In inspirational scenes, a gentle giant who triumphed over childhood trauma has claimed one of the most sought-after world titles.
Meet Backpack. This year’s winner of Fat Bear Week.
The annual contest, now in its 12th year, canvasses the viewers of live video feeds to pick the chonkiest ursine contender in Katmai National Park and Reserve in Alaska, one of the most chilly and remote (yet deliciously salmon-rich) places on Earth.
Why Argentina is threatening legal action against UK
President Javier Milei said he has instructed legal action against the UK for oil exploration work in the sea off the Falkland Islands, which he claims rightfully belong to Argentina.
What you need to know
![CORRECTION / This photograph created on September 9, 2026, combining sources from Nasa, Gebco, OSM and the Falkland Islands government shows a map of the Sea Lion oil field off the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) in the South Atlantic Ocean. The Argentine government announced on September 8, 2026 that it was sueing companies with links to an Israeli-British oil project near the Falkland Islands, as Buenos Aires escalates its claim over the territory. Britain and Argentina fought a 10-week war in 1982 over the South Atlantic islands, a British overseas territory that Argentines call Las Malvinas. Britain and Argentina fought a brief but bitter 10-week war in 1982 over the South Atlantic islands, a British overseas territory that Argentines call Las Malvinas and claims as an integral part of their land. (Photo by Omar KAMAL and Guillermo RIVAS PACHECO / various sources / AFP via Getty Images) / "The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [This photograph created on September 9, 2026 combining sources from Nasa, Gebco, OSM and the Falkland Islands government shows a map of the Sea Lion oil field off the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) in the South Atlantic Ocean.] instead of [This undated topographical handout image released on September 9, 2026 shows the location of the Sea Lion oil field off the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) in the South Atlantic Ocean.]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it (them) to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any continued or post notification usage. Therefore we thank you very much for all your attention and prompt action. We are sorry for the inconvenience this notification may cause and](https://inews.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/SEI_311560631.jpg?w=644)
Milei has increased his hostility towards the UK over the status of the Falkland Islands.
In a post on X, he gave a two-week ultimatum for exploratory work at the Sea Lion oilfield project to be scrapped.
The British and Israeli companies involved insist they have valid licenses.
5 min read
Milei’s antagonism
- Milei accused the UK of “the illegal plundering of our resources” through oil drilling.
- He said if his deadline is not met, his foreign ministry will “initiate international arbitration”.
- It comes after Milei accused the UN of “looking the other way” on the disputed islands.
- After the speech, Wes Streeting said Argentina “lacks the ability” to take the islands.
1 min read
Fifa accuses Uefa of ‘misinformation campaign’ – the latest
The world governing body of football has retaliated after the European association accused Fifa president Gianni Infantino of “criminal mismanagement”.
What you need to know
- Last month, Uefa filed legal papers requesting disclosure of documents from Fifa.
- The European federation accused Infantino of proposing to “fraudulently” sell off the World Cup.
- Uefa led calls to reject the sell off plans, and is at the forefront of moves to try and oust Infantino.
- Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt reiterated calls for Fifa to release all relevant documents.
3 min read
Fifa’s furious response
Uefa’s conduct demonstrates that its application was made in bad faith and for the purpose of harassment.
The filing said Uefa’s claims had “no basis whatsoever” and called Uefa’s request “farcically overbroad”.
In a Miami court filing, Fifa requested the court deny Uefa’s application for discovery.
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Key takeaways from Burnham’s conference speech
From the triple lock to water companies,
here we take you through the most important points from the landmark speech.
Burnham’s message of hope
The PM began: “Today we draw a line on a decade of division, we stop doomscrolling on posts running Britain down, and we put the country on a new path. Britain with belief again. People with hope again”
He added that the UK has been “run for vested interests, not the public interest” for too long, and that power has been held “in too few hands”.
4 min read
The key takeaways
- 1Burnham announced his plan to end the triple lock state pension in 2030.
- 2Finally, after months of trailing, the PM unveiled plans for a national care service.
- 3The Government will bring in a new Water Bill which will end the ban on public water ownership.
- 4Councils will be given the power to take over poor quality homes if landlords refuse to improve them. He also promised “long-overdue leasehold reform”.
In pictures: Ministers gather for speech
Change to electoral system
- Burnham also announced Labour’s next manifesto will contain a “commitment to change the electoral system”.
- The PM added that he is creating a “new national commission on electoral reform”.
- “In past years, you have voted twice to support electoral reform. I hear you, I agree with you…I invite all the political parties to be part of its work,” Burnham said.
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There were 2,200 brown bears up for the title. Among them was Chunk (officially known as Bear 32, they all have numbers), who weighed in at an estimated 1,200lbs (544kg) to take the 2025 crown.
But top spot on the podium isn’t about persuading an enormous, possibly grumpy bear onto some scales. As the rules say, it’s about “exemplifying fatness and success”. Class as well as mass, if you like.
After a week of voting it came down to two nepo babies, and a battle of the sexes.
Representing the ladies: Bear 910. Does she have a name? The official website does not say. She’s a “large adult female with dark brown fur, a prominent brow ridge, and somewhat short forward-pointing ears”.
And yes, she’s single. Though competition organisers Explore.org say she does “attract the desires of many males during the brief bear mating season”, and was courted by bears Walker and Bucky in the early summer. She has a cub, 620.
Born in 2016, 910 is the daughter of former Fat Bear Week champion Beadnose. These days she “lives alone and has used the opportunity to fish where and when she wants”, though she particularly loves a waterfall called Brooks Falls.
And in the men’s corner: Bear 89. His name is “Backpack”, because in his first year as a cub, back in 2006, he would often climb onto his mum’s back when she swam in the river.
But Backpack “knew hardship at an early age”, said naturalist Mike Fitz, the creator of Fat Bear Week. In 2007, somehow, away from the cameras, he got a bad leg injury. Park staff wondered about his chances of survival.
“His mobility was greatly impaired, which made him more vulnerable to potential threats posed by other bears, and hindered his ability to keep up with his mother,” Fitz said.
“Sometimes people demanded that rangers intervene on his behalf. But intervention might have meant the permanent separation of the family, and removed him from the wild.”
His mother (Holly, another former Fat Bear Week champion) rarely left his side. And bears, even cubs, are extraordinarily resilient in the face of pain and injury.
He has survived, and clearly thrived, with distinctive “blond ears, light brown fur in early summer, and grizzled brown fur in late summer” – and noticeably fewer battle scars than his peers. Some bears are brawlers who thrive from competition, but not Backpack.
Instead he has a penchant for sitting on a rock downstream of the falls, and watching life go by.
“This is perhaps an effort to avoid cold water, or simply taking the scene, and consider his options,” Fitz said.
“He’ll stand up for himself when necessary but he prefers to use a quiet strength to gain access to preferred fishing spots.
“His body size suggests that the strategy works.”
Indeed it took him all the way to the Fat Bear Week final, where Backpack was declared the 2026 winner, 103,344 votes to 98,253.