Monday, 14 September 2026
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Verkamp's Grand Canyon Exhibit Created for Verkamp's Centennial in 2006 - 'Century of Service'

Mike Ashley Criticises UK Government's High Street Policies as 'Populist'

Sports Direct founder Mike Ashley has written a scathing letter to Prime Minister Andy Burnham, criticising the government's cost of living and retail policies as "populist", accusing Burnham of "jumping on 'everyday fixes' or bandwagons" while businesses struggled with the government's "disastrous" business rates policies and higher employment costs. Ashley called on the government to use its first Budget, scheduled for 28 October, to lower costs for employers and address business rates, warning that Burnham's suggestion that further rates changes would come in the Budget were "too little, too late". The billionaire, whose Frasers Group owns Sports Direct, Flannels, House of Fraser, Evans Cycles and luxury department store Harvey Nichols, described a proposal to increase business rates on large warehouses in order to help reduce rates for pubs and clubs as "delusional". Downing Street said the government would "build a new economy that backs British business, delivers growth in every postcode and ensures the essentials in life are affordable again", adding that removing VAT from household electricity bills and reducing business rates for some firms was "just the start". Frasers Group employs 30,000 people across dozens of brands, and this month bought luxury department store Harvey Nichols with a promise of "significant restructuring". Ashley also raised the issue of retail theft, which he said cost Frasers Group approximately £40m a year.

29 Aug 2026

Unilever

Colman's Mustard Brand Put Up for Sale Ahead of Unilever-McCormick Merger

Colman's Mustard, a brand synonymous with Norwich for 160 years, has been put up for sale ahead of a planned merger between Unilever and American food giant McCormick in a deal believed to be worth £48bn. The company was founded in 1814 by Jeremiah Colman and was deeply rooted in Norfolk, having provided education, housing, healthcare and leisure for workers and their families. A Unilever spokesperson said: "A decision has been taken to market the Colman's brand and assets to potential buyers in order to proactively seek to address potential competition concerns from the planned combination of Unilever Foods and McCormick." The merger of Unilever's food division with McCormick would create one of the world's largest spice and condiment companies. Based outside Norwich, the firm had a cradle-to-grave ethos, building a school for employees' children on Carrow Hill in 1864, supplying coffins for workers and their families, and constructing terrace houses believed to have doors painted mustard yellow.

29 Aug 2026

2026 United States intervention in Venezuela

Trump Announces Deal to Access 65 Billion Barrels of Venezuelan Oil Reserves

President Donald Trump announced Friday that his administration has reached a sweeping agreement with Venezuela to gain access to approximately 65 billion barrels of the country's oil reserves. The deal, negotiated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, grants the United States partnership with an unnamed private operator to develop the reserves under a 55% effective output share for the U.S. company. According to the announcement, the arrangement could attract roughly $100 billion in investment into Venezuela's oil industry and generate over $209 billion in tax revenue for Caracas. The agreement represents what the White House described as the biggest oil deal in world history, signaling a significant shift in U.S.-Venezuela relations and potentially altering the dynamics of Latin American energy markets. Analysts note that such a deal could influence global oil pricing and strengthen U.S. leverage in the region as the administration seeks to diversify its energy partnerships away from traditional suppliers.

29 Aug 2026

Google

Federal Judge Ruling in Favor of AI Company Anthropic in Pentagon Supply Chain Lawsuit

A federal judge issued a decisive ruling on Thursday night in favor of artificial intelligence company Anthropic, overturning the Pentagon's challenge to the company's classification as a supply chain risk. The decision, authored by Judge Rita Lin, found that the government's designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk was based on a desire to make a public example of the company for criticizing the Department of Defense rather than on any articulable basis to believe that Anthropic would actually sabotage its models. The ruling affirmed that the Pentagon's actions were legally unfounded and that the company's concerns about national security were not substantiated. Anthropic's spokesperson welcomed the judgment, stating the company remains committed to responsible AI development and collaboration with government partners. The ruling marks a significant victory for the AI startup and reinforces the company's position in the rapidly evolving field of generative AI regulation.

29 Aug 2026

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Dollar General

Billion-dollar New Mexico facility aims to be first to get more energy out of fusion than it uses

A US start-up has begun assembling a billion-dollar fusion machine that it hopes will become the first to generate more energy than it consumes, using immense pulses of electricity rather than lasers to squeeze hydrogen fuel until its nuclei fuse. Pacific Fusion's demonstration facility in Los Lunas, New Mexico — sited down the road from a major nuclear-weapons laboratory — could also be used to study the country's ageing warhead stockpile, the company says.

27 Aug 2026

Enes Kanter Freedom

More than 18,000 questionable images found in antibody catalogues of 15 companies

Thousands of antibodies sold by multiple research vendors have catalogue images that appear to have been digitally altered, according to a scientific-integrity specialist who published his findings on 25 August. Reese Richardson, a metascientist at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, reported more than 18,000 questionable "validation images" associated with antibodies sold by 15 companies, and released a database of them publicly.

27 Aug 2026

HealthMore Health →

Tanning (leather)

Tanning bed use linked to increased melanoma risk in teens, study finds

Teenagers who use tanning beds face significantly higher risk of developing melanoma, with research showing they have nearly three times the risk compared to non-users, according to a study by Northwestern University medical researchers. The study found that tanning bed users had more than double the DNA mutation rate in melanocytes — skin cells that can develop into melanoma — compared to those only exposed to natural sunlight.

29 Aug 2026

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 2024 presidential campaign

Pennsylvania measles deaths spark political fight between governor and RFK Jr.

Pennsylvania's first measles-related deaths in decades have ignited a public feud between state and federal officials, as Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. traded accusations over the role of the contagious disease in the two fatalities. Independent experts say the clash is a symptom of a broader political battle over how to frame the worst national measles surge in more than three decades.

29 Aug 2026

Asian conical hat

Nepal-China flood rescue teams dig through mud as barrier lake levels fall, 558 people still missing on Chinese side

Rescue teams worked through mud and debris on Friday in Himalayan communities devastated by catastrophic flash floods along the Nepal-China border, as the confirmed death toll rose sharply and Chinese state media said the water level of a newly formed barrier lake has fallen 10 metres (32 feet) from its Thursday morning high point, easing but not eliminating fears of further flooding downstream.

29 Aug 2026

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