2026/08/17 Daily Edition

As warming seas push native species to cooler waters farther north, once-rare visitors have become more common ‘It sounds silly but I thought it was a person in the water waving,” says Kurt Lander, skipper of the Yellowfin charter boat, based out of Brighton. But when he grabbed his binoculars, he realised the fluttering movement he had noticed in the middle of the Channel shipping lane was a pair of sunfish. The huge fish were lying on their sides and flapping their fins. “Apparently, they do it as a visual attraction to birds,” he says. “They’re trying to get the birds to eat the parasites off them.”..

The latest game from ‘reality-inspired’ studio the Pixel Hunt sees you transporting precious human cargo – and deciding what to do with it Ithaca has one hell of an opening: Penelope, a disillusioned environmental lawyer, stops her car at a petrol station. But upon returning, she discovers something shocking: the unconscious body of an oil company CEO in her boot, his hands hog-tied together, dangling limply towards the vehicle’s number plate. This tantalising eco-thriller setup is a long way off the typical knights-and-castles fantasy fare of most role-playing games, more How To Blow Up a Pipeline than Dragon Quest. But road-trip RPG Ithaca arrives via refreshingly original developer the Pixel Hunt, a French outfit that specialises in what it calls “reality-inspired” games. The studio has made a number of arresting works in recent years. One was about a Syrian refugee couple making a perilous migrant journey across Europe; another tackled the life-shattering effects of child sexual abuse. The climate crisis was always in the back of Pixel Hunt founder and Ithaca writer Florent Maurin’s mind. After all, he says, it is the uber problem of our day, the problem that touches all others. It was just a case of when, and, more importantly: “What do we say about it?”..

Richard Tice suggested Britain should 'adapt' to the climate crisis, arguing we 'can't stop it', at a Reform UK press conference. When asked if climate change was real during the Q&A section of the event, the party's deputy leader sought to downplay the catastrophic effects of the crisis, including on crops, animal habitats and human health, amid the extended period of hot and dry weather this summer. Tice suggested people should adapt to the 'changing' climate and celebrate a boom in English sparkling wine UK politics – latest updates..

The 30-year-old was on the active volcano when a thunderstorm developed, local media report.

An American tourist has been killed by a lightning strike after hiking in a restricted part of Mount Etna.

Italian media reports that the Cagliari forward was rescued after swallowing a lot of water in a swimming pool in Porto Cervo.

Belgium is battling its worst wildfires in over a century, with hundreds of firefighters fighting flames in the Hautes Fagnes nature reserve. Germany, Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands have sent reinforcements, including helicopters, as several towns are evacuated.

Three works by Renaissance painter Antonello da Messina, valued at up to €80 million, were stolen from a museum in Messina, Sicily. Police are investigating the theft, which comes days after Italian authorities recovered three stolen works by Cézanne, Renoir and Matisse.

Massive wildfires are burning across Europe, from Belgium and Greece to Spain, Italy and France. Alexander Held, Senior Expert at the European Forest Institute, explains why fires are spreading into unexpected areas and whether Europe is facing a new normal. He also looks at how citizens can help prevent and limit wildfires, while stressing the need for greater resilience and better funded government support to deal with increasingly extreme fire seasons.

Supermarket chain says ‘human error’, not its Facewatch technology, to blame for ejecting a customer Sainsbury’s has paused the use of AI face scanning in one of its stores after a customer was wrongly identified as a shoplifter and ejected from the shop. “I was embarrassed, mortified even, and felt quite humiliated and powerless,” Matt Arnold, 46, said of his ordeal...

Cameroon wins its first WAFCON title, beating Malawi 3–0 in the final.

Billionaire CEO of world’s biggest bank says any windfall tax on sector’s bumper profits could harm jobs in City Business live – latest updates Jamie Dimon, the boss of the US bank JP Morgan, has urged John Healey not to use his first budget as chancellor to increase taxes on banks’ bumper profits. Speculation has been growing that a windfall tax could be imposed on UK lenders to fund Andy Burnham’s cost of living agenda, with campaigners estimating such a move could raise £19bn...

Strain of virus with no vaccine has potential to overrun response impeded by conflict and misinformation Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are losing their battle to contain the country’s deadliest Ebola outbreak. DRC’s health ministry declared an outbreak in Ituri province on 15 May, though sequencing shows it had begun in February. It has since spread to five other provinces and is on track to overtake the 2014-16 west Africa outbreak as the largest in history...

A prominent Malian broadcaster and an influencer were on Monday jailed for seven years after criticising the ruling junta. Mohamed Youssouf Bathily was convicted by the Bamaka court of criminal conspiracy and discrediting the state alongside Rokia Doumbia, a noted campaigner.

Religious fundamentalism is advancing through Israel’s institutions, narrowing freedoms and deepening inequality.

The European Court of Human Rights has dismissed the case, but the plaintiffs aren't giving up.

Dr. Evelyn Griffin is pushing for more emphasis on wellness and prevention. She has also aligned with the MAHA movement in fighting government mandates and questioning the safety of some vaccines.

US president cites Seoul's reluctance to back his war on Iran, and his warm ties with North Korea's leader as reasons.

Houthi and government forces exchange drone attacks, marking a major shift in war tactics.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham messaged briefly with a person impersonating Susie Wiles, a British government official said.

Au Vodka co-owner Charlie Morgan earned infamy in 2013 after being kicked by the Chelsea footballer.

Arday was subjected to a vicious campaign fuelled by anti-Black racism.

Trump deemed the MoU 'over' within a month of it being signed, as the two sides traded attacks despite a 'ceasefire'.

Grant cancellations at leading research institutions appear to target the study of the impacts of racism on brain health A new round of scientific grant cancellations has hit brain health and Alzheimer’s disease research at two leading research institutions, Emory University and the University of Pittsburgh. The latest cancellations are the Trump administration’s most recent effort to remove disfavored topics from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) $47bn scientific portfolio – and appear to target the study of the impacts of racism...

The USS Washington is on its way to the Middle East to relieve the USS Lincoln amid concerns about conditions aboard. And, Jared Kushner is expected to meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu to move Gaza talks forward.

Supporters and opponents of the controversial plans have been making their cases on the £8.7bn project.

The Ulster Farmers' Union rejects a claim that it is trying to dictate policy after a cattle cull.

Joint military drills between South Korea and US troops went ahead as planned on Monday despite US President Donald Trump's statement that he had ordered them to be scaled back out of respect for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

US President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner is seeking to gain Israeli backing for the US-backed Gaza peace plan.

The USS Abraham Lincoln crisis highlights the toll of lengthy deployments on crew morale and operational readiness.

More than 670,000 French taxpayers are being notified after their personal and tax information was stolen and allegedly offered online. Authorities warn the data could be used for scams and identity fraud, while Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is holding a meeting on the digital security of government institutions.

Al Jazeera examines a decade of earthquake data to see how 2026 compares and explains how and where earthquakes strike.

Andrei Klepach of VEB said Russia’s economy was falling behind China, US and ‘in some respects Ukraine’ Europe live – latest updates The chief economist at Russia’s second-largest bank has been fired after a series of critical comments about the state of the economy, including warnings that Moscow would not win a prolonged economic war with Ukraine. Andrei Klepach, who had served in the role at the state-controlled development bank VEB since 2014, was fired days after Russian media reported on a scathing speech he had delivered to fellow economists in May...

India and China are tangled in yet another border dispute, angering locals in the eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh.

A stampede at a Hindu temple in eastern India kills seven people and injures nineteen more.

Explosive drones target Iraqi Kurdish PM's office and security chief's residence; no casualties reported.

Seven people have been killed and more than a dozen injured after a stampede broke out at a temple in India.

Back to school in France also means “rentrée littéraire”, the annual period when thousands of new books hit shelves across the country. For FRANCE 24, French bookseller Isabelle Claret Lemarchand, who runs a bookshop in London, discusses the style and trends of this year’s new releases, compares the French and British trends, and reflects on the challenges facing the publishing industry.

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu was on Monday booed by dozens of residents of the town of Le Porge in southwestern France, a region ravaged by wildfires, in a show of anger at the government's handling of the worst such crisis to hit the country in decades.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has refused to pull back the country’s military until Hamas fully disarms. But the Trump administration is under pressure to show progress.

Temperatures could drop by more than 15C compared with last Thursday as cold front moves arrives from Monday Relief from the unrelenting heat is finally arriving this week across western Europe, with more unsettled conditions bringing the chance of rain. Temperatures are expected to fall back towards the seasonal norm, with some parts of the UK even falling about 3C below normal by Thursday. After such a scorching summer, and with a temperature drop of more than 15C compared with last Thursday’s heat, it may feel surprisingly chilly. There are signs that some substantial rain could be on the cards for the south of the UK this week as a cold front moves in from the Atlantic on Monday night into Tuesday. As of Monday, parts of southern England had endured 62 consecutive days of no rainfall – this is observed at a Met Office weather station in Wisley, Surrey. Even the last recorded rainfall here on 16 June amounted to just 0.4mm...

Firm wants to run up to 20 daily journeys to Europe but it must get additional approval for overseas tracks.

Britain's new premier has promised to ease the suffering of millions of families unable to afford basic items.

A ⁠Ukrainian ​missile ​strike killed six people ​and ‌wounded ⁠another ‌four, including a ⁠child, in ​Russia's border ‌Belgorod region, the ‌acting ​governor said on Monday. The assault came as Russia targeted port infrastructure in Ukraine's Izmail district in the southern region of ​Odesa ‌overnight.

Four states are suing the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, alleging that the platforms were designed to hook kids and that Meta hid the mental health risks.

Unexpected absences can cost employers tens of thousands of dollars a month. An app that helps workers with last-minute transportation, food and childcare is making a difference.

For 10 years, a Catholic-run home offered young women an affordable place to live in the nation's capital as they studied and launched careers. Now, that community is saying goodbye.

Operator wins track access approval for up to 20 daily return trains through tunnel to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam in 2030 Virgin Trains has been granted track access by the rail regulator to run new services between London and Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam in 2030, in a step forward for its plans to break’s Eurostar’s passenger monopoly on the cross-Channel route. The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) said it had granted approval for Sir Richard Branson’s company to run up to 20 new daily return services through the Channel tunnel...

Brian Eno and Olly Alexander also among signatories saying exploitation of Rosebank and Jackdaw fields defies reality More than 200 musicians including Massive Attack and Brian Eno have written to Andy Burnham, urging him to reject plans for more oil and gas drilling in the North Sea. The letter, signed by artists such as Olly Alexander and Paris Paloma, called on the prime minister to reject the Rosebank oilfield, warning the project will fail to lower energy bills or provide energy security as most of the oil is likely to be exported...

Modi's BJP once controlled media narratives in India, but this might be changing with the 'Cockroach' movement.

President Trump wants to curtail military exercises with South Korea, saying they were hostile to North Korea. But under Mr. Kim, the North has become increasingly belligerent toward the South.

The New York Times is examining how public health is changing in the state, from the whooping cough outbreak to vaccine policies, and we want to hear from you.

Here’s how speedy access to satellite imagery is bolstering Ukraine.

Scheffler's 21st career PGA Tour title earns the American $3.6m for his resounding victory at TPC Southwind.

NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer speaks with Nina Krushcheva, professor of international affairs at the New School, about the current geopolitical climate in Russia.

Some 53 people were killed and thousands displaced by the earthquake, which struck early on Saturday.

Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei’s appointment of hard-line loyalists to top jobs suggests he is prepared to keep the country on a war footing and to quash domestic dissent.

Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka escapes with a nail-biting win while Felix Auger-Aliassime downs ex-champ Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Overnight Russian missile and drone attacks across Ukraine kill two people and injure 19.

Outrage as Colombian president hands out footballs in earthquake-hit city where residents say they await urgent aid.