Two armed men have stolen eight engravings by French artist Matisse and at least another five by Brazilian painter Cândido Portinari from a library in São Paulo. Brazilian officials say the thieves held up a security guard and an elderly couple who were visiting the library before making off with the artworks on foot. They reportedly entered the library by the main entrance at 10:00 (13:00 GMT) on Sunday, and left by the same route, heading towards the nearest metro station. The heist comes less than two months after the art world was rocked by a brazen break-in at the Louvre museum in Paris, where thieves made off with priceless jewels. The engravings stolen from Biblioteca Mário de Andrade on Sunday formed part of a joint exhibition with the São Paulo Museum of Modern Art.

A new strain of mpox, previously called monkeypox, has been detected in a person in England, say UK health officials. The virus is a mix of two major types of the mpox virus, and was found in someone who recently returned from travelling in Asia. Officials say they are still assessing the significance of the new strain. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says it is normal for viruses to evolve. Getting vaccinated remains the best way to protect against severe disease - although an mpox infection is mild for many.

Japan is facing a dementia crisis - can technology help? Last year, more than 18,000 older people living with dementia left their homes and wandered off in Japan. Almost 500 were later found dead. Police say such cases have doubled since 2012. Elderly people aged 65 and over now make up nearly 30% of Japan's population - the second-highest proportion in the world after Monaco, according to the World Bank.

The government says some 50,000 young people are expected to benefit from a programme to expand apprenticeships as it looks to tackle youth unemployment. The £725 million package, which was earmarked in the Budget and covers the next three years, will be used to create apprenticeships in sectors including AI, hospitality and engineering. Apprenticeships for people under the age of 25 at small and medium-sized businesses will be fully funded as part of the package, removing the 5% that they currently have to pay. The government is aiming to reverse a decline in the number of young people starting apprenticeships, which has fallen by almost 40% in the past decade. The funding also includes £140m for a pilot that the Department for Work and Pensions says will allow local mayors to connect young people with employers and apprenticeship opportunities, although it is unclear exactly how the money will be used.

Kevin Sinfield has completed seven ultramarathons in seven days to raise money and awareness for motor neurone disease (MND). The rugby league legend ran about 300km (185 miles) throughout the week, starting at Bury St Edmunds Rugby Club and ending at Leeds Rhinos home ground, Headingley Stadium. The 45-year-old completed an ultramarathon of at least 45km (27.9 miles) each day of his challenge, in bursts of 7km (4.3 miles). On Sunday he crossed the finish line in front of hundreds of supporters, who had gathered in the stadium's North and West stands to cheer him on. He said: To the MND Community and the people we've met on route, all through the last week, all through the past five years, to everybody we've met - it's an absolutely beautiful community.

Chernobyl radiation shield'lost safety function' after drone strike, UN watchdog says A protective shield covering the Chernobyl nuclear reactor in Ukraine can no longer provide its main containment function following a drone strike earlier this year, according to a UN watchdog. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors found that the massive structure, built over the site of the 1986 nuclear disaster, had lost its primary safety functions including the confinement capability. In February, Ukraine accused Russia of targeting the power plant - a claim the Kremlin denied. The IAEA said repairs were essential to prevent further degradation of the nuclear shelter. However environmental expert Jim Smith told the BBC: It is not something to panic about.

A drone attack on the town of Kalogi, in Sudan's South Kordofan region, is said to have hit a kindergarten and killed at least 50 people, including 33 children. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the paramilitary group battling the army in Sudan's civil war, was accused of Thursday's attack by a medical organisation, the Sudan Doctors' Network, and the army. There was no immediate comment from the RSF. The RSF in turn accused the army of hitting a market on Friday in a drone attack in the Darfur region, on a fuel depot at the Adre border crossing with Chad. Sudan has been ravaged by war since April 2023 when a power struggle broke out between the RSF and the army, who were formerly allies .

An Garda Síochána (Irish police force) has launched an investigation after drones were detected in Irish skies on the night the Ukrainian president arrived in Ireland. Volodymyr Zelensky flew into Dublin late on Monday night for a one-day official visit with his wife, First Lady Olena Zelenska. Senior Irish government figures, including Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Micheál Martin, have been briefed on the issue. Martin confirmed it would be discussed at a National Security Council meeting later this month. In a statement, gardaí said its Special Detective Unit (SDU) is investigating the matter and will be liaising with the Defence Forces and international security partners.

'I don't want to be part of this war machine': Young Germans protest against military service plans Young people have taken to the streets of Berlin to protest against the German parliament's decision to introduce voluntary military service to boost national defences after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The change means that all 18-year-olds in Germany will be sent a questionnaire from January 2026 asking if they are interested and willing to join the armed forces. While the plan is for voluntary service, if the security situation worsens or if too few volunteers came forward, a form of compulsory military service could be considered. I don't want to be part of this war machine, one of the protesters said. Another person said, we as a youth do not want to die in wars because of Germany.

Time flows ever onwards with reassuring uniformity - at least, that's how it feels to mere mortals unplugged from the weirder parts of physics. But everyone knows that the exception to this rule is the period between Christmas and New Year, in which time behaves strangely, moving like molasses until it lurches forwards as you near your return to work. If you usually misspend the twilight days of the year sitting idly in a fog of libations, you might be wondering how to occupy yourself. Fear not: staff and contributors have crafted a bucket list of all-time cultural greats to fill the long hours of the holiday season. It is an eclectic mix of books, films, television, music, video games, board games and more, designed to highlight some overlooked classics that you simply must try. The only thing they all have in common is their celebration of science, technology, the environment or any other topic you might find in . We hope you enjoy our favourites - if you choose to give one a go, your time will pass in the blink of an eye. Released in 2019, it broke from a stale formula of largely linear plotlines and choreographed cutscenes in the middle of gameplay, instead opting for narrative experimentation. You begin as a spacefaring alien in a solar system moments from destruction, stuck in a 22-minute time loop that ends with a supernova. It is also a physics lover's paradise: the game wrestles with quantum entanglement, entropy and non-Euclidean spaces. Its simulation of light bending around black holes is among the most accurate ever rendered in media.