“The Federal Aviation Administration approved Boeing’s 737-10, a stretched variant of its fourth generation 737 MAX family of narrow-bodied aircraft, clearing the way for the company to begin the first deliveries in the next few months of more than 1,500 orders. Boeing said in a news release Tuesday that its newest and largest 737 MAX had completed a comprehensive certification process that included almost 1,000 test flights and ‘extensive safety assessments and design reviews.’ … Regulatory clearance follows a six-year delay from when the aircraft was scheduled to enter service, including an eleventh-hour call over a navigation system issue that FAA officials eventually determined was not a safety concern.” (10/21/26)
“Google is facing a backlash from some staff members over the company’s deployment of its AI technology for military use. The BBC has spoken to several tech workers who have either recently resigned from Google’s AI company, Google DeepMind, or are in the process of leaving, over concerns with the tech firm’s military contracts. Sofia Liguori, a London-based research engineer, is one of them. She resigned from Google DeepMind this week and spoke about her concerns exclusively with the BBC, despite her contract restricting her from doing so. ‘Realising my company is pushing more and more for AI systems in military operations makes me feel ashamed to work at Google,’ Liguori said, speaking in a personal capacity.” (10/21/26)
“Russia on Wednesday freed an American who had been jailed for more than four years on charges of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine, in a deal completed during a visit by a top U.S. envoy and at a time when President Donald Trump has taken a series of actions meant to benefit Moscow. … Hubbard was sentenced in 2024 to nearly seven years in prison following a closed trial. Prosecutors said he had signed a contract with the Ukrainian military after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, and that he fought alongside Kyiv’s forces until being captured two months later. The U.S. government under the Biden administration designated Hubbard as wrongfully detained.” (10/21/26)
“Emmanuel Macron has accused Donald Trump and other foreign leaders of making ‘stupid comments’ about France’s street unrest for political gain, as the country prepared for more protests this weekend. Speaking during a visit to Qatar, the French president did not name names but said ‘manipulation of information’ after Saturday’s riots had led to ‘comments that are as unacceptable as they are stupid, from many people, including foreign leaders. Asked if he was referring to Donald Trump, Macron replied: ‘Among others.’” (10/21/26)
“The online predictions market platform Polymarket has removed a contract that allowed users to bet on whether any of the seven men accused of sexually assaulting or exploiting a Cornell student in 2024 will be charged with a felony sex crime. More than $450,000 had been wagered on this question before it was taken off Polymarket’s platform. It had been available since Sept. 30 and was slated to close on Jan. 31. The company’s U.S. exchange is regulated by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which bans trading related to ‘activity that is unlawful under Federal or State law.’ … Online critics characterized the Polymarket contract as degrading and questioned why celebrity ambassadors would associate themselves with the company.” (10/21/26)
“Crucial vulnerabilities in a programming language that underpins much of the internet are so severe that U.S., European and British authorities have recommended websites temporarily go offline until they can be fixed. The flaws are in PHP, a little-known but crucial programming language which powers how web servers process code. The security team that maintains PHP released patches to fix the problem around 10 a.m. ET. But several websites were temporarily down as of Wednesday morning, citing fear that hackers could take them over. They included Pinboard, a bookmarking site and some parts of Wikipedia. Two massive but largely unmoderated forum sites, 4Chan and Something Awful, both went offline to wait for a patch.” (10/21/26)
“Liechtenstein’s Hereditary Prince Alois vetoed a bill on Tuesday that would have legalized abortion during the first 12 weeks of a woman’s pregnancy, blocking a citizens’ initiative co-signed by a quarter of voters and passed in the micro-state’s parliament. Performing an abortion is currently illegal in the principality, unless the pregnancy presents a severe risk to the pregnant woman’s health or if it is the result of a sexual assault. Women seeking an abortion usually travel to clinics in neighboring Austria or Switzerland, which campaigners say adds uncertainty and an unnecessary financial hurdle to the process. … The bill ‘is not suitable for adequately protecting unborn life as a central legal interest,’ a statement from the princely house reads. Alois had already indicated in June he would veto the proposal on these grounds.” (10/21/26)
“The Department of Justice’s inspector general has declined to investigate the handling of the criminal case against a former Olympian cleared of accusations that he intentionally damaged the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, according to a letter Wednesday from the man’s lawyers. The internal watchdog told David Hearn’s lawyers that the allegations of professional misconduct that they made fall outside its jurisdiction and are instead within the purview of the department’s Office of Professional Responsibility, according to the letter, which urges Inspector General Don R. Berthiaume to reconsider the decision. ‘Given the substantial public attention devoted to this matter, and the significant questions raised concerning the conduct of federal officials, declining independent review would risk undermining public confidence in the Department’s ability to police its own conduct. Such a result would be inconsistent with the purposes for which Congress established the OIG and would be a betrayal of its mission,’ the letter says.” (10/21/26)
“Australian independent lawmaker Helen Haines has had both of her legs amputated after being rammed by a car outside her electoral office, her husband said, as the suspected attacker appeared in court. Doctors amputated the MP’s left leg after an attacker hit her twice with his car in Wangaratta, northeast of Melbourne, on Monday, Phil Haines said. They tried to save her right leg but failed to do so, he told a news conference on Wednesday. … The suspect in the attack, revealed to be a 43-year-old man called Brendan Nugent, made a brief court appearance on Wednesday. … The suspect’s lawyer said he has a rare neurological condition called idiopathic transverse myelitis and is also recovering from a concussion, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.” (10/21/26)
“Russia is ‘ready in principle’ to resume talks with the US and Ukraine on ending the conflict, Vladimir Putin’s top aide has said. Yuri Ushakov was speaking after Putin met US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff in the Russian city of St Petersburg. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and his European allies have been pressing Moscow for an immediate resumption of the talks suspended in February, and Ushakov said a new round could be held next month. Russia has for months refused talks as it believes it is winning on the battlefield with Ukraine facing an acute shortage of interceptors against deadly Russian missile attacks. Witkoff went to St Petersburg after meeting Zelensky as well as the leaders of Norway and Finland in the Norwegian capital, Oslo, on Monday.” (10/21/26)
