Author: DispatchTimes News Desk

The International Monetary Fund expects the Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan to experience a 1.3% contraction in 2026. The forecast covers the combined regional economy and marks a projected decline for the year ahead.

Seven has unveiled its 2027 entertainment line-up, with new reality, game, documentary and wildlife programmes joining returning favourites on Australian television and its 7plus streaming service. The slate was announced at Seven Media Group’s 2027 Upfronts, where managing director and chief executive Rohan Lund said the company’s role was “to meet Australians where they are”. “Across television, audio, publishing, and digital, we continue to grow and engage audiences across every platform,” Mr Lund said. The programming announcement follows a strong year for Seven, which recorded a 43.2 per cent commercial network share in 2026. 7NEWS remained Australia’s most-watched news service,…

West Ham have strengthened their case to become Championship title favourites after a 1-0 victory at leaders Swansea, while Birmingham City’s impressive revival under Chris Davies has highlighted the division’s changing promotion picture. Preston North End, meanwhile, are facing mounting concern after a poor start under Graham Alexander. Andy Hinchcliffe believes Birmingham deserve significant credit for their transformation since last season, when their possession-based approach failed to produce enough goals, particularly away from home. Birmingham City’s progress under Chris Davies Birmingham remain committed to controlling matches but have become more progressive and direct. Their current style gives them several ways…

US House Speaker Mike Johnson has travelled to Chehalis, Washington, to campaign for Republican John Braun in one of the country’s most closely watched congressional races. With 13 days remaining before the 3 November election, Mr Johnson told supporters the contest for Washington’s 3rd Congressional District would be extremely close and stressed its potential importance to control of Congress. “It’s going to be a very close election, everybody knows it,” Mr Johnson told the rally. “You know how important this seat is.” Mr Braun, a Washington state senator and president of Braun Northwest, is challenging Democratic incumbent Marie Gluesenkamp Perez,…

Ryan Murphy’s musical dramedy Glee is being rebooted, with Disney+ and Hulu announcing that production has been greenlit for a new series from 20th Television. The original show premiered on Fox in 2009 and ran for six seasons before ending in 2015. It followed a group of pupils at a high school in Lima, Ohio, as they navigated adolescence through performances with their glee club. Details of the new series remain limited, although several members of the original cast have indicated that they will return. Murphy has also said that a script has been written with collaborators Brad Falchuk and…

A Ukrainian infantryman who spent 491 days trapped on the frontline has been rescued by an aerial drone after losing both legs and surviving alone inside a cast-iron furnace in an abandoned school. Kostiantyn Vlasenko, 49, was evacuated from Petropavlivka in the Kharkiv region by Ukraine’s 92nd Separate Assault Brigade on October 4. The operation is described as the first unmanned aerial evacuation of a wounded serviceman. Vlasenko was strapped beneath a heavily modified bomber drone, which carried him about 11 miles to safety at an altitude of roughly 400ft. Three Vampire drones accompanied the aircraft to protect it from…

Youri Tielemans has given a stark assessment of Manchester United’s 4-1 Champions League defeat to Como, saying the team must improve in every area rather than address one isolated weakness. The result in Italy increased the pressure on Michael Carrick’s side after a performance marked by a lack of control, intensity and defensive organisation. Tielemans says Manchester United need to improve everywhere Asked what United had been missing after the heavy loss, Tielemans replied: “It’s everything, you know…”. He added: “It’s a combination of everything, whether it’s tactical, technical, effort. But, yeah, we need to try and do better at…

Airbnb hosts will be banned from requiring guests to complete unreasonable cleaning tasks before checking out from November 20, under a global overhaul of the platform’s house rules. The policy will target chores that demand significant time or effort, or would normally be carried out by a cleaner. Guests should not be required to strip beds, take rubbish off-site, or wash and put away dishes. They may still be asked to separate rubbish and recycling into designated indoor bins, place used dishes in the sink and gather used towels. Airbnb said the changes were intended to make house rules clearer…

Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers faced each other in the final debate for Michigan’s open US Senate seat. The candidates were asked whether they believe Iran poses a threat to US national security. The debate took place ahead of the contest for the Michigan Senate seat.

Megyn Kelly has been criticised by former close friend Janice Dean after questioning Christina Applegate’s decision to speak publicly about her multiple sclerosis diagnosis. Applegate, 54, recently said that the diagnosis she received in 2021 was incorrect. The actor, who has experienced severe pain, became emotional as she acknowledged that she did not know what condition she had and was back at “square one”. Kelly, 55, addressed the matter on the October 20 episode of her podcast, The Megyn Kelly Show. “I cannot keep up, you guys,” she said. “I’m sorry, but like the woman who’s made like every public…