At least 12 dead after migrant boat sinks off Gambia
The IOM says increased controls in traditional departure spots in Morocco, Mauritania, and Senegal have pushed some migrants seeking to reach Europe further south, towards countries such as The Gambia.
Ukraine unveils flying ambulance drone that could save lives in minutes
A Ukrainian company has demonstrated an unusual new battlefield rescue system: a drone capable of carrying a wounded soldier inside an enclosed cabin. Developed by SkyFall, the aircraft, named StarGate, was filmed taking off, flying and landing with a person on board.
Families of 34 children killed in Pakistan school roof collapse demand justice
A senior official in Peshawar told the AFP news agency that initial reports suggested the roof collapse was due to "weak infrastructure".
'It's really hard to believe' - How Oregon primary school shooting unfolded
Three children aged 5, 8 and 11 and a teacher were killed after a 16-year-old suspect opened fire in the city of Bend, local police say.
AI threatens democracy. But we are not powerless: here’s how to fight back | Carine Fouteau
Tech platforms pillage public-interest journalism for profit. But we have leverage as they sow the seeds of their own downfallCarine Fouteau is president and publishing director of the French investigative news outlet MediapartBig tech companies pose an immeasurable threat: socially, politically, militarily and ecologically. They are also causing a profound crisis of information. The tools they design now serve as weapons of mass destruction against democracy. There is so much at stake that an urgent and broad mobilisation is required.From the harvesting of personal data and the weaponisation of public opinion, to the destruction of jobs, the infringement of civil liberties and environmental damage, ordinary citizens are the main victims of this predatory economy – an economy with an agenda that aligns with the interests of the planet’s most authoritarian and reactionary states.Carine Fouteau is president and publishing director of the French investigative news outlet MediapartMediapart is hosting Hacking Big Tech, a public event about technology, AI and democracy in partnership with the Guardian, in Paris on Saturday 17 October 2026. The conference will be live-streamed free on Mediapart’s website, app and YouTube channel and can be accessed here from 1pm CEST on 17 October Continue reading...
Germany set to hike tobacco tax: Cigarette packs could reach close to €12 by 2030
With the planned tax increase, the German government is aiming to raise an additional €12 billion over four years.
Syria arrests 'Butcher of Baniyas' accused of 2013 coastal massacres
Ali Kayali, 70, known as Mihrac Ural, commanded al-Assad-affiliated militia forces that carried out summary executions of more than 450 civilians in Bayda and Baniyas in May 2013.
'It feels like you're days away from death' - the Olympian living with ME
She's an Olympian, a world record holder and a Commonwealth Games medal winner. She's also bedbound for more than 22 hours a day. Sprinter Beth Dobbin shares her health struggles with BBC Sport months after retiring from the sport for good.
Houthi missile attack targets Yemeni presidential palace in Aden
Five people have been killed and 16 injured in a Houthi missile attack targeting the presidential palace in Aden, a port city in southern Yemen and the seat of the internationally recognised government, officials say.
Revealed: VW, Ford and Tesla batteries linked to destructive deforestation of indigenous lands
Mines in supply chains of western carmakers linked to widespread deforestation of primary rainforest in nickel-rich lands inhabited by Tolaki people in IndonesiaVolkswagen, Ford and Tesla are among the electric carmakers whose batteries may contain nickel mined in indigenous woodlands plagued by deforestation, an analysis has found, highlighting the struggle to make vehicles that are free from environmental destruction.Corporate disclosures and trade flows from the last two years show mines in the battery supply chains of automotive giants are linked to the loss of trees in Sulawesi, a wildlife hotspot in Indonesia that houses the world’s largest nickel deposits. The metal is widely used in cathodes in car batteries because it boosts energy density and increases range. Continue reading...
UK could quickly re-enter EU with ‘Switzerland plus’ deal, senior MEP says
Bernd Lange, who was involved in Brexit talks, says deal could be negotiated within months of any decision to deepen tiesThe UK could re-enter the EU in a “Switzerland plus” package that could be negotiated within months of any decision to deepen ties with the bloc, the head of a European parliament committee has said.Bernd Lange, who was heavily involved in Brexit negotiations, said: “I would love to see the UK back.” He said the EU missed the UK in decision-making because of its strong history of promoting open markets and democracy. Continue reading...
From Dallaglio’s medals to Cantona’s shorts, sporting memorabilia is big business | Emma John
Like transfer fees and ticket prices, mementoes are one more marker of sport’s rampant self-inflationThe auctioneer cradled his gavel in his palm like a pipe, the handle pointing towards him. It gave his patter the air of a Victorian gentleman holding forth by the mantelpiece in a period drama. “Are you bidding, Wilf? You’re waving at me.” Under the hammer was a Barclays Manager of the Month trophy, complete with travel case, but no indication of which Premier League luminary once owned it. It outstripped its estimate and sold for £700.An hour and a half into what Budds auction house dubbed its “Octoberfest” of sporting memorabilia, David Convery at the podium showed no sign of fatigue, save the occasional swig from a water bottle. There were 332 lots in total; Convery regularly manages sales with twice as many. In his three decades as an auctioneer he’s even secured some world-record prices, from the oldest surviving FA Cup to Pelé’s 1970 World Cup final shirt. Continue reading...
Turkey: Worst rainfall in 80 years unleashes deadly floods near Istanbul
Torrential rain has turned streets into rivers near Istanbul, overturning vehicles and cutting off power. At least 3 people have died and 5 remain missing as emergency crews clear the wreckage.
The rapid rise of a former art dealer to Europe's hottest young manager
How Brighton's Fabian Hurzeler has gone from Germany's fifth tier to being reportedly of interest to Manchester United.
New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia says China lacked 'proper' toilets
Zacharia is already under scrutiny over her legal credentials, after giving an inconclusive answer about where she had passed the bar exam, a prerequisite for practicing law in the United States.
Homes with striking interiors for sale in England – in pictures
From a brick stable block renovated into an eco home to a Georgian townhouse painted in atmospheric shades of grey Continue reading...
Candlelight vigil honours victims of Oregon school shooting
People gather in Bend, Oregon, to mourn three children and a teacher killed in an elementary school shooting.
The Olympic sprinter now bedbound for 22 hours a day
Beth Dobbin ran for Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Five years on, she is largely bedbound after being diagnosed with ME, a devastating illness for which there is no cure.
Snapchat and Instagram grooming becoming 'easier'
Online grooming is rising, with children as young as five targeted, prompting calls for reform.
The right’s scrounger rhetoric dominates the benefits debate. Labour must fight back – and win | Frances Ryan
The prime minister has a once-in-a-generation chance to reintroduce fairness to the system. He has to seize the momentBack in 2009, months before the coalition government unleashed sweeping austerity, the then Conservative backbencher Iain Duncan Smith produced a study that would go on to lay the foundations for the rollout of universal credit. Now, nearly two decades later, Duncan Smith and his thinktank, the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), has published State of Dependency: a landmark report promising to expose “the full scale of Britain’s worklessness crisis”.The study paints a picture of mass benefits reliance: it identifies 3,400 local areas where more than half the working-age population are on out-of-work benefits, or “economic opiates”, as the authors call them. They’ve even provided an interactive map (in the yellow and black colours of a road hazard sign, no less) so members of the public can type in their postcode to see if their neighbourhood is “a welfare hotspot”.Frances Ryan is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
Repairing Brexit economic damage should be Burnham’s top priority, business chief says
Shevaun Haviland argues PM is right to revisit Labour’s EU red lines as current trading relationship is bad for businessRepairing the economic damage of Brexit should be the top priority for Andy Burnham as he reconsiders Labour’s red lines on EU membership, the head of one of Britain’s leading business groups has said.Shevaun Haviland, the director general of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said she welcomed the prime minister reopening the Brexit battle lines despite the uncertainty it could create, arguing that the UK’s current trading relationship with the EU was bad for business. Continue reading...
Commercial kitchen staff exposed to high levels of air pollution, study finds
US research says nitrogen dioxide in restaurants that cook with gas can exceed WHO limits, which also affects dinersEach time we enjoy a meal out or order a takeaway, someone cooks for us in a commercial kitchen. In the UK, 3.6 million people work in catering and hospitality. In the US it is estimated at close to 16 million. A first-of-its-kind study in the US has found catering staff can experience high air pollution at work – and that this can affect diners too.Dr Drew Michanowicz, senior author of the study at non-profit research institute PSE Healthy Energy, said: “I was motivated by what we have learned over the years about what just 30 minutes of gas cooking can do to air quality in homes with the realisation that millions of people cook for a living for hours on end.” Continue reading...
Latest news bulletin | October 16th, 2026 – Morning
Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond this October 16th, 2026 - latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel.