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Cameron Picton, the bassist‑vocalist behind British art‑rock outfit Black Midi, has unveiled his first solo statement under the moniker My New Band Believe. Recorded with a cadre of improvisational musicians—including veteran drummer Steve Noble, formerly of Rip Rig + Panic—the album abandons the band’s signature wall of sound for an intimate, acoustic approach.The record opens with the gentle ballad “Still,” a track originally tucked away on Black Midi’s sprawling rock‑opera Hellfire. Here, Picton’s unadorned vocal delivery replaces Geordie Greep’s theatrical croons, setting a tone of understated sincerity that runs through the entire project.Every song is built from live‑sounding instruments: fingerpicked guitars, double bass, piano, subtle percussion and tasteful string arrangements. This stripped‑back aesthetic allows the lyrics to move away from Black Midi’s often surreal narratives toward more direct, everyday subjects. For instance, the opening track “Target Practice” retains a hint of the band’s dark humor, while “Love Story” paints a nostalgic picture of a couple cooking together, and “Opposite Teacher” reflects on the challenges of fatherhood.Even within this quieter framework, Picton injects moments of tension. The second track, “In the Blink of an Eye,” introduces dissonant chords that remind listeners that “understated” is a relative term for an artist accustomed to sonic extremes. Throughout, the songs remain episodic, with sudden key changes and tempo shifts that echo the restless spirit of Van Dyke Parks’ 1967 Song Cycle—a collaboration Picton initially pursued before budget constraints halted the partnership.Highlights such as “Heart of Darkness” weave together folk‑rock riffs, jazzy drumming and an improvised coda of feedback‑like strings, while “Actress” balances sweet melodies with dramatic pauses and volume surges, ending more as a gradual fade than a conventional finish.Compared with Black Midi’s recent releases—most notably the chaotic, genre‑bending Hellfire and Geordie Greep’s solo effort The New Sound—Picton’s debut feels more approachable without sacrificing artistic curiosity. The album’s constant motion is contained by its acoustic instrumentation, making it easier to love rather than merely admire. It resists standard song structures, defies easy categorisation, and showcases a plethora of unconventional musical ideas, all while wearing its intelligence with a lighter touch.

For the first time, scientists have observed a 'civil war' in wild chimpanzees, where a once unified group turned on itself, leading to a years-long conflict. In a study published in the journal Science, researchers detail the dramatic shift in behavior among the Ngogo chimpanzee group in Uganda's Kibale national park.Primatologist Aaron Sandel, who led the research, noted that the conflict began in 2015 when the group's dynamics started to change. A change in social hierarchies, the death of key older individuals, and a disease outbreak in 2017 contributed to the group's fracture. By 2018, two distinct groups had emerged: the western chimps and the central chimps.The conflict escalated into 24 sustained and coordinated attacks by the western group on the central group over seven years, resulting in the deaths of at least seven adult males and 17 infants. This level of in-group violence is rare in the animal kingdom and has significant implications for understanding human conflict.Sandel suggests that human activities disrupting social cohesion, such as deforestation, climate change, or disease outbreaks, could make such inter-group conflicts more common among chimpanzees, who are already threatened with extinction. The study highlights the fragility of social ties and the potential for group cohesion to be disrupted under specific circumstances.Brian Wood, an evolutionary anthropologist, noted that the western chimps increased their Darwinian fitness by decreasing the survival and reproduction of their former community members. This conflict has resulted in the lowest survivorship ever documented in a wild chimpanzee community.

Matthew Macfadyen headlines the new Sky Atlantic series ‘The Miniature Wife’, playing scientist Les Littlejohn, a brilliant but ethically dubious researcher who accidentally shrinks his wife Lindy (Elizabeth Banks) to six inches tall. The premise promises a darkly comic exploration of marital power dynamics and modern misogyny. However, the show quickly abandons this fertile ground. Showrunners Jennifer Ames and Steve Turner opt for a frenetic, screwball tone that feels forced, leaving the underlying commentary underdeveloped. The central conceit – a miniature wife trapped in a dollhouse – is treated more as a visual gag than a vehicle for satire. The series is littered with side plots that never coalesce. A subplot about a misattributed short story attempts to touch on authorship and truth in the digital age, yet it remains a superficial gesture. Likewise, the ensemble cast—including Zoe Lister‑Jones as a lab overseer, O‑T Fagbenle as a lovelorn colleague, and Sian Clifford as Lindy’s agent—offers colorful moments but fails to achieve narrative momentum. Visually, the production delivers inventive set pieces: Lindy’s daring escapes from towering household objects and explosive laboratory experiments provide occasional laughs. Nevertheless, the novelty wears thin before the series’ nearly ten‑hour runtime concludes. The original short story by Manuel Gonzales required far more expansion than the show supplies, resulting in a stretched‑out narrative that would have benefited from a tighter format. In short, while Macfadyen’s performance is competent, it is largely wasted in a series that promises depth but delivers only scattered comedy. ‘The Miniature Wife’ may satisfy viewers seeking light‑hearted antics, but it falls short of the incisive satire its premise suggests. The series is available on Sky Atlantic, streaming on Now in the UK and on Stan in Australia.

The ceasefire deal between Iran and the US has been hailed as a significant achievement for China, which has been actively working to promote de-escalation and an end to hostilities in the region. Beijing's powerbrokers are being credited with pushing Iran towards agreeing to the ceasefire, bolstering its status as a regional mediator.In China's tightly censored domestic media, articles basking in the glory of China being the grown-up in the room at a time of international crisis were allowed to circulate. China's role in the negotiations was confirmed by US President Donald Trump, who told the Agence France-Presse news agency that he believed China had got Iran to agree to a ceasefire.However, some analysts are sceptical about how influential China could actually have been in the late-night discussions. The deal is advantageous to Iran, and encouraging the regime to agree to it would have been like 'pushing an open door', according to one analyst. Nicholas Lyall, a senior researcher at Trends, a research and advisory firm in Abu Dhabi, said: 'In terms of whether China had to do much pushing of Iran for it to agree to the temporary ceasefire, and whether Iran was swayed by this reported Chinese effort, it's essential to clarify what Iran has actually agreed to.'Officially, China has not confirmed or denied reports that it played an active role in the Islamabad negotiations. At a press conference on Wednesday, the foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said only that China 'had been actively working to promote de-escalation and an end to all hostilities'. China's economic interests are also at stake, as the risk of a global recession and soaring fossil fuel prices poses a threat to the Chinese economy, which is heavily dependent on exports.Analysts are even more sceptical of the idea that China might act as the guarantor of any ceasefire agreement in the Middle East. Song Bo, a fellow at the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University, said: 'China doesn't have a direct stake with any of the parties in the Middle East. Acting as a guarantor for a ceasefire would be an extremely high-cost diplomatic undertaking, and I don't think China would commit to that easily.'

A 47‑year‑old woman who had endured three life‑threatening autoimmune diseases for more than a decade is now living a near‑normal life after an experimental CAR‑T cell therapy reset her immune system at University Hospital Erlangen in Germany.Before the procedure she had exhausted nine different treatments with no lasting benefit, relying on daily blood transfusions and continuous anticoagulation to manage her illnesses.Within weeks of the infusion, doctors observed rapid improvement in all three conditions—a world‑first outcome. She has remained in treatment‑free remission for 14 months and has largely returned to everyday activities.Prof Fabian Müller, who led the team, called the speed and depth of the response “remarkable” and said the therapy “significantly improved her quality of life.” He emphasized that clinical trials are required to determine how durable the effect is and whether it can help other autoimmune patients.The patient suffered from three distinct disorders: autoimmune haemolytic anaemia (AIHA), where rogue immune cells destroy red blood cells; immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), which depletes platelets and raises bleeding risk; and antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), which promotes dangerous blood clots. All three stem from malfunctioning B‑cells.With no conventional options left, doctors turned to CAR‑T therapy, a technique that has revolutionised treatment for certain cancers. They harvested her white‑blood cells, isolated the T‑cells, engineered them to recognise the CD19 protein on B‑cells, and reinfused the modified cells.The engineered T‑cells swiftly eliminated the pathogenic B‑cells. She received her last blood transfusion a week after treatment and was able to perform routine tasks within two weeks. Follow‑up tests showed a reconstituted, healthy B‑cell population, suggesting an immune reset. The findings were published in the journal Med.She still exhibits a mildly low white‑cell count and slightly elevated liver enzymes, which researchers attribute to the cumulative impact of prior therapies rather than the CAR‑T product.Rheumatology expert Prof Ben Parker of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust described the case as encouraging, noting that “the prolonged response off normal therapy suggests there has been an immune reset.” However, he warned that case reports alone cannot confirm efficacy and highlighted ongoing trials for lupus, myositis, multiple sclerosis, systemic sclerosis, vasculitis, and other autoimmune conditions.

Israeli air raids have torn through densely populated commercial and residential districts in central Beirut without warning, striking the heart of the capital just hours after a ceasefire was announced in the United States-Israeli war with Iran.Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health reported that dozens of people had been killed and hundreds wounded, stressing that the figures were preliminary and likely to rise as rescue workers sifted through the rubble.Israel had already claimed that the truce did not apply to its conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon, despite mediator Pakistan saying the agreement extended to that front as well.The Israeli military described the bombardment as the largest coordinated strike of the current war, with more than 100 Hezbollah-linked targets hit within 10 minutes in Beirut, southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley.Several of the strikes landed in busy commercial areas, sending residents fleeing in panic as sirens wailed and glass and debris carpeted the streets.Lebanon’s National News Agency said at least five neighbourhoods in Beirut’s central and coastal districts were hit.The Israeli military said it had targeted missile launchers, command centres and intelligence infrastructure, and accused Hezbollah of using civilians as human shields.Residents and local officials, however, insisted that the buildings struck were not military sites.While Israel has regularly bombed southern and eastern Lebanon, as well as Hezbollah strongholds in Beirut’s southern suburbs, it had rarely carried out attacks in central Beirut since the latest round of fighting with the group began on March 2.Israeli air strikes in Lebanon have killed more than 1,530 people so far, and have forced at least 1.2 million people to flee their homes.

Researchers have made a significant breakthrough in understanding why weight-loss medications, such as GLP1 receptor agonists, work better for some individuals than others. A recent study published in Nature has identified genetic variations in two genes involved in gut hormone pathways that regulate appetite and digestion. These genetic variations may help account for different weight-loss results or side-effects when taking glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP1) medicines, which mimic natural gut hormones to regulate appetite, insulin release, and digestion. The study analyzed data from 27,885 patients on GLP1 drugs and found that specific genetic variants were associated with slightly more weight loss or side-effects like nausea and vomiting. The findings suggest that genetic differences may contribute to why people respond differently to weight-loss jabs. However, the overall impact of genetics appeared to be modest, with non-genetic factors such as sex, drug type, dose, and duration appearing to explain a substantially larger proportion of variability. The study's results reinforce that while there is substantial variability in response to GLP1 therapies, genetics is only one part of a much more complex picture. According to Marie Spreckley, an obesity expert at the University of Cambridge, the study provides plausible evidence that genetic variants could affect outcomes. However, she notes that the magnitude of these genetic effects is small in clinical terms, and that behavioral, clinical, and treatment-related factors remain the dominant drivers of outcomes. The study's authors suggest that their findings could support future efforts to use genetic information when making treatment choices for obesity. However, Spreckley cautions that the evidence is not yet sufficient to support using genetic information to guide treatment decisions in routine clinical practice.

Copenhagen returns to the London stage under Michael Longhurst’s direction at Hampstead Theatre, a timing the reviewer calls “terrifyingly timely.” The three‑hander dramatizes the 1941 encounter between Danish physicist Niels Bohr (played by Richard Schiff) and German scientist Werner Heisenberg (Damien Molony), set against the looming threat of Hitler’s nuclear ambitions. The production draws unsettling parallels to contemporary politics, invoking Donald Trump’s recent threats toward Iran as a modern echo of the era’s extremist rhetoric. This resonance, the reviewer notes, amplifies the play’s relevance alongside the theatre’s downstairs offering, ROI (Return on Investment), which also interrogates the morality of scientific discovery. Visually, Joanna Scotcher’s set is a striking, non‑realist circle surrounded by water—a subtle nod to the “heavy water” used in Nazi nuclear research and a poignant reminder of the personal tragedy that befell one of Bohr’s sons. The second half’s dense scientific dialogue is rendered accessible, though the reviewer argues it sometimes falls short of fully unpacking the deeper metaphors embedded in the science. Performance-wise, the age gap between Bohr and Heisenberg (Bohr being sixteen years senior) hampers the on‑stage chemistry. Schiff’s portrayal of the seasoned Bohr occasionally stumbles over lines, while Molony’s Heisenberg comes across as a brooding, almost adolescent figure. In contrast, Alex Kingston’s turn as Bohr’s wife and editor, Margrethe, provides the emotional core, shouldering much of the play’s affective weight. Thematically, the drama wrestles with the question of whether scientists bear a moral duty beyond their research. Heisenberg’s famed uncertainty principle is employed as a metaphor for the psychological ambiguity surrounding their historic meeting. Yet the script conspicuously omits any direct reference to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, focusing instead on the fear of a Nazi atomic weapon and sidestepping the United States’ own nuclear legacy. While the production boasts compelling aesthetics and a thought‑provoking premise, the reviewer finds moments of sluggish pacing and a missed opportunity to confront the irony of overlooking the U.S. bombings, especially as contemporary concerns about American military assertiveness rise. The show runs at Hampstead Theatre, London until 2 May.

Major League Baseball has handed down seven-game suspensions to Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Jorge Soler and Atlanta Braves pitcher Reynaldo López after a heated brawl during a game between the two teams. The suspensions, announced by MLB's senior vice-president for on-field operations, Michael Hill, also come with undisclosed fines. Both players are appealing their suspensions, which were set to begin on Wednesday but are currently on hold.The incident occurred on Tuesday night when Soler homered off López in the first inning, and later was hit by a 96mph fastball from López. The situation escalated when López threw a high-and-inside wild pitch, prompting Soler to charge the mound. The two players began throwing punches, leading to a brawl that involved players and coaches from both teams.Atlanta Braves manager Walt Weiss described the situation as a 'big man' on a 'warpath,' saying he had to intervene to prevent Soler from hurting someone. Soler and López were teammates during the second half of the 2024 season with the Braves.The Braves went on to win the game 7-2, with Soler's two-run shot in the first inning contributing to the victory. Soler has impressive stats against López, going 14 for 23 with five homers and three doubles.Both players expressed regret over the incident, with López stating there was 'never any intent to hit him' and Soler criticizing López for missing 'way too high and close to my head.'