Croda International reported a pre-tax profit of £107.4 million for the six months to June 30, up 25.6 per cent from £85.5 million for the same period last year.

The company, based at Cowick Hall, Snaith, also saw improved EBITDA of £207.9 million and free cash flow of £38.3 million, up from £28 million, supported by lower capital expenditure.

The positive performance was largely driven by strong growth in the Consumer Care division, with year-on-year revenue increases reflecting success in the group’s transformation programme.

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Steve Foots, chief executive officer of Croda International, said: “We have delivered a good first half performance in line with our expectations with strong growth in Consumer Care.

“Group profits continue to grow ahead of sales, reflecting both increased customer demand for innovation and the benefits of our transformation programme.

“We are rigorously executing our plan to grow earnings and returns, successfully reinvigorating beauty and seeing the early benefits of rebalancing pharma.

“Despite the ongoing macro uncertainty, our outlook for full year 2026 is unchanged and we remain on track to deliver our financial framework for full year 2028.”

The group has recorded organic sales growth of 4.6 per cent, led by an eight per cent rise in the Consumer Care segment. Within this division, Beauty Actives grew by 19 per cent, Home Care by nine per cent, and Fragrances & Flavours by eight per cent.

Adjusted operating margins improved to 17.7 per cent, supported by a 6.1 per cent rise in adjusted operating profit to £155.8 million.

The company also reported a 36.8 per cent increase in free cash flow and a reduction in capital expenditure.

Croda’s three-year transformation plan continues to deliver results, including £18 million of incremental savings in the first half of 2026.

These are part of a broader target to achieve around £100 million in efficiency benefits and £50 million in working capital improvements by 2028.

The company’s full-year outlook for 2026 remains unchanged, despite ongoing geopolitical and macroeconomic headwinds.

Croda expects group organic sales growth within its target range of three to six per cent, a further rise in adjusted operating margin, and continued profitability improvements in both Consumer Care and Life Sciences divisions.

The company will provide an update on third-quarter sales performance on Thursday, November 5, 2026.

Jennifer Lopez is savoring the last few months with her children before becoming an empty nester.

The pop star, 57, and her twin children, Max and Oskar (formerly Emme), ages 18, enjoyed a getaway to Rome, an extra-special trip now that the youngsters are both college-bound.

Smiling and taking photos of her children, the pop sensation was just like any other mother enjoying a summer vacation with her teenagers on Monday – but with security present. 

From the Colosseum to the fresh gelato, the trio made plenty of memories that will no doubt last them a lifetime. 

Indeed, Lopez ensured she would never forget the moment as she stopped her children to take a photo of them. 

The beaming A-lister snapped a photo on her phone as her children stood beside one another, posing for their mother.

Lopez, as usual, was styled to perfection for the visit.

She wore a satin mini dress that displayed her flawless legs, trekked about in metallic flip-flops, gold jewelry, and added a vintage touch with a scarf tied around her head.

Her kids opted for more casual looks, with Oskar donning jeans and a button-down while Max sported a white T-shirt and shorts. 

Ever the teenagers, the duo were tuned into their earbuds for certain stops of their walk. 

Technological distractions aside, the trio were clearly having a good time as they explored the ancient sites over gelato with their security detail close by. 

It wasn’t all just historical sites – with Lopez also indulging in a bit of shopping at Brunello Cucinelli and Antonio Marras. 

It’s been a celebratory few months for Lopez’s family after the twins graduated from high school several months ago.  

The event also marked a milestone for Oskar. 

The A-lister was just like any other parent taking photos of her children

Oskar and Lopez tuck into gelato as they explore the sites in the Italian capital

The trio stride down the ancient walkways 

They are joined by security for their explorations

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A university program viewed by the Daily Mail revealed that Lopez’s child, formerly known as Emme, now goes by Oskar Muniz and goes by ‘he.’ 

In 2022, Lopez went viral after she introduced Oskar – then Emme – onstage as ‘they’, indicating a nonbinary identification. 

Max and Oskar are the children of Lopez and Marc Anthony, the Grammy-winning singer the actress was married to for ten years. 

Lopez has been candid about the twins leaving for college and becoming an empty-nester inside her $18 million Hidden Hills mansion.

‘It’s an emotional time. It’s been the three of us,’ she said during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.

Both of her children wear headphones, which they plug in at various points during the visit

Lopez wows in a satin mini dress with metallic flip-flops and a head scarf

Max and Oskar are the children of Lopez and Marc Anthony, the Grammy-winning singer the actress was married to for ten years

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‘People have come in and out of my life, but it’s been the three of us. They’ve always been there, and I’ve always been there.’

The singer continued, ‘I just never thought they would not be there. I just never thought that far ahead.’

And while stopping by Jimmy Kimmel Live! in May, the star also admitted to being emotional over her twins’ milestone.

‘Tomorrow, one of them graduates. Don’t talk about it because we start crying. I’ve been crying for two months.’

Oskar is glued to his phone at one point during the adventure

The family trio visit the historic Spanish steps

Lopez looks sensational as she flashes her legs in the city

She also admitted to having a hard time penning messages to her children in their yearbooks. ‘When I tell you, the tears… two days it took me to write those things.’

Meanwhile, Lopez is also single again following her 2024 divorce from Ben Affleck.  

The songstress has been vocal about embracing her single era.

Back in March, during an interview with Juju Chang on Nightline, Lopez was asked if she was in a hurry to meet someone new.

‘No! No I’m not! God forbid, I don’t want to ruin anything!’ she revealed. ‘It’s so nice right now! I’m so happy! It’s the best. I just feel really good right now.

‘And that was a scary thing for me when I was younger. I didn’t know if I could do that. I was always really afraid to be alone.’

The star looks stylish as she goes shopping in Italy 

Security is present throughout Lopez’s trip

Lopez was also seen exploring Taormina, Italy earlier this month

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The singer also discussed her relationship status during an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! last month in June.

At one point during the interview, Kimmel asked the On The Floor hitmaker, ‘You’re single right now?’

‘I am!’ she confirmed with a cheerful smile as the audience erupted into supportive cheers and applause.

‘I should have done it sooner,’ Lopez further expressed to the host. ‘I’ve been doing it all wrong. I’ve been doing it all wrong, trust me.’

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Police have launched an appeal to find a woman they wish to speak to after a dog mauled two small children at a playground.

The kids, aged six and 11, sustained bitemarks to their legs and thighs, and were rushed to hospital for treatment after the dog rounded on them as they were playing on a playground on Vernon Street, near Newfoundpool, Leicester, on April 19 when they were injured.

Leicestershire Police have since released CCTV images in a bid to track down a woman they want to speak to, launching a public appeal in their attempt to identify a woman who they believe could help with their investigation.

A spokesperson for the force said: “Enquiries have been ongoing since the incident was reported to us and we hope the public can help us move the investigation on.

“We know the images are not the best quality, but we hope someone will recognise the woman or the dog.

“If this is you or you have any suspicions about who the woman may be, we would urge you to get in touch.”

Anyone with any information is asked to contact PC 4630 Samuel Senior on 101, quoting crime number 26*224111.

The new research and development centre will be located at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus

Pharmaceutical company GSK will shut its main research and development hub in Stevenage and open a new flagship site in Cambridge amid aims to slash costs by £1.9 billion to fund investment plans. GSK has said the new 300,000sq ft centre in Cambridge will house more than 1,000 scientists, with a phased move for staff by 2029.

The group said some staff currently based at Stevenage, where around 1,800 people work currently, will also move to its nearby Ware site, which is set to be upgraded.

GSK is hoping all Stevenage workers will relocate to either Cambridge or Ware. The group is spending £400 million over the next three years on the changes.

It revealed in half-year results that annual costs are set to be cut by £1.9 billion over the next three years to fund the investment, ramp up R&D, and help offset the hit when one of its key HIV treatments – dolutegravir – comes off its patent. It is understood there will be some roles affected, such as in support services, but GSK did not confirm numbers.

Luke Miels, chief executive at GSK, said: “To fund investment in the late-stage portfolio and R&D, we are starting a three-year cost savings programme to simplify the organisation and to reallocate capital and resources. Savings will primarily be reinvested, with some used to improve margins and profitability in the dolutegravir patent expiry period.”

The new R&D centre is being developed by Prologis and is within the wider Cambridge Biomedical Campus – one of the largest of its kind in Europe. The move will place GSK close to AstraZeneca’s major R&D site at the campus.

The new centre will be located at Discovery Drive on the biomedical campus. It is planned across three interconnected buildings. Work has begun on the first of these, a second has full planning permission, and a third recently received planning committee approval, subject to formal planning permission.

Andrew Blevins, SVP, Life Sciences, Prologis, said: “GSK’s decision is a powerful endorsement of Cambridge Biomedical Campus and the unique ecosystem that has been created here. Prologis invested ahead of demand at Discovery Drive because we believed global life-sciences organisations would continue to choose Cambridge.

“Having the right specialist infrastructure available allows companies to establish world-class facilities more quickly and strengthens the UK’s ability to compete for internationally significant life-sciences investment.”

Prologis said it is working in partnership with Cambridgeshire County Council to deliver the third and fourth phases of the project, with potential to create a further 2.4 million sq ft of life-sciences space. This represents an additional investment ambition of $4 billion (£3 billion) over the next two decades.

Paul Bristow, Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, said: “Cambridge Biomedical Campus has become one of Europe’s leading centres for life sciences because it brings together pioneering research, outstanding healthcare and ambitious businesses in one place. GSK’s expanded presence is another vote of confidence in our region and demonstrates the continued appeal of Cambridgeshire as a place where global organisations choose to innovate and grow.”

For some families, rising childcare costs mean leaving an older child at home for a few hours may seem like the only practical option.

Others may wonder whether a teenager can safely look after younger brothers or sisters while they’re at work.

But where does the law stand?

According to the NSPCC, concerns about children being left home alone rise sharply during the summer holidays. More than 1,200 adults contacted the charity about children being left unsupervised during last year’s July and August break, prompting fresh reminders for parents to think carefully before making childcare decisions.

Family law specialist Anna-Laura Lock, Partner at Rayden Solicitors, says there is no simple legal age at which children can be left alone.

Is there a legal age to leave a child home alone?

Many parents assume the law sets a minimum age, but it’s more complicated than that.

“There is no legal time limit or minimum age in England and Wales for leaving a child home alone,” says Anna-Laura.

“Instead, the law focuses on whether a child is left in circumstances that place them at risk of harm.

“That said, parents should proceed with caution. There is a clear difference between being left alone during the day or in the evening – with a parent due to return to the family home the same day – and being left without an adult overnight and for longer periods.”

She says parents should consider factors such as their child’s age, maturity, confidence, ability to deal with emergencies and, most importantly, whether they feel comfortable being left alone.

“While NSPCC guidance suggests children under 12 are rarely mature enough to be left alone for long periods, and babies and young children should never be left alone, this is guidance rather than legal rules,” she adds.

“The law deliberately leaves room for parental judgment, but that also means parents carry the responsibility if that judgment is found to have put their child at risk.

“In reality, the consequences of that judgment call being wrong can be serious. Instead of basing their decision on the child reaching a certain age, parents should focus on whether it is safe and appropriate for that particular child. The key takeaway is that it not a decision that should be taken lightly and without significant planning and preparation to ensure that the child in question is not exposed to ‘unnecessary suffering or injury to health’.”

In other words, the decision should be based on the individual child rather than their age alone, taking into account factors such as maturity, confidence, how long they will be left and whether they could cope in an emergency.

Can older children babysit younger brothers or sisters?

Another common question during the school holidays is whether an older child can supervise younger siblings.

There is no separate legal minimum age for babysitting in England and Wales. Instead, the same legal principles apply as when deciding whether to leave a child home alone.

Parents remain responsible for ensuring any childcare arrangements are safe. They should consider the ages and needs of all the children involved, whether the older child is mature enough to cope with the responsibility, how long they will be left and whether they could deal with an emergency.

If those arrangements place children at risk of harm, parents could still face safeguarding action or, in the most serious cases, criminal prosecution.

When could social services become involved?

Safeguarding concerns can be raised by neighbours, relatives, teachers, healthcare professionals or anyone else who believes a child has been left in unsafe circumstances.

Anna-Laura says: “Social services are most likely to become involved when a safeguarding concern is raised by someone who is worried about a child’s welfare. This could be a neighbour, relative, teacher, healthcare professional or another person who believes a child has been left alone in circumstances that place them at risk.

“Each case is assessed on its individual facts. Local authorities will consider factors including the child’s age and level of maturity, how long they were left unsupervised, and whether they had access to food, a phone and trusted adults. They will also consider whether this was an isolated incident or part of a wider pattern of neglect.

“Where professionals conclude that a child has been exposed to a significant risk of harm or that their basic needs are not being met, social services may carry out further safeguarding enquiries and may ultimately make interventions to protect the welfare of a child.

“In the most serious cases, parents could also face criminal prosecution.”

What if you’re separated from your child’s other parent?

The issue can become particularly sensitive for separated families if one parent disagrees with the other’s childcare arrangements.

Where both parents have parental responsibility, decisions about a child’s welfare should be made in the child’s best interests. If one parent believes the other is regularly leaving a child unsupervised in unsafe circumstances, the issue could become part of wider discussions about child arrangements and, in some cases, family court proceedings.

“Leaving children home alone can become a significant source of disagreement between separated parents, particularly where communication is already strained,” says Anna-Laura.

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“It is not uncommon for one parent to object to the other leaving a child home alone, especially if they believe they could have cared for the child instead.

“Where parents share parental responsibility, decisions affecting a child’s welfare should always be made with the child’s best interests at the forefront.

“If one parent regularly leaves a child unsupervised and the other believes this places them at risk, it may become an issue in wider discussions about child arrangements and, in some cases, could result in family court proceedings.

“Rather than viewing the issue through the lens of convenience, separated parents should work together wherever possible to place their child at the forefront of their decision making and ensure suitable childcare arrangements are in place.

“Doing so not only reduces the risk of legal consequences but, more importantly, provides children with the supervision, support and reassurance they need during the school holidays.”

With many families trying to balance work and childcare over the summer break, experts say parents should avoid relying on age alone when deciding whether a child is ready to stay at home.

Every child develops differently, and ultimately parents remain legally responsible for ensuring they are safe.

Video captured by a bystander shows the moment 16-year-old rookie lifeguard Ryder Williams rescued a 10-year-old boy from the ocean at Seabright State Beach in Santa Cruz, California.

The child had been swept about 15 yards offshore when Williams reached him, with several beachgoers also joining the rescue. The operation lasted just over two minutes.

President Donald Trump has since invited Williams to the White House to receive a high civilian honour.

The bodies of a woman and a man were found in the Corsliehill Road area of Houston, Renfrewshire.

The death of woman found dead alongside her husband at a remote cottage in Renfrewshire was murder, say cops.

They confirmed this evening that the death of 35-year-old Stacy Mair is being treated as murder, following a post-mortem.

The death of her husband, Jim Mair, 43, is still being treated as unexplained. Police say there is nothing to suggest anyone else was involved.

Around 7.50am on Monday, 27 July, 2026, police received a report of concern for a person in the Corsliehill Road area of Houston

.

Emergency services attended, and the bodies of a woman and a man were found nearby.

A post-mortem examination on Jim, will take place in due course.

Detectives from Police Scotland’s Major Investigation Team, as well as officers from the local policing division, continue to carry out extensive enquiries to establish the full circumstances.

At this time, there is nothing to suggest any risk to the public.

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Detective Chief Inspector Laura Young, of the Major Investigation Team, said: “Our thoughts remain with the families of those affected by this incident.

“They are understandably devastated, and we are providing them with support through specialist officers at this incredibly difficult time.

Chief Inspector Iain Farmer said: “This is a deeply upsetting incident for the families involved, and the impact is felt right across the local community.

“I am grateful for the support we have received as we complete our essential enquires to ensure the families and local residents get the answers they need.”

Anyone with concerns or information can contact Police Scotland via 101.

Thomas Littles suffered face and shoulder injuries after allegedly being attacked with a knife during an altercation in North Belfast in March

A man who suffered multiple injuries after he was allegedly attacked with a knife during an altercation in North Belfast has raised concerns as nobody is yet to be charged following the incident.

Thomas Littles suffered injuries to his face and shoulder after he was attacked with a knife during an altercation in the early hours of Saturday, March 21, in the Cambrai Street area of the city. He and another man were arrested following the incident and bailed, but he says nothing further seems to have happened with the investigation.

Speaking to Belfast Live, Thomas said that he was attacked by a man who came to his home and during the altercation he defended himself with a baseball bat. However, he says suffered stab wounds to his shoulder and was sliced across his face with a knife.

He said: “I would just like to know what is going on with this case. I was attacked by someone who came to my home and ended up getting stabbed while I was trying to defend myself.

“Both of us were arrested after it all but I have heard nothing more about it. I just don’t want to see this person get away without any charges after what they did to me, which seems to be the case months after the attack.”

A PSNI spokesperson said: “Two men, aged in their 20s and 30s, arrested by police in relation to a report of an altercation in the Cambrai Street area of north Belfast in the early hours of Saturday 21st March, have been released and a report will be submitted to the Public Prosecution Service in due course.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

A quarter of a century ago, Steven Spielberg released one of the most unusual films of his career: A.I. Artificial Intelligence, a futuristic fairytale about a robot boy programmed to love.

Yet the movie’s origins lay not with Spielberg but another giant of cinema. For more than two decades, Stanley Kubrick had wrestled with the project, convinced it contained questions about technology, humanity and what it means to be loved. He never managed to bring it to the screen, though.

Released in 2001, A.I. arrived years before smartphones, social media and the boom in artificial intelligence. Yet today, as AI systems become woven into everyday life, the film feels newly relevant – not because it accurately predicted ChatGPT or generative AI, but because it explored the emotional and ethical questions that emerge when people form relationships with machines.

The story began with a 2,000-word short story, Supertoys Last All Summer Long, written by British author Brian Aldiss in 1969 for a special issue of Harper’s Bazaar.

It was set in a dystopian future where, because of overpopulation, reproduction was strictly controlled by the government and childbirth was granted through a lottery scheme. As they wait for their number to come up, Henry Swinton brings home a synthetic robotic child called David and a robotic teddy bear to keep his wife, Monica, company.

Although David is supposed to behave like a real child, there is a failure in communication between the robots and the couple. “Nobody knows what ‘real’ really means,” the teddy tells David. Despite the bear’s coaching, David is unable to please the childless couple.

Kubrick was attracted to the lyrical fairytale, mythic and cosmic qualities of Supertoys. He saw in it a modern version of Pinocchio, the story of a child who longs to become real.

The director began working on it in 1976 and, over the next two decades, kept returning to the story, engaging many writers to adapt it into a workable film. But rarely were they able to supply the necessary fuel to feed his imagination.

Technology presented another obstacle. Kubrick imagined David as an artificial child who would be indistinguishable from a real boy. But visual effects in the 1980s and early ’90s were not advanced enough to create such a character convincingly.

Using a child actor posed a different problem: Kubrick’s famously lengthy productions meant David might visibly age during filming. “The way we worked, the boy would be a teenager,” Kubrick’s brother-in-law, Jan Harlan, quipped.

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Faced with an impasse, Kubrick approached his friend Spielberg with an unexpected suggestion: perhaps he should direct the film instead. Spielberg initially resisted – but Kubrick continued to champion the idea, believing Spielberg’s emotional sensibility was better suited to the material.

By then, the project had been renamed A.I. Artificial Intelligence. Kubrick intended it to follow his film Eyes Wide Shut, but he died in 1999 before that film’s release. Only afterwards did his family and longtime collaborators ask Spielberg to take the project forward.

The finished film was a fascinating mix of Kubrickian irony and Spielbergian sentimentality. The odyssey of a robot boy who longs for the love of his human mother across aeons of time ends in a symphony of yearning and sadness. Robots of the future bring the boy’s mother back to life for a brief time, which no other Kubrick film had attempted. Spielberg insists he was faithful to Kubrick’s intent.

What was A.I. really about?

Don’t be fooled by the title. The film isn’t exactly a prediction of the rise of generative and agentic AI (for that, you should watch Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey).

In fact, today’s AI systems are very different from David. ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini can generate convincing text and images, but they don’t experience loneliness, desire or love. David, by contrast, is imagined as a conscious being capable of suffering.

But this is precisely why the film feels so contemporary. As people increasingly interact with AI assistants, companion chatbots and emotionally responsive technology, questions once confined to science fiction are becoming part of everyday life. How easily do we form attachments to machines? What responsibilities do creators have towards intelligent technology? And what happens when a machine appears to need us as much as we need it?

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The film also reflects on the disastrous effects of man-made climate change, responding to the rapidly intensifying public debate about global warming in the late 1980s and early ’90s.

The most unsettling part of the film is the role of sex robots designed to pleasure lonely adults. Kubrick’s vision of the future blended suggestive pornographic imagery with technology. It was a futuristic Sodom and Gomorrah too hardcore for a family movie, even if Spielberg softened this when the film became his.

Rather than predicting the types of technology we use today, A.I. anticipated something more fundamental: the human desire to find companionship, meaning and connection through machines.

Twenty-five years after its release, the film remains unsettling not because its future arrived exactly as Kubrick and Spielberg imagined, but because many of its deepest questions remain unanswered.