What we know about the suspected U.K. terror plot. And, why the Gulf remains in limbo
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Police stand at a road block on the road to RAF Fairford after an incident, in Whelford, England, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, Ben Birchall/PA via AP hide caption
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Ben Birchall/PA via AP
British authorities have arrested five men near RAF Fairford, a U.K. air base used by U.S. forces in the war against Iran. Three suspicious vehicles were stopped near the base, and investigators are examining several possible motives and connections.
President Trump says he rejected an Iranian offer for a seven-day pause in fighting and an immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran had sought relief from the U.S. naval blockade on its oil exports and access to billions of dollars frozen abroad in exchange for reopening the waterway.
CNN is back in the White House TV pool after a dayslong dispute over press access. The pause meant major moments, including Trump's U.N. appearance and Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit, went without the usual pooled television coverage.
Mass shootings across South Africa have killed nearly 40 people in recent days. The attacks in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban struck a restaurant, tavern and house party, and police have not announced motives in the latest cases.
Artist Sliman Mansour at his home in Jerusalem on Nov. 18, 2025. Afif Amireh for NPR hide caption
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Afif Amireh for NPR
Born in 1947, the year before Israel's creation, Sliman Mansour said he didn't always think of himself as Palestinian. "In the early 1970s, I started to discover I'm a Palestinian," he told NPR. "So my art took a 90-degree turn."
Living under Israeli occupation, he said, made politics impossible to escape. But he also believed beauty was part of how art reached people: "If you don't speak to the hearts of the people, if you don't speak to the feelings of the people, then you don't reach people."
Beauty, he said, was "an important way to reach these hearts."
Mansour died on Aug. 24 at 79 and was buried in Bir Zeit, in the occupied West Bank, near the olive groves of his ancestors. Listen to an in-person interview with him, and see some of the art here.
Being a parent can be overstimulating. Therapist and mom of three Cassidy Freitas says finding small moments to reset can help regulate your emotions. In her new book, Mom Needs a Moment, she offers a few techniques:
😤 In moments of high stress, pause and take a few intentional breaths before considering what is really driving your emotions.😤 When parental guilt sets in, think about what you would say to a friend in the same situation - and offer yourself the same grace.😤 Every parent loses their cool sometimes. Acknowledge what happened, own the mistake and take time to reconnect with your child.
Tanystylum kiixin, a new species of sea spider, with round eggs inside its legs. Cormac Toler-Scott/The University of British Columbia hide caption
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Cormac Toler-Scott/The University of British Columbia
Read the full story at NPR ↗ · Al Jazeera ↗
What we know — and still don't — about the suspected terror plot near a U.K. air base. Trump rejects Iran's offer to pause fighting. And CNN prepares for new owners with ties to…
This lens runs the verified story through Cinnamon's AI — wired in the next step.
Good morning. You're reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day.
Police stand at a road block on the road to RAF Fairford after an incident, in Whelford, England, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, Ben Birchall/PA via AP hide caption
toggle caption
Ben Birchall/PA via AP
British authorities have arrested five men near RAF Fairford, a U.K. air base used by U.S. forces in the war against Iran. Three suspicious vehicles were stopped near the base, and investigators are examining several possible motives and connections.
President Trump says he rejected an Iranian offer for a seven-day pause in fighting and an immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran had sought relief from the U.S. naval blockade on its oil exports and access to billions of dollars frozen abroad in exchange for reopening the waterway.
CNN is back in the White House TV pool after a dayslong dispute over press access. The pause meant major moments, including Trump's U.N. appearance and Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit, went without the usual pooled television coverage.
Mass shootings across South Africa have killed nearly 40 people in recent days. The attacks in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban struck a restaurant, tavern and house party, and police have not announced motives in the latest cases.
Artist Sliman Mansour at his home in Jerusalem on Nov. 18, 2025. Afif Amireh for NPR hide caption
toggle caption
Afif Amireh for NPR
Born in 1947, the year before Israel's creation, Sliman Mansour said he didn't always think of himself as Palestinian. "In the early 1970s, I started to discover I'm a Palestinian," he told NPR. "So my art took a 90-degree turn."
Living under Israeli occupation, he said, made politics impossible to escape. But he also believed beauty was part of how art reached people: "If you don't speak to the hearts of the people, if you don't speak to the feelings of the people, then you don't reach people."
Beauty, he said, was "an important way to reach these hearts."
Mansour died on Aug. 24 at 79 and was buried in Bir Zeit, in the occupied West Bank, near the olive groves of his ancestors. Listen to an in-person interview with him, and see some of the art here.
Being a parent can be overstimulating. Therapist and mom of three Cassidy Freitas says finding small moments to reset can help regulate your emotions. In her new book, Mom Needs a Moment, she offers a few techniques:
😤 In moments of high stress, pause and take a few intentional breaths before considering what is really driving your emotions.😤 When parental guilt sets in, think about what you would say to a friend in the same situation - and offer yourself the same grace.😤 Every parent loses their cool sometimes. Acknowledge what happened, own the mistake and take time to reconnect with your child.
Tanystylum kiixin, a new species of sea spider, with round eggs inside its legs. Cormac Toler-Scott/The University of British Columbia hide caption
toggle caption
Cormac Toler-Scott/The University of British Columbia
Read the full story at NPR ↗ · Al Jazeera ↗
Good morning. You're reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day.
Police stand at a road block on the road to RAF Fairford after an incident, in Whelford, England, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, Ben Birchall/PA via AP hide caption
toggle caption
Ben Birchall/PA via AP
British authorities have arrested five men near RAF Fairford, a U.K. air base used by U.S. forces in the war against Iran. Three suspicious vehicles were stopped near the base, and investigators are examining several possible motives and connections.
President Trump says he rejected an Iranian offer for a seven-day pause in fighting and an immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran had sought relief from the U.S. naval blockade on its oil exports and access to billions of dollars frozen abroad in exchange for reopening the waterway.
CNN is back in the White House TV pool after a dayslong dispute over press access. The pause meant major moments, including Trump's U.N. appearance and Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit, went without the usual pooled television coverage.
Mass shootings across South Africa have killed nearly 40 people in recent days. The attacks in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban struck a restaurant, tavern and house party, and police have not announced motives in the latest cases.
Artist Sliman Mansour at his home in Jerusalem on Nov. 18, 2025. Afif Amireh for NPR hide caption
toggle caption
Afif Amireh for NPR
Born in 1947, the year before Israel's creation, Sliman Mansour said he didn't always think of himself as Palestinian. "In the early 1970s, I started to discover I'm a Palestinian," he told NPR. "So my art took a 90-degree turn."
Living under Israeli occupation, he said, made politics impossible to escape. But he also believed beauty was part of how art reached people: "If you don't speak to the hearts of the people, if you don't speak to the feelings of the people, then you don't reach people."
Beauty, he said, was "an important way to reach these hearts."
Mansour died on Aug. 24 at 79 and was buried in Bir Zeit, in the occupied West Bank, near the olive groves of his ancestors. Listen to an in-person interview with him, and see some of the art here.
Being a parent can be overstimulating. Therapist and mom of three Cassidy Freitas says finding small moments to reset can help regulate your emotions. In her new book, Mom Needs a Moment, she offers a few techniques:
😤 In moments of high stress, pause and take a few intentional breaths before considering what is really driving your emotions.😤 When parental guilt sets in, think about what you would say to a friend in the same situation - and offer yourself the same grace.😤 Every parent loses their cool sometimes. Acknowledge what happened, own the mistake and take time to reconnect with your child.
Tanystylum kiixin, a new species of sea spider, with round eggs inside its legs. Cormac Toler-Scott/The University of British Columbia hide caption
toggle caption
Cormac Toler-Scott/The University of British Columbia
Read the full story at NPR ↗ · Al Jazeera ↗
This lens runs the verified story through Cinnamon's AI — wired in the next step.
- What we know — and still don't — about the suspected terror plot near a U.K.
- Trump rejects Iran's offer to pause fighting.
- And CNN prepares for new owners with ties to…