Germany’s former intelligence chief August Hanning has been arrested on suspicion of espionage, attempted treason, and passing state secrets to a foreign intelligence service. Hanning, 80, led the BND foreign intelligence agency from 1998 to 2005 before becoming a senior official in the interior ministry. Prosecutors allege that, after leaving the BND, he obtained thousands of classified documents from former aide Manfred D., who was also arrested. Investigators say Manfred D. supplied Hanning with roughly 2,000 documents, many classified, in exchange for payment. The alleged transfers continued until at least 2022. Prosecutors also accuse Hanning of using the intelligence in private consulting work and passing political information to a representative of a foreign spy service. The country involved has not been disclosed. Police searched properties linked to both suspects, as well as sites in Berlin. Both are expected to appear before investigating judges.

Engineers in Scotland and Japan plan to blast whisky samples into space to measure how the spirit ages outside Earth’s atmosphere. The experiment, set to launch in 2028, will orbit the Earth for five years on a specially developed miniature satellite. The mission will monitor the whisky’s color and chemical breakdown throughout. Researchers hope that, as the whisky experiences extreme temperature swings, it could age faster and develop a more complex flavor. Beyond scotch production, the experiment could also lay the groundwork for future pharmaceutical manufacturing in space. And, if all goes well, we may see entire distilleries in space. “We are really keen to be able to fly a full whisky-making system with a full cask,” lead researcher Gilles Bailet told the Independent. “It’s totally in the realm of possibility to bring back something like a litre of whisky within the next three to five years.”

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Rugs often function as the low-profile centerpiece of a room, bringing color, texture, and personality to any space, but between shedding pets and clumsy kids, our rugs take quite the beating daily. Unfortunately, while washing rugs in the washing machine is convenient, most rugs aren’t designed to make it out alive of a washing cycle. Fortunately, there’s Ruggable. Ruggable, a luxe rug brand that designs unique waterproof rugs, offers a variety of (actually chic) rugs that stay intact in the washing machine time and time again. Skip the laborious spot cleaning and costly dry cleaning trips and just invest in one of Ruggable’s washable rugs—it’ll pay for itself in a few months.

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Kenya has confirmed its first-ever Ebola case after a citizen who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo returned to Nairobi and later died. Health Minister Aden Duale said the patient, who had been ill for about a month, arrived in Kenya via Uganda on Saturday and was taken to a hospital, where he was isolated and tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain. He died on Monday night. Authorities have identified 28 contacts, including relatives and health workers, while tracing 23 passengers and four crew members from the same flight. Those contacts are being monitored for signs of infection. The case marks the fourth country affected by the current outbreak, after the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and France. The Democratic Republic of Congo has recorded more than 8,000 cases and 4,000 deaths, with the outbreak spreading across several provinces. The Bundibugyo strain has no approved vaccine or specific treatment. It spreads through contact with infected bodily fluids or contaminated materials. It causes fever, weakness, vomiting, diarrhea, and, in severe cases, internal and external bleeding, including from the eyes.

A British composer who was nominated for five Academy Awards and helped bring more than 100 films to life has died. George Fenton, who scored Dangerous Liaisons, Groundhog Day, Gandhi, and The Fisher King, was 76. His family has not disclosed his cause of death, but they described it as unexpected, given he had signed on for a new global publishing deal only three weeks ago and was working on at least three projects at the time. Fenton also wrote scores for TV, notably including the soundtrack for The Blue Planet, Planet Earth, and Frozen Planet, narrated by veteran British naturalist Sir David Attenborough. He further wrote the introductory themes for mainstream news broadcasts, including BBC News programs like Newsnight and Breakfast Time. He founded the Association of Professional Composers and served as a visiting professor at the Royal College of Music. His family wrote in a statement that he is survived by his wife Amanda and ex-wife Jane, along with his three children and six grandchildren.

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Nigeria has declared three days of national mourning after suffering its deadliest airplane crash in more than three decades. Authorities confirmed that none of the 25 people on board the military plane—five crew members and 20 passengers—survived after it plummeted into a swamp in the southern state of Ondo on Monday. President Bola Tinubu offered his condolences to the families of the deceased when he announced the mourning period on Tuesday. “This is a painful moment for our Armed Forces and for the entire nation,” he said. “Our Air Force personnel put their lives on the line every day to secure Nigeria,” he added in a nod to the branch’s role in countering terrorism and regional instability. “Their sacrifice will never be forgotten,” Tinubu said. The flight from Benin City to Lagos, the capital, is understood to have been part of a routine mission. The cause of the crash was not immediately clear. The Air Force has launched an official investigation.

Soap star Robert Kelker-Kelly suffered cardiac arrest and was found unresponsive in bed at his Missouri home, according to 911 dispatch audio. The actor, who appeared in nearly 600 episodes of Days of Our Lives, died Saturday at 62 from natural causes, a medical examiner’s office spokesperson told the Sun newspaper. The dispatcher told first responders Kelker-Kelly was “not breathing” and later reported that the caller was unable to move him from the bed as CPR was underway. TMZ reported Kelker-Kelly had complained of chest pains before his death around 8 p.m. Life-saving efforts were unsuccessful. No toxicology testing was ordered because there was no suspicion of drugs or alcohol, the Sun reported. Kelker-Kelly played Bo Brady on Days before leaving in 1995 and later appeared on General Hospital and Another World. His final TV appearance came in 2014. His death comes months after former Days co-star Lisa Rinna accused him in her memoir of being verbally abusive and said he was “a ticking time bomb.” Kelker-Kelly never responded to her allegations.

A British Airways flight bound for Chicago was forced to turn back to London after plunging nearly 28,000 feet over Ireland and triggering an emergency response. Flight BA295 departed Heathrow Airport shortly after noon Monday and climbed to 37,000 feet before encountering a technical problem about an hour into the transatlantic journey. Oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling as the Boeing 777-200ER descended to around 9,000 feet. The crew also issued a 7700 emergency squawk, the international signal for a general emergency, before turning the aircraft back toward Britain. Passenger Tom Nicholls told the Mirror there was “a sudden bit of turbulence” before the masks deployed, causing confusion among travelers. He also praised the pilots’ handling of the emergency. The aircraft later circled over the Bristol Channel to burn fuel before landing safely at Heathrow shortly after 5 p.m. British Airways said the plane returned because of a “technical issue” and that passengers were being moved onto alternative flights. The precise cause of the emergency has not been confirmed.

Jim Bakker, the televangelist who built a Christian broadcasting empire before a sex scandal and fraud conviction destroyed his ministry, has died at 86. His second wife, Lori Bakker, announced his death Monday, saying he had “finished his race with faith.” His cause of death was not disclosed. Bakker rose to fame alongside his first wife, Tammy Faye, through The PTL Club, which at its height reached 13 million viewers and generated $129 million annually. The empire collapsed in 1987 after revelations of Bakker’s sexual encounter with church secretary Jessica Hahn and a $265,000 payment to keep her quiet. Two years later, he was convicted of defrauding followers through Heritage USA vacation packages and sentenced to 45 years in prison. That sentence was later reduced, and he served about 4-and-a-half years behind bars. After his release, Bakker renounced the prosperity gospel and returned to television with Lori in 2003. His later years remained controversial. In 2017, Bakker warned that Christians would launch a civil war if Trump were impeached. Trump was later impeached twice. In 2020, he faced backlash for promoting a bogus COVID-19 treatment.

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You’re moving more, lifting heavier, and eating better, yet the scale isn’t budging. You could invest in a professional DEXA scan, which analyzes not only your weight but also your lean muscle mass, BMI, and other factors like water retention that may be keeping the scale stagnant. Unfortunately, a DEXA scan can cost up to $300 for one session. Hume Body Pod, on the other hand, is the next best thing—and you can use it in your own bathroom.

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Production on The Batman Part II has halted in London as director Matt Reeves tends to a family matter. Warner Bros. and DC Studios released a statement, saying, “Matt has the full support of DC Studios, and we look forward to continuing the journey soon.” The pause adds uncertainty to a sequel already delayed several times, with its release shifting from October 2025 to October 2027, and then to Feb. 18, 2028. The current stoppage comes after Paramount Skydance’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, a deal expected to leave the combined company with just under $80 billion in net debt. Sources told Deadline it’s too early to say whether the pause in filming will delay the film again. The movie has a star-studded cast with Robert Pattinson as the famous superhero, as well as Andy Serkis, Colin Farrell, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Brian Tyree Henry, Jayme Lawson, and Charles Dance.

Actor Mark Mortimer, best known for his role as Nick Hudson on the soap opera Another World, has died aged 59. Mortimer died on Sept. 23 “surrounded by the people he loved most, after a fearless journey with cancer,” according to an obituary written by his family. “He was an Army veteran, a model, an actor, an entrepreneur and a builder. He was a husband, father, son, brother and friend,” Mortimer’s family wrote. They added that “of all the titles Mark held throughout his life, the two that mattered most to him were husband and dad.” Mortimer joined Another World in 1996, becoming the third actor to take on the role of Nick Hudson, following Justin Chambers and Kevin McClatchy. He appeared in 81 episodes until the NBC soap ended in 1999, after 35 years on air. Mortimer’s other acting credits also include Spin City, Killing Cupid and Lethal, while his final role was in the 2005 film The Nowhere Man. Mortimer was diagnosed with cancer in 2024. That same year, he and his wife Christie founded the Integrative Access Foundation to provide people with cancer access to therapies they may not be able to afford. Mortimer is survived by his wife, Christie, and their daughter, Hunter, as well as his parents, siblings, and extended family.

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