Australian Athlete Apologises, Forfeits Hyrox Points After Continuing Race Despite Soiling HerselfAustralian fitness athlete Joanna Wietrzyk has apologised after continuing a Hyrox indoor fitness race in Beijing despite soiling herself during the competition, an incident that triggered widespread criticism over health and safety concerns. Wietrzyk, 23, completed the race on September 12 with excrement on […]

Concert-Goers ‘Torn’ as Macklemore Controversy Grows After Ed Sheeran Support Act Exit Concert-goers have described feeling “torn” amid the growing controversy surrounding the decision to remove pro-Palestinian rapper Macklemore as a support act for Ed Sheeran. The dispute has placed fans in the middle of a wider debate over political expression, music and the role […]

US Strikes on Iran May Constitute War Crimes Two deadly US strikes in Iran during the opening days of the war, including an attack that hit an elementary school, may have constituted war crimes, according to a new report by a United Nations fact-finding mission. The UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran said it […]

Missing Korean War Corsair May Have Been Found After 74 Years A US Navy F4U Corsair that disappeared during the Korean War in 1952 may have finally been located beneath the waters off South Korea, potentially solving a mystery that has remained unsolved for more than seven decades. The aircraft was one of hundreds of […]

90-Year-Old Japanese Bodybuilder Wins National Title on Vegetarian Diet Toshisuke Kanazawa, a 90-year-old bodybuilder from Hiroshima, Japan, has captured attention after winning the 85-and-over category at the 2026 Japan Masters Bodybuilding Championships. Kanazawa, who is regarded as Japan’s oldest active bodybuilder, secured first place in the category at the competition held in Hiroshima on August […]

Ninth Woman Found Dead in South Africa as Police Investigate Possible Linked Killings South African police have recovered the body of a ninth woman in the Ekurhuleni municipality east of Johannesburg, intensifying an investigation into a series of killings that has raised fears of a possible serial killer. The latest body was discovered on Thursday […]

WMO Warns Global Water Cycle Is Becoming Increasingly Unstable The Earth’s water cycle is becoming increasingly erratic as climate change and other human pressures disrupt the distribution and availability of freshwater around the world, according to the World Meteorological Organization’s latest assessment. The WMO’s State of Global Water Resources report found that 2025 was among […]

Scientists Identify Chain of Factors Behind Catastrophic Nepal China Border Flooding A catastrophic flooding disaster along the Nepal-China border in August was caused by a complex chain of geological and climatic factors, according to a new analysis by more than 20 international scientists. The disaster began on August 26 when a huge section of rock […]

Fiji Declares National HIV Emergency Amid Surge in Infections Fiji has declared a national HIV emergency following a sharp rise in new infections, with health authorities linking the worsening crisis to sexual transmission and illicit drug use. The Pacific island nation recorded 2,016 newly registered HIV cases in 2025, the highest annual number since surveillance […]

World’s Water Cycle Becoming More Unpredictable, UN Warns The world’s water cycle is becoming increasingly erratic, swinging between drought and excessive rainfall, the United Nations has warned, as declining freshwater reserves raise concerns about future water security. The warning was contained in the World Meteorological Organization’s latest State of Global Water Resources report, which found […]

WHO Reports ‘Encouraging Signs’ in DR Congo Ebola Fight, But Warns Outbreak Continues The World Health Organization WHO says it is seeing “encouraging signs” in efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo DRC, although the epidemic continues to spread and claim lives. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday […]

At Least 20 Killed After War-Damaged Building Collapses in Gaza At least 20 people, including five children, have been killed after a war-damaged building collapsed in the Gaza Strip, according to local rescue teams. Dozens of people are also reported missing following the collapse, raising fears that the death toll could increase as rescue workers […]

Fiji Declares National HIV Emergency as Cases Surge Amid Meth Crisis Fiji has declared a national HIV emergency as the Pacific island nation grapples with a rapid rise in infections, with health authorities warning that the existing response is no longer sufficient to contain the epidemic. Health Minister Ratu Atonio Lalabalavu said the emergency declaration […]

Mount Fuji Climbers to Pay for Off-Season Helicopter Rescues From 2027 People who climb Mount Fuji during Japan’s off-season and require helicopter rescue will have to pay for the service under new measures being introduced by Yamanashi Prefecture from September 2027. The policy is part of a wider effort to discourage unprepared and potentially dangerous […]

Japan’s Centenarian Population Surpasses 100,000 for First Time Japan has recorded more than 100,000 people aged 100 or older for the first time, with the country’s centenarian population reaching a record 107,677, according to figures from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. The figure, recorded as of September 1, represents an increase of 7,914 […]

Skyrocketing Fuel Prices Spark Protests Around the World Protests have erupted in several countries as surging fuel prices and power disruptions fuel public anger, with the ongoing war involving Iran driving up energy costs and placing additional pressure on households and businesses. Demonstrators have taken to the streets, blocked roads and demanded government action as […]

Ed Sheeran Tour Hit by Wave of Support-Act Exits After Macklemore Removal Ed Sheeran’s North and South American tour has been thrown into turmoil after rapper Macklemore was removed from the tour following pro-Palestinian remarks, prompting all four of the remaining supporting acts to withdraw in solidarity. Macklemore had been scheduled to perform on Sheeran’s […]

More Than 300 South Korean Workers Challenge US Government Over Hyundai Immigration Raid More than 300 South Korean workers detained during a major immigration raid at a Hyundai electric vehicle manufacturing project in Georgia are taking legal action against the US government, marking the first major legal challenge arising from one of the largest immigration […]

Galápagos Giant Tortoises Reveal Island-by-Island Evolution and a History of Extinction The giant tortoises of the Galápagos Islands are a remarkable example of evolution, with different populations adapting over generations to the unique environments of individual islands. Although commonly referred to as the Galápagos giant tortoise, the animals are divided into distinct island populations and […]

Singapore Pays Citizens to Read in Bid to Fight ‘Brain Rot’ and Rebuild Reading Culture Singapore has launched an unusual five-year national campaign designed to encourage its citizens to rediscover reading, with the government offering small financial rewards to people who regularly log their reading time. The initiative, known as ReadSG, aims to make reading […]

Ukraine’s Postal Workers Risk Their Lives To Deliver Aid Along Front Lines Every day, Ukraine’s state postal service faces a difficult decision over how far its workers can safely travel into some of the country’s most dangerous frontline areas, where Russian drones have transformed roads and open spaces into deadly “kill zones. The head of […]

Greek Couple Welcomes Baby Using Decades-Old Embryo A Greek couple have welcomed a baby after using one of Cristina Rapti-Tzelepi’s embryos that had been frozen for decades, turning a painful chapter in their lives into an unexpected new beginning. The birth came after the couple faced a race against time to use the embryo before […]

Aspen’s Wild Side The Counterculture Behind Colorado’s Luxury Ski Town Aspen is internationally known for its five-star hotels, luxury boutiques and world-class skiing, making the Colorado mountain town one of the world’s most coveted destinations. But beyond the polished resorts and expensive storefronts is another side of Aspen one shaped by artists, eccentrics, ski bums […]

São Paulo’s Hidden Coastline Offers a Journey Through Ancient Atlantic Forest Beyond the sprawling edges of São Paulo, one of the world’s largest cities, lies a largely undiscovered stretch of rainforest-covered mountains and coastline that remains relatively unknown to international travellers. The roughly 370-mile coastline in Brazil’s São Paulo state is framed by the Atlantic […]