US inflation rose to 3.7% in September in blow to Republicans before midterms
Posted on Wednesday October 14, 2026

Final inflation report before voters go to polls comes amid widespread anger over cost of living under Trump

• Send us your questions on how the US economy is shaping the midterm elections

Republicans are entering the midterm elections with the highest rate of inflation since the spring, according to a government report released on Wednesday.

US price increases reached an annual rate of 3.7% in September, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, up from 3.4% in August. This final inflation report before the pivotal midterm elections comes amid polls showing widespread dissatisfaction with the Trump administration over the cost of living.

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Closer EU trade ties greater prize for UK than making separate deals, minister says
Posted on Wednesday October 14, 2026

Exclusive: Douglas Alexander, on trade delegation to India, talks up economic benefits of joint trading arrangements with Europe

Britain will benefit from much closer trading relations with the EU even if that means giving up its ability to negotiate free trade agreements, the Scotland secretary has said.

Douglas Alexander helped negotiate deals with India and the US when he was a trade minister under Keir Starmer.

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Netflix to lay off about 1,000 employees in biggest cuts since 2022
Posted on Wednesday October 14, 2026

Streaming company faces ⁠tough competition for viewers and engagement ⁠from legacy rivals ​and YouTube

Netflix is laying off 6% of its workforce, ⁠or roughly 1,000 employees, in its biggest cuts since 2022, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters, as the streaming pioneer faces ⁠tough competition for viewers ⁠from legacy rivals ​and YouTube.

The bulk of the job cuts would be in Netflix’s product, tech, legal and human-resources teams, the email co-CEOs Greg Peters and ⁠Ted Sarandos sent to employees on Wednesday showed.

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Merry squishmas: £10 squeezy banana on list of top festive season toys
Posted on Wednesday October 14, 2026

Social media-driven craze puts ‘squishies’ up there with evergreen favourites such as Lego and Barbie, Hamleys says

A cartoonish banana so addictively squidgy that it is “really difficult to put down” is tipped to be among the must-have toys this Christmas, according to expert buyers at Hamleys.

The £10 “slow-rise, squeezable, sensory” fruit taps into the “squishies” craze that is fuelling a high street boom in toy sales. In the coming weeks, Hamleys expects to sell thousands of the Big Squij toys, which come in a variety of food and animal shapes filled with a flour-based compound.

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The eyes have it: Reform politician’s ‘smart glasses’ prompt calls for ban in Westminster
Posted on Wednesday October 14, 2026

Jason O’Connell’s suspected use of the specs to aid his speech in Senedd reignites debate over AI-enabled devices

It was a flowing speech packed full of precise statistics – but Jason O’Connell, a Reform UK Senedd member, was not quite the gifted orator he had first appeared. The periodic flashing in his spectacles seemed to give the game away as he spoke for five minutes in the Senedd chamber without a glance at his notes.

“Cardiff reviewed 192 roads, following 933 requests, and only four routes have returned to 30mph,” he said as he led the party’s charge to abolish 20mph traffic zones. “£38.3m wasted to implement this policy and up to £8.9bn in an act of economic self-harm.”

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Could AI ‘change the stakes’ in the development of bioweapons?
Posted on Wednesday October 14, 2026

Experts say the technology could help terrorists and nation states with production but that significant hurdles remain

In his annual speech on threats to the nation, Sir Ken McCallum, the head of the UK’s intelligence service, MI5, warned that AI had the potential to “change the stakes” on existing and even new bioweapons. Here we look at how AI might help in the development of bioweapons and the hurdles that remain.

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Quickfire Doué and Dembélé inspire PSG to wild win at Manchester City
Posted on Wednesday October 14, 2026

A penny for Pep Guardiola’s thoughts. The legendary Manchester City manager was back at the Etihad Stadium for the first time since his departure at the end of last season and, well, the announcement of you-know-what.

Sporting a flat cap, Guardiola took his seat in the stands behind the City chair, Khaldoon al-Mubarak, and the chief executive, Ferran “Not” Soriano, and, certainly, the TV director seemed intent on scrutinising him – if the number of cutaway shots to him were any guide.

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Bradley Barcola’s clinical hat-trick inspires Liverpool to 6-3 rout of Lask
Posted on Wednesday October 14, 2026

Liverpool cleansed themselves from the stains of defeat by Manchester City at the earliest opportunity. A rampant display in Austria saw Bradley Barcola ignite his Liverpool account with the first hat-trick of his professional career and Andoni Iraola’s team devastate Lask’s big night in the Champions League. The major surprise was how the hosts managed to score three.

Iraola’s pre-match faith in the big-money signings Barcola and Florian Wirtz was repaid as the pair helped dismantle limited opponents. But it was not all about the money and the £123m signing from Paris Saint-Germain scoring the first goals of his Liverpool career. Lewis Koumas registered his first goal in the competition and replaced Steven Gerrard as the youngest player to score and assist in a Champions League game for Liverpool. A total of 26 shots equalled Liverpool’s record in a Champions League away game.

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