Oracle shed about 21,000 roles globally in the last year as the US technology giant reshapes its business around artificial intelligence (AI), the firm's latest annual report shows. The software and cloud computing firm says it had around 141,000 full-time employees as of 31 May 2026, down from about 162,000 workers at the same time last year. The deployment of AI technologies across our operations have resulted, and may continue to result, in reductions to our workforce, the report says. The cuts, which amount to about 13% of Oracle's workforce, are part of a wider trend among tech firms as they spend hundreds of billions of dollars on building AI infrastructure like data centres. Amazon and Facebook-owner Meta have cut thousands of job in recent months as they invest heavily in AI.

Do you know your'sweat score'? One of the biggest controversies of the 2026 World Cup so far has been the hydration breaks, which - while not entirely new - are for the first time occurring twice during every match in the tournament. The breaks aren't really about hydration, some spectators say. They're just an opportunity for certain broadcasters to show more ads, they break up the natural flow of games, and are unnecessary in air conditioned stadiums. Whether or not you agree with these complaints, there's no doubt that hydration itself is an increasingly prominent point of discussion worldwide.

Do esports students do more than play games? Playing video games in college may seem unusual, but for many teenagers across the country, it could lead to professional careers. Students at Central Bedfordshire College have just finished their first year of the Level 3 Pearson BTEC in esports, the first time the college has offered such a course. While gaming is a key part of the learning, students also study a broad range of modules designed to prepare them for work both inside and outside competitive gaming. These can include psychology to understand how the brain reacts under pressure, alongside nutrition and fitness to ensure they have the energy to compete effectively.

Russian troop build-up threatens city seen as key to seizing Ukraine's Donbas Russian troops have infiltrated the strategic city of Kostyantynivka in eastern Ukraine and are now trying to surround it. The entire city is now effectively in a grey zone, no longer controlled by anyone, Ukrainian soldiers have told the BBC. They get into areas behind our backs and in urban conditions it's extremely difficult to push them out, says a Ukrainian drone pilot who operates in that area and prefers to remain anonymous. Kostyantynivka is a gateway to the rest of the Donbas region. If it falls, Russian forces would be able push towards Ukraine's last remaining strongholds in the east, the cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, and move closer to seizing Donbas completely, one of the Kremlin's key objectives in this war.

Picture this: a team of camera-clad cleaners and a private chef to boot, all wired with high-tech recording apparatus show up at your home. You are not part of a reality TV show, and have not woken up in an Aldous Huxley or Margaret Atwood novel. Instead, you are a resident of New York City, where AI companies are sending free cooking and cleaning staff straight to people's doors. But, there is a catch: this AI company is gathering data to train the next generation of cooking and cleaning robots, and every inch of your apartment is now being recorded. The initiative, dubbed Shift by AI firm Micro AGI, is part of a growing number of companies developing the next generation of autonomous robots, which tech bosses hope will be able to do everything from the washing up to serving as live-in personal carers.

The BBC has been given rare access to the part of southern Lebanon that is under Israeli occupation, as part of a humanitarian convoy of the Order of Malta distributing aid to Christian villages that have been isolated because of the war. The mission happened on Thursday, a day before the announcement of a new ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and the Shia Muslim armed group Hezbollah. The team saw the Israeli military presence but was not allowed to film much of the journey. Israel says it has no intention of withdrawing its troops from Lebanon, and that its plan is to create a security zone along the border, Hezbollah-free, to protect its northern communities from the group's rockets and drones. In the occupied areas, mainly Shia villages have been completely destroyed by Israeli air strikes or demolitions.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky says he has returned Poland's highest honour after his Polish counterpart Karol Nawrocki said he was stripping him of the award. The Polish Order of the White Eagle was bestowed on Zelensky in 2023 by then-President Andrzej Duda. But Kyiv caused outrage last month after renaming a Ukrainian army unit after a group of controversial World War Two fighters called the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). Three senior Ukrainian officials have also said they are returning awards bestowed by Poland, to show solidarity with their president. Many in Ukraine regard the UPA, which existed in the 1940s and 1950s, as heroes who fought for Ukrainian independence against the Soviet Red Army, Nazi Germany and Polish authorities.

Moscow oil refinery attack brings Russia's war with Ukraine closer to home There are moments when life in Moscow feels completely normal. In the south-east of the city an oil refinery had been hit during a Ukrainian drone attack - even from a distance the sight was surreal. Thick smoke billowing from the direction of the facility had turned the sky dark. Like a giant black shroud, it hung over the Moscow skyline. As extraordinary and eye-catching this was, so was the reaction of people near the refinery.

A huge fire at a luxury beach resort in the Dominican Republic killed one woman and forced nearly 1,700 guests to be evacuated on Friday. In a statement to local media, the DAEH emergency services said that a 46-year-old Italian tourist died, three people were taken to medical facilities and six others were treated on site. Drone footage shows how widespread the fire was, with buildings spanning the Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach in Bayahibe on fire and thick black smoke billowing into the air. What sparked the early-morning blaze is not yet known, but an initial investigation found the flames spread quickly due to wind conditions and the flammable nature of the thatched roofs on some buildings. The country's Emergency Operations Center (COE) said the fire had been brought under control and guests had been moved to other hotels. It added that tourist activities in the town and surrounding area have been unaffected and can continue as normal.

What happens if pretending to be someone else becomes your entire life? It is a question at the heart of many of the biggest spy dramas, from Slow Horses to Black Doves - and it is one that TV thriller series The Agency explores more deeply than most. Returning for a second season, the Paramount+ thriller follows CIA operatives living under deep-cover identities. It examines not just the dangers of espionage, but the psychological cost of maintaining a lie for years. Starring Michael Fassbender, Richard Gere and Katherine Waterston, the series is based on acclaimed French drama The Bureau.