Author: DispatchTimes News Desk

Plans to convert the Grade II-listed Gatehouse pub in Norwich into a mosque and community hub face a major setback after a council conservation officer warned that the proposed extension would cause “an unacceptable degree of harm” to the historic building. The Norwich Muslim Centre has applied to change the use of the former pub on Dereham Road and build a substantial two-storey extension. The scheme would provide prayer halls and wider community facilities for more than 200 people. Jack Pearce, Norwich City Council’s conservation and design officer, said the proposed addition was “inappropriate” and described it as “monolithic, modernist…

Martin Herlihy is leaving Saturday Night Live after five seasons, according to reports, in the latest departure from the long-running NBC sketch show ahead of its season 52 premiere. Herlihy, 27, worked mainly as a writer but also appeared in sketches as a performer. His exit was reported by The Hollywood Reporter and comes just weeks before the programme returns on 26 September. He is best known as one-third of the comedy group Please Don’t Destroy, alongside Ben Marshall and John Higgins. The trio became a regular presence on the show through its digital sketches. Marshall was promoted to the…

Google has discontinued the Pixel Tablet, removing the device from its online store and ending sales of the only tablet in its current hardware range. The tablet’s product page now redirects to the Google Store homepage, with no reference to the Pixel Tablet elsewhere on the site apart from a small number of accessories. Sales ended in late August, although the listing was still visible as out of stock on August 31. Launched in 2023, the Pixel Tablet was designed to serve both as a conventional Android tablet and as a smart display when placed on its charging dock. Its…

Martin Odegaard’s new attacking role is helping drive Arsenal’s flying start, according to Mikel Arteta, after the captain struck the winner in Wednesday’s 1-0 Champions League victory over Napoli. The goal, scored in the 75th minute at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, was Odegaard’s fourth in five appearances this season. ([skysports.com](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/13583797/arsenal-martin-odegaard-new-role-explained-by-mikel-arteta-after-captains-champions-league-winner-at-napoli)) It was the second decisive goal in four days for the Norway international, who had also settled Sunday’s Premier League meeting with Chelsea. His latest finish came after a flowing Arsenal move and clipped the inside of the post before finding the net. ([skysports.com](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/13583797/arsenal-martin-odegaard-new-role-explained-by-mikel-arteta-after-captains-champions-league-winner-at-napoli)) Arteta believes Odegaard’s improvement is…

Fire crews battling the Kurk Fire in San Saba County, Texas, had halted its forward spread by Wednesday, September 9, after the blaze burned through about 1,000 acres near Cherokee. The wildfire was reported on Tuesday and had initially covered about 300 acres near County Road 417, according to local emergency officials. By the following day, it was estimated to be 50 per cent contained. ([kwtx.com](https://www.kwtx.com/2026/09/08/emergency-crews-battle-fire-san-saba-county/?utm_source=openai)) No evacuations had been ordered and no injuries were reported. A burn ban was in force across San Saba County, where outdoor burning was prohibited because of the dry conditions and wildfire risk. ([co.san-saba.tx.us](https://www.co.san-saba.tx.us/?utm_source=openai))…

An Anthropic researcher has resigned after warning that the company and rival OpenAI are rushing towards self-improving artificial intelligence without adequate safeguards, leaving humanity exposed to systems that could eventually escape human control. Jacob Coxon, who said he had spent the past three years carrying out pre-training research at both companies, announced his departure in a series of posts on X on Tuesday 8 September. He accused the two leading AI developers of prioritising their contest to build increasingly powerful models over the risks posed by the technology. “They are racing straight to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives,”…

Missouri’s congressional map remained caught in a legal tug-of-war on Wednesday after a federal appeals court declined to suspend a ruling requiring the state to use new Republican-backed districts in November. The decision came a day after the US Supreme Court refused to block a Missouri Supreme Court ruling that had ordered officials to revert to an older map. The conflicting judgments have left state election authorities facing uncertainty less than two months before the general election on 3 November. The US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit rejected an emergency request from People Not Politicians, the group opposing…

Princess Andre has shared a series of photographs from the National Television Awards without her mother Katie Price, after claims that the reality star unexpectedly joined her daughter on the red carpet. The 19-year-old attended the ceremony at London’s O2 Arena on Tuesday, 8 September, alongside her brother Junior Andre, 21, to promote the forthcoming series of her ITVX reality show, The Princess Diaries. Princess posted a video showing her changing from casual clothes into a shimmering light-blue ballgown, captioning it: “Really was living up to my name at the NTAs last night.” She later uploaded a professional solo photograph…

The European Central Bank is expected to raise interest rates on Thursday as the conflict involving Iran drives energy prices higher and threatens to prolong inflation across the eurozone. Economists widely expect the ECB to lift its policy rate to 2.5 per cent from 2.25 per cent at its meeting in Berlin on 10 September. The decision would mark the second increase this year, after policymakers were confronted with renewed pressure from oil and gas markets. Military strikes involving the United States and Iran since the end of August have disrupted shipping and energy infrastructure, sending Brent crude above $100…

Ellidy Pullin’s engagement to Gold Coast builder Brock Wadsworth has prompted a bitter reaction from the father of her late partner, Olympic snowboarder Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin, who says he believes she will continue using the Pullin surname. Chris Pullin, 69, told the Daily Mail that Ellidy’s name had become central to her public identity since Chumpy’s death and suggested she was unlikely to adopt Wadsworth’s surname after their marriage. “I don’t think she’ll change her name, because it’s her whole persona; it’s been her cash cow,” he said. Ellidy, 34, announced the engagement on Wednesday, September 9, sharing photographs of…