Österreichisch-Britische Gesellschaft / Austro-British Society (ABS)

12/08/2026

11-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan crowned Britain’s youngest-ever Women’s champion at record-breaking British Chess Champs

https://www.fide.com/11-year-old-bodhana-sivanandan-crowned-britains-youngest-ever-womens-champion-at-record-breaking-british-chess-champs/

17-year-old Grandmaster Shreyas Royal wins his first British Championship, while schoolgirl Sivanandan becomes the youngest British Women’s champ ever.

12/08/2026

Charli XCX was supposed to be taking a break.

Her sixth album, Brat, was the sort of record you could genuinely call era-defining, without being accused of overstating its significance.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c151zp1p4qyo

The star's new album strips away artifice to examine her life after the phenomenal success of Brat.

11/08/2026

More than £8million worth of vehicles – including a Ferrari Monza worth £3.7million - have been seized in a crackdown on antisocial driving in central London.

https://news.met.police.uk/pressreleases/supercars-worth-millions-seized-in-met-crackdown-on-antisocial-driving-3460314

This included a Ferrari Monza SP2.

11/08/2026

George Russell has announced his engagement to his long-term girlfriend, Carmen Montero Mundt!

The Mercedes Formula 1 driver, 28, and the businesswoman, also 28, shared sweet pictures from the milestone moment with a joint Instagram post on Sunday, Aug. 9.

https://people.com/f1-driver-george-russell-announces-engagement-girlfriend-carmen-montero-mundt-12037631

Mercedes Formula 1 driver George Russell and girlfriend Carmen Montero Mundt announced their engagement in a joint Instagram post on Sunday, Aug. 9. Montero Mundt flashed her ringm an oval-cut yellow diamond, in a series of photos.

10/08/2026

The newest discovery at Stonehenge sheds light on one of the world's most iconic and mysterious landmarks.

https://www.islands.com/2202465/newest-discovery-solstice-prototype-stonehenge-worlds-most-iconic-mysterious-landmark/

It turns out Stonehenge, the ancient rock formation that has perplexed historians for thousands of years, still has a couple secrets up its sleeve.

10/08/2026

Andrew Lloyd Webber says Broadway in ‘dire danger’ as Cats musical announces early closing. The legendary composer warned theaters could soon meet the same fate as Hollywood’s ‘empty soundstages’

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2026/jul/14/andrew-lloyd-webber-cats-jellice-ball-broadway

The legendary composer warned theaters could soon meet the same fate as Hollywood’s ‘empty soundstages’

10/08/2026

Summer mode: ON ▶️ Calendar mode: already planning.

While you’re enjoying your holiday, why not take a moment to plan ahead — stress-free?
We’ve got some exciting ABS events coming up next month.

Save the Date!
Invitations & details are coming your way by email.

09/08/2026

The history of the hand fan in the UK spans from Tudor rigid feather screens to Georgian printed novelties and the specialized craft guilds. Key milestones include Queen Elizabeth I's rigid feather fans, the 17th-century rise of folding trade imports, and the 18th-century English dominance in printed fan design.

https://www.thefanmuseum.org.uk/fan-history

Explore 3,000 years of fan making history. Few art forms combine functional, ceremonial and decorative uses as elegantly as the fan.

09/08/2026

The Hermès Birkin bag is arguably the most iconic handbag in the world—but how much do you really know about it? Here are 7 facts that might surprise you.

https://www.popona.cz/en/bagsbeyond/meet-the-birkin--the-world-s-most-wanted-handbag/

Skvěle padnoucí organizéry do všech kabelekMeet the Birkin: The World's Most Wanted Handbag, Popona

08/08/2026

A phone repair shop is warning people not to put their electronic devices in fridges and freezers to cool them down amid the latest heatwave.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clywkjwmw2jo

Jamie Farnell says he is inundated with phone repairs, "almost all of them" due to the heat.