The American Express Times
Wednesday, August 19, 2026
Free Festival Celebrates Dorset's 'Odd' Isle of Portland
The Isle of Portland will host That Other Place, a free arts festival from September 10 to 13 featuring contemporary installations and performances by artists like Rory Pilgrim and Jim Chuchu in various island locations. This event, part of B-side's Common Lands project, aims to explore and celebrate the island’s identity by transforming its unique…
★ Featured Stories
The ‘confidence tax’ could be holding you back at work
Experts identify the "confidence tax" as the financial setbacks individuals, especially women, face due to insecurity and self-doubt when managing money or negotiating finances. Overcoming…
I’m an NHS GP – can I take a lump sum at 55?
A 55-year-old NHS general practitioner in Scotland has questioned the management of their pension split between England and Scotland and the option to take an…
Keys and Gray are 'back'. Did anyone miss them?
Former broadcasters Richard Keys and Andy Gray have returned to media with the launch of their football podcast *Keys & Gray Unleashed* after a 13-year…
New FRC chair sits on board of cited company
Dame Jayne-Anne Gadhia faces criticism over her role on the board of Innovo Group, a company under criminal investigation in the UAE, shortly after being…
★ All Stories
Man who drove at 139mph banned
Morgan Sapsford-Howard, a 20-year-old from Attleborough, Norfolk, was disqualified from driving for 18 months after reaching 139 mph while fleeing police on the A11 near…
100-year-old tortoise gets mobile again
A tortoise named Trotter, believed to be over 100 years old, underwent amputation of a front leg after an injury became infected. The successful surgery…
Musicians ‘squeezed out’ by AI content
Researchers at Queen’s University Belfast found that AI technologies in music streaming, ticket sales, and social media are increasingly sidelining human musicians by favoring automated…
Singer Snider ‘sorry’ about Osbourne post
Dee Snider apologized to Kelly Osbourne after criticizing the late Ozzy Osbourne’s role in songwriting on social media. The dispute underscores the enduring sensitivity around…
Whales feast on Arctic ‘fish bonanza’ in warming sea
Baleen whales such as fin, humpback, and minke whales have increasingly been observed feeding in East Greenland waters due to warming Arctic waters and shifting…
Windfall tax on banks ‘could help end rip-off Britain’
The Green Party of England and Wales has proposed a 38 percent windfall tax on profits over £800 million from major banks to raise at…
17% rise in parking tickets in one year
Private companies in the UK issued a record 16.9 million parking tickets in the past year, a 17 percent increase from the previous period. The…
Solomon a wild card for ‘Masked Singer’
Stacey Solomon has been announced as a new panelist on The Masked Singer UK, joining a special "Wild Cards" detective panel alongside comedian Alan Carr.…
Boxer Taylor’s final fight live on RTÉ
Irish boxer Katie Taylor will end her professional career with a final fight against Flora Pili at Croke Park in Dublin on 5 September. The…
PM blames Middle East conflict as UK inflation rises to four-month high
The UK's inflation rate climbed to 2.9% in July, driven largely by a surge in energy costs and the geopolitical conflict in the Middle East.…
Call to cap profits for firms running public services
Chris Cooke, mayor of Middlesbrough and chair of a metropolitan councils group, has called for profit caps on private companies delivering all statutory public services,…
Cash-strapped London councils planning biggest ever tax rise
Several London councils, including Wandsworth and Westminster, are considering council tax increases of up to 160 percent to address large budget deficits caused by reduced…
More earthquakes hit Granada area overnight
At least 10 earthquakes struck the Granada area in southern Spain overnight, including a magnitude 3.4 quake centered near Ogijares, causing light injuries and prompting…
Rayner defends Treasury’s outsourcing to No 10 North
The government has assigned economic growth responsibilities to the new No 10 North office in Manchester, separating this role from the Treasury’s focus on public…
Commissioner calls for single Donaldson review
The Commissioner for Victims of Crime in Northern Ireland has called on Secretary of State Sir Chris Bryant to commission a single, independent review into…
Lib Dems set out asylum policy
Liberal Democrat leaders proposed that the UK join the EU’s Migration and Asylum Pact to allow returning migrants to the first EU country they entered…
Farage using Christian faith, says former archbishop
Former archbishop Rowan Williams criticized Nigel Farage for invoking the UK’s Christian identity to justify anti-Muslim attitudes and questioned the sincerity of his religious rhetoric.…
More GCSE pupils will get into first choice of sixth form college
The government has increased funding to allow sixth-form and further education colleges to admit more students, including those with lower GCSE grades, by expanding their…
Growing number of Britons expect war to reach UK within two years
A government survey found that 28 percent of Britons now believe war is likely to reach the UK within two years, up from 19 percent…
The crucial role the UK would play if Putin attacks Europe
NATO has developed a detailed three-part strategy to counter a possible Russian attack on Europe, with the United Kingdom playing a key role through advanced…
Wet weather ends dry spell in many parts of UK but drought continues
Rain has returned to parts of southern England, ending dry spells lasting over two months and providing some relief to drought-stricken farmers and gardeners. However,…
I was a breast surgeon - I was shocked by my cancer diagnosis
Actress Lucy Davis revealed she has metastatic breast cancer that had already spread to her bones by the time of diagnosis, making chemotherapy no longer…
Traveller fears are ‘scaremongering’
Housing Secretary Angela Rayner rejected claims by shadow Housing Secretary Sir James Cleverly that proposed planning regulation changes would ease approval of unauthorized Traveller sites,…
Immigration reforms stifled by courts and lawyers, says Straw
Jack Straw has criticized the growing use of judicial reviews in immigration and asylum cases, arguing that they hinder effective government decision-making and calling for…
PM ‘too chicken to back oilfields’
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has delayed deciding on whether to approve the Jackdaw and Rosebank oil and gas projects in the North Sea, which were…
Zelensky fires senior official in wake of corruption claims
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Iryna Mudra, a deputy head of his presidential office, amid a corruption probe involving a money-laundering scheme linked to state…
Exercising students less likely to be anxious
Researchers at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences found that regular physical exercise among over 10,000 Norwegian university students reduces the risk of anxiety and…
Why the housing market is so gummed up
The UK housing market is slowing down, with the average time to sell a home rising to 42 days and London experiencing notable price declines…
Alerts issued for thunderstorms
Meteorologists issued thunderstorm warnings across northern England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as heavy rain brought limited relief to drought-stricken areas. Despite the storms, water authorities…
Let weeds grow to help honeybees
Researchers at the University of Sussex found that allowing late-blooming weeds to grow in late summer can help honeybees cope with nectar shortages when natural…
Two tuna caught off Yorkshire
Two Atlantic bluefin tuna were caught off the coast of Yorkshire on back-to-back days, marking the first recorded catches of the species in the North…
Zoos ‘could be doing more’ to help protect the most vulnerable species
A study of 113 British and Irish zoos and aquariums found that most captive vertebrates are non-native and not globally threatened, with fewer than one-third…
Pomegranates could help people with heart failure
Researchers at King’s College London found that urolithin A, a compound produced after consuming pomegranates and other foods, may improve heart function in nearly 500,000…
No small beer... penny from 1971 buys pint at today’s price
Ellie Mead from Oxfordshire found a 1945 penny hidden inside her house along with a note promising a pint of beer to its returnee, leading…
The Opinion Matrix: Comment from home and abroad
Meta is facing a landmark trial in the U.S. over allegations that its social media platforms harm young users' mental health. This case could prompt…
Your View: Readers’ opinions and letters
Several public contributors expressed views on immigration's economic impact, water infrastructure deficiencies, social welfare, and financial challenges facing younger generations. Their perspectives highlight urgent needs…
Air strikes continue after US talks
Israeli forces carried out multiple air strikes in Gaza, killing at least 10 people and detaining a Hamas police colonel despite recent US efforts to…