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Badenoch revives Thatcherite economics despite its past failures
The Conservative Party, under new leader Kemi Badenoch, is returning to 1976 Thatcherite economic principles as outlined in her pamphlet “The Right Way”. The party maintains that its recent failures stem from abandoning these market-driven principles and proposes lower taxes, reduced regulation, and welfare reform to stimulate growth. The editorial disputes this diagnosis, arguing that…
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Whately criticises advice for graduates to claim benefits after university
Helen Whately, the Conservatives’ shadow work and pensions secretary, said young people’s mental health difficulties should not automatically prevent them from working, and criticised what she described as a growing expectation that school or university leavers would claim benefits. Her remarks came as the party made welfare reform a focus of its conference, arguing that…
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Swinney rejects calls to apologise over pension triple lock claims
First Minister John Swinney has dismissed calls to apologise for claims that Scottish pensioners will lose their pensions following the UK Government’s announcement to remove the pensions triple lock from 2030. Opposition parties have accused him of misleading Holyrood and the public, but Swinney insists he “has nothing to explain”, stating that he is simply…
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5 startups that caught VCs’ attention at the latest PearX demo day
PearX, a highly selective 12-week accelerator run by Pear VC, held its latest demo day in San Francisco with top venture capitalists in attendance. The programme, which caps cohorts at just 20 startups and keeps participants confidential until demo day, has built a strong reputation for producing successful companies. Five companies from the latest cohort…
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Windows 11 update causes AC-3 audio decoding failures across versions
Microsoft has acknowledged an AC-3 audio decoding bug affecting Windows 11 versions 26H2, 25H2 and 24H2. It can make applications crash or fail to start, particularly older software that relies on Windows’ built-in decoder. The problem appeared after the 22 September update and is not unique to 26H2, which was released a week later. Games,…
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Russian jet-powered drones disrupt Ukrainian data centres and telecoms infrastructure
Russian jet-powered drone strikes have intensified attacks on Ukrainian data centres since September 23, disrupting internet and phone services for thousands of people. These attacks are significant because they threaten Ukraine’s digital economy and wartime resistance efforts, targeting the telecommunications infrastructure that supports critical services including banks, payment systems and public administration. Ukrainian air defences…
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Lawyer urges Letitia James to quit Cornell fraternity investigation over Facebook posts
A lawyer for one of seven Cornell fraternity brothers accused of sexual assault is calling on New York Attorney General Letitia James to step down from leading the investigation. The lawyer argues that James compromised her impartiality by posting on Facebook about the case, expressing support for the alleged victim and stating the allegations as…
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OpenAI PR tells journalist to ‘move on’ while asking Sam Altman about a ChatGPT user’s suicide
An OpenAI publicist interrupted a Vanity Fair interview with chief executive Sam Altman when journalist Mark Guiducci asked about a ChatGPT user who died by suicide. The exchange raises questions about how the company responds to scrutiny of the chatbot’s role in mental health crises. Guiducci referred to journalist Laura Reiley’s account of her daughter’s…
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Israel prepared to intercept Flydubai jet after alleged hijacking attempt
Israel confirmed it was prepared to shoot down a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv after its Omani co-pilot attacked the captain with an emergency axe in an alleged attempted hijacking. The co-pilot, reportedly named Hamam al-Hammami, was believed to be a radicalised extremist who intended to crash the plane into Ben Gurion Airport…
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BT rescues TalkTalk; migrant crisis flares on south coast
BT has agreed to rescue TalkTalk from administration. Nearly 150 migrants landed on Hampshire’s coast on Sunday, prompting scuffles between anti-migrant protesters and police.