Royal Mail misses delivery targets again but hails 'encouraging' signs

Royal Mail has once again missed its delivery targets for first and second class post, but said it is making progress towards the goals as its turnaround plan continues.

The postal service delivered 85% of first class deliveries the next day between March and June, up from 76% in the same three months of 2025, but below regulator Ofcom's 90% target.

US aircraft carrier arrives to relieve USS Lincoln amid reports of poor living conditions | First Thing

Good morning.

The USS George Washington aircraft carrier has arrived in the Middle East to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln from its record deployment, amid concerns about poor living conditions and morale.

Daily Mail accused of stalking woman mistaken as White Stripes drummer Meg White

The Daily Mail newspaper secretly tailed and photographed a woman in Detroit and then published an article and photographs falsely accusing her of being former The White Stripes drummer Meg White, even after she told the newspaper it had mistaken her identity, multiple sources have told the Guardian.

Americast - How will Trump’s former personal lawyer run the US justice department? - BBC Sounds

      <p>Use BBC.com or the new BBC App to listen to BBC podcasts, Radio 4 and the World Service outside the UK.</p><p><a href="https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250207-bbc-podcasts-are-now-available-on-the-bbc-website-and-app">Find out how to listen to other BBC stations</a></p><h2>Episode details</h2><img src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/400x400/p0j72y80.jpg" alt="" loading="lazy" /><p>News,·21 Aug 2026,·28 mins</p><h2>How will Trump’s former personal lawyer run the US justice department?</h2>Americast<p>Available for over a year</p><p>Attorney General Todd Blanche won’t pledge to act “independently” from the White House during an interview with NBC’s  Meet the Press.  Trump’s former personal attorney said no attorney general should ever “pledge” to act independently from the White House,  but assured the public that the president would never ask to do “something illegal”.

Blanche’s comments have sparked a debate over the extent to which the justice department should be free from White House control. This comes at a time when Blanche was criticised for helping set up an “anti weaponisation fund” to compensate people who Trump claims were unfairly targeted by the previous Biden administration, such as Jan 6th rioters. There are also fears among Epstein survivors that Blanche - who was criticised for interviewing Ghislane Maxwell in prison - could affect their pursuit of justice. And, a major legal case brought by 29 US states against Meta has begun, which could affect the way social media companies operate in the future. The states involved claim that Meta - which owns Facebook and Instagram - violated federal and state privacy laws for children and are seeking billions of dollars in damages as well as changes to user experience. HOSTS: • Sarah Smith, North America Editor • Sumi Somaskanda, BBC News Chief Presenter • Marianna Spring, Senior Social Media Investigations Senior Correspondent GET IN TOUCH: • Join our online community: https://discord.gg/qSrxqNcmRB • Send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 9480 • Email [email protected] • Or use #Americast This episode was made by George Dabby with Alix Pickles. The technical producer was Ricardo McCarthy. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham. If you want to be notified every time we publish a new episode, please subscribe to us on BBC Sounds by hitting the subscribe button on the app. You can now listen to Americast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say “Ask BBC Sounds to play Americast”. It works on most smart speakers. US Election Unspun: Sign up for Anthony’s BBC newsletter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68093155 Americast is part of the BBC News Podcasts family of podcasts. The team that makes Americast also makes lots of other podcasts, including Newscast. If you enjoy Americast (and if you’re reading this then you hopefully do), then we think that you will enjoy some of our other pods too. See links below. Newscast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/p05299nl Top Comment: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/m001mssm Radical: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0gg4k6r The Global Story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/w13xtvsd

Northern Italy seeks to keep the pressure on the south as Serie A returns

Expect northern Italian dominance to continue, as Serie A kicks off its 125th season on Saturday.

Inter, Juventus and Milan should be fighting it out for the scudetto – since 2001, the three teams have won all but two titles – with Napoli and Roma representing the south’s hopes.

Bodies of two mountaineers discovered after Swiss glacier melts

The bodies of two Belgian men who went missing in the Swiss Alps in 1992 have been discovered after being exposed by the melting of a glacier, police have said.

UK borrows more than expected in July as Healey prepares for first Budget

The government borrowed more than expected in July, according to figures published as Chancellor John Healey draws up his first Budget.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said borrowing, the gap between what the government spends and what it collects in tax, was £1.8bn during the month.

Swiatek into Cincinnati semis after Rybakina injury

Iga Swiatek moved into the semifinals of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Masters as Elena Rybakina was forced to retire with a heel injury less than half an hour into their clash on Thursday.

Bangladesh coach Simmons: ‘Australia are going to come harder at us’

After celebrating their first-ever Test win in Australia in the series opener, Bangladesh gear up for the second match in Mackay.

Bangladesh coach Phil Simmons has warned his players to expect a fierce backlash from Australia in the second Test after his side shocked the cricket world with a nine-wicket victory in the series opener in Darwin.

Dr TikTok: Mental health moves from consulting rooms to social media

Open TikTok or Instagram and search for anxiety, ADHD, or trauma. Within seconds, feeds serve up licensed psychologists and psychiatrists breaking down clinical jargon and debunking misconceptions, as well as offering practical guidance. Alongside public education, some accounts also direct audiences towards private practices, paid courses, books, and other professional services.