Joshua Foster was fined €3,000 (£2,500) after pleading guilty to causing his two-year-old son’s death in a fall from a fourth-floor hotel window in Cyprus. The Guardian reports that Foster thought the window was closed when he approached it with his son to show him a waterpark view, and that he lost control of him; the BBC also reports that he lost control while showing his son the view.
Devon and Cornwall police have formally apologised to nine women and paid compensation in a settlement without admitting liability. The Guardian reports that the women alleged rape, assault, threats, harassment and coercive control by male officers they had been in relationships with, and that the force promoted and protected officers despite knowing they faced abuse allegations.
Zelensky thanked what he called the “real leaders” ahead of a meeting with the EU in Brussels, the BBC reports. Deutsche Welle reports that EU leaders at a summit pledged support for Ukraine’s self-defense against Russia and encouraged Zelenskyy as winter approaches and US support seems to be withdrawing. This follows earlier reports that European leaders backed Zelenskyy over the weekend as a rift with the US widened and Washington pressured Kyiv.
Tesla revealed its next-generation Roadster in Texas on Thursday, with one of three versions performing a kickflip and demonstrating flying capabilities, Euronews reports. Analysts contacted by Euronews Business do not expect the model to generate significant revenue. TechRadar says the car can perform flips and rolls but is unlikely to become road legal.
Newly released video shows bomb-sniffing dog Bruno leaping from a freeway overpass while inspecting a suspicious package in Utah on Sept. 15. The Guardian reports Bruno broke two legs and fractured his jaw in the incident and is recovering at home after surgery. The Guardian also reports that an independent review found his handler deployed him in line with standard K-9 tactics.
The Trump administration sued California, seeking to temporarily block the counting of mail ballots from voters it says may be noncitizens, The New York Times reports. The Guardian reports that the Justice Department gave Los Angeles County officials a password-protected thumb drive with more than 20,000 names and 48 hours to verify citizenship; Axios says the suit asks a court to prevent about 20,000 voters from having their ballots counted until their citizenship is confirmed. Al Jazeera reports that the lawsuit comes weeks before the midterm elections and follows debunked claims of noncitizens voting in various states.
Ahead of the October 27 election, Liberman has ruled out a minority coalition dependent on Arab parties and is banking on Likud defectors, a strategy The Times of Israel says creates a roadblock for the center-left. In a separate report, the outlet says Liberman accused Eisenkot of seeking a unity government with Likud, compared him to Gantz, and urged voters who want Netanyahu out to ignore the spin; Liberman said he was working to secure more than 61 Zionist seats for change.
The Vatican said Friday that Africa now has more Catholics than Europe, based on the latest Church statistics compiled by its news agency Fides. Africanews reports that the figures put Africa’s Catholic population at 288 million, slightly ahead of Europe’s 287 million, and the global total at 1.422 billion.
The Verge reports that Amazon is offering the first discount on Apple's newly announced Apple TV 4K, which is set to come out on November 13 and costs nearly twice as much as the 2022 model did at launch. This follows The Verge's report that Apple's HomeView smart display was $10 cheaper at Amazon.
Nathan Fielder’s documentary about disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes brings together colliding personas to question authenticity, TechCrunch reports. The New York Times describes the film as a dizzying exchange in which Holmes and Fielder chat and joust over truth, reality and the contours of knowledge.
Manchester United manager Michael Carrick says the club has moved on from Lisandro Martinez's outburst, with Carrick saying he is telling the truth about the club's position. Al Jazeera reports this comes before United's trip to Leeds. This follows earlier reports that Martinez apologized for his criticism as the crisis at United deepened.
Apple announced that three features are coming to the existing HomePod 2 through a free software update, alongside its unveiling this week of HomeView, HomePod mini 2 and a new Apple TV 4K. This follows Apple’s Oct. 13 announcement of HomePod mini 2; 9to5Mac reported that Siri AI would not be available at launch and that the speaker was set to ship Oct. 30.
Tesla’s Roadster 2 was shown in a “flying car” demo using SpaceX technology, but CNET questions whether the vehicle on display was a fully functional car a person could drive. WIRED says the Federal Aviation Administration will likely have thoughts about the Roadster 2’s ability to leave the ground.
Apple and Meta have worked together on a new open-source AI model, which CNET identifies as Muse Spark Open. Semafor reports that the companies are to collaborate on a new AI model, describing the move as a sign of AI reshaping old tech rivalries; it says they have been at odds for more than a decade.
Hyron Andrews, a former Sale Sharks player, has died at the Johannesburg Lions' team hotel before the team's Champions Cup match at La Rochelle on Saturday, according to the BBC.
In a Guardian column published Friday, Jonathan Freedland argues that Donald Trump has made clear in recent days that he is a partner of Vladimir Putin rather than a mediator in the war between Russia and Ukraine. Freedland says Western countries, including Britain, have yet to fully accept what he sees as the implications of Trump’s position.
Fulham head coach Álvaro Arbeloa is under pressure ahead of Saturday’s home match against Hull, with The Guardian reporting that his push to make the team play free-flowing football is already faltering. The outlet says his tactical choices have puzzled fans and contrasts his approach with Marco Silva’s record of effective substitutions before Silva left Fulham for Benfica last summer. Silva’s substitutes were involved in the fourth-highest goal contributions last season and the most in 2024-25, The Guardian reports.
At Russell Brand’s trial, a woman told Southwark Crown Court that he tried to drag her into the men’s toilets for a sexual encounter while she was working at MTV in 2001, and that she wrenched herself free. She said he did not manage to rape her; Brand is accused of indecently assaulting her. This follows testimony that another woman said Brand made her take half-naked photos before allegedly raping her in a hotel room; Brand denies attacking her.
Massive wildfires in Indonesia show no sign of letting up, France 24 reports, as toxic haze spreads to neighboring countries and turns the fires into a pollution crisis across Southeast Asia. This follows earlier reports of orange skies in Indonesia and haze-related school closures in East Timor.
The Straits Times reports that Trudy rapidly intensified into a major hurricane by Friday, with maximum sustained winds near 120 mph (195 kph) and higher gusts, as it moved closer to Mexico’s Pacific coast and was expected to approach as a major storm during the weekend. ABC News had earlier reported that Trudy had reached Category 1 strength as it approached the coast.