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England’s mayors to be given power to introduce tourist tax
The UK government is granting mayors in England the power to introduce a “tourist tax” on overnight stays, allowing local leaders to charge an uncapped levy calculated as a percentage of accommodation costs rather than a flat fee. Ministers say this will let regions reinvest in high streets, transport and local attractions, but hospitality bosses…
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Two firms fined after worker’s death in trench collapse
Two construction firms have been fined more than £1.1 million following the death of Gheorghita Arsene, a 33-year-old Romanian labourer who was buried alive when a 10ft trench he was digging by hand collapsed on top of him at a care home construction site in Banstead, Surrey. A court heard the death, which occurred on…
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Ancient cult discovered in region traveled by Apostle Paul before Christianity took hold
Researchers have documented nine previously unrecorded inscriptions from Akmoneia, an ancient city in the Phrygia region of modern-day western Turkey, offering fresh insight into the religious and social life there roughly 2,000 years ago. Phrygia holds particular significance in Christian history as a region traversed by the Apostle Paul during his missionary journeys, but the…
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Johannes Radebe, Emma Willis and Josh Widdicombe named new Strictly hosts
The BBC has confirmed its new Strictly Come Dancing hosting line-up as Johannes Radebe, Emma Willis and Josh Widdicombe, ending months of speculation following Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman’s departure after last Christmas. The trio spoke to the Guardian about the secretive selection process, revealing they found out they had got the job via individual…
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NASA-IBM AI improves detection of lunar ice and craters
NASA and IBM have released an open-source AI system called the NASA-IBM Lunar Foundation Model, designed to help scientists study the Moon ahead of future Artemis missions. The tool, available on Hugging Face, is particularly effective at spotting potential ice deposits on the lunar surface and identifying and classifying craters, offering researchers a faster, more…
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How Irish Indie ‘Lemonade’ Landed Barry Keoghan in Between Beatles Shoots and Gave Him ‘Closure’ About Care System (EXCLUSIVE)
Irish filmmaker Kim Bartley has revealed how Barry Keoghan came to star in her narrative feature debut “Lemonade”, squeezing in six days of filming in Dublin during a break from Sam Mendes’s Beatles biopics. Bartley had approached the Oscar-nominated actor only hoping he might exec produce the low-budget drama, about a Dublin teenager forced out…
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Nat Geo May Have Its Most Beautiful Wildlife Series Yet With ‘Africa: Earth’s Wild Home’ — Watch Trailer (Exclusive)
National Geographic is launching “Africa: Earth’s Wild Home”, a seven-part natural history series billed as the first instalment in a multi-year franchise documenting the planet continent by continent. Executive produced and narrated by actress Wunmi Mosaku, the series was filmed over four years across nearly 30 countries and features never-before-seen footage, including black rain frogs…
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Carrie Underwood Is Going Rock for 2026 ‘Sunday Night Football’ Season Opener
Carrie Underwood will give the Sunday Night Football theme song a rock makeover when she opens NBC and Peacock’s coverage for the 15th consecutive year on 13 September 2026. Instead of her usual rendition of “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night,” she will perform a reworked cover of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts’ “I Hate…