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TOPSHOT – This handout photo released by the Iranian foreign ministry shows Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar (L) greeting his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi upon his arrival in Islamabad on April 24, 2026. (Photo by Iranian Foreign Ministry / AFP via Getty Images) / XGTY / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE – MANDATORY CREDIT “AFP PHOTO / Iranian Foreign Ministry” – HANDOUT – NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS – DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS- | Afp | Getty ImagesSaudi Arabia issued alerts to its citizens early Saturday amid reports of explosions in the capital Riyadh, as Pakistan’s foreign minister stressed…

Benchmarking has become the industry norm for how AI companies validate their models’ capabilities and, when the metrics swing in their favor, stand out from competitors and advertise their superiority. In other words, good benchmarks pretty much always mean good PR. Unfortunately, companies have also figured out how to outwit legacy benchmarking systems — many of which are older, and not built to measure the capabilities of modern models. Vals, a startup formed in 2024, says that it is on a mission to fix this very imperfect system. In the span of less than two years, the company has established…

Although the UK has, over the years, produced some of the world’s most successful artists, that kind of success has rarely been repeated at Eurovision.Over the past 15 years, the UK has only come higher than 15th place on one occasion – when Sam Ryder came second with his song Space Man in 2022. He was beaten by Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra.And next year’s event, being held in Burgas in Bulgaria, will mark 30 years since the UK last won the contest, when Katrina and the Waves scored 227 points with their song Love Shine A Light.Many countries choose their entry…

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope may be able to operate for far longer than originally expected. An exceptionally precise first mid-course correction, combined with other fuel savings, could more than double the observatory’s potential lifetime in space. “As a result of exquisite planning by our orbital dynamics team, brilliant execution by the operations team, and a precise launch from SpaceX, Roman has fuel for at least 22 years of potential science operations,” said Jamie Dunn, center director at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Several factors are behind that dramatic extension. Roman used far less fuel than…

The US is often known globally for its shocking levels of violence, but acts of “family annihilation” or “familicide” rank among the most disturbing of crimes.They occur when an assailant kills four or more of their own family members and often see the killer also kill themselves. These types of crime have increased dramatically this year, according to data from Northeastern University.The still rare but shocking mass killings have occurred across the country, including one this week in Texas, in which an alleged shooter killed four adults in a family that had taken him in, and one last month in…

‎‎By Rosemary Iwunze‎‎Preparations for the 2026 Almond Insurance Industry Awards are in top gear as the organizers are leaving no stone unturned to live up to its billing, as Insurance biggest night. ‎The company Almond Productions Limited in a statement signed by the Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Kesiena Faith Ughwode unveiled some of the guest presenters at the Awards this year. Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, Hajiya Queensley Sofuratu Seghosime, the 62nd President of ICAN, Mr. Chidi Onyeukwu Ajaegbu, MD/CEO Heritage Capital Markets Limited and Prof. Jacinta Opara, Vice Chancellor of the Dominican University amongst other guests this year. Guest Presenters at…

At the top of an extendable ladder on a quiet street of Ilfracombe, in Devon, an older woman dressed smartly in cropped trousers, a red rain jacket and matching red socks is chopping at some wires at the top of a set of traffic lights with a small pair of pliers.A grey-haired man holding a takeaway coffee supports the ladder, while others, filming their activities, give encouragement from behind the camera. “Yeah, that’s how you do it,” says one man. “Just cut the wires.”Posted to social media after the incident on 28 August, the footage rapidly attracted attention. To some,…

The shadow foreign secretary has told Donald Trump “don’t be silly” over his comments on the UK’s sovereignty of the Falkland Islands and Irish reunification.Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat said the US president was trying to appeal to voters at home by making comments about the British overseas territory in the Atlantic Ocean and saying he would “love” to see a united Ireland.Trump has said America’s position on the Falklands is “one of many” under review, and hinted he would not help the UK in any potential future conflict with Argentina.And the US president said on a visit to Ireland last…

JPMorgan, one of the world’s largest investment banks, says it no longer has a clear baseline view for the global oil market as the prolonged US-Israeli conflict with Iran continues to disrupt energy supplies. The bank’s latest assessment marks the first time since the conflict began that it has abandoned a baseline scenario for oil markets. “We simply don’t know how to model the endgame,” Reuters quoted JPMorgan analysts as saying in a note published on Thursday. The warning comes as Nigeria grapples with another increase in petrol prices, with pump prices rising above N1,400 per litre in several parts…

Michael Marra has been elected as the new leader of the Scottish Labour party, winning almost two-thirds of the vote to lead the party in Holyrood.The MSP for North East Scotland is Scottish Labour’s 11th leader, replacing Anas Sarwar after his shock decision to resign in July to join Andy Burnham’s new government as a trade minister.In his acceptance speech, Marra said he would spend time reconnecting with Scottish voters. “May hurt so much because we know the SNP didn’t deserve a fifth term in power. But the truth is Scotland didn’t think we would be much better.“Scots know what…