2026 News Archive

Country star came to South Yorkshire town in 2007 for UK launch of the Imagination Library, her book donation scheme Shane Jarman was up a ladder decorating a Christmas tree at the school where he was deputy headteacher when he got a call asking him to come to Rotherham hospital ASAP. It was December 2007 and Jarman’s wife, Claire, had given birth the previous day to their first child, a girl called Emma, so of course he rushed to the phone. All was well, he was told, but that “everything would become clear” when he got to the hospital. Once there, his wife told him – somewhat unexpectedly – that they were going to meet Dolly Parton. “And literally within what felt like five minutes,” he recalled, “there were great camera flashes, lots of noise, lots of clicking and in walked this real big bundle of energy.”..

State attorneys general spent months in negotiations. Then, as its legal losses mounted, the social media giant’s new top lawyer brought a huge settlement to the table.

The US has revoked an award-winning former Iraqi minister’s visa after the FBI placed her on a ‘terrorism watchlist'.

A glacier unleashed a deadly flood earlier this week. For local trekking guides and climbers, the mountains were already changing.

As rescue efforts entered their fourth day, the scale of destruction came into focus, signaling a daunting recovery for the vulnerable nation.

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, scheduled to launch on Sunday, will study dark energy and discover a multitude of planets.

As economic circumstances worsen, the PM’s commitments have left him and the chancellor in a tight spot When Andy Burnham made his first speech after returning as an MP, he promised that as prime minister he would oversee “the most significant change moment in our politics for 40 years”. His style, direction and communication has been a big shift from Keir Starmer’s approach, but as he heads into the autumn, the new prime minister faces some very similar problems. With an early budget in late October, and worsening economic circumstances, Burnham has made promises and commitments that put him in a tight spot. Here are some of the constraints over the coming months that Burnham and the chancellor, John Healey, must contend with in their autumn budget...

More than 6,000 liters are produced daily by thousands of climbers and guides, according to a study.

Their videos have proliferated on social media, but the payments are frequently hidden from viewers.

Israel’s strike on a Syrian base to pre-empt the feared deployment of Turkish forces was part of a growing competition in the Middle East and beyond.

The U.S.-Canada trade war has galvanized Canadians behind their prime minister’s decision to walk away from negotiations. What happens when the time comes for talks to restart?

A Russian drone strike on a warehouse on the outskirts of Ukraine's capital Kyiv on Friday killed at least 27 people and forced hundreds to evacuate, Ukrainian authorities said Saturday.

Nepali army rescue teams were using drilling equipment on Saturday seeking to rescue more than 100 people trapped inside a hydropower tunnel, three days after devastating floods struck the site.

The annual UTMB, the flagship race of the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc week, kicked off on Friday with 2,500 participants. As the race continues to attract more runners each year, local residents are increasingly concerned about its environmental impact.

Icelanders go to the polls on Saturday in a referendum on whether to resume membership negotiations with the European Union, in a tight race that will be closely watched in Brussels. The country of just under 400,000 people applied to join the EU in the wake of a 2009 financial crisis that devastated its economy. The membership talks were suspended in 2013 when a eurosceptic government came to power.

The drugs have a delayed effect which "increases the risk of overdose", the institute has advised.

Their un-Googlable, very online name is the antithesis of this earthy duo’s sublime art-folk. Like their emotionally ambiguous music, the pair don’t give up their mysteries easily • The best music of autumn 2026: Johnny Marr, Phoebe Bridgers, Rachel Chinouriri and more • See all of our unmissable autumn arts recommendations here Victoria Rose arrives at Philadelphia’s 30th St Station and apologises for the sticky streaks covering her car’s interior. She’s a beekeeper, and it’s just propolis, a resinous sealant for gaps in the hive. Her bandmate, Stone Filipczak, is riding shotgun, and her protective gear occupies the rear passenger seat. We’re heading to one of their favourite spots, an Ethiopian restaurant that doubles as a venue. The dining room quickly gets boisterous – a challenge for our interview given that Filipczak and Rose are relatively soft speakers, and not wildly keen to divulge specifics about the music they make as @. Like Rose’s bees, they’re a secretive and self-sustaining pair. As you might guess, @ is pronounced “at”. It’s a tough Google. The name, Filipczak explains, came from “a vision of an @ sign on a kick drum head”. Not that they have any need for one: @’s art-folk is rooted in acoustic guitar, woodwinds and vocal harmonies that furrow and frolic. Their fantastic second album, Autosmile, is their first with the venerated indie label 4AD. (The name is a reference to a meme showing a dopey sunflower: “When you and gang faded and auto smile gets turn on …”)..

Hugo Weaving leads a delightful drama about the trials and tribulations of a bunch of friends of a certain age, and the bluegrass wunderkind returns with a remarkable new album..

Summerhall, Edinburgh Angele and Malcolm Galea’s two-hander cycles through grief and sorrow as a broken-hearted hero is trapped in purgatory A fairytale plunges the reader into a dilemma then resolves it. But what if the happy ending never arrives? Will the tale just circle around into a netherworld, never finding a conclusion? That is the prospect in this two-hander by Malta’s Angele and Malcolm Galea, a couple whose experience of pregnancy loss finds expression in a thwarted fairytale – the kind of tale, perhaps, they might have read to their daughter...

A dramatic start to Matchday 2 in Ligue 1. Just like last week at Rennes, Paris Saint-Germain found themselves 2-0 down, only to produce another miraculous comeback. Vitinha sparked the revival before Marquinhos rescued a point for the Parisians in Lille.

From cover design to shelf placement and influencer partnerships … how publishers will persuade you to buy their books this autumn Think about the last book you bought. How did you choose it? Was it from a recommendation, a review, a TikTok video? Did the cover grab you, were you swayed by the quotes on the front, or did you just happen to spot it on an appealing table as you walked into the shop? Did you think about all the nudges that led you to that decision – by the publisher, the bookseller or that person you follow on Insta? The reality is that our reading choices are directed and massaged at every turn. “It’s all about the art of persuasion,” says Philip Gwyn Jones, who was a publisher for more than 30 years and is now a literary agent. And who are the persuaders? They’re the booksellers, the supermarket stock buyers, the publishing houses and their ranks of marketers and publicists. And, more recently, persuasion often comes from BookTokers and online influencers, social media videos, podcasts and Instagram posts. How is all this changing publishing?..

News, buildup and discussion before today’s fixtures Get in touch: mail Luke and Her brain runs a hundred miles a minute. She does not need traditional entertainment. “I’m not good at watching TV – I can’t sit still,” Bronze says, sitting sort-of still, on a bench shielded from the wind, overlooking Chelsea’s training pitch at Cobham. “Someone recently asked me what I listen to in the car and someone else jumped in and was like: ‘Lucy has her own podcast going on in her own head.’ I don’t listen to music, I don’t listen to podcasts, I just have a million thoughts going on.” Bronze’s late ADHD and autism diagnosis help it make sense, but her mum had always suspected she might have one of the conditions, so it wasn’t a surprise. “Naomi Girma said to me: ‘I’ve never met someone who trains so hard in the gym with zero music on; it does not make sense.’ I was like: ‘It’s literally in my head, I don’t need anything else.’”..

Jackson arrives as a replacement for Ollie Watkins, whose move to Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal is being finalised.

Iceland will vote in a tight referendum on Saturday on whether to reopen membership negotiations with the European Union. Reykjavik applied for EU membership in 2009, following a financial crisis that devastated its economy but a eurosceptic government suspended the process in 2013.

Jacob Elordi stars as a post-pandemic pilot in Ridley Scott’s sci-fi adventure, while the celebrated soul singer returns with a long-trailed collaboration The Dog Stars Out now Ridley Scott has got to be one of the most prolific octogenarians working today. The director’s latest, a sci-fi drama based on the 2012 novel, stars man of the moment Jacob Elordi as a former pilot surviving the aftermath of a pandemic, with Margaret Qualley as a medic/love interest and Josh Brolin as a pugnacious former marine...

The staffer was found to have used his prior knowledge of the president's speeches to place lucrative bets.

Chelsea defender reflects on spending time with refugees in Colombia this summer and her passion for helping people on and off the pitch Lucy Bronze does not stop. Her brain runs a hundred miles a minute. She does not need traditional entertainment. “I’m not good at watching TV – I can’t sit still,” Bronze says, sitting sort-of still, on a bench shielded from the wind, overlooking Chelsea’s training pitch at Cobham. “Someone recently asked me what I listen to in the car and someone else jumped in and was like: ‘Lucy has her own podcast going on in her own head.’ I don’t listen to music, I don’t listen to podcasts, I just have a million thoughts going on.” Bronze’s late ADHD and autism diagnosis help it make sense, but her mum had always suspected she might have one of the conditions, so it wasn’t a surprise. “Naomi Girma said to me: ‘I’ve never met someone who trains so hard in the gym with zero music on; it does not make sense.’ I was like: ‘It’s literally in my head, I don’t need anything else.’”..

Filip Hrgovic singing to the press is a stark contrast to the brooding Briton who is grappling with the blinding lights of fame and glory Moses Itauma and Filip Hrgovic have presented an intriguing study in contrast this week. The 21-year-old prodigy from Chatham in Kent, of Slovakian and Nigerian descent, has been a thoughtful and slightly brooding presence while the seasoned 34-year-old from Croatia has been full of sunshine and songs. On Tuesday, Hrgovic burst into a room where a few boxing writers sat and, looking tanned without a shirt beneath his leather gilet, belted out a word-perfect version of Saturday Night at the Movies, a 1965 ditty by the Drifters...

Dressage and eventing rider handed 18-month suspension by FEI Video appearing to show Ryan whipping a horse emerged last year Australian Olympian Heath Ryan has been suspended for 18 months and fined by equestrian’s global governing body following an investigation into allegations of horse abuse. The dressage and eventing rider had already been suspended by Equestrian Australia last year after a video appearing to show Ryan whipping a horse repeatedly surfaced on social media...

Recent hospital fires expose how little decades of national achievement mean when basic public safety still fails.

The issue came up for discussions during the visit of Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarwal to Buenos Aires this week.

Local residents heard gunfire and explosions overnight in Niger’s capital, Niamey, near a military base at an international airport which was attacked twice this year by jihadists.

The Yosemite NPS Employees Union said it was "appalled" by the ceding of public lands to private interests, calling the proposed trade "antithetical to what we stand for" as stewards of the park.

The success of the Swarnagiri project is encouraging the State Government to look beyond a single mine and explore the potential of other gold-bearing regions as well

Union Minister insists Kerala government must take the initiative, as his earlier AIIMS comments trigger fresh questions

Gulf states are building overlapping partnerships that complement, rather than replace, the US security role.

Country holds a knife-edge referendum that cuts across political divides on taking step closer to Brussels after Trump threats towards Greenland For a long time, the prospect of becoming the third generation to run his family farm was an exciting one, says Davíð Clausen Pétursson. Icelandic farmers were starting to get higher prices for their meat and milk, debt was no longer an occupational prerequisite and innovation was on the rise...

Planning delays and slow 5G upgrades could leave the UK unable to cope with a surge in AI-related traffic The UK risks becoming a laggard in the global AI race as crucial telecoms upgrades to harness the technology fall behind rival nations, according to senior industry executives. The infrastructure AI race has centred on the need to build datacentres, and to ensure they have access to the huge water and energy supplies required to cool and supply the computational power to train and run AI models...

Moving tariffs will cushion the blow from the October price cap rise and the increase widely predicted for January With higher energy bills looming and warnings of worse to come in the new year, many households could save up to £173 a year by switching to a fixed deal. Millions of households in Great Britain will face the highest energy charges in three years after it was announced that the government’s price cap will rise again in October. This will be the second increase in three months...

After the Bankipore byelection defeat, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav steps up grassroots outreach, protests and visits to affected families in Bihar

Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav reviews arrangements, stresses strict monitoring of drinking-water quality, food safety, and communicable diseases; directes officials to fill vacancies soon

Fadnavis says his govt. has accepted the drivers’ request for more time; announces no action will be taken during this period for not having the required knowledge of the State’s official language

Washington has warned countries to ‌cut their business ties with Iran or face secondary sanctions, though the Treasury Department stopped short of imposing ‌penalties ⁠against major Iranian trade partners such as China and India

Thousands of people marched on Washington DC, invoking Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy on the 63rd anniversary.

Kharge also raised concerns about Indian nationals and persons of Indian origin stranded in different parts of Nepal because of the floods

Justice D. Bharatha Chakravarthy directs a social media content creator to express regret for having made an unverified allegation against HR&CE Minister Ramesh

Amid economic and security challenges, Iceland is holding a referendum more than a decade after pausing accession talks.

World Humanoid Robot Games showcased leaps Beijing has made in the tech, but also highlighted limitations as US rivals prepare their own launches With exploding pelvises, enough comic pratfalls for a Buster Keaton show reel and the odd moment of ruthless violence, the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing gripped the world this week with an unsettling mixture of hilarity, trepidation and relief. The five-day showcase staked out China’s claim to undisputed leadership in humanoid robotics as android martial artists landed knockout roundhouse kicks and robot teams marched into the arena heralded by flag-waving captains astride giant robotic dogs. The games’ blue-riband event, the 100m, did not disappoint when the robot-sprinters ran quicker than Usain Bolt before slamming mindlessly into a padded wall in a blaze of sparks, flames and flying mechanical limbs...

Mr. Raghavendra has urged the government of Karnataka to order a physical survey of the ESA area and reduce it following the Kerala model

As the deadline approaches for homeowners to accept the Hong Kong government’s deal to buy back their flats at fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court, some who refuse to sell have said the offer cannot make up for the loss of their property and communal bonds. With the clock ticking to the August 31 cut-off date, the South China Morning Post spoke to six residents determined not to sell their homes at the devastated Tai Po estate, even though experts see the government’s offer as generous and compulsory...

As one of Europe’s biggest consumers of gas the UK may be particularly exposed to heightened price volatility Europe is on course to enter the cooler months with gas stores at their lowest level in 13 years, which has triggered “winter panic” among energy traders, experts have warned. The EU’s gas stocks were 63% full in the last week of August, well below the 80% average for late August over recent years and among the lowest levels ever recorded for this time of year...

Seven Yemeni men were arrested in Malaysia after they allegedly performed dangerous stunts while travelling in two vehicles along Jalan Sungai Besi early on Friday. Kuala Lumpur Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department chief Mohd Zamzuri Mohd Isa said the incident, which occurred at about 12.30am, came to light after a video of the incident went viral on social media. He said preliminary investigations found that both vehicles were travelling along Jalan Sungai Besi towards Jalan Bukit...

In a newly edited statement, the Department of Justice said on Friday that the U.S. Senate, the Federal Reserve, ‌NASA and others were “among the targets of QTFY,” a Chinese state-sponsored hacking group

Booth-level officers (BLOs) will be present at polling stations on these days to assist electors with the process

Anil taken into custody in the early hours of Saturday. The CM’s convoy was allegedly blocked in Sreekaryam police station limits in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday evening

A few years ago, some feared the European Union was going out of style. Now Iceland is mulling membership alongside a long list of candidates.

The testing agency had also issued a special notice concerning the Sociology, Commerce and English papers after an expert committee found factual, typographical, translation and language-related errors in the question papers.

US President Donald Trump has claimed the US and Venezuela have reached the ‘biggest oil deal in world history’.

The Nordic nation is holding a referendum on Saturday on whether to start membership talks with the European Union. Voters are divided.

In a year of globe-trotting, the Indian prime minister has secured deals around the world as the United States becomes less dependable.