, and perspective, offering playful spaces for both children and adults. Even the gardens make visitors feel small with clever plantings, winding paths, and imaginative features. The museum explores Andersen’s life through…

UK tax authorities are reviewing the finances of George Cottrell, a close ally of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage. The scoping exercise by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is focusing on his tax residency, income, and business activities. Farage has described Cottrell, 31, as “like a son to me,” and he has emerged as a key figure in the party’s leadership and fundraising network. Cottrell, known as “Posh George,” leads a high-profile lifestyle, frequently travelling and using a £4 million property in west London. While he does not hold an official role in Reform UK, party insiders describe him as…

Husamettin Dogan, 44, is appealing his conviction for raping Gisèle Pelicot, who had been drugged unconscious by her husband before being abused by multiple men. On the first day of his appeal trial in Nîmes, southern France, Dogan told the court he “never intended” to rape her. He admitted having sexual contact with Pelicot but said he did not know she was drugged. Pelicot, 72, survived almost a decade of sexual abuse after her then-husband Dominique Pelicot invited men he met online to rape her while she was unconscious. She became an international figure in the fight for women’s rights…

A federal judge will not immediately block President Donald Trump from deploying National Guard troops in Illinois, following a lawsuit filed by the state on Monday. Troops from Texas could arrive in Chicago as early as Tuesday or Wednesday, and Trump is also seeking to federalize the Illinois National Guard. A similar effort to send troops to Portland, Oregon, was blocked by a judge. Illinois filed the lawsuit after Trump ordered National Guard troops into the state against the wishes of Governor JB Pritzker. The Illinois Attorney General, Kwame Raoul, asked the court to prevent the president from calling up…

Oregon Republicans shared a doctored image online claiming that protests in Portland, Oregon, were out of control. The posts came just before a federal judge blocked former President Donald Trump from deploying California’s National Guard to the city. The Republican Party celebrated the planned deployment of 300 California National Guard troops in posts on Facebook, Instagram, and X. Their statement said the troops were sent to protect federal facilities and personnel after a judge ruled the Oregon National Guard could not be used. The images used in the posts showed a line of police officers holding riot shields and a…

President Donald Trump has approved the Ambler mining road project, a 211-mile route through Alaska’s wilderness to access copper, cobalt, gold, and other minerals. The road had been initially approved during Trump’s first term but blocked by the Biden administration over concerns about wildlife and Indigenous communities. The project, north of Fairbanks, aims to connect mining sites with the road network. Trump emphasized the project’s economic potential during an Oval Office event, saying it “should have been long operating and making billions for our country” and criticized the previous administration for halting it. The Interior Department, led by Secretary Doug…

French President Emmanuel Macron has appointed a new government in an effort to end the country’s political deadlock, but opposition parties say the cabinet represents unwelcome continuity. Hard-left lawmakers have vowed to file a no-confidence motion as tense budget negotiations continue. The new cabinet was announced nearly a month after the appointment of Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, Macron’s seventh prime minister, who is seeking cross-party support in a deeply divided parliament. Lecornu named Roland Lescure, a close ally of the president, as finance minister. Lescure briefly spent part of his career in the Socialist party. The nomination was widely seen…

California Governor Gavin Newsom announced he is suing President Donald Trump over the deployment of 300 California National Guard members to Oregon. Newsom said the move by the Trump administration is “unapologetically attacking the rule of law” and defying court orders. “They are on their way there now,” Newsom said in a press statement. “The Trump Administration is ignoring court orders and treating judges as political opponents, even those appointed by the President himself.” The Pentagon confirmed the deployment later Sunday. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said that, “At the direction of the President, approximately 200 federalized members of the California…

US forces struck another vessel illegally carrying drugs off the coast of Venezuela, President Donald Trump said during a speech at a ceremony celebrating the US Navy’s 250th anniversary. Speaking to thousands of sailors at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia, Trump also signaled that the US would focus on drug trafficking occurring on land. Trump made the remarks next to the Harry S Truman aircraft carrier. It was not immediately clear whether he was referring to a strike previously reported by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. He said the Navy had supported the mission “to blow the cartel terrorists the hell…

The Trump administration has warned it could begin mass layoffs of federal workers if negotiations to end the government shutdown fail. A senior White House official said President Trump is prepared to act if talks are “absolutely going nowhere.” Kevin Hassett, an economic adviser, told CNN there is still hope that Democrats may compromise. However, he noted the president is “getting ready to act” if necessary. The government shutdown began on October 1 after Senate Democrats rejected a short-term funding bill. The measure would have kept federal agencies open until November 21. Democrats are insisting that any funding deal includes…