Double blow to Healey as inflation rises to 3.5% and monthly deficit hits £24bn
Posted on Wednesday October 21, 2026

Consumer prices rise by more than expected while government’s debt interest payments surge to record high for September

Inflation surged to 3.5% last month while the government deficit was a worse-than-forecast £24.5bn, in a double dose of bad news for John Healey before next week’s budget.

The Office for National Statistics said annual inflation rose from 3.1% in August, overshooting City forecasts of a rise in the consumer prices index (CPI) to 3.4%, as a result of the surging cost of fuel.

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Flaw in PHP computer language leads to shutdown of websites around world
Posted on Wednesday October 21, 2026

Precautionary takedowns come as experts say bad actors could exploit vulnerability in language used by 70% of sites

Websites around the globe have gone dark after a serious vulnerability was found in a computer language used to build much of the world wide web.

Belgian, Dutch, Finnish, French and German sites were among those that governments took down temporarily as they scrambled to patch the critical weakness in PHP, a language used by almost 70% of websites.

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Stratford International on track to get cross-Channel trains in budget boost
Posted on Wednesday October 21, 2026

Sadiq Khan says upgrade would unlock station’s true potential and allow it to live up to its name

Stratford International train station in east London will receive funding in next week’s budget, according to reports, putting it on track to live up to its name and become a hub for cross-Channel services.

London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, has been making a case to ministers for funding to upgrade the station to allow it to start running international rail services.

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Energy secretary leaning towards rejecting Rosebank oilfield
Posted on Wednesday October 21, 2026

Exclusive: Officials say Miatta Fahnbulleh minded not to give approval in victory for climate campaigners

Miatta Fahnbulleh is minded to reject the giant Rosebank oilfield, sources have told the Guardian, in what would be a blow for the North Sea energy industry and a major victory for climate campaigners.

After approving the smaller Jackdaw gasfield on Wednesday, officials say the energy secretary is leaning towards refusing approval for what would be one of the biggest oilfields in the North Sea.

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UK watchdogs urged to tackle suicide social media content after death of girl, 14
Posted on Wednesday October 21, 2026

Adriana Retyte took her own life after viewing ‘high-risk’ material on the video-sharing platform TikTok

A 14-year-old schoolgirl’s death after TikTok served her suicide content has prompted renewed calls for UK watchdogs to crack down on “toxic” social media feeds.

Adriana Retyte, a pupil at Langley school in Norfolk, took her own life after she viewed videos and images related to suicide on the video-sharing platform, according to a coroner who last week found her access to the material on TikTok “may have played a significant part in her decision to take her life”.

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New prize launches for books co-written with AI
Posted on Wednesday October 21, 2026

After months of controversy over the possible use of AI by winners of prestigious awards, the Prix Pascal de Littérature IA is rewarding fiction written with the help of LLMs

A prize for AI-written books has launched this week.

The Prix Pascal de Littérature IA invites submissions of manuscripts co-written with AI tools, with the winner promised publication.

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Bayern Munich 2-2 Arsenal: Champions League – live reaction
Posted on Wednesday October 21, 2026

⚽️ Champions League updates | Como 4-1 Man Utd
⚽️ Clockwatch | Live scores | Table | Email Scott

The teams are out! Bayern are in one of their all-red phases, while Arsenal are harking back to the early 90s with a blue version of the famous bruised banana. Vincent Kompany is in the house, by the way, having recovered from a virus that threatened to keep him in bed. And so is Germany boss Jurgen Klopp, in the stands flashing that smile and throwing his arm around the shoulder of another erstwhile Liverpool manager, Rafael Benitez. Everyone having a good time, it seems, and looking forward to this big showdown, including Arsenal fan Charles Antaki … well, kind of: “Pretty dismal, the fare served up in the game against Forest. But! Pundits have assured us that because Bayern are going to be on the attack, Arsenal will be free to entertain us with a dazzling display of skill, ambition, irresistible cheeks and above all, goals. Not much to say about that except We Shall See.” We’ll be off in a minute or two.

Mikel Arteta speaks to TNT Sports. “We’re gonna have to play, I expect, three or four different games at different stages … we need everybody ready because we need to change and adapt to that … freshness … very excited … we have talked about our enthusiasm for playing on these big stages … that’s where you want to get tested … play with a lot of courage … a lot of aggression … be decisive … we have prepared for what we have to do.”

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Como demolish dismal Manchester United to pile more pressure on Carrick
Posted on Wednesday October 21, 2026

In the shadow of the Alps, a boat ride from George Clooney’s villa, Manchester United’s torrid season plunged into chaos and infighting just 11 games in.

Michael Carrick’s status as United manager is now precarious because witnessed here by Lake Como was a humiliation of the three-time European champions by Cesc Fàbregas’s competition debutants.

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