In Pictures: Ukrainians Are Finding Joy In Easter Celebrations

Easter is traditionally a time of reflection and rebirth in Ukraine. This Sunday marks exactly two months since the country was thrust into a devastating war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky: "Life will defeat death. The truth will defeat any lies" Residents in Lviv descended on churches for blessings of protection and prayer.

Read More

These Rottweiler Pups Named After Criminals Could Soon Be Helping Catch Real Ones

A pair of 13-week-old rottweiler puppies named after two of Britain’s most infamous criminals could soon be helping to catch real ones. Devon and Cornwall Police have begun training the pups — named Ronnie and Reggie, after the Kray twins — as potential general purpose police dogs. If successful, they’ll be among the first rottweilers used in this role by a UK force. The force’s canine development officer, Paul Glennon, said the pups were part of an effort to diversify the breeds used in policing, particularly as health issues continue to affect traditional working dogs like German shepherds. “I’ve done a lot of research on this particular breed... I’m quite excited that they’re going to be very successful for us,” Glennon said. While German shepherds remain the go-to breed, Glennon said the force is increasingly trialling other types of working dogs to supplement the ranks. “The problem we have is that the German shepherds aren’t the sort of healthiest breeds going,” he explained. “We can’t get enough of them that have got the health and the working qualities we’re looking for.” Devon and Cornwall Police have already found success with giant schnauzers, two of which are now serving in Plymouth. That success encouraged Glennon to give rottweilers a try. The choice of names — a nod to the notorious Kray twins, who ran an organised crime ring in London’s East End in the 1950s and ’60s — was deliberate. “We wanted to pick a name that was going to join them together and people would take notice of them,” Glennon said. “Unlike the originals, these guys hopefully are going to be dealing with bad guys and bringing them to book.” Ronnie and Reggie are now beginning their 14-month puppy walking phase, where they’ll learn basic obedience and socialisation skills with volunteers. After that, they'll enter a three-month training course with police handlers. If they pass, they’ll be expected to work until around the age of eight. Ronnie, in particular, is already showing promise. “He’s got fantastic tracking abilities,” Glennon said. The force currently has 35 general-purpose police dogs, along with various specialist canines trained in areas like drugs, explosives, and firearms detection. As for Reggie, puppy walkers Mireille and Scott Squires say he’s “a little naughty but also very cute” — which, for now, is exactly what you’d expect from a future crime-fighter in training.

Read More

Percy the Penguin Returns Home After Garden Sighting and Police Retrieval

Percy the penguin is back where he belongs — outside a restaurant in Stevenage — after a brief and bizarre disappearance that ended with a police rescue and a £5,000 reward. The 5-foot tall penguin decoration was taken from outside the Prezzo restaurant on Saturday night. CCTV footage captured two men carrying the hefty ornament into a van before driving away. Staff were stunned and saddened by the theft, but just a few days later, Percy was spotted in an unlikely place: someone’s garden. After the restaurant offered a £5,000 gift card reward, a member of the public came forward on Tuesday to report the sighting. Hertfordshire Police retrieved the stolen penguin and returned him safely. “It’s not necessarily fighting crime, so we’re thankful to them,” said Naddy Onions, marketing director at Prezzo. “They had to put Percy in a van and two officers had to carry him to the door.” Restaurant staff are “over the moon” about Percy’s return. “Percy is back where he belongs,” Onions said. “We’re hoping the good people of Stevenage will leave him alone. Staff are keeping a much closer eye on him.” She added that the £5,000 gift card would be given to the person who helped locate the missing bird. “I think somebody just wanted a brilliant Christmas decoration,” she said. “The families of Stevenage will be thrilled he’s back.”

Read More

101-Year-Old War Veteran Wins Golf Tournament, Says Exercise Is Key to Long Life

Archie Hemsley wasn’t expecting to win. In fact, he says he’s “not all that keen on winning.” But the 101-year-old Royal Navy veteran recently beat out about 30 competitors — all over the age of 80 — to take home The Eley Trophy at Luffenham Heath Golf Club in Rutland. “I was very surprised,” he said. The competition, played over nine shortened holes, was won on the strength of Hemsley’s short game. “I was putting very well,” he said modestly. It’s a rare trophy for him. “I've won very few golf competitions before,” he added. Hemsley served as a pilot in the Fleet Air Arm during World War II, flying missions over the North Atlantic to protect Allied convoys from submarine attacks. He completed 100 landings on aircraft carriers — 40 of them at night — an experience he described with characteristic understatement. “I know that because I had a log book and it was recorded in it,” he said. “I don't know anyone with more [landings].” He still receives medals from the Russian government for his role in the Arctic convoys, which delivered crucial supplies to the Red Army during the war. One such medal arrived just this April, “on the instruction of the President of the Russian Federation.” Hemsley shrugged it off. “It’s publicity for the Russians,” he said. These days, his routine is less about military precision and more about time spent outdoors. He returned to golf after recovering from prostate surgery two years ago and now plays several times a week alongside his daughter Clare. “It’s lovely seeing the birds and the bees, and exercise,” he said. “If you don’t exercise, you die, I think.” Michael Farr, the club’s head professional, called Hemsley a “remarkable man.” “At the age of 101, to still have that drive to get better is really impressive,” Farr said. “I think we all look at him going out [on the course] and think, ‘I’d like to be like Mr Hemsley when I grow up.’” Asked about the secret to his longevity, Hemsley pointed to his active lifestyle — and one small supplement. “I could manage without [golf], but it would hasten the end I think,” he said. “And Omega 3.”

Read More

This UK-Made Humanoid Robot Learned to Walk in 48 Hours — and It’s Built to Work

It takes most humans nearly a year to take their first steps. For HMND 01 Alpha, it took just two days. Developed by UK-based robotics startup Humanoid, Alpha is a bipedal humanoid robot designed to take on real-world tasks — everything from lifting industrial parts to helping out at home. In just 48 hours after assembly, the robot was already walking stably on two feet, a milestone that often takes weeks or months to reach in robotics. That kind of rapid development isn’t just impressive — it could be a preview of how humanoid robots might soon be deployed to fill gaps in labor forces, care work, and physically demanding jobs. “HMND 01 is designed to address real-world challenges across industrial and home environments,” said Artem Sokolov, founder and CEO of Humanoid. A crash course in walking — in the cloud Key to Alpha’s fast learning curve is virtual reinforcement training. Using Nvidia’s Isaac Sim and Isaac Lab, the team condensed the equivalent of 19 months of physical locomotion practice into just two days of intensive simulation. By the time Alpha touched the ground, it had already processed millions of seconds’ worth of walking experience in virtual environments. That learning, transferred into its real-world body, allowed it to stand, walk, and rebalance after being pushed — all immediately after its assembly. From design to functioning prototype, the entire development process took just five months — a fraction of the industry average of 18 to 24 months. A robot built for work — and home Alpha stands 179 cm tall and can carry up to 15 kg. It’s designed with versatility in mind: modular hands can be swapped out depending on the task — from basic grippers to fully articulated five-fingered hands. It’s equipped with cameras, microphones, and depth sensors to perceive and react to its surroundings. It can squat, sidestep, hop, run, walk curved paths, and coordinate with other robots. It also has the balance and autonomy to recover if nudged or bumped. In factories, it could fill in for roles that are becoming increasingly hard to hire for. “With manufacturing sectors facing labour shortages of up to 27 percent, leaving significant gaps in production… robots can provide meaningful support,” Sokolov said. At home, the robot could assist people with limited mobility, help manage physical tasks, or offer support with daily routines — everything from lifting objects to basic coordination. And thanks to its modular structure, Alpha can be upgraded easily. The company says it could be as simple as changing a limb or swapping its exterior “clothes.” The bigger picture While still in the prototype phase, Alpha is part of a growing push to make humanoid robots not just possible, but practical. In sectors where human labor is shrinking or strained — manufacturing, elder care, logistics — the potential uses are wide-ranging. What sets Alpha apart is not just its physical capabilities, but the speed at which it got there. In a field where building a reliable walking robot can take years, doing it in five months, with just 48 hours of training, is a leap forward. For now, Alpha’s next steps will likely involve further testing and real-world pilots. But Humanoid’s message is clear: the future of work — and caregiving — could look a lot more robotic, and it might be arriving sooner than expected.

Read More

Singing for Speech: Stroke Survivors with Aphasia Find Their Voice in Choir Study

After a stroke in 2022 left Serge Belloncik with aphasia, the longtime professor and scientist faced a jarring reality — the words that once flowed so easily were suddenly hard to find. “Sometimes I must find my words,” the 81-year-old said. “Sometimes I speak, and sometimes I stop.” Once used to lecturing and leading academic discussions, Belloncik is now part of a unique study testing whether singing in a choir can help people like him recover their ability to speak. Every week, he joins a small group of stroke survivors at a community centre in Montreal. Together, they warm up their voices, do vocal exercises, and sing. On a crisp fall morning, Belloncik and three others sat behind a music stand, heart-rate monitors strapped on, and softly sang the Quebec classic “Gens du pays” as their choir director played piano. It’s not just about melody or rhythm — it’s about connection, memory, and healing. “I like it because it gives me occasion to speak, and to find my old voice,” he said. The program is part of the SingWell initiative, an international network of researchers studying the impact of group singing. Led by Anna Zumbansen from the University of Ottawa’s school of rehabilitation sciences, the 12-week trial spans four sites: Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, and Tampa Bay, Florida. Researchers are studying whether choir participation can help stroke survivors regain speech abilities — and reclaim a sense of belonging. “We are hoping this study will demonstrate that choir activity is really good for people,” said Édith Durand, assistant professor in speech-language pathology at the Université de Québec à Trois-Rivières and one of the study’s leads. “Good for their language, but good for their social relations, too.” Aphasia, often caused by stroke, disrupts a person’s ability to speak or understand language. It can leave people isolated and frustrated. Research has already hinted that music may help, particularly through a technique known as melodic intonation therapy, which uses singing and rhythm to engage brain regions not affected by the stroke. “In many cases, the left hemisphere — which controls language — is damaged,” explained Dr. Alexander Thiel, a stroke neurologist at Montreal’s Jewish General Hospital. “But the brain’s right hemisphere, which handles things like pitch and melody, may be able to take over.” Thiel, who is not involved in the study, said the idea of using a choir setting adds something important. “Speech is not only functional in the way that we communicate with each other,” he said. “It also has the social dimension.” Currently, most speech therapy for aphasia is offered in the early weeks and months after a stroke. It focuses on activating the damaged parts of the brain through targeted exercises. But that approach doesn’t work for everyone — especially in cases where damage is severe. “When there are no more networks we can tap in on the left hemisphere,” said Thiel, “then there are right-sided regions which can take over, to a certain extent.” Music may be the key to accessing those areas. A recent review of music-based interventions found they show promise, especially in helping people name objects, but the evidence so far is limited. That’s why researchers like Durand, Zumbansen, and their collaborators are pushing for more rigorous trials. “We are upping the bar of scientific rigour here,” said Frank Russo, psychology professor at Toronto Metropolitan University and founder of SingWell. “If there is something concrete when it comes to the clinical outcomes, then I think we are ready to share this with clinicians around the world.” For now, the weekly sessions offer something tangible to participants: a space to reconnect with their voices and each other. Belloncik is hopeful that the research can show real results — not just for himself, but for others with aphasia. “Maybe I can prove that it’s efficient,” he said. “And that this can be good to apply for others.”

Read More

'Hugely Exciting' Prehistoric Artifacts Unearthed During Search For Long-Lost Irish Castle

They went digging for a forgotten castle. Instead, they found evidence of people who lived there thousands of years earlier — and some of the key discoveries came from kids. Archaeologists from Queen’s University Belfast recently wrapped up a two-week dig in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, aiming to uncover the long-lost Derrygonnelly Castle. But what they ended up finding pushed the region’s known history back much further. Nearly 250 schoolchildren — including members of a girls’ Lego construction team — and 35 adult volunteers joined the excavation effort, which took place in October. While they didn’t unearth the full castle, the team recovered a surprising range of artifacts, from 19th-century trinkets to rare items dating back more than 9,000 years. Derrygonnelly Castle was built in the 1600s and eventually abandoned by the 1800s. Over time, it disappeared so completely that even local memory of it faded. “It was erased from the landscape,” said Professor Eileen Murphy of Queen’s University Belfast, speaking to Fox News Digital. Archaeologists and volunteers found fragments from clay pipes, a coin possibly dating back to the Glorious Revolution, and a 17th-century ditch dug to protect the original structure during its construction. Some of the more ornate artifacts, like the stem of a wine goblet and English-imported pottery, suggest the castle was once a high-status residence. Historic descriptions mention an orchard, a well-kept garden, and a three-story tower. But the dig took a turn no one expected when participants discovered tools made from flint and chert, which date all the way back to the Early Mesolithic period — over 9,000 years ago. These tools, Murphy said, show that ancient hunter-gatherers had once camped at the site, likely on a seasonal basis. “The nature of these tells us that these hunter-gatherer people were actually living at this location,” Murphy explained. “These are the first Early Mesolithic remains to have been found in County Fermanagh to date.” The team also uncovered signs of a prehistoric roundhouse — a type of dwelling that dates to the Early Bronze Age. At the base of one of the post-holes, archaeologists found a piece of pottery that helped confirm its age, placing it around 4,000 years old. Murphy called the finds “hugely exciting and unexpected.” “It was fantastic that the volunteers found so many artifacts,” she added. “This is an indication that the castle complex would have been a bustling place in its heyday, since it left so many material remains for us to discover.” The dig was part of the Community Archaeology Programme Northern Ireland (CAPNI), supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Murphy credited the program for giving local residents a deeper connection to their history — and for giving kids a hands-on chance to be part of something meaningful. “It helped give the local people a sense of pride in their landscape,” she said. “There was a great sense of camaraderie [during] the excavation, and it seems to have been a positive experience that will have enhanced the overall well-being of those involved.” She added that she hopes the schoolchildren who took part will carry that connection forward. “I hope they will remember this feeling, and appreciate and care for the monuments they encounter, potentially on their own land, in the future.”

Read More

Scientists Discover 3.4-Million-Year-Old Foot Fossil That May Belong to Lucy's Contemporaries

A fossilized foot found in Ethiopia in 2009 has puzzled scientists for more than a decade. Now, researchers believe they’ve finally found its owner — and the discovery could rewrite a major chapter in human evolution. The foot, dubbed the Burtele foot after the region where it was discovered, is 3.4 million years old and was unearthed just 30 kilometers from the site where the famous Lucy skeleton was found in 1974. At the time, scientists assumed Lucy’s species — Australopithecus afarensis — was the only early human relative living in that region between 3.8 and 3 million years ago. But this foot didn’t match. It had an opposable big toe and curved bones that suggested a life spent partly in the trees — very different from Lucy’s species, which walked upright on the ground with feet more like modern humans. That raised a question that remained unanswered for years: who did this foot belong to? Now, thanks to newly discovered fossils found near the same site, scientists say the foot likely belonged to a different extinct hominin species called Australopithecus deyiremeda. The team’s findings, published in Nature on November 26, reveal that Lucy may not have been the only early human ancestor walking around Ethiopia at that time — and she may not have been our direct ancestor after all. “We were able to show that A. deyiremeda and Lucy’s species were living near each other, but they were doing different things,” says Yohannes Haile-Selassie, a paleoanthropologist at Arizona State University and co-author of the study. “How were they able to coexist? They were consuming a different diet.” The research team uncovered new fossils near the original Burtele foot discovery — pieces of a pelvis, jaw, skull, and 12 teeth. These bones, when analyzed, showed clear differences from A. afarensis. The jaw and teeth were more primitive, and chemical analysis suggested a diet focused on leaves, fruits, and nuts, while Lucy’s kin had broader diets that included meat and grasses. That dietary divergence could explain how both species lived side-by-side without competing. For years, Haile-Selassie had suspected the Burtele foot belonged to a different species, but until now, he held off on making that claim. “We played it safe,” he told Science. But with the new fossils found nearby — and evidence that A. deyiremeda walked and ate differently — the case is stronger than ever. “It’s a really exciting discovery long-awaited for all of us who have been wondering what that crazy foot was,” Carol Ward, an anthropologist at the University of Missouri who wasn’t involved in the study, told Scientific American. Still, not everyone is convinced. Zeray Alemseged, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Chicago, called the connection “reasonable, but circumstantial,” and wants to see more of the lower skeleton before drawing conclusions. But if the analysis holds, it could challenge one of paleoanthropology’s core assumptions — that A. afarensis was the “mother of us all,” the direct ancestor of all later human relatives. Fred Spoor, a paleontologist at the Natural History Museum in London, wrote a commentary for Nature arguing that A. deyiremeda may have been more closely related to Australopithecus africanus, which lived in southern Africa between 3 and 2 million years ago. If that’s true, then A. afarensis may have been an evolutionary cousin — not an ancestor. “If this is correct, A. afarensis will lose its iconic status as the ancestor of all later hominins, probably including our own lineage,” Spoor writes. The findings don’t erase Lucy’s importance — she’s still one of the most famous and complete hominin skeletons ever found. But the story of human evolution just got more complex. And it all started with a foot that didn’t quite fit.

Read More

New Research Suggests 5,000-Year-Old Cave Murals May Tell the Origin Story of Mesoamerican Culture

In the rugged canyons along the Rio Grande between Texas and Mexico, ancient murals spanning entire cliff faces have long mystified archaeologists. But new research may have cracked part of the code — and it could rewrite the cultural history of Mesoamerica. A team of Texas-based researchers used a mix of radiocarbon dating and visual analysis to study more than 50 figures across 12 cave sites in the Lower Pecos Canyonlands. Their breakthrough? Rather than dating the mineral pigments — which don’t contain carbon — they dated the organic binders made from deer bone marrow used in the paint. Their findings, published in Science Advances, suggest these artworks weren’t slowly built over centuries, but painted during single events spanning a period of about 4,700 years. The murals, some as long as 500 feet, feature recurring symbols — “power bundles,” “speech breath,” and “rabbit-eared headdresses” — that show remarkable consistency across time. Even the color sequence follows a symbolic order: black first (the void), then red (the sun), yellow (dawn), and white (noon). That pattern aligns with creation myths from later Indigenous cultures, hinting at deep spiritual roots. One arch motif appears to depict people passing through a sacred mountain portal, a vision Huichol elders say represents the sun’s daily journey across the sky. Researchers believe these images may represent a shared belief system — what Mexican historian A. López Austin called a “hard core” of Mesoamerican culture — stretching back thousands of years. If true, these cave murals could mark the oldest known visual expression of the worldview that later shaped civilizations like the Olmec, Maya, and Aztec.

Read More

Family Spends £4,000 Powering Christmas Lights to Raise Joy, and £40K, for Local Children’s Ward

Every December, a quiet street in Shevington, Greater Manchester, transforms into a glowing, joyful traffic jam. And at the centre of it is the Molyneux family home—lit up by 40,000 Christmas lights and the kind of spirit you can’t buy. Paul and Jill Molyneux, along with their three sons, have turned their house into a festive beacon for the past 14 years. What began as a modest attempt to “give a bit back” has grown into a winter spectacle—and a significant fundraiser for the children’s ward at Wigan Infirmary. The electricity bill alone costs the family about £4,000 each year. But Paul, 53, says it’s worth every penny. “If we can give a bit of joy to a few people, we’ll still be here,” he told BBC Radio Manchester. “From tiny kids walking past amazed, to HGV drivers, skip wagons, vans and cars beeping and putting their thumbs up—it just lifts people’s spirits a little bit.” Since they first lit up their home in 2011, the Molyneuxs have raised about £40,000 for Wigan’s Rainbow Ward. They work directly with hospital staff to make sure donations go toward exactly what’s needed—everything from DVD players and Xbox consoles to bottle warmers and flat beds for parents. Their 2023 donation helped fund a sensory room for children struggling with anxiety and stress—a milestone that Paul said made him especially proud. A Display That Grew With the Family The lights go on every December 1, with locals now treating the event as a tradition in its own right. “We don’t invite anybody—they just turn up,” Paul said. “You cannot move because it’s bang on teatime traffic and it’s just absolute carnage.” Around 150 people crowded the street on Monday to watch this year’s display come to life. It features a 9-foot Santa, a 6-foot bear, life-sized nutcrackers, a sleigh, and a towering Christmas tree. Paul estimates that the display has cost between £40,000 and £50,000 over the years, even before factoring in running costs. And still, he says, he spent another £3,000 on extra lights this year. The cause is personal. All three of the Molyneux sons were treated at the Rainbow Ward—most notably Theo, now 15, who was eight when an infection left him temporarily unable to walk. Their middle son Alfie, now 16, also received care for seizures starting at the age of two. “It’s amazing how many people consider the display as part of their family tradition,” Paul said. “People have told how they come to the house every Christmas Eve with their children.” What started as a simple gesture of gratitude has become part of the fabric of the Shevington community. And for Paul, it still comes down to the same thing: “We are heavily into the Christmas spirit,” he said. “If we can give a bit of joy to people, so be it.”

Read More

Brendan Fraser Celebrates 57th Birthday With a Nostalgic Look Back At Iconic Career

Brendan Fraser turns 57 on December 3, 2025, and what better way to celebrate than by looking back at the early days of one of Hollywood’s most beloved—and now Oscar-winning—actors. Long before The Whale earned him his Academy Award, Fraser was a fresh-faced newcomer lighting up screens in the early '90s. His breakout came in comedies like Encino Man and George of the Jungle, but his dramatic chops were clear from the start. In 1992’s School Ties, he held his own opposite rising stars Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, playing a Jewish student navigating prejudice at an elite prep school. Off-camera, the rivalry melted away. Fraser credited his real-life chemistry with Damon for helping him land the role. That same year, cameras caught glimpses of his signature grin and piercing blue eyes at the premiere of Love Field in Westwood, California. He turned heads again at the Golden Apple Awards, where his side-swept hair and charm had fans swooning. Later, he suited up in a tux for a gala benefiting the Revlon UCLA Women’s Cancer Center—an early glimpse of the star who’d soon be lighting up red carpets worldwide. By 1994, he was showing his comedic range again in With Honors, holding his own alongside Joe Pesci, Moira Kelly, and Patrick Dempsey. Whether dressed down in denim and a white tee or topping it off with a leather jacket, Fraser’s easy charisma was always front and center. Then came George of the Jungle in 1997—and Fraser's heartthrob status was sealed. The bare-chested, vine-swinging role became iconic, and helped catapult him into superstardom. Later that year, at the Deauville Film Festival in France, he traded George’s long locks for a more polished cut, showing his versatility not just on-screen, but in style. Fraser cemented his action-star credentials as the rugged Rick O’Connell in 1999’s The Mummy, a box office smash that paired him with Rachel Weisz and gave fans a new favorite adventure hero. He returned just as dashing in the 2001 sequel, The Mummy Returns. Between blockbusters, he kept things grounded—literally—by climbing a rock wall at a celebrity carnival supporting the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. From tuxedos to loincloths to archaeologist gear, Fraser’s roles have been as varied as his talent is enduring. And today, on his 57th birthday, fans are still cheering him on—grateful for the decades of characters, charm, and resilience he’s brought to the screen.

Read More