cello

Todd Shechter has been appointed vice chancellor for information technology at the University of Colorado Boulder. The university announced the leadership appointment, which places Shechter in charge of the institution's technology operations and strategy. The news is being shared within the university community and regional higher education circles.

Saturday Night Live comedian Marcello Hernández has admitted that his girlfriend has to deal with his jealous side, making a candid comment about his relationship in a recent interview. The revelation has drawn attention from fans of the rising star, who is one of the newer cast members on the long-running sketch show.

The UK Chancellor is preparing a major intervention to help lower-income households cope with rising energy bills, according to the Guardian. Details of the package have not yet been set out, but the plan reportedly targets support specifically at poorer homes as energy costs climb, placing the issue at the centre of the government's economic and energy agenda.

Richard Parker, the Labour mayor of the West Midlands, has called on the chancellor to relax the UK's electric vehicle sales mandates, arguing the targets are placing pressure on carmakers and workers in a region central to the country's automotive industry. The appeal puts a senior Labour figure at odds with government policy on the transition to electric cars.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz travelled to Kyiv as Ukraine reported strikes on the Russian-controlled Kerch Bridge and announced advances in AI-based air defence systems. The visit underlines continued German support for Ukraine at a moment of intensified fighting and technological experimentation in its defences against Russian attacks.

The UK's shadow chancellor is set to present Conservative Party proposals for cutting taxes and reducing regulation. The announcement is expected to form part of the party's economic pitch as it positions itself against the Labour government's policies. The plan reportedly aims to ease the burden on business and encourage growth, though details on funding and timing are yet to be set out.

The shadow chancellor is addressing the Conservative Party conference, arguing that slashing planning and business regulation could reduce the cost of building a new house by £50,000. The claim frames deregulation as the party's answer to Britain's housing affordability crisis and is being made as the Tories set out their economic pitch in opposition, with planners and housing campaigners likely to contest the figure.

A chamber music programme is being shared that brings together Mozart's Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor KV 478, Gustav Mahler's Piano Quartet movement in A minor, and Robert Schumann's Piano Quartet in E flat major op. 47. The performers listed are the Confringo piano quartet, with Eun Che Kim on violin, Philipp Sussmann on viola, Irena Josifoska on cello, and Viktor Soos on piano.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz travelled to Kyiv to express solidarity with Ukraine following Russian attacks that hit three bridges. During the visit, he announced cooperation with Ukraine on drone technology. The trip comes amid rising tensions, after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticised Germany's arms supplies to Kyiv and Moscow called for foreign nationals to leave.

Germany's chancellor arrived in Kyiv on an unannounced visit, pledging continued military support for Ukraine. The trip comes as Ukraine faces sustained Russian attacks and mounting pressure from the United States to reach a negotiated settlement. European leaders are signaling that Berlin intends to remain one of Kyiv's foremost backers, with fresh weapons and funding commitments expected to be announced during the visit.

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz have jointly proposed a new legal mechanism allowing the European Union to respond swiftly to trade threats such as dumping. The initiative is presented as a way to better protect European industry from aggressive trade practices, marking a coordinated push by the EU's two largest economies on trade defence policy.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is facing the question of what concrete support Germany can provide to Ukraine as the war with Russia continues. Discussion centres on the scope of German military, financial and diplomatic assistance under his leadership, and how far Berlin is willing to go compared with its commitments so far.

BBC Verify is fact-checking the Conservative Party's claim that its housing policy would make new homes £50,000 cheaper. The shadow chancellor's plan would cut certain building regulations to reduce construction costs, and the BBC is assessing whether deregulation would really deliver savings of that size for buyers, amid ongoing debate over the UK's housing shortage and affordability crisis.

A bridge in Kyiv was struck in another Russian drone attack on the Ukrainian capital, coinciding with a surprise visit by the German chancellor. The attack underscores the continued nightly bombardment of Kyiv even as European leaders travel to the city to signal political support for Ukraine. Details about damage or casualties were not immediately provided.

A bridge in Kyiv was struck during another Russian drone attack on the Ukrainian capital, hours after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in the city on a surprise visit. The strike underlined the continuing bombardment of Kyiv and gave the visit added symbolic weight, coming from the leader of one of Ukraine's main European backers.