Edition 62 · Sunday, October 18, 2026
Here's what happened.
A fast-moving wildfire in Southern California burned at least six homes and injured two firefighters. About 6,000 homes were under evacuation orders, affecting roughly 16,000 residents in San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano.
Two people, including a child, were killed after a pickup truck drove through a soccer field in Wichita, Kansas. Authorities said 10 others were injured, including five children, and the driver was in custody.
Elon Musk and his America PAC agreed to settle two proposed class-action lawsuits over a promise to give away $1 million a day to random petition signatories before the 2024 election. The settlements remain subject to court approval.
The Trump administration is considering allowing Russia to sell more gas to Europe as part of a proposed peace deal with Ukraine. European governments are wary, and critics say the policy would strengthen Russia.
Egypt’s defense chiefs pledged support for Saudi Arabia after Houthi attacks. President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi had asked lawmakers to authorize military assistance, saying any support would be defensive.
SpaceX is pursuing an ambitious expansion of Starlink into wireless service that could make it a major carrier alongside AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. The company agreed to buy a large amount of low-band spectrum to expand the network, according to the supplied report.
Meta is updating its commercial terms after backlash over language that appeared to permit scraping content from sites, including news sites, for AI training. The disputed language has been removed, while Meta’s spokesperson said the change does not reflect a change in how the company crawls the web.
Climate change is altering coastlines and surf breaks, threatening some of the world’s premier waves. The changes could also damage tourist economies that depend on surfing.
Engineer David Mummery has developed a tidal-energy generator intended to provide power for coastal communities. He says the technology could change lives in those communities.
A UK wellness conference featured Barbara O’Neill, whom Australia has identified as a risk to public safety. She dismissed antibiotics, vaccines and scientifically proven cancer treatment, while promoting natural remedies and other potentially deadly practices.
Public health experts are developing ways to encourage firearm-safety practices among older adults who own guns. The focus is on people showing indications of cognitive decline, including early signs of dementia.
A £15bn UK programme to insulate homes and install heat pumps could cut household energy bills by £1bn a year, according to research by the thinktank E3G. The study says it could also boost the economy by £1.6bn annually and create about 50,000 jobs, more than developing the Rosebank oilfield would generate.
More than 10 million Americans are using apps that provide paychecks in advance. A report found that more than 95% of payday loans through direct-to-consumer apps included fees or voluntary tips, adding hundreds of dollars in costs for some borrowers.
The Justice Department has become deeply involved in the final weeks of the midterm elections, departing from its longstanding practice of political neutrality. The Guardian reports that the department has raided a Democratic congresswoman’s home, publicized voter-fraud cases, pressured California over citizenship reviews and featured criticism of Democratic candidates in an FBI video.
Arizona has joined Nevada in a legal challenge to the Trump administration’s proposed reductions to their shares of the Colorado River. The Interior Department’s restrictions could reduce water supplies to Arizona, California and Nevada over the next two years, depending on the river’s condition.
President Trump issued an executive order suspending federal diesel taxes to help farmers. States warned that the measure is complicated and that drivers could owe the taxes later.
Holding multiple jobs simultaneously—distinct from side gigs or fractional work—is becoming more common, according to an Intch analysis of 142,000 employees’ career histories. The trend is especially pronounced among younger workers, while surveys cited in the article link multiple income streams to financial security but also report burnout concerns.
A content-marketing worker passed a four-week performance improvement plan after adapting to a workplace’s expectations, but was laid off a month later because of structural changes. The experience led the writer to distinguish between being able to succeed in a job and being in a workplace where one can succeed as oneself, while citing survey findings on professional personas and drained motivation.
LeBron James is set to debut for the Philadelphia 76ers in his 24th NBA season. He will turn 42 in December and already holds the distinction of having the longest career in NBA history.
Tonga stunned England in the opening match of the Rugby League World Cup at HBF Park. The result puts England's campaign under serious pressure from the outset.
TikTok has permanently banned the advertising account promoting a four-hour documentary about Elon Musk. The documentary continues to face resistance from social media platforms, adding to an ongoing debate over political content and platform moderation.
OnlyFans creators are questioning why Meta allows its AI agent, Muse, to engage in sexualized conversation while restricting adult performers’ social media accounts. The dispute highlights a conflict over how platforms apply sexual-content rules to human creators and AI systems.
Apple is adding further App Store restrictions on AI image-generation apps that can be used to create non-consensual nude images. The move targets a growing concern over the misuse of generative AI to produce intimate images without consent.
Sega and Creative Assembly are temporarily removing Total War: Shogun 2 - Complete Edition from sale just days after release. The move follows accusations involving AI and an admission that the release has "fallen short."
Liquid Swords, the developer of open-city crime game Samson, has gone bankrupt after staff reportedly said they had not been paid for two months. An administrator is seeking a buyer for the studio and its assets.
The developer of Drunken Goddess Reflux has canceled plans for a public Steam demo. The decision was attributed to concerns that AI copycats could reproduce the game.
Valve is beta testing Steam Achievement Sets, which lets developers group a game's achievements into collections. The feature is intended to prevent new content from breaking players' completion status.
Days after the shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, the community is questioning its resilience and safety. The story examines how the shooting has affected the community’s sense of identity.
Food inflation, gas prices and cuts to federal benefits are putting greater pressure on families. Food pantries have become a vital part of the family budget for millions of Americans, facing what providers call a “perfect storm.”
Turkish girl group Manifest is preparing for its first UK concert at Wembley Arena after a turbulent year. The group discusses taking its music to a global audience.
The soundtrack for The Traitors helps shape the show’s campy tone alongside its themes of treachery and villainy. The BBC examines how the music contributes to the program’s atmosphere.
At least 17 people died in a crush at a Hindu festival event in Kolkata, India. Many more people were injured.
Several people were killed or injured in a major fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta. Officials have not released a death toll or cause, describing the situation as active and delicate.