Liu

Liu Huan, one of China's best-known singers and a pioneer of C-pop, has died at the age of 63. He performed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening ceremony, singing alongside Sarah Brightman, and was regarded as a founding figure of modern Chinese popular music. Tributes are circulating as fans and musicians mourn one of the country's most iconic voices.

In the Asian Games football third-place playoff, a Chinese defender, Liu, received a caution in second-half stoppage time and again during the penalty shootout, but was not sent off. Japanese sports outlet Gekisaka explains that under the Laws of the Game, bookings taken during a shootout are not cumulative with those from regular play, so the referee's handling was actually a correct application of the rules.

Astrophysicist Charles Liu joins StarTalk to explain why the observational evidence for the Big Bang could one day vanish from our view. As the universe's expansion accelerates, distant light may eventually become unreachable, potentially erasing the cosmic microwave background and other key clues that support the Big Bang theory for future observers. The discussion has drawn significant attention from audiences interested in cosmology.

The SETI Institute is explaining how astronomers can tell whether a star has consumed its own planets. Lithium naturally disappears inside stars over time, making it unreliable as evidence, but beryllium lasts far longer. Its presence can therefore indicate that rocky worlds were swallowed, offering a new chemical clue in stellar detective work.

Ukraine has carried out large-scale strikes on Russian targets, prompting Vladimir Putin to publicly acknowledge failures in Russia's defences, while President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced a new Ukrainian missile. The developments mark an escalation in the war's long-range aerial campaign, with commentators pointing to the pressure on Moscow and Kyiv's growing domestic weapons capability.

Search interest in psyllium, the plant-derived fiber commonly used as a gentle laxative and gut-health supplement, is climbing. The word has surfaced in coverage of Isabella Garry, an Eden Prairie seventh-grader who tested plant-based gels in a simulated stomach flu model, a project that put fiber-based ingredients in the spotlight. Psyllium husk remains a staple home remedy for digestion.

Liu Lijun, a Chinese national who helped organize pro-Palestinian demonstrations at UCLA, has had her US student visa revoked as the Trump administration moves against foreign students involved in such activism. Commentators say the case highlights broader tensions over campus protest rights and US-China relations, with some arguing Beijing is watching how Washington treats Chinese nationals abroad.

The Medialab Terata collective has published a note explaining the reasoning behind TeratOS, a respin it maintains for free software and hardware workshops. Because attendees usually arrive with different, often proprietary operating systems, part of each workshop is spent installing software on their machines. The respin is presented as a way to save that time and give everyone a common, ready-to-use free software environment.

BBC Radio 3's overnight programme Through the Night broadcast Thomas Tallis's Spem in Alium, the celebrated 40-voice motet, in a recording by the BBC Singers conducted by Stephen Cleobury. The piece, composed around 1570, remains one of the most famous works of English Renaissance choral music and a staple of the BBC Singers' repertoire.

Andrius Kubilius, former Lithuanian prime minister and EU defence commissioner, warned that a Russian attack on European weapons factories supplying Ukraine would be treated as an attack on NATO, triggering a collective military response. His remarks underline growing concern in Europe about Russian threats to defence production sites and come amid intensifying debate over NATO's readiness to deter and respond to strikes on member states' territory.

Scientists have described Hemicorallium osmanthogemmum, a new species of deep-sea octocoral found off Japan, formally published in the journal ZooKeys. The species description, taxonomic treatment and publication details have been made openly available, drawing attention from the biology and taxonomy community online as the latest addition to the catalogue of newly described species.

Gabrielius Landsbergis, Lithuania's former foreign minister, discusses how the Baltic states assess the current threat posed by Russia. His remarks are circulating amid ongoing concern in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania about Russian military activity and potential aggression along NATO's eastern flank, following repeated warnings from Baltic leaders that Russia could test the alliance's resolve once the war in Ukraine winds down.

European Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said a Russian attack on an arms factory in Europe would trigger a military response from NATO. His warning underscores concern that Moscow could target the defense industry supplying Ukraine, and he argued such a strike would fall under the alliance's security commitments. The remark highlights growing debate about protecting weapons production sites amid the ongoing war.