Reform UK councillors and candidates filmed making racist and extreme comments 14. October 2026 (21:36) Party faces fresh crisis as three councillors quit after ITV undercover filming exposed violence, misogyny and racist viewsReform UK has been rocked by a fresh crisis after councillors and election candidates for the party were caught on film making graphic threats of extreme violence and expressing racist and misogynistic views.Three councillors have already stood down from the party, which said it was conducting an investigation over the first revelations from an ITV undercover investigation that aired on Wednesday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Israel blocks construction of key Gaza base created by Trump peace board 14. October 2026 (21:19) Exclusive: Israel has not permitted US-led project to house 150 international troops to move forwardIsrael is refusing to allow a key military outpost project for Donald Trump’s Board of Peace to proceed in Gaza, the Guardian has learned.In early August, the Board of Peace, the international organization authorized in 2025 by the UN and chaired by the US president, issued its first construction contract for Gaza: Louisiana-based Arkel International would construct a military outpost for 150 international troops that would be the vanguard of an international stabilization force. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
OpenAI’s London staff receive average of £2.3m per person annually 14. October 2026 (21:15) Accounts for the Westminster-based company behind ChatGPT show that 110 staff shared £87m in salaries and £168m in shares last yearOpenAI’s London staff each received £2,318,181 on average last year, as the ChatGPT-maker poured Premier League football salaries into its bid to dominate the global AI race.Accounts for OpenAI UK Ltd, which is based in Westminster but is opening a new HQ in London’s King’s Cross area, showed that 110 staff shared £87m in salaries and £168m in shares in the company, which is aiming to list on the stock market at a valuation of about $1tn. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Zimbabwean author Simbarashe Kundizeza denies using AI to write prize-winning story 14. October 2026 (21:01) Article in Atlantic claims The Blue Fighter was artificially generated, days after it won Caine prize for African writersThe Zimbabwean writer Simbarashe Kundizeza has denied using AI to write a prize-winning short story after an article in the Atlantic said software had flagged it as almost completely AI-generated.Kundizeza’s story The Blue Fighter was announced as the winner of the prestigious Caine prize for African writers on 6 October. Five days later, The Atlantic published an article by the author and journalist Vauhini Vara titled: “Yet Another Literary prize winner Seems to Be AI.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
In Ukraine, civilian casualties were already rising. Restrictions on Starlink will only worsen the death toll 14. October 2026 (20:54) Throttling of mobile internet system will affect Kyiv’s air defences more than its strikes on oil refineries. Now Zelenskyy must be hoping that US intel holdsIn Ukraine the situation was already jittery enough. Donald Trump has been inventing ceasefires and buying Russian diesel to shore up his flagging popularity, while a sinister new wave of faster, jet-powered drones are breaking through Kyiv’s stretched air defences. Casualties are rising as the weather turns.Overnight, Russia bombed three power plants that supply Kyiv, aiming to cut off heating and electricity to the city. According to the president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, for a second night in a row no warning came from Ukraine’s western allies of the incoming ballistic missiles – and so no air raid alert was issued. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
SpaceX rocket launch causes stunning ‘jellyfish cloud’ visible off US east coast 14. October 2026 (20:15) Expanding plume of fuel exhaust crystalized in the sky and reflected sunlight off frozen particles after Florida launchA SpaceX rocket provided a stunning pre-dawn display over Florida as a massive, luminescent “jellyfish cloud” spread for miles, caused by an expanding plume of fuel exhaust crystalizing in the sky and reflecting sunlight off the frozen particles.The phenomenon occurred shortly after Tuesday’s 6.33am ET launch of the Falcon 9 rocket carrying cargo to the International Space Station. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
