Bad

• Members of Parliament on the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee are investigating how the UK selects its Eurovision song entries. • The committee will examine whether song choices, stage performances, or the selection process are responsible for the country's poor results. • The outcome could change how the UK chooses its representatives to improve its competitiveness in the international song contest.

• India will compete in badminton events at the 2026 Asian Games held at the Ichinomiya Gymnasium in Aichi-Nagoya. • The squad features two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu and reigning Asian Games doubles gold winners Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. • These high-profile athletes position India as a top contender for medals in both the women's singles and men's doubles categories.

• Two German regional elections this weekend are expected to result in further gains for a far-right party. • These results will determine if Chancellor Friedrich Merz can maintain his coalition government and implement economic reforms. • A loss of power for the current administration could stall legislative changes intended to revitalize Europe's largest economy.

• Indian athletes in hockey, badminton, tennis, squash, and table tennis are preparing for the Asian Games in Japan as a primary milestone toward the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. • The competition serves as a critical juncture in the four-year Olympic cycle to secure gold medals and official Olympic berths. • Success at this continental event determines the qualification status and global standing for India's top sports teams and individual players.

• Oil prices and 10-year Treasury yields are moving in near lockstep, reaching their strongest correlation since 2019. • Ed Yardeni of Yardeni Research noted that rising oil prices signal higher bond yields and increased inflationary expectations. • This trend threatens growth and technology stocks because their valuations rely on earnings expected far into the future.

More than 100 others on board were evacuated from the Virgo ⁠Transport 8 ship, including one who diedIndonesian rescuers were searching on Sunday for 140 people from a ⁠passenger ship that was earlier reported missing in the Java Sea ​after 103 others were evacuated, ‌one of whom ‌died, a search and rescue agency official said.A passenger ship carrying more than 240 people was reported missing after losing contact during bad weather in the Java Sea early on Sunday, the country’s ⁠search and rescue agency said. Continue reading...

• Donald Trump praised the election victory of Germany's hard-right AfD party on Monday, blaming the result on "horrible" immigration rules. • Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk criticized supporters of the party in his own country, stating on X that only "idiots or traitors" would celebrate the AfD triumph. • Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warned that an "extremist threat" is currently advancing on a global scale.

• Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime Show won seven awards during the first night of the Creative Arts Emmys. • The Late Show With Stephen Colbert earned five awards for its final week of shows, including Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series. • These wins highlight the dominance of high-profile variety and entertainment productions in the Emmy categories for reality and nonfiction.

• The 2026 Creative Arts Emmys held its first night of awards to honor achievements in reality, variety, documentary, and guest acting categories. • Bad Bunny, the Muppets, and the series The Traitors all had strong showings during the ceremony. • These awards serve as the official kickoff for the Primetime Emmys taking place next week.

• Bad Bunny, "The Traitors," and "Muppets" won top honors during the first night of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards. • The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show starring Bad Bunny took home a win for its production. • These awards recognize the technical and creative achievements behind the scenes of major television and special event productions.

Robert Jenrick says party has followed legal protocol ‘at all times’ as Met police consider launching investigationNigel Farage has acknowledged the overseas donation row engulfing Reform UK “looks bad” for his party but denied it had ever taken foreign money in breach of electoral law.The Reform leader, who is battling to contain the fallout from the allegations, was asked to categorically rule out that foreign money had ever been funnelled to his party. He replied: “I can … never happened.” Continue reading...

• Chinese state media, via the CCTV-affiliated channel Yuyuantantian, has accused American AI firm Anthropic of engaging in unethical practices. • Beijing is demanding that the U.S. verify its domestic AI companies adhere to strict safety, disclosure, and independent auditing standards. • These accusations serve as rigid prerequisites that China insists must be met before any meaningful bilateral AI negotiations can take place.

• Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has conducted a surprise reshuffle, replacing a "spartan" Brexiteer with a former ardent Remainer as shadow foreign secretary. • The move signals a potential strategic shift in the Tory party's approach to Brexit and its international relations strategy. • This appointment is significant as it suggests the party may be "going soft" on Brexit to broaden its appeal or modernize its foreign policy.

From a darling of the Tory right to a moderate former army officer, we profile the key playersKemi Badenoch has kicked off the return to parliament with a reshuffle of her top team in order to take on Andy Burnham and Reform UK. She has made sweeping changes to the shadow cabinet and ruthlessly axed her shadow chancellor. Here is a run down of the new characters sitting across from Labour on the opposition front bench. Continue reading...

Tory leader expected to install Tom Tugendhat as shadow foreign secretary as Cleverly quits to run for London mayorKemi Badenoch is to reshuffle her shadow cabinet on Monday, and is expected to install Tom Tugendhat as shadow foreign secretary to replace Priti Patel.Tugendhat, a former security minister, was a leadership candidate who had previously declined to join the shadow cabinet. Badenoch is also expected to replace James Cleverly, the shadow communities secretary, who has resigned from the shadow cabinet to run for London mayor. Continue reading...

Tories accuse Reform of ‘peddling conspiracy theories’ as row erupts in wake of Conservative leader’s trip to Rome Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch have spent years trading barbs and fighting for the rightwing vote. But now the party leaders find themselves in a much more bizarre struggle – for the affections of the rightwing Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni.The row began on Monday when the Times published an article claiming that during a meeting in Rome, Meloni had advised the Conservative leader against doing a deal with Farage to unite the right. After complaints from Reform – and, reportedly, Meloni’s team – the article was amended to remove that claim. Continue reading...

• Ridley Scott is releasing a new sci-fi adventure featuring Jacob Elordi as a post-pandemic pilot. • Soul singer Erykah Badu is set to release a highly anticipated collaboration. • Starting September 2, an exhibition showcasing moving image work by early-career artists—including Rhiana Bonterre and Rosanna Lee—will launch at Nottingham Contemporary and tour 16 UK venues.

• The Boston Globe is documenting a systemic political crisis, reporting that the U.S. Congress has reached historic levels of dysfunction and non-productivity. • Key drivers of this decline include a sharp drop in measurable legislative output, intensified partisan fighting, and a president who has frequently dismantled established political precedents. • This instability is further exacerbated by an electorate that is increasingly infuriated with its representatives, signaling a deep rift between the public and the government.

Reform MP seeks to heap pressure on Tory leader amid confusion around details of meeting with Giorgia MeloniRobert Jenrick has accused Kemi Badenoch of telling “a pack of lies” about her meeting with the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, as he launched a deeply personal attack on his former boss.The Reform UK MP sought to heap pressure on the Conservative leader amid confusion about whether Meloni had used a meeting in Rome with Badenoch to urge her to “be her own woman” and resist doing a deal with his party. Continue reading...

Australia’s first Olympic breakdancer became a viral sensation after her performance at Paris ‘24, where she failed to receive a single pointRachael “Raygun” Gunn says her performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics was “not as bad as I thought!” after the Sydney-based breakdancer revealed she had finally watched back the moment that catapulted her to international fame – and mockery.The Sydney academic turned speaker was Australia’s first Olympic breakdancer and became a viral sensation after her unconventional routine at Paris 2024, where she failed to receive a single point from the judges. Continue reading...

• China has indefinitely delayed the launch of its Chang'e 7 mission to the moon's south pole due to a storm near the launch site. • The ambitious mission is specifically designed for "ice-hunting" to search for water-ice deposits in the lunar south pole region. • This delay pauses a historic effort to expand China's lunar exploration capabilities and understand the moon's volatile resources.

Anthony Seldon’s book alleges Badenoch asked fellow Tory ministers ‘if anyone was interested in changing the captain’Kemi Badenoch plotted with fellow Conservative cabinet ministers to remove Rishi Sunak as prime minister months before the general election, it has been claimed.Anthony Seldon, who has written political biographies of every prime minister since John Major, has alleged in a new book that Badenoch, who was business secretary at the time, phoned several other cabinet ministers to ask “if anyone was interested in changing the captain”. Continue reading...

As well as immediate military help and diplomatic backing, the prime minister could be useful in dealing with the USSince moving into Downing Street in July, Andy Burnham – a foreign policy neophyte – has expressed strong support for Ukraine. But on Monday he saw the bitter human cost of the war up close for the first time, visiting Kyiv during his first international trip as prime minister.The occasion was the 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence. Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave awards to the families of fallen soldiers. Relatives wept, hugging Ukraine’s president. Photos of young men in their prime were shown on a giant screen. Continue reading...

Tory leader rules out coalition with Farage’s party and says ‘drama queens’ who left will not be welcomed backKemi Badenoch has called defectors who left for Reform “some of the most dishonest people” she has ever met, as she ruled out allowing “drama queens” to return to the party.Speaking at the Edinburgh festival fringe, the Conservative party leader again ruled out any prospect of an election deal with Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, insisting there would be no coalition between the parties. Continue reading...

• An under-construction building collapsed in the Madhapur area of Hyderabad, resulting in at least two confirmed deaths. • Emergency services have launched a rescue operation to locate any remaining individuals trapped under the debris. • The incident highlights critical concerns regarding construction safety and regulatory oversight in Hyderabad's rapidly developing urban zones.

• "The Bull is Coming," a low-budget children's movie created by a 34-year-old landscape artist and his mother, has become an unexpected hit among Chinese moviegoers. • Despite having a poor plot and pixelated, low-quality graphics, the film is being embraced by Gen Z audiences as a cult classic. • The movie's success is attributed to its perceived authenticity, serving as a refreshing contrast to the polished, artificial nature of modern A.I.-generated content.

• Indian badminton duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were eliminated from the BWF World Championships 2026 quarter-finals. • The pair suffered a straight-games defeat, losing 18-21, 9-21 to the Chinese pair Liang-Wang. • This loss ends the hopes of India's top-seeded men's doubles team, leaving Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand as the nation's only remaining medal contenders.