The News - Saturday, 31 January 2026

BBC News

Takeaways from the millions of newly released Epstein files

Three million new documents include hundreds of mentions of Trump and emails between Epstein and a person called "The Duke".

Epstein invited 'The Duke' to meet Russian woman

The exchange emerges in the latest, wider batch of documents released by the US justice department.

Schitt's Creek and Home Alone star Catherine O'Hara dies aged 71

The Emmy-winning actress died at her home in Los Angeles on Friday after a brief illness, her agent said.

I mocked the Saudi leader on YouTube - then my phone was hacked and I was beaten up in London

Satirist Ghanem al-Masarir has been awarded £3m in damages, but it's unclear if Saudi Arabia will pay.

'I spoke to ChatGPT 8 times a day' - Gen Z's loneliness 'crisis'

AI chatbots are being used as 'surrogate friends' by young people who have lost the ability to socialise.

Will Trump's pick to lead US central bank get him the change he wants?

Opinion is divided over whether Warsh will align with the US president's views over how the Federal Reserve should be run.

Phone lines stay open as tax return deadline looms

More than one million people missed the deadline a year ago, according to HM Revenue and Customs.

What we learned - and didn't - from the Melania documentary

Melania, directed by Brett Ratner, provides a fleeting glimpse into the life of the enigmatic first lady.

Has Harry Styles killed the world tour?

Artists including Ariana Grande are opting for longer residencies in key cities rather than touring more locations.

The Papers: 'Epstein invited to Palace' and 'I have Russian friend for you'

Revelations from newly released documents related to Jeffrey Epstein dominate Saturday's papers.

An ingredient for this curry is missing - and in eight minutes, it's at the door

India's quick-commerce boom means groceries in minutes - but it can be dangerous for riders.

Parents want to ban smartphones in schools, but there's one reason they're worried

The House of Lords is soon due to debate whether to introduce a legal ban on smartphones in schools.

This tiny Australian town is up for sale - but the locals don't want to leave

Residents say the sale of Licola - population, five - jeopardises its future.

Plan ahead and dress wisely: How to minimise add-on costs when you fly

Don't get swept into paying for extras you don't need.

One wrong move and it could all go wrong - the men clearing deadly undersea Russian mines

Clearing mines from the sea is a perilous operation and doing so in an active conflict is even more dangerous.

This army chief threatened to castrate opposition leader and claimed descent from Jesus

The president’s son, notorious for explosive remarks on X, has ambitions to succeed his father.

Chris Mason: What Starmer's China reset tells us about his foreign policy

The prime minister has set out his vision - and now begun to match it with actions and overseas visits.

Labubu to open seven UK shops, after PM's China visit

The furry dolls have a signature spiky-toothed grin and became a viral purchase last summer.

UN risks 'imminent financial collapse', secretary general warns

António Guterres says the international body could run out of money by July due to members' unpaid fees.

Did Beyoncé split country music in two?

Cowboy Carter winning the Grammy's country album of the year last year sent shockwaves through the industry.

Sending my son to nursery in odd shoes helped me realise I was losing my sight

Andy, who has retinal dystrophy, initially had avoidance anxiety and "wouldn't cross a road, wouldn't take the kids to school".

Fan's delight as work trip turns into Bridgerton ball

What started as a work trip in Nottinghamshire became an invitation to the Netflix series four premiere.

Latest Epstein revelations dig even deeper hole for Andrew

More unedifying pictures and words mean it doesn't get any better for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

Israeli air strikes kill at least 28 Palestinians in Gaza, rescue officials say

Israel's military confirmed the strikes, which come during a ceasefire that Israel and Hamas accuse each other of breaking.

Zack Polanski is having fun. But can the Green leader become a serious player?

The Greens' new leader has generated a lot of excitement. Can he translate the buzz into electoral success?

Pedro Pascal and Meryl Streep lead tributes to Catherine O'Hara

The Canadian comedic actress died in Los Angeles on Friday at the age of 71 following a brief illness.

Ukrainians brace for -20C despite energy truce: 'It will be a catastrophe'

Already facing electricity cuts, civilians are struggling to keep warm in their own homes as temperatures are set to plummet.

Israel eyes regime change in Iran - and is counting on Trump to make it happen

Analysts believe PM Netanyahu is urging the US towards maximalist strikes.

Takeaways from the millions of newly released Epstein files

Three million new documents include hundreds of mentions of Trump and emails between Epstein and a person called "The Duke".

King surprises Parkrun joggers for second year in a row

This is the second time the monarch has surprised joggers at a Parkrun on the royal estate.

Labour pick Angeliki Stogia for Gorton by-election

The councillor was chosen after Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham was blocked from standing.

Musk's SpaceX applies to launch 1m satellites into orbit

The firm wants to create a network of "orbital data centres" to power artificial intelligence.

Starmer invites Japan PM to UK after Tokyo talks

Sir Keir and Sanae Takaichi discussed ways to strengthen ties between their two nations during the meeting, at the end of the UK prime minister's trip to East Asia.

Israel split over plans to bring back death penalty for deadly attacks

In a highly controversial move, some Israeli MPs are trying to introduce the death penalty for Palestinian attackers.

Student loan system 'fair and reasonable', says Reeves

The chancellor's defence comes after Martin Lewis called her freeze on student loans "not a moral thing".

Watch: Frozen river hosts dance party in Kyiv

Residents in the Ukrainian capital are finding joy in unusual places, despite power cuts caused by Russian attacks and freezing winter temperatures.

This tiny town is up for sale - but the locals don't want to leave

Residents say the sale of Licola - population, five - jeopardises its future.

More than 200 killed in mine collapse in DR Congo

The mine gave way after heavy rains on Wednesday, a local rebel spokesman says.

I mocked the Saudi leader on YouTube - then my phone was hacked and I was beaten up in London

Satirist Ghanem al-Masarir has been awarded £3m in damages, but it's unclear if Saudi Arabia will pay.

Phone lines stay open as tax return deadline looms

More than one million people missed the deadline a year ago, according to HM Revenue and Customs.

The friends who are boosting women's DIY skills

Sarah Bolger and Justine Wortsman say they did not realise "how much of a gap in the market there was".

Man visits Disney World 80 times - and he's not done yet

Phil Taylor has visited Walt Disney World in Florida 80 times and does not plan to stop.

How these former Ibiza DJs are nurturing a new generation

Sally Rodgers and Steve Jones toured Ibiza in the 80s and 90s before returning to Teesside.

Pokémon cards help boy through cancer treatment

The trading cards helped Dylan cope with leukaemia treatment and recovery.

Bournemouth Echo

Fans to be encouraged to leave cars at home as Cherries aim to expand stadium

Fans will be encouraged to leave their cars at home and travel to the Vitality Stadium by other means as the Cherries plan to expand the ground.

Bar Med was the backdrop to some of our best nights out in the late 90s

These snapshots capture a specific, glorious era of Bournemouth nightlife.

BCP Council house tenants will be hit by rent increases

Council housing tenants in Bournemouth and Poole are set to have rents increased by nearly 5 per cent in April.

University unveils 10‑year plan with digital innovation and community at its heart

BOURNEMOUTH University has set out an ambitious 10‑year plan to drive a new digital and innovation era, with staff and students at the heart of the community.

Plans moving forward for multi-million-pound major housing project in Boscombe

BCP Council’s cabinet is being asked to proceed with a multi-million-pound scheme for a major housing and regeneration project in Boscombe.

'Problem tenant' causing 'distress' to neighbours in flats is evicted

A “problem tenant” was evicted from a block of flats in Christchurch after they caused “distress” to neighbours through their alleged criminal activity.

'Community' pub in Wimborne where 'everyone is welcome'

A family run Wimborne pub where “everyone is welcome” is Pub of the Week.

New B&M shop officially opens at former Wilko unit

B&M’s new Winton store has officially opened.

Woman receives thousands after sustaining 'serious' burns mid-flight

A Ryanair passenger received thousands in damages after she sustained 'serious' burns mid-flight.

Council could ‘implode’ with rising need for both adult and children’s care

DORSET Council could eventually ‘implode’ with the rising need for both adult and children’s care – unless the Government changes its ways. Finance portfolio holder Cllr Simon Clifford (Chickerell) told a Cabinet meeting that while Dorset was nowhere near disaster yet, it might be in the

Bricks fall off van onto road as suspected drug driver arrested

A WARNING has been issued about insecure loads after bricks fell off a van in Dorset.

Date set for introduction of parking charges across 129 New Forest car parks

A date has been set for the introduction of parking charges at car parks across the New Forest.

Limited time offer to help more retrofit experts sign up to national scheme

COUNCIL is offering a special one-off offer to help boost the work of Dorset’s retrofitters and make homes more energy efficient.

New Forest bus routes join Breezer brand

Morebus is adding Bluestar buses 6, X1 and X2 to its Breezer bus routes.

New Forest District Council set to launch new customer service system

New Forest District Council is set to launch new automated phone and enhanced web chat services in February.

Coastguard issues warning as 'unusual' items may wash up after storm

Members of the public are being warned to not touch any 'unusual' items that wash up after storms, as it may be unexploded ordnance.

Residents told they can return home after 'danger to life' flood warning

Residents that were urged to leave their homes in Iford, following a 'danger to life' flood warning, have now been told they can return home.

Children's author shares life stories in trip to Poole school

Author Maz Evans opened up about her life and career on a visit to a Poole primary school.

College reveals ambitious new five-year strategy to boost regional economy

Bournemouth and Poole College brought together community leaders and hundreds of staff for new strategy event.

Take a look around two retirement developments at 'brunch and bubbles' events

Guests will be able to meet the Churchill team, and learn about the company’s moving packages, downsizing advice and specially tailored services.

Police office to temporarily close due to 'unavoidable circumstances'

A police enquiry office will be temporarily closed for one day due to 'unavoidable circumstances'.

Formula 1

What happened on Day 5 of the Barcelona Shakedown?

As the Barcelona Shakedown draws to a close, F1.com has the lowdown on how Day 5 unfolded.

The best social media from Day 5 in Barcelona

With all five days of the Barcelona Shakedown complete, we round up the best social media posted by F1 and the teams at the track from the final day of running.

What the teams said after the Barcelona Shakedown

The drivers and teams report back following the Barcelona Shakedown at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

What we learned from the Barcelona Shakedown

As the dust settles on the Barcelona Shakedown, F1.com's Lawrence Barretto has the lowdown on what happened at the event.

DRIVING TOMORROW: James Vowles on F1’s future

As part of Santander’s Driving Tomorrow series, Williams Team Principal James Vowles gives his take on F1 as it is today and where the sport might be heading…

Windows Central

Crimson Desert devs working "to make the game run as good as it possibly can" ahead of its release date — the promising open-world RPG may even rival GTA 6

Ahead of Crimson Desert's scheduled launch this March, the team at Pearl Abyss says it's in the "optimization phase" of the game's development.

NVIDIA releases driver update for Maxwell and Pascal GPUs — it focuses only on security fixes, but it's still crucial for the older cards

Maxwell, Pascal, and Volta GPUs no longer receive Game Ready Driver updates, but that doesn't mean NVIDIA is ignoring them. If you have an older card, I recommend you grab this security update targeting five vulnerabilities.

The Xbox Ally, with its 1080p, 120Hz display and comfy grips, is putting the Steam Deck on notice — and it's now just below $490 instead of $599

It's the end of January, but we've found a major discount to close it out in style for portable handheld gaming users. The critically-acclaimed Xbox Ally, whose performance and hardware is on par with the iconic Steam Deck, is now on sale with a 18% discount.

WWE 2K26 is finally revealed in full — Here's details on its release date, new match types, new features, and more

WWE and 2K Games have finally revealed WWE 2K26. Here's everything they announced, as well as information we acquired regarding its gameplay, release date, and more.

Epic CEO Tim Sweeney takes aim at one of Valve's Steam policies as that massive UK lawsuit looms — "This is the practice courts found illegal"

Epic Games founder and CEO Tim Sweeney argues that the way Valve handles in-game microtransactions for Steam games is "unlawful."

Google Chrome doesn't use enough RAM, so it will soon launch in the foreground when you boot up your Windows 11 PC

A new toggle in Chrom allows the browser to launch immediately at startup. The feature is in testing now in the Canary Channel.

The entry-level CPU we believe is "masterclass of performance-per-watt efficiency" is now under $200 — it has CPU Speeds of 3.9 GHz, 6 Cores, and more

Amazon has acquired a special 34% discount for the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X, making one of the most affordable and power-efficient CPUs for PCs with RTX 4080 graphics cheaper than ever.

Gaming stocks tank as investors panic over Google’s Genie 3 AI — but should they?

Companies like Tencent, Take-Two, and others lose billions over Google's Genie 3.0.

Orico's straightforward Thunderbolt 5 SSD enclosure proves they'll only get more popular as storage prices rise

SSD enclosures aren't a new idea, but those with Thunderbolt 5 performance are still fairly rare. Orico's X50 counts itself among the few products, and it's been nothing but a boon to my workflow.

Laffgaff

What type of animal was Barney in the T.V. show Barney & Friends?

Dinosaur.

Retired Volkswagens

Where do Volkswagens go to retire? The old volks home.

Itsfoss

Your eBooks Don't Have to Look Boring, Calibre 9.0 Now has Shelves

The eBook manager gets a visual upgrade with bookshelves and in-viewer editing.

Nano Feels Complicated? Try These 5 Easier Terminal Editors

The Linux terminal has come a long way from supporting only the keyboard to having software that can be navigated fully using a mouse.