2026 News Archive

Academic paper says often illicit trade exposes enthusiasts – and postal workers handling items – to serious risks A growing global trade in mummified human remains has been described by academics as “a real mummy’s curse” that poses a serious health risk to its enthusiasts and the postal services they use. Research into the secretive buying and selling of centuries-old human body parts including hands, feet and heads found alarming risks from dormant microorganisms and the toxic materials used to preserve the remains...

From Nobel Prize-winning research to the Laffer Curve, Scabby the Rat, Veblen's peacock, and more — the economic ideas and inside jokes hiding throughout Planet Money's new board game.

Exclusive: Court service says anyone trying to enter buildings with glasses will have them confiscated and returned when they leave Courts in England and Wales have joined a number of restaurants, theatres and pubs in banning Meta glasses, amid a mounting backlash against what has been described as “spyware”. Last month courts in New York announced a ban on the controversial glasses, which can record video footage while being worn...

Also: Google executives jump ship in race for AI dominance Hello, TechScape readers! Danielle Abril, editor of the Guardian’s Reworked series on AI and the future of work, filling in for Blake Montgomery this week. Major legal battles against Meta over child safety are playing out in courts across the US – and the tech giant is losing. Recent rulings raise big questions about social media companies’ responsibility to their youngest users. Meanwhile, more key executives have jumped ship from Google as it battles OpenAI and Anthropic in the race for AI dominance, and Meta’s smartglasses face a fearsome backlash. Let’s dig in! ‘I’ve definitely lost followers’: influencers face backlash over Meta ‘pervert glasses’ content This man was secretly snapped by someone with smartglasses. He’s not alone in calling that a violation of privacy Tell us: do you believe you have been filmed by Meta’s smartglasses without your consent? Restaurants, pubs and theatres ban Meta’s ‘spy glasses’ over privacy fears ‘I’m not spying’: how Meta’s smartglasses have divided opinion Bernie Sanders calls on Silicon Valley to ‘pause AI development’ in interest of humanity Rising number of UK children report seeing explicit deepfakes of themselves The White House’s plan to vet potentially dangerous AI is cloaked in secrecy ‘This is very real redlining’: outrage in Little Rock as two datacenters loom Safety fears as scientists make first viruses designed by AI SpaceX beats revenue expectations in first earnings report after IPO crash..

Some parts of England could see up to 96 per cent of the moon covering the sun on 12 August.

Mixed reactions persist in Washington, DC, a year after Trump deployed the National Guard to address crime concerns.

“We heard them screaming,” said one rescuer in Cali, where rescuers face a race against time to find the living.

Robert Gilman, who was arrested in 2022 for kicking a police officer while drunk, had reportedly been in a catatonic-like state.

Far be it for Football Daily to make cheap gags [wait, what? – Football Daily Ed] relating to the involvement of Amazon founder and master of the universe Jeff Bezos in a consortium buying around 30% of Liverpool FC. Will new signings arrive via prompt delivery but end up next door at Everton? How will fans rate the packaging? Etc, etc. There’s also the involvement of Eduardo Saverin, the Facebook co-founder poking his head in. Though long ago unfriended by Mark Zuckerberg, Saverin still ranked No 56 on Forbes’s billionaires list. These are seriously rich men, and among the planet’s chino class, to quote Vladimir Putin, “soccer is popular”. The Geopolitics World Cup posh seats were full of those eyeing up deals on a frontier hardly new to investors from the USA USA USA, but where there may be much more gold to strike. See Gianni Infantino’s misreading of the art of the deal as an, ahem, prime example. Having also boycotted the GWC and also being very concerned about the season to come, I sympathise with Ken Muir (yesterday’s Football Daily letters). But at least Hearts know who their manager is. Due to the absurd, months-long FA ‘investigation’ into the manager who’s clearly admitted culpability for the undisputed facts of Spygate, my club, Southampton, is in a horrid limbo. Surely it could have been done and dusted in a couple of weeks and Saints could have planned accordingly. But perhaps the FA blazers were too busy writing their letter of support to Gianni Infantino to worry about destabilising my football club” – Bob Cushion. ‘It’s 15 years of frustration here at this club,’ says Rangers boss Derek McInnes (yesterday’s Quote of the Day.) Steven Gerrard and the sole object in his managerial trophy cabinet would like a word, Derek” – David Maddock. Given the surfeit of the recent GWC machinations, the blatherings and canvassing for Gianni to do one (or not) and the less-than-sportsmanlike attitude from members of the Argentina team, can we please have a reprise of the Football Daily’s erstwhile, eventually abortive, attempt to ‘STOP FOOTBALL’? It has to be worth a thought, before VAR, PGMOL and Arsenal’s Dark Arts Department™ get to work on the 2026-27 Premier League shenanigans, surely?” – Budgie Wright. This is an extract from our daily football email … Football Daily. To get the full version, just visit this page and follow the instructions...

The Yemeni government said the ship was carrying food supplies to a port on the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The Iran-backed Houthis have not commented on the attack.

The attack was reportedly carried out by Iranian proxy on a small cargo ship, as tensions in region over the US-Iran conflict remain high.

Paris is preparing for the solar eclipse. The last one here in France was in 1999. So this is one not to miss, especially for the astrophotographer we met.

Millions will see the sun disappear as the eclipse sweeps from the Arctic to Europe, bringing two minutes of totality.

At least 224 people have been killed in Colombia following a 7.4 magnitude earthquake which struck the western part of the country. With thousands of people still missing, authorities are warning the number of casualties could continue to climb.

Police say 17 suspected gang members and two civilians were also killed in Kebbi State.

The aerial footage shows homes destroyed down to their foundations, with burned cars still parked in some driveways.

Mangione's lawyers have yet to signal their defence, while prosecutors are in a battle over evidence.

Authorities promise tough new laws in the country, which has high levels of firearms ownership.

Music streaming platform creates ‘AI persona’ label that will appear on profiles and track listings in crackdown on fake performers Spotify is to label AI artists and exclude them from algorithm recommendations as part of a crackdown on fake performers. The world’s largest music streaming platform is creating a label for AI-generated artist identities called “AI personas” that will appear on the artist profile and on track listings on playlists...

The new PM could bring in revenue for social care or defence with a land levy or by reforming council tax Residential property is the largest store of wealth in the UK, and has long been a target for those who believe homes should be taxed more. Real estate remains a juicy plum for Andy Burnham to pick as he searches for ways to pay for an overhaul of the social care system and higher defence spending, to name just two fiscal priorities. Yet how to tax property, or possibly the land it sits on, has vexed economists and politicians for centuries. Here we discuss the background to the debate and some of the tax options...

For the world's newly crowned best pastry chef Frenchman Benoit Castel, pastry is less a matter of following recipes than listening to ingredients. In one of his many patisserie kitchens in Paris, he works alongside his team, tasting, testing and experimenting while remaining driven to try new things — from sourdough bread to anti-waste loaves and elaborate Christmas creations.

With over 3,950 cases recorded by the ministry of health in Gaza, the number of miscarriages between January and June has tripled compared with the previous six months. During this period, there was approximately one miscarriage for every five live births. The Observers team spoke with two OBGYN doctors in Gaza.

Despite risks in the Strait of Hormuz and Black Sea, seafarers from the Philippines are still competing for jobs.

As well as drought, Europe has also been battling wildfires this summer. Firefighters this week are struggling to control a rapidly expanding wildfire in southwestern Spain that has forced the evacuation of around 800 people. For more on that topic, FRANCE 24's Nadia Massih is joined by Alexander Held, Senior Fire Management Expert at the European Forest Institute.

Flight from Victoria to Toronto forced to return to terminal after repeated attempts to secure child in seat failed A Canadian airline cancelled a flight from Victoria to Toronto after a child refused to wear a seatbelt. The child was standing in their chair as the 6 August Porter Airlines flight taxied towards the runway, the airline said. Repeated attempts by an accompanying parent and crew to secure the child in their seat failed, so the crew elected to return to the terminal and have the two passengers disembark as “the aircraft could not take off in this unsafe condition”, it added...

Observers say the nominations empower the hardline old guard, prioritise loyalty over military innovation.

Jeff Bezos reportedly part of consortium interested in English Premier League club Liverpool, but fans ask for meeting.

First responders in Lebanon risk their lives to save others even as Israeli attacks intensify around them.

The Mecca defence pact combines a top oil exporter, NATO's second-largest army and the only Muslim nuclear arsenal.

French newspapers have asked the country’s antitrust watchdog to take action over Google’s new AI-generated summaries – which appear at the top of search results – saying they are depriving news publishers of web traffic.

Three crew members were killed in a suspected Houthi attack on an Egyptian-owned cargo vessel in the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Tuesday, while a container ship was struck by a missile off Pakistan in a suspected US attack, maritime and Yemeni sources said.

The incident is being seen as the latest example of the AI tools going to any lengths to complete their tasks.

Oil prices surge as talks stall over competing demands, hampering prospects for reopening crucial strait.

Pools, format, match schedule, timings, India vs Pakistan history and more before 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup.

Late-season snow hits South Africa and Lesotho as the Northern Hemisphere swelters in heat and wildfires.

Philippines sailors say they will work despite wartime risks

Colombian volunteers and rescuers cleared rubble with their bare hands and buckets to search for survivors early Tuesday (August 11) after the country's strongest earthquake in a decade killed at least 132 people and smashed dozens of buildings.

Specialist glasses are all but sold out online ahead of the UK's most significant eclipse since 1999.

Pakistan, a country known for its conservative values, rarely makes waves in the music and entertainment industry. Yet in major cities like Karachi and Lahore, a quiet but thriving DJ scene is beginning to make itself heard, with emerging talents and artists transforming the music industry. At the heart of this evolution, more and more women are asserting themselves in a field largely dominated by men.

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday (August 11) calling for fewer childhood vaccinations by limiting the inoculation schedule to 11 immunizations, which he said would give U.S. children. FRANCE 24's Philip Turle gives us his analysis.

Lebanon on Tuesday became the first Middle East country to formally abolish the death penalty. Lebanon had not carried out an execution since 2004.

US Democrats face another test after Michigan as voters choose nominees for governor and Congress.

At least 2,000 people have died in Congo’s Ebola outbreak, the fastest-growing on record, according to the latest data, as health authorities struggle to get help to remote localities due to rebel conflict, bad roads and work stoppages over payment issues.

A 7.4-magnitude quake devastated western Colombia, killing 132, destroying buildings and leaving hundreds missing.

Attacks in Gaza slowed sharply this week even as Netanyahu publicly rejected Trump's 15-point peace plan.

Future peacekeeping missions may shrink significantly, risking security gaps, as political solutions remain elusive.

After a drone crashes in Germany, fears of suspected Russian operations rise across Europe.

Today marks one year since the National Guard was deployed to the nation's capital. Here's what has happened since. And, a 7.4 magnitude earthquake leaves more than 100 people dead in Colombia.

A co-founder of xAI is going all in on building open-source artificial intelligence so that “anyone can control and shape A.I. for their own needs.”

95 percent of mainland France had drought conditions in July. A drought situation shared across Europe. Journalist Ellen Gainsford tells us more.

Tuesday's special election will pick a Republican challenger for the midterm Senate race transformed by Graham's death.

In a video circulating on social media, an eyewitness captured the moment a devastating 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit parts of Colombia on Monday (August 10). Rescue operations remain underway to find survivors, as authorities say the death toll, already in the hundreds, could climb further.

It doesn’t have to be this way. We know what needs to be done Disturbing news about our water resources is now constant and unrelenting. In just the past few weeks, media have reported that Puerto Rico is suffering a deep water crisis as severe drought has cut water supplies to thousands. The Rhine and Po rivers in Europe are at record low levels. The seven states sharing the Colorado River in the US are fighting over unprecedented shortages, while its major reservoirs have shrunk to their lowest levels since they were built. Hungary’s only nuclear power plant is on the verge of shutting down because there isn’t enough water in the Danube River to cool it. Toxic chemicals have been found in all English water bodies...

A total of 4,381 cases across five provinces have been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as of Tuesday.

Rooms in Icelandic capital Reykjavík cost double usual rate, with Spain also enjoying strong bookings Europe’s total solar eclipse: the best place to see it Hotel prices have surged in key European cities, as hundreds of thousands of tourists flock to see the first total eclipse visible from the continent this century. Iceland’s capital Reykjavík has seen one of the biggest jumps in hotel room prices, being one of the few accessible locations to see the full eclipse before evening light descends on Wednesday...

Prime minister of the Eastern Libyan government condemns killing of Major-General Fawzi al‑Mansouri.

Amid the extreme heat this summer, France is also grappling with an exceptional drought. Two thirds of ground water levels are currently below normal and around 70% of the country has been placed under 'water restrictions' to help preserve supplies.

Experts say this trial has been a test of Syria’s transitional justice.

The higher tempo of Ukrainian strikes has fueled discontent among Russians, but it is far from clear that it will change the Kremlin’s calculus about the war.

Bangladesh and India white-ball series under threat due to tensions that arose when Bangladeshi PM Hasina toppled.