Key developments on Oct. 21:
Officials say the explosion released an airborne irritant that can cause burning of the eyes, nose, mouth and skin
Officials are investigating a tank explosion in Toledo, Ohio, that released a chemical into the air, causing a mass evacuation in the area.
One person, a first responder, was injured and taken to the hospital, but officials believe the injuries are non-life-threatening. They are also unsure about the cause of the explosion.
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© Photograph: Jeremy Wadsworth/The Blade/AP
© Photograph: Jeremy Wadsworth/The Blade/AP
© Photograph: Jeremy Wadsworth/The Blade/AP
Government decision is about how much oil and gas is sensible for UK to produce on the way to net zero
Andy Burnham hit the nail on the (well)head in his first fortnight as prime minister when he said: “The question isn’t whether Britain will still be using oil and gas, the question is, where does it come from?”
It was a nod towards several awkward energy facts. First, oil and gas provided 75% of the UK’s energy in 2025, government data shows. Second, even with the rollout of domestic renewables for generating electricity, about 43% of overall energy was imported last year.
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© Photograph: Adura/Reuters
© Photograph: Adura/Reuters
© Photograph: Adura/Reuters
Tickets for film about Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes said to be selling out after $15m opening weekend in the US
It is the film everyone seems to be talking about, spawning memes and fuelling feverish online debate about its subject, the disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes.
Now, a month before Nathan Fielder’s documentary You Can See Everything reaches UK cinemas, tickets for screenings are already selling out after its remarkable $15m (£11.3m) opening weekend in the US.
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© Photograph: A24/AP
© Photograph: A24/AP
© Photograph: A24/AP
Exclusive: Officials say Miatta Fahnbulleh minded not to give approval in victory for climate campaigners
Miatta Fahnbulleh is minded to reject the giant Rosebank oilfield, sources have told the Guardian, in what would be a blow for the North Sea energy industry and a major victory for climate campaigners.
After approving the smaller Jackdaw gasfield on Wednesday, officials say the energy secretary is leaning towards refusing approval for what would be one of the biggest oilfields in the North Sea.
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© Photograph: Paul Reid/PA
© Photograph: Paul Reid/PA
© Photograph: Paul Reid/PA
Ukrainian drone maker Wild Hornets is rethinking projects it is currently working on, including launching interceptors from aerial platforms, because of limits on SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet. Spokesman Mike Orliuk told The War Zone (TWZ) this on 20 October. The company builds Sting interceptors, which it says destroyed over 15,000 Shaheds and Gerberas, a cheaper Shahed lookalike, in a year. Orliuk said Sting’s current operations are unaffected.
The stakes rise as Russia shifts to faster drones. Ukrainian defense technology adviser Serhii Beskrestnov counted more than 2,500 jet-powered Gerans, Russia’s version of the Shahed, in August. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on 16 October that these drones fly faster than 400 km/h. He added that some Ukrainian interceptors chasing them work through Starlink. When the link was slowed, Ukraine could not intercept some of them, he said.
“Our own communications system provides the basic connection to our interceptors,” Orliuk said. The company’s remote-control technology can draw on various internet sources, he added, though the military often uses Starlink. Even then, the terminal does not need to move at high speed. It only links the command center to a ground station, which Orliuk compared to a cell tower.
“For these needs, everything is operating normally with Starlink at the moment,” he said.
“Some drones carry a terminal on board and need to fly at high speed with it,” Orliuk said. “In such cases, Starlink’s limitations make their operation impossible.”
That is why the company is rethinking the air-launch project. Wild Hornets has made no clear decision yet but will test alternatives, Orliuk said. He declined to describe them.
“I believe, in any case, depending on a single solution is very risky,” he said.
Orliuk said he has spoken with other companies that rely far more on Starlink and have expressed concerns. He pointed to growing interest in Europe’s Eutelsat network, though “creating something like Starlink won’t be easy.”
Who ordered the slowdown remains unclear. The order to slow Ukraine’s Starshield service came from inside the White House, two US officials and a Western official said. A US official told TWZ the president never made such a request. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on 17 October that the slowdown had “nothing to do with the White House” and called “a report on that” “categorically false,” without saying which report he meant.
Sadiq Khan says upgrade would unlock station’s true potential and allow it to live up to its name
Stratford International train station in east London will receive funding in next week’s budget, according to reports, putting it on track to live up to its name and become a hub for cross-Channel services.
London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, has been making a case to ministers for funding to upgrade the station to allow it to start running international rail services.
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© Photograph: Mike Kemp/Corbis/Getty Images
© Photograph: Mike Kemp/Corbis/Getty Images
© Photograph: Mike Kemp/Corbis/Getty Images
United Utilities, Environment Agency and local campaigners say 12-mile tunnel could take sewage away from England’s largest lake
Plans are under way for a new giant tunnel to transport sewage away from Windermere, England’s largest lake.
Windermere, in the Lake District, has suffered from widespread raw sewage and bacterial pollution driven by discharges from United Utilities. Campaigners say this pollution has caused more frequent toxic blue-green algal blooms, with the public advised to avoid swimming in the lake.
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© Photograph: Ashley Cooper/Getty Images
© Photograph: Ashley Cooper/Getty Images
© Photograph: Ashley Cooper/Getty Images
Few believe decision will bring back city’s boom years, but workers hope it will keep as many North Sea jobs for now
As recently as 2012, Aberdeen boasted the highest concentration of millionaires in the UK. An ATM reportedly had the highest withdrawal rate in Europe in the 90s, as oil and gas wealth flowed through the city. House prices skyrocketed in the scramble for space as fossil fuel firms transformed the city’s grand granite houses into company offices. But that was then.
Today, “for sale” and “to let” signs punctuate the city’s main thoroughfares. Disposable income in Aberdeen has fallen by nearly 20% between 2013 and 2023 – more than any other large UK city – after a 2014 oil price shock sparked a brutal reversal in Aberdeen’s fortunes.
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© Photograph: Patrick Greenfield/The Guardian
© Photograph: Patrick Greenfield/The Guardian
© Photograph: Patrick Greenfield/The Guardian
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