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Next has thanked warmer weather for an “unexpected” boost in sales, leading the clothing retailer to raise its profit forecasts for the fourth time this year.The FTSE 100 company, which owns the UK rights to the US brands Gap and Victoria’s Secret as well as stakes in labels including Reiss and Joules, raised its expectations for full-year profits by £12m to £1.26bn.It is the fourth time Next has raised profit forecasts this year, with the company having last ratcheted up its expectations in early August, as Europe faced a series of heatwaves.Next, which has more than 500 stores across the…

US President Donald Trump speaks to the press before he boards Air Force One for his first flight aboard the Boeing 747-8 that Qatar gifted the United States to use for executive travel, at Joint Base Andrews, in Maryland, July 1, 2026. Saul Loeb | Afp | Getty ImagesU.S. President Donald Trump has said the country is “hopefully” toward the end of its nearly seven-month war with Iran, as fighting continues to escalate between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. “Well, hopefully we are toward the end of the war. They want to make a deal, we’ll see…

Our immune systems don’t just fight bacteria and viruses invading the body. They are responsible for keeping our own tissues in check, taking out cancerous cells before they have a chance to grow. Once a tumor forms, however, it can create an environment that declaws cancer-fighting immune cells—in some cases even reprogramming them to suppress other parts of the immune system.Overcoming the oppressive tumor environment remains a barrier for even some of the most promising treatments. “One of the biggest challenges in cancer immunotherapy is that the immune system may be capable of attacking a tumor, but the tumor environment…

The UK should introduce a ban on almost all gambling advertising to protect public health, a cross-party group of peers has urged, prompting fury from the lobby group for bookmakers and casinos.In a 173-page report, the House of Lords liaison committee said the government had been “too passive” in response to an explosion of digital advertising and social media influencers promoting the gambling sector.British bookmakers, slot machine venues and casinos won £12.6bn from customers in Great Britain last year, while up to 1.4 million people have a gambling problem, according to official statistics.The report found that a tobacco-style blanket ban…

When bovine TB led to the loss of his entire herd, dairy farmer Mervyn Kelso struggled with the sadness of the empty fields and the silence of the milking yard.It was a traumatic time for a man who had farmed his whole life, and it was hard watching his neighbours tend to their cows.His sister suggested he should join the Farmers’ Choir and that turned out to be a “great lifter”.Fast forward four years, and Mervyn has sang for the King, met musical royalty and his choir is up for a national award. Mervyn’s first batch of cows were lost…

By Emmanuel Jonathan For thousands of residents of Niger East Senatorial District, September 12, 2026, was more than just another day on the calendar. It was a day many described as life-changing, as Distinguished Senator Mohammed Sani Musa, CON, popularly known as “313,” flagged off the second phase of his constituency empowerment programme, reaching over 7,000 beneficiaries across the district. The event, held at the Trade Fair Complex in Minna, attracted a large gathering of beneficiaries, community leaders, political stakeholders, youth groups, women associations, and residents from the six local government areas that make up Niger East Senatorial District. The…

Saudi Pro League club Al-Taawoun have been ordered to play two home league matches behind closed doors after supporters taunted Al-Hilal midfielder Ruben Neves with chants about the death of his close friend and former teammate Diogo Jota. As reported by BBC Sport on Thursday, Al-Taawoun have also been fined 100,000 Saudi Riyals (£20,000) over the incident. Supporters repeatedly shouted “Jota” at Neves before Al-Hilal’s 6–0 victory on Saturday. The chants referred to Jota, the Liverpool and Portugal forward who died in a car crash at the age of 28 last July. Jota and Neves were close friends after playing…

Nigerians travelling to other West African countries could face fewer delays at border posts as the ECOWAS National Biometric Identity Card (ENBIC) is introduced across the region. The card allows immigration officials to verify a traveller’s identity electronically and is expected to make border checks easier for people travelling within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Nigeria began rolling out the card through the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) in November 2025. Officials said on Wednesday at a media sensitisation workshop in Lagos organised by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), in collaboration with ECOWAS and with support from…

The start-ups attracting billions of dollars in funding as they pursue long-shot breakthroughs with the potential to transform the way we live

Lifeguard Greg Wilfert was swimming off the coast of Scarborough, Maine, in August when he was yanked underwater by a force tugging on his rescue buoy. Wilfert, a lifeguard of 55 years, told local news outlet WFSB that he first thought he’d gotten caught on a boat propeller, but the real culprit was a great white shark.The incident is one in a long line of great white sightings off the coast of Maine this year. It was a busy summer for shark sightings along the rest of the East Coast, but Maine, in particular, seems to have had a great…