One man died in the incident, while several others suffered injuries

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One person has died and 10 others were injured after a car was allegedly driven into a crowd of people outside a French railway station.

The incident took place on Wednesday in northwestern France after a fight allegedly took place at around 10.30pm local time, at a bar near the train station in the town of Caen. Initial reports suggested two people had been killed, with firefighters and police later stating there had been at least one death.

A police source said the ramming is thought to have occurred after a fight, with one of the men allegedly involved in the earlier scuffle returning to his parked vehicle afterwards. He is understood to have gotten behind the wheel before he “deliberately drove into pedestrians in the street opposite the train station”, as per police, reports the Mirror.

Seven people were admitted in critical conditions to nearby hospitals. According to local politician David Claviere, another three suffered from minor injuries.

The driver allegedly fled the scene, but was arrested shortly afterwards about 12.5 miles from the scene, a police source told France 24.

A 26-year-old Russian national remains in police custody. It is understood that he is known to the police “only for traffic offences”, and not known to intelligence services.

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All the victims hurt in the attack appear to be men, between 17 and 40 years of age, France24 reports. City security officials have also confirmed a formal investigation now under way regarding possible charges of murder and aggravated assault.

Claviere, the local prefect for Caen, told the French press the attack does not appear to be motivated by terrorism.

Declining to provide further details, he said: “for the moment, we are not dealing with a terrorist motive, but the investigation is only just beginning.”

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — In her 1994 memoir, Dolly Parton recounts in vivid detail the place where she found God.

It was an abandoned church, in rural Tennessee where she grew up, that had become known as a haven for sex, drugs and violence. Rather than see the used condoms on the floor, the out-of-tune piano left behind or the explicit drawings on the walls as a hindrance to her religious encounter, Parton spoke fondly of the setting where she went to pray as a young girl.

“I would sing hymns to God for a while and look at dirty pictures for a while and pray for a while, and one day as I prayed in earnest, I broke through some sort of spirit wall and found God,” she wrote.

“Here in one place was God, music and sex.”

The country music icon was known for blurring the line between Sunday morning and Saturday night, a window into her theology that captivated people across political and denominational lines.

As news broke this week that the 80-year-old country music icon died of cancer, social media was flooded with quotes and interview clips of Parton proclaiming her Christian faith, something she wore on her sleeve even when her relationship to church was complicated.

But for many Christian members of the LGBTQ+ community who struggled to reconcile their sexuality and gender identity with the intolerant beliefs they were taught, Parton’s public support helped them keep their faith in some cases, and transformed their understanding of how God sees them in others.

“Her approach to solidarity was inspiring for me as a young, queer Christian girl realizing I was gay,” said Ciarra Jones, a 32-year-old workplace consultant from Oakland, California. “For queer Christians, experiencing another queer Christian — or another queer-affirming person that is Christian — is important to your journey. Dolly, for me, was one of those lights.”

Parton was a trailblazer in LGBTQ+ acceptance

Long before same-sex marriage was legalized nationwide, Parton made acceptance a recurring theme of both her music and public persona, which has contributed to long-running support from the LGBTQ+ community.

“I got a huge gay following and some really macho-looking women,” Parton told Andy Warhol for a 1984 cover story for Interview Magazine.

When Warhol told her she would make a great preacher, Parton responded: “What do you mean? I am a great preacher.”

American Christianity spans the theological spectrum on sexuality and gender identity, with some remaining firmly committed to a conservative view. As society has shifted, so have some Christians’ beliefs on things like same-sex marriage, though there is a widening partisan divide on certain issues, particularly regarding transgender people.

Parton, whose grandfather was a Pentecostal preacher, said her support for LGBTQ+ people was rooted in her Christian faith. “We are all God’s children,” she told Larry King in 2016. But she also did not try to convince others of her beliefs, sometimes to the frustration of fans who thought she ought to be more vocal.

“Some are preachers, some are gay / Some are addicts, drunks and strays / But not a one is turned away / When it’s family,” Parton sings on the song, “Family,” from her 1991 album “Eagle When She Flies.”

“I don’t condemn nor condone anything,” Parton once told The Associated Press regarding the song. “I just love and accept people where they are for who they are.”

Some queer people who were raised in religiously conservative homes push back against the notion that Parton was not political enough.

“It’s very, very hard to grow up and know who you are and have that be described as deviant and to be afraid that what you are is totally wrong,” said Duncan Teater, a film student at the University of Southern California, as his voice broke.

Teater, who is gay and grew up in Kentucky, was raised as a conservative Christian and has a complicated relationship to the faith as an adult. But, he said, Parton’s support was meaningful and he appreciated how she thinks about religiosity.

“For someone with the credibility and respect that Dolly Parton had, to be confident about the worth of every human being and to say that out loud and without hesitation and in such simple and loving words was a pretty radical act and a pretty political act,” he said.

Parton was vocal about faith in unexpected places

Parton’s faith, and her relationship with the gay community, spread beyond her music and interviews.

On the website for Dollywood, the East Tennessee theme park Parton opened decades ago after seeing families like hers unable to afford to go to Disneyland, there is a mission and values statement, which includes a commitment to live them out “in a manner consistent with Christian values and ethics.”

The park has a chaplain and a chapel — the Robert F. Thomas Chapel, named after the doctor who delivered Parton — that hosts weekly Sunday services.

Patrick Burrows, a 38-year-old scholar of theology and ethics, grew up going to Dollywood and has been more than 100 times.

“Any time there was a church outing in the Southern Baptist church that I grew up in or a day off from school or needing a mental health break in high school,” said Burrows, who grew up outside of Asheville, North Carolina.

The theme park was so formative for him that he wrote a chapter about it in his dissertation while studying theology at Harvard Divinity School.

“You should not see gay and lesbian couples standing next to people with ‘Jesus saved me from my sin’ shirts. And yet you see it” in what Burrows refers to as the “Dollyverse.”

“Dolly created this space for people who are very different from one another to be different from another,” he said.

Burrows recalled writing dozens of pages before one line sparked an epiphany, prompting him to rewrite his entire thesis chapter: “Though I only know it in retrospect, Dolly Parton, through Dollywood, taught me how to be gay and how to be a Christian.”

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Police are at the scene of an incident on the A4232 in Cardiff and have warned there are long traffic delays in the area.

A South Wales Police spokesperson said: “We’re at the scene of an incident on the A4232 near to the Leckwith roundabout.

“There is heavy traffic on the northbound carriageway.

“Please avoid the area and use alternative routes where possible. Thank you for your patience.”

By ADAM S. LEVY, US SENIOR SHOWBUSINESS REPORTER

Published: 23:13 BST, 26 August 2026 | Updated: 08:04 BST, 27 August 2026

Orlando Bloom has rankled the cast and crew of the film Reset after abruptly exiting the movie, potentially putting it in peril, according to a new report.

The English actor, 49, had been slated to co-star in the independent thriller with Priyanka Chopra, who is also a producer on the project.

Bloom had been confirmed for the movie through the pre-production process, sources told TMZ on Tuesday, but left the film ‘at the last minute.’

His departure has upset the film’s cast and crew, insiders told TMZ, as his initial involvement, with Chopra, was key to persuading investors to pour money into the project.

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In addition, Bloom’s star power was essential toward acquiring international distribution, leaving the film’s status unclear as production commences, sources told the outlet.

The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Bloom and Chopra for further comment on this story.

Orlando Bloom, 49, has rankled the cast and crew of the film Reset after abruptly exiting the movie, potentially putting it in peril, sources told TMZ Tuesday. Above, on August 16 

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Insiders said that Bloom’s exit from the movie fostered a ‘fiery resentment’ among coworkers potentially left in professional limbo now that he’s no longer involved. 

Moving forward, producers have narrowed down their search to recast Bloom’s role with three actors, with time of the essence as filming is slated to begin, sources told TMZ.

Chopra is expected to make the ‘final call’ on who replaces Bloom assuming the film moves forward, insiders told the outlet.

The premise of the movie ‘follows a woman (Chopra) who wakes up in the wilderness with no memory of how she got there and must trust a charming stranger (Bloom’s former role) for survival, though he may not be who he claims to be,’ according to a logline from iMDb.

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Director Matt Smukler in May told Deadline that Bloom and Chopra displayed an ‘undeniable’ chemistry that complemented the storyline.

‘I was looking for a pairing where attraction and mistrust could effortlessly coexist,’ Smukler told the outlet. ‘Priyanka and Orlando have this uncanny ability to make you believe both at once.’

Producers Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber told the outlet in May that Smukler and screenwriter Jordan Rawlins had ‘created a gripping story of survival, romance, suspense, and deceit, replete with shocking twists.’

They added at the time: ‘We’re thrilled to have partnered with Priyanka and Orlando to bring it to the screen.’

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Bloom had been slated to co-star in the independent thriller with Priyanka Chopra, 44, who is also a producer on the project 

Bloom’s exit from the movie fostered a ‘fiery resentment’ among co-workers potentially left in professional limbo now that he’s pulled out 

Join the discussion

How should actors be held accountable when their sudden exit jeopardizes a film and its crew’s jobs?

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Bloom, best known for his appearances in the Pirates of the Caribbean and The Lord of the Rings franchises, has been seen in a number of projects in recent years.

They include films such as 2025’s Deep Cover, 2024’s The Cut, 2024’s Red Right Hand and 2023’s Gran Turismo.

His upcoming projects include the Werner Herzog movie Bucking Fastard, and the comedy Wizards.

Chopra has appeared this year in the adventure film The Bluff and the 2025 comedy Heads of State.

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She plays the lead role of Nadia Sinh on the Prime Video series Citadel opposite Richard Madden.

BANGKOK (AP) — China’s foreign minister said his country and the United States should overcome obstacles between the nations ahead of an expected summit next month between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Wang Yi met with U.S. ambassador to China David Perdue on Wednesday and called on both sides to “focus on the positive agenda, properly manage differences, remove interference and overcome obstacles to high-level exchanges between the two countries,” Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported Thursday.

China-U.S. relations “still face various risks and challenges,” he acknowledged in a statement released by CCTV.

Trump and Xi met in May in Beijing and pledged to keep the relationship stable and maintain the fragile trade truce. Trump invited Xi to meet Sept. 24 in the U.S. but the exact date of the Chinese leader’s visit has not been confirmed.

Since then, however, the U.S. and China have continued to take targeted economic action against each other including the U.S. banning Chinese-made robots and China banning American entities engaging in trade and other activities in China.

Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham are all working on deals to bolster their respective squads ahead of the summer window closing next week. The Premier League champions’ top priority is Julian Alvarez and Atletico Madrid have reportedly set a deadline of Friday to big the saga to an end. Gabriel Martinelli should complete his move to Al Hilal, while James Scanlon, Habeeb Ogunneye and Igor Tyjon will all become Arsenal players.

Met Office Chief Forecaster Steve Willington said: “On Thursday, slow-moving heavy and thundery rain may bring prolonged rainfall to some areas, increasing the risk of localised impacts. There remains some uncertainty around where the heaviest rain will fall, so it is important to keep up to date with the latest forecast and warnings”

A humanoid robot running 100 metres in 9.39 seconds sounds extraordinary. At this
week’s World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, one machine reportedly beat the
world record held by Usain Bolt, while another jumped higher than Javier
Sotomayor’s long-standing high jump mark.

On the surface, these achievements appear to represent a new frontier in sport. But
comparing robotic and human performance is fundamentally flawed. The World Humanoid Robot Games brought together more than 2,000 robots competing in events ranging from athletics and football to boxing and weightlifting.

The scale of the competition and the technological progress on display were
genuinely impressive. According to organisers, participation increased dramatically
from previous events, while performance levels improved substantially across
several disciplines.

These machines have the shape, appearance and physical characteristics of a
human. However, their achievements are the product of entirely different
biomechanics, making direct comparisons with athletes problematic.

And sport has never been solely about producing the fastest time, highest jump or heaviest lift. When we watch athletes compete, we are not simply witnessing physical feats.

We are watching people contend with fatigue, pressure, uncertainty, emotion and
risk. The Olympic movement itself defines sport through human development and
experience as much as results.

Mastering these challenges is just as important as mastering the physical skills
required to perform. It is this human experience that gives sporting achievements
their meaning and creates the connection between athletes, spectators and the
wider sporting community.

A robot may resemble a person, but it does not experience sport in the way humans
do. It does not feel nervous standing on a start line, overcome self doubt after injury, or experience the joy of victory and disappointment of defeat.

That is why comparing a robot’s sprint time with Bolt’s world record is ultimately misleading. The real achievement is not athletic excellence. It is technological progress.

The rapid development of humanoid robots is prompting important discussions about
how technology will shape the future of sport. Robotics could help coaches analyse performance, improve training methods and push the limits of human achievement even further.

At the same time, sport’s relationship with technology has rarely been
straightforward. The introduction of video assistant referees (VAR) in football, for example, remains controversial despite its aim of improving decision-making.

Debates continue over whether technology enhances sport or detracts from the
experience for players, officials and fans alike. Humanoid robotics raises even bigger questions. Who will have access to these technologies?

Will they be available across sport, or only to the wealthiest countries, organisations and teams? As with many innovations, there is a risk that robotics
could widen existing inequalities by providing greater advantages to those who
already possess significant resources.

Although some parts of the western media remain critical of the Games and
humanoids, it is important to remember that western sporting culture does not
represent all of world sport. Different societies have different relationships with
technology and different expectations of what sport can be.

This matters because sport has long been valued as something relatively accessible.
Football, often described as the people’s game, became a global phenomenon
because participation was possible almost anywhere. Increasing reliance on
advanced technologies risks moving sport further away from some of these
foundations.

The robot games also revealed how far the technology still has to go. For every
record-breaking performance, there were robots falling over, colliding with barriers, crashing into equipment and, in some cases, breaking apart during competition.

One sprinting robot reportedly had to be carried away after hitting a safety barrier and catching fire. Another crashed into a judge’s table during a weightlifting event.

These moments may seem amusing, but they highlight an important reality:
humanoid robotics remains a developing technology rather than a finished product.

Even so, the direction of travel is clear. In China, robotics is already becoming increasingly integrated into everyday life and industry. As humanoid technologies continue to develop and spread internationally, debates about their place in sport will only intensify.

For now, robots are not replacing athletes. But in the future, the governing bodies of certain sports may need to answer difficult questions about where robots belong, how they should be regulated and what role they should play in sporting competition.

This is the harrowing moment a huge torrent of floodwater devastates a village in Nepal.

As the wall of water and mud bulldozes its way through buildings, people are seen desperately running for their lives through fields along the Nepal-Tibet border. 

The Bhote Koshi River was suddenly overwhelmed with water this morning in flash floods that left a 30-mile long trail of devastation and claimed the lives of dozens.

At least 95 people have been confirmed dead in Nepal following the natural disaster, and more than 90 Nepali citizens and 300 tourists, including 33 Britons and 47 Americans, are missing in the region.

In the terrifying video, the first wave erupts up across the bank of the river and within seconds engulfs the trees and homes built not far from the bank.

As the unstoppable water careens down a bend, huge clouds of mist and spray from the impact overwhelm the humble settlement.

A main road running through the small town is soon covered and the ominous sludge of the floodwater rapidly creeps across the field on the other side, where dozens of people are trying to flee.

It is just one such example of total annihilation being experienced across the region, with fears that more bodies will be found as search and rescue operations get underway. 

Entire buildings become submerged by huge waves of floodwater and mud, decimating the settlement 

As the wall of water and mud bulldozes its way through buildings, people are seen desperately running for their lives through fields along the Nepal-Tibet border

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Officials in China-controlled Tibet said they feared ‘major casualties’ with some missing in the county of ​Gyirong after a mudslide hit a land crossing between the neighbours this morning. 

In Tibet, one clip showed the Gyirong Port land crossing being ripped apart by the flood and dragged downstream. 

Dozens of people were seen running away in terror seconds before the water and mud crashed into the structure and wiped it out. 

Experts believe a 4.4-magnitude quake triggered an ice avalanche which in turn blocked the Lhende river. Water then built up behind the blockage before bursting downstream with devastating consequences. 

In footage that shows towns after the immediate swell of water, buildings and roads are covered in thick layers of mud.

Mounds of debris jut out of the thick silt and vehicles are sometimes entirely submerged.

Nepali officials said hundreds of tourists and trekkers are unaccounted for, made up of 341 foreign nationals and at least 93 Nepali citizens.

Among the unaccounted are 12 from the UK – including a 13-year-old girl – 105 Indian nationals, four from South Africa, 17 from Malaysia and three from the United States. One each from Australia and the Netherlands are also unaccounted for.

Houses lie partially submerged in muddy water along a riverside after flash floods at Trishuli Bazar in Nepal’s Nuwakot district on August 26, 2026

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A combination of satellite images shows the valleys near the Nepal-China broder on August 25, 2026, before the devastating floods (T), and on August 26, 2026, after the disaster (B)

A house lies deluged in sludge after flash floods at Devghat in Nepal’s Nuwakot district on August 26, 2026

Houses lie partially submerged in muddy water along a riverside after flash floods at Trishuli Bazar in Nepal’s Nuwakot district on August 26, 2026

The aftermath of massive flash floods and mudslides near the Nepal-China border in Nepal on August 26, 2026

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The nationalities of nearly 100 more people have not yet been established, while an additional 37 people are believed to be non-resident Indians living in Nepal. 

Sunil Sharma, a Nepal Tourism Board spokesperson, said the 133 missing were from India on pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in China’s autonomous region of Tibet, a sacred site for Hindus.

Alpine Eco Trek, which offers guided tours and expeditions in Nepal, confirmed that 12 British nationals on its tour across the Nepal-Tibet border were missing on Wednesday.

Ram Kumar Adhikari, the manager of Alpine Eco Trek, said two Irish nationals and four South African nationals who were also on the excursion are believed to be missing.

Mr Kumar Adhikari said there was ‘not much info to share at the moment, but yes we have 12 British citizens (supposed) to make entry this morning’.

South Korea said eight of its citizens were unaccounted for, while an additional 12 were stranded following the deadly floods.

There are fears that a second flood may send Nepal, Tibet and neighbouring India into further chaos. 

Flood alerts were issued in the populous northern Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar as they border Nepal and several rivers flow down the mountains into their plains.

The UK’s Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Baroness Winterton said following the disaster: ‘Heartbreaking to see the loss and damage caused by the Rasuwa flood in Nepal.

‘Sending our thoughts to all those affected by the disaster. We are working closely with the Nepalese authorities following concerning reports of British nationals who are missing.

‘We encourage British nationals in Nepal to follow guidance from the local authorities and remain alert to the changing situation.’

Earlier today, the British embassy in Kathmandu said the UK was ‘deeply saddened by the devastating flood which hit Rasuwa and other parts of Nepal this morning. Our thoughts are with all those caught up in this disaster.’

It added: ‘We urge British Nationals in Nepal to follow official guidance and exercise caution in the affected areas.’