2026 News Archive

New images from the James Webb telescope show a galaxy with a trio of supermassive black holes. Two of them appear to be locked in a tight tango.

The actress from The Office TV series says her breast lump was tiny and not a 'lump' as such; rather a kind of hard spot.

During early calibration tests, the MOTHRA telescope’s array of lenses, which will soon number 1,140, captured stellar debris dissolving into space around the Helix Nebula.

Hopes of catching the best view are fading in parts of Scotland as clouds threaten to hide the celestial event.

The Department of Environment said 5km of the Kilkeel River in the Mournes area was impacted.

Consumer prices in July were up 3.4% from a year ago — a smaller annual increase than in May or June. The news makes it less likely the Fed will feel the need to raise interest rates in September.

The new record surpasses the previous official hydrogen combustion title set in 2004 by more than double the speed.

The actress, best known for playing Dawn in The Office, has revealed she has incurable breast cancer.

Dr. Raj Panjabi founded Last Mile Health to bring healthcare to people living in remote areas. The group is the 2026 recipient of the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize.

Fairground TV is a 24/7 channel devoted to low-quality AI content for viewers sick of watching real people move in ways that won’t haunt you The appeal of Roku is that, whatever you happen to want to watch, there will almost certainly be a live channel for it. Just want to watch Little House on the Prairie? There’s a channel for it. Just want to watch Duck Dynasty? There’s a channel for that too. Purely want to watch nothing but local news from Wisconsin? Guess what: there’s a channel for that too. But despite this wealth, a section of the population was still to see its needs fulfilled. What about people who hate plot and vision and the sight of people speaking convincing dialogue that synchronises perfectly with the movement of their lips? What about the people who just want to watch an unyielding torrent of eerily weightless nightmare fodder? Well, good news. Roku has finally caught up...

Amid doubling prices and fraying tempers, shoppers hunt for elusive eyewear to prepare for rare eclipse of sun • Europe solar eclipse – latest updates A secretive WhatsApp group was pinging with notifications throughout Wednesday, letting its members know where in London the latest “drop” would take place. The group’s focus, rather than being for an illicit substance, was for the much-coveted eclipse glasses, which have prompted a frantic rush on shops before the celestial event...

The recurring climate phenomenon is expected to peak later this year, but it is already causing dry spells and crop failures on three continents.

Mar Carretero-Castrillo, an astrophysicist, returned to her remote village in Spain to be in the path of totality. Hundreds of partygoers came too.

Record-low water levels on the Danube near Prahovo, Serbia, have exposed the wrecks of dozens of Nazi-era vessels

The suit challenges Truth Social plan selling early access to Trump's market-moving posts.

A man has been airlifted to hospital after a suspected shark bite off the Irish coast.

Lionel Messi has raised "serious doubts" over his footballing future in a touching tribute to his father, Jorge, who died last week.

The Israeli military Wednesday failed to remove settlers from blockaded Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank. The siege began over the weekend, when a group of settlers blocked essential supplies from entering the Palestinian village of Qusra. The incident marked a ⁠rare confrontation between settlers and the Israeli military.

Trump claims pro-Israel lobbying no longer wields the power it had decades ago, reflecting changes in US politics.

An online petition accusing Pete Hoekstra of diplomatic interference in Canadian domestic affairs has garnered more than 60,000 signatures.

The Los Angeles Lakers is to be sold for a reported record $12.5bn - less than a year after Mark Walter took a majority stake in the NBA franchise.

The body is the size of the entire solar system and glows with a brilliant red light about 30bn light years from Earth Astronomers claim to have discovered a new kind of cosmic object, a black hole “star”, which is the size of the entire solar system and glows with a brilliant red light. The international team made the breakthrough after focusing their attention on a mysterious red spot in images of the early solar system captured by Nasa’s James Webb space telescope...

Following Australia’s first reported automated hacking accident, experts warn deployers – and possibly developers – of AI agents could be held liable for the actions of their bots Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The law is clear, says Prof Jeannie Paterson. “If I deploy an AI agent and it causes harm to someone else, I am responsible for that harm. “Even if I didn’t intend for that to happen, it was foreseeable, and I should be taking responsibility.”..

Eurovision Song Contest organisers have announced changes to the rules, saying winning broadcasters are to be prevented from hosting if involved in armed conflict or a "sensitive geopolitical situation" that could affect the safety of the event.

Organisers say countries engaged in armed conflict will be automatically disqualified from hosting.

Voters in six US states went to the polls to choose their preferred candidates in primaries and special elections ahead of November’s midterms. In Wisconsin, moderate David Crowley narrowly defeated Democratic socialist Francesca Hong in the race for governor. On the Republican side, Darline Graham, sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, advanced to a runoff in the Senate primary. Yuka Royer has the story.

Europe is gearing up for its first total solar eclipse in 27 years.

A widening deficit and Ukrainian strikes are testing Russia's economy, even as war in the Middle East lifts oil revenue.

IRGC advisers say Iran has replaced more missiles and drones than it used, and cite falling US munition stocks.

The US health secretary has spent years saying the MMR vaccine caused autism despite no medical evidence.

Energy prices declined 1.5 percent in July but remain 14.7 percent higher compared with a year ago.

Just eight vessels crossed strait on Tuesday, down from 130 to 140 prior to the war as peace talks stall.

The president boarded a different plane in Turkey during a Nato summit to evade an Iranian threat.

Colombia on Wednesday declared three days of mourning after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake killed more than 200 people in the west of the country. Monday's quake was the strongest to hit Colombia this century, and the search for survivors under the rubble is ongoing.

Mark Walter bought team last year for $10bn Iger and Kushner aim to ‘compete at the highest level’ Josh ⁠Kushner and Bob Iger ⁠are purchasing ⁠the ​Los Angeles Lakers for more ⁠than $12bn in a record-breaking ⁠deal, ESPN reported ​on ‌Wednesday, citing ‌sources with knowledge ‌of the deal. Billionaire Mark Walter purchased a majority stake of the ‌NBA team last year from the Buss family in a ​deal that valued the club at $10bn, with ⁠the deal only ​having ​been approved ​by the board ​of ‌governors ​in ​October...

Regardless of its current hostile rhetoric, the Islamic Republic will likely reach a settlement with the US and Israel.

The legislation will 'exceptionally' reduce certain prison terms, says Lebanon's parliament speaker.

Female staff alleged company failed to maintain safe workplace, after allegations of sexual assault against pilot The Canadian airline WestJet has agreed to pay C$4.5m (£2.4m) to settle a decade-long sexual harassment class action lawsuit levelled by its female flight attendants, who alleged the company failed to maintain a safe workplace. The suit followed allegations by Mandalena Lewis, a former flight attendant, that a pilot had sexually assaulted her and a colleague, but that WestJet kept the pilot flying, thereby putting other employees at risk...

The killers of PC Andrew Harper had been set to partake in early release scheme as prison system on verge of collapse.

Efan Dafydd's love of the cosmos continued to grow after meeting his hero, astronaut Tim Peake.

PM to look at imposing restriction on devices in public spaces, though campaigners fear it does not go far enough The government will look at banning disposable barbecues as wildfires continue to rage across the country, prime minister 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 PM’s failure to link those fires more broadly to the climate crisis. Macclesfield, Cheshire, July 2026: A large woodland fire which 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, six hectares of heathland close to houses were damaged. The London Fire Brigade (LFB) has urged people not to use disposable barbecues and to properly extinguish cigarettes after crews tackled three grass fires on Wednesday. The Trossachs, Scotland, May 2025: Covered two hectares in the Glen Finglas region of the national park. Glen Finglas is the biggest Woodland Trust site in the UK. The BBQ understood to have sparked that fire was found with a burger still on the grill...

Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened retaliation over the West’s seizure of commercial vessels. Speaking aboard a Russian warship, Putin described the measures targeting Russia as an act of piracy and robbery. France 24 International Affairs editor Philip Turle shares further insights.

Mark Zuckerberg’s tech giant Meta is facing a $1.4 trillion lawsuit over allegations that it deliberately designed addictive features on its platforms to keep children hooked. Parents have long raised concerns about the impact of Facebook and Instagram on young people’s mental health, and jury selection begins this Wednesday.

Racist settler graffiti on West Bank homes and schools reveals a brazen ideological drive for Palestinian displacement.

Former Barcelona and PSG star Lionel Messi, who won the 2022 World Cup, hints at retirement following the death of his father.

The pristine white sand dunes of the Lençóis Maranhenses National Park are bordered by thick jungle on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other. Thousands of lagoons fill up after the rainy season.

The Kemp's ridley sea turtle was flown home to the Caribbean Sea after being found washed up in Wales.

Sudanese army air defenses reportedly intercepted drones launched by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) over el-Obeid.

The conflict in the Middle East has pushed up oil and fuel prices, and also disrupted supply chains.

From rejecting drilling licences to preparing communities for heat, drought and wildfires, here’s how Burnham can ready the UK for a hotter, drier climate From record-smashing temperatures, wildfires, hosepipe bans and thousands of premature deaths, the climate crisis has left its mark across the summer of 2026. Tackling the root cause – the burning of fossil fuels – and ending the crisis will take years. So will fixing the UK government’s calamitous failure to protect lives and livelihoods against the long-predicted affects of global heating...

La Liga officials are set to inspect the pitch at Celta Vigo's Estadio de Balaidos over a suspected fungus outbreak.

Pyongyang has repeatedly condemned US–South Korea military drills, claiming they are a 'rehearsal for invasion'.

Bakery business Janes Pantry confirms its plans to reopen at least 20 of the Coughlans shops.

Annual US inflation dipped to 3.4% in July, with food costs slowing and housing keeping prices slightly higher.

Lebanon's parliament on Wednesday passed a general amnesty law reducing sentences for inmates and people detained for more than 12 years without charges in a bid to reduce prison overcrowding. The legislation was passed a day after Lebanon became the first Middle Eastern country to abolish the death penalty.

Vietnam, a country of more than 100 million people, is facing a sharp decline in its birthrate. Once known for large families, the nation's fertility rate has fallen to just 1.9 children per woman. This figure worries the government, which for decades was obsessed with controlling population growth – for more than 40 years, a two-child policy was the norm in Vietnam. But in June 2025, that restriction was officially lifted.

Esmail Qaani held meetings over Iraqi government's plan to disarm armed groups and bring weapons under state control.

Energy is cheaper than at its peak in late April, but gas is still nearly $1 a gallon more expensive than before the Iran war US consumer prices cooled slightly in July as the annualized inflation rate dipped down to 3.4%, though prices still remain higher than levels seen before the war with Iran. Though inflation decreased 0.7% in June during a brief ceasefire between the US and Iran that brought energy prices down, consumer prices have remained elevated. Price increases hit a three-year high in May, with annual inflation reaching 4.2%...

Zhu was renowned for reforms that sought to transition China from the post-Maoist years to a more global market-oriented financial system, without ceding party control over the economy.

Falling water levels linked to weather system are expected to limit number of slots to transit shipping lane Business live – latest updates Commercial ships travelling through the Panama Canal are facing a rise in costs amid disruption triggered by the Iran war and falling water levels linked to this year’s intense El Niño weather system. Highlighting the fragility of global trade, a container ship reportedly paid about $4m (£3m) to jump a queue of vessels waiting to pass through the vital maritime choke point...