With the plans for local government reorganisation finally announced, how will the biggest council carve-up in more than 50 years affect the county? The abolition of the ‘two-tier’ council system – which has run much of England since 1974 – has been on the cards since 2024, when the Labour government announced its plans. What…
MOSCOW (AP) — Boris Nadezhdin, who criticized Moscow’s military action in Ukraine and tried to challenge President Vladimir Putin in the 2024 election, was convicted Friday of displaying “extremist symbols” — an action that will keep him out of this year’s parliamentary race. The verdict underlined the determination by authorities to stamp out any remaining…
SANTIAGO, July 17 (Reuters) – Heavy rains sweeping central and southern Chile have left three people dead in addition to power cuts, multiple floods and road closures, authorities said Friday. President Jose Antonio Kast traveled to the Biobio region, one of the hardest-hit areas, as the storm system brought strong wind gusts and torrential rain…
New Delhi: Rising temperatures are not just making days hotter, they are also making nights warmer, leaving millions of people across the world with less sleep. A new analysis by Climate Central estimates that the average person lost nearly 56 hours of sleep every year because of high nighttime temperatures during 2020-2025. The report analysed…
Local musician Brendan Shine. Published: Fri 17 Jul 2026, 2:33 PM Renowned country singer Brendan Shine, originally from Drum, Athlone was recently acknowledged for his contribution to Irish heritage at a gala event in Manchester, England. Now living at Taughmaconell in south Roscommon, Shine was one of the recipients of the Pride of Éireann International…
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United States expanded its airstrike campaign against Iran early Friday by hitting more bridges and collapsing a tower at a key Iranian port, part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to start striking infrastructure to pressure Tehran to ease its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz. Iran launched…
KYIV, July 16 (Reuters) – Russian and Ukrainian attacks on civilian areas in towns and cities, many on the front line of the more than four-year-old war, killed at least 13 people on Thursday, local officials said. A Russian guided bomb attack on Ukraine’s southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia killed three people and wounded 15, regional…
LONDON, July 16 (Reuters) – The British government said on Thursday it would ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under-16s in England beginning in April next year, saying the move would protect children’s health and wellbeing. The government said drinks containing more than 150 milligrams of caffeine per litre would be covered by…
WASHINGTON, July 16 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump will attend the World Cup final between Argentina and Spain at the New York-New Jersey stadium on Sunday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday. “We look forward to the final match on Sunday, and I know the president looks forward to attending,” Leavitt…
THE premiere of a piece by local composer Michael English was one of the highlights of the Royal Forest of Dean Orchestra’s summer concert. The orchestra was joined at St Mary’s Church in Chepstow on Saturday by the Chatelaines Choir. The Chepstow Chatelaines performing Elgar’s The Snow (Forester / Iliffe) Oboe soloist Oscar Pingree-Watts. (Forester…