Downing Street has left open the possibility of tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles if the UK joins the EU’s Made in Europe package, while Beijing warned such a move would be discriminatory. The UK government said it would welcome the objective of including Britain in the Industrial Accelerator Act. This follows France dropping its opposition to UK inclusion in the EU legislation, provided Britain aligns with the bloc on Chinese EV tariffs.
Former Foreign Office head Olly Robbins has reached a settlement with the government over his dismissal. The Guardian reports that the settlement includes a six-figure payout; the Financial Times describes it as an out-of-court settlement. Prime Minister Keir Starmer dismissed Robbins in April over his role in vetting Peter Mandelson, and Robbins had applied for a High Court judicial review of the decision.
Expanded excavations at White Sands National Park in New Mexico are helping researchers refine the age of the oldest human footprints in North America and understand the landscape when people were present. Phys.org reports the findings suggest humans experienced abrupt environmental shifts during the last ice age. Popular Science says pollen evidence indicates present-day New Mexico transformed within only a few decades.
At an EU summit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia’s ambitions extend beyond eastern Ukraine and said its drone attack threatens NATO. This follows reports that Zelenskyy defended Ukraine’s right to self-defense after criticism from US President Donald Trump, as European leaders rallied around him.
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/e8/d3/e8d3b80f-3169-4d3b-bd65-c4a0b9805edb/gettyimages-2298516484.jpg)
The thriller Whalefall follows a diver swallowed by a sperm whale who must escape its stomach; the film adapts Daniel Kraus’ 2023 novel. ABC reports the movie is in Australian cinemas and a marine scientist says a whale could really swallow a human.
The National's article is titled “Cartoon for October 16, 2026,” but its feed summary gives no details about the cartoon's subject.
The Atlantic and The National published weekly picture roundups featuring varied scenes. The Atlantic lists a highland-cattle show in Scotland, sword forging in China, a fuel shortage in Bali, high water at Brazil’s Iguazu Falls and anti-government protests in Albania; The National’s roundup ranges from protests in Albania to Global Village reopening in Dubai.
The New Yorker’s Radio Hour features pollster Rich Baris, who is supportive of the MAGA big tent, discussing how President Donald Trump lost control of his movement. Baris says that loss spells disaster for Republicans.
Former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger was released from prison on Friday after serving seven years of a 10-year sentence for killing Botham Jean in his Dallas apartment in 2018. The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles approved her release a little over two weeks earlier, despite opposition from Jean’s family.
Microsoft President Brad Smith warned that restricting skilled immigrants’ path to permanent residency could push AI and technology talent abroad. TechRadar reports that Smith criticized JD Vance as “completely off base” and pointed to the irony that five of six Trump award holders were immigrants.
Russian attacks on nine Ukrainian regions caused emergency power outages and damaged homes, wounding at least 15 people, ABC News reports. Euronews describes pre-winter bombardment of Ukraine’s power grid as an annual feature of the war, intended to wear down public support by depriving civilians of heating and running water. PBS NewsHour says the latest strikes on civilian targets came amid fears that worsening relations between Ukraine and the United States could leave Ukraine more exposed to Russian air assaults as winter approaches. This follows earlier reports of Russian strikes on Kyiv homes and power facilities, with outlets differing on the death toll.
El Gordo, a distant and unusually massive cluster of galaxies, has two regions in the process of colliding, according to Phys.org, which reports a combined mass of more than two quadrillion solar masses. Universe Today says the cluster’s size for its era may be explained by dark matter interacting with itself in a two-state way.
Prime Minister Edi Rama has rejected calls to resign, the Irish Times reports, as student-led protests spread in Albania. The Straits Times reports that thousands of young Albanians marched through Tirana on Friday, the fourth day of the campaign, and that some windows and traffic lights were broken. The Globe and Mail says Thursday's demonstrations in the capital turned into a riot, with protesters smashing windows, raiding a bank and clashing with police. Deutsche Welle describes the student movement as Rama's biggest challenge in years, amid empty lecture halls and burning buildings. This follows earlier reports that riots erupted in Albania's capital as students joined an anti-government movement.
Ukraine’s Operation Vivaldi has reclaimed more occupied territory in Donetsk, Al Jazeera reports; the BBC says the offensive is regaining crucial territory in the Donbas. Al Jazeera says the advance came during a week when Trump sided with Russia, and reports in its headline that Trump handed Putin a diesel deal. The BBC reports that Starlink is playing a key role and that souring relations with Trump have dampened optimism.
Arsenal has put up to 60 jobs at risk following a structural review, and Mikel Arteta has defended the cuts as necessary for continued success. The Guardian reports that staff whose roles are at risk have been informed and that Arsenal hopes to reduce redundancies and redeploy affected employees where possible. The BBC reports that Arteta said he was told the cuts were intended to help achieve the success the club wants.
Girls wearing headscarves have been turned away from schools in Azerbaijan, prompting unusual protests involving children, Deutsche Welle reports. The government rules do not mention hijabs, and schools are enforcing unwritten rules. This follows earlier coverage of a reported headscarf ban and reactions in Turkey.
Apple’s iOS 27.2 is launching soon for all users, and 9to5Mac reports that three changes were added this week. The report says Apple continues introducing updates with each beta release. This follows reports that Apple released fourth developer betas for iOS 27.2 and other software, and made public betas for iOS 27.2 and iPadOS 27.2 available.
President Donald Trump said Nidal Malik Hasan's execution by firing squad would proceed as scheduled but would not be livestreamed. The South China Morning Post reports the execution is set for December 3 and that the reversal followed political and religious criticism; Axios also reports bipartisan and public opposition to the livestream plan. The BBC says Trump remarked that some people would rather not watch and describes the execution as the first military execution in over 60 years.
A NASA Hubble Space Telescope image shows the edge-on, intermediate spiral galaxy NGC 1827, about 37 million light-years away in the constellation Columba. Phys.org reports that Hubble captured the image as part of a survey of satellite galaxies around Milky Way-like host galaxies and says 111 of the 260 galaxies have been observed so far.
The Princess of Wales has launched a project encouraging greater emphasis on children learning from nature. Catherine says nature can help children's emotional growth.