‘This is not poker’: Alberta goes to polls in referendum that has exposed divisions, not least among separatists 19. October 2026 (07:00) Voters to be asked whether province should remain part of Canada or hold second binding independence voteAlbertans are going to the polls to decide their place in Canada, in a referendum that has exposed deep divisions within the province, not least in the separatist movement itself.On Monday, voters will respond to the question of whether Alberta should remain in Canada, or hold a second binding independence referendum. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Tap water no longer drinkable in Norwegian town as climate-related thawing releases heavy metals 19. October 2026 (07:00) Warning for other Arctic communities as residents told not to use water in Longyearbyen in Svalbard, one of the fastest-warming places in the worldResidents of a remote town in Norway that is in one of the fastest-warming places in the world have been told they must no longer drink tap water due to heavy metal contamination that scientists have linked to the thawing permafrost.Longyearbyen, in the archipelago of Svalbard, gets its main drinking water supply from a 1.5 mile-long (2.5km) dammed lake called Isdammen, or “ice pond”. Higher temperatures as a result of the climate crisis have thawed permafrost, leading to newly exposed bedrock leaching metals into the pond. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Burnham urged to launch inquiry into unequal health impacts of air pollution 19. October 2026 (07:00) Letter from 150 scientists, MPs and activists calls for action to protect lower-income and minority-ethnic communitiesThe government must hold an inquiry into the unequal impacts of air pollution, 150 scientists, MPs and activists have urged.Research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies shows that across England, lower-income areas have persistently higher levels of air pollution than wealthier areas. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Up to 20 maternity units in England may have to shut, NHS leader warns 19. October 2026 (07:00) Exclusive: NHS Alliance’s acute care director says centralisation of services ‘inevitable’ to ensure safe careWhy are some NHS maternity units facing closure?Up to 20 maternity units in England will have to shut to ensure mothers and babies receive safe care amid shortages of doctors and rising caesarean section rates, an NHS leader has warned.Matthew Hopkins, the NHS Alliance’s director for acute care, said centralising childbirth services into fewer hospitals was “inevitable” and the “right thing”, but would lead to a political backlash against unpopular changes. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Profit warnings from UK-listed firms at highest level in two years as Iran war drives up costs 19. October 2026 (07:00) Consultancy says companies quoted on London stock market issued 65 in three months to end of SeptemberThe number of profit warnings from UK-listed companies has risen to the highest level in two years, as the war in the Middle East triggers a surge in costs for businesses before the budget.With less than a fortnight before John Healey’s tax and spending statement to the Commons, the consultants EY-Parthenon said companies quoted on the London stock market had issued 65 warnings in the three months to the end of September. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Amelia Earhart researchers leave remote atoll empty-handed after ‘plane debris’ found to be a clump of trees 19. October 2026 (06:43) Expedition was drawn to Nikumaroro after spotting what was described as a metallic glint in waters off uninhabited islandA US expedition that voyaged to a remote Pacific island in the hope of solving the mystery of what happened to pioneering pilot Amelia Earhart has said an object they suspected to be her plane was a clump of washed-up trees.“Unfortunately, we weren’t able to find that smoking gun,” said Steve Schultz of Purdue University, standing on the sand in front of a blue lagoon on the atoll of Nikumaroro, about halfway between Australia and Hawaii. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Aussie butcher's free sausage sizzle shut down by council as he braces for possible $1,600 fine: 'Just wrong'