The video assistant referee system, or VAR, has led to some controversial calls at the 2026 World Cup. The penultimate Round of 16 match at the 2026 World Cup between Argentina and Egypt was marked not just by exceptional goals, great saves, and fans devoted to their teams. The match also sparked one of the most widely discussed controversies surrounding the video assistant referee system, known as VAR, a technology designed to assist on-field officials in making fairer decisions, but whose use has been criticized for allegedly favoring certain teams. Egypt was eliminated from the tournament with a 3-2 loss to Argentina, after having held a two-goal lead. The Egyptian Football Association argued that "the failure to properly use VAR" had influenced several refereeing decisions that affected the final score.

Can Nigeria's drone industry deliver Africa's defence sovereignty Across Africa, the ability to defend borders, monitor territory and protect critical infrastructure remains heavily dependent on foreign suppliers. Turkish drones patrol borders, Chinese surveillance systems monitor cities and Russian fighter jets form the backbone of several air forces. For decades, African militaries have turned abroad for critical defence technologies, leaving the continent largely positioned as a buyer rather than a producer. An Abuja-based start-up is attempting to change that equation. Terra Industries, founded in 2024 by Nathan Nwachuku and Maxwell Maduka, both in their early twenties, designs and manufactures drones, autonomous surveillance towers and unmanned ground vehicles from facilities in Abuja and Accra.

A driver said he was left perturbed after receiving a fine for crossing a toll bridge more than 270 miles from his home despite insisting he had never been near it. Graham Parsons, from Plymouth, Devon, received an unpaid toll charge for using the Warburton Toll Bridge, which links Cheshire and Greater Manchester. His case is one of a number raised by motorists who have complained about the bridge's payment and enforcement system. Peel Ports said there had been some genuine customer experience issues, but the evidence did not indicate a systemic failure of the system. The bridge previously cost 12p a crossing, but the charge was increased to £1 following refurbishment works in recent years .

Drone strikes are disrupting daily life in Sudan's El Obeid, targeting fuel stations, power supplies and water infrastructure. The army says it remains in control of the strategic city, while the Rapid Support Forces continue attacks aimed at weakening its position and pressuring civilians to leave. Paramount-Warner merger: could it reshape the media? Pride despite defeat as Morocco's World Cup run ends

A Ghanaian social media influencer known as Abu Trica, whose real name is Frederick Kumi, has been extradited to the US to face trial for allegedly running a romance scam that defrauded elderly Americans of over $8m (£5.9m). He denies all the charges against him. Prosecutors said he used AI tools to create fake online identities, targeting victims through social media and dating sites, earning their trust then extorting their money. Kumi was flown to the US on Thursday and faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. Kumi's lawyer, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, told the BBC he went to court on Thursday to stop the extradition before learning a short while later that Kumi had in fact already been extradited on board a Delta Airlines flight.

From AI with Hannah Fry to David Attenborough's early days, these are the five must-watch science documentaries of the year to date, says Bethan Ackerley In 2015, an amateur trophy hunter from the US shot and killed the largest lion in Africa. The vitriol unleashed after Cecil's death isn't surprising (or entirely unwarranted), but what is remarkable is how this delicately-crafted film uses the case as a locus for all sorts of arguments about conservation. A symbol in life and in death, Cecil and other large, charismatic animals exist in a complex balance with humans who, one way or another, invariably stake a claim on them. Almost everyone in the world now needs to have some knowledge of how AI technologies work, from all the chatbots they encounter to driverless cars and more. Mathematician Hannah Fry is an excellent person to impart such knowledge: across three episodes, she guides us through recent cases where AI has become entangled with very human problems.

Sudanese women gather for a hot meal in al-Rahmaniyah camp for displaced people, near the city of El-Obeid in the southern Kordofan region of Sudan on Tuesday. Geneva - Misinformation and hate speech are inciting harm to refugees, with artificial intelligence exacerbating the spread, the United Nations warned Tuesday, as it urged tech giants to help turn the tide. However, if handled the right way, AI could be put to good use in managing humanitarian crises, said UNHCR, the U.N. refugee agency. UNHCR is taking part in the AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva, putting across its point that the world's major displacement crises are often twinned with "information crises". The summit is an attempt by the wider U.N. to focus on using AI's potential to serve humanity by solving global challenges, and to look at the state of AI standards.

Bryan Johnson, the biohacking and longevity guru, reveals he has autoimmune gastritis, a condition attacking his stomach's parietal cells and causing B12 and iron deficiency.

El-Obeid under siege by RSF: Could this be Sudan's next el-Fasher? Half a million people are trapped in the Sudanese city of el-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state, as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group tries to enforce its dominance over the Kordofan and Darfur regions during a civil war that has wrought devastation on the country for three years. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has warned of an impending humanitarian "catastrophe" as el-Obeid is expected to be the next site for major ground clashes between the RSF and Sudanese military. Many countries have also raised the alarm about atrocities being carried out in the city. El-Obeid, which has been cut off by continuous drone attacks for months, is under threat after the mass atrocities carried out by the RSF in el-Fasher, capital of North Darfur state.

Starship Technologies is pulling 1,200 delivery robots from U.S. college campuses to focus on grocery delivery in cities across the United States and Europe.