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UK unveils first-ever plan to tackle 'forever chemicals'
The UK government published its first national PFAS Plan to co‑ordinate testing, monitoring and regulatory action on per‑ and poly‑fluoroalkyl substances. A consultation on introducing a statutory PFAS limit for England's public water supply will be launched later this year.
ABC host James Valentine announces retirement amid cancer
James Valentine, a longtime ABC Radio Sydney presenter, said he will retire and will not return after his latest cancer treatment; he has been with the broadcaster for more than 30 years.
Billie Eilish urged to return her Los Angeles mansion to Tongva tribe
Billie Eilish's Grammy comments led to online calls for her to return or host migrants at her Los Angeles home after the Tongva tribe confirmed the property sits on their ancestral land.
Kennedy Center to close for two years for renovations, Trump says
President Donald Trump announced the Kennedy Center will close on 4 July for a two-year renovation, and the article reports the venue was recently renamed and faced several performer cancellations.
State Department and Marco Rubio sued over visa pause for 75 countries
A coalition of immigration groups, lawyers and US citizens filed a federal lawsuit in New York challenging a State Department order that paused immigrant visa processing for nationals of 75 countries, saying the move is discriminatory and lacks legal authority.
NASA shows cramped Orion quarters where astronauts will live for days
NASA released interior details of the Orion crew module ahead of Artemis II, showing a 9.34 cubic metre habitable space where four astronauts will spend about 10 days; the agency will study how the crew adapts to confinement using wearable monitors and surveys.
Bad Bunny wins album of the year at the 2026 Grammys
Bad Bunny's Debí Tirar Más Fotos won album of the year at the 2026 Grammy Awards, and several artists used their acceptance speeches to criticize U.S. immigration enforcement.
Disney World permanently closes Dinosaur ride after nearly 30 years
Disney World's Dinosaur at Animal Kingdom closed permanently on Sunday after nearly 30 years of operation, drawing long final-day queues and many social-media remembrances. The area will be redeveloped into an 11-acre Tropical Americas land expected to open in fall 2027 with an Indiana Jones-themed ride and an Encanto 'casita' attraction.
Jelly Roll credits simple lifestyle swaps for losing about 300lbs without Ozempic
Jelly Roll says he lost roughly 300 pounds over nearly four years by increasing walking and running, prioritising higher-protein meals, and using saunas and cold plunges, and he reports not using Ozempic.
Florida couple sue fertility clinic after wrong embryo was implanted
A Florida couple has filed a lawsuit after genetic tests showed their newborn is not genetically related to them; the clinic says it is cooperating with an investigation.
AIs have their own social network and conversations are growing philosophical
A new AI-only site called Moltbook launched last week and agents there have been posting about religion, language and their human creators; researchers say this kind of behaviour can arise from training data and agent interaction.
Mental health bed shortages contributed to teenager's death, inquest finds
An inquest concluded that a shortage of specialist mental health beds and poor communication between agencies contributed to the death of 16-year-old Ellame Ford‑Dunn after she absconded from an acute paediatric ward in March 2022; the coroner said she will issue a prevention of future deaths report.
Trump announces tariff cut on India after Modi agrees to stop buying Russian oil
President Donald Trump said he will reduce US tariffs on India after a phone call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and said Modi agreed to stop buying Russian oil.
Women's Champions Cup: Was Arsenal success a historic day for women's football?
Arsenal beat AS FAR Rabat 6-0 after a bye into the semi-finals, and the Women's Champions Cup carries a record £1.7m prize pot.
Pension scheme reforms aim to reduce the gender pension gap
Reforms coming into force in April will make unpaid additional maternity, shared parental and adoption leave automatically pensionable and will require statutory reporting of gender pension gap data for the Local Government Pension Scheme, affecting nearly seven million members.
Stockport pub restored by family invites Keir Starmer for a drink
A family team led by Chris and Alan Gent with Amy Barker took the lease of The Crown Inn in July 2025 and spent weeks restoring the 1877 pub; their work earned a CAMRA Heritage Award runner-up spot and local 'most improved pub' recognition.
Addressing climate change without the rules-based order
Mark Carney told the World Economic Forum that the global rules-based order is rupturing, a disruption linked largely to the Trump administration; this change could alter how international cooperation on climate change works, and outcomes remain uncertain.
Xielo Maruziva death: Two-year-old fell into river on a walk
Officials say two-year-old Xielo Maruziva fell into the River Soar on 18 February 2024 while on a walk with two aunts; his body was found nearly four months later and an inquest is ongoing.
Resident doctors in England vote in favour of more strike action
Resident doctors in England voted 93% in favour of continuing industrial action, with a 53% turnout, giving the BMA a six-month mandate to call strikes; no dates have been announced.
Toddler died after falling into river while walking with his aunts
A two-year-old boy fell from Packhorse Bridge into the flooded River Soar while with two aunts; his body was recovered nearly four months later and a jury inquest is under way.
Essex train station wins award for creativity
Frinton Railway Station in Essex won Anglia in Bloom's 200 Years of Train Travel award for its floral displays, community engagement and creative improvements; volunteers from Frinton in Bloom have cared for the station since 1994.
Buckskin and South Ham regeneration areas have been confirmed
Sovereign Hill Partnership has named Pinkerton Road as the first priority area for regeneration in Buckskin and South Ham and identified two small pilot sites for refurbishment; public events are scheduled in February as a masterplan is developed through 2026 with a view to submission in 2027.
Scarborough's Dads Behaving Madly group to host inaugural Dads Fest at The Crescent Lounge
Dads Fest will take place on Saturday 21 February from 1pm to 1am at The Crescent Lounge to raise funds for a permanent Dads Behaving Madly Hub; entry is free and donations are welcomed.
ChatGPT in classrooms is prompting educators to rethink assessment.
A qualitative study of 28 Canadian post-secondary educators finds generative AI such as ChatGPT is reshaping teaching and assessment, and participants outline five design principles — including explicit expectations and process-focused evaluation — to guide assessment in a post-plagiarism era.
Bin collections in Merseyside set to add food waste service
Knowsley Council has published photos of new food-waste collection vehicles and will begin household food waste collections from April 13, supported in part by a £1.28m DEFRA allocation.
Award recognizes the joyfulness of Sudbury's Ryan Benoit
Ryan Benoit of Sudbury, founder of Positive Inception, is receiving a Paul Harris Fellowship this week; he previously won Community Builders and Young Entrepreneurs awards.
Fela Kuti is awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously
Fela Kuti became the first African to receive the Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award, honoured posthumously alongside Chaka Khan, Cher, Carlos Santana and Whitney Houston.
Micheal Martin says government cannot 'wave a magic wand' on flood relief
Taoiseach Micheal Martin visited homes and businesses hit by recent flooding in Enniscorthy and said the government will provide humanitarian support and interim protection while preparing a comprehensive flood relief scheme for planning.
Pontypool-based Pro Steel Engineering appoints three new team members
Pontypool-based Pro Steel Engineering has appointed Lucy England as Finance Manager, Roger Trueman as SHEQ Manager, and Liam Plummer as HR Advisor; the company reported a £17 million turnover last year.
2-month-olds show early ability to distinguish objects
A Nature Neuroscience study reports that fMRI scans of 130 two-month-old infants revealed distinct brain responses to different object categories, and scans from 66 returning infants at nine months showed a stronger separation between living and inanimate objects.
