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Willie Nelson And Son Micah Have A Surprise On The Horizon
Willie Nelson and his son, Micah, team up for a special surprise - a new album! This will be Willie's 76th album, but working with his youngest son adds something extra special. Micah not only produced the album but also showcases his musical talents by playing most of the instrumentals. Fans are excited for the release on November 1st after Willie's recovery from an illness that caused him to miss performances.
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Larry The Cat Marks 15 Years as Britain’s Chief Mouser, a Symbol of Stability in Chaotic Political Times
In a country that has cycled through six prime ministers in 15 years, one figure at 10 Downing Street has remained steady, whiskered and entirely unfazed. Larry the cat, Britain’s Chief Mouser, is marking his 15th anniversary on Sunday as the government’s official rodent catcher and unofficial morale booster. “Larry the cat’s approval ratings will be very high,” said Philip Howell, a Cambridge University professor who studies human-animal relations. “And prime ministers tend not to hit those numbers. He represents stability, and that’s at a premium.” Larry’s path to power started far from the corridors of government. The grey and white tabby was adopted from London’s Battersea Dogs and Cats Home by then prime minister David Cameron. He arrived at No. 10 on February 15, 2011, with an official job description that included “greeting guests to the house, inspecting security defenses and testing antique furniture for napping quality.” Since then, Larry has perfected the art of upstaging world leaders. Justin Ng, a freelance photographer who has tracked Larry for years, said, “He’s great at photo-bombing. If there’s a foreign leader that’s about to visit then we know he’ll just come out at the exact moment that meet-and-greet is about to happen.” Larry has forced visiting dignitaries to step over him more than once. Although he is famously indifferent to most men, he warmed to former U.S. president Barack Obama and even drew a smile from Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. During Donald Trump’s 2019 visit, Larry stole the moment by strolling into the frame and then napping under the Beast, the president’s armored vehicle. His hunting record is mixed. While he has been photographed catching the occasional mouse and once a pigeon that ultimately escaped, Larry is better known for lounging than for lethal efficiency. “He’s more of a lover than a fighter,” Ng said. Larry’s time at Downing Street has included tense cohabitation with a revolving cast of ministerial pets. Boris Johnson’s Jack Russell cross, Dilyn, and Rishi Sunak’s Labrador, Nova, shared space with varying degrees of success. He is kept apart from current prime minister Keir Starmer’s family cats, JoJo and Prince, who stay in the private quarters. His fiercest rivalry was with Palmerston, the Foreign Office’s top cat. The two fought often until Palmerston’s retirement in 2020. Palmerston later moved to Bermuda, where he served as “feline relations consultant” before his death this month. At around 18 or 19 years old, Larry has slowed down but remains a fixture at No. 10. He continues his daily patrols and favours a warm spot above the radiator near the front door. He has also become a form of soft power, representing British character in a way no political slogan quite can. Howell said any leader who tried to remove him would face public backlash. “A cat-hating PM, that seems to me to be political suicide,” he said. Part of Larry’s appeal is that he refuses to be scripted. “The fact that cats are less tractable is part of the charm, too,” Howell said. “He’s sort of whimsically not partisan in a political sense, but he tends to take to some people and not to others and he won’t necessarily sit where you want him to sit and pose where you want him to pose. There is a certain kind of unruliness about Larry which I think would endear him, certainly, to Brits.” As Britain’s political world continues to churn, Larry remains unbothered. He claimed Downing Street long ago, and by all appearances, he plans to stay.
Score (96)
Missing New Jersey Man Rescued After His Apple AirTag Alerted First Responders
A man who went missing in New Jersey was found in an icy ravine after first responders picked up a ping from his Apple AirTag, according to New Jersey Transit Police. Authorities had been searching for the man since Thursday, February 5. The next morning, at around 8:40, emergency crews near the 9th Street light rail station in Jersey City detected his AirTag signal. The New Jersey Transit Police and the Hoboken Fire Department located him about 12 metres down an embankment on the Hoboken Jersey City border. Police said he had fallen into a ravine and was too injured to move. He had been exposed to freezing temperatures for several hours. Body cam footage posted on YouTube shows responders setting up ropes and a rescue board before pulling him up the slope. In a statement, New Jersey Transit Police said, “Officers with New Jersey Transit Police’s highly specialized Emergency Services Unit created a rope rescue system, using their truck as an anchor, to pull the man to safety as part of a team effort with Hoboken Fire Department.” Apple’s AirTag sends a secure Bluetooth signal to nearby devices on the Find My network, a feature meant to help people locate lost items like keys or luggage. In this case, the device gave responders the location they needed to track the man down. He was taken to hospital for treatment and is expected to survive, police said.
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Score (98)
Rescue Dog Turned Conservation Worker is Helping Scientists Track Rare Species Across the Globe
A former rescue dog from Montana has become an unexpected asset in conservation work, using his nose to track species that researchers often struggle to find. The Missoulian reported that Charlie, an 8 year old dog taken in by Working Dogs for Conservation, has spent the past five years helping scientists locate elusive animals, from sea wolves on the Canadian coast to kit foxes in the southwest United States. Working Dogs for Conservation, based east of Missoula, focuses on two missions. The group rescues neglected dogs and then trains them to detect scents that support wildlife protection. Trainers teach each dog to search for specific targets so they can assist with ecological monitoring of endangered species, detecting invasive species, and identifying environmental contaminants. Not every dog excels at the same task. Michele Lovara, a K 9 field specialist with the organization, said Charlie has contributed to wolf research in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Another dog helped conservation teams in the Falkland Islands by inspecting boats for non native rats that can devastate local wildlife. The group has been doing this work for 26 years, operating in 36 countries and 45 states. Aimee Hurt, a cofounder and director of Special Projects, told The Missoulian, “The impact these dogs make every day is incredible, but it's our community that makes this work possible.” Handlers say dogs can do things researchers simply cannot. Their sense of smell gives them a way to find rare species, invasive threats, or subtle changes in an area’s ecology with a level of precision that would otherwise be out of reach. That information helps scientists understand how species are being pressured and what interventions might help. The organization also keeps caring for its retired dogs, many of whom worked on earlier conservation assignments. Staff make sure they “live out a good life in retirement,” according to The Missoulian. Charlie, still active in the field, is one of dozens of dogs now helping researchers protect vulnerable species and the places they depend on.
Score (96)
Archaeologists Just Uncovered a 10,000-Year-Old Rock Art Site in Egypt’s Sinai
Archaeologists in Egypt have announced a find that stretches back 10,000 years, revealing a previously unknown site packed with rock art on the Umm Irak Plateau in the Sinai Peninsula. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said Thursday that the newly documented formation runs about 100 metres and shows a timeline of human artistic expression from prehistoric periods through to the Islamic era. The Supreme Council of Antiquities said it had uncovered “one of the most important new archeological sites, of exceptional historical and artistic value.” Officials described the discovery as unusually rich because it layers thousands of years of cultural expression in a single open space. Hisham El Leithy, the council’s secretary general, said the site’s chronological range makes it “an open air natural museum.” Archaeologists said the ceiling of the natural rock shelter is covered in drawings made with red pigment, depicting animals, symbols, and inscriptions in both Arabic and the Nabataean language. The team also found traces of daily life inside the shelter. Animal droppings, stone partitions, and hearth remains all point to long term use as a refuge. Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathi said these remnants “provide further evidence of the succession of civilisations that have inhabited this important part of Egypt over the millennia.” He called the discovery a “significant addition to the map of Egyptian antiquities.” The site sits in the southern Sinai, a region where Cairo is pushing a major development project to boost mass tourism around Saint Catherine. The mountain town, home to Bedouin communities and a UNESCO World Heritage site, has been at the centre of a debate over how to expand tourism without threatening ancestral land.
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The Olympic Couples Bringing Their Love Stories to Milan Cortina
Hundreds of elite athletes are competing at the 2026 Winter Games, and some of them just happen to be dating, engaged or married. Some train in the same sport, others come from completely different disciplines, but all of them are trying to manage the same challenge, balancing a relationship with the pressure of performing on the biggest stage in sport. One of the most well known stories belongs to Oksana Masters and Aaron Pike. They met at a Para Nordic competition in 2013 and bonded over a shared love of coffee before things deepened at the 2014 Sochi Games. Masters told NPR that they realised on a gondola ride that their connection was more than friendship. Pike proposed on another gondola in Wyoming in 2022. They have not announced a wedding date, though they have joked publicly about who is doing the planning. Masters said Italy could be the perfect place for it. Two more familiar faces in Milan are Hilary Knight and Brittany Bowe. Their relationship began during the tightly controlled Beijing Olympics in 2022, when Knight asked Bowe if she wanted to go for a walk. That simple routine became a daily touchpoint. Now they are sharing another Olympics without the pandemic restrictions. Knight, competing in her fifth Games, said having both families there adds to the energy. Bowe said being able to attend each other’s events has been a rare and meaningful change. In bobsled, Kaysha Love and Hunter Powell are experiencing their first Olympics together as teammates. They met as track and field athletes in college. Love encouraged Powell to try bobsled, pushing him to attend a recruitment event. “She talked me into it, and I'm so thankful that she did,” he said. They got engaged in 2025 and are now living the full Olympic experience at the same time. “It’s the coolest thing in the world,” Powell said. Snowboarders Red Gerard and Hailey Langland have known each other since age 12. They have been together for eight years, competing side by side at the 2018 and 2022 Olympics. Gerard is competing again this year. Langland is recovering from an ACL injury but is staying in Italy with him and his family. Ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates started as training partners long before they became a couple. Bates said he told Chock he loved her in 2017, which changed everything. They were engaged in 2022 and married in Hawaii in 2024. “The skating career is short and finite, the relationship is much, much longer,” Bates told NPR. Chock said the sport has strengthened their bond and shaped how they grow together. Another American ice dance duo, Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik, are also partners on and off the ice. There are international stories too. Two stars of women’s hockey, Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey, compete together for Montreal and for Team Canada. They have been together since 2017 and married since 2024. Skeleton racers Kim Meylemans and Nicole Silveira represent different countries but married less than a year before arriving in Italy. Swedish hockey player Anna Kjellbin and Finnish player Ronja Savolainen met as teammates in Sweden. Now they are fiancées playing on rival Olympic teams. Curling also has no shortage of relationship dynamics. Three married couples are competing in the mixed doubles field: Canada's Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant, Switzerland’s Yannick Schwaller and Briar Schwaller-Hürlimann, and Norway’s Kristin Skaslien and Magnus Nedregotten. And in ice dance, Italy’s own Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri have been together since 2009. Their on ice chemistry has become part of their competitive identity. From gondola proposals to shared training sessions, quiet walks in Olympic villages and big family gatherings in the stands, these couples add an extra layer to the Games. Behind the medals and the pressure are people navigating long distance, shared ambitions and the rare experience of competing at the highest level alongside someone they love.
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Airline Welcomes VIP Endangered Turtle Needing Hospital After Powerful Winter Storm
When Storm Goretti battered Europe on January 9 with winds reaching 110 miles per hour, most of the disruption was on the ground. But one young loggerhead turtle ended up hundreds of miles off course, washing ashore on the Island of Jersey near France. The warm water species had been “cold stunned,” a state where turtles become immobile after prolonged exposure to cold temperatures. A beachcomber found the juvenile reptile and brought it to New Era Hospital, where veterinarian Peter Haworth stabilised it with warmed seawater provided by The Jersey Oyster Company. The turtle, later named Crush after the character from Finding Nemo, was weak and malnourished and needed more care than the small Jersey facility could provide. A transfer across the English Channel by boat was considered too risky, so Haworth looked to the skies instead. Loganair agreed to fly Crush to Britain as a First Class passenger, allowing the endangered animal to travel calmly and with minimal stress. “This was certainly one of the more unusual passengers we’ve welcomed on board,” said Ronnie Matheson, Loganair’s chief commercial officer. “Our teams worked closely with Peter and his colleagues to ensure that she could travel as calmly and comfortably as possible.” Crush landed in Southampton, where airport staff coordinated her transfer to the SeaLife Centre in Weymouth, about 90 miles away. “We’re delighted to support this special journey and play a small part in helping this young turtle get the expert care it needs,” said Dan Townsend, head of airside operations at Southampton Airport. Before her flight, CT scans showed an unusually large amount of sand in her oesophagus. Some of it was removed to prevent complications, and specialists in Weymouth will monitor her long term recovery. The goal is to release her back into loggerhead habitat range this spring. Crush’s journey from a storm battered beach to a First Class cabin has given rescuers hope that she will make a full return to the ocean.
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A Robotic Surgery System Named Hugo Helped This Man Overcome Prostate Cancer With a Swift Recovery
James Choate Deeds always stayed on top of his health, so when he turned 50 he asked for a PSA test even though his doctor said the odds of cancer were low and false positives were common. “I’d like to know, so I’ll definitely do it,” he said. The results were higher than expected, though a biopsy came back clean, and for years doctors simply monitored him. Seven years later, a new physician noticed his PSA levels were rising. A second biopsy confirmed prostate cancer on June 3, 2022, when Choate Deeds was 57. “The good news is, we caught it really early,” his urologist told him. He broke the news to his family in person and tried to stay optimistic. “I was hoping they would see that things are just fine and I’ve got time,” he said. He spent months researching his options. At a family wedding, a cousin recommended Seattle urologist Dr. James Porter, Chief Medical Officer for Robotic and Digital Technologies at Medtronic. Porter said Choate Deeds was a strong candidate for a clinical trial using Hugo, a robotic assisted surgery system. “It ended up being a really easy decision,” Choate Deeds said. He underwent Hugo assisted surgery on December 22, 2022. Porter operated from a console about 10 feet away. “The robot is taking my movements and then transferring them into the patient's body,” Porter said. “But in transferring my movements, they’re actually making them better.” Choate Deeds was walking within 24 hours, with only tiny incision marks. “I was amazed, the recovery time was so quick,” he said. “I’ve had knee surgery, I had an ACL accident, and that was much, much harder than my cancer surgery was.” Porter called the recovery “remarkable” and said the goal is simple, to remove the cancer and get patients back to their lives as quickly as possible. Because the cancer was fully removed, Choate Deeds did not need chemotherapy or radiation. He soon returned to ice hockey and resumed monthly ski trips to Vail with his son. “There’s nothing I don’t do that I did before, and there’s nothing that has slowed me down,” he said. He credits early detection for making treatment straightforward. “I consider myself extremely lucky because I found it early.” In December 2025, Hugo received FDA approval for urologic procedures including prostate, kidney and bladder cancer. Choate Deeds said staying positive, doing careful research and leaning on family helped him through treatment. One of the most supportive things his family did, he said, was to keep life normal. “I wasn’t being treated like I had cancer, we did all the stuff we normally did,” he said. His message to other men is simple. “Get it done,” he said. “Be proactive.”
Score (98)
Customers Are Waiting 40 Minutes For This Cashier Who Raised 31,000 Dollars for Special Olympics
At a Publix in Acworth, Georgia, the longest line in the store is often the most popular one. Shoppers routinely wait 30 to 40 minutes just to check out with cashier Michael Masterangelo, who has worked at the same store for a decade and has built a loyal, deeply supportive following. “They will come here specifically just to get in his line… It means everything. I am so proud of him,” said his mom, Dayna Peshel. Michael, who has an intellectual disability, says the job has been a source of joy from the start. “I like ringing people up and seeing people every day,” he said. “I’m just so happy to be here, every day to work.” For many customers, spotting him is part of the routine. “As soon as I walk in the door, I look for him,” one shopper said. “And if he’s here, it just changes everything.” Store Manager Courtney McGuinness said Michael brings something no amount of training can teach. “His positivity that he comes in every day with, it makes working and shopping here enjoyable,” she said. “He’s always smiling. He’s always interacting.” This year, Michael set a personal fundraising goal at his register for Special Olympics, an organisation he has been involved with since childhood. Between scanning groceries and making small talk, he invited customers to give. Then he exceeded every expectation. “I can’t believe I did 31,603 dollars by myself, at my register,” he said. “My personal goal is crazy. And I did that in 6 days.” McGuinness said he raised more than some districts in the region. The response was not just financial. Customers emphasised that their support came from knowing him. “He’s my buddy,” one said. “He is one of the few people I trust.” McGuinness said his caring nature is what sets him apart. “He truly cares about every single person he comes in contact with,” she said. “Whether it’s a child or an adult, he genuinely cares about everyone.” That care flows both ways. Customers attend his basketball games and cheer from the stands. “Next coming weekend, they’re coming to watch me play basketball,” he said. “They make me so happy and cheer me on.” For his mom, seeing that support has been emotional. “It makes me feel amazing,” Peshel said. “I feel like I raised him right, and he is just a light to everyone… I don’t worry about him. I know he is going to be okay.” Michael says he feels that support every day. “It feels like I am so special, helping people and others,” he said. “And I love this whole community, and everyone loves and supports me.”
Score (94)
China Unveils the World’s Largest Flying Car as It Pushes Toward a New Era of Electric Air Travel
China just sent a clear signal about how it sees the future of transportation. AutoFlight, a Shanghai based aviation company, has revealed Matrix, now recognised as the world’s largest flying car. This is not a concept or a one off demonstration. Matrix has already completed full scale flight tests near Shanghai, marking one of the biggest steps yet toward commercial electric aviation. The launch fits into China’s broader effort to build what officials call the low altitude economy. The sector focuses on short range flights that move passengers or cargo above crowded roads using electric aircraft. While other countries debate how such systems might work, China is writing the rules now. Matrix stands out immediately by its size. The aircraft weighs nearly 11,000 pounds, measures about 56 feet long, stands roughly 11 feet tall and spans close to 66 feet. That makes it substantially larger than most electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft today, which typically seat four to six people. Matrix comes in two models, one for passengers and one for heavy cargo. The passenger version can carry up to 10 people, a capacity that makes commercial operations more feasible and lowers the cost per passenger. Power is what makes the design possible. AutoFlight is backed by CATL, the world’s largest electric vehicle battery manufacturer. CATL holds a major stake in the company and drives battery development. Battery performance shapes almost every part of electric flight, from range to safety margins and payload limits. Stronger batteries make it easier to carry more weight over longer distances, turning designs like Matrix from experiments into practical aircraft. China is also working on the regulatory side. Officials plan to introduce baseline rules for the low altitude economy by 2027 and develop more than 300 technical standards by 2030. These rules will govern aircraft types, safety systems, air traffic management and the infrastructure needed to support operations. The goal is to prepare cities for cargo flights, air taxis and eventually wider public use. Before shifting to passenger aircraft, AutoFlight proved its capability with cargo. An earlier model called CarryAll received full certification in China and completed a real world 100 mile cargo run between two cities in about an hour. That flight showed regulators the technology could be used outside controlled testing. Now, the company says about 70 percent of its total orders are for passenger aircraft. Certification is still underway, but leaders expect approval in one to two years. The company has already begun accepting orders. Matrix represents one end of the market. Smaller craft, such as the Pivotal flying car, focus on personal flight and cover short distances with lightweight frames and minimal systems. Matrix takes the opposite approach, operating more like a conventional aircraft with electric propulsion. Together, the designs show how the industry is splitting into two tracks, personal mobility and commercial electric aviation. Industry analysts see 2026 as a turning point. Several companies plan to begin deliveries in China that year, and the country could see its first paid flying car routes. Infrastructure will grow alongside demand, with landing pads and charging stations expected to appear in major cities. AutoFlight is also looking outside China, targeting markets in island nations, mountain regions and areas with limited ground transport. The company sees strong potential in Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Flying cars still feel like science fiction to many people, but the technology is edging closer to everyday use. Early routes will likely handle cargo, emergency services and premium passenger travel. If battery performance continues to improve and regulations keep pace, costs could eventually reach the level of high end ride services on the ground. Even for people who never board one, electric aviation is set to reshape how cities move goods and people. Matrix is more than a large prototype. It is a sign that flying cars are shifting from futuristic ideas to real aircraft being built, tested and prepared for certification. China’s approach, building the technology and the rules at the same time, is accelerating that transition.
Score (97)
Meet The Man Reviving Ireland’s Ancient Stone Lifting Tradition
David Keohan walked across a County Waterford beach and spotted what he was looking for, an oval limestone boulder weighing about 115 kg, half buried in sand. He pried it loose with a crowbar, dusted it off, chalked his hands and then lifted it in a slow, deliberate sequence that ended with the stone pressed to his chest before he let it drop back onto the sand. It was not a stunt. It was a demonstration of an Irish tradition that had almost vanished. Keohan, better known online as Indiana Stones, has become the unlikely figure bringing stone lifting back into national consciousness and drawing global attention along the way. “It’s not just about strength. Every single lifting stone has an amazing story attached to it,” he said. “It’s opened up a whole culture that was lost.” Stone lifting was once woven into Irish life. Communities used boulders to test strength and mark important moments. Some stones were lifted at funeral games, some during harvest celebrations, others when a chieftain rose to power. In one case, lifting a stone served as a kind of job interview for stonemasons. A stone raised a few inches was called “getting the wind under it”. Reaching the knees meant champion status. Hoisting one to the chest made you a phenomenon spoken about for generations. Guided by folklore, community tips and the National Folklore Collection, Keohan has now identified 53 lifting stones across beaches, graveyards and fields. He believes dozens more are out there. Lifting one today, he said, connects you to everyone who ever managed the same feat. “Isn’t that amazing?” Keohan discovered the practice during the pandemic. When gyms shut in 2020, the former kettlebell champion used stones in his garden for training. He became more interested after learning about stone lifting traditions in Scotland, Iceland and the Basque region, and eventually travelled to Scotland to attempt the 127 kg Fianna stone. “It was strength, mythology, history. I fell in love with it.” A fictional story helped steer him to one of Ireland’s real stones. After reading Liam O’Flaherty’s 1937 short story The Stone, he found a pink granite boulder on Inishmore that matched the description of the tale’s “manhood stone”. Interest has grown quickly. Irish Stone Monsters, a group of enthusiasts, now hosts competitions. A Dublin gym has a stone lifting studio sponsored by Lyft. A boulder known as Cloch Bán was shipped to Boston last year. A stone in County Clare associated with a woman named Mrs Kildea, who supposedly lifted an enormous boulder, has encouraged more women to take part. Cultural historian Conor Heffernan of Ulster University said stone lifting traditions span Europe, Asia and Africa. Ireland’s rocky identity can be seen in stories like the legend of Finn McCool laying down a path in the sea that became the Giant’s Causeway. Heffernan noted that stone lifting in Ireland sometimes became a proxy for rebellion. In one story, a community sought the strongest Catholic man to lift a stone no Protestant could move. Keohan and Heffernan are now trying to have the practice added to Ireland’s inventory of intangible cultural heritage, a step toward Unesco recognition. For Keohan, a father of three who works at a construction depot in Waterford, the rush of information and rediscovered sites feels like a reconnection with something older. “It has given me purpose and a reattachment to what it means to be Irish,” he said. The stories have become as important to him as the lifting itself. A book he has written, The Wind Beneath the Stone, is due out soon. He jokes that if his PhD application succeeds, he may yet become Dr Indiana Stones.