Edition 60 · Friday, October 16, 2026
Here's what happened.
A 16-year-old gunman opened fire at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, killing three children, ages 5, 8 and 11, and a teacher. The suspect was shot and killed by an armed bystander, while two other victims remained in critical condition; police had not identified a motive.
Harvard’s endowment rose to $68 billion as gains in the stock market increased the university’s wealth. At the same time, reduced federal funding has forced layoffs, and Harvard is seeking corporate sponsors to support research.
Gov. Gavin Newsom activated a statewide response amid dangerous fire weather. He also signed actions intended to speed recovery from Tropical Storm Rachel and wildfire cleanup.
A state report says California has not investigated 26,000 of its 28,000 highest-risk Medi-Cal providers for potential fraud. Health officials dispute the report’s findings.
Ukraine says temporary speed limits on the Starlink internet network disrupted its battlefield missions. U.S. senators are calling for an investigation into the restrictions.
Kenya has announced a second Ebola infection. The case is expected to increase scrutiny of the government’s disease-surveillance measures and raise concern in the country.
Anthropic is giving METR researchers employee-level access to examine its frontier AI systems. METR will publish its own assessments of Anthropic’s risks, incidents, and practices, and Anthropic cannot block the reports.
Meta has launched Muse Spark Open, an open-weight AI model that runs locally on Apple silicon Macs. The model was developed with Apple, according to the report.
Smoke from Indonesia’s wildfires is affecting millions across the region, with schools closing and respiratory illnesses rising. Singapore is distributing masks to vulnerable residents and considering joint action or prosecutions against companies linked to the fires.
A study found that bleached corals recovered at incredible speed after being placed in direct contact with healthy corals of the same genetic makeup. The finding points to a possible way corals may heal after bleaching.
The International Bureau of Weights and Measures has voted to scrap the leap second, an occasional adjustment used to keep standardized time aligned with Earth’s rotation. The change is intended to reduce the risk of infrastructure failures linked to timekeeping adjustments.
A pioneering metagenomic test is offering a new way to detect infections in intensive-care patients on the same day. The test has benefited children including 10-year-old Willow, according to the BBC.
Merck and Moderna are exploring a strategy that pairs Keytruda with personalized mRNA vaccines to target tumors. Executives said the companies still have substantial work to do after initial cancer-vaccine success.
A U.S. study found that commercial-kitchen workers can face high levels of air pollution, particularly nitrogen dioxide from gas cooking. Researchers said exposure may also affect restaurant diners, highlighting an occupational and indoor-air-quality concern.
U.S. health officials are advancing a plan that would allow specialty pharmacies to produce certain peptides. The largely unregulated injections are favored by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., according to STAT.
Mortgage rates have risen above 7%, while home prices remain elevated. The combination is pushing homeownership further out of reach for would-be buyers.
Ofgem is consulting on reintroducing a market stabilisation charge that would make energy suppliers pay rivals when customers switch to cheaper deals. The proposal is intended to reduce the risk of suppliers failing amid sharp energy-price swings linked to the conflict in the Middle East.
NFU analysis of official data shows British food and drink exports to the EU have fallen by more than a third since 2019. Sugar exports dropped 70% and egg-product exports 74%, with egg, chicken and potato producers among those badly affected.
Representative Ritchie Torres plans to introduce a bill aimed at protecting videogame ownership. The proposal would cover digital games, including online titles that are later decommissioned, amid concerns that purchases can function like rentals.
An $11.25 billion housing bond will appear on California’s November ballot. Supporters say it would fund housing construction and help address homelessness and affordability, while critics oppose bond financing as the solution.
Congress and a federal agency are threatening to weaken the country’s historic preservation law, according to NPR. Critics say the push has prompted a backlash comparable to the controversy that led to the law’s creation 60 years ago.
Unionised Activision testers have voted to authorise a strike ahead of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4’s launch. The union represents almost 600 quality-assurance workers and says a strike could follow if conditions at the publisher do not change.
The UK Conservatives have called for a five-year freeze on the minimum wage to address low youth employment. The Guardian reports that the proposal could cost low-paid workers almost £9,000 over five years, while Labour has criticized it.
Walmart plans to offer employees free prescriptions and paid leave for neonatal intensive care. The announcement comes as employers prepare for nearly double-digit increases in health insurance prices, with many planning to shift some costs to workers.
A report says chief executives want chief human resources officers who can contribute to company strategy and skills planning. As AI transforms work, high-performing companies are pairing senior HR leaders with technology executives.
The Milwaukee Brewers reached the World Series for the first time since 1982. They swept the Los Angeles Dodgers, who were the two-time defending champions.
Australia defeated New Zealand 24-22 in a dramatic Rugby League World Cup opener in Sydney. Debutant Jack Bostock scored a hat-trick as the hosts snatched victory late on.
Meta confirmed that its smart glasses recorded users’ audio without permission because of an issue that has since been fixed. The incident raises privacy concerns about wearable devices that can capture sound.
A network of AI-generated models is using comedians’ material to drive views to OnlyFans and Fanvue accounts. The comedians have limited recourse against the misuse of their work, according to Wired.
Cal AI’s viral growth was driven by a large network of influencers, according to TechCrunch. The company generated more than $30 million in revenue over two years before being acquired by MyFitnessPal for an undisclosed amount.
Control Resonant has sold 1 million copies roughly three weeks after release, making it Remedy Entertainment’s fastest-selling game in the studio’s 31-year history. The milestone surpasses the pace of both Alan Wake 2 and the original Control.
Jagex has cancelled RuneScape: Reignited less than two weeks after announcing the new version of the long-running MMORPG. The cancellation followed substantial player feedback, amid controversy over the proposed rework.
Sega and Creative Assembly have temporarily removed Total War: Shogun 2 – Complete Edition from sale. The move responds to concerns about AI upscaling and other performance issues, with the companies saying the remaster fell short of expectations and their own standards.
Amplitude Studios has shown the first extended in-game footage of Humankind 2, a sequel to its history-spanning strategy game. The footage highlights more than 70 cultures across six eras, along with biomes that create environmental opportunities and dangers.
A surge of sexual-abuse accusations has led authorities in Paris to acknowledge a “collective failure” to prevent sexual offenders from working in public schools. The allegations have put school safeguarding and institutional accountability under scrutiny.
Online grooming is rising on Snapchat and Instagram, with children as young as five among those targeted. The trend has prompted calls for reform of social-media protections.
Netflix is replacing Bela Bajaria as chief content officer with Peter Rice, a former Disney and Fox executive. Bajaria had held the role since 2023.
Nathan Fielder’s new documentary offers a portrait of disgraced entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes shortly before she began an 11-year prison sentence in 2023. NPR describes the film as full of surprises and strange rabbit holes.
Anne Rice’s *Interview with the Vampire* turns 50. Rice wrote the 1976 novel after her five-year-old daughter died of leukemia, and the book went on to become an international bestseller.
There has been a sharp rise over the past year in anti-government activists being deported to Russia from the EU and US, where they had sought refuge. The report examines how people who fled Russia have been returned there.
A school headscarf ban in Azerbaijan has prompted rare protests and a dispute with Turkey. The rules have resulted in pupils wearing hijabs being turned away from schools.