1. Trump wins key primary

The race for the Republican nomination is "all but over", said the BBC, after Donald Trump won the New Hampshire primary. It is a highly significant victory for the former president and puts him in pole position to become the party's candidate in November's White House election. Joe Biden said it was "clear" Donald Trump would be the 2024 Republican nominee and warned that "the stakes could not be higher".

Why is Donald Trump so appealing to American voters?

2. Tory calls for Sunak exit

A Tory MP said the party must replace Rishi Sunak as prime minister or be "massacred" in the general election. Writing for The Telegraph, former cabinet secretary Sir Simon Clarke said the Conservatives have "lost key voters" and need a leader who "shares the instincts of the majority". But Priti Patel accused Clarke of "facile and divisive self indulgence" and backbench Tories "used WhatsApp groups to attack the former levelling-up secretary", said The Times.

Who will win the next general election? The odds and polls

3. Army chief warns UK public

The head of the Army is to "warn that the British public will be called up to fight if the UK goes to war", claimed The Telegraph. In a speech later, General Sir Patrick Sanders will say the government will need to "mobilise the nation" if there is a war with Russia. Gen Sir Patrick has been "openly critical of troop cuts" and believes there should be a "shift" in the mindset of regular British people, where they "think more like troops". But the paper understands he does not support conscription.

Pros and cons of national service

4. UN warns Israel

Israel's "clear and repeated rejection of the two-state solution" is unacceptable, said the UN secretary general, António Guterres. Speaking at a meeting in New York, he said that the denial of a Palestinian state will embolden extremists everywhere and indefinitely extend the fighting. Meanwhile, the Israeli army says its ground forces have encircled Khan Younis, the southern Gaza Strip's largest city. More than 25,400 Palestinians have been killed, said the Gaza health ministry.

Pros and cons of a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians

5. Student killer to be sentenced

Prosecutors have accepted a plea of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility from Valdo Calocane who fatally stabbed students Grace O'Malley Kumar and Barnaby Webber before stabbing to death another man, Ian Coates, and attempting to kill three others. The mother of Barnaby Webber tells The Sun she has "utter rage and pure hatred" for Calocane, who will be sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court later.

6. New storm arrives

Storm Jocelyn has arrived in the UK with a gust of 76mph recorded in Aberdaron, Wales. Thousands of homes have been affected by power cuts, and parts of York have been flooded. The disruption comes days after Storm Isha caused chaos and left at least two people dead. The main driver for storms is a "powerful jet stream", or fast moving winds high in the atmosphere, which "meanders west to east across the Atlantic", said the BBC.

7. 'Prolonged' Red Sea warning

Experts have warned that the UK should "brace itself for a prolonged period of military action in the Red Sea", said the i news site. Rishi Sunak told MPs that he could not rule out a "prolonged and persistent" campaign to protect civilian shipping in the region and Transport Secretary Mark Harper has warned that "things may get more tricky before they get better" in the Red Sea.

The maritime choke points threatening supply chains across the world

8. Fox lukewarm on Trump

Fox News won't support Donald Trump as aggressively as before, insiders have told the i news site. Bosses at the channel would "reluctantly" get behind Trump in the race for the White House but they are "secretly hoping" he won’t succeed in getting his name on the ballot, according to the sources. Rupert Murdoch "famously infuriated" Trump by phoning him to tell him he had lost the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden, recalled the paper. The 92-year-old retains influence at the channel, despite standing aside.

Fox News: the high price of peddling lies

9. Delays cause 'tax on wax'

An NHS "postcode lottery" means people with ear wax issues are being left with hearing loss and social isolation, according to a charity. The RNID found that ear wax removal services have declined so dramatically that 9.8m people in England now cannot access help on the NHS, forcing some to pay a "tax on wax" for private treatment. It said wax buildup "can cause painful and distressing symptoms – such as hearing loss, tinnitus and earache".

10. Doomsday Clock warning

The Doomsday Clock has remained at 90 seconds to midnight for a second successive year after experts warned that "humanity continues to face an unprecedented level of danger". Rachel Bronson, president and chief executive of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists which decides the setting, said that "resetting the clock at 90 seconds to midnight is not an indication that the world is stable". Founded in 1945, the Bulletin "attempts to educate people on potentially world-ending dangers", said The Guardian.

What is the Doomsday Clock and what time is it set to now?

“United King Don”, says The Sun, covering King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s state visit to the US. The monarch will deliver a “message of unity” and remind Washington of the shared “democratic, legal and social” values of the two nations, says The Guardian. Charles is a “peace envoy” says The Mirror, but The Independent says the King faces a “tricky task”. “Starmer pleads with MPs to save him”, The Telegraph says. Iran’s embassy in the UK has called for its citizens to become “martyrs” and “sacrifice life for homeland”, Metro reports.

Snow leopard population in Bhutan up nearly 40% in 'milestone achievement'

The proof is in the numbers: conservation efforts in Bhutan have led to a 39.5% increase in the snow leopard population, the World Wildlife Fund said. The National Snow Leopard Survey for 2022- 2023, supported by WWF-Bhutan and Bhutan for Life, found that there are now at least 132 snow leopards in the country; in 2016, the first year the survey was conducted, 96 snow leopards were counted. Snow leopards, which are considered a vulnerable species, can be difficult to study because they live in steep mountain terrain, and 310 camera trap stations were set up across their habitat in northern Bhutan. Officials use what they learn from the survey to fill in knowledge gaps about snow leopards and shape conservation policy. This is a "milestone achievement for Bhutan's conservation journey," Chimi Rinzin, country director for WWF-Bhutan, said. World Wildlife Fund

Recording studio offers an affordable space for aspiring Boston musicians

The Record Co. in Boston, Massachusetts, was created to give musicians from all backgrounds the chance to lay down beats and bring their tunes to life. "We don't care if you're good or trying to do it for a living," founder Matt McArthur told The Christian Science Monitor. "Our philosophy is that every single person deserves to express their musical creativity." He started the recording studio in 2010, taking out loans and getting donations to open a space inside a tiny basement. Today, the nonprofit studio is in a 12,000-square-foot facility with production suites and rehearsal spaces, where musicians can book recording time for as little as $10 an hour; the typical price in Boston is $100 an hour. About 3,500 musicians make use of the affordable studio every month. "That moment of creation where something now exists that didn't exist before — watching other people have that experience — is magic," McArthur said. The Christian Science Monitor

'Inverse vaccine' shows promise treating MS, other autoimmune diseases

Researchers at the University of Chicago completely reversed a multiple sclerosis–type autoimmune disorder in mice, using a new technique that tricked the liver into neutering a specific immune response, the team reported in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering. With autoimmune diseases, the protective T cells that attack antigens actually attack the body's own healthy molecules, called self-antigens. The University of Chicago team found that by attaching a sugar protein, N-acetylgalactosamine (pGal), to the self-antigen under assault, they could send it to the liver, which would teach the immune system to tolerate the molecule. "Rather than rev up immunity as with a vaccine, we can tamp it down in a very specific way with an inverse vaccine," lead author Jeffrey Hubbell said in a statement. The hope is that these "inverse vaccines" will prove effective at treating autoimmune disorders like MS, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. A company Hubbell co-founded recently completed a phase 1 trial using this technique on people with celiac disease and has started a phase 2 trial. Nature Biomedical Engineering, Science

For his final flight before retiring, pilot has a very special first officer

Ruben Flowers' final flight as a commercial pilot was one to remember, thanks to who was sitting next to him in the cockpit. Flowers' first officer was his son, also named Ruben Flowers. "That was an awesome feeling," he told CNN Travel. "To look over there and see my son, next to me, for my last landing." The elder Flowers worked at Southwest Airlines for more than three decades, while the younger Flowers more recently joined the company. "It was a dream of mine to make it to this point to fly with my dad, it was probably my No. 1 aviation goal," he said. Before their flight together from Omaha to Chicago, they recreated a photo taken in 1994, when the younger Flowers was just a toddler; in the picture, he's staring at his father, who is smiling broadly at the camera. Flying is a family affair for the Flowers crew — the older Ruben's three sons, brother, nephew, and cousin are all pilots. CNN

RNA recovered from extinct species for the first time

For the first time, geneticists have been able to recover RNA, the genetic material present in all living cells, from the remains of an extinct species. The RNA came from a Tasmanian tiger, or thylacine, that died 130 years ago and is in the Swedish Museum of Natural History's collection. "We had previously thought only DNA remained in old museum and ancient samples, but this paper shows you can also get RNA from tissue," Andrew Pask, a professor at the University of Melbourne and head of the Thylacine Integrated Genetic Restoration Research Lab, told CNN. "This will add significant depth to our understanding of the biology of extinct animals and help us to build much better extinct genomes." RNA has structural similarities to DNA, but is more delicate, and this study could open up new research into recreating extinct species or determining what caused previous pandemics, Reuters reported.  CNN, Reuters

Bertie Gregory gets his audience up close to the world's wildlife

Bertie Gregory hopes that by sharing his adventures exploring the world, it will inspire the next generation of wildlife enthusiasts. The 29-year-old BAFTA winner has been a cinematographer for Nat Geo Explorer, but is in front of the camera for his new show "Animals Up Close with Bertie Gregory," now streaming on Disney+. He traveled to Antarctica, Asia, Africa, and South America, and told The Week nothing would be better than learning people come away from the show "pumped about the natural world and how amazing animals are — the scale and majesty and intricacies of it all." Antarctica was his favorite place to film, because it's "so big, so wild, and very humbling," he said. His crew filmed an "extraordinary" gathering of whales, who showed "how smart wild animals are. I can't think of a better example of animal intelligence, of problem solving and teaching. It gives me goosebumps." Disney+

Free app helps boost literacy rates in Somaliland

In Somaliland, a free phone app is bringing literacy to all corners of the country. Most adults here cannot read and write, due to a long civil war, drought and a lack of infrastructure. The app, called Daariz, teaches users these skills. It was founded by Ismail Ahmed, who moved from Somaliland to the United Kingdom when he was in his 20s. While teaching his children Somali, it dawned on him that mobile phones could be used "to tackle the learning crisis" in Somaliland, he told BBC News. Daariz also works offline, so people in rural areas can have access to it as well. Hodan Artan, a 23-year-old dishwasher, said she couldn't afford to attend school as a child, nor could her parents. Her friends suggested she use Daariz, and two months later, she can read Somali and comprehend some short stories. "I feel that I no longer belong to where I was yesterday," Artan said. BBC News

Dogs trained for ecological monitoring aid in conservation efforts

The canines that are part of Working Dogs for Conservation (WD4C) help protect wildlife around the world by sniffing out everything from invasive species to weapons used by poachers. There are 45 dogs in the organization, with most working in North America or Africa. Almost all of them were rescued from shelters, and have characteristics that make them perfect for their job: they have a lot of energy, are motivated by toys and have a strong work ethic. "It's not easy work," WD4C Executive Director Pete Coppolillo told The Washington Post. "We ask these dogs to do very difficult tasks." Each dog has a handler who trains them to track certain odors, and after they spend all day working together collecting data, the pup is rewarded with toys and treats. "The truly exceptional thing about a dog is their relationship with us," Coppolillo said. "It's the relationship with us, with humans, that makes them so special." The Washington Post

Young Italians work to 'conserve and pass down' their rare dialect

In Southern Italy, young people in three small towns are working to preserve Slavomolisano, a language that has been spoken in the area since the 1400s. Slavomolisano combines ancient Croatian with the dialect of Italy's Molise region, and until just a few decades ago was the primary language in the towns of Montemitro, Acquaviva and San Felice. There has been a decline in the number of speakers, partly because it isn't taught in public schools, but several residents are trying to turn things around. They launched Discover Montemitro, an Instagram and blog that showcases Slavomolisano and the area's history and culture. "We want to preserve, conserve and pass down this beautiful language," co-founder Marco Romagnoli, 22, told The Christian Science Monitor. Discover Montemitro shares photos and local recipes, bringing the area to anyone with an internet connection. "This heritage was passed down to us from our ancestors hundreds of years ago," Romagnoli said. "I don't want to lose it." The Christian Science Monitor

Humane education program teaches teens ethical farming and animal care

Through a new partnership between the Catskill Animal Sanctuary and LEAP (Leaders for Ethics, Animals, and the Planet), high school students in New York will spend the academic year learning about sustainable agriculture and ethical farming while bonding with rescue cows, pigs, goats and sheep. This innovative humane education program "packs a lot of punch," Andrea Nassar, director of humane education at Catskill Animal Sanctuary, said in a statement. Students will learn everything from "how to advocate for animal welfare and human rights" to preparing "to help lead the way in climate solutions, sustainability and wildlife conservation." The students will meet once a month from October through June, at the Catskill Animal Sanctuary in New York's Hudson Valley. "With humanity at such a crossroads, young people must be empowered to act on behalf of the greater good," Nassar said. "Empathy is strength." Catskill Animal Sanctuary

1. Labour plans asylum response

People smuggling should be treated "on a par" with terrorism, Keir Starmer has said.  The Labour leader will seek a new agreement with the EU's policing body, Europol, during a trip to The Hague, and he hopes the deal will include a replacement for the EU's live police data and intelligence-sharing system. The Telegraph said Labour is considering taking a share of asylum seekers reaching Europe as part of a deal in which the EU would "take back" asylum seekers who entered the UK illegally after crossing the Channel.

Does Labour now have the upper hand on immigration?

2. Sunak denies hospital claim

There were warnings of a "catastrophic" risk to patient safety after Rishi Sunak blocked plans to rebuild five hospitals "riddled with crumbling concrete" three years ago, claimed The Guardian. Only two of the seven hospital rebuilding projects requested by the Department for Health were signed off by the Treasury at the 2020 spending review when Sunak was chancellor. The hospitals include Frimley Park hospital, in Surrey and the Queen Elizabeth hospital in King’s Lynn, Norfolk. A government spokesperson said the claims are "untrue" and "the funding was not rejected by the Treasury".

The RAAC concrete crisis: fears spread to hospitals, homes and theatres

3. Sharif's relatives arrested

Sara Sharif's father, stepmother and uncle have all been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the death of the 10-year-old. Surrey Police said the relatives were arrested at Gatwick airport on suspicion of murder "after disembarking a flight from Dubai". They were taken to Guildford police station. Sara's body was found at her home in Woking in August. The three adults, who lived with her, left the UK for Pakistan the day before police found Sara's body, reported the BBC.

Sara Sharif 'seen with injuries at school' before her death

4. 'Mild' recession may have started

The economy shrank "surprisingly sharply" in July, said The Independent, as retailers and construction projects were "knocked by wet weather", sparking "fresh fears of a recession". Although analysts had forecast a 0.2% decline in gross domestic product, official data showed it contracted by 0.5%. Experts said that Britain was "walking a tightrope" and some went as far as saying a mild recession may have already begun. Jeremy Hunt insisted that there were "reasons to be confident" about the future, but Labour described it as another "dismal day" for the economy.

Inflation crisis: is a recession the only answer?

5. Kim and Putin hail 'comradeship'

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin met in Russia for about five hours, according to Russian media. The pair "hailed one another" as the war in Ukraine continues, glorifying their "comradeship" as Western sanctions against both of their nations persist, said Al Jazeera. Putin said later that they discussed "possibilities" for military cooperation, and indicated he would help Pyongyang develop satellites. Washington believes Moscow is attempting to buy weapons to support its war on Ukraine.

Inside the luxury bulletproof train taking Kim Jong Un to Russia

6. Cash bounces back

Payments made with cash rose for the first time in a decade last year as consumers grappled with the cost of living crisis. Revealing that the number of cash transactions went up by around 400,000 to 6.4 billion last year, industry body UK Finance said the increase came as more people relied on notes and coins to help them budget as prices rose. "It's something we do tend to see in times of falling consumer confidence and economic uncertainty," said a spokesperson. However, the number is "still dwarfed" by debit card use, which accounted for half of all payments, its highest ever level, noted the BBC.

The pros and cons of ditching cash

7. Met pays out to vigil women

The Metropolitan Police has paid settlements to two women arrested at the 2021 Clapham Common vigil for Sarah Everard, who was murdered by an officer. Dania Al-Obeid and Patsy Stevenson and took legal action against the force over their arrests at the south London protest during Covid restrictions, and "substantial" damages have now been paid, said their lawyers. The Met said settling was "the most appropriate decision, to minimise the ongoing impact on all involved". The new Metropolitan police commissioner, Mark Rowley, will hope the settlement "draws a line under one of the darkest periods of the Met's recent history", said The Guardian.

8. Smaller population 'positive'

Population growth will lead to a decline in living standards, said the chief forecaster of the government’s spending watchdog. Although the Office for Budget Responsibility has previously said that lower birth rates and longer life expectancy would create a £250bn hole in government finances by the mid-2070s, the OBR's Prof David Miles CBE has now said that dwindling populations could be positive for leading economies. Forecasters said that by 2070, the total population figure will be around one million lower, at 66 million.

What declining birth rates mean for our future

9. Spain sexism row deepens

Police in Spain have arrested a man on suspicion of sexually assaulting a journalist after he allegedly groped her while she was live on TV. Isa Balado was reporting on a robbery in Madrid when the man walked up and appeared to touch her bottom. When confronted, he denied touching her but as he walked away, he tried to tickle her head. This episode comes amid a "sexism row in Spain", said the BBC, which was sparked by the former Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales kissing World Cup winner Jenni Hermoso on the lips.

Luis Rubiales and Spanish football’s MeToo moment

10. California could open cannabis cafes

Amsterdam-style cannabis cafés are expected to open in California after the state legislature passed a bill hailed by supporters as a "lifeline for the struggling marijuana industry", said The Times. "Lots of people want to enjoy legal cannabis in the company of others," said Matt Haney, the San Francisco assembly member who wrote the bill, "and many people want to do that while sipping coffee, eating a scone or listening to music". The legislation will now go to Gavin Newsom, the state governor, for approval.

1. Blair warns Starmer on tax

Labour should hold onto the centre ground and resist "taxing and spending" its way out of economic turmoil, said Tony Blair. Speaking to the Financial Times, the former PM praised Keir Starmer with bringing his party back from "the brink of extinction", but said the party leader would have to contend with a far more challenging situation than the one he faced when he took power in 1997. He said Starmer's "got a good chance" of winning the next election but will take over a country "that’s in a mess". Starmer has been "open" about seeking the advice of Blair and Gordon Brown on moving into government, said The Telegraph.

Will Labour's election promises be exciting enough for voters?

2. 'Controversial' pensions tweak considered

Ministers may "tweak" the calculation of the state pension increase in order to reduce the cost to the taxpayer of next year’s rise, said the inews site. Pensioners are due an 8.5% rise in their income next year, but minsters are reportedly considering whether to take out the public sector bonuses on the earnings figure, which could mean an increase of around 7.8% instead. "Any change to the way the state pension is calculated" would be "controversial", said The Guardian, because the Conservatives pledged in their last election manifesto to abide by the formula.

What the controversial triple lock means for state pensions

3. Libya toll could pass 5,000

More than 5,300 people are feared dead after flooding hit Libya, said Sky News. Bodies recovered from the devastating flood, which wiped out parts of Derna in eastern Libya, have been buried in mass graves. The situation the port city where two dams burst over the weekend, has been described as "disastrous beyond comprehension", as the Red Cross and local officials said at least 10,000 people were missing after the devastating floods. Storm Daniel "hit eastern Libya hard", said the Libya Herald.

4. Wallace warns of rights 'lunacy'

Human rights laws are jeopardising national security and allowing terrorists to go "uncaptured", claimed Ben Wallace, the former defence secretary. The Tory said that international treaties such as the European Convention on Human Rights were forcing defence secretaries to choose between killing individuals by drones, or allowing them to continue plotting terror campaigns. Speaking to The Telegraph, he said "this lunacy of being unable to render people across borders or arrest people in countries whose police forces are unacceptable", means that the UK is "more often than not forced into taking lethal action than actually raiding and detaining".

Could the UK pull out of the European Convention on Human Rights?

5. Met investigates shop incident

The Metropolitan police are investigating an incident at a hair products shop in south London after a video appeared online apparently showing a black female customer being grabbed by the throat by a man attempting to restrain her. Officers were called out to the shop in Peckham on Monday, and appealed for calm after protesters gathered outside the store on Tuesday. BBC reporter Guy Lynn said he had been told of previous tensions between the black community and some local shopkeepers. The London mayor, Sadiq Khan, said he was "urgently seeking further information" about the incident.

6. Commuters facing eye-watering fares

Rail commuters in England are facing the "biggest fare increase since privatisation", said The Times. Fares will "jump" by almost 8% in March if ministers adopt the same formula as they did for this year’s increase, said the paper. The government aligned this year’s cap on fare increases with Britain’s average weekly earnings growth for July last year, which was 5.9%, and new official data showed that average weekly earnings rose by 8% in July this year. The Campaign for Better Transport, said that "rather than hammer rail passengers yet again", ministers should "freeze rail fares".

How to save money on train travel

7. Poll finds sadness among girls

A "devastating" poll has found that happiness among girls and young women has hit its lowest level since 2009. Nine out of 10 seven to 21-year-olds are worried or anxious, found the researchers for Girlguiding, and only 17% of that age group now feel very happy, compared with 40% in 2009. "If I am honest", one girl told the researchers, "I am scared our world will fall into ruins and we won’t be able to do anything about it".

8. Warning on voter ID law

The government’s election watchdog has warned that hundreds of thousands of people could be excluded from voting in a UK general election because of voter ID laws. The Electoral Commission said that the laws could have a disproportionate effect on poorer people, those with disabilities and people from minority ethnic backgrounds. The government should take urgent action, it suggested, by drawing up a wider list of documents that people can show to vote and allowing people without ID to have someone else vouch for their identity.

The new voter ID rules explained

9. Spies warned Tories on candidates

MI5 "secretly warned" the Conservative Party that two of its potential candidates to become MPs could be spies for the Chinese state, said The Times. The security service contacted the party about two people in 2021 and 2022 and advised that they should not be on the central list of candidates because of fears that the pair had links to the United Front Work Department, a body charged with influencing global policy and opinion. A source said it was "made very clear" that the two candidates "posed a risk", and "they were subsequently blocked from the candidates list".

‘Major escalation’: Sunak confronts China after Parliament ‘spy’ suspect arrested

10. BP boss quits ahead of review

The boss of BP has resigned as chief executive amid a review of his personal relationships with colleagues. The oil giant said Bernard Looney, who had led the company since 2020, was stepping down with immediate effect. BP said it has started an inquiry into alleged relationships Looney had with colleagues. BP has "strong values" and the board "expects everyone at the company to behave in accordance with those values", said a spokesperson. The company informed investors that Looney "did not provide details of all relationships and accepts he was obliged to make more complete disclosure".

1. Hundreds die in Morocco quake

At least 296 people have died after an earthquake struck central Morocco, said the country’s interior ministry. The powerful quake measured magnitude 6.8 and occurred about 44 miles northeast of Marrakesh. Footage on social media showed people running into the streets and buildings shaking. A local official said most deaths were in mountainous areas that were hard to reach. Al Jazeera’s Abdel Mounim El Armani has said that the full extent of the causalities and destruction of the earthquake is yet to be seen.

2. First sighting of Khalife

A close relative of Daniel Khalife told The Times that the escaped prisoner should hand himself in, describing him as a “very, very intelligent, easygoing and kind boy” who had changed in recent years. The search for the terror suspect has entered a fourth day, with police scrambling to investigate the first confirmed sighting of him. The escapee was spotted by a member of the public on Wednesday morning, shortly after he left HMP Wandsworth by hiding underneath a delivery truck.

3. Sunak ‘fired up’ to win

Rishi Sunak has said he is “fired up” and “hungry to win” the next general election, despite his party’s poor showing in the polls. Speaking on his way to the G20 summit in India, the prime minister said that he was “entirely confident” he could land a shock victory at the next general election. Pointing to a “massive upgrade” to UK growth estimates, he said recent falls in the rate of inflation and a drop in energy prices showed his “plan is working”.

4. Hotter Saturday forecast

The “sweltering weather” is expected to continue on Saturday, as September's unprecedented heatwave peaks, said the BBC. After Thursday was declared the warmest day of 2023 yet, with 32.6C (91F) recorded in Wisley, Surrey, Met Office forecasters said temperatures could reach almost 33C on Saturday. Meanwhile, said Sky News, the NHS has reported a surge in Britons seeking advice on heat exhaustion. There are forecasts for thunderstorms this weekend, with cooler temperatures next week.

5. Brit dies in Ukraine

A 31-year-old British man who went to fight in Ukraine was found dead in a body of water with his hands bound behind his back. Jordan Chadwick, from Burnley in Lancashire, served as a Scots guard in the British Army from 2011 to 2015. He went to fight in the Ukrainian International Army in August. His mother said her family were “devastated” by the death of her son. She described him as “a son, brother, grandson, nephew and uncle, who was loved immensely”. An inquest to establish the cause of Chadwick's death will be held in February.

6. Net zero ‘hampers inflation fight’

The focus on net zero means the Bank of England has weakened its ability to fight inflation, warned Lord King. The former Threadneedle Street governor said it made “absolutely no sense” to add net zero to the Bank’s growing list of responsibilities, because climate change had become the “straw [that] breaks the camel’s back”. Speaking to The Telegraph, he said the Bank of England “can do nothing about climate change”, so “to have a special focus on that doesn’t in my view, make any sense”.

7. Milestone for London rents

The cost of renting a single room in London has surpassed £1,000 a month for the first time, reported The Telegraph. As “demand continues to outstrip supply”, rents for a single room have risen by 15%, twice the rate of inflation, from £883 a year ago to £1,013 in August this year, said the paper. There are now 5.7 renters looking at each available room in the capital on the flatmate finding website SpareRoom. Although this figure is down from a peak of nearly nine last year, the figure is still three times the pre-pandemic average.

8. China out of deflation

China has “limped out of deflation” after its consumer price index rebounded in August, said The Guardian. Last month’s CPI, the main gauge of inflation, rose 0.1% year on year, said the national statistics bureau. However, “slow domestic consumption, high youth unemployment and decline in exports” are just some of the factors “dragging on post-Covid recovery”, said the paper. “Weak demand” points to a need for “policy support”, said the South China Morning Post.

9. Covid variant his care home

A new Covid-19 variant is spreading in the community and has caused an outbreak in a care home, said the UK Health and Security Agency. Known as BA.2.86, or “pirola”, it was first detected in Denmark in July and the first case was detected in the UK in August. Despite the outbreak in the Norfolk care home, which led to five hospitalisations, health chiefs said there was no evidence that pirola was more dangerous or would take over from the current variants circulating in Britain.

10. Crypto boss jailed for 11,196 years

A Turkish crypto boss has been jailed for 11,196 years each for defrauding investors of millions of dollars. Faruk Fatih Ozer fled to Albania in 2021 with investor assets but he was extradited back to Turkey in June and found guilty of money-laundering, fraud and organised crime. His sister Serap and brother Guven were found guilty of the same charges. Such “extraordinary” prison sentences are common in Turkey since the abolition of the death penalty in 2004, noted the BBC.

1. Kim reaches Russia

The North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, has reached Russian territory as he heads for talks with Vladimir Putin in the Russian city of Vladivostok. Washington believes the two leaders are due to finalise an arms deal that would see North Korea supply ammunition and artillery for the war in Ukraine. “The deeper into trouble these two leaders have sunk, the more they appear to have realised they need each other,” said the BBC. While Putin “needs weapons”, Kim needs “money, oil, and food, to support his sanction-starved regime”, it added.

WOULD NORTH KOREAN WEAPONS TILT THE WAR RUSSIA’S WAY?

2. Sex abuse in surgery revealed

Two thirds of women working in surgery report having been sexually harassed by a colleague in or around the operating theatre, according to a study published in the British Journal of Surgery. There were 11 instances of rape reported by surgeons who took part in the research. Sexual misconduct is “rife” in surgery, the research paper concluded. There is an “untold story” of women being “fondled inside their scrubs”, of male surgeons “wiping their brow on their breasts” and men “rubbing erections against female staff”, said the BBC.

3. Hunt plays down tax cuts

The chancellor has said there is “unlikely” to be any spare money for tax cuts in the autumn statement. Jeremy Hunt’s “downbeat assessment” will have “disappointed many Tory MPs”, said The Times, as he predicted that taxes were more likely to rise than fall unless the government could find a way to improve growth. Meanwhile, Hunt has been urged to consider the “huge moral case” against cutting benefits as part of real-terms reductions to find extra cash.

UK ECONOMIC WOES: ARE TAX CUTS THE ANSWER?

4. Tense China-UK relations

China could be formally designated a threat to Britain after a Tory parliamentary researcher was arrested on suspicion of spying. The arrest has “intensified debate” on whether the UK needs to be more robust in its dealings with Beijing, said The Times. However, The Telegraph noted that the Business Secretary, Kemi Badenoch, was one of several senior ministers to “talk up” the importance of relations with Beijing. “We wouldn’t be able to get to where we want to get to on net zero by completely stopping or banning Chinese products,” she said.

‘MAJOR ESCALATION’: SUNAK CONFRONTS CHINA AFTER PARLIAMENT ‘SPY’ SUSPECT ARRESTED

5. Crumbling concrete in Parliament

Crumbling concrete has been found in Parliament. Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac), of the kind that has led to the closure of buildings at more than 100 schools, was found in one part of the Palace of Westminster, but poses no “immediate risk”, said a spokesman. Concerns about the safety of the parliamentary estate are “long-standing”, said the BBC, and there have been “repeated warnings” in recent years about the threat of fire and asbestos across the site.

THE RAAC CONCRETE CRISIS: FEARS SPREAD TO HOSPITALS, HOMES AND THEATRES

6. Libya calls for flood aid

Libya has appealed for international help as around 2,000 people are feared dead after a huge flood tore through the city of Derna following a storm. The storm has caused “catastrophic flooding”, said Sky News, resulting in the “complete engulfing of entire neighbourhoods”. Two dams in Derna, which is home to around 100,000 people, collapsed, submerging much of the area and drowning some residents. Entire neighbourhoods have been “ravaged and washed away”, said the Libya Observer.

7. Deadly ants could reach UK

Experts are warning that deadly red fire ants could “invade” Britain, said The Telegraph. In the ant’s first official sighting on the European continent, entomologists found 88 red fire ant nests spread over five hectares in Sicily, Italy. Modelling shows that the ants could spread across 7% of Europe, with London a “prime candidate for colonisation”, said the paper. The ants are “every bit as nasty” as their name suggests, says the Daily Star. A bite or sting causes as burning sensation and in some cases chest pains, nausea, dizziness and anaphylactic shock.

8. Trade route ‘challenges China’

The US, India, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have announced a new trade route connecting India to the Middle East and Europe through railways and ports. Some commentators see the development as a “direct challenge” to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, a multi-trillion-dollar infrastructure project which aims to connect China to the rest of the world, said CNN. Gulf states are trying to find a “balance” in “what they see as a world order that is no longer unipolar”, added the broadcaster.

THE GREAT LENDING GAME: IMF VS CHINA

9. Sunak rating lower than Johnson

A survey has found that, for more than half of voters, there are no circumstances in which they would consider backing the Conservatives at the next election. The YouGov researchers found that voters were “aligned with Labour in areas they cared most about”, including “spending on public services”, said The Times. Another YouGov study recorded Rishi Sunak’s lowest approval rating since he became PM, with only 26% of voters having a favourable opinion. His approval ratings are “lower than those of Boris Johnson at the point at which was forced from office”, said the paper.

WHO WILL WIN THE NEXT GENERAL ELECTION? THE ODDS AND POLLS

10. ‘Crappy hour’ in pub chain

A pub chain is charging customers 20p extra for a pint during the busiest times. Announcing its “dynamic” strategy, Stonegate, which has more than 4,500 venues across the UK, pointed to happy hours, two-for-one cocktails, and discounts on food and drink at certain times. But “this flexibility may mean that on occasions pricing may marginally increase in selective pubs and bars due to the increased cost demands”, it added. The Times was unconvinced, describing the costlier periods as “crappy hour”.

1. Chris Evans reportedly marries Alba Baptista

He'll be with her 'til the end of the line. Chris Evans married girlfriend Alba Baptista in an "intimate" wedding ceremony at their Boston-area home on Saturday, Page Six reports. It was quite a private affair, so much so that guests reportedly signed NDAs and had their phones taken away — though considering we're hearing these details now, that may not have had the desired effect. Evans, 42, was revealed to be dating Baptista, 26, in November 2022. People reported at the time that they had been together "for over a year," with a source adding, "They are in love and Chris has never been happier. His family and friends all adore her." Baptista is also an actor, and her credits include Netflix's "Warrior Nun." Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth and Jeremy Renner reportedly attended the wedding, supporting their former "Avengers" star at risk of making the ceremony a top target for Thanos.

Page Six

2. Drew Barrymore criticized for bringing show back amid writers strike

Drew Barrymore just drew some serious backlash. The actor has controversially announced her daytime talk show is returning with new episodes, even though the Hollywood actors and writers strikes remain ongoing. "I own this choice," she said on Instagram. "We are in compliance with not discussing or promoting film and television that is struck of any kind." She added that she wants her show to "bring us together or help us make sense of the human experience." But the Writers Guild of America noted that Barrymore's program "is a WGA covered, struck show that is planning to return without its writers," and the guild "has, and will continue to, picket struck shows that are in production during the strike." Writers Guild board member Adam Conover also slammed the move as "incredibly disappointing," while screenwriter David Guggenheim commented on Barrymore's post, "You are definitely going to be bringing us writers together … when we picket your show tomorrow."

Instagram

3. Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis respond to backlash over letters in support of Danny Masterson

Their bad. Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis have addressed the backlash they faced for writing letters in support of their former "That '70s Show" co-star Danny Masterson, who was found guilty of raping two women, before he was sentenced. The couple sat side-by-side in an Instagram video, in which Kutcher said they are aware of the "pain" their letters caused. He told fans they were trying to "represent the person that we knew for 25 years" so the judge could take that into consideration. But Kunis said they didn't intend "to question the legitimacy of the judicial system or the validity of the jury's ruling," while Kutcher said the letters "were intended for the judge to read and not to undermine the testimony of the victims or retraumatize them in any way." Meanwhile, in what seemed like a response to the backlash, Christina Ricci posted on Instagram about how it's important to understand that "sometimes people we have loved and admired do horrible things."

Instagram

4. Robin Roberts marries longtime partner Amber Laign

Robin found her Batgirl. "Good Morning America" anchor Robin Roberts has married her longtime partner Amber Laign. "An intimate, magical wedding ceremony in our backyard followed by a joyous reception … ohhhh the dancing!!" Roberts shared on Instagram. "We are immensely grateful to all for making it a day and a night to remember." She and Laign have been dating for 18 years after going on a blind date in 2005. "Our two friends, my friend Alex, her friend Bert, finally said, 'Enough, you two are going to meet,'" Laign previously told ABC. A segment on Monday's "Good Morning America" showed footage from the ceremony and reception, which Roberts' co-hosts, including George Stephanopoulos, attended. "We laughed, we cried, and boy did we dance," anchor Lara Spencer said. Here's to a lifetime of good mornings.

ABC News

5. Joe Jonas alludes to rumors about Sophie Turner divorce during concert

It ain't so, says Joe. During a Jonas Brothers concert over the weekend, Joe Jonas took a moment to allude to his ongoing divorce drama with Sophie Turner. "It's been a tough week," the singer told the crowd, per Variety's Katcy Stephan. Turner and Jonas confirmed their divorce, which they said was a mutual decision, last week. Since then, there have been tons of claims about what led to the end of their marriage, including a mysterious TMZ report saying Jonas saw something on a Ring camera "that made him realize the marriage was over." Jonas seemed to address all these rumors by telling fans at the show, "If you don't hear it from these lips, don't believe it, okay?" He also thanked "everyone for your love and support." This concert took place at Dodger Stadium, but with gossip spreading fast, Jonas was the one doing the dodging.

X

A couple has sued an airline over a farting dog that they claim ruined their long-haul flight due its prolific flatulence. Gill and Warren Press are demanding a refund after their 13-hour flight was blighted by a “parping pooch”, said the Daily Star. Singapore Airlines is now “facing off” with the couple, who claim the dog was farting liberally. A Singapore Airlines spokesperson said it “endeavours to notify customers who may be seated next to an assistance dog prior to boarding the flight”.

Has Loch Ness monster been spotted?

A disputed sighting of the Loch Ness monster could become the eighth time the “mythical beast” has allegedly been seen this year, said The Telegraph. Eoin O’Faodhagain, a “veteran Nessie sleuth”, believes he has seen the creature while watching remotely. He insists the disturbance he spotted on the surface of the loch could only be caused by Nessie and not sturgeon, otters or eels. “I won the lottery with this video clip,” he said.

Star Wars model to sell for hundreds of thousands

A long-lost model of an X-Wing Fighter that was used in the original “Star Wars” movie has been put up for auction. Bids are starting at $400,000 (£320,000) for the 20-inch model that was discovered in the collection of model-maker Greg Jein. Visual effects expert Gene Kozicki told The Hollywood Reporter that the model was regarded as a “white whale” because no one knew where it was. Heritage Auctions said it is the “pinnacle” of “Star Wars” artefacts to “ever reach the market”.

For more odd news stories, sign up to the weekly Tall Tales newsletter

1. China sees UK as a ‘soft option’

Ministers are under pressure to take stronger action against Beijing after a parliamentary researcher was arrested amid accusations he spied for China. Senior Tory MPs have called for China to be categorised as a threat after police confirmed that two men, one in his 20s and another in his 30s, were arrested under the Official Secrets Act in March. Iain Duncan Smith described the episode as a “hostile act in the heart of Parliament”, which shows that Beijing sees Britain as a “soft option”.

2. Moroccan villages ‘in ruins’

Rescuers in Morocco are now using their “bare hands to dig for survivors”, said the BBC, more than 48 hours after an earthquake claimed more than 2,000 lives. Mountain villages near the epicentre “lie in ruins” and local people are “desperately awaiting aid”, the broadcaster added. Many houses in the mountains were built from mud bricks, Al Jazeera reported. Morocco said it has accepted aid from four countries: Britain, Spain, Qatar and the UAE.

Why can’t we predict when earthquakes will occur?

3. Rates rises may be over

A panel of experts have said there will be either just one more interest rates rise this year or none, said The i Paper. The experts expect “a less aggressive approach to tackling inflation” going forward, following a record 14 consecutive rises since December 2021. The theory that the peak of rises is being neared was boosted last week by Andrew Bailey, governor of the Bank of England, who told MPs that the period when it was “clear that rates needed to rise going forwards” was now over.

4. High street ‘looting’ risk

The boss of John Lewis is calling on the government to set up a Royal Commission to investigate the health of towns and how to revitalise them. Writing in The Telegraph, Sharon White, chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, said high streets risk “becoming a looting ground for emboldened shoplifters and organised gangs”, following years of shop closures which have left town and city centres with boarded up storefronts or “seemingly endless” rows of charity shops and vape vendors.

5. Braverman explores dog ban

The home secretary is seeking “urgent advice” on banning “lethal” American Bully XL dogs. After a dog attacked an 11-year-old girl in Birmingham on Saturday, Suella Braverman said the breed was a particular danger to children. “We can’t go on like this,” she added. The number of dog attacks recorded by police in England and Wales has risen by more than a third in the past five years, the BBC reported in March.

Dog attacks: should the Bully XL be banned in the UK?

6. Covid booster rollout accelerated

A “faster-than-planned” rollout of Covid booster shots for older people living in care homes in England begins this morning, said the BBC. The programme has been accelerated over concerns about a highly-mutated new Covid variant that is spreading. There have been 34 confirmed cases of BA.2.86 in England, with 28 of those behind a Norfolk care home outbreak.

Covid-19: where we are now

7. ‘Bold action’ needed on cancer

A “growing epidemic of preventable cancers” will lead to 184,000 people in the UK being diagnosed with the disease this year, according to research by Frontier Economics for The Guardian. The £78 billion price tag of cancer cases diagnosed in 2023 caused by smoking, drinking, obesity and sunburn leads to £40 billion in lost productivity, and costs the people affected £30 billion, the study revealed. It also takes up £3.7 billion of the NHS’s budget and costs families and carers £3.4 billion and the social care system £1.3 billion. Charities are calling for “bold political action” to tackle the harm caused by tobacco and bad diet.

Five good-news cancer breakthroughs in 2023

8. Young take more mental health leave

A study has found that more than half of young workers have taken sick leave in the past six months because of mental health issues. Some 56% of 16 to 24-year-olds questioned said that they needed time off because of stress, anxiety and depression, The Times reported. Among over-55s, the figure was just 12%. “There is a perception that young people are soft but actually they have uniquely difficult challenges,” said Dr Nick Taylor, chief executive of Unmind, because “younger people are under the most financial pressure”.

9. Spanish football chief finally quits

Luis Rubiales has stepped down as president of the Spanish Football Federation following the controversy of kissing Spain forward Jenni Hermoso at the Fifa Women’s World Cup final presentation ceremony. “I cannot continue my work,” Rubiales said on “Piers Morgan Uncensored”, after Hermoso, who said the kiss was not consensual, filed a legal complaint. Writing on social media later he vowed to “defend” his “honourability” and “innocence”.

Luis Rubiales and Spanish football’s MeToo moment

10. ‘Vulgar’ EU flag waving condemned

A former Tory MP has called for an inquiry into the BBC’s coverage of the “Last Night of the Proms”, after “a sea of European Union flags” could be seen being waved throughout the evening. Harvey Proctor said the flag-waving was “disgraceful”, “misguided” and “utterly vulgar”. Nile Gardiner, a former aide to Margaret Thatcher, said it was “ironic” to see EU flags during “Rule Britannia”. A pro-EU group, Thank EU for the Music, said it handed out the flags in support of musicians impacted by Brexit.

1. Khalife ‘laughed’ as he was caught

The prison escapee Daniel Khalife remains in police custody after being arrested on Saturday. The 21-year-old was apprehended by a plain-clothes officer who pulled him from a bicycle on a canal towpath in the Northolt area. The terror suspect reportedly laughed as he was apprehended following a four-day search. Rather than being returned to Wandsworth prison, Khalife may be moved to a higher-security location, said Sky News.

2. Morocco toll passes 2,000

The death toll from a powerful earthquake in Morocco has passed 2,000, with more than 1,400 people suffering serious injuries. Many Moroccans are “fearing aftershocks” and chose to stay outdoors for a second night, sleeping on the streets, said the BBC. The earthquake, which struck on Friday, is believed to be the “deadliest and powerful quake in Morocco in decades”, said Morocco World News. King Mohammed VI has declared three days of national mourning and ordered shelter, food and other help for survivors.

3. Royals may face slavery demands

Caribbean nations will formally demand slavery reparations from the Royal family, said The Telegraph. National reparations groups in the Caribbean want to “bypass” the British Government and “pursue financial payments directly from British institutions with historical links to slavery”, said the paper, with Lloyds of London and the Church of England also in their sights “Formal letters” are being prepared to put the case for reparations to these institutions by the end of the year, it added.

4. Truss blames ‘left orthodoxy’

Liz Truss said her brief reign was wrecked by a “left-wing orthodoxy” that is in control of the West. Speaking to the Mail on Sunday, Truss accused successive Conservative leaders of not doing enough to rid the state of “socialist” ideas embedded by Tony Blair. She said her radical tax-cutting agenda only failed because there “wasn’t enough support for Conservative ideas” within the establishment. She added that “taxes are too high and the government is too big” for Britain to thrive.

5. Commons spying arrests

The Met Police have arrested two men under the Official Secrets Act. According to The Sunday Times, one of the men, in his twenties, is a parliamentary researcher with links to several Tory MPs. He has been accused of spying for China. The case may be “one of the most damaging breaches of security at Westminster involving a hostile state”, said the paper. A senior Whitehall source said “this is a major escalation by China” and “we have never seen anything like this before”.

6. Questions over NatWest boss

The new chairman of NatWest boss worked for an oil firm that is under investigation in the “world’s biggest financial scandal”, said The Observer. Rick Haythornthwaite worked for PetroSaudi International (UK) Ltd, the oil group’s British arm, for eight years, earning £200,000 annually. Although there is “no suggestion of wrongdoing by Haythornthwaite”, the scandal “raises questions over his judgment in working for the oil firm”, said the paper, and “whether he responded appropriately when the allegations were first raised”.

7. Sunak hopes for India deal

Rishi Sunak said he is hopeful he will strike a trade deal between Britain and India because the two nations can “work through” the final negotiation hurdles. Sunak said that a “warm and productive” talk with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi showed there is “a desire on both of our parts to see a successful trade deal concluded”. He had struck a less optimistic tone before the meeting, when he had said such a trade deal was “not guaranteed”.

8. Tax question for Sugar

Lord Sugar tried to declare himself a non-UK resident for tax purposes in a move that would have allowed him to avoid a £186m payment to the taxman, claimed The Sunday Times. The Apprentice host intended to pay no UK tax on a £390m award he drew from his company in 2021-22, but he was required to pay the taxman the entire sum because, as a member of the House of Lords, he was automatically resident in the UK. His spokesman said: “All his income has been taxed on the basis of his UK residency, and is fully paid up.”

9. New 9/11 victims identified

Two more 9/11 victims have been identified just days before the 22nd memorial anniversary of the terror attacks. The man and woman are the 1,648th and 1,649th victims identified by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and were identified through advanced DNA testing of their remains. Meanwhile, said ABC News, the New York City Fire Department added 43 new names to its World Trade Center Memorial Wall, which commemorates emergency workers who have succumbed to post-9/11 illnesses.

10. Weather set to turn

The UK recorded the hottest day of the yesterday, with 32.7°C provisionally recorded at Heathrow Airport. This means Britain has baked in temperatures above 30°C for six consecutive days – a record for September. The heatwave will reach a “dramatic climax” today, with a yellow warning for thunderstorms in place across large parts of the UK, said Sky News. Much cooler conditions are expected as the new week begins tomorrow.

1. Olivia Rodrigo's 'Guts' declared an 'instant classic'

So much for the sophomore slump. Olivia Rodrigo dropped her second studio album, "Guts," on Friday, and it's drawing rave reviews. Rolling Stone's Rob Sheffield called the "excellent" record an "instant classic," declaring, "This is the album of a truly brilliant rock star." It currently boasts a 94 score on Metacritic. "Guts" toggles between upbeat rock songs about Rodrigo's romantic trials and tribulations, which sound straight out of a 2000s rom-com, and the singer's signature emotional ballads. "Every guy I like is gay," she sings in the catchy "Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl," while on the tear-jerking closer "Teenage Dream," she expresses fears that as she grows up, "They already got all the best parts of me." On the Today show, Rodrigo acknowledged she felt "a lot of pressure" writing the record coming off her massively successful debut "Sour." But so far, her release day has been pretty sweet.

Rolling Stone

2. Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis reportedly wrote letters of support for Danny Masterson

They're standing by their man. Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis wrote letters in support of their former "That '70s Show" co-star Danny Masterson, who was found guilty of raping two women, prior to his sentencing, according to legal reporter Meghann Cuniff. The journalist published the letters on her Substack. Kutcher reportedly wrote in his letter that Masterson is a "role model" who has been "nothing but a positive influence on me" and is "an extraordinarily honest and intentional human being." Kunis, meanwhile, reportedly told the judge that the disgraced actor has been "an amazing friend, confidant, and, above all, an outstanding older brother figure to me," and he has had a "transformative impact on my life." Masterson was ultimately sentenced to 30 years to life in prison on Thursday. Prior to the verdict, Kutcher previously said he hoped Masterson would be "found innocent."

Legal Affairs and Trials with Meghann Cuniff

3. Jimmy Fallon apologizes to staff after toxic workplace allegations

Is this the fall of Fallon? Jimmy Fallon has apologized to his staff after a damning Rolling Stone article accused him of fostering a toxic work environment. According to Rolling Stone, the comedian addressed employees in a Zoom call on Thursday evening, telling them, "It's embarrassing and I feel so bad. Sorry if I embarrassed you and your family and friends." He also reportedly said he didn't intend to "create that type of atmosphere for the show." The original report accused Fallon of erratic behavior and berating staffers. It also alleged Fallon once scolded a crew member in front of Jerry Seinfeld, who told the host to apologize. But Seinfeld has now spoken out to reject this characterization. "I teased Jimmy about a flub, and we all had a fun laugh about how rarely Jimmy is thrown off," Seinfeld told Rolling Stone. "It was not uncomfortable at all. Jimmy and I still occasionally recall it and laugh. Idiotic twisting of events." What's the deal?

Rolling Stone

4. Zach Bryan admits he was 'an idiot' after arrest

It's been a real rollercoaster of a week for Zach Bryan. Days after his self-titled "Zach Bryan" became a No. 1 album, the country singer was arrested for obstructing an officer after interfering with a traffic stop in Oklahoma, according to The New York Times. "I was an idiot today," Bryan admitted in a video on social media. The singer also shared his side of the story, saying that he got out of his car after his security guard was pulled over to see why the stop was taking so long. After the police officer warned Bryan to get back in his vehicle, the singer said that "like a dumbass," he got "too lippy with him" and acted like an "actual child," leading to his arrest. According to Bryan, he spent several hours in jail. "I'll take the fall for it," he said. "I'm a grown man, and I shouldn't have behaved like that."

X

5. 'Scream' creator calls on studio to pay Neve Campbell what she deserves

Have we seen the final appearance by our final girl? The creator of "Scream" hopes not. Kevin Williamson, who wrote the first, second, and fourth "Scream" movies, told the "Happy Horror Time" podcast he hopes Neve Campbell can still return to the series after exiting "Scream VI" due to a salary dispute. "I love everyone involved with 'Scream,' and all I can say is, 'Pay her the money,'" Williamson said. "That's what I would do." He also noted he "totally" respects the actress' decision to turn down "Scream VI," which Campbell said was because the money she was offered "did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise." But Williamson thinks there's surely "a number they can agree on that would make them both happy," so he said he hopes that "one day, they'll figure that all out." Maybe if we're lucky, we haven't heard our last "hello, Sidney."

Happy Horror Time

Public and private buildings across the UK may be affected by the crumbling concrete crisis that has hit schools, experts are warning.

Safety concerns over the use of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, or RAAC, has forced the full or partial closure of 147 UK schools so far. And many courts, hospitals and other public buildings were also built with the unsafe material.

An unknown number of private sector offices and warehouses could be affected too, according to researchers from Loughborough University, who were the first to warn the government about the RAAC safety risks. Professor Chris Goodier told the BBC that although most affected buildings were unlikely to be dangerous, checks were needed to ensure that tens of thousands of structures did not have serious flaws.

“We’ve suddenly found out that a certain proportion of our building stock is not as good as we thought it was,” he said, and “even if it’s just one per cent of 10 million, that’s 100,000”.

Which buildings are affected?

The National Audit Office reported in July that 41 hospital buildings were partially built with RAAC, including seven where the dangerous concrete was found “throughout” the hospitals. Two of these hospitals have already been rebuilt, while a further five will be replaced by 2030 under the government’s new hospitals programme.

Harrow Crown Court, in northwest London, was closed last month and could remain so for nine months after the material was found there, while another five court buildings with RAAC have been identified, according to government sources. Three buildings in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) are also thought to be affected.

At least five regional theatres have been forced to close as a precautionary measure and a “small number of select backstage areas” at the National Theatre in London were found to have RAAC present, said a spokesperson. Claire Walker, co-chief executive of the Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre, told The Stage she believed the number of affected theatres “will be extremely limited”.

Some experts also think it is likely that RAAC was used in building homes between the 1950s and 1990s, with council housing a particular concern. Up to 10% of council housing may have been built using RAAC, reported Inside Housing. However, a spokesperson for the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) told Housing Today that the use of the concrete was “not widespread” in social housing.

The Local Government Association has ordered councils to check whether any buildings on their estate, including housing, contain RAAC.

What is RAAC?

Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete is a lightweight material that was used mostly in flat roofing, but also in floors and walls, between the 1950s and 1990s.

It was used as a cheaper and easier to install alternative to standard concrete, but is much less durable and has a lifespan of around 30 years.

Experts have found that the material is susceptible to sudden failure, particularly if exposed to moisture, leading to fears that buildings from the 1950s to 90s are at risk of collapse.

Early warnings about RAAC emerged in 1995, when an engineer wrote to the journal of the Institution of Structural Engineers recommending that it “not be used in permanent structures”. He described the material as a “booby trap”.

The UK’s Building Research Establishment (BRE) published warnings in the following years, noting excessive deflections and cracking in pre-1980s buildings. But the use of RAAC gained significant attention in 2018 when a ceiling collapsed in a Kent primary school, having shown signs of structural stress the previous day.

The issue then came to a head this summer, when the government became aware of three cases where RAAC previously judged to be in a non-critical condition failed. The first was in a commercial setting and the second was in a school in a different educational jurisdiction.

Then, in late August, a RAAC panel that had previously been deemed safe failed at a school in England. It was then that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) announced: “Raac is now life-expired. It is liable to collapse with little or no notice.”

What next?

Professor Goodier’s team at Loughborough University is advising the government to inspect any buildings deemed to be at risk, but said that a new approach involving ongoing inspections and management for potentially tens of thousands of buildings is likely to be needed. But inspecting private sector buildings, where the government doesn’t have the same jurisdiction and control, could prove to be a trickier undertaking, warned Goodier.

The researchers have dubbed the approach “living with RAAC” and advised that the removal of the material be treated similarly to the asbestos crisis of the 1980s and 90s.

More inspections of more buildings, however, is likely to lead to the discovery of even more crumbling concrete. That means more buildings could face closures.

Bendy buses from Luton Airport have arrived in Ukraine for use in the country’s war effort. Three purple buses, which still have their Luton Airport logos, are mainly being used to provide “rest areas for beleaguered troops” and to transport supplies and soldiers, said The Telegraph. These vehicles have done “years of duty shuttling holidaymakers and suitcases”, said bus operator Go-Ahead, which donated the vehicles via the Swindon Humanitarian Aid Partnership (SHAP). “They’re now retired from airport duty and we’re glad they can be put to good use – as a small contribution to Ukraine’s war effort.”

Applause record broken in Uganda

Ugandan Christian organisation Phaneroo Ministries has marked its ninth anniversary by bringing together hundreds of members to break the longest applause world record. Some 926 people gathered at the UMA Multipurpose Hall in Kampala, to take part in this event, dubbed “Clap for Jesus”. Phaneroo Ministries are known for their “lively, high-spirited assemblies”, and this record attempt was “no different”, said Guinness World Records. The congregation clapped for a total of three hours 16 minutes, maintaining an average sound level of 88.5 dB.

Gold blob baffles experts

A curious golden orb found on the seafloor has “baffled” scientists, said Sky News. The mysterious item was discovered on 30 August and tests are still continuing to try and work out what it is. “This golden orb, likely an egg casing, struck an imaginative chord for many watching,” said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Earlier this year, a “brown blob” found by a gold digger in Canada turned out to be a mummified 30,000-year-old squirrel, said Wio News.

For more odd news stories, sign up to the weekly Tall Tales newsletter

1. Cops ‘scour’ park for Khalife

Police have said there have been no confirmed sightings of Daniel Abed Khalife in the 36 hours since he escaped from Wandsworth prison. The Met described Khalife, who is accused of trying to spy for an enemy state, understood to be Iran, and plotting a fake bomb hoax, as “very resourceful”. Officers were “scouring” Richmond Park this morning, said the Daily Mail, following suggestions the former soldier could be using his army training to hide out there.

Daniel Abed Khalife: how did terror suspect escape from Wandsworth prison?

2. Kim unveils nuclear sub

Kim Jong Un has revealed that North Korea has built a “tactical nuclear attack submarine”, a new weapon that is capable of both a “preemptive” and “retaliatory” strike. Named “Hero Kim Kun Ok”, the submarine is the first of its kind and would “perform its combat mission as one of the core underwater offensives means of the naval force”, said state newswire KCNA. It was unveiled as North Korea “gears up” to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the country’s founding tomorrow, The Telegraph reported.

Would North Korean weapons tilt the war Russia’s way?

3. Labour donations surge

Labour has “raked in” a record £6.4 million in private donations in just three months as business chiefs “fill its coffers” ahead of the next election, said The Telegraph. After Keir Starmer set out on a corporate charm offensive dubbed the “smoked salmon and scrambled eggs offensive”, the party made more from individual benefactors between April and June this year than it did in the whole of 2022. However, Labour’s donations were still outflanked by the Tories, who attracted £2.4 million more in the latest quarter.

What the Labour reshuffle tells us about Keir Starmer’s plans

4. King praises ‘devoted’ mother

King Charles III has released a short tribute to Elizabeth II to mark the first anniversary of his mother’s death. The King said he recalled the late Queen’s “devoted service and all she meant to so many of us”, and he thanked the nation for the “love and support” shown to him and Queen Camilla during the past 12 months. The monarch will be spending the day “quietly and privately” at Balmoral, said the BBC, with prayers and reflections on the life of his mother.

Queen Elizabeth II: stories from an extraordinary life

5. Discarded vapes pile up

A recycling campaign group said five million disposable vapes are thrown away each week in the UK. The figure represents a fourfold increase over the past year, said Material Focus. Disposable vapes, cheap plastic devices designed to give “a few hundred puffs of nicotine vapour before being thrown away”, are often “discarded in bins and on roadsides”, the BBC reported. The UK Vaping Industry Association said many independent vape shops now had recycling facilities in place.

The dramatic rise of vaping in the UK

6. Police join new maternity probe

Detectives will investigate claims of a far-reaching cover-up by hospital managers as part of a criminal inquiry into the largest NHS maternity scandal. A major review will explore cases involving more than 1,700 mothers or babies who have potentially suffered avoidable harm at Nottingham University Hospitals Trust over the past 10 years. Nottinghamshire police announced yesterday that they would work alongside that review. The news comes after failures at the Countess of Chester Hospital, which allowed the neonatal nurse Lucy Letby to continue murdering babies.

7. ‘Monster’ hurricane intensifies

Hurricane Lee has strengthened from a Category 1 to a Category 5 storm, packing maximum sustained wind speeds of 160mph as it approaches the Caribbean. Lee has been “intensifying with exceptional speed” in the “warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean”, said CNN, doubling its wind speeds in the last 24 hours. The storm will become a “monster”, said Insider Times.

The world’s most extreme weather events in 2023

8. China move hits Apple hard

More than $200 billion (£160 billion) has been wiped off the value of Apple amid reports that Beijing has banned government officials from using the company’s smartphones. Apple’s share price dropped more than 3% yesterday, and the company’s share price has now fallen 7.3% since Tuesday. US Representative Mike Gallagher said Beijing was unfairly punishing Western businesses to try and boost local competitors. He told Reuters this is “textbook Chinese Communist Party behaviour”.

9. BBC disinformation figure ‘lied on CV’

The BBC’s disinformation correspondent has been accused of lying about her experience on her CV. While applying for a previous job, Marianna Spring, who reports on the way social media has been used to promote false information, claimed she had worked alongside BBC correspondent Sarah Rainsford on the “perception of Russia”. According to The New European, her would-be boss rebuked Spring after checking out the claim. Spring reportedly apologised for her “awful misjudgement”.

10. Less fiction on sale at Foyles

Bookshop Foyles “appears to have cut back on its fiction” in order to prioritise non-literary products, to the “confusion of customers and upset of staff”, said The Times. A Foyles bookseller in London told the paper that the provision of fiction in the branch she worked in had decreased by more than 50% in three years, as gift products, such as calendars and book lights, became more prominent. She said it was “quite depressing” that the store had been turned into a “souvenir shop”. The chain said fiction remains “pivotal” to its success.

1. Jimmy Fallon accused of erratic behavior at 'The Tonight Show'

Some Jimmy Fallon staffers probably won't be sending him thank you notes anytime soon. A bombshell new Rolling Stone exposé alleges "The Tonight Show" is a toxic workplace, and the "ugly environment" starts with Fallon's "erratic behavior." The report cites current and former employees, who allege staffers fear the comedian's "outbursts" and regularly cry in guests' dressing rooms. Fallon has allegedly snapped at crew members and berated employees, and two sources alleged they witnessed him "seemingly inebriated" at work. "Fallon's behavior seemed to be dependent on if he appeared to be hungover from the night before," the article described, and a source said "you never knew which Jimmy we were going to get." In one incident, Fallon allegedly scolded a crew member in front of Jerry Seinfeld, who told the host to apologize. An NBC spokesperson told Rolling Stone that "providing a respectful working environment is a top priority," and any issues raised by employees have been "investigated and action has been taken where appropriate."

Rolling Stone

2. Danny Masterson sentenced to 30 years to life in prison

Disgraced "That '70s Show" star Danny Masterson will be remaining behind bars into his 70s. The actor was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison on Thursday after he was convicted earlier this year on charges of raping two women. His victims both spoke at his sentencing hearing in Los Angeles, according to The Associated Press. "You are pathetic, disturbed and completely violent," one of the women reportedly said. "The world is better off with you in prison." The other woman reportedly said Masterson has "not shown an ounce of remorse for the pain he caused," and he "belonged behind bars for the safety of all the women he came into contact with." Masterson's conviction in May came after a prior mistrial, though the jury was deadlocked on one count. A judge on Thursday also denied Masterson's request for a new trial.

The Associated Press

3. Bruce Springsteen postpones performances due to peptic ulcer disease

Get well soon, Boss. Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band have postponed all performances scheduled for September, as he is "being treated for symptoms of peptic ulcer disease," according to a statement. "Over here on E Street, we're heartbroken to have to postpone these shows," Springsteen said. "First, apologies to our fabulous Philly fans who we missed a few weeks ago. We'll be back to pick these shows up and then some. Thank you for your understanding and support." Springsteen's medical advisers urged him to postpone the shows, the statement noted. He previously rescheduled a pair of Philadelphia concerts due to illness. According to the Mayo Clinic, peptic ulcers are "open sores that develop on the inside lining of your stomach and the upper portion of your small intestine," and stomach pain is the most common symptom. But Springsteen promised he'll be "back soon." After all, he's tougher than the rest.

X

4. Kourtney Kardashian was rushed into 'urgent fetal surgery' that saved baby's life

Details of Travis Barker's recent family emergency have finally been revealed. On Sept. 1, Blink-182 postponed several shows and said that Barker had to return home "due to an urgent family matter," leading fans to express concern for his wife, Kourtney Kardashian. The "Kardashians" star, who is pregnant with the couple's first child together, has now taken to Instagram to share that she was rushed into "urgent fetal surgery" recently. "I will be forever grateful to my incredible doctors for saving our baby's life," she said. "I am eternally grateful to my husband who rushed to my side from tour to be with me in the hospital and take care of me afterwards, my rock." Kardashian added that "walking out of the hospital with my baby boy in my tummy and safe was the truest blessing." In his own post on X, formerly Twitter, Barker thanked fans for "all the support."

Instagram

5. Al Pacino's girlfriend seeks physical custody of their child

She wants to say hello to their little friend. Al Pacino's 29-year-old girlfriend, Noor Alfallah, has filed a petition in Los Angeles seeking full physical custody of their 3-month-old son, TMZ reports. Alfallah welcomed the baby boy in June, leaving fans shocked that the actor had become a father again at age 83. According to The Blast, Alfallah is asking for "reasonable visitation" for Pacino and has agreed to give him joint legal custody, allowing him to be involved in major decisions in the child's life. She also reportedly included a voluntary declaration of parentage, proving that Pacino is the father. TMZ initially reported that Pacino and Alfallah have split up, but despite this filing, his rep denied that. "Al and Noor have successfully worked together and have mutually reached agreements regarding their child, Roman," the rep said. "They are still together." Just when we thought she was out…

TMZ The Blast

1. Pilot reunites Texas girl with doll she left in Tokyo

When First Officer James Danen flew from Tokyo to Texas, he had a very important passenger on board his plane: Beatrice, an American Girl doll. Beatrice belongs to 9-year-old Valentina Dominguez of Plano, who accidentally left her on a plane in early August. Her parents contacted Haneda Airport and Turkish Airlines, but no one could find Beatrice. The Dominguez family posted about the missing doll online, and word soon reached Danen, an American Airlines pilot who lives near Plano and regularly flies to Tokyo. On his second visit to the airport lost and found, Danen discovered Beatrice, and he took photos of the doll on her journey home. Danen delivered Beatrice to Valentina along with some Japanese treats and a map showing where she traveled. "There's a lot of kindness in this world," Valentina's father, Rudy Dominguez, told WFAA, adding that Danen "is a kind man. He said he would do it and followed through."

WFAA

2. Rare bird reintroduced to the New Zealand wild

The takahē is making a comeback. This large, flightless bird indigenous to New Zealand was long thought to be extinct, but was rediscovered in 1948. Today, there are about 500 of the birds, with New Zealand's Department of Conservation breeding them in captivity. In late August, 18 of the birds were reintroduced to the area around Lake Wakatipu on New Zealand's South Island, with the goal of establishing the country's third wild takahē population. The land belongs to the Ngāi Tahu Māori tribe, and elder Tā Tipene O'Regan told The Guardian there are "few things more beautiful than to watch these large birds galloping back into tussock lands where they haven't walked for over a century." If the birds get used to their surroundings and flourish, seven more takahē will be released in October.

The Guardian

3. Nursing home adopts dog that kept letting himself in

A stray dog named Scout escaped from a Michigan shelter three times, and always went to the same place: the lobby of a long-term medical care residence down the street. "I'm a person who looks at outward signs, and if it's meant to be it's meant to be," Marna Robertson, the administrator of Meadow Brook Medical Care Facility, told the Detroit Free Press. The staff decided to adopt Scout, much to the delight of residents. "To each and every one of them, it's their dog," household coordinator Jenni Martinek said. Scout enjoys going from room to room for treats and hugs, but also senses when people need comforting, and has been with some residents during their final hours. "I think he knows that this is his home and he is all of ours, so that gives him a sense of security," administrative assistant Rhonda Thomczak said. "And I think he just wants to protect that."

Detroit Free Press

4. New snake-like robot could make major discoveries in space

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has created a 14-foot-long robot that could be able to explore where no human or machine has gone before. Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor, or EELS, has 48 motors and sensors all along its body. The device is being trained so it can work autonomously while on the moon or Mars, able to determine the environment it is in and make decisions based on its surroundings. "You're talking about a snake robot that can do surface traversal on ice, go through holes and swim underwater — one robot that can conquer all three worlds," JPL robotics technologist Rohan Thakker told the Los Angeles Times. "No one has done that before." Rovers can have a hard time with bumpy surfaces and steep terrain, and EELS, which is set to be deployed in a few years, will be able to slip into areas easier. "The most interesting science is sometimes in the places that are difficult to reach," Matt Robinson, EELS project manager, told the Times.

Los Angeles Times

5. Groundbreaking surgery gives woman her voice back

Shirli Aharon began having a hard time speaking a decade ago, but it was until recently that doctors determined she had spasmodic dysphonia, a voice disorder that causes involuntary spasms of the muscles in the larynx. By this point, it was so difficult for Aharon, an Israeli mom of three, to speak that she stopped communicating. She received some hopeful news from Dr. Yael Oestreicher-Kedem in Tel Aviv, who told her that doctors in Japan developed an innovative surgical treatment involving taking fat from the abdomen and inserting it into the vocal fold to prevent spasms. "I didn't hesitate for a moment and agreed to the operation with complete faith in her wonderful abilities," Aharon told The Jerusalem Post. She became the first person in Israel to undergo the endoscopic surgery, and as soon as she woke up, Aharon was able to talk again. "I feel like I've been reborn," she said, adding, "No one will stop me from speaking now."

The Jerusalem Post

Paramedic Pete Lewin is transforming the lives of firefighters, police officers and soldiers suffering from PTSD by taking them swimming with his Newfoundland dogs. Those taking part in the therapy put on a dry suit and a lifejacket, and wade into the middle of a lake in Leicestershire, where they float on their backs in silence. When their time is up, they are “rescued” by a Newfoundland: the dog swims out to them, before gently towing them back to shore. “The dogs don’t judge you,” said Kevin Robinson, who did four tours in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. “All they want to do is look after you. It keeps me happy for two to three days.”

Salisbury Cathedral restoration is finally complete

It took 38 years to build the main body of Salisbury Cathedral. Now, a 37-year project to restore the great mediaeval building is finally complete, and the scaffolding that has shrouded it for decades – as specialist stone masons and glaziers worked their way around the exterior – is set to be removed. By mid-November, all traces will be gone, said clerk of works Gary Price, “and the cathedral will stand in glory as it did in the 14th century, after the spire was added”.

Five-year-old walks the Coast to Coast trail

A five-year-old from Sunderland has become the youngest person to walk the almost 200-mile Coast to Coast trail. Ollie Sainthouse walked from St Bees in Cumbria to Robin Hood’s Bay in North Yorkshire with his father Paul. The pair managed an average of 12 miles a day, and camped for eight of the 15 nights. Early on, they had to pitch their tent next to a wall for shelter as Storm Betty struck. “He complained a bit about the weather, and so did I,” said Paul, “but once we were through that, I thought there is no stopping him now.”

A naked cyclist who was arrested during a charity ride has called for more understanding of naturism. Stuart Gilmour, also known as the Naked Cyclist, told Sky News he was detained in Colwyn Bay, North Wales, on Sunday. The naturist said the police were “absolutely lovely”. Explaining his hobby, he said he felt more comfortable without any clothes on and complained that many people did not understand that naturism is a “non-sexual lifestyle”. Under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, public nudity is permissible if not done to intentionally cause harassment, alarm or distress.

Dogs join orchestra for Leopold Mozart rendition

Three dogs joined the Danish Chamber Orchestra for their recent performance of the “Hunting Symphony” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s father, Leopold, CNN reported. Cookie, Sophus and Sica barked along after going through three months of training following dog auditions earlier this year. The Danish Chamber Orchestra said conductor Adam Fischer has “long wanted” to incorporate dogs into a performance because “boring music must be eradicated”.

Freddie Mercury’s piano sells for £1.7m

A Yamaha baby grand piano used by Freddie Mercury to compose some of Queen’s biggest hits has sold at auction for £1.7m, the BBC reported. The sale was a record for a composer’s piano, auctioneers Sotheby’s said. Other lots on sale included the door of his Garden Lodge home in west London for £412,750, far in excess of the £15,000-£25,000 estimate. Mercury was a regular at Sotheby’s and “loved auctions”, a Sotheby’s spokesperson said.

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1. Rates rises may be over

The Bank of England (BoE) may stop raising interest rates as soon as this month, its governor has hinted. Speaking to MPs, Andrew Bailey said that the period when it was “clear that rates needed to rise going forwards” was now over. The BoE’s Monetary Policy Committee is “delicately poised” on the matter as inflation falls, said the Financial Times. Several figures have indicated they will vote against another rise in two weeks.

2. Terror suspect escapes prison

The hunt is continuing for a terror suspect who escaped prison by clinging to the underside of a food delivery van. Daniel Abed Khalife, 21, was awaiting trial at Wandsworth prison in London after being accused of leaving fake bombs at a military base. Ports and airports have been placed on high alert for Khalife, who was previously labelled a flight risk. Prison authorities face serious questions about the “staggering lapse” of security, said The Times.

3. New legal blow for Trump

A judge has ruled that Donald Trump is liable for defamatory comments he made in 2019 about the writer E. Jean Carroll. Judge Lewis Kaplan declared that Carroll’s second civil defamation trial against the former president will be limited to determining damages. In the first trial in the case, Trump was found liable for defamation and sexual abuse, regarding Carroll’s allegation that he assaulted her in the changing rooms of a New York department store in the mid-1990s. He was fined $5m.

Donald Trump’s most serious legal challenges

4. Russian missile attack kills 17

At least 17 people have been killed in a Russian missile strike in eastern Ukraine. The missile hit a busy market in Kostyantynivka, a town in the Donetsk region. Dead bodies could be seen “amid flames that engulfed cars and shops in the built-up area” in a video posted by Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said The Times. Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, is in Kyiv on a surprise visit to show support for its counteroffensive.

Is Ukraine counter-offensive showing signs of success?

5. Modi wants ‘constructive’ action on climate

Western countries should not impose “restrictive” climate change policies on the developing world, said the prime minister of India. Writing in The Times, Narendra Modi argued that tackling climate change should not be done at the expense of developing countries, and suggested that the West needs to be more “constructive”. Any action on the issue must be “complementary” to development rather than risk holding back economic progress, he added.

Extreme heat: how deadly will it be by 2030?

6. Care failings for autistic children

The BBC has said that dozens of young autistic people have died after “serious failings in their care” and despite repeated warnings from coroners. The broadcaster identified 51 cases where Prevention of Future Death notices issued by coroners described serious failings in the care of autistic people, and health and social care bodies were urged to take action to prevent future deaths. Former Justice Secretary Sir Robert Buckland described the findings as “deeply disturbing”. The government said £4.2m is being invested to improve services.

7. Palestinians hold talks with Saudis

The Palestinians are demanding a cash injection of hundreds of millions of dollars and more control of land in the occupied West Bank if there is a three-way deal involving the US, Saudi Arabia and Israel. Officials from the Palestinian Authority have held talks with Saudi Arabia and are also due to see US officials, to describe their response to moves for a “landmark pact to normalise Israel-Saudi ties”, said the BBC.

8. Home gadgets are ‘spying’

A consumer group has warned that smart home devices, including appliances like washing machines, demand unnecessarily large amounts of user data that could end up in the hands of social media and marketing firms. Which? said that smart speakers, doorbells, security cameras, TVs and washing machines are all “invading our privacy” by collecting more data than is needed for the device, The Times reported. Which? branded the gadgets as “spies in the home”.

9. Bulger mother learns death details

The mother of James Bulger said she is only now learning some details of her son’s murder in 1993. Denise Fergus only attended one day of the trial, as she was pregnant, and was concerned for the effect the stress would have on her unborn child. But now, through her involvement in a new documentary, she has discovered that a metal railway component was used to kill James, who was two. Earlier this week, she said she is facing a “very worrying time” after one of her son’s killers, Jon Venables, was granted a new parole hearing.

10. UK ‘drifts towards work-life balance’

People in the UK are among the least likely to say work should always come first, a new study has found. According to the World Values Survey, 73% of people in the UK say work is “very or rather important in their life” – the lowest of 24 countries. Some 96% of people in Italy and Spain agreed with the statement, 94% in France and 99% in the Philippines. Bobby Duffy, director of the policy institute at King’s College London, which analysed the results, said there is a “steady drift towards a greater focus on getting work-life balance right” in the UK.

1. Rolling Stones reveal first album of original material in 18 years

It's time to get some satisfaction. During a live conversation with Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday, the Rolling Stones officially announced a new album called "Hackney Diamonds." This will be the legendary band's first new record of original material since "A Bigger Bang" in 2005. "We've been very lazy," Mick Jagger joked. Along with the announcement, the Rolling Stones dropped a new music video for the album's first track, "Angry," starring Sydney Sweeney. "Hackney Diamonds" will also be the band's first new album since the death of Charlie Watts in 2021, although two of the tracks were recorded in 2019 with the late drummer. Watts is "missed incredibly," Keith Richards said, but he noted that before he died, Watts picked drummer Steve Jordan as his replacement "if anything should happen to him." The album will debut on Oct. 20, so between this and "1989 (Taylor's Version)," your Halloween party playlist is all set.

The Rolling Stones

2. Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas speak out amid 'speculative narratives' about their divorce

She's no longer Mrs. Perfectly Fine. Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas have confirmed their divorce as details continue trickling out about what supposedly went wrong. In a joint statement, the two said they have "mutually decided to amicably end" their marriage, adding that although there "are many speculative narratives as to why," this is a "united decision," and they hope "everyone can respect our wishes for privacy for us and our children." Well, TMZ is going to go ahead and ignore that last part, reporting Wednesday that Jonas "had access to a ring cam that he said captured Sophie saying and/or doing something that made him realize the marriage was over." The outlet also claimed the issue was that "she likes to party" and "he likes to stay at home" — even though Turner said in 2020 she's a "homebody," while he's "a real social butterfly." The devil works hard, but Jonas' publicists work harder.

Instagram

3. Arnold Schwarzenegger recalls almost dying during open-heart surgery

He'll be back, but thanks to a botched surgery, that wasn't always so certain. In a YouTube video, Arnold Schwarzenegger revealed he nearly died a few years ago while undergoing open-heart surgery. The actor and former California governor recalled "really freaking out" after waking up to doctors telling him that even though he was supposed to be receiving "non-invasive surgery," they "made a mistake" and accidentally poked through his heart wall. This caused internal bleeding, so the doctors told Schwarzenegger they had to open him up "very quickly" to "save" his life. "I said, 'Well, great. This is really great news,'" Schwarzenegger quipped. "I mean, Jesus." He was "in the middle of a disaster," he added. This was just before he started filming 2019's "Terminator: Dark Fate," meaning Schwarzenegger recovered, only to go right into another disaster.

The Pump

4. Miley Cyrus looks back on Liam Hemsworth divorce

If Sophie Turner is looking for divorce advice, it sounds like Miley Cyrus learned some lessons from hers. In a series of TikToks, the "Used To Be Young" singer looked back on the end of her relationship with Liam Hemsworth, whom she married in 2018 and divorced in 2020. "Me and Liam's commitment to being married really came from, of course, a place of love first, because we've been together for 10 years, but also from a place of trauma and just trying to rebuild as quickly as we could," Cyrus said. She also revealed she decided the relationship "was no longer going to work" the same day she performed at Glastonbury in 2019, and she described this as an instance where her work came first. In another similar moment, Cyrus said she shot a key "Black Mirror" sequence the day after learning her house burned down, as "the show must go on."

TikTok

5. Michael Imperioli met with a witch to get a movie made

Double, double, your movie's in trouble. In a new documentary about the supposedly haunted Chelsea Hotel, "Sopranos" star Michael Imperioli bizarrely reveals he once met with a witch to help him get a movie off the ground, according to Variety. The film was "Summer of Sam," which he wrote with Victor Colicchio. "I really wanted to get it made," Imperioli, who also claims he saw a ghost at the hotel, explained. "So I met somebody who was living here who was a witch, who said she could help me get it made, but it wasn't going to happen the way I thought it would. I was very ambitious at the time and wanted to get that made, so [I] resorted to tapping into otherworldly means to get it through the studio system." The film did end up getting made with Spike Lee directing. Imperioli apparently didn't reveal many more details, but can that witch go ahead and do something about the long-awaited "Dredd" sequel next?

Variety

Lidl has been forced to issue a recall for “Paw Patrol” snacks after it was discovered that a website on the packaging leads to pornographic content, UPI reported. The supermarket chain said the packs of Paw Patrol All Butter Mini Biscotti Biscuits and other items in the range include the address of a website that no longer shows the intended content. “We recommend that customers refrain from viewing the URL and return this product to the nearest store where a full refund will be given,” said the chain.

Burglars use gnomes to find targets

Burglars are using toy gnomes to locate new targets, said The Times. Police in North Wales are advising residents to be wary of “Christmas gnomes” appearing in their front garden because the gnomes were being used as a “calling card” by criminals who monitor how long it takes for them to be removed by the resident. Glynis Leader, who sells handmade gnomes in Devon, was surprised by the news. “Normally, whenever I hear stories about gnomes, it’s a man taking it and it going around the world,” she said.

‘Imbecile’ tourist breaks Neptune statue

A German tourist has been branded “an imbecile” after he clambered onto a Renaissance statue of the god Neptune in Florence. The 22-year-old climbed the Fountain of Neptune to pose for a photograph. He is accused of breaking off a chunk of marble from Neptune’s chariot and damaging the hoof of a sculpted horse at the base of the monument. According to authorities, he caused about €5,000 (£4,250) of damage and now faces a “hefty fine”, said The Telegraph.

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1. Benefits revamp is ‘cynical’

People with mobility and mental health problems will be told to look for work they can do from home under plans to slash the benefits bill. Ministers argued that a “huge shift” towards working from home will allow those who struggle to leave the house for physical or emotional reasons to “fulfil their potential” by finding work, The Times reported. However, disability charities called the changes “a cynical attempt to reduce benefit payments”.

2. Proud Boys chief gets 22 years

Former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio has been jailed for 22 years for helping plan the 6 January Capitol riots. Along with three other members, Tarrio was convicted of the rare charge of seditious conspiracy for what prosecutors said was an attempt to overthrow democracy. Dressed in an orange jumpsuit and orange slip-on sneakers, he “leaned against a lectern at the front of the crowded courtroom”, said CNN, and “hung his head” as he was sentenced.

Capitol riot: what was going on in the White House?

3. Keegan lashes out on schools

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has told school chiefs to “get off their backsides” to help fix the crumbling concrete crisis. For a second day running, Keegan was involved in an “extraordinary row” over the scandal as the government “doubled down” on its handling of the issue, said The Independent. The cost of fixing the school buildings crisis in England is “approaching £150m”, said The Guardian, and could rise further.

Who knew what about flawed concrete in schools?

4. Heat warnings escalated

Heat-health alerts have been upgraded following warnings that temperatures could reach as high as 32C (89.6F). Amber warnings, which mean people of all ages could be affected, putting the NHS at risk, are now in place in eight of England’s nine regions until Sunday. The North East has a yellow warning, which means that the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions should take extra care. Average temperatures are expected by the middle of next week.

5. UK to declare Wagner a terrorist organisation

Wagner, the Russian mercenary group, will be declared a terrorist organisation, said the Home Office. A draft proscription order will be laid in parliament today, making it illegal to be a member of, or support, the Russian group in the UK. Home Secretary Suella Braverman described Wagner as “violent and destructive” and a “military tool” of Vladimir Putin’s Russia. The BBC said Wagner played a “key role” in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as operating in Syria and countries in Africa including Libya and Mali.

What is the Wagner Group?

6. Court hears ‘satanic abuse’ claims

A Glasgow court has heard that children were forced to take part in witchcraft and seances, and were sexually assaulted while members of a satanic child abuse ring watched. Eleven people are accused of a series of offences, with a number facing rape and sexual assault charges, while five are accused of attempted murder. One girl was pursued by people wearing devil masks, hung by her clothing from a nail on the wall, and shut in an oven, the court heard. The defendants, who are also accused of abusing dogs, deny all the charges.

7. Saturday mail deliveries in doubt

Royal Mail wants to scrap Saturday letter deliveries after the regulator promised to review the postal service’s six-day week. Highlighting a 46% drop in the number of letters sent and received over the past decade, Ofcom said the last few years have “demonstrated the importance of postal services”, but the way people use them is “changing” and “we expect these trends to continue”. Meanwhile, Royal Mail said it will raise the price of a first class stamp by 15p to £1.25 from October, meaning a book of eight stamps will cost £10 for the first time.

Why is Royal Mail failing to deliver?

8. Labour claims Keegan ‘conflict of interest’

Labour said that Gillian Keegan must answer questions over a £1 million schools IT contract given to a firm where her husband is a non-executive director. The Mirror reported that the deal with Centerprise was paid for from the same pot of cash set aside to rebuild classrooms at risk of collapse because they contain potentially deadly concrete. “This appears to be a conflict of interest” and “eyebrows will be raised”, said Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson. The Department for Education said “ministers had no ­involvement in the ­procurement process for these contracts”.

9. Diana’s brother denies BBC collusion

Earl Spencer has denied conspiring with Martin Bashir to persuade his sister, Diana, Princess of Wales, to be interviewed on the BBC’s “Panorama” programme. Testifying to an information rights tribunal, which is deciding whether internal BBC documents relating to Bashir’s conduct should be released under the Freedom of Information Act, Spencer was asked whether he had conspired with the journalist. He replied: “No, I did not.” Spencer wants the broadcaster’s internal documents to be released in order to prove that he did not collude with Bashir.

How Princess Diana reshaped the Royal Family

10. Swamped Venice to charge entry fee

The Italian city of Venice is planning to charge an entry fee for people to visit, The Times reported. Starting next year, the “lagoon city” will make day-trippers cough up €5 to visit on 30 of the busiest days in the year to curb the crowds that are “making life unbearable for residents”, said the paper. The move comes weeks after Unesco recommended Venice be added to its list of world heritage sites in danger, in part due to the impact of mass tourism.

A weekend in Venice

1. Joe Jonas wears wedding ring after Sophie Turner divorce reports

Has their marriage taken a turn for the worse? Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner are headed for divorce, according to TMZ. The outlet reported on Sunday that Jonas is "on the cusp" of filing to end the marriage, and People reported Tuesday that he has retained a divorce lawyer. But amid these reports, Jonas was spotted wearing his wedding ring at a Jonas Brothers concert. The band also shared a photo on Instagram where he is seen wearing the ring, and he has it on in a photo he posted on his own Instagram page — leading one commenter to conclude, "he really said: here's the ring. now shut up." Turner and Jonas tied the knot in 2019, and they have two children. TMZ's report claimed that in the last three months, Jonas has been caring for the kids "pretty much all of the time." Stay tuned to find out if this relationship truly will have the most sour ending since "Game of Thrones."

Instagram

2. Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner spotted kissing at Beyoncé show

Are they crazy in love? Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner appeared to hard launch their relationship at Monday's Beyoncé concert in Los Angeles, where they were spotted kissing in a video obtained by TMZ. The odd couple has been rumored to be an item since April after Jenner's car was spotted in his driveway and Us Weekly reported that they had hung out "a couple of times." TMZ now reports that at the Beyoncé concert, "they held each other close all night and kept locking lips right out in the open for everyone to see." This was the same show that seemingly every living celebrity attended, from Tom Holland and Zendaya to Adele, Quinta Brunson, Ayo Edebiri, Lizzo and Kim Kardashian. So much for "Oppenheimer" having the most star-studded line-up of the year.

TMZ

3. Kanye West reportedly being investigated by police after Venice boat ride

The rapper formerly known as Kanye West just sunk to a new low. Police are investigating Ye after he and Bianca Censori were caught "in a compromising position" on a boat in Venice, the Daily Mail reports. Photos showed the controversial rapper with his bare butt exposed on the water taxi, and Censori was also seen kneeling in front of him. "You could clearly see his trousers were half down and we have received complaints from people who witnessed it," a Venice police source told the Daily Mail. "Now we have identified the driver of the boat and we will be asking him what he saw as well." The source said Ye is being investigated for "acts contrary to public decency." Meanwhile, the Daily Mail also reports that the Venice boat rental company has banned Ye for life, which could be a big problem if he ever ends up on an adventure with Indiana Jones.

The Daily Mail

4. Joey King reportedly marries director Steven Piet

She's graduated from the kissing booth to the wedding aisle. Joey King, 24, has married 32-year-old director Steven Piet, JustJared reports. According to People, they tied the knot surrounded by close family and friends at an intimate wedding in Spain. The "Kissing Booth" star met Piet in 2019 after he directed two episodes of her Hulu limited series "The Act." By March 2022, she confirmed their engagement, saying on Instagram, "I love you more than an Instagram caption could ever do justice. Hanging out with you forever sounds like a real dream, so let's do it." She hasn't confirmed news of the wedding but recently shared on Instagram, "Love is cool! Love is grand! Love is kissing in front of the Fonte dos Amores and having too many caipirinhas together."

JustJared People

5. Ethan Hawke on working with daughter Maya: 'I'm a nepo dad!'

On the set of Ethan Hawke's new movie, every day was take your daughter to work day. The actor and his daughter, "Stranger Things" star Maya Hawke, spoke with Variety about working together on the upcoming indie film "Wildcat," which he directed and she stars in. "We're like the boring, indie Kardashians," Maya joked. She plays a young Flannery O'Connor in the film, which she pitched to her father's production company. Though it's sure to spark even more "nepo baby" discourse, Ethan said that because his daughter came up with the idea for the film, "I'm a nepo dad! And I'm not embarrassed about it." He added that it's "totally fair" if "someone wants to criticize us for working together," while Maya admitted she had "moments of insecurity" about working with her dad. "But the internet doesn't have a lot of nuances," she added. "My dad has been a massive teacher for me, and we want to work together. We like being with each other."

Variety

The sale of North Korean weapons to Russia is likely to be high on the agenda when the country’s leader, Kim Jong Un, travels to Moscow later this month to meet Vladimir Putin.

Last week, Washington said arms negotiations between the countries were “actively advancing”. Now CBS News reports that the two leaders will discuss military support for Russia’s war effort, raising concerns about the effect such a deal could have on the war and the wider geopolitical map.

What did the papers say?

In June, Kim vowed to “hold hands” with Putin and said the Russians had North Korea’s “full support and solidarity” for their “all-out struggle” in Ukraine. Then last week, the White House claimed that Putin and Kim had exchanged letters discussing a possible arms deal, but news of a planned meeting between them “goes far beyond the previous warning”, said The New York Times (NYT).

Moscow is keen to secure weapons to replace its own “depleted stocks”, said The Guardian. With the Russian military “quickly using up its munitions”, Putin is expected to “build on recent high-level diplomatic exchanges… to secure North Korean artillery shells and antitank missiles”, the paper added.

Pyongyang delivered infantry rockets and missiles to Russia for use by Wagner forces last year, and a new agreement could see Russia receive “multiple types of munitions from the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea]”, said National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, as well as “raw materials that would assist Russia’s defense industrial base”.

Kim knows that Moscow is “desperate” for munitions and the price that he will ask for them will be “eye-wateringly high”, John Everard, who served as UK ambassador to North Korea between 2006 and 2008, told the BBC. But Everard also said North Korea’s stockpiles of weapons are in “very poor condition”, so the influence they could have on the war may be limited.

Indeed, noted the NYT, when North Korea shipped munitions to Russia through the Middle East and North Africa, “few if any” North Korean weapons actually “made it to the front lines in Ukraine”.

Nevertheless, the “strengthening of the Russia-North Korea alliance comes at an opportune time for two countries with very few allies and a shared adversary in the United States”, Jean H. Lee, a recent senior fellow at the Wilson Center, told the NYT, as it’s the “resurrection of a traditional alliance that serves the strategic interests of both Putin and Kim”.

The White House has tried to “deter” countries like China and North Korea from providing arms to Russia’s military, said Al Jazeera, as it considers Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine an attack on the country’s sovereignty. Earlier this month, the US government imposed sanctions on three entities it accused of being tied to arms deals between North Korea and Russia.

So there is “undoubtedly concern in Washington, Tokyo and Seoul about what both Russia and North Korea could get out of a military cooperation deal”, said The Telegraph. But Putin, “bogged down in his war with Ukraine”, will certainly be keen to secure arms from Pyongyang, it added.

What next?

In a “rare foray from his country”, Kim would travel from Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital, probably by armoured train, to Vladivostok, on the Pacific coast of Russia, said the NYT. If he and Putin agree an arms deal, there could be escalatory consequences: Kirby has warned the US would take action, including imposing sanctions, if North Korea did supply Russia with weapons.

However, said The Telegraph, “there remains the possibility that Kim’s trip may never take place”, because “the reclusive leader is famously paranoid about his security, rarely stepping beyond the sealed borders of his regime”. Everard agreed, saying the sudden flurry of publicity around the possible trip is a “strong reason why the visit is now unlikely to take place”.

But there are reports that North Korea could take part in joint naval drills with Russia and China, said The Guardian. “Why not, these are our neighbours,” said Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu when asked about the exercises, according to Russia’s Interfax news agency. “There’s an old Russian saying: you don’t choose your neighbours and it’s better to live with your neighbours in peace and harmony.”

The real-life Dracula was vegan, according to experts. Count Dracula is believed to have been based on the Romanian prince, Vlad the Impaler, said the Daily Mail, and analysis of his letters suggests he may have only eaten plant-based meals. Scientists extracted blood, sweat, fingerprints and saliva from a letter and discovered there was an absence of animal food proteins. “They’ll be telling us he could see his reflection in the mirror next,” said the Daily Star.

Baby’s first word was ‘chandelier’

The curious rumour that the Earl of Snowdon’s first word as a baby was “chandelier” is true, according to Gyles Brandreth. The broadcaster said the son of Princess Margaret and the 2nd Earl of Snowdon knew the word because that is what his nanny called the mobile hanging over his cot, explained The Telegraph. Speaking on a podcast, Brandreth, 75, said: “I have been told by the people involved that it is true.”

Passenger has the runs at 37,000 feet

A pilot was forced to turn their flight around when a passenger lost control of their bowels at 37,000 feet and “had diarrhoea all over the aircraft”, said The Mirror. A message sent by the Delta Airlines pilot back to air traffic control stated: “It’s just a biohazard issue, we had a passenger who had diarrhoea all the way through the aeroplane.” They added that the mess had gone “everywhere”. Once the plane landed, it was cleaned and a new crew was found.

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1. Kim Jong Un ‘to visit Putin’

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will travel to Moscow later this month to meet Russian president Vladimir Putin, a US official has told CBS News. The two leaders will discuss the possibility of North Korea providing Russia with weapons to support its war in Ukraine, the official said. Kim is most likely to travel by armoured train, sources told The New York Times. News of the potential meeting comes after the White House said it has new evidence that arms negotiations between the two countries are “actively advancing”.

Kim Jong Un’s daughter and North Korea’s succession plans

2. Sunak on the ‘back foot’

The schools scandal has forced Rishi Sunak to start off the new political year “on the back foot”, said the Financial Times. The Conservatives’ autumn relaunch has been “derailed” by the crumbling concrete crisis, just as two by-elections are approaching, said the paper. Meanwhile, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has defended being on holiday during the summer when further evidence of the use of unsafe concrete in buildings came to light.

Can England fix its crumbling schools?

3. Water giants ‘broke the law’

Three major water firms illegally discharged sewage hundreds of times last year on days when it was not raining, a BBC investigation has suggested. The practice, known as “dry spilling”, is banned because it can lead to higher concentrations of sewage in waterways, said the broadcaster. However, Thames Water, Wessex Water and Southern Water appear to have collectively released sewage in dry spills for 3,500 hours in 2022. Industry body Water UK said the spills “should be investigated”.

Why is Thames Water struggling to stay afloat?

4. Lenders cut mortgage rates

HSBC and NatWest have announced new mortgage rate cuts in a move that will “ease some of the pressure on hard-pressed Britons”, said The Guardian, and the UK’s remaining large lenders are “expected to follow suit”. Although mortgage costs had been rising for months, banks have been reducing their rates since the second half of July after it emerged that UK inflation fell further than expected in June.

When is the ideal time to buy a house?

5. ‘War room’ to protect Biden

The White House has opened a war room as it launches an “aggressive counteroffensive” against House Republicans calling for an impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden, said The Times. The administration is gearing up for a “high-stakes showdown” and has appointed two dozen lawyers, legislative experts and communications staff. Kevin McCarthy, a Republican and the House Speaker, has indicated that he could begin an impeachment inquiry targeting Biden over his alleged foreign business dealings.

How the political world might change in 2024

6. Arrests after holiday rape claim

Five Israeli men, aged between 19 and 20, have been arrested after a British tourist was allegedly raped in Cyprus. The 20-year-old told authorities that she was sexually assaulted by the men in the resort region of Ayia Napa. She said she was “taken by force” from the pool area of her hotel to her room. The allegations have “evoked memories” of a similar case when a British student accused 12 Israeli teenagers of gang-rape in Ayia Napa, said The Guardian. She was later subsequently found guilty of “causing public mischief” and fabricating the claim.

7. Protests at Allen film premiere in Venice

Scuffles broke out at the Venice Film Festival premiere of Woody Allen’s new film “Coup De Chance” as anger grew that the festival had given a slot to new films by Allen, Luc Besson and Roman Polanski, three directors hit by MeToo scandals. Protesters chanted “no rape culture” outside Allen’s premiere as they attempted to get on to the red carpet. However, Allen received a “lengthy ovation as he arrived at a press conference”, said The Times, with one reporter describing it as the most rapturous welcome received by any director at the festival.

8. Historic ‘tropical nights’ forecast

Britain is set to sweat through two consecutive “tropical nights” this week for the first time in September. Met Office forecasters expect that the nighttime temperatures in England will not drop below 68F (20C) tomorrow night and Thursday night, fulfilling the brief for a “tropical night”, which has only happened on three September evenings in recorded British history. Temperatures are expected to return to normal next week.

9. France to ban vegan terms

The French government is planning to ban meaty terms like “steak”, “grill” and “spare ribs” being used to describe plant-based products. Agriculture minister Marc Fesneau said the decree is “an issue of transparency and honesty responding to the legitimate expectations of consumers and producers”. Farmers and meat companies object to terms like “plant-based burger” or “vegan sausage”, claiming that they confuse consumers. Guillaume Hannotin, a lawyer for an organisation representing makers of vegan alternatives, said the term “plant-based steak” had been in use for more than 40 years.

Veganism: is the plant-based food trend in decline?

10. Japan a ‘UFO hotspot’

Western and southern Japan have become major hotspots for UFO sightings, said the Pentagon. Using 27 years of data that has been made public for the first time, a map released on the website of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office shows where the most sightings have been recorded between 1996 and 2023. Other popular UFO sighting locations include a swathe of the Middle East that includes Iraq and Syria, and the southeastern United States, over South Carolina.

UFO hearing: why is Washington suddenly embracing aliens?

Europe’s largest economy is engulfed by gloom following forecasts that it will suffer the G7’s only contraction this year.

The International Monetary Fund is predicting that the German economy will shrink by 0.3%, compared with an overall average rise of 0.9% for the 20 countries that use the euro currency. Nearly 25 years after Germany “shrugged off its ‘sick man of Europe’ label”, said CNN’s global market writer Anna Cooban, “the phrase is making a comeback”.

What did the papers say?

“Sticky inflation” and “three straight quarters of falling or stagnating output” have left the German economy “in the doldrums”, wrote Cooban. Inflation is “running hotter” than in most of its European neighbours, which is “eroding Germans’ purchasing power”.

Resulting falls in private and public spending were the “main drivers” as Germany entered recession last winter, she continued, and higher interest rates have “hit Germany’s residential building sector hard”.

Klaus Wohlrabe, deputy head of the Munich-based Institute for Economic Research, told the broadcaster that a drastic rise in construction costs was “choking off new business”.

The broader industrial sector has also “taken a knock”, Cooban reported. Official estimates show that industrial output contracted by 1.7% year-over-year in June.

And latest survey results reveal that German business activity, spanning both services and manufacturing, fell in August at the fastest pace since May 2020.

Emerging rival economies such as China now “pose a considerable threat”, said The Economist, “not least to carmakers”. Germany’s “famous old brands”, such as BMW, Mercedes, Porsche and Volkswagen, “risk being left behind” as consumers switch to electric vehicles.

The combined market capitalisation of the four behemoths is now “less than half that of Tesla”, the paper continued. “Much like the German economy as a whole”, their business model was “working just too well to adapt” – until it wasn’t.

Where it all went wrong is a matter of much speculation. Although the pandemic “snarled supply chains”, said CNN’s Cooban, and the war in Ukraine caused “much of Germany’s current predicament”, experts argue that “many of its problems run deeper, and are self-inflicted”.

Germany has “simply not done any economic reforms over the last 10 years”, said Carsten Brzeski, global head of macroeconomic research at ING, and has “fallen behind” in “all international rankings when it comes to digitalisation, infrastructure, international competitiveness”.

Berlin is now “waking up to this reality”, he added.

Critics also point to the bureaucracy that “is a way of life in Germany”, said The Telegraph’s economics editor Szu Ping Chan. Germans “spend hours completing forms to obtain permission for everything from getting a passport to driving machinery along the autobahn” and “most of it has to be done in person”.

This tendency for old-fashioned paperwork “hinders businesses” and has become a major barrier to economic growth, said Ulrich Hopper, director general of the German-British Chamber of Industry and Commerce. “We need too many permits for so many things,” he told the paper.

Germany’s problems are “deep-rooted” and “knotty”, said The Economist. And they show “little sign of being fixed”. The country is exposed to the “triple whammy” of industry that “looks vulnerable to foreign competition and geopolitical strife”; a “journey to net-zero emissions” that “will be difficult”; and a workforce that is “unusually elderly”. To make matters worse, the state appears “ill-prepared” for the challenges ahead.

The resulting pessimism has political ramifications. With the economy “struggling”, and “important” economic indicators “pointing in the wrong direction”, said Deutsche Welle, ordinary Germans are “worried”, causing a “loss of faith in the country’s traditional parties”.

What next?

Business groups and economists are calling on the German government to intervene to help the “crisis-hit” construction industry, said the Financial Times. As a “wave of insolvencies” claims a growing number of high-profile property developers, Chancellor Olaf Scholz cabinet has passed a €7bn package of corporate tax relief that included new rules on the depreciation of investment costs for builders.

Building Minister Klara Geywitz has insisted that the measures should help “really rev up” housing construction in Germany. But the rule change was dismissed as a mere “drop in the ocean” by Dirk Salewski, head of BFW, the German association of independent real estate and housing companies.

Some are sounding more optimistic notes for the long-term outlook, however. Economist Holger Schmieding, who coined the “sick man of Europe” label in 1998, argued in a recent research paper that the “current wave of pessimism” was overdone.

Schmieding, now chief economist at Berenberg, said Germany was in a “much stronger position” than the late 1990s. Today, the country enjoys record levels of employment and strong public finances that make “it much easier to adjust to [economic] shocks”, he wrote.

The Economist was unconvinced. Back in the 1990s, said the paper, German politicians “embarked on painful reforms, which ended up being assisted by favourable conditions in the global economy, not least a boom in emerging markets”. But “there is no such boom in sight now”.

More than 10 years after Waterstones “enraged pedants everywhere” by dropping the apostrophe from its name, it has been “forgiven”, said The Times. The bookshop chain made the alteration in 2012 to make the spelling easier in the digital age, but the move prompted criticism, with some getting “terribly cross”, the paper noted. However, the Apostrophe Protection Society has now said that it is “entirely comfortable” with the move.

Lion causes traffic jam

Commuters in Karachi, Pakistan were held up when a lion escaped and began roaming about the road. The beast “escaped from a private vehicle”, said Fox News, and was on the loose for about two hours before it was captured. Local police said the lion was in transit when it made its great escape during rush-hour traffic. “Our teams rushed here immediately,” said wildlife inspector Mukhtyar Soomro. “Praise be to Allah, it is with us safely and no one is in danger now.”

Loch Ness monster picture ‘most likely’ a sturgeon

The creature photographed at Loch Ness in August 2018 is not the Loch Ness monster, an expert has said. Paranormal investigator Hayley Stevens has said the strange object photographed “spinning and rolling” in the water is “most likely” a sturgeon. “Sturgeon can grow very large – the Atlantic and European sturgeon, which are native to the UK, can grow up to five metres in length,” Stevens wrote on her science blog, Hayley is a Ghost. Others have speculated that the image is anything from two otters playing, to bin bags and a deflated dinghy, The Telegraph reported.

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1. Starmer to reshuffle pack

Keir Starmer is expected to reshuffle his shadow cabinet today, as MPs return to Westminster from their summer break. There is “much speculation” over what the Labour leader may do with deputy leader Angela Rayner, said the BBC. Currently, she shadows the Cabinet Office, but supporters want her to be given a more prominent department to shadow. Most senior figures, such as Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, and Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, are “believed to be safe”, said The Telegraph.

Does Tony Blair hold the answers for Keir Starmer?

2. School absence figures revealed

More than one in five children in England are regularly missing school, in a sign attendance is “still struggling to get back to pre-pandemic levels”, said the BBC. The children’s commissioner Rachel de Souza said some children play truant, but others suffer from anxiety or have educational needs and therefore find it easier at home. The news comes as schools face waiting until December to find out if their buildings are in danger of collapse because of crumbling concrete, meaning many more could close.

Can England fix its crumbling schools?

3. Israel to deport African migrants

Benjamin Netanyahu plans to deport all African migrants from Israel after Eritrean groups were involved in violent clashes. The controversial move came 24 hours after “bloody protests” by rival groups of Eritreans in south Tel Aviv left dozens of people injured, said Al Jazeera. However, the outlet noted that under international law Israel cannot forcibly send migrants back to a country where their life or liberty may be at risk.

Netanyahu’s reforms: an existential threat to Israel?

4. Covid testing ramps up

Covid testing and monitoring will be scaled up for the winter, said the UK Health Security Agency. The news comes a month after experts said the UK was nearly “flying blind” because many of the surveillance programmes from the peak years of the pandemic have been wound down. Schools are preparing for the return of pupils after the summer break, employees are heading back to work and indoor gatherings are becoming more common, factors that are “known to increase the risk of respiratory infections, including Covid, spreading”, said The Guardian.

Covid-19: where we are now

5. Lost evidence halts homicide probes

Prosecutions involving 16 homicides and more than 100 sexual offences collapsed before trial in England and Wales last year as a result of lost or missing evidence, said The Guardian. The findings, obtained by a freedom of information request, show that lost or unavailable materials were responsible for the pre-trial collapse of 7,316 cases between September 2021 and September 2022 in forces across England and Wales. They raise concerns about police handling of crucial evidence, such as “DNA samples, CCTV footage, weapons, drugs and mobile phone data”, said the paper.

6. Hot autumn predicted

A “blast of heat” from Africa is set to make the UK warmer than Thailand, said The Mirror, and the autumn heat could “stick around until October”. Some of the “most sweltering days of the year” are expected this week, with the Met Office forecasting 28C highs rising to 31C on Wednesday and Thursday. “Trick or heat”, said the Daily Star, as it reported that there is the potential for “a long spell of spookily warm weather up to Halloween”.

The world’s most extreme weather events in 2023

7. Ukraine claims decisive breach

Ukraine claims it has breached Russia’s formidable first line of defences in the south. “Little by little, I think we’re gaining momentum,” said Yuriy Sak, a government advisor. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he plans to dismiss the defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov, from his post and will ask parliament to replace him with Rustem Umerov, the head of Ukraine’s main privatisation fund.

Ukraine death toll: how many lives have been lost in the war?

8. Andrew papers secret until 2065

Official documents relating to the Duke of York are to be kept secret until 2065, according to a historian. There is a “general rule” that documents relating to members of the royal family must remain closed until 105 years after their birth, said The Times. But Andrew Lownie, who has written books about the Mountbattens and the Duke of Windsor, said this “does seem quite extreme”. He said a “culture of secrecy” surrounds royal correspondence.

What are the pros and cons of the monarchy?

9. Pensioner quizzed over trans sticker

A pensioner was questioned by police over a “hate incident” after taking a photograph of a sticker that said “keep males out of women-only spaces”. The 73-year-old woman took a photo of a transgender flag-themed poster, over which a sticker had been placed with the anti-trans message. She told The Mail on Sunday that police gave her a “long lecture about the sensitivity of the issue, and how something like this could cause harassment and alarm to the community”. She denied she had placed the sticker over the poster.

10. Speculation over Biden dropout

It would not be a “total shock” if Joe Biden drops out of the race for the White House, said his biographer. “It doesn’t take Bob Woodward to understand that Joe Biden is old,” said ‌Franklin Foer, whose book on the first two years of the Biden administration is published this week. ‌Democratic congressman Dean Phillips has urged the president to pass the baton onto the next generation. Age has become a “persistent issue in US politics”, said The Telegraph, including for the 80-year-old president.

How the political world might change in 2024

1. Ministers ‘were warned on schools’

Headteachers in England are scrambling to find ways to reopen their schools after being told to shut buildings made with unsafe concrete. Many staff from the 104 affected schools are “busy rejigging timetables, seeking alternative classrooms and trying to rent temporary toilets”, said the BBC. Meanwhile, a senior civil servant told The Observer that “many alerts” on the issue crossed the education secretary’s desk, but the “dangerously complacent” government was more concerned with saving money.

2. ‘Blitzes’ fail to improve PM’s ratings

Weeks of “Tory policy blitzes” have failed to boost Rishi Sunak’s approval ratings, said The Observer. The latest Opinium survey showed the Tories have “failed to shift the dial in Sunak’s favour”, with the PM dropping two points in the past fortnight to a net score of -25% (24% approve, 49% disapprove). The Conservatives spent the summer focusing on specific policy areas they believed would “expose Labour’s weaknesses” – such as crime, immigration, health and schools.

3. Body cameras for Tesco staff

Tesco workers are to be offered body cameras due to a rise in violent attacks, said the supermarket’s chief executive. After the company saw physical assaults increase by a third since last year, Tesco boss Ken Murphy said the abuse his workers suffered was “heartbreaking”. The British Retail Consortium found abuse against retail staff had almost doubled compared to pre-Covid levels. “The pandemic has normalised appalling levels of violent and abusive behaviour against retail workers,” said a spokeswoman.

4. Ukraine ‘breaches key line’

The Ukrainian military has claimed that its forces have decisively breached Russia’s first defensive line near Zaporizhzhia. After weeks of “painstaking mine clearance”, the troops “expect faster gains as they press the weaker second line”, said a general. He believes that Moscow had devoted 60% of its time and resources into building the first defensive line and only 20% into the second line because it had not expected Ukrainian forces to get through. The US has acknowledged the “notable progress” of the counteroffensive over the past few days.

5. Biden’s Florida trip overshadowed

Joe Biden has vowed to give Florida any support it needs to rebuild in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Idalia. The US president’s visit to the state was overshadowed by politics, because governor Ron DeSantis chose not to meet Biden on his trip after suggesting the president’s presence could hinder disaster response efforts. The governor’s decision not to meet Biden “caught the White House off guard”, said Reuters.

6. Hackers breach UK security

Hackers linked to Moscow have leaked top-secret security information on British military and intelligence sites, said The Mirror. The thousands of pages of data could “help criminals get into the HMNB Clyde nuclear submarine base, the Porton Down chemical weapon lab and a GCHQ listening post”, said the paper. The secret information has been placed on to the dark web, which can be accessed using special software. The government must explain why the information was “so vulnerable”, said Labour.

7. Tory donor switches to Labour

A major Tory donor will “open his wallet to Labour” in the run-up to the next election, said The Independent. In the “latest sign that support is ebbing away from Rishi Sunak”, Mohamed Amersi, who with his partner has donated £750,000 to the Conservatives, said he would donate to Labour because large parts of the UK were suffering from “huge problems”, including crime and unemployment. New analysis reveals the prime minister is being forced to rely on a “dwindling pool of donors”, said the paper.

8. BBC delayed Brexit vote news

The BBC held David Dimbleby back from announcing the result of the Brexit referendum, even after the outcome was clear. The former broadcaster said he had not prepared how he would reveal the momentous news, despite knowing which way the referendum had gone for most of the night. “The BBC, very fastidious about any results of a democratic vote, they wait until it’s absolutely impossible for it to be wrong”, he told the News Agents podcast. “And when it came I didn’t know what I was going to say really. I hadn’t thought about it.

9. North/South divide on beer prices

Drinkers face a deepening north-south divide on beer prices — with the cost of a pint in the centre of London three times higher than the cheapest towns. The average pint in Consett near Newcastle, is just £2.65 — a fraction of central London average of £6.63, said data group CGA. Experts said that varying business rates, rents, and wages are responsible for the vast price differences, with customers’ “willingness to pay” also playing a part.

10. Charles ‘disappointed Harry was a boy’

Charles was disappointed at having another boy when Harry was born, according to a new audio of Princess Diana. The late princess recorded a series of tapes and had them secretly delivered to author Andrew Morton. In one, she claimed that at Harry’s christening, Charles told her stepmother: “You know we were so disappointed, we thought it would be a girl.” She says her stepmother, Raine Spencer, replied: “You should realise how lucky you are to have a child that’s normal.”

1. Al Fayed dies at 94

Mohamed Al Fayed has died aged 94. The tycoon built a business empire in the Middle East before moving to the UK in the 1970s. He owned Harrods but never realised his ambition to gain a passport for his adopted country. He “pulled off some of the biggest business coups of the 20th century” but will be remembered as “the grieving father of Princess Diana’s partner, Dodi Fayed”, said The Times. His passing comes almost 26 years to the day after the death of his son Dodi, in a car crash in Paris alongside Diana.

2. Pressure grows over schools

Headteachers and ministers are under growing pressure over the growing building safety crisis. Schools are scrambling to find temporary classrooms for thousands of children and the government is facing questions over why it was slow to shut buildings in more than 100 schools, said The Guardian. Pupils will be taught online, in temporary buildings, community centres and empty offices as more than 100 schools close. Ministers are now facing demands for a full audit of hospitals, courts and other public building.

3. Ticket offices may be saved

A public revolt could “derail” plans to axe railway station ticket offices, said The Times. Following an “unprecedented” revolt against rail industry proposals to close them, hundreds of ticket offices “could be given a stay of execution”, added the paper. More than half a million people have responded to a consultation on plans to shut almost 870 ticket offices, and sources said the “scale of opposition” to the plans had “defied expectation”. Transport Focus, the watchdog, is expected to ask for extra time to review responses to the consultation.

4. Economy bigger than pre-Covid

The UK economy is bigger than before the pandemic, said the Office for National Statistics. The economy shrank less and bounced back faster during the pandemic, after previous assumptions were shown to be “too gloomy”, said the ONS. The group previously said the economy was still 1.2% smaller than before Covid, but revised figures add nearly 2% to the size of the economy as of the end of 2021, meaning Britain recovered to its pre-pandemic size almost two years ago.

5. Musk’s daughter inspired Twitter purchase

Elon Musk said he was inspired to take over Twitter because he feared his transgender daughter had been infected with a “woke mind virus” nurtured on the social media platform. He initially embraced the news when Jenna, formally known as Xavier, transitioned at 16. But she later cut him out of her life entirely and “went beyond socialism to being a full communist and thinking that anyone rich is evil”, he said. Speaking to Walter Isaacson for his upcoming biography of him, Musk said he saw the same mentality on Twitter.

6. Charges ‘boost Trump’

Donald Trump is more likely to win the presidential election because of the “nonsense” charges filed against him in the past five months, his son Eric told The Telegraph. The former US president faces 91 charges across four trials, but his son said that the more times his father is indicted, the stronger he becomes politically and financially. He claimed that Americans are “sick and tired of the weaponisation of politics” and are “infuriated” by how the former president is being treated.

7. Heatwave forecast next week

Temperatures could reach as high as 30c next week, according to predictions. Rainy weather is expected to clear from Sunday, with temperatures reaching into the high 20s or beyond in many parts of the UK. South and central parts of England will experience very dry conditions, as a result of an Iberian plume. But not everyone is convinced the hot conditions are well timed. “Summer is back again just as kids head back to school... typical!!!” said the Daily Star.

8. Botox plans made public

Plans to ban unlicensed Botox providers in England have been opened up for public consultation. Under the proposals, anyone carrying out Botox, breast or butt lift injections must be trained and licensed to do so. Industry bodies said it would be the “biggest shake-up of the industry in a generation”, but some say enforcing the regulations could be a “challenge”, noted the BBC. There has been an “explosion in cosmetic procedures in recent years”, it added,

9. Police shot pregnant black woman

Police in the US have released bodycam footage showing an officer fatally shooting a 21-year-old pregnant black woman. Ta’Kiya Young died on 24 August when she was shot while in her car outside a Kroger grocery store in Blendon Township, a suburb of Columbus. She was accused of shoplifting by an employee and tried to leave the scene, said CNN. The local police department has asked the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation to look into the shooting.

10. India heads for the Sun

India has announced its first observation mission to the Sun, just days after the country became the first to land near the Moon’s south pole. Aditya-L1 is due to blast off from the launch pad at Sriharikota today, and is expected to take four months to reach its planned location. The projects sees the Indian Space Research Organisation “take aim at another milestone”, said the Hindustan Times.

A “big cat” expert has said there are more than 600 of the beasts roaming the British countryside, and there may be “mutant mogs” prowling around. Rick Minter believes there are 300 black leopards and 300 mountain lions along with a smaller number of lynx, the Daily Star reported. He added that there could also be examples of “some kind of mutant cat” because “some kind of exotic cat has interbred with a feral cat”, and “it’s had this mutation and it’s now big enough to kill a deer”. He added that these animals are “totally stealthy and live in the shadows away from us like they do in their native countries”.

‘Scent of the afterlife’ discovered

Researchers have discovered the “scent of the afterlife” after an aroma from almost 3,500 years was revived. The boffins, who have recreated a balm used to mummify an Egyptian noblewoman who died in 1450 BC, and whose tomb was discovered by Howard Carter in 1900, said the aroma is a “sensory bridge to the ancient past”. It contains “notes of beeswax, plant oils, animal fats” and “resins from coniferous trees” as well as a “vanilla-like smell that may have come from cinnamon or pea plants”, said The Times.

US woman sets record for world’s longest mullet

A Tennessee woman who hasn’t cut the hair on the back of her head since 1990 has won the Guinness World Record for the longest competitive mullet, UPI reported. Tami Manis landed the gong when the “party in the back” part of her hair was measured at 5ft 8in long. “The weirdest thing I find is that people remember me from years ago,” she said. “I’ve had people recognise me from 20 years ago because I’ve kept the same hairstyle.”

For more odd news stories, sign up to the weekly Tall Tales newsletter

1. ‘Panic’ over school buildings

More than 100 schools in England are “scrambling to make arrangements” after being told to shut buildings because of crumbling concrete, said the BBC. With just days before the start of the new term, some pupils have already been told they will be learning remotely, in temporary classrooms or at different schools. Children “face a new lockdown” as the government reaches “panic mode” after “years of inaction” on the issue, said The Telegraph. Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said the decision followed “new evidence” about the material.

2. ‘Golden era’ in cancer treatments

UK cancer death rates have fallen by a quarter since the 1980s, thanks to a “golden era” of medical advances, said The Times. Breakthroughs in treatment, diagnosis and prevention have saved the lives of more than one million people, according to analysis by Cancer Research UK, which the charity said proved the disease was a “fixable problem”. A “one-size-fits-all formula” for cancer patients has been “gradually replaced by more bespoke treatments – helping survival rates reach an all-time high”, The Times added.

Five good-news cancer breakthroughs in 2023

3. Tough sentence for Capitol rioter

A Proud Boys leader has been sentenced to 17 years in prison. US Army veteran Joe Biggs, 38, was an “instigator” of the storming of the US Capitol on 6 January 2021, said prosecutors. The former Infowars correspondent was convicted of seditious conspiracy, among other charges. Although he pleaded for leniency and expressed remorse for his actions, he was handed one of the longest terms yet handed out over the US Capitol insurrection.

Capitol riot: what was going on in the White House?

4. Historic joint NHS strike

Junior doctors and consultants in England are set to strike together for the first time in the history of the NHS. In a “dramatic escalation” of their “bitter pay dispute with the government”, the joint industrial action will reduce hospitals and other services in England to providing “Christmas Day levels of care” for four days in September and October, said The Guardian. The British Medical Association blamed ministers’ refusal to negotiate over doctors’ salaries, but Rishi Sunak has criticised their demands as “unreasonable” and “unaffordable”.

Rishi Sunak’s NHS plan explained in five points

5. Russia and Iran invited back to Nobel Prize banquet

Russia and Belarus have been invited back to the Nobel Prize banquet after being excluded last year because of the war in Ukraine. Iran, which was not allowed to attend last year, has also been invited back to the event in Sweden. Explaining its decision, the foundation said it sought to include even those who did not share the values of the Nobel Prize, in the hope of increasing “dialogue”, but a Swedish MEP called the invites “extremely inappropriate”.

6. Ex-Tory MP demands name to be removed from slave trade study

A former Conservative MP has demanded her name be removed from Cambridge University research linking her family to the slave trade. Antoinette Sandbach was named by third-year PhD student Malik Al Nasir in a 2021 study into 19th-century slave owner Samuel Sandbach. He said that he and the university have been contacted by Sandbach’s legal representatives, calling on him to remove her from his work. Writing on Twitter, the former MP said that her concerns were related to personal safety and the mention of a family property in Al Nasir’s study.

Slavery and the monarchy: time for a royal reckoning?

7. Domestic violence ‘crisis’ in Spain

Spain has called a crisis meeting after the rise in the number of women being murdered in acts of domestic violence. Education minister Pilar Alegría called August a “black month” after seven domestic murders, with 18 of the 40 women who died this year in acts of gender-based violence killed in June, July and August. This has “revived an angry political debate” over the hard-right Vox party’s “denial of gender violence”, which “some experts say has contributed to the deaths”, said The Times.

8. Debate over beer benefits

Drinking the “odd pint” of beer may be good for your gut health and boost the immune system, a review suggests. Researchers said that although the purported health benefits of alcohol “are controversial”, sensible consumption of beer has a “positive effect on the regulation of human immune function”. They said beer boosts the body’s immune system because of a collection of healthy bacteria that benefits the gut. However, Naveed Sattar, professor of cardiovascular and metabolic health at the University of Glasgow, told The Telegraph the study “misses the bigger picture”.

What level of alcohol is safe?

9. Suffolk town to be ‘bankless’

The seaside town of Southwold in Suffolk will be left without a bank when Barclays closes its final branch there in November. Locals will still be able to get cash from the local Post Office, but the nearest branch of Barclays will now be in Lowestoft, a 30-minute drive away. The lender said it decided to close its Southwold outlet after noting that just 17 people used the branch as their only source of banking. There are approximately 5,000 bank branches in the UK, “just a quarter of the 20,000 that were open at the turn of the century”, noted The Telegraph.

10. Legal delay for Dorries book

Nadine Dorries’s book will be delayed until November because of legal issues, its publisher has announced. The former culture secretary, who resigned as an MP last weekend, has been writing a book on Boris Johnson, which had been scheduled for release on 28 September, but will now be published on 9 November, Harper Collins said. The publisher added that a “small delay is necessary” to allow for the “huge volume of material the author has consulted”, the “number of high-level sources spoken to” and the “required legal process needed to share her story”.

Nadine Dorries and four of the other weirdest Westminster exits

1. Taylor Swift's Eras Tour is coming to movie theaters

"The Heartbreak Prince" sounds good in a place like this. A filmed version of Taylor Swift's wildly popular Eras Tour is hitting North American movie theaters on Oct. 13. "The Eras Tour has been the most meaningful, electric experience of my life so far and I'm overjoyed to tell you that it'll be coming to the big screen soon," the singer said, adding that "Eras attire, friendship bracelets, singing and dancing" are "encouraged." The movie will play at AMC Theatres, allowing fans who were unable to secure concert tickets to finally see the show — although demand was so high that virtual lines still had to be instituted on major movie ticketing websites Thursday. The runtime is listed as 2 hours and 45 minutes, and tickets cost $19.89, because of course they do. The Eras Tour film was originally set to open the same day as the new "Exorcist" until the studio changed that film's date Thursday afternoon. So much for the next Barbenheimer being Exorswift.

AMC

2. Adam Driver calls out Netflix, Amazon amid actors' strike

He knows what he has to do — call out Netflix and Amazon for their actions during the Hollywood strikes — and he does have the strength to do it. Adam Driver spoke in support of the actors' strike at the Venice Film Festival, which he was allowed to attend because his movie, "Ferrari," is being released by smaller distributors that agreed to SAG-AFTRA's terms and received an interim agreement. According to Variety, Driver said he's "very proud" to be a "visual representation of a movie that's not part of the [Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers]," and he asked why a "smaller distribution company like Neon and STX International can meet" the "dream version of SAG's wishlist, but a big company like Netflix and Amazon can't?" The actor added that this shows certain people are "willing to support the people that they collaborate with," while others "are not." Driver has starred in several movies for Netflix and Amazon, including "Marriage Story" and "The Report."

Variety

3. 50 Cent throws microphone and reportedly hits fan in the head

Think twice before you drop, or throw, the mic. 50 Cent is "a suspect in a criminal felony battery report" after he threw a faulty microphone at a Los Angeles concert and it allegedly hit a fan in the head, TMZ reports. Video showed the rapper performing in the Crypto.com Arena and appearing frustrated that his mic wasn't working, so he tossed it off the stage. The woman who was allegedly struck, radio host Bryhana Monegain, went to the hospital, and photos showed her with a gash on her head. She reportedly filed a police report and told cops the rapper looked at her before throwing the mic. A source close to 50 Cent, meanwhile, told TMZ that she wasn't supposed to be in the restricted area, while his attorney said he "would never intentionally strike anyone with a microphone," and "anyone saying something different doesn't have all the facts and is misinformed." But that's just his two cents.

TMZ

4. Gwyneth Paltrow: 'Stop yelling at me' about Marvel absence

Gwyneth Paltrow has a stark explanation for her Marvel disappearance. In a Q&A on Instagram, the "Iron Man" star responded to a fan who demanded to know why she hasn't returned as Pepper Potts in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2019. "Oh my God, stop yelling at me!" Paltrow said. "We just stopped doing it because Iron Man died, and why do you need Pepper Potts without Iron Man? I don't know." For those who want to see her back, she added, "Call up Marvel and yell at them, not me. I'm just sitting here!" Paltrow hasn't appeared in a Marvel film since Tony Stark's death in "Avengers: Endgame," although "Spider-Man: Far From Home" referenced the fact that her character donated money to a charity. But considering Paltrow doesn't even remember the "Spider-Man" films she was actually in, there's a good chance she doesn't know about that.

Instagram

5. Doja Cat updates album cover that was extremely similar to a metal band's

Cat got your album cover? After Doja Cat revealed cover art for her upcoming album "Scarlet" this week, fans pointed out it was nearly identical to the cover of a forthcoming album by the German metal band Chaver, which is being released on the same day. Both feature a pink spider on a white background with an object above it that resembles a drop of blood. The two covers were reportedly done by the same artist, but the Chaver one was revealed first. After criticism, Doja Cat shared an "updated cover" for the album Thursday, this one showing a pair of spiders so it's distinct from Chaver's, but she offered no explanation for the change. This is why you don't ask Melania Trump to design your album artwork.

Instagram

1. Foster dog on overnight visit saves family from fire

Overnight, Moose went from a foster dog looking for a new home to a hero. In Portsmouth, Virginia, the Portsmouth Humane Society has a program called Paws Around PTown that allows community members to take a dog out of the shelter for the day. In early August, Chris Cushna, Sheila Janes and their family checked out Moose, a Great Pyrenees, and had so much fun they kept him for a second night. Early the next morning, Moose began pacing and panting and woke up the kids, who realized there was a fire on the houseboat next to theirs. The family and Moose escaped, right before the flames reached their houseboat. "We credit Moose for getting us out," Janes told The Washington Post. Because of the circumstances, they couldn't keep Moose, but a family living on a nearby farm heard about his heroics and quickly adopted him. "Moose is living his best life," Janes said. "He truly deserves it."

The Washington Post

2. Researchers discover antibiotic that could be revolutionary

Scientists working with "dark matter" bacteria have identified a new antibiotic called Clovibactin. The compound was isolated from bacteria found in sandy soil collected in North Carolina. "The antibiotic appears to kill bacteria in an unusual manner, making it more difficult for bacteria to develop any resistance against it," Utrecht University stated. Antimicrobial resistance is on the rise worldwide, and most new antibiotics created are similar to those already in use. Clovibactin is different, as it targets three precursor molecules, blocking bacterial cell wall synthesis. "As Clovibactin only binds to the immutable, conserved part of its targets, bacteria will have a much harder time developing any resistance against it," Dr. Markus Weingarth of the Chemistry Department at Utrecht University said. "In fact, we did not observe any resistance to Clovibactin in our studies." A global team worked on the research and released its findings last week in the journal Cell.

Utrecht University

3. Lego releases braille bricks for blind and visually impaired kids

Lego is making playing more inclusive. The company worked with organizations for the blind to develop a brick that is coded with braille and since 2020 has been donating sets to schools for kids who are visually impaired. Now, these bricks are available for everyone to purchase. Learning braille leads to better spelling, reading and writing skills, The European Blind Union stated, as well as improved employment opportunities in the future. Lisa Taylor's daughter, Olivia, age 7, was introduced to Lego braille bricks at school, and "they had such a big impact on her curiosity for braille," Taylor told The Guardian. "Before then, she found it hard to get started with the symbols, but now she's improving all the time."

The Guardian

4. The Y chromosome has been fully sequenced for the first time

For the first time, scientists have fully sequenced the Y chromosome, the smallest and most complicated of all. Scientists have been working on fully mapping all 46 human chromosomes for the last two decades, and in 2022, the Telomere-to-Telomere Consortium announced it sequenced the complete human genome. Still, more than half of the Y chromosome's sequence was a mystery until now, researchers wrote in a new study published last week in the journal Nature. "Research is emerging that shows proper Y chromosome gene function is incredibly important for the overall health of men," senior study author Charles Lee, a professor and research director at the Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, said in a statement. "Our study enables the inclusion of the full Y chromosome in all future studies when sequencing male genomes to understand health and disease."

CNN

5. World record set in Nebraska for largest attendance at a women's sporting event

In Lincoln, Nebraska, 92,003 people gathered at the Memorial Stadium on Wednesday to make history. They were there for the volleyball game between Nebraska and Omaha, and became the largest crowd to ever watch a women's sporting event. In the spring, Nebraska announced it was planning a celebration called "Volleyball Day in Nebraska," and invited fans to come pack the stadium on August 30 for the match. Volleyball is popular in Nebraska, but the university still took a chance with the event, Huskers Coach John Cook told The Associated Press. "It feels like a great accomplishment for this sport called volleyball played by women," he added. "It's a state treasure. We proved it." The previous world record was set April 22, 2022, at a Champions League match between FC Barcelona and Wolfsburg in Spain, with 91,648 people in attendance.

The Associated Press

As many as 30 councils are at risk of bankruptcy and the UK’s local government funding system is “completely broken”, according to a new survey of the sector.

Four councils – Slough, Croydon, Thurrock and most recently Woking – have declared themselves bankrupt in recent years, but according to a survey of 47 local authorities in the North, the Midlands and on the south coast, more may follow.

The study found that roughly a third of the authorities are experiencing severe strain on their finances, with five currently deciding whether to issue a section 114 notice of their inability to balance their annual budget in 2023-24.

A further nine councils that are members of the Special Interest Group of Municipal Authorities (Sigoma) said they may have to declare bankruptcy next year.

What did the papers say?

The threat of financial collapse is largely being driven by the shrinking of cash reserves that are usually held to address shortfalls in budgets, The Guardian said.

Growing demand for children’s social care services are also causing significant issues, the paper added. In addition, “sky-high inflation costs and related wage rises” are increasing the broad financial pressures local councils are facing.

Overall, the primary cause is “the chronic local government underfunding that took place over the past decade”, said City A.M.

“An overly centralised public-finance system leaves local authorities few other ways to raise money, even as spiralling demand, especially in social care, puts increasing strain on local services,” added The Economist.

It isn’t a new story, either. “Since 2010 councils have come under heavy financial pressure as money has been taken out of their budgets and they have had to make drastic cuts,” said The New Statesman.

Local governments in the UK don’t “go bankrupt” in the way that a person or a company might, the magazine explained, but the impact is similar.

Councils receive money from tax, from services like parking and funding from central government. All the money they bring in then pays for the legally mandated services they provide, such as social services, and “discretionary” services like fitness facilities and public halls.

However, since the 1980s councils in the UK have had to balance their books. If they fail to do so, they are issued a section 114 notice, which effectively halts all spending. Following this, the council needs to respond with cuts.

Politics also “plays a role”, said The New Statesman. “A central government governed by one party is usually less sympathetic to what they might consider profligate spending or financial mismanagement by a local government controlled by an opponent. Similarly, it would reflect poorly on the party of government if one of its flagship councils were to fail.”

“It won’t do for the Government to simply brush off the issue as the responsibility of local authorities,” agreed The Yorkshire Post in a leader article. “Ultimately, ratepayers in the most deprived areas are going to end up with poorer services.”

What next?

The most important thing is for Westminster to help local councils deal with the problem of inflation and the added demand for services, said Stephen Houghton, Labour leader of Barnsley Council and Sigoma chair.

“The government needs to recognise the significant inflationary pressures that local authorities have had to deal with in the last 12 months. At the same time as inflationary pressure, councils are facing increasing demand for services, particularly in the care sector.”

At present, the local council funding system is “completely broken”, Houghton added. “Councils have worked miracles for the past 13 years, but there is nothing left.”

A change appears unlikely, said City A.M. A recent survey by the Local Government Association warned that 90% of councils are drawing on ever-depleting finances to continue operating.

“Against this backdrop, the list of bankruptcies might be getting just a little longer fairly soon,” the paper concluded.

Police in Canada warned drivers near Toronto to keep their car windows closed after a truck spilled crates carrying five million bees onto a road. The crates containing beehives came loose from a truck and spilled onto Guelph Line, in Burlington, Ontario. Speaking to the BBC, beekeeper Michael Barber said he was confronted with a “pretty crazy cloud of bees” when he arrived at the scene, unlike anything he had experienced in his 11-year career. “I hope to never experience it again,” he added.

Wheel of cheese goes for $32,000

A 4.8-pound wheel of cheese broke a world record when it was auctioned for more than $32,000, reported UPI. The Cabrales blue cheese, manufactured by Guillermo Pendás at his family’s Spanish factory and aged in the mountain caves of Asturias, took top honours at the 51st annual Cabrales Cheese Competition in Las Arenas. The purchaser was no stranger to splashing out on fromage: he previously set the Guinness World Record for most expensive cheese sold at auction when he bought a wheel of Cabrales for $22,129 in 2019.

Pret worker trapped in freezer

A worker at Pret A Manger was trapped in one of its freezers for more than two hours and tried to use croissant boxes to stave off hypothermia. The employee was wearing jeans and a T-shirt at the coffee and sandwich chain’s Victoria coach station shop when she became trapped in the walk-in commercial freezer, which typically has its temperature set at -18C. The sandwich chain told The Times it has “carried out a full review” and “worked with the manufacturer to develop a solution to stop this from happening again”.

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1. Letby inquiry given new powers

The inquiry into how Lucy Letby was able to murder seven babies will now have greater powers to compel witnesses to give evidence. In a move welcomed by the victims’ families, Health Secretary Steve Barclay said the inquiry would be put on a statutory footing after criticism that it lacked the necessary powers to compel people to give testimony under oath or force the disclosure of documents. Letby was convicted of murdering seven babies and trying to kill another six.

Lucy Letby: why wasn’t nurse caught sooner?

2. North Korea simulates nukes

North Korea says it has fired two ballistic missiles to simulate nuclear strikes on military targets in South Korea. State media described the tests as a warning against the US deployment of strategic bombers to the region. The launches came just hours after Washington flew long-range bombers for drills with its allies in a “show of force against the North”, said Associated Press. Washington and Seoul’s annual military drills “always provoke the North”, said the BBC.

3. Waiting list data ‘national tragedy’

More than half of people who died in England last year were on an NHS waiting list, according to data handed to The Times under freedom of information laws. The estimated toll of 340,000 was up from 240,000 five years before, a 42% rise, and represented more than 60% of all deaths in England. Louise Ansari, from the statutory patient watchdog Healthwatch England, said the number of people dying while waiting for care is a “national tragedy”. A health department spokesperson said “cutting waiting lists is one of this government’s top five priorities”.

The NHS at 75: can it make it to 100?

4. Saudis seek support

Saudi Arabia has offered to resume aid to the Palestinian Authority in a bid to add legitimacy to its move to establish diplomatic relations with Israel. Saudi officials want the backing of Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, and an offer of financial support has been extended to Abbas by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, provided the Palestinian leader clamps down on militant groups, said the Wall Street Journal. The support of PA would “defend the deal from pushback in the Arab street”, added the Jerusalem Post.

5. Police sacking powers tightened

“Rogue” police will be automatically sacked if they are found guilty of gross misconduct or a criminal offence, the policing minister told The Times. Chris Philp said that corrupt officers had “nowhere to hide” under the changes, which are being ushered in after issues highlighted by the case of Wayne Couzens, who was convicted of the abduction, rape and murder of Sarah Everard. The government hopes the announcement will help to restore public confidence.

Is breaking up Scotland Yard the answer to its problems?

6. Jab rollout brought forward

The autumn roll-out of Covid-19 and flu vaccines has been accelerated as fears grow over the new BA.2.86 coronavirus variant. The Department of Health and Social Care brought forward the roll-out of both jabs after scientists from the UK Health Security Agency said an earlier start would help “protect those most vulnerable from illness” from the new variant, which carries a high number of mutations. It has been described as the “most striking Sars-CoV-2 strain the world has witnessed since the emergence of Omicron”.

The new Covid variant Eris behind a rise in cases this summer

7. Gabon leader named after coup

Military officials who seized power in a coup in Gabon have named General Brice Oligui Nguema as the West African state’s transitional leader. The general was chaired through the streets of the capital Libreville by his troops as the deposed President, Ali Bongo, appeared in a video, calling on support from his “friends all over the world”. The army does not accept recent election results in the oil-rich country and said they took power to keep the peace.

8. Harry’s media claim questioned

“War heroes” have “blasted” Prince Harry’s “offensive” claim that the media ignored British troops wounded in Afghanistan, said The Sun. Ex-forces commander Lord Richard Dannatt echoed the comment made by the Royal Family about Harry and Meghan’s Oprah interview, saying: “Recollections may vary.” In a Netflix documentary, Harry remembered being “angry that the media weren’t covering” the plight of injured or fallen soldiers, but The Sun has described Harry as “bitter, deluded and addled by hatred”.

Harry & Meghan: a right royal case of sabotage?

9. Fox may return to defence

Liam Fox is as a leading candidate to be the next defence secretary, as a “shock return to his old department” is mooted, said The Telegraph. Ben Wallace, who was made Defence Secretary by Boris Johnson, has announced his decision to quit at the next reshuffle. If Fox replaced him, Downing Street would “have to explain why he was being handed a post from which he resigned amid controversy in 2011”, added the paper. Grant Shapps, the energy security secretary, is also being considered for the role, said The Times.

Who will replace Ben Wallace as defence secretary?

10. Poll finds priests back therapy ban

More than two thirds of Church of England priests back the plan to introduce a ban on conversion or so-called “gay-cure” therapy, said The Times. A survey sent out to 5,000 priests selected at random from a Church of England directory, to which almost 1,200 responded, found that 67.8% said they supported a ban, with 17.7% against. The study also found that 80% of priests would back a female Archbishop of Canterbury.

1. Ana de Armas fans' lawsuit over misleading 'Yesterday' trailer dismissed

It looks as though this case isn't here to stay. A judge has dismissed a $5 million lawsuit against Universal brought by two Ana de Armas fans who claimed they were deceived into watching the movie "Yesterday" because she was in the trailer but not in the actual film. U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson determined the plaintiffs can't pursue a proposed class action suit because they didn't rely on the studio's alleged misrepresentations when deciding to watch the movie, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Plaintiff Conor Woulfe "lacks standing" because his "injury is self-inflicted," the judge said. Woulfe rented the movie again on Google Play thinking de Armas might be in it this time but "offered no explanation" for why he believed this, according to the court. Now, Universal's troubles seem so far away.

The Hollywood Reporter Deadline

2. Selena Gomez deletes post that may have violated actors' strike rules

Selena Gomez just made a serious Instagram whoopsie. The "Single Soon" singer has deleted a social media post after being accused of violating the rules of the SAG-AFTRA strike by promoting her Hulu series "Only Murders in the Building." While sharing a video on Instagram that seemed to be filmed on the set of the show, Gomez wrote, "Missing and wanting @onlymurdershulu," tagging the series' Instagram page. But during the ongoing Hollywood actors' strike, SAG-AFTRA members aren't permitted to promote their work, so her fans raised concerns that this constituted a violation of the guild's rules. The post has now been taken down, although not before generating more than 1 million likes and drawing comments accusing her of being "tone deaf," Variety notes. Strike one, Selena.

Variety

3. 'Bachelorette' alum Josh Seiter's ex Monica Beverly Hillz accuses him of faking his death

Josh Seiter's hacking claims won't hack it with his ex. On Tuesday, the former "Bachelorette" contestant shockingly revealed he's still alive after a statement announcing his death was shared on his Instagram page a day earlier. He blamed this on a hacker, but "RuPaul's Drag Race" star Monica Beverly Hillz, who briefly dated Seiter this month, isn't buying it. "I got my page hacked, it took me months to get my damn Instagram back," Hillz told Entertainment Weekly. "I was devastated. There's no way in hell that [his] was hacked. Sorry, no." Hillz added that if Seiter really was hacked, he could have called and asked her to release a statement, but instead, he "sat back" and "got off on everybody freaking out and going through a thing. It's sick in the f--king head." Seiter denied this, telling EW, "Those are all ridiculous accusations made up by somebody with nothing better to do with their time."

Entertainment Weekly

4. Miley Cyrus shares grueling schedule from when she was 12 or 13

She used to be young … and exhausted. Miley Cyrus looked back at her schedule for a given Friday when she was "12 or 13" in a TikTok video, and it's shockingly grueling. Her day began at 5:30 a.m. with hair and makeup in her hotel, after which she had to do not one, but four separate back-to-back interviews. She then had a 90-minute meeting followed by an interview with fifth grade students and a 90-minute lunch interview with her dad. A magazine photoshoot and interview was then scheduled for the afternoon from 3:00 to 5:00, and by 6:15 p.m., she was still doing more interviews. "Then the next day starts at 7 a.m. and ends at 7:30 p.m, when I fly home to probably go to 'Hannah [Montana],'" she said. That was about four years of her life, she noted — "so I do think this girl deserves a little endless summer vacation."

TikTok

5. 'The Great' canceled at Hulu after three seasons

We wish we could say we had great news to share about Elle Fanning's Hulu show. "The Great," the acclaimed comedy series starring Fanning as Catherine the Great, has been surprisingly canceled after three seasons, Deadline reports. "It's unclear what made the streamer decide to cancel the comedy," wrote the outlet, which characterized the news as a "shocker!" Since it debuted in 2020, "The Great" has been nominated for seven Emmys, including for its writing, directing, and costumes. Fanning and co-star Nicholas Hoult were also nominated for their performances. But while reviews were strong, The Hollywood Reporter notes it isn't clear how many viewers the show had, as Hulu hasn't shared detailed data. With "The Equalizer 3" opening Friday, one Fanning sister is clearly having a better week than the other.

Deadline The Hollywood Reporter

A new study has found that despite popular belief, people may not get “beer goggles” after having a few drinks. Researchers in California have found that “consuming a few alcoholic drinks does not make others seem more attractive”, reported the New Scientist, but the alcohol “may give people the courage to approach those who they already found attractive”. Alcohol may “free us from our preoccupation with rejection”, according to the scientists who conducted the study. “For some people, interacting with attractive others can be intimidating, so alcohol may be reducing some of that fear,” said one.

Fragments ‘from outside solar system’ found

A Harvard astrophysicist claims to have found material that “originated from outside the solar system” for the first time in history, said The Telegraph. Professor Avi Loeb has “provoked condemnation from peers” for claiming that initial analysis of fragments recovered from the Pacific Ocean may have an “extra-terrestrial” origin and could be proof of higher intelligence. The “controversial” astrophysicist has earned the moniker the “alien hunter” and “long attracted criticism for his bold claims”, said The Telegraph.

Device will ‘tap’ you to destination

Scientists have invented a wearable device that silently and invisibly “taps” your wrist to tell you which way to turn, said The Times. Inventers at Rice University in Texas wanted to create a lightweight, discreet device that could guide people to their destination without the need to look at a map or for audible cues such as those from a GPS. “Wandering around a strange neighbourhood looking with bemusement at a map app on your phone could become a thing of the past”, said the paper.

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1. Delayed Brits face long wait

Britons left stranded by the air traffic control disruption are being denied compensation, reported the Daily Mail. Passengers have been warned they face waiting 10 days for a flight home, while others have been “forced to sleep on make-shift beds laid out on airport floors”, added the paper. Around 200,000 “irate” British travellers have been told their first available flights home could be at the end of next week, said The Sun. Passengers are stuck in the UK and abroad after National Air Traffic Services began to limit the number of planes landing.

Disruption to flights could last days after air-traffic control failure

2. Priests say UK ‘no longer Christian’

Three quarters of Church of England priests believe Britain can no longer be described as a Christian country, according to a study in The Times. Researchers, who analysed responses from 1,200 serving priests, also found a “strong desire” for significant changes in church doctrine on issues such as sex, sexuality, marriage and the role of women, to bring it into “greater line with public opinion”, said the paper. In results described as “absolutely huge” by campaigners, a majority of priests want the church to drop its opposition to premarital and gay sex.

What does the rise in non-Christians mean for the Church of England?

3. Cleverly China visit

MPs said the UK must take a tougher stance on China over its human rights abuses and also help Taiwan build its defences to deter a potential invasion. A report, which comes as the foreign secretary, James Cleverly, arrives in China for a first official visit in five years, says Beijing’s behaviour is a threat to world security that cannot be ignored. In “an embarrassment for Cleverly”, the committee “accuses him of leaving a void in the government’s China policy”, said The Guardian.

Cleverly China visit: can UK pull off tricky diplomatic balancing act?

4. Brexit checks delayed again

Post-Brexit border checks on food, animal and plant products imported from the European Union have been delayed for a fifth time, the government has confirmed. The “additional red tape” had been due to be phased in from October, said The Independent, but will now be pushed back until 2024 amid fears that “the cost burden will add to inflation”. Business groups have “largely welcomed” the decision to delay, saying it would help avoid “major disruption” for firms and customers alike.

Brexit: what changed after the UK pulled out of the EU

5. UK could host US nukes

An airbase project could pave way for the UK to host US nuclear weapons for the first time in 15 years. Explaining the $50m (£39m) expenditure on a dormitory at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, the US air force said the building was intended to “house the increase in enlisted personnel as the result of the potential surety mission”. That phrase is jargon “used by the Pentagon to refer to handling of nuclear weapons”, said The Guardian. The Ministry of Defence said it is policy to “neither confirm nor deny the presence of nuclear weapons at a given location”.

MAR 22: The countries with nuclear weapons

6. Palace ‘vetted Meghan scripts’

Buckingham Palace vetted the scripts of Meghan Markle’s television drama in the early days of her relationship with Prince Harry and banned her from saying the word “poppycock”, claimed the show’s creator. Aaron Korsch told the Hollywood Reporter he had to change a line in “Suits” because “the Royal family…did not want to put the word in her mouth”. However, former aides said it was the Duchess’s agent, not the Palace, who demanded the change.

7. Khan asked for Ulez grace

The Transport Secretary has called on Sadiq Khan to give drivers a grace period before issuing ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) fines. On the first day of the expanded scheme, Mark Harper said it was “not reasonable” for the London Mayor to allow people to get fines because a website to check whether cars were compliant was suffering technical problems. Launching the expansion, Khan said that clean air is “a right not a privilege”. A YouGov survey found the majority of Londoners support the expansion of the ULEZ to all 32 boroughs, with 47% in favour and 42% against.

The cost of clean air: who will win the battle over low emissions zones?

8. ‘Beer goggles’ may not exist

Drinking alcohol does not give you so-called “beer goggles”, said researchers, but it does boost your confidence. Men were found to be 71% more likely to want to chat with people they found attractive after just one bottle of beer, said researchers at Stanford University, California, but the alcohol “did not make them less fussy about who they fancied”, noted The Sun. A study in 2016 found that beer goggles “really do exist”, said Forbes.

9. Australia names referendum date

Australia has set the date for its first referendum in 24 years. On 14 October, more than 17m registered voters will vote on whether to change the constitution to recognise formally the land’s original inhabitants. “On that day, every Australian will have a once in a generation chance to bring our country together and to change it for the better,” said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The date has been “widely anticipated for months”, said the Sydney Morning Herald, but supporters hope the announcement will “focus the minds of undecided Australians on the question being asked”.

10. Barbie leapfrogs Potter

“Barbie” has become Warner Bros’ highest-grossing film, earning more than $1.34bn (£1.06bn) at the global box office. The “critically acclaimed movie” reached “cultural phenomenon status” even before its debut last month, said The Times. Its box office performance has surpassed that of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2”. Barbie is “not done yet”, said MovieWeb, as it is “still playing in cinemas, and has its on-demand, MAX, and physical home video releases to come”, which “will no doubt see more records falling”.

Barbie: from problematic toy to feminist icon?

1. HBO cancels controversial show 'The Idol'

Tedros, we hardly knew ye. HBO has canceled Sam Levinson's controversial drama series "The Idol" after one season. "'The Idol' was one of HBO's most provocative original programs, and we're pleased by the strong audience response," an HBO spokesperson insisted to Deadline. "After much thought and consideration, HBO, as well as the creators and producers, have decided not to move forward with a second season." This is despite the fact that star Da'Vine Joy Randolph previously told Vulture that "it's everyone's desire and intention to do a season two." But the graphic, at times shocking show starring Lily-Rose Depp as a pop singer was slammed as "sexual torture porn," and critics weren't exactly impressed with The Weeknd's acting, either. Levinson can now get back to his previous job: enraging "Euphoria" fans.

Deadline

2. Former 'Bachelorette' contestant Josh Seiter is 'alive and well' after statement announced his death

Reports of his death were greatly exaggerated. Former "Bachelorette" contestant Josh Seiter has revealed he's still alive after a statement was released on his official Instagram page announcing his death. "As you can see, I am alive and well," he shared in an Instagram video Tuesday. On Monday, a statement on his account supposedly from his family shared news of his "unexpected passing," adding that "we find comfort in knowing that he is finally at peace." But a still-alive Seiter now claims his Instagram account was hacked. "Somebody was playing a cruel joke and mocking my mental illness and the struggles I've gone through with depression and suicide attempts," he said, "and I'm sorry for all the pain they caused when they made that post." He also pledged to find out "who is behind this."

Instagram

3. Eminem demands Vivek Ramaswamy stop rapping his music

Will the real Vivek Ramaswamy please sit down? Eminem has sent a cease and desist letter demanding the Republican presidential candidate stop rapping his music during his 2024 campaign, the Daily Mail reports. The rapper's demand came after Ramaswamy recently performed Eminem's "Lose Yourself" at the Iowa State Fair. Ramaswamy initially seemed unfazed by the cease and desist, posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, "Will The REAL Slim Shady Please Stand Up? He didn't just say what I think he did, did he?" Still, a spokesperson for the campaign told the Daily Mail that "Vivek just got on the stage and cut loose," and "to the American people's chagrin, we will have to leave the rapping to the real Slim Shady." Ramaswamy also told MSNBC he will "respect" Eminem's "wishes." Snap back to reality.

Daily Mail

4. Late-night hosts team up for a podcast about the Hollywood strikes

What late-night wars? Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and John Oliver are all joining forces for a new Spotify podcast as their shows remain off the air due to the writers strike. The podcast, titled "Strike Force Five," will be about the Hollywood strikes themselves. "This past May, the hosts of five major late-night talk shows had an idea: to meet every week to discuss the complexities behind the ongoing Hollywood strikes," Spotify said. "What ensued was a series of hilarious and compelling conversations." Fans can now listen to these "once-private chats" via this podcast, which will run "at least" twelve episodes beginning Aug. 30, and the hosts' proceeds will go to the staff of their shows who are out of work. Get ready for plenty of confusion whenever someone tries to get "Jimmy's" attention.

Spotify

5. Martha Stewart faces backlash for using a small iceberg to chill her cocktail

She probably should have put this idea on ice. Martha Stewart is facing backlash after revealing she used a small iceberg to chill her cocktail. On Instagram, Stewart marked the end of her cruise "into a very beautiful fjord on the east coast of Greenland," revealing she "actually captured a small iceberg for our cocktails tonight." She shared photos of herself holding up a drink apparently with a piece of the iceberg in it, as well as a picture showing ice chunks on a black cart. As you might expect, followers were none too pleased. "Martha the ice caps are melting don't put them in your drink," one person commented. "Wealthy white people drinking their iceberg cocktails while the planet is in flames is a bit tone deaf," another said. Not cool!

Instagram

1. Air disruption after ‘meltdown’

Heathrow Airport said its services will “remain significantly disrupted” today after air traffic controllers across the UK experienced a technical fault. Thousands of passengers have been suffering lengthy delays and cancellations following the disruption to UK air traffic control systems. People are stuck in the UK and abroad, as National Air Traffic Services limit the number of planes landing. Officials are investigating whether a “single badly filed travel plan by a French airline” was behind the “meltdown”, said the Daily Mail.

2. Barbers will offer heart checks

The NHS will offer blood pressure checks in barber shops so that men can have a test while they have their hair cut, reported The Times. British men have been urged to “get a grip of their unhealthy lifestyles”, said the paper, after a major study revealed they are twice as likely to suffer heart attacks as women. Cardiologists said men can reduce their heart risk and add years to their lives by taking steps such as “swapping their pub session for a gym session”.

10,000 steps and the other health rules that aren’t what they seem

3. Trump trial set for Super Tuesday eve

A judge has set the date for Donald Trump’s trial on charges that he tried to overturn the results of the 2020 US presidential election for the eve of “Super Tuesday”, a potentially pivotal point in the 2024 presidential race. More than a dozen US states hold their presidential primaries on 5 March, but starting the trial the day before “may not stop the steamroller that is Trump’s campaign”, said ABC News. The former president has signalled that he may appeal to change the start date.

Trump’s violent rhetoric: a threat to the US justice system?

4. Train firms admit closure risks

Rail companies have admitted passengers will be put at risk of being “swindled by crooks” and railway stations made to “feel less safe” by shutting ticket offices, said The Mirror. “Damning documents”, written by the rail companies themselves, “lay bare the true impact of the closures on disabled, elderly and vulnerable passengers”, said the paper. RMT General Secretary, Mick Lynch, said “the fact that train companies’ own equality impact assessments show the detrimental effect of ticket office closures” means the “whole endeavour must be scrapped”.

Ticket offices: on track for closure?

5. Pressure on Starmer on economy

Dozens of leading economists are calling on Keir Starmer to break with Conservative spending plans. In a letter seen by The Independent, 70 prominent academics say they are “concerned” at the party’s programme for government and warn that failing to reverse cuts would “deepen the poverty and hardship many are already facing”. The signatories include South Korean economist Professor Ha-Joon Chang, as well as professors Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson. A party spokesperson said a Labour government would “have to make tough choices”.

Keir Starmer’s transformation of the Labour Party

6. Met chief takes hard line

The Metropolitan Police commissioner has said his officers will not be allowed to express support for the majority of causes while on duty because it is essential that they are impartial. Mark Rowley, who is Britain’s most senior policeman, told The Telegraph “there are very few causes policing should be attached to” and said he will not tolerate officers taking the knee, flying rainbow flags or adorning their uniforms with badges that support environmental causes. However, he added that, “wearing a poppy in the autumn is perfectly proper”.

7. Gove ‘to cancel pollution rules’

Michael Gove plans to “rip up water pollution rules” that environmental groups say are essential for protecting the country’s rivers, said The Guardian. Builders have blamed the regulations for exacerbating England’s housing crisis but environmentalists say scrapping the rules will further add to water pollution, as water companies are already dumping raw sewage into rivers and seas. Gove is expected to announce the move today, alongside hundreds of millions of pounds’ worth of extra funding to mitigate the potential impact on England’s waterways.

Rise of the Nimby party: the Tory house-building dilemma

8. Pharmacy closures hit poor most

Community pharmacies closing at a “rapid rate” with deprived areas worst affected, said Sky News. As ministers ask pharmacies to do more to ease pressure on GPs, the broadcaster said that, between July 2017 and July 2023, the number of operating pharmacies in England fell by 914 from 11,723 to 10,809. More than one in 10 pharmacies have been lost in the poorest 20% of areas in the last six years. Dr Leyla Hannbeck CEO of the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies said the situation is “awful”.

The pharmacist will see you now: will Sunak’s antibiotic prescription plans work?

9. Charles to tackle food waste

King Charles will launch an initiative aiming to bridge the gap between food waste and food need, reported The Times. His first major personal project as monarch, due in the autumn, will build on the Coronation Food Project, a national scheme created to tackle food insecurity and waste. The monarch is “passionate” about the topic, said the paper, and his personal efforts to save resources include “feeding kitchen food scraps to his chickens” and “converting his Aston Martin sports car to run on surplus wine and whey from the cheese process”.

Will Charles be the world’s first climate monarch?

10. Sports stars fear physio’s book

Sports stars are “sweating” over a physiotherapist’s “steamy memoir” in which she is set to reveal a “string of affairs”, said the Daily Mail. Writing anonymously, the woman claims she had relations with two male international football players and affairs with two of the world’s leading tennis players, an England cricket star and rugby players. The book, entitled The Sports Physio, is “set to spark a guessing game” about the identities of the woman and the sports stars involved when it is published on Saturday, said the Mail.

1. Elton John was hospitalized after a fall at his home

Sir Elton John is still standing. The 76-year-old "Rocket Man" singer is "in good health" after spending the night in the hospital due to a fall, a spokesman told BBC News. "Following a slip yesterday at his home in the south of France," John "visited the local hospital as a precautionary measure" and was treated for minor injuries, the spokesperson said. After his checkups, John was discharged Monday morning and is now back home. He has been in France since finishing his "Farewell Yellow Brick Road" tour, which he said will mark his last time touring live and stands as the highest-grossing concert tour in history. He previously postponed tour dates in 2021 after suffering a hip injury.

BBC

2. Florence Welch reveals she had emergency surgery that 'saved my life'

Florence Welch is lucky to be alive. The Florence + The Machine lead singer revealed on Instagram she's recovering from life-saving surgery. "My feet are fine, I had to have emergency surgery for reasons I don't really feel strong enough to go into yet, but it saved my life," she shared, noting this is why she recently canceled some shows. Welch didn't go into detail, but the band postponed its tour in November after she broke her foot on stage. At the time, Welch said she was told "not to perform to avoid further damage." But Welch promised to return for shows in Lisbon and Malaga — "maybe not jumping so much," she stressed, "but you can do that for me."

Instagram

3. Adele stops performing to call out security for allegedly bothering a fan

Go easy on him. Adele recently stopped performing during her Las Vegas residency to defend a fan who was allegedly being bothered by security. Video showed the singer stopping in the middle of "Water Under the Bridge" to point into the audience, asking, "What is going on with that young fan there? He's been bothered so much since I came on for standing up." She continued by asking security to lay off. "He's been bothered the whole show by security and other people sitting behind him," Adele said. "He's here to have fun, alright?" The moment comes after a similar incident where Taylor Swift told security to stop bothering a fan, so one more and we officially have a trend.

PopBase

4. Denis Villeneuve wants to make a third 'Dune' film

He may be "Dune" it all over again. Director Denis Villeneuve told Empire he hopes to make one more "Dune" film after "Part Two." The upcoming sequel adapts the second half of Frank Herbert's original 1965 novel, the first half of which was covered in 2021's "Dune." But there's also a second "Dune" book, "Dune Messiah," and Villeneuve hopes to turn this into a third movie. "If I succeed in making a trilogy, that would be the dream," he said, teasing that there are already "words on paper" for "Part Three." Villeneuve isn't interested in adapting the "Dune" books after "Messiah," though, noting that they're "more … esoteric. Still, when Chani said that this is only the beginning, she wasn't kidding.

Empire

5. Disney+ won't air completed show 'The Spiderwick Chronicles'

Congratulations, "The Spiderwick Chronicles," on officially becoming the new "Batgirl." A TV series adaptation of the "Spiderwick Chronicles" books isn't moving forward at Disney+, even though the eight-episode series was already completed, according to Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter. Deadline described this as a cost-cutting measure for Disney, which is rethinking its streaming strategy with plans to focus Disney Branded Television more heavily on "Disney-owned IP" going forward. According to the Reporter, "The Spiderwick Chronicles" is now being shopped to other potential buyers. The move came after Warner Bros. similarly shelved a nearly completed "Batgirl" movie last year in another surprising cost-cutting move, so perhaps the projects most at risk are those named after animals with their own Halloween decorations.

Deadline The Hollywood Reporter