World in Flux: War, Weather, AI & Games

News

International Conflict & Diplomacy

• Israel says coffin from Hamas did not contain another hostage’s body – BBC News
• Iran court hearing did ‘not go well’, says son of detained British couple – Sky News

Sports

• I’m just keeping Celtic seat warm – O’Neill – BBC News
• Dodgers outlast Blue Jays in World Series epic – BBC News

Politics & International Visits

• Rare earths, Nobel nomination and cheers: Trump ends Japan leg of Asia tour – BBC News

Climate & Disasters

• What we know about the powerful hurricane approaching Jamaica – Sky News
• Cyclone Montha approaches India – with schools closed and thousands evacuated – Sky News
• Plane with 12 on board crashes near Kenya’s coast – BBC News

Business & Economy

• Bond giant Pimco sells bulk of Thames Water debt position – Sky News

Housing & Asylum

• Two military sites earmarked as asylum seeker accommodation – BBC News
• Social housing funding cuts will not mean fewer homes – NIHE chief – BBC News

Local UK Issues

• Businesses feel ‘hung out to dry’ over bridge closure – BBC News
• Dazzling headlights a major frustration for drivers at night – Sky News
• P.Louise Christmas event in Manchester cancelled – BBC News

Entertainment & Culture

• Fawlty Towers actress Prunella Scales has died – Sky News

AI

AI Ethics & Policy

• “We will never build a sex robot,” says Mustafa Suleyman - Technology Review – AI
• “An AI adoption riddle” - Technology Review – AI
• “Amazon and the media: Robotics event shows disconnect on AI and jobs” - GeekWire – AI
• “Stand Up for Research, Innovation, and Education” - Technology Review – AI
• “The Download: carbon removal’s future, and measuring pain using an app” - Technology Review – AI
• “Seizing the AI opportunity” - OpenAI Blog
• “Thinking Machines challenges OpenAI’s AI scaling strategy: ‘First superintelligence will be a superhuman learner'” - VentureBeat – AI

AI Business & Innovation

• “PayPal’s Agentic Commerce Play Shows Why Flexibility, Not Standards, Will Define the Next E-Commerce Wave” - VentureBeat – AI
• “MiniMax-M2 is the new king of open source LLMs (especially for agentic tool calling)” - VentureBeat – AI
• “Anthropic rolls out Claude AI for finance, integrates with Excel to rival Microsoft Copilot” - VentureBeat – AI
• “Google Cloud takes aim at CoreWeave and AWS with managed Slurm for enterprise-scale AI training” - VentureBeat – AI
• “From human clicks to machine intent: Preparing the web for agentic AI” - VentureBeat – AI
• “A law and tax firm redefines efficiency with ChatGPT Business” - OpenAI Blog

AI Browsers & Agentic AI

• “The Download: what to make of OpenAI’s Atlas browser, and how to make climate progress” - Technology Review – AI
• “I tried OpenAI’s new Atlas browser but I still don’t know what it’s for” - Technology Review – AI
• “When your AI browser becomes your enemy: The Comet security disaster” - VentureBeat – AI

OpenAI Internal Updates

• “Strengthening ChatGPT’s responses in sensitive conversations” - OpenAI Blog
• “Addendum to GPT-5 System Card: Sensitive conversations” - OpenAI Blog

Health & Science AI Applications

• “An AI app to measure pain is here” - Technology Review – AI

Technology

Deals & Discounts

• This gaming headset is so comfortable one customer submitted a picture of their dog wearing it – and right now it’s $130 off – TechRadar
• Don’t wait for Black Friday: the Google Pixel Watch 3 drops to an incredible low price of $199.99 – TechRadar
• Best early Black Friday Walmart deals 2025: 20+ sales out early – ZDNet

Gaming & Accessories

• The Morning After: Rivian spinoff Also made a modular e-bike with a virtual drivetrain – Engadget
• Alienware 16X Aurora Review: A Return to Form for This Gaming Laptop – Wired
• Not sold on the DualSense Edge? These alternatives are solid picks to keep an eye out for during Black Friday 2025 – TechRadar
• The Simpsons is coming to Fortnite for the first time next month – here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming mini-season – TechRadar

AI & Technology Partnerships

• PayPal partners with OpenAI to let users pay for their shopping within ChatGPT – TechCrunch
• OpenAI is reportedly working on a ‘Sora for music’ – and a battle with record labels could follow – TechRadar

Tech Updates & Features

• Your Pixel phone might be getting a big customization upgrade soon – TechRadar
• How to Set Up a Google Home Security System: Best Cameras, Doorbells, and Other Devices – Wired
• The Republican Plan to Reform the Census Could Put Everyone’s Privacy at Risk – Wired

Climate & Science

• 6 Wild Climate Fixes Scientists Are Actually Considering – Gizmodo

Pop Culture & Trends

• The Pokémon TCG White Flare Binder Collection is down to market value on Amazon – Mashable
• The latest Stuff Your Kindle Day is live — choose from over 1,000 free romance books on Oct. 28 – Mashable
• Why Nicholas Thompson Made a Custom GPT to Run Faster – Wired
• Stephen Colbert reacts to the TikTok deal set to be consummated – Mashable

Gaming

Modding and Community Add‑ons

• Bully Online sees modders have another go at schoolyard multiplayer mayhem – Rock Paper Shotgun

Game Development and Feature Updates

• Civilization 7 will bring back the ability to play as one civ for the whole game, bypassing the divisive Age system – Rock Paper Shotgun
• Kratos voice actor Christopher Judge says he hopes the next God of War is set in Egypt – PC Gamer

Free Trials, Demos and Free Content

• Activision Announces Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Multiplayer and Zombies Go Free Again Today, Just as EA Launches Battlefield Battle Royale, REDSEC – IGN
• Scarlet Idol Demo is now available on Steam! Try this upcoming folk horror for FREE – GG.deals
• Two Texas Chain Saw Massacre DLC packs are FREE to keep on Steam this week! – GG.deals
• The Best LEGO Christmas Sets Available Now – IGN

Game Reviews

• NASCAR 25 Review – IGN

Cheap Games and Discounts

• Psychopomp is one of the best games you can get for under $10 on Steam, and its newly‑revealed sequel looks even better – PC Gamer

Hardware and PC Build Issues

• I would stay as far away from the Founders Edition 5090 as I possibly can, as a key internal connector can’t be sourced for replacement – PC Gamer

Politics, Culture and Misuse

• US government uses Halo images in a call to “destroy” immigration – PC Gamer
• Valve does not get “anywhere near enough criticism” for the gambling mechanics it uses to monetise games, DayZ creator Dean Hall says – Eurogamer

Halloween and Horror Games

• Getting into the Halloween spirit? Here are the 21 best spooky, scary games to play right now – Eurogamer