A bold new effort to prevent one of NASA’s renowned space observatories from falling back to Earth is now underway. If it succeeds, the mission will become the first commercial robotic operation to capture and service an uncrewed NASA spacecraft that was never designed for in-orbit maintenance, according to the agency. Without action, the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory would slip below a critical orbital altitude this month due to atmospheric drag intensified by recent solar activity. For

Warning: This story contains descriptions of abuse An investigation by BBC Eye has found that Instagram has been displaying paid advertisements in India that promote child sexual abuse material. The adverts, reviewed by the BBC World Service, included phrases such as “rape video” and “child video” and directed users to channels on the messaging platform Telegram, where the illegal material was offered for sale for as little as 99 rupees (around 80p). Within hours of the investigation being

Despite widespread fuel shortages across Russia, President Vladimir Putin has shown little public concern over Ukraine’s escalating strikes on Russian oil refineries. He has characterized the disruption to one of the world’s largest oil producers as “not critical,” brushed aside calls for a ceasefire and reaffirmed that military operations will continue until his objectives are achieved. Putin has framed the attacks on Russian energy infrastructure as an attempt by Kyiv to divert attention from

There are few roads in Britain where you can stop to fry breakfast and eat it without a single vehicle passing. While my friend Ben lit the stove, I explored the ruins of Dun Dornaigil, an Iron Age broch more than 2,000 years old. Low clouds drifted across the brooding cliffs of Ben Hope above us. This was exactly the sort of forgotten road we had travelled to Sutherland to find. We had set off the previous day from Lairg, often described as the “crossroads of the north”. With its small

At least 17 people were killed and dozens more wounded overnight in Kyiv, according to local officials, as Russia carried out another large-scale drone and missile assault on the Ukrainian capital. As dawn broke on Thursday, fires were still burning across the city. Residential buildings in several districts were struck either directly or by falling debris, and a hotel on a central boulevard was also damaged. Authorities warned that the number of victims could rise, with emergency services

A modest fossil that sat unnoticed in a drawer for four decades has now been identified as the first dinosaur bone ever discovered in Antarctica. The fossil was originally uncovered in 1985, but the researchers who collected it were uncertain about its identity. As a result, it was placed in storage within the geology collections of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) in Cambridge, where it remained largely overlooked. Recently, palaeontologists re-examined the specimen and confirmed it is a

Officials in Monaco have stated that, at this point, they do not believe “terrorism” was the motive behind an explosion that injured three people. The powerful detonation occurred Monday evening at the entrance of a residential building, shortly after a man reportedly left a package at the scene. Prosecutor Stephane Thibault told journalists on Tuesday that the suspect, who escaped on foot, appears to have acted alone and has not yet been apprehended. Footage from security cameras shows the

Deep in the crypt of Canterbury Cathedral, a carved stone face twists in fury. The reason is clear enough: a man straddles the figure’s head, legs splayed, brandishing a fish and a bowl in his outstretched hands. Nearby, other sculptures cling to slender columns — a serpent-tailed beast grappling with a dog-like creature, a gryphon devouring a siren, and the remains of a horned devil now broken from its perch. Such unruly imagery lurking beneath one of England’s holiest spaces feels startling,

In July 1983, Clash of Loyalties was shown publicly for the first time – and almost the last. Decades later, in 2020, its producer reflected on the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the production: military call-ups, tense interrogations, and an infamous incident involving a heavily intoxicated Oliver Reed. The gravest danger to Saddam Hussein’s lavish, Hollywood-style epic was not the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War in 1980, just weeks after filming had begun in the desert outside Baghdad.

In August 2026, Spain will witness an extraordinary astronomical event — the first of three eclipses set to occur within just two years. One Spanish city is already preparing a wide-ranging program for both visitors and residents, according to National Geographic. On August 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse will be visible from several regions of Spain, but Valencia has drawn particular attention from astronomers and travelers alike. The city lies directly along the path of totality, where the

Humans tend to experience sunrises and sunsets as natural “bookends” to the day. But beyond their beauty, these glowing moments may have powerful effects on our memory, sleep and emotional wellbeing. On the evening before my wedding, my parents, my soon-to-be husband and I stood on the deck of a house in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, watching a sunset none of us will ever forget. Cape Cod is renowned for its golden-hour light. Because the narrow peninsula is almost completely surrounded by water,

I first stepped into a bouchon at 20, while studying abroad as an Erasmus student. By chance, I had been placed in rural Auvergne for a semester, and every weekend I hitchhiked to the nearest major city – Lyon. My knowledge of Lyon began and ended with its reputation for outstanding cuisine, especially the generous dishes served in traditional eateries dressed with red-and-white checked tablecloths and handwritten chalkboard menus. So when I was served a tough, overpriced cut of beef that cost

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Druski is set to become the youngest host in BET Awards history on Sunday, as the ceremony celebrates major talents including Lauryn Hill and Teyana Taylor, with performers such as Cardi B, Doechii and Queen Latifah expected to light up the stage. At 31, Druski will break the previous record held by Kevin Hart, who was the show’s youngest host when he took on the role in 2011. The comedian and online personality will lead the live broadcast from the Peacock Theater in Los

Renowned American actor Brad Pitt, who is currently in a relationship with 33-year-old jewelry designer Ines de Ramon, is not planning to marry her. According to an insider who spoke to Page Six, the 62-year-old star of “Troy” and “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” is not ready to enter into another official marriage. However, his partner is already considered part of his inner circle. The couple has been together since 2022. “Ines is incredibly close to Brad’s family. They absolutely adore her and

From highway rest stops to vast, empty horizons, visitors are uncovering unexpected pieces of Americana far beyond the tournament’s main arenas. Before this summer’s Fifa World Cup began, most of the conversation centred on the host cities and their stadiums. Yet just two weeks in, an unanticipated storyline has emerged: social media is brimming with uplifting clips of fans discovering the United States that stretches between the skyscrapers. Some visitors have been so captivated by warehouse

King Charles’s property management company has surpassed £1bn in annual earnings for the third year in a row, driven largely by the rapid expansion of offshore wind projects funded through consumer energy bills. The Crown Estate, which oversees the royal family’s land and property holdings, posted profits of £1.2bn for the most recent financial year—nearly triple the figure reported three years ago. Around two-thirds of this total was generated by offshore wind activities. Last year alone, wind

A land of rocky ravines, postcard-perfect villages, more than 6,000km of cycling routes and wonderfully sparse crowds awaits. My bike sweeps downhill as a rush of wind surges past my ears. To my right, a waterfall spills down a vivid green hillside. Ahead, honey-coloured stone houses edge the road. Within minutes, the medieval village of Chambonas comes into view, its dark-turreted castle rising above the valley. I push onward, veer left after a narrow bridge and finally coast into Les Vans,

Earth appears as a generous single woman with endless love to offer; Humanity is the magnetic rogue who takes far more than he gives. Their damaging romance unfolds in Hot Mess, a musical by Jack Godfrey and Ellie Coote. The show functions both as an offbeat romantic comedy with wide appeal and as a pointed metaphor for our exploitation of a once-thriving planet now pushed toward exhaustion. After becoming a sensation at the Edinburgh Fringe last summer and transferring to London, it stands at

WASHINGTON (AP) — For over four decades, a series of sketches by American illustrator Norman Rockwell depicting scenes from the White House visitors’ lobby hung inside the West Wing, viewed by every president from Jimmy Carter through Donald Trump. Now, the artwork will be accessible to the public for the first time after a nonprofit group purchased the sketches for more than $7 million when they were placed up for auction following a family disagreement over ownership. The four drawings,