Ken Paxton stirs vaccine skepticism to ingratiate himself with Maha movement 14. October 2026 (14:00) Texas AG and US Senate hopeful announced inquiry into alleged conspiracy between pediatricians, vaccine makers and insurance firmsKen Paxton, the attorney general of Texas and the Republican candidate for the US Senate, is aligning himself with the Make America Healthy Again (Maha) movement by investigating pediatricians for giving vaccines – actions that could further restrict access to vaccines as deadly outbreaks unfold.Paxton announced he would investigate an alleged conspiracy between pediatricians, vaccine makers and insurance companies in January, and at least one Texas pediatrician now says she is under investigation. Paxton linked his efforts to a campaign against vaccines from Donald Trump and Robert F Kennedy Jr, the secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and directly referenced the Maha movement in his announcement. The president endorsed Paxton’s Senate run in May. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Tinie Tempah says he will finally visit Scunthorpe after campaign by fans 14. October 2026 (13:59) Rapper to visit Lincolnshire town 16 years after saying he had never been there in his hit Pass OutThe rapper Tinie Tempah has said he will finally visit Scunthorpe – 16 years after he announced to the world that he had never been to the town in his number one hit Pass Out.His decision follows a campaign by fans, led by Ben Johns, a Scunthorpe resident, who carried a cardboard cutout of the artist around the Lincolnshire town and encouraged people to pre-save Tempah’s new album. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Bank of America fined $1.2bn for money laundering failures 14. October 2026 (13:54) Third largest fine in US treasury’s history, due to failure to report suspicious activity, may affect third-quarter earningsBank of America (BAC.N), has been fined $1.21bn by US regulators for widespread failures to detect potential money laundering and other illicit activity, a penalty the bank said will hurt third-quarter earnings.The treasury department said the fine, the third-largest in department history, is due to the bank’s failure to report more than $5bn in suspicious activity to the government, including $1bn that posed national security-related and other priority illicit finance risks. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Russell Brand was ‘ruthless and calculated’, prosecutors tell jury as rape and sexual assault trial begins – live 14. October 2026 (11:52) Russell Brand back in Southwark crown court today where his rape and sexual assault trial beginsThe prosecution cited remarks made by Brand’s friends during the early years of his career, including one who described the comedian as someone who “was rampant in his desire to have sex”.Another friend, speaking about Brand before he found fame, described him as “very impulsive. His impulsivity led him to be very single-minded, and women and sex were a goal and an obsession,” Karmy-Jones told the court.Some of the women involved protested and said no, others had no opportunity to react to his advances but it mattered not to the defendant.Regardless of who they were and what they said or did, Russell Brand was not deterred. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Nigel Farage says charities that help asylum seekers get to UK should be prosecuted 14. October 2026 (11:50) Reform leader did not say who should be targeted but party figures have been critical of small boat rescues by RNLICharities and volunteers who help asylum seekers get to the UK should face potential criminal prosecution, Nigel Farage has said in an interview with a rightwing US podcaster.While the Reform UK leader did not specify which organisations should be targeted, he and other senior Reform figures have been heavily critical of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), which has faced a campaign of intimidation for its work in rescuing asylum seekers in the Channel. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Russian attacks on Ukraine leave 600,000 without power as Zelenskyy says Moscow ‘disrespecting’ US – Europe live 14. October 2026 (11:50) Zelenskyy says Russia attacked ‘infrastructure covered by the ceasefire announced by the American president’Ukrainian soldiers have access to Starlink satellite internet restrictedRutte gets asked “is Russia foolish enough to consider attacking any of Nato countries?”He says “we don’t think so” and that there is “no imminent threat against Nato territory,” but stresses that “if we see a build up, we will react to it.”“We will never, ever mount a attack towards anyone else because that is not in our interest. We are a defensive alliance.”“But here’s the main thing: we are stronger. Russia is not in a good place. These hybrid attacks, whatever it is, are a sign of weakness. What they allow us to do is to talk about it the whole day and to be rattled and to have press conferences on it. We’re not going to do that. We will react where we need to react.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Badenoch and Farage in spat over Chagos Islands, as she calls his offer to Trump ‘humiliating’ – UK politics live 14. October 2026 (11:45) Nigel Farage says Kemi Badenoch misinterpreted his suggestion for a deal with Donald TrumpHere are more comments from Kemi Badenoch on what Nigel Farage told a US podcast about wanting to make an offer to President Trump in relation to the Chagos Islands. (See 9.56am.)It is mad for someone who wants to be prime minister to say we should give away one piece of British territory just to stop an American President talking about another …Nigel Farage has made such a huge fuss about defending the Chagos Islands. He calls this making a deal. Giving away British territory in return for someone keeping quiet is not a deal. It is humiliating. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Bank of England and IMF bosses issue stark warning on cyber threat to trust 14. October 2026 (11:07) Andrew Bailey and Kristalina Georgieva voice concerns about financial system on panel about online fraud Business live – latest updatesThe heads of the Bank of England and the International Monetary Fund have issued a stark warning that rising cyber-attacks risk undermining trust in the financial system.Speaking on a panel about online fraud at the IMF and World Bank meetings in Bangkok, the governor of the Bank of England, Andrew Bailey, pointed to alarming headlines about self-replicating AI agents hijacking personal devices, and the French supermarket hack that heated fridges up to 50C. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Minnesota professor linked to series of bizarre incidents involving urine at university 14. October 2026 (11:00) Investigators determined professor responsible for urine found on a backpack, in trash cans and in water bottlesA former professor at Macalester College in the Minnesota city of St Paul is facing a felony charge for allegedly spilling his urine on a student’s backpack while he still worked at the school, costing more than $2,000 in damages, according to a state criminal court document.Paul Fischer, 55, is at the center of the bizarre, alleged workplace misconduct case that led to his being cited for first-degree damage to property – and linked to at least a half dozen such incidents involving urine at the liberal arts college over the course of a year. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Joni Mitchell becomes US citizen: ‘A journey that began 62 years ago’ 14. October 2026 (10:39) Canada-born singer-songwriter, 82, posts footage of citizenship ceremony to InstagramJoni Mitchell has become a US citizen, after first moving to the country in the mid-1960s. The Canada-born singer-songwriter, 82, posted footage of her citizenship ceremony on her Instagram account, along with a photo of her next to an American flag, accompanied by the caption: “A journey that began 62 years ago.”It means that Mitchell can now vote in US elections, something that she had complained she wasn’t able to do. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
