Schoolboy, 15, loses hand after picking up police stun grenade during French school protests 05. October 2026 (14:25) PM orders ministers to tackle students’ five major demands, including organising replacement teachers and school repairsEurope live – latest updatesHundreds of schools in France remained fully or partly closed on Monday as teenagers continued to blockade buildings and the government struggled to contain the biggest youth protest movement in years.A 15-year-old protesting against what the demonstrators say are France’s dilapidated and understaffed schools had his hand blown off on Monday in the northern town of Lens, the local prefect François-Xavier Lauch said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Accept ‘bad things’ in return for benefits of AI, says Sam Altman 05. October 2026 (14:13) Boss of OpenAI calls for a regulatory light touch because of the ‘good stuff’ the technology can deliverSam Altman says he believes the world should accept “bad things” happening with AI in exchange for the benefits of the technology.The chief executive of OpenAI cited hacks, scams and “other bad things that will happen” in an interview that sparked an instant backlash from critics of the major AI companies. His comments came after one of his company’s safety experts resigned, saying at the weekend that its “culture is broken”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Guardian readers fund life-changing surgery for Somali boy injured in US airstrike 05. October 2026 (14:00) After Guardian investigation uncovered drone strike that killed 12 civilians and injured many more, seven-year-old Abdiqadir Salah underwent vital operation in MogadishuOn the rickshaw ride to the hospital, Marian Haji Abdi Guled felt a mixture of joy and apprehension: the day they had been waiting for had finally arrived.Almost a year earlier, her then seven-year-old son, Abdiqadir Salah, had been seriously injured, alongside his two siblings, in what a Guardian investigation found was a US drone strike on the village of Jamaame in Somalia that killed at least 12 civilians, including eight children. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Senate-approved bills aim to ease burden on pilots amid mental health ‘stigma’ 05. October 2026 (14:00) Culture of silence and fears of exclusion means aviation workers less likely to seek help for mental health issuesPilots and air traffic controllers in the US could soon have an easier time achieving a healthy mental altitude – a move with implications for the safety of air travel in America.The US Senate recently approved bills aimed at encouraging aviation professionals struggling with a mental health condition get treatment. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Mary Beard suggests ‘tweaks’ to British Museum’s handling of queues to see Bayeux tapestry 05. October 2026 (13:55) Classicist and museum trustee visited the line after people complained of waiting for hours, with some turned awayMary Beard has intervened in the row about excessively long queues for the Bayeux tapestry by visiting the line and submitting a list of improvements to the British Museum.Beard, 71, is a trustee of the museum and inspected the queue herself after visitors to the tapestry complained that they had to wait for hours for their turn to view it, and some were turned away with no guarantee they would get another time slot. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Average five-year fixed mortgage rate hits 6% for first time in three years 05. October 2026 (13:39) Banks and building societies raise prices as turmoil in bond markets increases expectations of base rate riseThe average cost of a five-year fixed-rate mortgage has hit the 6% barrier for the first time in three years, as jitters in the money markets make the loans more expensive for lenders to offer.Figures from financial information provider Moneyfacts show the average is now 6.00%, its highest point since September 2023, while the average two-year fixed rate is not far behind at 5.98%, its highest since December of the same year. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Euro falls to 17-month low against dollar amid French debt fears 05. October 2026 (13:18) France’s Cac 40 index slides as announcement of snap election in Spain also helps fuel eurozone uncertaintyBusiness live – latest updatesThe euro has slumped to the lowest level against the dollar in 17 months amid growing concern France’s debt position could threaten the stability of the wider single currency bloc.The single currency fell as much as 0.8% against the dollar in early trading on Monday to below $1.12, its lowest level since May 2025, before recovering slightly. It has slumped by about 1.2% this month, accelerating a drop of about eight cents against the greenback from a peak of $1.20 in January. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Lab worker ‘possibly’ dies of plague in Siberia, prompting quarantine measures 05. October 2026 (12:47) Precautions in place in several hospitals in eastern Russia amid uncertainty over death of Darya ShipilovaSeveral hospitals in Siberia have been placed under quarantine after the death of a woman who worked at an anti-plague institute.Darya Shipilova, an employee at an institute in the eastern city of Irkutsk, died on the night of 2 October at a regional hospital in the nearby town of Shelekhov two days after falling ill. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Lidl GB’s sales soar by over 10%, helped by price cuts and Deluxe range 05. October 2026 (12:27) German-owned supermarket beats Morrisons to become fifth largest grocer in Great Britain Business live – latest updatesLidl’s sales in Great Britain jumped 10% to more than £13bn this year, as shoppers sought out cheaper fresh meat, fruit and vegetables and snapped up its Deluxe range.Pre-tax profit at the German-owned supermarket’s arm in Great Britain grew by 30% to £245.5m in the year ended in February, up from £156.8m in the previous year. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Nobel prize in medicine 2026 awarded for research on mysteries of brain 05. October 2026 (11:52) Three scientists to share 12m Swedish kronor prize for their work on ‘light-gated ion channels and optogenetics’The Nobel prize in physiology or medicine 2026 has been awarded to three scientists for their work on investigating the mysteries of the brain.Karl Deisseroth of both Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Stanford University, Peter Hegemann of the Humboldt University of Berlin, and Georg Nagel of the University of Würzburg have been awarded the prize “for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics.”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
