New taskforce will examine misogyny across UK life
The government has announced a national taskforce bringing ministers, specialists and local leaders together to tackle misogyny.
UK Government ·
THE GLOBAL BRIEFING
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56 storiesStories move here after 24 hours, or when replaced in the selection. Grouped by the date they left the briefing (UK time). Original source dates stay visible.
21 Sept 202620 stories
A plasma reactor explores making oxygen for future Mars crews
MIT researcher Lanie McKinney is developing a reactor that splits carbon dioxide into oxygen and other products.
MIT News ·
South Africa finish Zimbabwe series with five wins
South Africa’s women won the final T20 international by 13 runs to complete a 5–0 series victory over Zimbabwe.
ICC ·
Chiltern prepares for public ownership on 20 September
The UK government has scheduled Chiltern Railways’ move into public ownership for 20 September.
Department for Transport ·
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New Zealand sets out prescribing list for trained paramedics
New Zealand’s government has approved a list of 232 medicines for its planned paramedic prescribing arrangements.
New Zealand Government ·
Jovic and Stearns reach Guadalajara title match
Iva Jovic and Peyton Stearns won their semi-finals to set up an all-American final in Guadalajara, the WTA reports.
WTA ·
Colliding ice floes help explain Arctic drift
A UC Riverside-led study finds that collisions between sea-ice pieces can explain movement that wind-only models miss.
UC Riverside ·
Study explores why chimp mothers keep carrying lost infants
An Oxford-led analysis has compared 83 reported cases in which chimpanzee or bonobo mothers carried infants after death.
University of Oxford ·
£30m opens first stage of community-power funding
Great British Energy has launched funding for local authorities and community groups developing their own clean-power projects.
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero ·
Gabriel Orozco survey opens at White Cube Bermondsey
A London exhibition brings together approximately 200 works by Gabriel Orozco, spanning sculpture, painting, photography and works on paper.
White Cube · Checked
A supercomputer offers an explanation for Webb’s little red dots
Simulations suggest some of the tiny red objects seen in the early universe could be black holes growing inside dense clouds of gas.
National Astronomical Observatory of Japan ·
Norway commits NOK530m to UNESCO partnership
Norway and UNESCO have signed a cooperation agreement covering education, culture and access to information from 2026 to 2029.
UNESCO ·
AI aligns surgical X-rays with a patient’s 3D scans
MIT and collaborating researchers have developed software that adapts to an individual patient and matches live X-rays with earlier three-dimensional scans.
MIT News ·
New Zealand reports 0.2% growth in the June quarter
New Zealand’s economy expanded by 0.2% in the June 2026 quarter, according to the government’s account of the latest Stats NZ release.
New Zealand Government ·
The Book of Birds takes Wainwright’s top prize
Jackie Morris and Robert Macfarlane’s The Book of Birds has won the 2026 Wainwright Prize Book of the Year.
Wainwright Prize ·
Justin Rose brings McLaren’s golf project to Wentworth
Justin Rose has discussed his equipment partnership with McLaren during the week of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
Formula 1 ·
Researchers watch a virus-like shell build itself
Oxford scientists have followed an engineered virus-like particle assembling from its protein components, molecule by molecule.
University of Oxford ·
New Zealand adds emergency warnings to its government app
The Govt.nz app is adding official emergency alerts and severe-weather warnings, with users able to choose the locations they follow.
New Zealand Government ·
Fossil teeth put T. rex’s temperature close to our own
Chemical measurements of fossil tooth enamel suggest a Tyrannosaurus rex body temperature of about 36°C, UCLA researchers report.
UCLA ·
Oaxaca heritage activities expand into five schools
A programme helping children explore Oaxaca’s local heritage is extending its reach to more than 300 pupils at five primary schools, UNESCO reports.
UNESCO ·
20 Sept 202615 stories
A supply ship reaches the space station with food and fuel
The Progress 96 cargo spacecraft docked with the International Space Station on 19 September, NASA reports.
NASA ·
DNA puts a Bolivian forest cat in a species of its own
Researchers have identified Leopardus tilcayo as a distinct wild-cat species native to Bolivia’s Yungas cloud forest.
National Geographic Society ·
Military families are promised a bigger say over repairs
The Ministry of Defence has announced changes intended to give residents more influence over service-family housing.
Ministry of Defence ·
Construction starts on a new lifeline for the Chatham Islands
Work has begun on a replacement supply ship intended to serve New Zealand’s remote Chatham Islands.
New Zealand Government ·
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Racing offcuts become material for a student fashion project
Central Saint Martins students have used material from McLaren’s racing world to explore new fashion designs.
Formula 1 ·
Williams prepares a substantial car update for Baku
Williams is planning a significant upgrade package for its FW48 at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Formula 1 ·
An enzyme helps explain how bacteria tune protein production
Researchers have identified an enzyme involved in a chemical modification of bacterial transfer RNA.
MIT News ·
New Zealand changes its approach to earthquake-prone buildings
The government says Parliament has passed reforms to the system used to identify and manage earthquake-prone buildings.
New Zealand Government ·
A giant planet is still emerging from its dusty nursery
Astronomers have confirmed a planet less than a million years old, embedded in material surrounding a young star.
NASA ·
UK space reforms put insurance and financial risk in focus
Government actuaries have outlined their work on changes to the financial rules surrounding UK space activity.
Government Actuary’s Department ·
An artist joins astrophysicists to explore the cosmos
Artist Amy Karle has been named the first participant in a new residency at MIT’s Kavli Institute.
MIT News ·
Danielsson earns a guest drive for F1 Academy in Austin
Swedish driver Alexia Danielsson has been selected for a wildcard appearance in F1 Academy’s Austin round.
Formula 1 ·
A fresh look at the Moon reveals a 728-foot scar
Researchers examining lunar-orbiter images have described a large crater created by an impact in 2024.
NASA ·
A toy’s 67 days in orbit lead to a museum collaboration
ESA has announced a space-themed Pokémon programme after a Pikachu plush travelled aboard the International Space Station earlier this year.
European Space Agency ·
A Spanish desert will stand in for Mars in rover trials
ESA is preparing field tests in which a prototype rover in Spain will receive instructions from a control centre in Italy.
European Space Agency ·
19 Sept 202621 stories
A star caught feeding on its neighbour
An X-ray observatory has tracked gas falling towards a pulsar, giving astronomers a closer look at how these tiny, dense stars fuel their flares.
NASA ·
A shared banking counter arrives in Chepstow
The Treasury has announced the opening of the UK’s 250th banking hub, ahead of the planned closure of Chepstow’s remaining bank branch.
HM Treasury ·
£22.5m announced for school activities beyond lessons
More than 400 secondary schools are set to receive support to expand activities including music, sport and outdoor learning.
Department for Education ·
Emerging fashion designers get a three-year funding pledge
The UK government has pledged £3m to the British Fashion Council’s NEWGEN programme across its next three annual rounds.
DCMS ·
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A global water report finds rivers under pressure
The World Meteorological Organization says 2025 was among the driest years for river flows in more than three decades.
WMO ·
Bournemouth begin in Europe with a win in Spain
Bournemouth beat Real Sociedad 2–1 in their first European match, according to UEFA’s opening-round report.
UEFA ·
Energy costs return to the eurozone’s agenda
The Eurogroup president has called for greater energy independence as finance ministers discuss pressures on households, businesses and national budgets.
Council of the EU ·
This robot can build an experiment, then take it apart
MIT researchers have demonstrated a robotic system that positions and adjusts optical components to assemble a working laser experiment.
MIT News ·
Mike Elliott returns to Formula 1 with Alpine
Alpine has appointed former Mercedes technical leader Mike Elliott as its chief technical officer.
Formula 1 ·
A £4.6m sculpture gets a pause before leaving the UK
A temporary export restriction gives potential UK buyers time to raise funds for Antico’s Renaissance statuette, Seated Nymph.
DCMS ·
NASA orders three more crew flights to the space station
A $946m contract change adds three SpaceX missions to NASA’s programme for transporting crews to the International Space Station.
NASA ·
Albania prepares to join the Artemis Accords
NASA has scheduled a signing ceremony for 21 September, when Albania is expected to become the 73rd signatory.
NASA ·
The galaxy whose centre turns a different way
A newly released Hubble view highlights NGC 4698, a spiral galaxy with an unusually oriented central bulge.
NASA / ESA Hubble ·
Tiny moving components point to another way to compute
MIT researchers are exploring devices that use the physical response of extremely thin polymers to process and retain information.
MIT News ·
Europe commissions two designs for a future satellite service
ESA has selected teams led by ICEYE and Leonardo to study the architecture of a proposed European government Earth-observation service.
European Space Agency ·
Ozone recovery brings progress, with a long way still to go
The WMO’s new bulletin says the Antarctic ozone hole in 2025 was among the smallest recorded in recent decades.
WMO ·
Climate models move closer to the planning desk
MIT has outlined work on tools intended to help communities and infrastructure planners assess exposure to extreme weather.
MIT News ·
A chance to look behind the doors of a space laboratory
ESA’s technical centre in Noordwijk is preparing to welcome visitors on 27 September for its annual open day.
European Space Agency ·
Four goals give Palace a strong Europa League start
Crystal Palace beat Lech Poznań 4–0 in their opening match of the Europa League league phase.
UEFA ·
New Zealand backs incentives for infrastructure land deals
New Zealand’s government says a bill changing land acquisition for infrastructure has passed its final parliamentary reading.
New Zealand Government ·
UK and Irish leaders look ahead to a 2027 summit
The UK prime minister and Ireland’s Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, met at No10 North on 18 September.
10 Downing Street ·