US borrowing costs hit 24-year high as global bond sell-off intensifies
Posted on Thursday October 01, 2026

Fears that US deficit is unsustainable also drive UK 30-year bond yields briefly above 6% for first time since 1998

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The global bond sell-off intensified on Thursday, driving 10-year US government borrowing costs to their highest level in 24 years in a frantic day’s trading.

The threat of a renewed round of inflation from the persistently high cost of oil has spooked investors on both sides of the Atlantic, with central banks expected to raise interest rates in the coming months to prevent price increases from becoming embedded.

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Google rolls out new Gemini AI model but restricts access over safety concerns
Posted on Thursday October 01, 2026

Tech company releases Gemini 4 Argon only to a vetted group of cybersecurity experts to avoid misuse by hackers

Google on Wednesday said it would withhold its most powerful artificial intelligence model from the public for now, releasing Gemini 4 Argon only to a vetted group of cybersecurity experts to avoid misuse by hackers.

“Safely releasing frontier capabilities at this level requires a phased approach,” wrote Koray Kavukcuoglu, Google’s chief AI architect, in a blogpost announcing the model.

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Travelodge guests are still at risk, finds review launched after sexual assault
Posted on Thursday October 01, 2026

Report finds complaints of room intrusions at nearly one in 10 hotels, after woman attacked by man given a copy of her key

An independent review into Travelodge after a serious sexual assault has found that guests are still at risk, with room intrusions reported at nearly one in 10 of its hotels this summer.

The damning findings were published in a 70-page report on Thursday, which was commissioned earlier this year after a man was convicted of a serious sexual assault against a Travelodge guest in Maidenhead in 2022.

Creating a new policy to address violence against women and girls.

Improving safety policies for staff working alone.

Introducing body cameras for all reception staff.

Installing consistent CCTV systems across all its hotels.

Introducing mystery shoppers to test its key security policy.

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Crude oil exports from strait of Hormuz largely return to pre-war levels
Posted on Thursday October 01, 2026

Alternative ways being used to move fuel out of Gulf region, but flows of refined products such as diesel still constrained

Exports of crude from the strait of Hormuz have largely returned to levels seen before the outbreak of the Iran war, as oil producers and the shipping industry have found alternative ways of transporting crucial fuel out of the Middle East.

Pipeline exports and ship-to-ship transfers are among the methods being used, according to analysts tracking the situation, while the US military continues to escort some vessels. However, flows of refined products such as diesel remain constrained, pushing prices higher.

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AI chatbots remove hijabs from images of Muslim women when prompted
Posted on Thursday October 01, 2026

Guardian tested chatbots after French far-right politician stripped a Muslim woman of her hijab in a photo

When prompted, AI chatbots will edit images to remove the hijabs from Muslim women, a violation of one of the world’s most common and visible expressions of faith.

The Guardian asked ChatGPT, Grok, Gemini and Claude to take the veil off an AI-generated image of a woman wearing a hijab. Both OpenAI’s ChatGPT and xAI’s Grok bots complied with the prompt. Anthropic’s Claude responded that it does not have an image-editing or -generating feature but that it would not alter a photo to remove someone’s hijab.

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Tech in cars can be used to snoop on you, Dutch spy chiefs warn
Posted on Thursday October 01, 2026

Hostile states could access cameras, microphones or GPS, says intelligence agency amid concerns over Chinese imports

Drivers have been warned that the smart features built into modern cars such as microphones, cameras and GPS trackers could be used by hostile states to spy on them.

The Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD) called for “awareness of espionage risks around modern vehicles”, including microphones that can by switched on remotely to listen to conversations.

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Neco Williams fires revitalised Wales to fightback win against 10-man Norway
Posted on Thursday October 01, 2026

On a night when Erling Haaland moped around the pitch, dragging his hulking frame across the Cardiff turf, Wales registered a welcome victory over 10-man Norway and their first this year. Daniel James cancelled out Oscar Bobb’s well-worked opener in the first half and 17 seconds into the restart Torbjørn Heggem was sent off for fouling James as the Leeds winger streamed through towards goal, resulting in a free-kick from which Neco Williams earned Craig Bellamy’s side the three points. “You’re just a shit Kieffer Moore,” was the chant at Haaland from the locals.

Bellamy was under no illusions about the task facing his side. He described Norway as one of the best teams in the world and one riding the crest of a wave after reaching the World Cup quarter-finals. Martin Ødegaard, the Arsenal and Norway captain, was the visitors’ creator in chief and it was no surprise he was the architect for a crisp opener, slotted in by Bobb, one of two Fulham players and one of five Premier League regulars in the Norway starting lineup.

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Shaw secures WCL draw against Real Madrid as Manchester City show spirit after week of turmoil
Posted on Thursday October 01, 2026

Manchester City played out a high-quality draw with Real Madrid in the Women’s Champions League after an unprecedented week of off-field tension at the English club.

The result – which was a fair reflection of an even but entertaining game – left both sides with two points from their opening two fixtures, but City will know their league phase opponents should theoretically become less challenging from hereon, after their opening draw at Bayern Munich.

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