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Taiz faces intensifying fighting as Houthis advance towards key shipping route
Fighting around Taiz has intensified after Houthi forces captured the Red Sea port of Mokha, bringing them closer to a strategic shipping corridor and threatening government-held territory. The BBC’s correspondent travelled with pro-government forces towards the front line, where a drone warning was followed by air strikes and residents described living under fire. Taiz, Yemen’s…
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Engram sampler uses AI to create experimental sounds from recordings
Music start-up Thoughtful Things has launched a Kickstarter campaign for Engram, an audio sampler and groovebox that uses AI to transform recordings and generate unusual new sounds. The instrument is aimed at experimental sound design rather than producing polished, radio-ready songs, and is designed to let musicians explore the unpredictable results of AI audio models.…
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Neil Patrick Harris to Star in ‘Damn Yankees’ Broadway Revival
A Broadway revival of *Damn Yankees*, starring Neil Patrick Harris and Julianne Hough, is scheduled to open next spring. It will be the show’s first Broadway revival in more than 30 years, and its updated story moves the action from the 1950s to the early 2000s. Harris will play Applegate, the devil in disguise, with…
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Embattled Serbian president resigns, paving way for early elections
Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić has resigned after more than a year of student-led protests and wider public anger over alleged government corruption. The protests gathered momentum after the 2024 collapse of the roof at Novi Sad railway station killed 16 people; demonstrators said the disaster reflected years of poor governance, and later protests included accusations…
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Urgent warning issued for Americans in the UK after attempted ‘terrorist attack’ as citizens are told to ‘exercise caution’
Five men have been arrested near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire on suspicion of preparing a terrorist attack against the US Air Force base. The arrests followed an alert from a local farmer who spotted suspicious activity near three white vans in the early hours of Sunday morning; police subsequently discovered viable incendiary devices and chemicals…
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Fans Choose Madonna & Charli xcx’s ‘Danceteria Afterhours’ as This Week’s Favorite New Music
Madonna and Charli xcx’s remix collaboration “Danceteria Afterhours” has won Billboard’s weekly poll for best new music, securing 63% of the vote. The track, an “afterhours” remix of Madonna’s original song from her July-released album Confessions II, was chosen by readers over releases from Taylor Swift, Tinashe, and Maren Morris. The result demonstrates continued listener…
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Chelsea restore resilience – are they title contenders again?
Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Arsenal suggests they have recovered some of the resilience and confidence that faded when they lost the Women’s Super League title last season. The result extended their unbeaten league run to 12 matches and left them two points behind leaders Manchester City, making Chelsea credible title challengers again. After an unconvincing…
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Amelia Dimoldenberg revives Ed Sheeran joke on Saturday Night Live UK
Amelia Dimoldenberg used her opening monologue on the 26 September episode of *Saturday Night Live UK* to tease Ed Sheeran, referring to him as a “world-famous red-headed puppet”. The joke revisited his 2021 appearance on her YouTube series *Chicken Shop Date*, and came amid scrutiny of Sheeran’s Loop Tour after opening act Macklemore was removed…
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Scott Brown skips Holyrood tour after police object to T-shirt design
Former US senator Scott Brown says a police officer asked him to cover his T-shirt before a tour of the Scottish Parliament, judging its design to be political. Brown said the shirt’s Thin Blue Line flag and Spartan helmet expressed his support for law enforcement; he chose not to visit and later described Scotland as…
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Ministers consider tighter donation rules after Reform’s £72m haul
The Government is considering tighter controls on political donations following Reform UK’s record-breaking £72 million in contributions from overseas crypto-billionaires. Louise Haigh, First Secretary of State, announced that amendments to existing legislation are being examined, with a more comprehensive bill to follow before the next general election. The donations have triggered widespread concern about foreign…