Sonay Kartal beat fifth seed Elina Svitolina in the Wuhan Open quarter-finals to reach the semi-finals, extending her winning streak after a long injury lay-off. The BBC described the win as part of her continuing comeback.
← News archive
October 2026 news
Italy halved the number of aircraft in its airspace after overnight problems with the air traffic-control data transmission network, according to ABC News and Deutsche Welle. Deutsche Welle says ENAV ruled out malicious activity and said flights remained safe; Euronews reports that Enav ruled out a cyberattack or sabotage. Euronews says the network problem caused airport delays and cancellations on Friday morning.
European leaders rallied around Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday as Kyiv-Washington ties worsened, the South China Morning Post reports. France 24 says Zelensky sought to rally European allies at a Brussels summit after saying Kyiv would no longer abide by Trump’s demand not to strike Russian oil refineries; the South China Morning Post says Ukraine’s order to restart those strikes further angered Trump. The Japan Times reports Trump scrapped Russian energy sanctions and pressured Kyiv over the refineries, while France 24 and the South China Morning Post say the sanctions easing came in exchange for Moscow releasing large amounts of diesel onto global markets. This follows earlier coverage framing a Trump-Russia diesel deal as benefiting Putin and drawing criticism over Ukraine and Europe.
Bernd Lange, who was involved in Brexit talks, says the UK could re-enter the EU through a “Switzerland plus” package that could be negotiated within months of a decision to deepen ties. Lange said he would like to see the UK back and that the EU missed its role in decision-making. Euronews reports his comments came as the Brexit debate reignited after Prime Minister Andy Burnham called for the UK to readdress its relationship with Brussels.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park has reopened after a man was killed by a tiger, the BBC reports, following what the park described as engagement with relevant authorities. This follows reports that an inquest heard the man climbed two fences to enter the tiger’s pen and suffered multiple injuries.
The Hindu reports that a worker at a Siberian plague institute developed pneumonia from an unknown cause and died; it notes that pneumonic plague can be highly infectious and fatal if not treated early. This follows earlier reports that plague research labs were at the center of a mystery in Russia.
Iain Duncan Smith and his Centre for Social Justice have published State of Dependency, a report on what they call Britain’s worklessness crisis. It identifies 3,400 local areas where more than half of the working-age population are on out-of-work benefits. The Guardian’s Frances Ryan argues that Labour should challenge the right’s welfare rhetoric and use the moment to bring more fairness and compassion to the system.
The Air Force Museum of New Zealand has released nearly 50 photos from a 1938 aerial survey of Nikumaroro, the Pacific atoll where Amelia Earhart is believed to have crash-landed. The images may offer new clues in the search for traces of the aviator and her plane, amid renewed interest after a US expedition to the island.
Flash floods swept through Nepal’s central Gorkha district after a pre-dawn landslide on October 11 blocked the Budhi Gandaki River. Two villages in the worst-affected municipality were reportedly destroyed, and homes, roads and bridges were washed away; part of a hydropower station was also damaged. The national disaster authority reported 204 homes damaged and more than 650 people affected, while more than 100 foreign trekkers were stranded in the region.
The Financial Times' FirstFT newsletter reports that the G7 has a plan for simulated AI attacks on banks. This follows earlier reports that UK banks were bracing for higher taxes in the upcoming Budget.
Seven sailors are missing after drones struck two tankers near Romania’s Black Sea coast and set them ablaze, The Guardian reports. A NATO military source told Reuters the drones were of Russian origin, according to The Guardian; Ars Technica reports a suspected Russian drone attack on a chemical tanker within Romanian territorial waters, which it says is the first time Black Sea drone attacks entered a NATO country’s waters. France 24 says NATO will put Black Sea drone strikes on the agenda at a meeting next week after two new attacks and the disappearance of seven people. This follows earlier reports that Bulgaria suspected Russia behind Black Sea strikes as rescue operations continued and NATO weighed defenses.
Porsche has revealed the Mission S concept, which CNBC says previews a new design identity. CNBC reports the concept is part of a turnaround plan to boost profits with higher-end products and lower sales; Ars Technica describes it as a preview of a new mid-engined supercar and says Porsche's 2035 plan calls for less volume and more expensive cars.
Ars Technica reports that hackers exploited outdated devices exposed to the internet in an incident affecting 700 supermarkets, costing millions and sparking fires. The outlet says poor security was behind the hack. This follows earlier reports of a cyberattack hitting refrigeration systems at supermarkets in France.
Jamaican directors are increasingly using the island’s landscape to tell stories about enslavement, trauma and historical memory, The Guardian reports. Sky’s supernatural series “Possession” follows a biracial British lawyer investigating an inheritance dispute in Jamaica, where she encounters a spirit linked to the plantation’s colonial past. The Guardian describes the trend as a wider shift in Jamaica’s film industry.
Pornography depicting strangulation and incestuous relationships will be banned in England and Wales from 6 November, the government says. The Guardian reports that campaigners welcomed the legislation, which followed recommendations from a 2025 review; the BBC says the review was by Conservative peer Baroness Gabby Bertin.
Mansour Abbas, a dentist-turned-lawmaker in Israel, has teamed up with a Jewish former police commander in an effort to oust Benjamin Netanyahu, according to The New York Times. Abbas helped oust Netanyahu once before.
Nathan Fielder’s television shows may help explain why the comedian is a good fit for a documentary about Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, The New York Times reports. WIRED also connects the hype around another Holmes documentary to Fielder’s experimental comedy.
Reform MP Robert Jenrick defended Nigel Farage, saying he had probably done more than almost anybody to stand against racism and the far right, The Guardian reports. The remarks followed ITV footage in which a Reform official accused Farage of protecting a mayoral candidate over alleged racist comments about David Lammy; the footage also showed MP Sarah Pochin criticizing chauvinism and women's exclusion in the party, according to The Guardian. The BBC reports that Farage defended Reform's vetting after activists were filmed making racist comments, saying the party cannot vet for future comments.
The New York Times describes daily life in Kyiv as residents assess—and accept—deadly risks. It portrays the Ukrainian capital as a new kind of battlefield far from the front as Russia tries to make it unlivable.
Youssef al-Manasif faces imminent execution in Saudi Arabia over protests and funerals he attended when he was 15 to 17, according to human rights groups cited by The Guardian. Arrested in 2017, he was convicted and sentenced to death by the specialised criminal court for offenses including joining demonstrations for religious freedom and attending funerals authorities considered protests. The Guardian says a rights group alleges he was tortured and first met his lawyer five years after his arrest.