Global Pulse

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  • FBI arrests woman over alleged plot to bomb New York capitol building

    FBI arrests woman over alleged plot to bomb New York capitol building

    U.S. law enforcement agencies have foiled a planned terrorist attack targeting New York’s state capitol building in Albany, arresting a local woman who federal prosecutors say had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) and intended to kill state lawmakers in the assault.

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation took 35-year-old Jessica Bowie, a resident of Albany, into custody this week following a months-long undercover investigation that involved confidential informants and agents posing as IS operatives, according to court documents. Prosecutors outline that Bowie spent weeks refining her attack plot, ultimately selecting the Albany statehouse as her target because she viewed it as a softer target than the White House, with her end goal being to inflict systemic damage to U.S. governing institutions.

    Court records detail that Bowie conducted pre-attack reconnaissance at least five times, taking photos of the building’s layout and security protocols to prepare for the strike. She mapped out a plan to conceal an explosive device inside a DoorDash food delivery bag — a photo of which is included in the official charging documents — and intended to use large nails as shrapnel to maximize casualties.

    As the investigation progressed, undercover agents provided Bowie with $200 to purchase bomb-making components from a local Home Depot hardware store, driving her to the location for the purchase. Law enforcement has released surveillance images showing Bowie pushing a shopping cart through the store while selecting the materials needed to build her explosive device. After completing her purchase, investigators quote Bowie as asking the undercover operatives, “I hope the nails are big enough… because the nails work as shrapnel, right?”

    When Bowie was taken into custody on Wednesday, agents found she was carrying multiple knives, a written oath of allegiance to IS, and a fake explosive device and non-functional firearm that had been provided to her by the undercover agents as part of the sting operation.

    Federal charging documents additionally note that Bowie was an active social media user who regularly spread anti-American rhetoric on public platforms. She was banned from multiple platforms for violating terms of service, and had used her accounts to praise the al-Qaeda 9/11 terror attacks. In conversations with investigators, Bowie shared that she converted to Islam approximately five years ago, and had shifted her ideology from being a patriotic child waving an American flag in the aftermath of 9/11 to displaying stickers of the collapsing World Trade Center towers to show support for terror attacks.

    It currently remains unclear whether Bowie intends to enter a guilty plea or challenge the charges brought against her, which include one count of providing material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

    New York Governor Kathy Hochul issued a public statement thanking the FBI and New York State Police for their work disrupting the plot and taking Bowie into custody. She noted that the foiled plot comes as the U.S. has seen a rise in political violence and targeted threats against public officials, adding that her administration had already implemented new security upgrades at the Albany statehouse and across all state government facilities earlier this year to mitigate these risks.

  • US says sanctions will ‘squash’ Iran’s economy and ‘collapse’ its regime

    US says sanctions will ‘squash’ Iran’s economy and ‘collapse’ its regime

    Top U.S. financial official Scott Bessent has launched a sharp call for American allies to back Washington’s aggressive new campaign to cripple Iran’s economy, framing the sweeping new sanctions package as a tool to avoid a full-scale resumption of open conflict in the Middle East.

    In an interview with CNBC, Treasury Secretary Bessent made clear the ultimate goal of the pressure campaign is to bring down Iran’s ruling government, demanding global powers pick a side in the standoff. “We are going to collapse this regime. It is time for our allies and the rest of the world to make a decision,” he stated bluntly, adding “You are either with us or against us.”

    Bessent’s hardline remarks come just days after U.S. President Donald Trump issued a stark warning: any nation that continues to provide economic support to Iran’s Islamic Republic will face severe economic retaliation from Washington. While the Treasury chief declined to share specific details of the new measures the Trump administration is finalizing, he emphasized that the intensified economic pressure campaign will sharply reduce the likelihood of returning to large-scale active combat between U.S.-led forces and Iran.

    The current crisis traces back to February 2026, when the U.S. and Israel launched open military strikes on Iran, claiming the action was necessary to stop Tehran from advancing its nuclear program – a claim Iranian officials have repeatedly and categorically denied. Iran responded immediately with retaliatory strikes on Israeli territory, dozens of U.S. military bases across the Middle East, and targeted attacks on U.S. Gulf Arab allies. It also effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, the critical global energy chokepoint that carries roughly 20 percent of the world’s daily oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, triggering extreme volatility in global commodity markets that rippled across economies worldwide.

    Two ceasefire agreements were reached between Washington and Tehran – one in April and a second in June – both designed to create space for negotiations to end the conflict permanently. But both truces have been repeatedly violated, and diplomatic talks have ground to a standstill. Rather than greenlighting a return to open war, the Trump administration is now moving forward with what the president calls the “most crushing economic operation ever taken against any country.”

    Bessent framed the upcoming penalties as the cornerstone of what he described as “the greatest co-ordinated economic isolation in the history of the world.” For any third-party nation or entity that chooses to continue commercial activity with Iran – whether that means processing financial transactions, purchasing Iranian crude oil, or other forms of trade – the secretary made clear the full weight of U.S. regulatory power will be brought to bear. “If you insist on doing business with them… then the US Treasury and the US government will put [their] full might and force towards enforcing against you,” he said. Full details of the new sanctions package will be revealed at a formal press conference scheduled for August 24, Bessent confirmed.

    Iran’s economy has already been battered by decades of U.S. and international sanctions, leaving the country’s financial system in tatters and driving catastrophic inflation for ordinary citizens. In early 2026, weeks of widespread anti-government protests erupted across Iran, sparked by skyrocketing living costs and hyperinflation, with many demonstrators blaming the ruling regime for their economic hardship. Official data shows that in the 12 months leading up to February 2026, prices for basic consumer goods rose an average of 60 percent, while food prices alone doubled across the country. At the height of those protests, Trump released a public message encouraging demonstrators, telling them “help is on the way” and urging them to continue their demonstrations against the regime.

    The February military offensive and subsequent U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports followed those protests, with the Trump administration initially betting that a swift military campaign would force the regime’s collapse or unconditional surrender. When that outcome failed to materialize, Washington rolled out a new round of sanctions in April targeting foreign banks and commercial firms that continued to do business with Tehran. That campaign, dubbed Operation Economic Fury, was designed to cut off Tehran’s revenue streams to weaken its military capabilities, and included the ongoing naval blockade to block all Iranian exports.

    The June ceasefire memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran included a key provision that would see the U.S. lift all existing sanctions on Iran according to a mutually agreed timeline, a commitment that now appears to be abandoned as Washington moves forward with new penalties.

    Sanctions are nothing new for Iran: the first major round of U.S. sanctions was imposed shortly after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, during the U.S. embassy hostage crisis. Decades of additional penalties have been added in the years since, but the Iranian regime has never collapsed. Instead, it has consistently managed to suppress internal dissent, including the harsh crackdown on early 2026’s anti-government protests.

    Many ordinary Iranians expressed confidence that the country can adapt to and overcome the new round of U.S. pressure, drawing on decades of experience navigating sanctions. A resident of Khuzestan, a central Iranian province, told the BBC that while new sanctions will likely cause short-term hardship, that does not mean Iran cannot weather the storm. “There may be an impact at first, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Iran won’t be able to overcome the crisis,” he said.

    Other Iranians echoed that sentiment, doubting the new penalties will achieve the U.S. goal of collapsing the regime. “Not everything changes because of statements made by President Trump,” one woman told Middle East Lifeline. “Iran has been living under sanctions for years, and people have become accustomed to this situation. I’m sure Iran will find other ways to continue trading. Of course, there will be some impact and the economy may weaken, but that doesn’t mean it will collapse.”

  • ICE arrests captain in New York Harbor boat accident that killed mother and infant

    ICE arrests captain in New York Harbor boat accident that killed mother and infant

    A fatal boating disaster near one of New York’s most iconic landmarks has taken an unexpected turn, as the captain of the overturned vessel has been taken into federal immigration custody over charges of illegal entry into the United States. The August 8 incident, which unfolded just off the coast near the Statue of Liberty, left two people dead — a 27-year-old mother and her 5-month-old infant daughter — after the overloaded boat capsized and threw all 14 passengers and crew into the rough harbor waters.

    Forty-six-year-old Manuel Hernandez, the captain of the vessel, was first taken into police custody shortly after the accident, where he faced criminal charges of reckless endangerment that resulted in the two deaths. A federal criminal complaint adds two additional counts of misconduct and neglect by a ship officer that led to death, with each count carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years behind bars. Following his initial arrest, Hernandez was released on bail, but immigration officials have now taken him back into custody after uncovering his irregular immigration status.

    According to U.S. immigration authorities, Hernandez entered the country illegally from El Salvador and intentionally provided false information about his citizenship to border patrol agents during his entry. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin confirmed in an official statement that after Hernandez resolves his pending criminal charges for the boating incident, authorities will move forward with expedited deportation proceedings to remove him from the country. “Once he faces justice for his crimes, we will make sure that he is swiftly removed from our country,” Mullin said.

    The BBC has reached out to Hernandez’s legal representative to request a statement on the immigration charges and new detention, but no response has been received as of yet. A preliminary investigation conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard confirmed key safety failures that contributed to the disaster: the small vessel was carrying far more passengers than its rated capacity, and there were no properly sized life jackets available for the infant on board. All 12 other passengers on the boat were rescued from the harbor shortly after the capsizing, with no other fatalities reported.

    Hernandez will remain in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody for the duration of his upcoming criminal trial, closing a loop that left immigration advocates and local observers questioning how an unauthorized individual was able to operate an unregulated passenger vessel in one of the nation’s busiest harbors.

  • Alcaraz to play US Open after four months out

    Alcaraz to play US Open after four months out

    Four months after a debilitating right wrist injury sidelined him from competitive tennis, defending US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz has formally confirmed he will make his comeback at the 2026 iteration of the year’s final Grand Slam, kicking off August 30 in New York’s Flushing Meadows.

    The 23-year-old Spaniard has enjoyed a historic run of form in recent seasons, claiming victory at the 2026 Australian Open in January to become the youngest male player in the history of the sport to complete a career sweep of all four Grand Slam titles. That win marked his seventh major championship, and he followed it up with a title at February’s Qatar Open. But his momentum ground to a halt in mid-April, when he sustained the wrist injury during the Barcelona Open, forcing him to withdraw after just one match and step away from the tour entirely.

    The confirmation of his US Open return was made public via a joint Instagram post from Alcaraz and popular football journalist and influencer Fabrizio Romano, with Alcaraz later echoing the announcement on X with Romano’s iconic catchphrase “here we go!” alongside an American flag emoji and a plane emoji, signaling his upcoming trip to the United States. Beyond his expected place in the men’s singles draw, Alcaraz is also considering entering the mixed doubles competition held in the lead-up to the main draw, where three wildcard spots remain unannounced. Alcaraz competed in the revamped mixed doubles event at last year’s US Open alongside British star Emma Raducanu, who will miss this year’s tournament due to her own injury.

    Alcaraz’s four-month absence from competition has already shifted the men’s world rankings: he dropped from world number two to be replaced by Germany’s Alexander Zverev, after he was unable to defend his 2025 Cincinnati Open title. Current world number one Jannik Sinner, who Alcaraz defeated in last year’s US Open final, has stretched his lead at the top of the rankings during Alcaraz’s layoff. Sinner claimed the 2026 Wimbledon title in July, while Zverev took home the French Open crown and finished runner-up at SW19. Like Alcaraz, Sinner will enter the US Open lacking recent hard-court match practice, after he withdrew from the Cincinnati Open with a knee injury.

    Alcaraz has taken a cautious approach to his comeback, easing back into structured training in July after missing the entire clay court swing and grass court season. Photographs emerged of him hitting practice shots at a facility in his native Spain on August 4, but he withdrew from the Cincinnati Open just 24 hours later as a precaution. In recent weeks, he has been spotted training in his home region of Murcia wearing a protective sleeve on his forearm, and has been practicing alongside close friend and fellow tour pro Holger Rune of Denmark, who is himself returning to fitness after an Achilles rupture in October 2025.

    Wrist injuries carry well-documented risk for professional tennis players, with even minor injuries capable of ending or severely derailing careers if mismanaged. Alcaraz emphasized in April that he prioritized long-term health over a rushed comeback, stating he did not want to risk permanent damage that would jeopardize his participation in future events. This caution echoes the experiences of former top pros: 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem retired at the end of 2024 after a wrist injury cut his career short, while 2009 US Open winner Juan Martin del Potro battled persistent wrist issues throughout his professional tenure.

    Alcaraz first made history at the US Open in 2022, when he claimed his first Grand Slam title at just 19 years old, becoming the youngest men’s major champion in 17 years after defeating Casper Ruud in the final. He repeated that triumph in 2025, beating Sinner in a four-set final to retain his crown. Sinner, meanwhile, has dominated the men’s tour in Alcaraz’s absence this season, dropping just three matches all year. Two of those losses came in the first two months of 2026, including a defeat to 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open semi-finals. Sinner claimed the coveted “Sunshine Double” – back-to-back titles at Indian Wells and Miami Open – without dropping a single set, and has only suffered one surprising early exit at the French Open this season, entering the US Open as the overwhelming top favorite. Fitness remains the only major question mark hanging over Sinner’s bid for a sixth Grand Slam title.

  • FBI seizes former Congressman Eric Swalwell’s devices and searches his home as part of investigation

    FBI seizes former Congressman Eric Swalwell’s devices and searches his home as part of investigation

    A sweeping federal law enforcement action targeting former Democratic U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell unfolded over the weekend, as FBI agents stopped the California politician at a U.S. airport, seized his personal electronic devices, and executed a search warrant at his Washington, D.C., residence. The operation marks a significant new development in an ongoing federal investigation into multiple claims of sexual misconduct leveled against Swalwell earlier this year. Multiple U.S. law enforcement and media sources, including CBS News — the BBC’s official U.S. news partner — have confirmed details of the enforcement action. The 45-year-old former congressman, a frequent cable news commentator who built a national profile as a prominent critic of former President Donald Trump, has been facing overlapping probes from multiple jurisdictions since the first allegations became public. The accusations, which come from multiple female accusers, include claims that Swalwell raped one woman while she was severely intoxicated and unable to consent, and that he sent unsolicited nude images to other women. Soon after the allegations were first reported publicly earlier this year, Swalwell stepped down from his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives and abandoned his campaign for California governor — a race where he had been leading in early polling at the time. Following his departure from Congress, the House Ethics Committee terminated its own parallel investigation into the claims, which had been launched after House Democratic leadership faced pressure to remove Swalwell from committee assignments over the allegations. Swalwell has repeatedly and unequivocally denied all accusations of sexual misconduct. His attorney, Sara Azari, has characterized the claims as entirely manufactured, calling them a deliberate, transparent political attack targeting her client. “These accusations are false, fabricated, and deeply offensive — a calculated and transparent political hit job,” Azari stated when the allegations were first made public. The BBC has reached out to Swalwell and his legal team for additional comment following the weekend FBI action, but has not yet received a response. Beyond the sexual misconduct investigations, new developments emerged this week in a separate decade-old FBI investigation tied to Swalwell. On Monday, the White House declassified and released previously sealed documents detailing long-reported allegations of a past relationship between Swalwell and Christine Fang, a woman suspected of being a Chinese intelligence operative. While most key details of the 2015 relationship have been public knowledge for years, Swalwell never faced any criminal charges related to the alleged connection. Multiple major U.S. media outlets, including CBS News, have reported that FBI Director Kash Patel spearheaded the push to declassify and release the previously sealed investigation files. In addition to the federal probe being carried out by the FBI, Swalwell also faces active criminal investigations into the rape and sexual assault allegations from two separate local law enforcement agencies: the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in New York and the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department in his home state of California.

  • What do people think of Harry and Meghan returning to the UK?

    What do people think of Harry and Meghan returning to the UK?

    After years of living abroad in North America following their high-profile departure from senior royal roles, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are preparing to make a major move: returning to British soil later this month. The long-rumored shift in their residence has sparked widespread conversation across the United Kingdom, with members of the public sharing diverse perspectives on the couple’s homecoming.

    To gauge public sentiment, on-the-ground interviews with London residents have revealed a wide spectrum of reactions. Some lifelong royal watchers expressed cautious curiosity, welcoming the couple back to the country they have deep familial and historic ties to, even as they acknowledge the friction that marked their exit. Others who supported the couple’s decision to step away from official duties see their return as a full-circle moment that could bring a new dynamic to the public face of the monarchy, even in an unofficial capacity.

    Conversely, there are segments of the public that remain skeptical, pointing to the ongoing controversial interviews and media projects that have criticized the royal institution that still keep tensions high. Many Londoners also noted that they are curious to see what the couple’s next steps will be in the UK, whether they plan to take on any public-facing roles or maintain the more private lifestyle they built in California.

    As the date of their planned relocation approaches, discussions around their return are only growing, reflecting the enduring public fascination with the couple’s life post-royal senior roles.

  • Vaccine breakthrough stops cancer returning in trial

    Vaccine breakthrough stops cancer returning in trial

    A groundbreaking clinical trial has delivered encouraging early results for a novel personalized cancer vaccine, marking what experts describe as a potential turning point in the global fight against skin cancer. Developed in a collaborative partnership between pharmaceutical giants Merck & Co. (known as MSD outside the United States) and biotechnology leader Moderna, the experimental treatment combines the newly developed vaccine, branded Intismeran, with Keytruda – a widely used existing immunotherapy drug for cancer care.

    The phase three clinical trial enrolled over 1,000 patients diagnosed with high-risk melanoma, the most aggressive form of skin cancer. All participants underwent surgical removal of their tumors before receiving either the combined vaccine-drug treatment or Keytruda as a standalone therapy. Early data released by the two companies shows that the combination therapy significantly extended cancer-free survival periods for patients and cut the risk of melanoma spreading to distant organs compared to single-drug treatment.

    Unlike traditional cancer treatments, this new therapy leverages the same mRNA technology that powered many widely used COVID-19 vaccines to create a one-of-a-kind treatment tailored to each patient. To develop the personalized jab, scientists first sequence the DNA of a small sample taken from the patient’s tumor during surgery. This genetic data allows them to design a vaccine that targets unique mutations present in the patient’s cancer cells, training the immune system to specifically identify and attack any remaining cancer cells that may cause recurrence.

    Clinical and public health leaders have welcomed the early findings, while urging caution as the full trial data has not yet been published or subjected to independent peer review. Professor Peter Johnson, National Clinical Director for Cancer at NHS England, called the development an exciting advance in immuno-oncology. “Most existing cancer immunotherapies work by broadly freeing up the immune system to target cancer, but this new approach directly directs the immune system to the patient’s unique tumor,” Johnson explained in an interview with the BBC’s Today Programme. He added that the NHS is already making preparations to roll out this new class of treatment to patients once it receives regulatory approval.

    Dr. Lennard Lee, a consultant medical oncologist and associate professor at the University of Oxford, noted that the results carry implications far beyond melanoma treatment. “This trial provides the first large-scale proof of principle that personalized cancer vaccines actually work,” Lee said. Cancer Research UK’s head of prevention and early detection, Dr. Talisia Quallo, echoed the cautious optimism, stating that “this research shows real promise, but the interim data must undergo full independent review before we can draw definitive conclusions. Continued investment in this line of research is critical to expanding access to personalized treatment that helps more cancer patients live longer, higher-quality lives.”

    Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel described the trial outcome as a “pivotal moment” for cancer research worldwide. Beyond melanoma, the two companies are already running clinical trials for similar personalized mRNA vaccines targeting three other common cancer types: lung, bladder, and kidney cancer. Following the announcement of the early results, share prices for both Moderna and Merck rose sharply in global markets.

    Even if the trial’s positive results hold up through full review, the treatment still faces multiple regulatory and access hurdles. It must first receive formal approval from global medical regulators, followed by a separate approval process before it can be made routinely available to patients through the UK’s National Health Service. Full detailed results from the phase three trial are scheduled to be presented at an international medical conference in October this year.

  • Prince Harry and Meghan moving back to UK later this month

    Prince Harry and Meghan moving back to UK later this month

    After six years of living abroad following their 2020 exit from senior royal roles, Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, are preparing to move back to the United Kingdom, multiple UK media outlets have confirmed. Citing sources familiar with the couple’s plans, the BBC first reported the planned relocation, which was initially broken by the Daily Telegraph and The Sun.

    According to insiders, the couple will leave their current California home later this August and take up residence in a private, non-royal property located outside of London. Their two young children, 7-year-old Prince Archie and 5-year-old Princess Lilibet, have already been enrolled in a local British school set to open its doors for the new academic term in September.

    King Charles III, Harry’s father, was only notified of the couple’s relocation plans this past Sunday, and no adjustments to the pair’s current royal status are on the table. The couple will remain private citizens, with no intention of returning to full-time working royal duties. This update comes as a surprise, as the family’s July 2024 visit to the King at his private Highgrove Estate in Gloucestershire did not include any discussion of a permanent move, and the King had no advance knowledge of the plan before last weekend. Buckingham Palace has confirmed that Charles welcomes the move, as it will give him more opportunities to spend private, personal time with his son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren.

    William and Catherine, the Prince and Princess of Wales, have also been formally notified of the couple’s plans. For context, the Sussexes stepped down from their official royal roles and left the UK in early 2020, completing their relocation to Southern California that March. Tensions between the couple and the rest of the royal family have run high in the years since, with July’s meeting marking a major turning point in their fractured relationship. That meeting was the first time King Charles had seen Archie and Lilibet in person in more than four years, and the first joint visit by Harry and Meghan to the UK since the 2022 state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.

    Security arrangements have been one of the most persistent points of conflict between Prince Harry and UK officials since the couple stepped down. Last year, the duke lost a high-profile legal challenge against the UK government over his bid to retain the same level of personal police protection he received as a working royal, a benefit that was withdrawn after his 2020 exit. Ahead of July’s visit, Harry nearly canceled the trip after his request for police security was rejected, and he has repeatedly stated in past interviews that safety concerns have prevented him from bringing his family to live in the UK. After news of the planned return broke, a Home Office spokesperson confirmed that all royal security decisions are made by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (RAVEC), and noted that the UK’s protective security framework remains “rigorous and proportionate.”

    For Invictus Games Foundation, the veteran sports charity founded by Prince Harry, the move is unexpected but welcome. The 2025 Invictus Games for injured service members and veterans will be hosted in Birmingham, and foundation chief programmes and strategy officer David Wiseman told the BBC that having Harry based in the UK ahead of the event is excellent news. “I will be really pleased to have him back in the country. Moving is stressful for anyone so I hope it all goes well and the children settle well at school,” Wiseman said, adding that the relocation “took everybody by surprise” but will deliver significant benefits to the foundation’s work.

    The surprise announcement has sparked widespread speculation across UK political and royal circles, with many senior figures noting they had no advance warning of the plan. Ailsa Anderson, former press secretary to Queen Elizabeth II, described the move as “a bolt out of the blue” in an interview with BBC Radio 4’s *Today* programme. She noted that the relocation raises a host of unresolved questions, particularly around the future of the strained relationship between Harry and his brother William, the future of the couple’s security, and their dynamic with the British tabloid press. Anderson also suggested Harry’s July 2024 visit, which included a trip to his late mother Princess Diana’s ancestral home in Northamptonshire, may have shifted his perspective on returning. “I wonder whether that made a shift in his views and he really wants to come back because he’s missed his life here for the last six years,” she said.

    UK Education Secretary Lucy Powell welcomed the couple’s move, noting that the enrollment of Archie and Lilibet in British schools is a “great endorsement” of the UK’s education system. Powell also confirmed that she learned of the plans via social media and news reports Wednesday evening, just like the general public, and had not received any advance notification from Downing Street. She added that it is not expected the children will attend a local state school, a detail that has not been confirmed by the Sussexes’ representatives.

    As of Thursday, the Sussexes have not yet released an official statement confirming the relocation plans or their long-term intentions following the move.

  • Edmonton Marathon route was 674m too long

    Edmonton Marathon route was 674m too long

    One of Canada’s popular long-distance running events, the annual Edmonton Marathon in Alberta, is facing widespread criticism after organizers confirmed the 2026 edition of the race featured a course that was incorrectly measured, coming in more than half a kilometer over the standard marathon distance.

    Known widely among competitive distance runners as a key qualifying event for the world-famous Boston Marathon, the 2026 race left dozens of participants frustrated and confused immediately after they crossed the finish line. Multiple runners took to social media and running community platforms to share data from their GPS running watches, which all recorded a total distance exceeding 26.22 miles — the official standard marathon distance is 26.2 miles (42.195 kilometers).

    Organizers initially pushed back on these complaints, dismissing the concerns as minor inaccuracies common to consumer GPS devices. However, in an official public statement released this Wednesday, event leadership reversed that position and confirmed the error: a total of 674.7 meters, equal to 0.41 miles, was accidentally added to the full marathon course.

    “We do not take this mistake lightly,” said Tom Keogh, the event’s race director, in the statement. “We welcomed the country’s top athletes to compete here, and the finishing times they earned this weekend do not truly reflect how incredible their performances actually were.” Keogh acknowledged that event organizers failed to meet the quality standard that all participating runners had every right to expect from the official race.

    Organizers explained that construction work on the city’s Wellington Bridge forced them to adjust the traditional course route with a last-minute detour, and that adjustment resulted in the accidental extra distance.

    The error carries significant consequences for many runners. For those aiming to hit the strict qualifying time standards for the Boston Marathon, the extra half kilometer adds extra time to their official chip time, which is the official time used for Boston Marathon qualifying. Many runners now face the possibility of missing out on a qualifying spot they would have otherwise earned on a correctly measured course. Even runners not chasing Boston qualifying times missed out on the chance to hit long-sought personal best times due to the extra distance.

    Unlike the informal distance readings from personal GPS watches, Boston Marathon qualifying rules rely exclusively on official chip times recorded at certified qualifying events like the Edmonton Marathon. Currently, event organizers are working closely with Athletics Canada and other relevant governing bodies to figure out a path forward for recognizing 2026 participants’ results fairly. BBC Sport has reached out to the Edmonton Marathon organizing committee for additional comment on the ongoing review process.

  • Harry and Meghan are experts in surprise – but is their UK return forever?

    Harry and Meghan are experts in surprise – but is their UK return forever?

    For the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the years following their 2020 exit from senior royal roles have been defined by unforeseen choices and dramatic shifts that have consistently kept global public attention focused on the couple. Now, just a few years after establishing their life in California, they are poised for one of their most unexpected changes yet: a full return to the United Kingdom to take up long-term residence.

    Insiders close to the couple confirm that the decision to relocate was finalized only recently, despite earlier casual talks about increasing time spent in the UK. The turning point came during the family’s high-profile visit to the UK in July, which included stops at King Charles III’s Highgrove estate and a gathering with the extended Spencer family, the relatives of Harry’s late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales. During that visit, Archie and Lilibet, the couple’s two young children, had the opportunity to meet their extended British cousins, aunts and uncles for the first time in an informal setting. The trip also included a stay at the couple’s existing property in Portugal, which the couple described as an overall overwhelmingly positive experience that convinced them a permanent return was the right choice.

    Multiple sources have stressed that the relocation is not driven by any conflict or difficulty in their current US life. Instead, it is rooted in two core priorities: the desire to build a life closer to Harry’s remaining family in the UK, and access to British schooling for Archie and Lilibet, for whom schools have already been selected. With the new academic year for nearly all English state and private schools set to begin by the second week of September, the couple is expected to complete their relocation within the next 10 days to get settled before term starts.

    While the exact address of their new UK home has not been publicly disclosed for privacy reasons, it has been confirmed that they will not reside in central London. Instead, they are expected to trade their sprawling $14 million California mansion for a quieter life in the British countryside. Top rumored locations include the Cotswolds and the region surrounding Northamptonshire, which sits close to Althorp House, the Spencer family estate that was the childhood home of Diana, Princess of Wales.

    The sudden decision came as a complete surprise to King Charles III and the wider working royal household, with the King only receiving formal notification of the plan on the preceding Sunday. Palace insiders note that while Charles was not involved in the decision-making process, he has welcomed the opportunity to spend more private time with Harry, Meghan and his grandchildren.

    Despite this warm reception from the King, the relocation should not be interpreted as a sign of impending reconciliation between Harry and his older brother, Prince William, the Prince of Wales. The sibling relationship remains fractured after years of public tension, triggered in large part by Harry’s tell-all memoir *Spare* and the couple’s explosive 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, where they made multiple public claims about internal royal tensions. William has reportedly never forgiven the pair for airing private family disputes in public, and insiders say he views the couple’s return as likely to create unnecessary public distraction and a de facto alternative royal focal point that will disrupt the working family’s agenda. Kensington Palace has declined to issue any official comment on the move, in line with longstanding protocol around the couple’s private matters.

    Crucially, there are no plans for the Duke and Duchess to return to official frontline royal duties. They will retain their status as private non-working royals, and the Royal Household has repeatedly ruled out any “half-in, half-out” arrangement that would tie their public or commercial work to official royal patronages or duties. All professional work they pursue while based in the UK will remain entirely independent of the monarchy.

    One open question surrounds Meghan’s growing lifestyle brand As Ever, which she has been seeking to expand beyond the US market. It remains unconfirmed whether the brand’s products, including its signature artisanal jam, will eventually appear alongside the King’s own Duchy Organic line on UK supermarket shelves.

    Another unresolved issue is the couple’s security arrangements. Since relocating to the US, the couple has relied on a privately funded security team, but it remains unclear whether that team will relocate to the UK with them. There has also been no update on whether the couple will seek official metropolitan police protection during their stay, or whether Harry’s years-long legal dispute with the UK Home Office over access to official public protection when visiting the UK has been resolved. Notably, just last year after losing a high-profile legal challenge over his security arrangements, Harry told the BBC that he could not imagine a scenario where he would bring his wife and children back to live in the UK full time.

    For now, the couple describes their stay as an extended long-term residence, with Britain set as their primary home for the foreseeable future. As with all news involving the Sussexes, public reaction is expected to split along already entrenched lines, with supporters celebrating the return and critics remaining skeptical of the couple’s long-term intentions. But for close friends of the pair, the news is overwhelmingly positive: “I’m just excited to have them here,” one friend told reporters.