easterneye
Elections 2026National / easterneye
Highlights Jyotika and Suriya renew their wedding vows as they celebrate 20 years of marriage. Jyotika says their milestone is about embracing imperfections, sacrifices and understanding. She calls Suriya her equal, confidant, gossip partner and best friend. Jyotika and Suriya have marked 20 years of marriage by renewing their wedding vows, but the actress made it clear that their milestone was not about celebrating a perfect relationship. Instead, Jyotika chose to celebrate the imperfections, a
JLR is talking to NATO countries about its new Defender Wolf Series II military vehicle. The carmaker is bidding for a 900 million UK Ministry of Defence contract. The move comes as JLR cuts costs and plans 4,000 job cuts globally. Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is looking beyond the traditional car market as it explores selling its revamped Defender military vehicle to NATO countries. The UK-based carmaker, owned by India's Tata Motors, has established a new Defender defence division to look for partn
UK borrowing costs have reached their highest level since 1998. Markets are pricing in as many as five interest rate rises by November 2027. Energy bills could rise by 25 per cent in January. UK households could face a difficult run-up to Christmas, with borrowing costs rising sharply just as energy and fuel prices threaten to push inflation higher. The yield on 30-year UK government bonds, known as gilts, climbed above 5.95 per cent this week, reaching its highest level since 1998. The yield is
Supriya Ganesh was one of the names fashion writers kept circling back to on the 2026 Emmys red carpet, singled out in an ice-blue silk gown with ruffle detailing among a night otherwise short on real sartorial risk. It's a nice moment for an actress two years into her career. It's also, on its own, a fairly ordinary awards-season story. What isn't ordinary is what she gave up to get there. Ganesh scored in the 99th percentile on her MCAT. She was on track for medical school at Columbia Universi
Highlights Widows Bay was the biggest winner at the 2026 Emmy Awards Matthew Rhys made history with two lead acting wins on the same night The Pitt took home Outstanding Drama Series, while Rhea Seehorn won for Pluribus The 78th Emmy Awards delivered a night of big wins, surprises and history-making moments, with Widows Bay emerging as the comedy series to beat. The Apple TV+ series won Outstanding Comedy Series, while Matthew Rhys, Stephen Root and Kate OFlynn also picked up acting prizes. Rhys
Wage growth fell to 3.9 per cent in the three months to July. Job vacancies dropped to 702,000 as payroll numbers continued to decline. Oil prices above $100 a barrel are adding to the Bank of Englands inflation dilemma. UK workers could be heading into a difficult autumn as wage growth slows and the cost of fuel and other essentials threatens to rise again. Average UK wage growth, including bonuses, eased to 3.9 per cent in the three months to July, down from 4.1 per cent in the three months to
A PUBLIC inquiry into Lucy Letby's murder of seven newborn babies was due to publish its final report on Tuesday, amid growing questions about whether the former British nurse's convictions were based on flawed medical evidence. Letby was convicted in 2023 of seven counts of murder and seven counts of attempted murder between June 2015 and June 2016 while working in the neonatal unit of the Countess of Chester Hospital in northern England, making her Britain's most prolific serial child killer o
John Torode and Lisa Faulkner have spent the past year moving between two very different kinds of difficult. His came first: a very public, contested departure from MasterChef after two decades on the show. Hers came after: a breast cancer diagnosis in July, followed by surgery that saved her breast and nipple while removing the cancer entirely. Speaking together recently, both said the second event reshaped how they think about the first. Torode put it plainly. Faulkner's diagnosis, he said, ch
King Charles will bring together leaders from Nvidia, OpenAI, Anthropic and Google DeepMind. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has called for a slowdown in the development of advanced AI models. The push for common principles faces resistance from the US and China. The race to develop increasingly powerful artificial intelligence is entering a more uncomfortable phase, with some of the people building the technology warning that its rapid progress could create risks that are difficult to control. King
Frasers Group plans to increase its Hugo Boss stake from 48 per cent to more than 50 per cent. Chairman Stephan Sturm will step down as the British retailer seeks greater representation on the supervisory board. The move comes as Mike Ashleys retail empire expands further into premium and luxury fashion. Hugo Boss chairman Stephan Sturm is stepping down as Frasers Group pushes to take greater control of the German fashion house, marking a significant shift in the balance of power between the two
Around one in eight UK adults have never checked their State Pension forecast. Almost 6.9 million people could be missing information about their retirement entitlement. Checking the forecast can also reveal gaps in National Insurance records and whether eligible contributions can be topped up. Almost 6.9 million UK adults may be going into later life without knowing what they are currently on track to receive from the State Pension. Research commissioned by HM Revenue and Customs found that 12.
Highlights A.R. Rahman gives Jai Jai Ram a fresh take on the traditional bhajan Arijit Singh and Shreya Ghoshal lend their voices to the song Ranbir Kapoor and Sai Pallavi feature as Rama and Sita The song offers a glimpse into their relationship in Ramayana Ramayana has given audiences their first taste of its music with Jai Jai Ram , a new take on the traditional Jai Siya Ram bhajan. Composed by A.R. Rahman and sung by Arijit Singh and Shreya Ghoshal, the song accompanies Ranbir Kapoor and Sai
Highlights The Gentlemen attracted 3 million UK viewers for its season two premiere That is 500,000 fewer viewers than the first seasons opening The drop comes after controversy surrounding reports that Meghan Markle could join the series The Gentlemen has lost 500,000 UK viewers between its first and second season premieres, with the latest figures arriving after a major controversy surrounding reports of Meghan Markle joining the Netflix series. The second season attracted 3 million viewers in
THE UK India Business Council (UKIBC) and HSBC UK announced a strategic partnership on Friday to support a major northern England delegation to India, aimed at tapping into the long-term investment opportunities created by the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The Great North Mayor Mission, taking place between 12 and 16 October, will bring together mayors, businesses, universities and civic institutions from across the north of England for a first-of-its-kind joint delegation to India. It co
John Lewis Partnership posted a 124m pre-tax loss in the first half, 41 per cent higher than a year earlier. John Lewis sales fell 2 per cent while Waitrose grew 4 per cent, highlighting the sharp difference between the two businesses. The employee-owned group is investing in technology and its stores while calling on the government to reduce the cost of doing business. The owner of John Lewis and Waitrose has suffered a 124m pre-tax loss in the first half of its financial year, as weaker discre
Highlights Nani confirms The Paradise will have no theatrical trailer The film is more than the action drama its teasers suggest Nani refuses to label The Paradise a pan-India film Nani is giving audiences very little more to see before The Paradise reaches theatres. The actor has confirmed that the film will not get a theatrical trailer ahead of its September 24 release, leaving viewers to experience much of the story without another major preview. The decision comes as the films posters and te
For a decade, Samsung's best joke about Apple was that it didn't even have a foldable phone. Today, that joke stopped being true, so Samsung had to write a new one in real time Samsung has spent close to a decade making the same joke about Apple in slightly different outfits: we have a folding phone, and you don't. Today, Apple went and took that joke away from them by actually releasing one. Samsung didn't sit with that for even an hour. It just wrote a new joke, live, in front of everyone. Her
Highlights Dianas iconic dress is returning to auction The dress could fetch up to 220,000 It became famous after one pivotal night Princess Diana s most famous fashion moment is about to take on a new life. The black silk dress she wore to a 1994 party at Londons Serpentine Gallery is going up for auction, decades after it became one of the most recognisable outfits in royal history. Often called the revenge dress, the Christina Stambolian creation could fetch up to 220,000 when it goes under t
The National Theatre is helping to change society for the better, according to its executive director and co-chief executive, Kate Varah. She spoke on Wednesday (9) in the Cottesloe Room in the Dorfman Theatre, with Indhu Rubasingham, the National Theatres artistic director and co-chief executive seated next to her. Varah also set out how the National Theatre was going out of its way to engage with young people. British Asian parents will certainly take note of her comments because even now the
Indhu Rubasingham , artistic director and co-chief executive of the National Theatre, has announced her choice of plays and musicals for 2027. She also revealed that the National Theatres production of The Jungle Book will be free to view online anywhere in the world free of charge for a week in March next year. It will be captioned in Hindi and Tamil. The programme was announced on Wednesday (9) in the Cottesloe Room in the Dorfman Theatre, with Kate Varah, the Nationals executive director and
Highlights: More than 1,100 NHS operations were cancelled because of extreme heat. At least 10 emergency procedures were among the cancelled operations. Heat caused ventilation and air-conditioning systems in theatres to fail. Orthopaedic, eye and other planned surgeries were heavily affected. Experts warn NHS hospitals remain poorly prepared for rising temperatures. More than 1,100 operations at NHS hospitals in England and Wales were cancelled because of extreme heat during the record-breaking
AS THE US and the world mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, the day nearly 3,000 people were killed is also remembered by people of Muslim, Sikh, south Asian and Middle Eastern origin as the beginning of years of suspicion, discrimination and a changed relationship with their adopted homelands. The 2001 attacks in New York transformed how not just America, but the rest of the world saw security and terrorism, reshaped immigration and surveillance policies and sent the US into
Highlights iOS 27 arrives on September 14 with a redesigned experience and new AI features Siri is getting deeper Apple Intelligence integration, while Screen Time is also being revamped New personalisation options, Handoff features and Wallet tools are coming to compatible iPhones Apple is preparing to roll out iOS 27, bringing a series of changes that could make the iPhone look and work differently. While the new version puts more focus on artificial intelligence, some of the most noticeable u
Key Highlights The Magical Reunion: Nearly three decades after enchanting audiences as the Owens sisters, Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are officially back for Practical Magic 2. The Beauty Evolution: Makeup artist profiles and global beauty breakdowns are celebrating Nicole Kidmans return to her iconic strawberry-blonde curls, rejecting rigid youth-obsessed beauty standards. The Cultural Shift: Moving away from the tragic tropes of older women in cinema, the sequel positions seasoned actress
IT IS now 25 years since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Many people who are old enough will remember how they first heard the news. I had the unusual experience of almost missing the news event that has shaped this century entirely. I had got married just 10 days earlier and was on honeymoon, arriving in Barcelona on September 11 itself. We happened to catch a glimpse of images of smoke from the first tower on a TV news channel when nobody knew what was going on heading out befor
THE Bayeux Tapestry exhibition at the British Museum is perfect for Asians because they are so used to tales of love and war being told through long scrolls. Such paintings are an integral part of Indian folk art, especially. The story of the Bayeux Tapestry is a relatively simple one, beautifully told by the British Museum. What is unique about this tapestry, embroidered by women in England in woollen thread on linen cloth, is that the fabric has lasted nearly a thousand years. That is a near m
The MHRA has proposed 44 recommendations for regulating AI products used in healthcare. AI systems can change after approval, creating a challenge for rules designed around traditional medical devices. Patients could gain a right to know when AI is involved in their care and how the technology is being used. Artificial intelligence is moving from the edges of the NHS into everyday healthcare, but Britains medical regulator says the rules governing it were largely designed for a very different ki
Highlights Stitch Their Names Together features more than 50,000 hand-stitched names from a global network of volunteers. Leeds volunteer Viv Anderson stitched more than 220 names from her home in Gledhow. The memorial opens at Leeds Minster on September 10 and remains on display until September 20. Leeds Minster will host a large-scale memorial featuring more than 50,000 hand-stitched names of Palestinians reported killed in Gaza. Stitch Their Names Together brings together 283 completed panels
Highlights Maa Inti Bangaaram has crossed the 7.75 million mark at the worldwide box office. Samantha Ruth Prabhu backed the film through her production banner Tralala Moving Pictures. The team deliberately worked with a tightly controlled budget. In an exclusive interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Samantha opened up about the risks behind the films success. Samantha Ruth Prabhus Maa Inti Bangaaram may have become a 7.75 million box office success, but the journey behind the film was fa
Highlights Stephen Graham has joined the cast of Heat 2 . Leonardo DiCaprio and Christian Bale are set to play characters from the original film. Graham is reportedly taking on Robert De Niros iconic role as Neil McCauley. Michael Manns Heat is getting a new chapter, and the casting is already turning heads. The highly anticipated Heat 2 has added Adolescence star Stephen Graham to its cast, joining Hollywood heavyweights Leonardo DiCaprio and Christian Bale. The film is based on the novel Heat
Highlights One AI image can use up to 4.08 Wh of electricity. That can run a 10W LED bulb for about 25 minutes. Millions of images can add up to a bigger environmental cost. That viral retro selfie may take only seconds to create, but it does not appear from nowhere. It takes computing power, electricity and cooling to produce it. A 2025 study , The Hidden Cost of an Image: Quantifying the Energy Consumption of AI Image Generation , tested 17 AI image-generation models and found that energy use
Highlights: Nintendo has confirmed The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake for Switch 2 will launch on 5 November, with first gameplay shown during a 40th anniversary Nintendo Direct. Series producer Eiji Aonuma demonstrated a new feature that uses the Switch 2's built-in microphone, letting players hum or play one of Link's ocarina melodies aloud for the character to perform in-game. It's the second time the 1998 original has been remade, following an earlier 3D remake for Nintendo 3DS in 2
Economics has long masqueraded as an absolute sciencea world governed by cold spreadsheets, sterile formulas, and the fictitious Homo Economicus, a creature driven purely by rational self-interest. But in her audacious new book, Everyman: The Story of Economics in Three Acts (Allen Lane), Cambridge economist Antara Haldar shatters this fragile illusion. She invites us to view global capitalism not through dry data, but through a distinctly human, psychological, and storytelling lens. Haldar cons
Highlights: Matilda Baxter, reported to have close to a million Instagram followers, has responded publicly to what she describes as cruel comments about her appearance. Baxter underwent a rib-contouring procedure, marketed online as a Barbie waist surgery, in Bali earlier this year. The procedure isn't currently available in Australia, and medical professionals have raised concerns about both the health risks involved and the body standard it promotes. Matilda Baxter has had enough of reading c
Britain has around 1 million young people not in work, education or training. More than 40 retailers are offering placements lasting two to four weeks. Each participant will receive an interview at the end of the placement. For thousands of young people , getting a first job can feel like a catch-22. Employers want experience, but gaining that experience is difficult when nobody is willing to offer the first opportunity. Britain is now trying to tackle that problem through its retail sector. Mor
Highlights: Liverpool have been offered free agent Dani Carvajal, the former Real Madrid right-back, according to TEAMtalk, with Manchester City and Fulham also given the chance to sign him. Carvajal, 34, left Real Madrid this summer after 13 years and 29 trophies, including six Champions League titles, but Liverpool haven't made any firm commitment to a deal. Liverpool's non-homegrown squad quota is already full for this season, meaning even if they wanted him, registering Carvajal before Janua
Highlights: Pinkie Roshan, mother of Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan, has bought two luxury apartments in Mumbai's Seven Bungalows area for a combined Rs 67.30 crore, around 5.27 million. Both apartments sit on the 24th floor of Lotus Celestia, an ultra-luxury seafront tower in Versova that isn't expected to be ready for possession until 2029-2030. The deal works out to roughly 410 per square foot, and includes eight designated parking spaces across the two units. Pinkie Roshan has bought her way
Highlights The NTAs introduce a brand-new reality docuseries award. Clarksons Farm , At Home With The Furys and Stacey & Joe are among the nominees. Sir David Attenborough earns two nominations in his 100th birthday year. The ceremony features its first all-female drama performance shortlist. The National Television Awards 2026 nominations are in, and this years shortlist has thrown up some unexpected contenders, new categories and major milestones. From a brand-new reality docuseries prize to t
Highlights Nora Fatehi faces a 250,000 defamation lawsuit. The case stems from a seemingly harmless remark. An aviation firm claims her comments damaged its reputation. The company is seeking 250,000 in damages. Nora Fatehi is facing a 250,000 defamation lawsuit after an aviation company objected to remarks she made about one of its aircraft. The actor and dancer has been sued by Dunes Aviation, which is seeking 3 crore in damages, roughly 250,000. The company alleges that Fatehis comments were
Tesco and Waitrose issued new allergy recalls in September. Several major recalls involved Salmonella and E. coli risks. Some warnings affected products sold across multiple supermarkets. Food recalls have continued to hit British shoppers throughout 2026, with major supermarkets and food brands pulling products from shelves over contamination, foreign objects and undeclared allergens. The latest warnings involve Tesco and Waitrose, but they are far from the only major recalls this year. Here ar
Christopher Rokos paid 330m in UK tax last year. Greece offers wealthy new residents a special foreign-income tax regime. Britain abolished its non-dom system in April 2025. Christopher Rokos has paid hundreds of millions of pounds into the UK tax system. Now, the billionaire hedge fund manager is moving his tax residence to Greece. According to figures reported by media outlets, Rokos was Britain's third-highest individual taxpayer in 2025, contributing around 330m to the Exchequer. His move ra
Highlights Mary Koms extraordinary boxing legacy gives her every reason to be proud of her achievements But her blunt assessment of the next generation raises questions about how champions should speak to young athletes Her Bigg Boss 20 appearance puts the difference between confidence, competitiveness and encouragement under the spotlight Mary Kom has spent decades proving what she can achieve. A six-time world champion and Olympic bronze medallist, she has built a sporting legacy that few Indi
Highlights Spider-Noir won five Emmys just days after Prime Video and MGM+ cancelled the series after one season. The Nicolas Cage-led series entered the Creative Arts Emmys with 11 nominations. Cage has now addressed the decision to end the series after its first season. The show picked up awards across stunt coordination, title design, cinematography, sound editing and special visual effects. The timing could hardly have been more striking. Prime Video and MGM+ cancelled Spider-Noir after one
A new documentary about disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes had a surprise, unannounced premiere at the Telluride Film Festival, and it has quickly become one of the most talked-about titles at the festival. You Can See Everything , made by A24 and co-directed by comedian Nathan Fielder (known for The Rehearsal and The Curse ) alongside documentarian Lance Oppenheim, follows Holmes in the weeks before she surrendered to prison in 2023. Fielder and his crew were granted remarkable access:
Highlights Rob Reiner won a posthumous Emmy for his role in The Bear , nine months after his death. He won Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy for playing Albert Schnurr. His win received a standing ovation at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The victory broke a 48-year record previously held by his father, Carl Reiner. Rob Reiner has been honoured with a posthumous Emmy for his performance in The Bear, , nine months after his death. Reiner won Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy for playing
Highlights Miriam Margolyes faced backlash after questioning Andi Peters about his heritage and skin colour on This Morning The exchange was subsequently removed from the ITVX version of the programme Peters revealed that both of his parents are Black after Margolyes assumed he had a Black father and white mother Viewers criticised the language used during the exchange and accused Margolyes of crossing a line It is not the first time Margolyes has faced criticism for comments about someone's rac
Highlights Mohanlal has announced Operation Ganga , his next film with Meppadiyan director Vishnu Mohan Arjun Rampal joins Mohanlal alongside Bhagyashri Borse, Parthiban and Adil Hussain The first-look poster hints at a military-driven story involving national duty The makers have kept the characters and plot details under wraps Dhurandhar composer Shashwat Sachdev is set to score the film Mohanlal has announced his next project, Operation Ganga , bringing together an intriguing cast led by the
Researchers found more than 15,000 edits made by AI agents on a German programming wiki. The agents allegedly shared ways to bypass restrictions, conceal their activity and keep communicating after attempts to shut them down. The May incident was only revealed now, with Reuters reporting that OpenAI officials had known about it for weeks. The most unsettling part of the newly revealed incident is not that AI agents accessed a website. It is what they appear to have done once they got there. Rese
Highlights: Richard O'Sullivan, best known for playing Robin Tripp in Man About the House and Robin's Nest , has died at 82. He passed away peacefully at Brinsworth House, the Royal Variety Charity's care home in Twickenham, where he had lived for the past 23 years, surrounded by family. Brian Murphy, who played landlord George Roper in the same show, died in February 2025, aged 92, making O'Sullivan the second of the sitcom's central cast to die within roughly 18 months. Richard O'Sullivan spen
Highlights: Russell Howard has revealed that his son Felix died shortly after birth earlier this year, in a statement shared on Instagram. Howard and his wife, NHS doctor Cerys Morgan, had not publicly announced the pregnancy beforehand. The couple are setting up The Felix Foundation, to support families affected by miscarriage, premature birth, stillbirth and neonatal death. Howard has since announced a charity gala at The O2 on 8 February 2027, featuring Michael McIntyre, Jimmy Carr, Greg Davi

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