First look: biopic of a Hollywood icon’s early years

A based-on-a-true-story drama fronted by Toby Jones, Lesley Manville, and Harry Lawtey. Hollywood is raiding its own baby photos again, but at least this time it hired people who can act.

NTSB says engine detached before fatal UPS crash in Kentucky

Federal investigators report the left wing caught fire after takeoff, the engine separated, and the aircraft crashed moments later. The inquiry is ongoing, and the tone here is sober for good reason.

France greets Shein’s first Paris store with sanctions on deck

Shein cut a ribbon, then the French government promised penalties starting Wednesday. Fast fashion met fast regulators, and nobody even had time to unfold a T-shirt.

Microsoft Store on Windows 11 gets multi-app batch installer

You can now build one installer to grab multiple apps at once. Useful, yes, and about as novel as discovering Ninite and deciding to put a Microsoft logo on it.

Freeform unveils 25 Days of Christmas lineup

Home Alone, Frozen, The Santa Clause trilogy, and the debut of Disney’s Prep and Landing: The Snowball Protocol land starting Dec. 1. Translation: cue the cocoa, your remote already knows the schedule.

Chinese astronauts extend stay after suspected space debris strike

China’s space agency says the Shenzhou 20 crew will remain aboard Tiangong a bit longer after suspected debris caused damage. Low Earth orbit is starting to look like a junkyard with a stunning view.

Sanders blasts Democratic leadership at Schumer press conference

Bernie Sanders commandeered the mic to accuse party leaders of sidelining progressive candidates and ignoring inequality. Schumer, for his part, celebrated a strong election night and torched Republicans over a drawn-out shutdown, while Washington resumed its favorite sport, gridlock over funding, health premiums, and SNAP.

Federal judge questions unusual prosecution of James Comey

A magistrate judge in Virginia rebuked the Justice Department for indicting the former FBI director before completing an investigation, calling the move highly unusual and drawing scrutiny to the case’s foundations.

First look: pre-fame grind of a Hollywood icon

Toby Jones, Lesley Manville, and Harry Lawtey headline a biopic that skips the legend-making and dives into the hungry years, before the handlers, the brand deals, and the Instagram retrospectives. A rare portrait of ambition without the lacquer, at least until the awards campaign begins.

Michigan hit-and-run case, driver charged in fatal driveway incident

Prosecutors allege 31-year-old Stephanie Holt backed into 76-year-old Mary Hulswit in St. Clair Shores on November 1, then fled. Hulswit was found unresponsive and died at the scene. Holt has pleaded not guilty to failure to stop at a fatal accident and commission of a felony with a motor vehicle. Bail was set at 100,000 dollars cash with 10 percent surety, plus GPS monitoring and a stay-away order if released. She remains in custody and is due back in court November 14. Hulswit, a great-grandmother, is survived by her husband of 55 years, siblings, two children, and three grandchildren. A stark reminder that accountability and due process must do their work after an irreversible loss.

Feds widen probe of ISIS-inspired Halloween plot targeting LGBT venues

Federal authorities arrested two additional suspects, Tomas Kaan Jimenez-Guzal and Milo Sederat, as the investigation continues into an alleged plan to attack LGBT nightclubs in Ferndale, Michigan. Earlier arrests charged Mohmed Ali and Majed Mahmoud, both 20 and from Dearborn, with stockpiling weapons, training at a gun range, and scouting targets for a Halloween attack code-named pumpkin, according to court documents. The FBI seized rifles, a shotgun, handguns, tactical gear, and more than 1,600 rounds of 5.56 ammunition. Ali and Mahmoud are held without bail ahead of detention hearings in Detroit. Court dates for the newly arrested men were not immediately clear. Sobering news, and a relief that law enforcement intervened before anyone was harmed.

Pennsylvania says federal rules will slow SNAP relief during shutdown

State officials warn that Trump-era procedures are forcing a convoluted workaround for issuing partial November SNAP benefits, despite court orders allowing aid to go out. Human Services Secretary Val Arkoosh says Washington is requiring the most labor-intensive path, not the previously used option to quickly send 50 percent of normal benefits. The mandated approach would mean rebuilding Pennsylvania’s eligibility system, an estimated 10,000 hours and 9 to 12 business days, then switching back again, with vendor bottlenecks likely as states all scramble at once. Nearly 2 million Pennsylvanians are waiting, and an error-prone rollout could trigger penalties under current budget rules. Government could choose the simple fix, but why pick a door when you can assemble a maze.

Second mistaken release triggers fresh UK manhunt

Surrey Police launched another search after a convicted fraudster was mistakenly released from HMP Wandsworth, shortly after officials named Algerian sex offender Brahim Kaddour-Cherif as the first inmate accidentally set free. In a separate blunder, Ethiopian national Hadush Kebatu was wrongly released from HMP Chelmsford, prompting a two-day hunt involving three police forces. The prison service insists this is not a revolving door, it just appears to be rotating at an unfortunate speed.

First Look: Biopic Chronicles a Hollywood Icon's Early Years

First look at a biopic chronicling a Hollywood icon’s early years, a based-on-a-true-story drama that drafts Toby Jones, Lesley Manville, and Harry Lawtey to retrace the legend’s formative steps—because in Hollywood, even icons get origin stories with better lighting and a tighter script.

Police search for second asylum seeker mistakenly released from prison

Police search for second asylum seeker mistakenly released from prison: officers are now looking for a 24-year-old Algerian who was accidentally let out of HMP Wandsworth last Wednesday—an administrative masterstroke that also explains why, at DPMQs, Lammy refused five times to say whether anyone else had been released post-Kebatu. Turns out the silence wasn’t prudence; it was damage control.

ADNOC Uses Robots and AI to Reduce Asset Downtime

ADNOC uses robots and AI to reduce asset downtime, teaming up with US-based Gecko Robotics to bolt brains onto wall‑climbing inspection bots and plug them into AIQ’s software trained on 50 years of ADNOC data. The aim: autonomous systems that spot corrosion, predict failures, and squeeze more production out of wells—then package the whole thing and sell it to other energy producers, because disruption is always more fun with a price tag. AIQ’s tools already run in roughly a quarter of ADNOC’s wells and a fifth of its reservoirs, with reported output bumps up to 5%; adding Gecko’s millions of datapoints promises sharper predictive maintenance, fewer shutdowns, and longer-lived kit. AIQ’s CTO frames it as “giving intelligence to robots” and a shot at transforming the industry—finally, an AI use case that doesn’t write poetry, it prevents leaks. Gecko, a $600+ million Pittsburgh outfit, says the edge now belongs to the companies that own and wield the datasets, which is why algorithm-only shops keep courting them. The partnership also includes training Emirati engineers and a broader robotics rollout, as Gecko expands in the UAE and AIQ eyes selling its oilfield AI to other resource-rich nations.

David Lammy puts on a poppy during Deputy PMQs after initially not wearing one

David Lammy puts on a poppy during Deputy PMQs after initially not wearing one, pinning it on about 15 minutes into the session—and on the wrong lapel to boot. Cue the Westminster lapel police. Remembrance deserves better than prop management, but in Britain’s optics-obsessed chamber, symbolism often arrives late and slightly askew.

Abu Dhabi’s AI bet is beginning to pay dividends

Abu Dhabi’s AI bet is beginning to pay dividends as Microsoft commits $15.2 billion through 2029—nearly $7 billion already deployed—after winning approval to ship chips to the UAE, plus a pledge to train a million residents by 2027 and open a regional research and model center. What skeptics once dismissed as a PR gimmick—appointing an AI minister eight years ago—has morphed into a playbook others now imitate, with the UAE treating AI not as a sector but as critical infrastructure. The country leads globally in diffusion, with 59% of working-age adults using AI, and it now hosts more data centers than Israel. The showcase is Stargate UAE, a $500 billion, 10-square-mile campus targeting 5 GW of capacity and 100,000 Nvidia chips, endorsed by President Donald Trump and backed by G42, OpenAI, Oracle, Nvidia, and Cisco. Microsoft’s tab dwarfs its AI pledges to France ($4.3B) and Germany ($3.5B). Next up: turn that infrastructure into invention—because being the hub is nice, but being the brains pays better. Meanwhile, Saudi’s HUMAIN aims to make the kingdom the world’s No. 3 AI infrastructure provider after the US and China.

David Lammy declines five times to say whether another asylum seeker was mistakenly released from prison

David Lammy declined five times to say whether another asylum seeker was mistakenly released from prison, as James Cartlidge hammered him at Deputy PMQs—extracting yet another apology to Hadush Kebatu’s family before repeating the same question like a metronome set to “embarrass.” Lammy offered contrition but no clarity, cueing a furious roar from the benches and the usual Westminster heat-without-light spectacular.

First look, biopic charts a Hollywood icon's early years

Hollywood has never met an origin story it would not greenlight, but this one is at least based on an actual life. Toby Jones, Lesley Manville, and Harry Lawtey lead a cast tracing the pre fame years, before marquee bulbs did all the character development. Cautious optimism, mostly because they hired actors instead of an algorithm.

Engineer skewers Juniper SRX IPv6 limits, calls dual stack a costly crutch

In a Nov 5 NANOG post, network engineer Saku Ytti says artificial constraints in Juniper's SRX line hobble IPv6 deployment and sales. The industry's devotion to dual stack, he argues, inflates cost and complexity while reducing availability, with the bill passed to end users. Meanwhile, IPv4 scarcity keeps would be competitors out, which is very convenient for the usual oligarchs. Progress, in this telling, is shipping boxes that trip over IPv6 and calling it enterprise grade.

Wales urged to rediscover languages, or keep outsourcing culture to an app

International language learning is in freefall, and with it Wales's confidence abroad. British Council Wales reports GCSE entries in French and German have halved in a decade, A level French is down 63 percent, and German had 42 entries, a disappearing act in slow motion. Two thirds of secondary schools drop GCSE classes when sign ups are low, mostly in less affluent areas, two fifths offer nothing post 16, and half of the courses that do run get canceled for numbers. That is not choice, it is gatekeeping by spreadsheet. WJEC is modernizing qualifications and Global Futures exists, but without sustained funding and coordination, policy is wallpaper. The working blueprint is Cymraeg 2050, which rebuilt pride and infrastructure for Welsh, so apply the same ambition to international languages. Green shoots exist, more than 80 percent of primaries now teach a language, GCSE French is edging up post Covid, Spanish is rebounding, and classrooms already speak 45 plus languages. With Senedd elections looming and Language Trends Wales 2025 launched, the choice is simple, build a supported path from primary spark to post 16 mastery, or pretend a phone app is a national strategy.

Army opens market research to modernize M270 launchers to A2 configuration

The U.S. Army has kicked off a six year plan to recapitalize older M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System vehicles to the M270A2 standard, starting with a sources sought notice from Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal. Translation, time to turn 1980s steel into 2020s steel with better electronics, improved reliability, and a fresh coat of credibility. Cue the defense industrial waltz.

Game theory meets cyber war, because keyboard jousting now has a calculus

Researchers have built a game theoretic model for nation state cyber conflict, mapping how governments decide when to strike, escalate, or back off, and how those choices shape intensity and outcomes. If policymakers are going to treat DDoS and implants like instruments of statecraft, someone has to supply the math homework.

CBS projects Zohran Mamdani wins NYC mayoral race, Cuomo finishes second

CBS News projects 34 year old socialist Zohran Mamdani at 50.4 percent of the vote, ahead of independent Andrew Cuomo at 41.6 percent and Republican Curtis Sliwa at 7 percent, from more than two million ballots. Mamdani declared victory and now faces the usual test, turning rally lines into results. Note, treat projections with caution until results are certified, and yes, Cuomo's independent gambit appears to have secured the silver medal he never wanted.

First Look at the Biopic Exploring a Hollywood Icon’s Early Years

First Look at the Biopic Exploring a Hollywood Icon’s Early Years: the based-on-a-true-story drama reveals a formative chapter of stardom with Toby Jones, Lesley Manville, and Harry Lawtey leading the cast—because in Hollywood, even legends need a meticulously lit origin story.

HMRC worker ordered to pay £20,000 for refusing to return to the office after COVID lockdown

HMRC worker ordered to pay £20,000 for refusing to return to the office after COVID lockdown: A Liverpool employment tribunal has ordered HMRC employee Martin Bentley to pay £20,000 in legal costs after rejecting his disability discrimination claim and finding no medical reason he needed to work from home. Bentley, who cited long‑standing anxiety, depression, and kidney disease, worked remotely from March 2020 until his 2024 retirement, declined to use phones, and resisted returning despite an Occupational Health report deeming him fit for the office. The tribunal said he exaggerated evidence and acted vexatiously, noting HMRC even offered taxis when he said public transport was a problem—an issue he later walked back. A 2021 report also found his “personality and emotional response” ill‑suited to the role. HMRC called itself an office‑based organization with flexible arrangements “where appropriate.” In the ongoing return‑to‑office soap opera, the court’s message was simple: preference isn’t a legal accommodation, and moving the goalposts won’t save you from the bill.

ABC News projects Democrat Mikie Sherrill elected New Jersey governor

ABC News projects Democrat Mikie Sherrill elected New Jersey governor, defeating Republican Jack Ciattarelli. The win shores up Democratic control in a state reliably blue in presidential and Senate races, despite its recent flirtation with a rightward swerve—apparently just a glance, not a lane change.

Pennsylvania voters reelect Supreme Court justices, extending the Democratic majority on the state’s highest court

Pennsylvania voters reelected all three state Supreme Court justices on the ballot, extending the Democratic majority on the state’s highest court. In a presidential battleground where the seven-member bench has been central to fights over voting rights, redistricting, and election rules, the lineup stays put — the referees for the next round of democracy drama aren’t changing jerseys.

Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream issues voluntary recall of select Häagen-Dazs mini bars over undeclared wheat allergen

Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream issues a voluntary recall of select Häagen-Dazs Dark Chocolate Mini Bars after discovering some may contain undeclared wheat—because nothing says indulgence like a surprise allergen. The company calls it “a limited number” of bars; consumers with wheat allergies should steer clear while the grown-ups in labeling double-check their homework.

Sherrill Wins in New Jersey, with Implications for the Midterms

Sherrill Wins in New Jersey, with Implications for the Midterms: Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) captured the governor’s mansion on Tuesday, handing Democrats a much-needed jolt of momentum and leaving Republicans to explain why Jack Ciattarelli’s third try still wasn’t the charm. The result instantly becomes a Rorschach test for both parties heading into next year’s midterms—Democrats touting renewed suburban strength, Republicans insisting it’s an outlier, and campaign consultants celebrating the only true winner: their invoice.

Tom Brady says his new dog is a clone of his late pet

Tom Brady says his new dog is a clone of his late pet, courtesy of Colossal Biosciences—the biotech firm he’s invested in—which used DNA collected before his pit bull mix died; a tender tribute with a distinctly venture-backed reboot vibe.

Biopic peeks at a Hollywood icon’s pre-legend years

Toby Jones, Lesley Manville, and Harry Lawtey lead a based-on-a-true-story drama that lingers in the awkward formative chapter before the star became a myth. Expect craft, character, and a little controlled nostalgia. Hollywood polishing its origin stories, what a shock.

Pennsylvania man arrested after alleged threat to kill lawmaker

Police say 43-year-old Richard Griffin was taken into custody on Election Day outside the Russell Senate Office Building after allegedly threatening to kill a member of Congress. He was stopped before passing through security at the Delaware Avenue entrance. Another sober reminder that political tensions are producing too many security incidents and not nearly enough accountability.

Engineers build a skyscraper chip, stacking 41 layers to push past Moore’s Law limits

An international team led by KAUST’s Xiaohang Li designed a chip that stacks 41 layers of semiconductors and insulators, roughly ten times taller than prior efforts, according to Nature Electronics. The vertical approach boosts circuit density without shrinking footprints, and Li says even six stacked layers can deliver a 600 percent logic increase in the same area with better performance and lower power. If lateral scaling is running into physics, the future may simply go up. Moore’s Law did not retire, it rented a penthouse.

Rescue under way for big cats and bears abandoned at defunct Argentina zoo

Four Paws has begun emergency care for 62 big cats and two brown bears from the shuttered Luján Zoo near Buenos Aires, once infamous for letting visitors pose with lions and tigers. After its 2020 closure, a few former keepers kept feeding animals, but years without proper care left nearly half of 136 big cats dead. A 2023 visit found lionesses packed into a tiny cage and tigers crammed with African lions, driving injuries, infections, and organ failure. Under a new agreement with Argentina’s government, veterinarians are assessing survivors, some needing urgent surgery, with sanctuary transfers to follow. The country has pledged to end the sale and ownership of exotic cats, a promise that will live or die on enforcement. A damning indictment of a system that needed an NGO to do what a zoo and regulators should have done from the start.

WWII pilot laid to rest 80 years after his death

Lt. Gerard Melofchik, a U.S. Army Air Forces pilot killed in 1944 when his B-17G was hit over France and collided with another aircraft, was finally brought home to Bucks County. Identified on June 24 through work by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency and Middle Tennessee State University, he was honored with full military rites at Washington Crossing National Cemetery as more than 50 relatives gathered. The service included a five-pound Hershey’s bar, a nod to his wartime request. A fitting, long-delayed salute to a life given in service and a reminder to honor all who served.

Biopic First Look, Hollywood Polishes Its Halo Again

A glossy peek at a new biopic about a Hollywood icon's early years arrives with the usual cocktail of reverence and soft focus, starring Toby Jones, Lesley Manville, and Harry Lawtey. Based on a true story, shot with great lighting, and dedicated to Tinseltown's favorite sport, mythologizing itself while pretending it is anthropology. Expect gravitas, cameos, and exactly one scene where someone stares meaningfully out a window.

Ferrari Mints a Token, Because Nothing Says Heritage Like a Crypto Auction

Ferrari is partnering with Italian fintech Conio to mint a Token Ferrari 499P so its Hyperclub, roughly 100 ultra exclusive clients, can trade among themselves and use it to bid on a 499P, the endurance racer credited with three straight Le Mans titles. It is a limited pilot aimed at the AI and data center nouveau riche, a demographic that apparently demands carbon fiber delivered on a blockchain. Ferrari already accepts Bitcoin, Ethereum, and USDC in the United States since 2023 and in Europe since last year, and now the prancing horse is trotting confidently into the crypto corral, where the gas is premium and the receipts are on chain.

Veterans Rescue Shuttered T-Minus Zero, Experience Outraces Corporate Whiplash

T-Minus Zero Entertainment, the former NetEase studio that closed in September, has been acquired by a small group of veteran directors and founders who are giving the team a second act. In an industry that bins studios faster than it ships patches, the graybeards swooping in is a rare plot twist, competence muscling past corporate churn for once.

VRacer Hoverbike Hits PS VR2, Seven Years Late but Leaning Hard

VRacer Hoverbike lands on PlayStation VR2 with cross platform multiplayer, dynamic foveated rendering, headset rumble, and adaptive triggers, plus a chest leaning control scheme in the spirit of VRider SBK. Across 30 sleek tracks, there are seven modes, career, time trials, weekly challenges, and an optional combat suite with missiles, drones, and EMPs. Early reviews call it fast, tactical, and physically engaging, with smart design and customizable content. The launch rolls in alongside a PS VR2 blitz from Flat2VR Studios with dates for Audio Trip, Roboquest VR, and Shadowgate VR this month, plus updates on Out of Sight VR and RAGER. After a seven year tune up, the hoverbike finally found the throttle.

Virginia Governor's Race Doubles as Trump Era Stress Test

Virginia voters are choosing between Republican Winsome Earle Sears, a staunch conservative lieutenant governor, and Democrat Abigail Spanberger, a centrist former CIA officer who helped flip the House during Trump's first go round. The winner will be Virginia's first woman governor, and if it is Earle Sears, the first Black woman elected governor in any state. It is the first major statewide test since Trump's return to the White House, set against a prolonged shutdown and a blizzard of executive actions. Republicans are gauging whether a Trump style conservative can win a purple state without the full spectacle, while Democrats are betting moderation still clears a market flooded with outrage. Spanberger is running on economic frustration, abortion rights, and a promise to check what she calls Trump's recklessness. Earle Sears is focused on parental rights, public safety, and cultural flashpoints, borrowing the policy and skipping the circus. Trump is offering lukewarm support, the campaign equivalent of decaf at a rally. Down ballot stakes are high too, with lieutenant governor, attorney general, and the entire House of Delegates on the line. Call it a preview of 2026, and a referendum on how much sway the man in Washington still holds over places that have to live with his drama.

Morning Joe Co-Host Questions Zohran Mamdani on Funding for Socialist Programs

Morning Joe Co-Host Questions Zohran Mamdani on Funding for Socialist Programs as Willie Geist presses the Democratic NYC mayoral nominee on who pays for a $30 minimum wage, government-run grocery stores with cheaper prices, free buses, and higher taxes. Mamdani first swiped at opponent Andrew Cuomo for embracing endorsements from Donald Trump and Elon Musk, but Geist dragged the conversation back to the checkbook, asking how small businesses survive a $30 wage. Mamdani said the hike would be phased in for small firms, argued it already takes roughly $30 an hour to live in the city, and cited a worker commuting from Pennsylvania on $11.99 an hour. A resurfaced 2021 clip of Mamdani touting socialism’s goal of “seizing the means of production” and endorsements from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders shadow the pitch, while RealClearPolitics shows him leading by 14 points heading into Election Day.

Police seek suspect in Northeast Philadelphia Dunkin’ robbery

Police seek suspect in Northeast Philadelphia Dunkin’ robbery after releasing new surveillance video that shows the man officers say held up the shop—because apparently even coffee and donuts need a security detail now.

Live updates: Senate votes on ending the shutdown; Trump defies SNAP order; latest Election Day developments

Live updates: Senate votes on ending the shutdown; Trump defies SNAP order; latest Election Day developments — The Senate is taking up the House-passed GOP funding bill for the 14th time as the shutdown ties the 2018–19 closure for longest in U.S. history. Majority Leader John Thune says he’s “optimistic” the government will reopen by week’s end—because nothing telegraphs urgency like two weeks of reruns.

Scott Jennings Challenges David Hogg’s Claim That Republicans Caused the Government Shutdown

Scott Jennings challenges David Hogg’s claim that Republicans caused the government shutdown, using a feisty CNN Newsnight panel to remind him Democrats wrote Obamacare, created the enhanced subsidies, and set their 2025 expiration—so, he says, stop stapling ACA subsidies to a continuing resolution and open the government first. Democrats want a CR with over $1 trillion in priorities, including the COVID-era subsidy boost; Hogg argues they won’t be complicit in raising premiums, while Jennings accuses them of linking unrelated issues and turning SNAP and unpaid federal workers into bargaining chips. Adding intraparty pressure to the standoff, Sen. Chuck Schumer has taken heat from the left for a past GOP-backed spending deal, with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez floated as a 2028 primary challenger—because nothing says “solve today’s shutdown” like scheduling tomorrow’s knife fight.

Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson launch Neil Diamond tribute band in 'Song Sung Blue'

Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson launch Neil Diamond tribute band in 'Song Sung Blue' as Focus Features drops the full-length trailer, revealing the duo teaming up to belt out the Diamond canon. Prepare your “bah-bah-bahs” and sequins—apparently the multiverse where Wolverine covers “Sweet Caroline” is the one we’re living in.

Labour Insists Tax Pledges Are Safe, For Now

Labour says it has no regrets over its manifesto promises not to raise Income Tax, National Insurance, or VAT, brushing off chatter that Rachel Reeves might bin them. A party spokesman said working people have already paid for 14 years of Conservative failure, translation, we meant it until the Treasury spreadsheets grow fangs. For now, the line holds, and the calculators are on probation.

Academics Push Back on Mandated Land Acknowledgements, Appeal to Phillipson

Academic freedom campaigners have written to Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson after a SOAS Middle East conference told participants to preface work by acknowledging the traditional owners of their campus land, or, in cases of military occupation, to note the land’s status. Nothing like a compulsory geopolitical preamble before your bibliography to keep the seminar lively. The row pits performative policy against the quaint notion of free inquiry, with lecturers stuck between checklists and principles.

Wales Boss Craig Bellamy Not Swayed by Celtic Chatter, Says FAW Chief

FAW chief Noel Mooney insists Craig Bellamy is focused on Wales, not Parkhead gossip. With Brendan Rodgers out and Martin O’Neill holding the fort, Bellamy’s past loan spell in Glasgow fueled links, but he is one year into a four-year deal and locked on qualifying for the World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Wales chase six points in November against Liechtenstein and North Macedonia, riding an unbeaten run of nine and a promotion to the Nations League’s top tier. Rumors can pose for selfies, Wales want results.

Dragon Quest Creator Yuji Horii Awarded Order of the Rising Sun

Yuji Horii becomes the first video game designer to receive Japan’s Order of the Rising Sun, 4th class Gold Rays with Rosette, a tidy acknowledgment that games are, in fact, culture. The ever-modest legend credited four decades of collaborators and players, from Love Match Tennis and the Portopia Serial Murder Case to defining the modern JRPG with Dragon Quest. With Square Enix’s 2D-HD remakes of Dragon Quest I-III rekindling interest, Horii says Dragon Quest XII is still in the works, patience required. Also honored at the same class, manga icon Go Nagai. When you crown architects of entire mediums, try not to skimp on the laurels.

EU Enlargement Report Gives Mixed Grades

Brussels praises progress in Moldova, Ukraine, Albania, and Montenegro, while warning of negative trends in Serbia and Georgia. It is the annual ritual of gold stars and see-me-after-class notes, a reminder that accession is part marathon, part obstacle course, and entirely political.

Mayors Launch Global Climate Coalition Ahead of UN Summit in Brazil

City leaders are banding together to prepare for a hotter future, trading speeches for flood maps and heat plans. While national leaders haggle over talking points, the people who actually run cities are trying to keep them livable. Radical concept, competence.

Are racism fears shaping mental health sectioning decisions?

Paul Birch argues that anti-racism initiatives may be discouraging necessary interventions in high risk situations involving African-Caribbean people with schizophrenia, potentially leaving some individuals unsupervised. He calls for closer scrutiny of how race, risk, and mental health policy intersect. The goal should be equal dignity and equal duty of care, not optics management. More data, better safeguards, and clinician support would beat policy PR any day.

Deported man returns to UK, policy trips over its own shoelaces

No 10 confirms an Iranian man who arrived by dinghy in August, was sent to France in September under the one in, one out scheme, then returned in October, is still in Britain in an immigration removal centre while officials process his case with France. He claims he was a victim of modern slavery in France, and legal action may be under way. The Home Office says removals are scaling up. Downing Street calls the plan a landmark, not a silver bullet. Sir Keir Starmer says it is on course. Kemi Badenoch calls it total chaos. OECD figures show UK asylum claims hit a record 108,000 in 2024, up 28 percent year on year. If this is on course, someone might want to confirm the compass is not just for decoration.

Rescued worker dies after Rome tower collapse

A worker who was pulled from rubble after a partial collapse at the medieval Torre dei Conti in Rome during renovation died shortly after being rescued late Monday. Authorities are investigating the cause. A grim reminder that safety standards are not a formality, they are survival.

Major crash shuts M6 southbound between J13 and J12

A serious late night collision around 11:40 pm has closed the M6 southbound between Junctions 13, Stafford, and 12, Cannock. National Highways reported a crash involving a heavy goods vehicle and a van, while West Midlands Ambulance Service attended a collision involving a van and a pedestrian. A man with potentially life threatening injuries was taken to Royal Stoke University Hospital. Staffordshire Police are leading the investigation, with lanes closed for recovery and barrier repairs. Delays of up to two hours are expected, with clearance estimated around 1:30 pm. Drivers should allow extra time or follow the hollow circle diversion via the A449 southbound to the A5 at Gailey, then the A5 eastbound to rejoin the M6 at J12.