A variety of stories feature on Saturday’s front pages. The Financial Times leads with the news that pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has cancelled a £450m manufacturing plant in the UK after “months of wrangling over state support for the project”. The paper says Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer wanted to reduce the £90m in public money…

Mel Sykes running the 268-mile Spine Race – SWNS A brave podiatrist couldn’t walk in a straight line after being struck down by a rare brain condition 18 months ago, but having just completed a 268-mile ultramarathon in less than a week, it’s safe to say she’s found her feet again. The inspirational Mel Sykes,…

World Cup-winning coach Mark Robinson believes England need to learn from the poor management of young fast bowler Issy Wong. Wong made her debut in all three formats as a 20-year-old in 2022 and with her pace and aggression, was seen as one of England’s most exciting prospects. She has since fallen out of favour…

A Reusable depository in Aarhus – credit Reusable Three years after the Danish city of Aarhus launched an initiative to cut back on carry-out coffee cups, three-quarters of a million cups have been reused. This has resulted in €514,000 being paid out in the form of little €70-cent rebates to conscious consumers who return their…

A selection of news photographs from around the world. Jehad Alshrafi/AP Israeli hostage Arbel Yehoud, held by Hamas since October 7, 2023, was handed over to the Red Cross in Khan Younis, southern Gaza. Two Israelis and five Thais were freed, and more than100 Palestinians were released from Israel’s Ofer prison. Ezra Acayan/Getty Images A…

Credit: Angiola Harry In the search for better and better treatments for breast cancer, medical researchers at the Univ. of Illinois have synthesized a remarkable substance. In small tumors, a single dose of ErSO-TFPy eliminated them entirely, while the same dose significantly shrank large tumors. In both mice and rats, no deleterious side effects were…

Alix Hattenstone & Kristian Johnson BBC News Handout Kelly says she and Kaida work hard and it’s important that they get a holiday Many families struggle to take trips during school holidays because of the cost. For mum Kelly, it’s her job as a circus acrobat. “I work seven days a week and only get…

Stamp seals in the Indus Valley script. An Indian state governor has offered a $1 million reward to anyone who can prove definitively they’ve deciphered the script of the Indus Valley Civilization. One of the oldest urban societies in history, the Indus Valley, or Harappan people began building settlements in the Indus River Valley in…

Henry Zeffman BBC chief political correspondent•@hzeffman PA Media When Sir Keir Starmer was preparing to run for the Labour leadership in 2020, his campaign director told the future prime minister what mattered to the party. Morgan McSweeney emphasised that whatever their faction, Labour members shared certain core principles – and top of the list was…

61 years ago today, the Blue Ribbon Sports company was founded in Oregon. Remaining so named for the next 7 years, it would eventually change to a new moniker: Nike. The world’s largest supplier of athletic shoes and apparel and a major manufacturer of sports equipment, with revenue in excess of US$46 billion, Nike took…