World

Palworld revises some of its most egregious creature designs for its 1.0 release

• Palworld's 1.0 release included silent redesigns of controversial creature designs that previously mimicked Pokémon too closely
• Pals like Verdash, Robinquill, and Fenglope received visual overhauls to reduce resemblance to specific Pokémon counterparts
• The changes suggest developer Pocketpair acknowledged community criticism about derivative character design

Some of Pocketpair's Pals now bear a bit less resemblance to their Pokémon predecessors.

Ecclestone breaks record – in front of those who paved the way

• England spinner Sophie Ecclestone surpassed the national wickets record (336) at Lord's, becoming the third-highest women's wicket-taker across international formats
• Historic occasion: first women's Test match at the venue, where the ECB honoured pioneering female players from the amateur era
• England bowled India out for 285; Ecclestone took 3-68 in a day shadowed by England's recent World Cup final loss to Australia

Sophie Ecclestone is a fitting player to take the headlines after a momentous opening day at Lord's, where past England players were honoured for paving the way.

Your resting heart rate could reveal more about your health than you think, doctors say

• Resting heart rate measures heartbeats per minute during rest; normal range is 60-100 bpm for adults
• Lower resting heart rate typically indicates better cardiovascular efficiency and health
• Medical professionals recommend monitoring this metric as an accessible health assessment tool

Here is what your resting heart rate reveals about cardiovascular health and when to see your doctor. Pulse checks and wearable devices can help with measuring the rate.

New species named after Cape Verde keeper Vozinha

• Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha receives honour of having a newly discovered red sea slug species named after him (Aldisa vozinha)
• The naming celebrates his World Cup performances, particularly his crucial goalless draw against Spain; his social media following surged from 50k to 17.4 million followers
• Marine biologist Jesus Ortea deliberately chose the red-coloured mollusc to reference Spain's 'La Roja' nickname and Vozinha's historic achievement

A new species of sea slug has been named after Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha to mark his performance against Spain at the World Cup.

In Canada: Angine de Poitrine, Peaches & More Make the Polaris Music Prize 2026 Short List

• Polaris Music Prize announces 10-album shortlist selected by 205-person jury of music professionals based solely on artistic merit
• New voting structure uses full jury panel instead of 11-member grand jury; $30,000 prize awarded September 22 at Massey Hall
• Angine de Poitrine considered frontrunner after viral success; Peaches and Beverly Glenn-Copeland nominated for first time in album category

Also up north this week: Nominations open for Billboard Canada Women in Music, and Rogers takes ownership of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment.

SHINEDOWN’s ERIC BASS Is Receiving Treatment After ‘Serious Mental Health Crash’; Replacement Touring Bassists Announced

SHINEDOWN bassist and producer Eric Bass will miss at least the first few shows on the band's upcoming tour in order to receive treatment after recently suffering "a pretty serious mental health crash". The next North American leg of "Dance, Kid, Dance Act II" is set to kick…

Ann Widdecombe found dead at Devon home, man arrested on suspicion of murder

• Man, 26, arrested on suspicion of murdering ex-MP Ann Widdecombe.
• Body found with serious injuries at her Devon home on Thursday.
• Police say killing not terror-related or politically motivated.

Police in England have arrested a 26-year-old man on suspicion of murder following the death of Ann Widdecombe, a former Conservative MP and a well-known, polarising figure on British reality television. Her body was found on Thursday with what officials described as "serious injuries" at her home in…