UK News
View All 9Historic British warship that inspired James Bond novels faces scrapyard as campaigners fight to save national treasure
A former senior Royal Navy commander has warned a "long and important" chapter of British naval history could disappear forever.Admiral Lord West says HMS President is an important part of the nation's wartime past, saying, "When you lose something like that, it's gone forever."The historic vessel is the last surviving First World War Q-ship: warships disguised as ordinary merchant vessels to lure German U-boats into attacking.Launched in 1918 as HMS Saxifrage, she was heavily armed with hidden guns, designed to surprise enemy submarines. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say Lord West says the ship's role continued into the Second World War."She trained generations of reservist naval officers who fought in the Second World War," he told GB News.She was also used to train defensive gunners protecting merchant shipping.After the war, she became HMS President and an iconic part of London's riverscape.She even has a James Bond connection. Ian Fleming once had an office aboard the ship, where he was inspired to write the stories of Britain's most famous spy.The House of Lords has described President as a national treasure.But now, she's facing the scrapyard.After being forced from her Thames berth in 2016, President spent years at Chatham before being towed to Erith earlier this year.Plans are now in place for her to be broken up.Campaigners from the Q-Ship Society have spent 5 years trying to save her and turn her into a museum."It would be heartbreaking" if they failed, Toni Jones said.LATEST DEVELOPMENTSEx-SAS commander backs Al Carns warning that Troubles Bill could push veterans towards Reform'He's here with me' - WW2 veteran proudly wears twin brother's medals in deeply emotional tribute on Dutch Liberation Day'Fantastic example of strength and resilence!' Nuclear veteran opens up on life-changing consequences of atomic tests 60 years onThe group says it urgently needs funding, as well as somewhere to permanently house the ship."A place we can call home would be a good start," Dan Broom said.The campaign has set up a GoFundMe to help save HMS President.With time running out, campaigners fear the last surviving Q-ship could soon be lost for good.Lord West says Q-ships were created because Britain had "no way of responding" to the German submarine threat during the First World War.He says German U-boats came close to "strangling Britain" and the Q-ships were one of the "desperate attempts" to lure enemy submarines to the surface.The vessels were made to look like merchant ships because the Germans would think they were an easy target."When they came close, suddenly they would drop the pretence and gunners would take on the submarines," Lord West said.Lord West says the tactic also forced German submarines to change how they attacked merchant ships.He says Saxifrage is "the last of a class" that once numbered almost 100 vessels."It's got a long and important history in terms of the defence of our nation", he told GB News.The former Royal Navy commander says historic vessels have "very huge poignancy" and are important for Britain's "national story and for memories."But he warns that President has been "allowed to deteriorate very badly," making a rescue increasingly difficult."You have to actually find a proper berth... and then all of the repair work," he said.And he warns the cost of bringing her back could be huge, saying: "You have to keep maintaining them forever thereafter. I fear this has been left too late. And it's just very, very sad."Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter
Volodymyr Zelensky turns on own officials over 'terrible negligence' after Russian strike kills 37
Volodymyr Zelensky has blasted "terrible negligence" by Ukrainian officials after a Russian drone strike on a weapons depot near Kyiv killed 37 people.The attack on the village of Myla on Friday night triggered secondary explosions as shells, mines and drones stored at the site detonated.Forty-two people were wounded, including four children, while nearly 400 residents were evacuated and around 130 homes damaged.A nearby care home for elderly and disabled people was also hit by the blast. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say Mr Zelensky condemned Russia for the attack but turned his fury on those responsible for storing explosives close to civilians.The Ukrainian President said the weapons depot "definitely shouldn't have been there".He added: "There was terrible negligence on the part of those who stored explosives right next to people."Criminal proceedings have now been launched over suspected official negligence.Ukraine's prosecutor general's office is investigating whether the positioning and storage of explosives close to homes in Myla was lawful.Mr Zelensky said: "There are regulations in place - ammunition cannot be stored near homes or other residential areas."Russia's defence ministry said it had struck "an ammunition depot" containing components and launch boosters for Ukrainian long-range drones.Search and rescue operations continued in the Bucha district on Saturday.WAR IN UKRAINE - READ THE LATEST:British soldier fighting for Putin in Ukraine paraded on Russian TV days after first UK troop diedBritain handed 'intelligence goldmine' by Ukraine in bid to foil Russian spies and saboteursKremlin directly circles targets in Britain for attack from 'unknown sources'Liubov Pavlenko, 45, who lives around 200 metres from the depot, told the BBC her home had been left "completely damaged".Mrs Pavlenko said: "There are cracks all around the entire perimeter, and cracks around the windows. Basically, the structural integrity has been compromised."The disaster follows a similar incident in Vyshneve in July, when a strike on an ammunition warehouse triggered secondary explosions that killed nine people and damaged more than 280 homes.An investigation into that explosion uncovered regulatory breaches involving the storage of munitions near populated areas.Mr Zelensky said the Myla depot, unlike the facility in Vyshneve, had been operated by Ukraine's armed forces.Prime Minister Sergiy Koretsky condemned the apparent failure to learn from the previous disaster.Mr Koretsky said: "In the fifth year of the full-scale invasion, making the same mistakes over and over is criminal negligence."He added that "everyone responsible, without exception, must face severe punishment so that such situations never happen again".Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter
PC Andrew Harper’s killers will remain in jail as PM makes changes to early release scheme
Andrew Harper, 28, died when he was dragged down a country road in Berkshire a quad bike theft. Photograph: Thames Valley Police/PA View image in fullscreen Andrew Harper, 28, died when he was dragged down a country road in Berkshire a quad bike theft. Photograph: Thames Valley Police/PA PC Andrew Harper’s killers will remain in jail as PM makes changes to early release scheme Andy Burnham says ‘hundreds’ of people will remain in prison as part of changes to scheme designed to ease overcrowding PC Andrew Harper’s killers will be excluded from the early release scheme after the prime minister said anyone convicted of unlawful killing would be exempt. Andy Burnham said “hundreds” of people will remain in prison as part of changes to the scheme designed to ease overcrowding in prisons. “We’ve come up with a proposal which will allow not just those guilty of manslaughter, the people involved in the killing of PC Harper, but those who have been convicted for indecent assault, those convicted for death , all of these offenders now will remain in prison. Hundreds of them,” the prime minister told the BBC. “I heard obviously what Andrew Harper’s family were saying. I mean who couldn’t? Nobody would want a position to arise where those guilty of killing a police officer are let out early from prison.” Burnham said extra space in prisons would be created . PM urged not to change scheme to stop PC Andrew Harper killers’ early release The prime minister ordered a review of the scheme, which is being undertaken , Alex Norris, and is set to be published when parliament returns from summer recess in September. That followed widespread condemnation of the scheme when it emerged that Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole could be released halfway through their 13-year sentences. In August 2019, Harper, 28, died when he was dragged down a country road in Berkshire by a car as Cole, Bowers and their accomplice Henry Long fled the scene of a quad bike theft. All three were convicted of manslaughter in 2020. Cole and Bowers were sentenced to 13 years in prison and could have potentially been released early as part of the government’s drive to free up prison places. Explore more on these topicsAndy Burnham Prisons and probation news Share Reuse this content Most viewed Most viewed
What’s the fiscal hit from higher yields?
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World News
View All 10Swiss police report 'several victims' at shooting in Aarau
Police officers patrolling a street in downtown Aarau Image: Michael Buholzer/KEYSTONE/picture alliance Several victims have been reported after a shooting in the early morning on Sunday at a rave party in Aarau, Switzerland, Swiss newspaper Blick has said, citing police.
NASA set to launch Roman telescope to map the universe
NASA is preparing to launch its Roman Space Telescope on Sunday aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, beginning a multi-year mission to create a vast new map of the cosmos. With a field of view far wider than Hubble’s, Roman will search for exoplanets and supernovae while probing the nature of dark matter and dark energy. What is this page? The website you are visiting is protected. For security reasons this page cannot be displayed.
Search Continues for 2,400 Missing in Nepal Floods Amid ‘Immense’ Devastation
As rescue efforts entered their fourth day, the scale of destruction came into focus, signaling a daunting recovery for the vulnerable nation.
Iceland EU referendum sees slim, early lead for 'yes' camp
https://p. dw. com/p/5JdCz Members of the 'yes' campaign welcomed early resultsImage: Leonhard Foeger/REUTERS Early results from Iceland's referendum on resuming European Union membership talks showed a slim lead for the "yes" camp on Sunday morning. With 87,00 ballots counted, 51.2% of voters were in favor of the government's proposal to resume EU negotiations, while 48.8% opposed it, Iceland's public broadcaster RUV reported. Some 270,000 Icelanders were eligible to vote. There was no information yet about voter turnout. Election officials warned that a more reliable result might not be available until midday on Sunday. Iceland debates joining EU amid Trump's Greenland interest To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Iceland has spent the better part of two decades wrestling with the question of becoming the bloc's 28th member. Talks were suspended 13 years ago . Iceland's current left-leaning government, elected in 2024, originally vowed to hold a vote next year but brought it forward because of rising geopolitical tension over Russia's war in Ukraine and Greenland. This article will be updated as votes continue to be counted in Iceland. If you rely on our team for trusted reporting, please take a moment to select us as your Preferred Source on Google so you'll always see our verified news first.
Politics
View All 10Burnham’s summer of quietly backing away from radical pledges
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Tucker Carlson: Trump needs to be removed from office ‘immediately’
Conservative podcaster Tucker Carlson said Friday that President Trump should be removed from office if he is considering using nuclear weapons first, saying even entertaining the possibility should disqualify a president from serving. “The second any president actively considers the first use of nuclear weapons, that person should be removed from office immediately, because that’s…
El-Sayed apologizes to Jewish Democrats for synagogue attack comment
Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed apologized Saturday for comments he made following an attack on a Detroit-area synagogue earlier this year, as he seeks to ease concerns among Jewish voters ahead of the November election. “I made a mistake,” El-Sayed said during an appearance before the Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus at the state party’s…
James Cleverly steps down from shadow cabinet to run for London mayor
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Business
View All 10Incoming Swiss banking chief warns against regulatory over-reach
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Anglo Teck up against Glencore’s ‘hardball’ negotiators to deliver merger gains
Anglo American and Teck promised investors $1.4bn in added profits annually from combined Chile copper mines but are still in talks with part-owner Glencore
K, C or E? Why economists can’t agree on the shape of today’s economy
Livestream Menu Economists have long viewed the postpandemic economy as "K"-shaped. That consensus has now lifted, with letters like "C" and "E" floating around academic circles and Wall Street trading rooms alike. Letter shapes have been used for decades to explain the economy, though it's usually less common years after the last recession. Those aren't initials or Greek life letters. They're some of the terms that economists, corporate leaders and politicians are using as they attempt to define the U. Since the recovery from the pandemic, economists have largely viewed the economy as acting in a "K"-shape, displaying an unequal expansion across groups and the arms of the "K" heading in opposite directions. Now there's a debate over whether the K-shaped recovery still exists, or if the economy instead resembles the letter "C" or "E." "This is some of the alphabet soup," said Joel Mokyr, a Nobel Prize-winning economic historian at Northwestern University. The race to label the structure of today's economy involves more than semantics or bragging rights. In recent years, the divergence among low- and high-income consumers, expressed in a K-shaped economy, has been top of mind for politicians, monetary policymakers, and executives of consumer companies. For decades, letter shapes have been used to sum up the economy, especially following major downturns. The list of those used throughout history includes "V-," "L-" and "W-shaped." But it's unusual for this type of description to have staying power among everyday Americans several years after a recession, as it does today, according to Don Rissmiller, chief economist at research firm Baird Strategas. Mounting concerns around wealth inequality may be driving heightened awareness, he said. "During recessions and recoveries, the letters are really popular," Rissmiller said. "To use a letter in the middle of a business cycle, I guess we could say that's a little new." Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent made waves earlier this month when he declared that the K-shaped economy was in the rearview mirror. In its place, the former hedge fund manager said a C-shaped economy was forming, meaning the bottom class of consumers were gaining ground. Bessent cited wage gains among lower-earners and larger tax cuts this year, pointing to President Donald Trump's "no tax on tips" and "no tax on overtime" policies as boosting the worst-off. "I got sick of hearing about this K-shaped economy," Bessent, one of Trump's top economic lieutenants, told CNBC this month. "I can say here definitively, the K-shaped economy is over." Bessent isn't the only one giving the "C" letter air time.
OpenAI to end model access to Cursor after acquisition by Elon Musk's SpaceX
Livestream Menu OpenAI plans to wind down its contract supplying models to Cursor, with a proposed Nov. 12 cutoff. OpenAI says it cannot be confident SpaceX will comply with its terms, citing past disputes with Elon Musk’s companies. CEO Michael Truell says OpenAI models account for about 5% of Cursor user traffic and that the companies are discussing the decision. SPCX A combination photo shows CEO of OpenAI Sam Altman (L) on April 28, 2026 and Elon Musk on April 29, 2026 during the trial in Elon Musk's lawsuit over OpenAI for-profit conversion at a federal courthouse in Oakland, California, U. Manuel Orbegozo | Reuters OpenAI announced late Friday that it is ending developers' access to its models on Cursor, following the acquisition of the AI coding startup 's SpaceX earlier this month. Cursor CEO Michael Truell said, in a post on the SpaceX-owned social network X Friday night: "OpenAI models serve about 5% of Cursor user traffic, and we're speaking with the OpenAI team to resolve this. Cursor and OpenAI did not immediately respond to CNBC's requests for comment. SpaceX completed its $60 billion acquisition of Cursor on Aug. 14, according to financial filings. Before SpaceX went public in June, it had acquired Musk's X and xAI in February. OpenAI's move away from Cursor, now that SpaceX owns it, is part of a long-running and acrimonious clash between Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and President Greg Brockman. In a post on X on Saturday, Musk wrote, "I couldn't care less. Scam Altman and Greg Stockman are utterly untrustworthy," used an expletive to describe them, then repeated his claim that they "stole an open source nonprofit." Musk sued OpenAI, Altman and Brockman in 2024 after co-founding and helping to fund the AI company as a non-profit research lab in 2015. Musk left OpenAI's board in 2018 after hiring talent away from the company, cutting off donations he had promised to OpenAI, and clashing with fellow board members over its direction. He later became one of its most prominent critics. After Musk left, OpenAI launched massively successful AI products, namely ChatGPT, struck partnerships with tech titans including Microsoft, converted its business into a for-profit with a non-profit parent, and raised huge sums of funding. Musk has argued in court that OpenAI's restructuring violated its founding commitments and has described the change as "stealing a charity." OpenAI disputes his claims. While he lost his lawsuit earlier this year, Musk has vowed to appeal.
Technology
View All 10FreeCORE TrueNAS Core – Continued
FreeCORE TrueNAS® CORE — continued. Train 13.3base 15.0current(changelog) 15.1next Project Install guidefreecore. org/install downloadsFreeCORE-15.0-U1. iso in-place upgradefetch https://freecore. org/freecore-enroll. sh && sh freecore-enroll. sh Source codecodeberg. org/freecore mirrorgithub. com/freecore-project issuesreport a reproducible bug irc#freecore on Libera. Chat contacthello@freecore. org securitysecurity@freecore. org ThanksFreeNAS ·TrueNAS CORE ·FreeBSD ·OpenZFSOriginal authorship is credited in the source’s license headers.
Sony and Warner Music Sue Anthropic, Alleging Theft of Intellectual Property
Artificial Intelligence Sony and Warner Music Sue Anthropic, Alleging Theft of Intellectual Property It's a bit of a throwback to the IP lawsuits of a few years ago. 29, 2026, pm ET Reading time 2 minutes Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei © Ludovic MARIN / AFP via Read Later Read Later Comments (6) In what feels a bit like a flashback to the days just after the release of ChatGPT, music publishers are using very harsh language in a new lawsuit against Anthropic, alleging “one of the largest and most blatant ongoing thefts of intellectual property in history,” per Axios. At first glance—and honestly after a few glances—it’s a bit of oddly timed legal saber-rattling, essentially all about song lyrics, and it seems calibrated to result in a drawn-out legal fight (or a lovely, big settlement for the plaintiffs). The suit was filed late Friday night in Northern California federal court. It names Anthropic the company, as well as co-founders Dario Amodei and Benjamin Mann. The monetary damages sought—$150,000 per alleged infringement—potentially add up to billions. You might be saying “Hey, aren’t all sorts of music publishers already suing Anthropic?” And yes they most certainly are, big and small. Universal Music Group, Concord, and ABKCO sued back in 2023; BMG sued in March; and the indie publisher Round Hill Music sued earlier this month. The gambit with this latest suit appears to be a bifurcated approach. As laid out in the industry-friendly publication Music Business Worldwide, the suit partly leans on documents released thanks to an earlier lawsuit: Bartz v. That, you may recall, was the book author lawsuit that was settled last year with Anthropic agreeing to pay $1.5 billion. The company had allegedly pirated thousands of books (LibGen) and Pirate Library Mirror (PiLiMi) collections. In the end, Anthropic agreed to destroy the pirated copies it had used or planned to use for training data. At the risk of editorializing in a legal matter without being a lawyer myself, unless there were lyric books in those allegedly pirated collections, this section of the lawsuit seems to be there mainly to establish a pattern of conduct that helps the plaintiffs’ case. Torrenting e-books, after all, is kind of a funny and roundabout way to get your hands on song lyrics. But the lawsuit also alleges that Anthropic violated the plaintiffs’ copyrights . And lyrics can allegedly be coaxed out of Claude verbatim. As examples, the suit cites : “[…]such beloved songs as ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,’ ‘All I Want for Christmas is You,’ ‘Eye of the Tiger,’ ‘Here Comes Santa Claus,’ and ‘Paper Rings.’” This is a more familiar, if still legally fuzzy, type of allegation, a bit like the famous New York Times lawsuit against OpenAI, Microsoft, and Perplexity.
Netflix Is Letting ‘Manifest’ Take Flight Again With New Spinoff
Television Netflix Is Letting ‘Manifest’ Take Flight Again With New Spinoff It hasn't been that long since 'Manifest' wrapped, but now it's returned with new arrivals and a new mystery. 29, 2026, pm ET Reading time 2 minutes © Netflix Read Later Read Later Comments (4) Old shows like Scrubs and Futurama have gotten revivals, and now Netflix is getting in on the trend with Manifest. The series, which first launched on NBC before transferring to the streamer, is getting a spinoff. Dubbed Arrivals, the show stars a brand-new cast of characters with original storylines while being set in the same universe. Original Manifest creator Jeff Rake and series producers Margaret Easley and Laura Putney are reuniting for this as creators, EPs, and showrunners, and the hunt is already on for directors. Prepare for ARRIVALS: A NEW MANIFEST MYSTERY, an upcoming series set in the Manifest universe that reunites the original creative team: Jeff Rake, Laura Putney, and Margaret Easley. Coming soon to Netflix. pic. twitter. com/1FqxpT5RL5 — Netflix (@netflix) August 28, 2026 Arrivals begins with a plane crash in Denver and its surviving passengers having no memories of who they are or how they got there. Helping them figure this out are a young social worker and a green Homeland Security agent, with all of them eventually stumbling onto a “humanity-ending catastrophe” they must now stop. The original show was about a plane’s 191 passengers and crew learning they’d been missing for over five years and similarly trying to piece together where they were and why. At time of writing, there’s no word on how the two shows will tangibly connect, like through the appearance of a legacy character. If this feels sudden, Deadline revealed Arrivals has actually been in development for a while now. It’s only been a few years since Manifest’s final, two-part season, but rumors about a spinoff circulated before that point, and they decided to reveal it on Friday, August 28, as a reference to the original show’s Flight 828. In a statement, Rake said he, Easley, and Putney were creating “something bold, surprising, deeply human, and full of the kind of big ideas that spark conversations long after the credits roll. We can’t wait for a whole new audience—and longtime Manifest fans—to discover Arrivals.” Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
A week with the Google Pixel 11 changed my mind about Gemini (for the better)
Tech 'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean? ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing. When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Neither ZDNET nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers. ZDNET's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form. Close A week with the Google Pixel 11 changed my mind about Gemini (for the better) Written , Senior Contributing EditorSenior Contributing Editor Aug. 29, 2026 at a. m. PT Google Pixel 11 4 / 5 Very good pros and cons Pros Brighter display is a welcome upgrade. Similar camera setup and features as the $1,899 Pro Fold. Qi2 25W wireless charging is easy to appreciate. Cons Pricier baseline at 256GB. Possibly too much AI for some people. View now at AmazonView now at Best BuyView now at Store. google more buying choices Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. Confession: I've spent the past two weeks speed-dating. Some were overly luxurious, offering flashy features and bold promises that were simply too lavish for my lifestyle. The new Pixel 11 is a bit of both camps. It's like the classic movie trope: the quiet nerd who takes off their glasses, puts on a swipe of hibiscus-pink lipstick, and suddenly has everyone's full attention. Also: Pixel 11 XL Pro: Google's big flagship is more Pro than ever, but the camera is no big thing That's what it felt like when I first unboxed the handset, with its magenta hues making the most of golden hour .
Science
View All 10The race to stop England running out of water
ByEsme Stallard, Climate and Science senior journalist and Miho Tanaka, Climate and Science senior journalist One evening in early August, farmer Daniel Sizer's phone buzzed with a message. It was from his local water board and it read: "River levels are low but have recovered enough to allow one night of irrigation tonight." Like much of the lower half of England, Daniel's fourth-generation farm had seen barely any rain in nearly three months. He shows us what is left of the peas and wheat crop at his 300-hectare site in Suffolk. "There's no water in the river so half my crop is completely and utterly ruined." With river levels falling so low that taking any more water out of them risked endangering wildlife, in July the Environment Agency (EA) temporarily stopped Daniel and thousands of other farmers from watering their crops from the river. Image caption, Daniel's farm has fared poorly in the drought England has long been used to hosepipe bans over the summer. But what Daniel has experienced points to something newer and more worrying. The kind of increasingly frequent heatwaves we have experienced and greatly reduced rainfall that we could see over successive summers with climate change, plus a projected increase in demand for water, have raised the prospect that England could at some point run out of water. The result could be that by 2055 England will face a shortfall of five billion litres in public water supply a day, almost enough to fill Wembley Stadium four and a half times daily. A mixture of low rainfall, high temperatures and demand put pressure on water supply in England more so than elsewhere in the UK. It is all a far cry from when, in 1818, John Keats wrote: "It is impossible to live in a country which is continually under hatches… Rain! Rain!" But what is really to blame for England finding its water supply so under threat? And are there ways of securing its future? Growing consumption Back in the 1980s, people in England and Denmark were using water at a similar rate. Residents in Denmark now consume 97 litres of water per person per day, according to Danva, the country's water and wastewater industry body. The daily consumption per person in England is 136.5 litres. "We've actually doubled the amount of water we use per person, on average, in the last 50, 60 years," points out Nicci Russell, who runs Waterwise, a water efficiency campaign organisation.
Strong winds and thunderstorms kick off the bank holiday weekend
After weeks of scorching heat and drought the summer's swan song is set to be one of frequent downpours as well as gales for some. Areas of heavy rain and showers are expected to sweep across parts of the UK on each day of the weekend, which is a bank holiday for many. This could make for some soggy moments at many of the festivals taking place over the coming days. Strong winds and gales may also cause problems for travellers and holidaymakers in southern parts of the UK. Met Office yellow warnings are in force for thunderstorms across parts of England and Wales Let us start with the good news - for many of us it won't be a complete washout of a weekend. It is certainly worth looking deeper into your weather app forecasts to hourly breakdown as showers can sometimes be tricky to forecast. Most areas will still see some drier and sunnier moments through the three days, with parts of north and west Scotland perhaps seeing very little rainfall at all. During the sunnier spells the late August sunshine still has enough strength to make it feels reasonably warm too. However, on Saturday the forecast shows several zones of heavy showers sweeping across England and Wales especially. Like recent days some of these could be torrential and thundery, especially in the southern half of England and Wales. For northern parts of England the showers are likely to merge into longer spells of rain during the afternoon. Given the downpours already this week, some parts of the Midlands and northern England are more susceptible to the risk of flash flooding. A large portion of Scotland and Northern Ireland will stay dry. Areas of low pressure dominate the weekend forecast charts Sunday may start dry and bright for many, perhaps with some mist and fog patches in central and northern areas of the UK. It is northern parts this time where there may be some early showers, but through the afternoon another zone of heavy and thundery showers are expected to sweep across the country from the west. For some in East Anglia and south-east England it may stay dry until late in the day. South-eastern parts of the UK might get lucky again on bank holiday Monday. Scattered showers in the west during the morning will gradually develop more widely through the day, but these shouldn't be as intense as those on the previous two days.
The U.S. relied on these science advisers. Then the Trump administration cut them
S. relied on these science advisers. Then the Trump administration cut them The federal government recruits top experts to volunteer to advise on pressing research issues of the day. Since President Trump took office, hundreds of these experts have been dismissed. NPR Science LISTEN & FOLLOW NPR App Apple Podcasts Spotify Amazon Music iHeart Radio RSS link Science The U. S. relied on these science advisers. Then the Trump administration cut them August 29, 20266:00 AM ET By Katia Riddle Netia McCray stands outside the Museum of Science, where she runs a STEM educational program for teens, in Boston, Mass. McCray has been suffering from long COVID since 2020. Lucy Lu for NPR hide caption toggle caption Lucy Lu for NPR Netia McCray recalls how excited she was to join the federal advisory committee on long COVID in 2025. She had been diagnosed in the early days of the pandemic — and symptoms such as fatigue, heart palpitations and shortness of breath had become a frustrating but inescapable part of life. For stories on the science of healthy living, NPR's Health . Science President Trump seeks control of science funding , researchers and other experts advising on the disease, McCray, 36, had hoped to channel her years of experience as a long-COVID patient into "something that could benefit so many individuals like myself and my community," she says. The work, she felt, could make her part of the solution for a debilitating condition that impacts millions of Americans. Netia McCray speaks with her students at the Museum of Science. Lucy Lu for NPR hide caption toggle caption Lucy Lu for NPR But McCray had only been on the committee for a few months when she received an email notice that the group was terminated, "effective immediately." Mental Health As USS Lincoln heads home, mental health experts tally the stressors of life at sea McCray's advisory group is one of more than 100 science-focused federal committees that have been terminated under the second Trump administration, according to a news analysis in the journal Nature. As of March of this year, more than a quarter of the country's healthcare-related committees have been shut down, according to the advocacy group Public Citizen. As a result, McCray is one of hundreds of experts who are no longer meeting to work on some of the most intractable and urgent problems around health and science in the United States. The losses linked to the demise of these groups are difficult to quantify, but participants and advocates say the impacts will reverberate across federal agencies for years.
Scientists collaborated with narwhals to study warming waters in the Arctic
Scientists collaborated with narwhals for a new study to understand human-caused climate change in the Arctic and rising sea levels around the world. Transcript ADRIAN FLORIDO, HOST: East Greenland is home to the world's largest fjord system, where glaciers meet the Arctic ocean. And the waters there are sometimes so calm, they look like a mirror. MADS PETER HEIDE-JORGENSEN: And then there's some few icebergs that are floating around and some seals and some narwhals that are in the water. FLORIDO: This is Mads Peter Heide-Jorgensen of the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources. He and other scientists are studying glaciers in East Greenland because they're key to understanding human-caused climate change in the Arctic and rising sea levels around the world. NPR's Rachel Carlson takes it from here. RACHEL CARLSON, BYLINE: East Greenland is of particular interest to scientists who study a phenomenon called Atlantification. Warmer, saltier Atlantic water mixes with chilly Arctic water and contributes to melting ice. Mads Peter Heide-Jorgensen is one of these scientists. He says East Greenland is icy, remote and a hard place to do research. HEIDE-JORGENSEN: The issue here has been that there's very little data in the past from this region. It's not a place where many oceanographers have ventured into. CARLSON: That's why for a new study out this week in the journal Science Advances, Jorgensen and his team collaborated with some very special divers - six narwhals outfitted with recording devices to measure the temperature and salinity of the water. And Jorgensen says the measurement showed the water near East Greenland glaciers is getting warmer and saltier, both signs of that process called Atlantification. HEIDE-JORGENSEN: Even the most remote glaciers in the inner pass of the Scoresby Sound fjord system were also affected . CARLSON: He says this is a sign that the Arctic is changing and that warming seas are even impacting some of the hardest to reach areas. But Jorgensen says he's hopeful this study will lead to more data collection from East Greenland and beyond, with a little help, of course, from the narwhals. Rachel Carlson, NPR News.(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Copyright © 2026 NPR. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr. org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. NPR does not offer or accept money for coverage or interviews.
Environment
View All 10How rising temperatures likely contributed to Nepal’s deadly flood
This story was originally published by WIRED and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Roughly 160 people are dead and hundreds more — including dozens of international tourists — are missing after flash floods hit a region on the mountainous border of Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday. Devastating footage posted to social media shows people fleeing a wall of water that washed away buildings and vehicles. Initial analysis of satellite imagery and reports from the Nepalese government indicate that the flooding was likely triggered by a landslide caused after a piece of a glacier fell hundreds of feet. As the region warms, its ice is becoming increasingly unstable, raising the risk of catastrophic flooding. “The glaciers over there are definitely in retreat,” said Joseph Shea, an associate professor of geography at the University of Northern British Columbia. “There’s a lot of glacier mass up there, but we’re seeing thinning, we’re seeing retreating.” Grist thanks its sponsors. To support our nonprofit environmental journalism, please consider disabling your ad-blocker to allow ads on Grist. Here's How Since 2000, the world’s glaciers have lost 5 percent of their ice, with much more drastic impacts in certain regions. Nepal’s glaciers lost nearly a quarter of their area between 1970 and 2010. More than 160 smaller glaciers in the country, research has found, have vanished entirely. Read Next Scientists race to decode data from Europe’s vanishing glaciers Matt Simon A recent study finds that 40 percent of the world’s glacial ice could disappear if the world does not keep warming under 1.5 degrees Celsius. The impacts of warming on glaciers in Nepal can cause cascading effects. Shea pointed out that retreating glaciers can help trigger landslides as they get smaller and can no longer hold back sediment. As these glaciers retreat, many are leaving large, dammed lakes at higher elevations. “If you have a landslide suddenly into a lake, you get an overtopping of the dam, and then the whole thing can collapse catastrophically,” Shea said. Known as glacial lake outburst floods, two of these events hit Nepal last year, and research shows millions are living in harms way around the world. Wednesday’s disaster was more likely due to a glacial collapse that fell into the valley below. Daniel Shugar, a geologist at the University of Calgary in Canada, told The New York Times that satellite imagery suggested that a 2,000-foot-wide piece of ice may have fallen almost 4,000 feet, “[pulverizing] the ice into water” with the force of its fall.
Super PAC Targeting Conservatives Against Clean Energy Touts Fifth Republican Primary Win
Both President Donald Trump and a clean energy super PAC that backed Darline Graham, sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, are celebrating her victory over Rep. Ralph Norman in Tuesday’s South Carolina Republican Senate primary. The Invest in Tomorrow Coalition (ITC), financed by solar entrepreneurs and Silicon Valley venture capitalists, spent $1 million on […]
California Dairy Farm’s New Biogas Project Makes History and Raises Eyebrows
KERMAN, Calif.—One hundred degrees on a steamy Thursday afternoon and not much can be seen along the dust-blown avenue in Kerman. A school bus cruises by. Cows lap up water or feed behind a fence. A tractor crosses the road. What’s most evident in this span of the San Joaquin Valley is a seemingly misplaced […]
'Our parents were crossing the border an hour before the flood hit'
This video can not be played 'We just want them home': Daughters of couple missing after Tibet pilgrimage Hundreds of foreign nationals are desperately waiting to hear from loved ones thought to be caught in the deadly flash flood and mudslide along the Nepal-Tibet border. Sisters Shreya and Ashna Ahuja are among those anxiously waiting for some news of their parents, Deepak and Madhu Ahuja, who had travelled from Texas to Mount Kailash on a group pilgrimage. "It's only been one day, but it has felt like much longer," the sisters tell the BBC. "We just love them a lot and want them to come home." One of the siblings spoke to their parents just before the floods struck. Nearly 2,000 people are missing, including tourists from the US, Australia, Canada, India, and the UK. Nepali authorities say more than 575 people have died. Follow live updates: Fears of second flood as search for survivors continues About 90 US citizens may have been impacted , the State Department said on Thursday, confirming that five Americans in Nepal have made their way to safety. The Ahuja sisters have contacted the State Department and US embassies in Delhi, Nepal and China, but they say they have no concrete information on the whereabouts of their parents. The region is a pilgrimage site for Hindus and Buddhists, and visited . Radhika Sharma's parents, Ramesh Sharma, 65 and Neelam Sharma, 64, two US citizens who live in New York City, were also travelling to Mount Kailash in the Kathmandu region when the disaster struck. Deepak and Madhu Ahuja The pilgrimage was their first trip on their own since retiring last year. "I am just trying to find them, I don't have any answers," Radhika Sharma told the BBC. At least 77 people caught in the disaster are part of a pilgrimage organised , a non-profit group headquartered in India that also has a base in McMinnville, Tennessee. Leslie Crespi, a community liaison for the Foundation, told the BBC that the group had been working on immigration paperwork in what was meant to be an earthquake-resistant building near the border when the water came through. "They were like family," she said, her voice breaking. Ramesh Sharma, 65, and Neelam Sharma, 64, two US citizens from New York have been missing since the flood hit Prabhath Sajeepa, another US citizen who went missing after the flood hit, was one of the 77 people travelling with the Isha Foundation. Sajeepa works for a software company in California, and has been involved with the Isha Foundation for a few years, according to his niece, who lives in Germany.
Weather
View All 8Today: Thundery Showers, Minimum Temperature: 12°C (53°F) Maximum Temperature: 21°C (69°F)
This video can not be played This morning will see scattered showers at first, these largely easing for a time later but further showers, heavy and locally thundery, with drift in from the west during the afternoon and evening. Tonight will start cloudy with showers. During the early hours, many of the showers will dissipate, but some will linger. Some clear spells will also develop in places. Tomorrow morning will see another area of showers move through from the west, some of them heavy. During the afternoon, the showers will gradually clear, but it will remain rather cloudy. Outlook for Tuesday to Thursday On Tuesday morning, it will be dry with a good deal of sunshine. In the afternoon, patchy cloud will bubble up, bringing a chance of a few scattered showers, largely easing during the evening. Wednesday is expected to cloud over from the west, along with a few patches of rain. It will turn breezy too. Thursday looks to remain cloudy with further outbreaks of rain. Average wind speed 3 Miles per hour, Southerly3Average wind speed 5 Kilometres per hour, Southerly5 Humidity: Humidity: 100%,100% Visibility: Visibility, not available,-- Pressure: Pressure: 1006 millibars, Steady,1006mb, Steady Observation station: Manchester Airport (53.350° North, 2.283° West)Observation station: Manchester Airport (53.350° N, 2.283° W) Our favourite Weather Watchers photos nearby Report for Northenden, Manchester Tony LyonsReported , Manchester TicklespoonReported , Oldham Wonky AlReported , Manchester MCRShaunReported by MCRShaun
Monday: Thundery Showers, Minimum Temperature: 11°C (51°F) Maximum Temperature: 18°C (65°F)
This video can not be played This morning will see scattered showers at first, these largely easing for a time later but further showers, heavy and locally thundery, with drift in from the west during the afternoon and evening. Tonight will start cloudy with showers. During the early hours, many of the showers will dissipate, but some will linger. Some clear spells will also develop in places. Tomorrow morning will see another area of showers move through from the west, some of them heavy. During the afternoon, the showers will gradually clear, but it will remain rather cloudy. Outlook for Tuesday to Thursday On Tuesday morning, it will be dry with a good deal of sunshine. In the afternoon, patchy cloud will bubble up, bringing a chance of a few scattered showers, largely easing during the evening. Wednesday is expected to cloud over from the west, along with a few patches of rain. It will turn breezy too. Thursday looks to remain cloudy with further outbreaks of rain. Average wind speed 3 Miles per hour, Southerly3Average wind speed 5 Kilometres per hour, Southerly5 Humidity: Humidity: 100%,100% Visibility: Visibility, not available,-- Pressure: Pressure: 1006 millibars, Steady,1006mb, Steady Observation station: Manchester Airport (53.350° North, 2.283° West)Observation station: Manchester Airport (53.350° N, 2.283° W) Our favourite Weather Watchers photos nearby Report for Northenden, Manchester Tony LyonsReported , Manchester TicklespoonReported , Oldham Wonky AlReported , Manchester MCRShaunReported by MCRShaun
Old Farmer’s Almanac forecasts snowier winter for parts of Northeast, Appalachians, western U.S. and Alaska
State Park The Old Farmer’s Almanac calls for mostly mild conditions across much of the country but colder weather from central New England through the Appalachians and Ohio Valley In its August 27 U. It forecasts above-normal snowfall in parts of the Northeast and Appalachians, the Intermountain region, Pacific Northwest and Alaska. The outlook divides the United States into 18 forecast regions and assigns seasonal temperature, precipitation and snowfall departures from normal, along with periods when the coldest or snowiest conditions are expected. Most regions are forecast to finish the winter near or above their normal temperatures, while the Almanac places the main colder zone across portions of the eastern United States and forecasts cooler-than-normal conditions in Hawaii. The southern part of the Almanac’s Northeast region is forecast to have below-normal temperatures and above-normal snowfall, with the coldest periods in early and mid-January. In the Appalachians, temperatures are forecast below normal, with above-normal snowfall concentrated especially in the north and the coldest periods around mid-January and mid- to late February. The Ohio Valley is also forecast colder than normal, with its coldest periods centered on mid- and late January. The Almanac forecasts above-normal snow in the Intermountain region and Pacific Northwest despite above-normal seasonal temperatures in both regions. Alaska is also forecast snowier than normal while remaining warmer than normal on a seasonal basis, and mountain areas of the Pacific Southwest are forecast to receive near- to above-normal snowfall. For the Northeast region, the Almanac lists some of the snowiest periods in mid- and late December, mid-January, and early and late March; the Appalachians have listed periods in mid-January and early and late February. In the Intermountain region, the periods are late November, late December and early February, while the Pacific Northwest has late December, mid-January and mid-February. Alaska’s listed snowiest periods include mid-November, early and late January, mid-February and late March. The Almanac calls for wetter-than-normal conditions across much of the West and in parts of the South, Midwest and Florida, while drier-than-normal conditions are forecast in parts of the East, Plains and Southwest. The Intermountain region, Pacific Northwest and Pacific Southwest are forecast wetter than normal, while the High Plains and Desert Southwest are forecast drier. The Atlantic Corridor is forecast warmer with below-normal precipitation and slightly below-normal snowfall. The Lower Lakes are forecast warmer with above-normal precipitation and near- to below-normal snowfall, while the Heartland is forecast warmer and wetter with near- to below-normal snowfall.
Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak becomes largest on record with 5 794 cases and 2 786 deaths, DRC
Decontamination teams are visiting the home of a patient who is being treated at the Elikya Ebola treatment center. Julien Dewarichet/MSF The Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo had grown to 5 794 confirmed cases and 2 786 deaths as of August 26. It is the largest Ebola outbreak recorded in the country, regardless of Ebola virus species, and sustained transmission now spans 60 health zones across six provinces, up from 54 health zones in the previous update. The crude case fatality ratio stood at 48.1%, while 1 293 patients had recovered. The previous update, published on August 14, reflected data through August 12. Since then, the reported total has risen by 1 129 confirmed cases and 602 deaths. When The Watchers last reported on the outbreak on July 14, the latest national figures stood at 1 926 confirmed cases and 702 deaths across five provinces. The total has since increased by 3 868 cases and 2 084 deaths, while the outbreak has spread into a sixth province. Ituri remains the center of transmission, with 4 802 confirmed cases recorded since the outbreak began. North Kivu is the second-most affected province, with 775 cases and the outbreak’s highest provincial case fatality ratio at 68%; the reasons for the elevated ratio remain under investigation. Of the 60 affected health zones, 28 are in Ituri, 15 in North Kivu, seven in Tshopo, six in Haut-Uélé, three in Bas-Uélé and one in South Kivu. Six additional health zones reported confirmed cases between the August 14 and August 28 updates. They were Ganga and Viadana in Bas-Uélé; Biena, Manguredjipa and Mutwanga in North Kivu; and Tshopo health zone in Tshopo Province. Bas-Uélé began reporting cases on August 12, becoming the sixth province affected during the current outbreak. During the 24 hours ending August 26, authorities reported 81 new confirmed cases across 19 health zones in Ituri, North Kivu, Haut-Uélé and Tshopo. Response teams followed up 22 091 of the 26 850 contacts requiring monitoring on August 26, equivalent to 82.3%. The size of the contact list reflects the scale of potential exposure within affected communities. Insecurity and displacement continue to restrict access to healthcare and make surveillance, case investigations and contact follow-up more difficult. The International Health Regulations Emergency Committee met for a second time on August 18 and advised that the epidemic continued to meet the criteria for a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. The designation was first made on May 17. The WHO Director-General accepted the Committee’s advice and determined that the outbreak did not meet the criteria for a pandemic emergency. An assessment of the outbreak’s growth between May 17 and August 12 produced a case-based effective reproductive number, or Rt, of 1.24, corresponding to a doubling time of 52 days.
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