A first-of-its-kind US study found that catering staff can experience high air pollution at work. The Guardian reports that nitrogen dioxide levels in restaurants cooking with gas can exceed World Health Organization limits and affect diners too.
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October 2026 news
Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh is flirting with a rising-block tariff as an affordability measure, but Guardian columnist Nils Pratley argues it would be complex and a bad way to tackle bills. The Guardian says industry projections point to energy bills rising by around £400 annually in January and remaining high through the rest of the decade, even if wholesale gas prices fall. It also says £1bn in extra support for poorer households this winter is likely to be included in Chancellor John Healey’s budget this month.
The Guardian reports that Serbian leader Aleksandar Vučić personally intervened to advance plans for a controversial $500 million Trump Tower in Belgrade. It says Vučić summoned officials to his presidential offices over an allegedly illegal plan to hand over a protected site for the project. The effort culminated in an indictment of senior figures from his regime on charges of abuse of public office, the Guardian reports.
The Prince Charles Cinema in London’s Leicester Square has signed a new 25-year lease with its landlords, with no break clause, staving off the threat of closure. The Guardian reports that the cinema had faced uncertainty for 21 months and had been threatened with closure since January 2025.
The Guardian outlines ways to identify heat loss in a home, including checking for draughts with a candle or smoke pen on a breezy day while the house is at its usual temperature, or using a thermal leak detector.
A security guard describes anti-shoplifting measures, including empathy and hi-tech cameras, and says they introduce themself to people who seem jumpy. The guard says they recommend preventive measures in incident reports and try to avoid situations escalating into physical confrontations with suspected thieves.
The Football Association spent £564,400 on Wembley tickets and hospitality for FA Council members in the 2025-26 season, up from £452,300 the previous season, according to its latest accounts. The Guardian also reports that the cost of hosting FA Council meetings almost doubled.
Australia opened the 2026 Rugby League World Cup with a 24-22 win over New Zealand, ABC reports, with debutant Jack Bostock scoring a hat-trick. In its later quick-hits report, ABC says Walsh vomited after a try and Ponga shone before suffering an injury; its earlier report described Ponga's injury as a suspected broken arm.
A senior aide to Reform UK leader Nigel Farage pushed to have Chris Parry thrown out of the party, according to a TV documentary, the Financial Times reports. The Guardian says Reform UK councillors and candidates were filmed making racist and extreme comments, while BBC News reports the party faced criticism after councillors were filmed making racist comments. Euronews describes the footage as a fresh scandal for the party.
North Korea said it conducted an intermediate-range strategic missile drill, the latest in a series of weapons tests this year. The Hindu reports that the launch came as tensions on the Korean peninsula escalated.
The South China Morning Post provides PDF downloads for the third and fourth factsheets in its series about Hong Kong’s first five-year plan and 2026 policy address. The third is titled “Sharpening Hong Kong’s edge” in the PDF entry, while the fourth is “Tapping into tech and talent”; the series was produced with support from the Hong Kong SAR government. The factsheets are due in the SCMP print edition on October 20.
A collision between a bus and a train on the French side of the Channel Tunnel injured 19 people, with two airlifted to hospital, according to the reports. The BBC says officials said no one's life appeared to be in danger; Euronews reports that the Pas-de-Calais prefecture said no deaths had been reported and no lives were in danger at that stage. Deutsche Welle says two people were severely injured and authorities launched an inquiry into the cause.
Lyon beat Crystal Palace 3-2, Benfica defeated Celtic 4-1 and Juventus went top with a 2-1 win over Celta Vigo, according to The Guardian. France 24 reports Marseille lost 1-0 to Olympiakos for a second consecutive Europa League defeat, while Rennes earned their first win of the season with a 2-1 victory over OFI Crete.
European lawmakers have begun what France 24 says is likely to be a long and fierce negotiation over the bloc’s seven-year budget, with member states divided on spending priorities and upcoming elections in France and Italy adding pressure in Brussels. France 24 reports EU leaders are set to clash over the long-term budget and Ukraine support, while the South China Morning Post describes a dispute over a trillion-euro budget and growing fears of French election fallout.
After Primark announced plans for home delivery, the BBC hears from women who never go into clothes stores and do their shopping online.
Beth Dobbin, who ran for Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, is largely bedbound after being diagnosed with ME, according to the BBC. The BBC reports that she spends 22 hours a day in bed and that there is no cure for the illness.
Heavy rain that began on October 14 has left three people dead in Istanbul and five missing there, Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi said. He said one person was also missing in Kocaeli.
The BBC reports a stark rise over the past year in anti-government activists deported to Russia from the EU and US, where they were seeking refuge.
Ukraine is looking to Europe for alternatives to US air defenses and Starlink as tensions with Washington deepen, with a senior Ukrainian presidential official telling Euronews that concrete plans are taking shape. This follows reports that new Starlink restrictions disrupted Ukrainian military operations and that Ukraine was struggling with Starlink and US satellite data.
Four people have been killed as Indonesia battles forest fires that Jakarta says are the country's worst in more than a decade. Jakarta says it will accept foreign help to tackle the blazes. The Hindu reports that the months-long fires are causing toxic haze, that regional air quality is among the world's worst, and that Singapore's leader has vowed legal action against companies responsible.