2026 News Archive

California announced that it’s phasing out paraquat, a pesticide widely used in the United States that is linked to Parkinson’s disease.

Pleasance Dome, Edinburgh This is a spiky, interrogative and surprisingly conventional set from an act who usually pushes standup to its limits You can fall victim to your own high standards – and few comics have set higher standards than Jordan Brookes. A new show from the 2019 comedy award champ is an event, at which half the fun is seeing how he’s monstered the form into some unforeseen new shape. If this year’s offering, The Part of You That’s Always Screaming, were delivered by any other comic, I’d be hailing it as one of the twistiest and deepest-thinking hours on the fringe. But it lacks Brookes’ usual ambition: its delivery is fairly conventional; things aren’t pushed as far as we expect. It’s all relative, mind you: this is still a set in which, at one unexpected moment, our comedian turns down the lights, turns up some disturbing industrial soundscape, and jerks threateningly across the stage. But then we act differently when we’re being watched – which is Brookes’ point here, in a show that worries intensely at the relationship between selfhood and being seen. It’s structured, deliciously, around an innocuous experience on a train, when Brookes snacking on a croissant becomes a performative act, awkwardly positioned as he is between the window and a window-gazing fellow passenger. At Pleasance Dome, Edinburgh, until 30 August All our Edinburgh festival reviews..

(Loma Vista) The genre-blending Californian artist casts off past toxic influences with a powerful set of tender, brooding and emotionally charged songs that wouldn’t feel out of place as festival anthems When Chelsea Wolfe was interviewed by the Guardian in 2015 about her fourth album, Abyss, she revealed that her music had been informed by the bouts of sleep paralysis she’d suffered from since childhood. The condition – a transitional state between being awake and asleep – affects sufferers in different ways. Some wake up feeling paralysed, others see ghosts or demonic figures. For the California-born singer-songwriter, it meant “waking up, and you can move your body and your eyes are open, but there are figures and people from your dreams still present in your room”. No surprise, then, that her music – a blend of drone, alt, folk, industrial and doom metal – had ended up so spookily unsettling. She appeared on album covers with pupil-less eyes, spoke in interviews about “following the path of witchcraft” and even covered Norwegian black metal act and convicted arsonist/murderer Burzum. She did have a sense of humour about it all, however, telling one interviewer, with a chuckle: “It’s not party music.” Since then, though, much has changed. Wolfe left Los Angeles for the mountains above the city – where she’s finally been able to enjoy a good night’s sleep. Sobriety since 2021 has also brought what she calls “a new clarity”. Both developments inform The Dark...

Phillipa Northeast is brilliant as a young woman rebelling against society’s expectations in 1890s Australia. It is witty, intelligent and absolutely glorious to watch “I’m hot headed, with a snub nose, and that’s why I prefer a direct gaze.” So speaks Sybylla, the charmingly irrepressible and irrepressibly charming heroine of My Brilliant Career, played utterly convincingly and with vim, vigour and joy by Philippa Northeast in the new adaptation of Miles Franklin’s 1901 Australian classic of the same name. Creator Liz Doran must have wept with happiness when they found an actor capable of bringing so much to an already glorious script – and who embodies the joie de vivre upon which so much of the plot, as everyone she meets becomes part of her orbit, depends. My Brilliant Career is on Netflix..

About to start his ninth season, his first under a club manager who isn’t Pep Guardiola, this could be the year we finally find out who the City enigma is Phil Foden says he is excited about working under Enzo Maresca, his new manager at Manchester City. We should call this exactly what it is: a very obvious barefaced lie. No doubt Foden is excited about playing football again, about challenging for trophies with his boyhood club, the new Premier League season, his new contract, a fresh start, etc, etc. But let’s be real. Holidays are something you get excited about. Birthdays. Weddings. Amazon deliveries. The new Charli xcx album. Christmas. Playing for Enzo Maresca inspires plenty of emotions, but excitement would probably feature pretty low down a list. At best, you brace for Maresca. You steel yourself. You look in the mirror every morning and ask yourself whether you’re man enough for him. But if you’re excited, then he simply isn’t doing his job...

The former England full-back is back in the Championship after 12 years away, hoping to lead Wolves out of it When the question inevitably comes, Kieran Trippier is happy to set the record straight. Fresh from training, head to toe in Wolves kit – vest, shorts and club-branded sliders – he walks into a suite at their Compton Park base, conversation soon shifting to an episode that rocked supporters and stopped outsiders in their tracks: three days after signing, the manager Trippier cited as a significant driver behind his decision to drop into the second tier, Rob Edwards, was sacked. All the while, a deal for his replacement, César Peixoto, was being accelerated. “I’m not going to sit here and lie, I wasn’t expecting it,” Trippier says. “But it’s the club’s decision. I had good chats with Rob, of course, but I’m here to play for Wolves. There are many surprises in football and that certainly was a surprise, I’m not going to deny that. But I just cracked on, I was with my kids on holiday, training in Mallorca and just looking forward to day one in pre-season.”..

The dangers of AI become clearer every day. Why are we still acting as if we have no choice about our future? Rather than producing jobs, the US economy actually lost 23,000 jobs in July, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data released on Friday. In addition, May and June’s job numbers were revised downward, showing a combined 103,000 fewer jobs than previously reported. As if this weren’t bad enough, wage growth has also slowed. Average hourly earnings rose by just 0.1% from June...

Biological factors mean a child’s core temperature rises faster than an adult’s – and that can result in a medical emergency Children and babies are more vulnerable in heatwaves than healthy adults. As temperatures rise again, how do we keep children safe?..

Dress like a zebra, wash your feet, keep off the beer: insect experts explain what works and what doesn’t – and why some of us get bitten more than others It’s a good time to be a mosquito or other blood-sucking insect. In the UK and beyond, they are enjoying the summer heat, and there are lots of humans outdoors, some wearing very little, like an all-you-can-eat walking buffet. Some of the humans are drinking beer, which apparently makes them even more irresistible to mosquitoes. Many of us are warm and sweaty, which is all the better for the blood-suckers seeking us out. Insect populations are changing because of the warming climate and there are organisations keeping an eye on invasive species, especially mosquitoes, which can be vectors for diseases such as dengue and malaria (globally, more than 600,000 people a year die from malaria). The UK “will have a threat from mosquito-borne diseases as time goes on,” says James Logan, professor of medical entomology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and CEO of Dot, an “odour intelligence” company. “The biggest threats are arboviruses [viruses transmitted by arthropods, especially insects and ticks], such as dengue. We have mosquitoes throughout [mainland] Europe now that can transmit dengue. We also know that we do get those mosquitoes coming across to the UK, but they don’t seem to be breeding here successfully and surviving over the winter.” But, he warns, with milder winters and warmer summers, it is only a matter of time...

How can our understanding of mortality shape the way we live? Palliative care doctors and death doulas share the lessons they have learned We will all face death one day, but our attitude towards this is individual. How can our understanding of mortality shape our approach to life? Here, palliative care doctors and death doulas share what they know about the end – and how it informs the way they live...

The order cannot effect change, and is only ‘undermining trust in vaccines’ as CDC guidance remains the same Donald Trump’s executive order on vaccines does not change the US recommendations for the shots – but experts say it does create confusion and doubt about vaccines, which will lead to more illness and possibly deaths among children and will make it harder for families and pediatricians to protect them. The executive order was an attempt to reinstate sweeping changes to the vaccine schedule made earlier this year by Robert F Kennedy Jr, secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services and a longtime vaccine opponent – changes that were later halted by a federal judge...

Move blocking funds through Medicaid and Chip to make it harder for vulnerable children to get healthcare, experts say The Trump administration finalized a rule on Tuesday to end gender-affirming care through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (Chip), a move that will make it harder for vulnerable children to access healthcare and that eschews evidence to advance an anti-transgender ideology, opponents say. The rule is set to take effect on 13 October – but legal challenges could delay or block it entirely...

Amid relentless war in the Middle East, the Iran-backed militants seem poised to renew their conflict with Yemen’s Saudi-backed government.

Confederation of African Football chief Patrice Motsepe says Gianni Infantino's future should only be decided by elections after Ireland became the latest federation to withdraw their support for the embattled FIFA president.

Former France international Fabien Barthez was put in charge of the national team's goalkeepers on Thursday under newly appointed head coach Zinedine Zidane, reuniting two legends of French football who carried Les Bleus to World Cup and Euro titles in 1998 and 2000.

Tributes to the former premier recalled his spirited style and his efforts to integrate China into global commerce, in contrast with the rigidity of the Xi era.

The Black Sea location has been selected after Bulgarian singer Dara won this year's contest.

Labour's employment rights bill crackdown on zero hours contracts could cost businesses up to £2.9bn a year, new official analysis has found.

Hakainde Hichilema wants five more years but continued cost of living pressures have dented his appeal.

The accusations against Bruno Foucher prompted investigations into a potential security breach.

Weaker growth, rising energy costs and persistent inflation mean Britain could face tougher times in the autumn UK economic growth slows down Business live – latest updates In the spring the International Monetary Fund warned Britain faced the heaviest economic blow from the Iran war among the world’s most advanced nations. Almost six months into the conflict, on the surface, the UK appears to be proving the forecasters wrong. The latest official figures show the UK maintained its pole position as the fastest growing economy in the G7 in the first half of 2026. Despite the gloomy international backdrop and yet more domestic political uncertainty, consumers have largely continued spending and business investment has boomed...

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of Japan has been a public critic of Mr. Putin, who has denounced her country’s sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine war.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Thursday denounced a siege by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank village of Qusra as a "horrific act of terror". Huckabee, an evangelical Christian pastor who in the past has embraced Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, said the Israeli army intervened on Wednesday after a US request, but the soldiers failed to remove the settlers.

Millions across Europe looked to the skies on Wednesday as the Moon passed in front of the Sun in a rare solar eclipse. The eclipse was total in parts of Iceland and northern Spain, while much of Europe, including France and the UK, saw a spectacular partial eclipse, with more than 90% of the Sun covered in many areas.

Westbrook, a former NBA Most Valuable Player, holds the record for the most career triple-doubles in league history.

Israel, which hosted the contest in 2019, will no longer be allowed to do so - but can still compete, protesters say.

A new Al Jazeera film speaks to the head of the Civil Defence in Tyre, southern Lebanon's largest city.

The UK government says it is "disrupting and deterring shadow fleet vessels" in accordance with the law.

Two years after southern Brazil’s worst climate disaster ravaged the city, and with poor areas still recovering, many fear official neglect has left them exposed once again In the backstreets of Porto Alegre, a state capital in southern Brazil, you can still see signs of the devastating flood that swept through the city two years ago: scattered debris, waterlogged homes and destroyed businesses. In May 2024, flooding killed 183 people in the state of Rio Grande do Sul and displaced more than 600,000. The neighbourhood of Sarandi was one of the hardest-hit parts of Porto Alegre, with water levels reaching up to 5 metres above normal, completely submerging many of its streets...

Malawi continued ⁠their giant-killing ​run at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations as they defeated Algeria 3-1 on Wednesday with goals from Chawinga sisters Tabitha and Temwa to book a place in the final. They go on to face Cameroon, who beat hosts Morocco in a penalty shootout in the other semi-final.

Voters cast their ballots on Thursday in a local English election pitting Nigel Farage against his main challenger, a comedian dressed as a trash can, in a test of opposition ‌to the Reform UK leader's brand of populist politics. Our correspondent in London Benedicte Paviot tells us more.

The Maghreb region has seen a dramatic drop in birth rates in recent years. Most women now have fewer than three children, compared with the 7-8 children per woman that was typical in the 1970s.

The first total solar eclipse visible in Europe in almost 30 years swept across the continent on Wednesday evening. Millions of tourists flocked to Spain, where the eclipse’s "path of totality" meant the Moon completely blocked out the Sun. But around one in eight people around the world were able to glimpse a partial eclipse.

A Singapore-flagged container ship crashed into a bank of the Hooghly River in eastern India.

AJ's Jamal Elshayyal moderates a panel of academics and leaders from four countries

Tons of aid from regional partners began to roll into Colombia on Wednesday, as the search for survivors in the rubble of a powerful earthquake grew more desperate after the temblor razed buildings, buckled roads and crushed cars.

Incheon airport had 38.39m international passengers in first half of 2026, as traffic diverted from Middle East hubs South Korea’s Incheon airport has become the world’s busiest airport for international passengers, in part due to disruption in the Middle East caused by the Iran war. The airport, South Korea’s main gateway about 30 miles (48km) west of Seoul, handled 38.39 million international passengers in the first half of 2026, according to preliminary figures compiled by the Airports Council International (ACI), the global trade body for airports...

Pro-Palestine activists smear red paint on Danish defence company

Football's top official boosted by further support for his presidency after proposed private investment in game nixed.

Predictions, news and transfer latest ahead of the new La Liga season, as Barcelona and Real Madrid renew title rivalry.

Military escalation continues for days after the Yemeni government announced it is attacking Houthi positions.

Whether you want to improve your home’s security or simply know who’s at the door, the latest generation of smart doorbells will help put your mind at ease • The best robot vacuums, tested Doorbells have evolved. Today, they watch us as we approach, let the people inside the home know we’re coming sooner than our finger can hit the button, and give them a good look at our faces before they open the door. They’re essentially security cameras with a chime function. If you haven’t already installed one of these handy tools, there’s a huge array available. Choosing the best video doorbell can be a bewildering task, with various factors to consider, including how much of your doorstep you want to see and whether you’re prepared to pay for a subscription. To help make the decision a little bit easier, I tested 11 popular video doorbells to find the best...

Australia dismissed for lowest total against Bangladesh as Hasan Mahmud claims career-best on Day One of first Test.

Reigning European champions PSG kicked off the new season by retaining their UEFA Super Cup title, beating Premier League side Aston Villa 2-1 in Salzburg. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Désiré Doué scored the goals for Luis Enriqué's team.

A total solar eclipse on Wednesday plunged Spain’s Segovia into daytime darkness for 59 seconds. Perched high up on the city's iconic cathedral bell tower, locals and visitors from and wide watched, in awe, as the moon’s shadow blotted out the sun.

The distance between life and death is razor thin at one medical clinic in Rwampara, the heart of the epidemic ravaging the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Despite outcry from musicians, AI slop is creeping into the charts as record labels scramble to adapt to a new normal where hits can be made at the click of a button This year, the battle for song of the summer has been eclipsed by a much more complicated – some would even say disturbing – debate. That’s because we find ourselves asking not “What’s the song of the summer?” but rather “Is the song of the summer even real?” Among the top contenders for the title is Fenix Flexin’s Rubberz, a single released in June that has ascended to No 58 on the Billboard Hot 100 and racked up more than 35m Spotify streams. It’s not the sort of fare Fenix usually cooks up. The artist is known for his trap music as part of the rap duo Shoreline Mafia, but Rubberz is a mildly noirish, 80s-inspired synth-pop track featuring a voice nothing like his. The song has drawn comparisons to Morrissey, but it more closely resembles Men at Work’s Down Under, or a Weird Al Yankovic parody of Men at Work. It’s pretty awful. But more importantly, it has an uncanny quality to it. It sounds off...

Israeli settlers have blocked the homes of three Palestinian families in Qusra, cutting them off from food and supplies.

Firms in England and Wales seek to fund measures including supporting new homes and datacentres Business live – latest updates Millions of households in England and Wales face higher bills after water companies were given the green light to spend £3.4bn more than planned, including to support new homes and datacentres. The new spending will come on top of the £104bn programme of investment approved by the regulator that had already meant water bills will rise by 36% over the second half of the decade...

Farmers trying to adapt to extreme weather say even with the best planning, their industry is facing its toughest test.

Security cameras captured the moment part of a children's hospital in Cali collapsed.

Earthquakes can happen suddenly, but knowing what to do before, during and after one can reduce the risk of injury.

US defence secretary says drug cartels will be ‘targeted like ISIS’

Iga Swiatek will face Elena Rybakina for the Toronto tennis title, as Elina Svitolina and Coco Gauff exit in semifinals.

The last three executions on the same day happened 16 years ago, in Louisiana, Ohio and Texas.

In France, 80 departments have been placed on an orange heat warning The government will look at banning disposable barbecues as wildfires continue to rage across the UK, Andy Burnham has said. Disposable barbecues have been the cause of a number of serious fires over the last few years, but campaigners were critical of the prime minister’s failure to link those fires more broadly to the climate crisis. Macclesfield, Cheshire, July 2026: a large woodland fire that was tackled by dozens of firefighters. Cheshire fire and rescue service said a discarded barbecue was the probable cause Three separate fires in one day around London, July 2026: in Feltham, 6 hectares of heathland close to houses were damaged. The London fire brigade urged people not to use disposable barbecues and to properly extinguish cigarettes after crews tackled three grass fires. The Trossachs, Scotland, May 2025: covered 2 hectares in the Glen Finglas region of the national park. Glen Finglas is the biggest Woodland Trust site in the UK. The barbecue understood to have sparked that fire was found with a burger still on the grill...

Malawi will face Cameroon in the Women's Africa Cup of Nations final after respective wins over Algeria and Morocco.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam rejects Israel's claim that villages destroyed in southern Lebanon were military sites.

Argentina star Lionel Messi hinted at retirement on Wednesday before featuring in Inter Miami's defeat by Leon.

A deleted video of Tamil star Vikram cuddling an endangered gibbon has triggered an inquiry into how the animal entered India.