Pope Leo XIV has accepted an invitation to attend the 54th International Eucharistic Congress in Sydney in October 2028 and is expected to celebrate a Sunday mass at Royal Randwick for about half a million worshippers.
NASA astronaut Jessica Meir said she will carry a stuffed rabbit belonging to her three-year-old daughter on the upcoming SpaceX Crew-12 flight to the International Space Station, which is scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral early Wednesday.
Imperial's Soup Run Society supports the Children of Adam Soup Kitchen, which runs a weekly Sunday food drive at Lincoln's Inn Fields; the author recently volunteered after meeting committee members and found the experience welcoming.
Durham Stick Makers received £1,836 from the Banks Community Fund to purchase specialist equipment and expand capacity; the club meets twice weekly in Fence Houses and teaches traditional walking-stick making.
Supporters say Iran has sentenced Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi to an additional seven years in prison and that she has been on a hunger strike; her lawyer said the Mashhad court issued the ruling.
The Alix Foundation has given more than $8.6 million over the past 15 years to local projects including upgrades at Bluewater Health, the Judith and Norman Alix Art Gallery, and resurfaced community courts, and a spokesperson said the family views the donations as a way to repay community support.
Ebo Taylor, the Ghanaian guitarist, composer and bandleader who helped define highlife and influenced Afrobeat, has died at the age of 90, his family announced.
Actress Beverley Callard has announced a breast cancer diagnosis and says it is in its very early stages; she will return to the UK for tests, surgery and radiotherapy and expects to resume work on Fair City in a few weeks.
Camden Council and the local NHS launched a scheme in 2025 offering £500 grants to pregnant women described as being in the greatest financial need; the council says the scheme will continue into 2026 to help more expecting parents.
Rod Wisniewski collected Christmas trees for recycling and raised £1,400, which he split between Link2 and a fund for a child needing an eye-powered wheelchair.
