2026 News Archive

Researchers have identified a speed demon at the heart of the Milky Way. This fast-moving star may yield insights into the black hole parked at the center of our galaxy.

Star’s extreme proximity to Sagittarius A means it could open new window onto black hole’s fundamental properties Astronomers have detected the fastest known star in the Milky Way, hurtling around the supermassive black hole at the heart of the galaxy. The star, called S301, travels at about 25,000km (15,500 miles) per second, 100,000 times faster than a commercial plane. It is also the closest known star to the Milky Way’s central black hole, Sagittarius A, approaching it around the distance of Saturn to the Sun...

The party’s deputy leader Richard Tice says we should stop worrying about extreme heat and enjoy it. This dangerous nonsense will wreck our finances and the planet So now we know: the smart response to the UK’s summer of record temperatures is to do precisely nothing. According to Richard Tice, Reform UK’s deputy leader, the climate crisis is just one of those things. Nothing can be done about it, so we should simply bask in the sunshine. It is reasonable to assume Tice would not have said anything quite as crass had he been addressing people in Stourbridge who have seen their homes burn to the ground. Or the farmers whose crops shrivel in parched fields. Or the firefighters exhausted from battling wildfires across Britain. Larry Elliott is a Guardian columnist..

A lone male roves the Arizona mountains, and a female has been spotted just across the border in Mexico. The sightings raise hopes for the species, despite serious threats.

Regulator says verifiable safety measures are ‘critical’ to the online service’s viability Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Roblox has committed to making changes to its online gaming platform after Australia’s eSafety commissioner discovered adults were still able to see child accounts and send connection requests without parental consent. The company has provided a legal agreement to the online safety regulator after testing earlier this year also revealed children and adults could view and respond to one another’s posts on forums outside game environments without parental consent...

Scotland’s Thea Musgrave is still writing radical music with perambulatory soloists and a message of hopefulness. Her latest work, for bassoonist Amy Harman, comes to the Proms this weekend Thea Musgrave is a phenomenon. Born in Scotland in 1928, the composer has lived in the US since the early 70s, but has lost none of her accent, her infectious optimism, and her drive to keep writing. As she told me from her home in California, with a joyfully rolling laugh, “I’ve got to this age, and from now on I’m going to do what the fuck I want to do”. That includes her latest opera, on Virginia Woolf’s novel Orlando – Orlando: An Escapade – which will premiere at the Buxton festival next year, and a new bassoon concerto for Amy Harman, Out of the Darkness, which you can hear at the Proms this weekend, on 23 August. The bassoon concerto develops one of the central innovations of Musgrave’s life and career, which she’s still intensifying and exploring in her 99th year: what she calls her “dramatic-abstract” approach to her orchestral compositions, in which the players aren’t a single collective told what to do by a conductor’s gestures, but instead are released as individual characters and identities...

Alongside Bikini Kill and Bratmobile, Corin Tucker and Tracy Sawyer created a feminist punk vernacular that’s still inspiring the likes of Olivia Rodrigo. They recall the clarity and conviction of their historic teenage exploits Back in June, a cut-and-paste photocopied flyer began appearing on telegraph poles around Portland, Oregon, promoting a DIY show by an apparently defunct band at an intimate community space. The band hadn’t mentioned it online, but hopeful fans bought every ticket anyway. Their bet paid off: the gig really was the first in 32 years for Heavens to Betsy, the pioneering feminist punk duo of drummer Tracy Sawyer and singer-guitarist Corin Tucker – the latter’s band before Sleater-Kinney unleashed her visceral vibrato unto the world. Tucker proudly made the flyer herself. Heavens to Betsy were barely out of high school when they played their very first show, 35 years ago this week, in Olympia, Washington, a two-song set as part of a now-mythical indie fest dubbed the International Pop Underground Convention. The festival also featured the likes of Fugazi, Bikini Kill and Melvins; meanwhile Heavens to Betsy had practised only a couple times. Before an audience of about 100, Sawyer was so terrified that all she could think was, “This has to be over soon.”..

There are 3,649 shows at the fringe this year, but how many embody its spirit of radical experimentation? I took a journey through foam, lube and gore to find out... Somewhere in Edinburgh, a man is drinking his own urine. Elsewhere, the story of a religious sect that commands its followers to use “butt plugs” plays out as a musical. In yet another room, a comedian sings the same song over and over for an hour. It is shows like these that have sustained the welcomingly weird and ungovernable lore of the Edinburgh festival fringe. In recent years, though, the annual jamboree has been accused of becoming an increasingly commercially savvy entity. The radical experimentalism might just be intact, but does this now sit at the fringes of the fringe, rather than its centre?..

Item, a 10-1 chance, ran down Almaqam to win the International Stakes at York with Constitution River and Ombudsman only third and fourth It all went according to plan for the low-numbered stalls there, as Lexington Blitz fired out into the lead and gave the far side an advantage that they never surrendered. The first four home were drawn five, nine, four and six...

27-year-old Dutch rider takes win in Cumbria GB’s Josie Nelson in third, Italy’s Chiara Consonni second Lorena Wiebes took the victory in the first stage of this year’s Tour of Britain. The opening stage started and finished in Cockermouth on a circuit spanning 158.9km in Cumbria. The Dutchwoman powered to victory in a thrilling sprint finish, where the Team SD Worx-Protime rider narrowly pipped her rivals over the line. Italy’s Chiara Consonni finished in second, while Great Britain’s Josie Nelson claimed third...

Oregon was the first state to establish a legalized and regulated psilocybin industry. Since then, thousands have tried magic mushrooms. Here is the latest data from the state's real-life experiment.

Overton has said that Congress should strictly regulate abortion drug mifepristone ‘to protect women and children’ Donald Trump nominated Dr Heidi Overton – an abortion opponent who stood next to the president as he made false claims about vaccines – to be commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). “Today I am honored to nominate the wonderful Dr. Heidi Overton, MD, PhD, as our next FDA Commissioner. Dr. Heidi has been a ROCKSTAR in my Administration, where she has worked directly with Secretary Kennedy, Dr. Oz, and team, to deliver on the MOST TRANSFORMATIVE Health Agenda in History. She is known to take on the HARDEST issues, and bring me solutions that work best for the Country,” the president wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday...

The medical system is biased against women, says Carole Kendall, pointing to the very different way men who have colonoscopies are treated I fully endorse everything Anna Moore writes in her excellent article on the lack of pain relief for hysteroscopies (‘It was barbaric. I was crying my eyes out’: why are so many women left in agony by routine womb examinations?, 16 August). I have had three of these barbaric procedures, two of them being associated with being on hormone replacement therapy (HRT). All three were administered with very basic pain relief, ie a small amount of local anaesthetic, which I would compare to numbing a gum with a piece of ice and then proceeding with root canal treatment. I was offered a general anaesthetic on the third occasion, but this is way too much. At no point was anything else offered, like it is for colonoscopies...

French government systems came under attack by hackers who stole information on hundreds of thousands of households and private businesses in June and July, notably from the tax authority. Here's what we know about the latest cyberattacks, and what the government is doing to keep personal information secure.

Amy Lopez from Texas was last seen alive in September 1994 while on a visit to a fortress in Koblenz.

PM wants to reduce department’s stranglehold on public purse and bring long-term thinking to economic policy Andy Burnham is far from the first prime minister to dream of taming the power of the mighty Treasury. Boris Johnson all but forced the resignation of Sajid Javid by handpicking his team; Margaret Thatcher favoured her economic adviser Alan Walters over Nigel Lawson, prompting the latter’s furious resignation; Tony Blair and Gordon Brown’s power struggle was the stuff of Whitehall legend...

Citizens and entities would have to seek authorisation to contact universities or talk to foreign media.

According to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request the number of letters sent has almost tripled since 2024.

Kim Yo-jong, a powerful adviser and sister of Kim Jong-un, also said she was “unaware” of any communication with Washington, contradicting President Trump’s claim her brother had responded to his outreach.

The bus was travelling to hospitals near Curitiba when the accident occurred.

Opponents argue the venue seems 'intent on defying' a court order to remove the president's name from the building.

Victims received less compensation than shareholders in the company behind its flammable cladding. Parliament must make corporations pay for harm caused There is something profoundly wrong when the company behind Grenfell Tower’s flammable cladding paid more compensation to its shareholders than to victims of the disaster. Of Arconic’s £86m in Grenfell-related settlements, all but £1.5m was covered by insurers. Hardly enough to make a multinational think again. The company whose product the inquiry found was the “primary cause” of the fire’s rapid spread has ended up paying only a fraction of the wider social cost, while the multibillion-pound bill for making hundreds of buildings safe falls largely on the state. In June 2017, 72 people – including 18 children – died in London’s Grenfell Tower fire. Almost a decade later, nobody has been criminally charged over its causes. It’s hard to conclude anything but that Britain’s system of corporate accountability is rotten. A new report by the thinktank Common Wealth and the financial investigations group FIND suggests putting right this state of affairs in England and Wales by adopting two changes that parliament could enact quickly. The first is a “failure to prevent” law that would make companies responsible for having adequate systems to prevent foreseeable serious harm. The second is to adopt a “punitive damages” approach. Rather than compensating victims for their loss, punitive damages ask what a company should pay for its conduct. Such an award against Arconic could have been used to meet the costs of remediation, the report says, “at no public cost”...

Canada official condemns Israel's 'invasion' of Lebanon, calls for sovereignty as aid pledged to the crisis-hit nation.

Competition and Markets Authority on message with PM’s planned purge of hidden fees and add-on charges Trainline, Virgin Atlantic and Red Driving School face investigation The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is on-message with Andy Burnham’s declaration of war on the small – and sometimes not-so-small – hassles and expenses of everyday consumer life created by companies’ underhand and misleading pricing tactics. Trainline, Virgin Atlantic and Red Driving School found themselves under investigation on Wednesday for various forms of alleged “drip pricing” – not being upfront about mandatory add-on charges, in other words. The prime minister had nothing to do with the CMA’s pursuit, it should be said. The watchdog’s “consumer protection drive” pre-dates his arrival and was encouraged by legislation under the last Tory government – the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act of 2024, which gave the regulator “direct enforcement” powers, meaning it no longer had to go to court under consumer protection laws. And it is using those powers: eight cases were opened last November and driving schools AA and BSM plus the ticketing site StubHub UK have already been fined...

US President Donald Trump claimed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had responded positively to his proposal for talks.

The ex-FBI chief faces accusations of transmitting threats and exploiting controversy to market his upcoming novel.

The Sisters of Charity of Saint Mary have hosted beachgoers in the town of Spotorno for decades. But change is coming.

After a deadline extension, the latest U.S. tariff threats seemed headed toward resolution on Wednesday, but questions lingered about what Canada would give up, and what it would get in exchange.

Prime Minister Carney hailed "significant progress" in trade talks as the two countries seek to hammer out final details ahead of a new weekend tariff deadline.

NATO says it will 'do what is necessary' amid media report Iran considered strikes against US targets in Europe.

The Trump administration’s ‘America first’ approach has contributed to the scale of the crisis now unfolding in one of the world’s poorest countries For months health experts have warned that the scale of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) could surpass the one that swept west Africa in 2014-16. This week, the authorities in the DRC announced that a grim milestone has already been passed: at least 2,325 people have died from the virus, making it the deadliest of the country’s 17 outbreaks and the fastest-growing in history. There is no effective vaccine against Bundibugyo – a rare strain of the virus that spread fatally undetected during the spring, often being misdiagnosed as malaria or typhoid. In contrast to neighbouring Uganda, which succeeded in eliminating an outbreak, multiple factors are combining to let the disease rip through the DRC. The worst-affected region is contested by armed groups, and a context of population displacement and chronic insecurity has made monitoring and surveillance more difficult. Ebola treatment centres have been attacked as a result of misinformation and community distrust...

President says he plans to meet dictator this year but Kim Yo-jong says Washington remains Pyongyang’s enemy Donald Trump has said he is planning to meet North Korea’s Kim Jong-un later this year even as the reclusive leader’s younger sister cast doubt on their communications and dampened hopes for a diplomatic breakthrough between the two leaders. Trump, who also claimed North Korea had 57 nuclear weapons, had suggested he and Kim were holding secret negotiations on Tuesday after announcing the US would downgrade its participation in military exercises held by South Korea, a US ally. Asked whether Kim had responded to his request for a conversation, Trump said: “Yeah, he has.”..

Discovery marks latest grim finding in lake as water levels in crucial reservoir outside Las Vegas continue to decline Human remains have once again been discovered at Lake Mead outside Las Vegas, Nevada, marking the latest in a line of gruesome discoveries as water levels in the crucial reservoir continue to drop, authorities said. These remains were discovered on 16 August, USA Today reported. The National Park Service (NPS) told the outlet there did not appear to be anything suspicious about the body...

The deal is significant for the artificial intelligence industry, uniting Stripe’s payments business with OpenRouter’s helping businesses direct their spending on A.I. models.

New trade deal ensures no tariffs for US farmers and businesses exporting to Canada, Trump announces

With Israeli elections approaching, analysts say Netanyahu needs a new escalation, undermining deconfliction efforts.

Israeli air strikes on Gaza kill 10 Palestinians, targeting police headquarters and a refugee camp in separate attacks.

Exclusive: Bridget Phillipson’s comments show her party feels voters have been alienated by Reform net zero attacks Richard Tice should apologise to firefighters for his comments this week urging British people to “enjoy” this summer’s extreme heat, according to the Labour party chair. Bridget Phillipson has called on Reform’s deputy leader to say sorry to those who have battled wildfires across the country over the last few weeks, forcing evacuations and destroying homes...

A weak yuan guarantees Beijing massive trade surplus even as the White House tries tamp down on Chinese imports Since China offered a truce in the trade war last October following its threat to deprive the United States of rare-earth magnets, the Trump administration has been happy to stop escalating. After all, imports from China have been falling, down by 40% in the year to June, compared with the same period in 2024. Best to declare victory and call it a day. But the US hasn’t won this battle – and there’s strong evidence to show it’s too chicken to really try...

Lake Como in northern Italy has disappeared after a “geological rupture”, a sensational report posted on TikTok claimed. This isn’t true. For one, the footage and photos in this report were all generated by artificial intelligence. Secondly, while the water levels in the lake have dropped, it's because of drought – and satellite images show that Lake Como is far from empty.

Sonia Bellina's body was "abandoned" after "a murder of rare savagery", the family's lawyer says.

Israeli plans to build on the area east of Jerusalem - which would divide the occupied West Bank in two - have long been internationally condemned.

Dr. David Morens, a former N.I.H. official, admitted to attempts to conceal emails that discussed the origins of the pandemic.

Defense analyst Stacie Pettyjohn says while the U.S. military is facing long-range missile shortages, prolonged deployments and vacated regional bases, Iran is building cheaper weapons quickly.

The phone’s artificial intelligence can order groceries, book tables and take photos on a user’s behalf. But is it something people really want?

Arturo Béjar, former Meta safety engineer, tells jury tech company was aware of products’ potential harm to children Meta has taken a “don’t ask, don’t tell” strategy when it comes to the safety of children on its social media platforms, according to a whistleblower who testified during a landmark trial against the company on Tuesday. He is slated to continue his testimony on Wednesday. Arturo Béjar, a former Meta safety engineer, told the jury that the company was aware of the harm its products caused children, which included its recommendations pushing content from sexual predators and violent and graphic images. He said he repeatedly raised the issue to various Facebook and Instagram executives but that they did little to resolve it...

US interventions in Iran and beyond reveal a recurring pattern of regime changes, with high human and financial costs.

India hold off Pakistan 5-3 to finish second with six points as England top Pool D with nine points from three wins.

The Israeli military has announced a criminal investigation into the killing that shook the world.

FRANCE 24 spent an evening with unaccompanied minors who are sleeping rough in Ceuta but refusing to return home. Amid the fear, the cold and the long wait for help, these young Moroccan migrants shared their stories.

Chidimma Adetshina is challenging efforts to have her deported from South Africa, which she says is her home.

On Tuesday, Libya's national oil corporation said the country needs around 40 billion dollars in investment to make the most of its energy resources. The country's unreliable access to energy is feeding into instability stemming from fighting between rival factions and political rivalries. Members of one of the country's governments, the one internationally recognised and led by PM Abdulhamid Dbeibah met for crisis talks in Tunisia this week, as FRANCE 24’s Lilia Blaise reports.

A massive cyberattack in France has exposed the personal information of some 700,000 people. After hackers breached the government database for taxes, it has now been revealed that other government sites have also been hacked.

Israel’s military on Wednesday announced its first criminal investigations into troop conduct in the war in Gaza, focusing on the killings of 5-year-old Hind Rajab and her family and of 15 Palestinian paramedics. The military said it would not launch criminal investigations into three other attacks that killed aid workers from World Central Kitchen and Doctors Without Borders. FRANCE 24's Noga Tarnopolsky reports from Jerusalem.

Moderna and Merck say the experimental vaccine prevented the return and spread of the cancer in high-risk melanoma patients.

Comedians used to post footage of their performances to build a following. Now, some are finding that comic strip-style panels with captions pack a bigger punch.

While the government cites financial constraints for not being able to effect a biannual hike of 15%, the striking doctors argue that they received it during the pandemic, and are now insisting on 30% rise

Palestinian news outlets reported a man with the number ‘44’ written on his forehead following a raid in Qabatiya.

A girl is taken to hospital in critical condition in what PM Burnham calls a 'terrible family tragedy'.

Yields, at recent highs this week, dropped after treasury’s vow to ‘provide greater liquidity support’ to bond market The US treasury is doubling its buyback of government debt in an effort to balance out the bond market and counterbalance investor concern over high inflation. The yield rate on 10-year, 20-year and 30-year treasury notes all hit 20-year highs this week, with the 30-year treasury yield rising to its highest rate since 2007. The rapid rise was concerning news for borrowers as major loans, including mortgages, are backed by treasuries...