Technology · Sunday, October 4, 2026 · 3 sources

European Commission trials Element Pro as a self-hosted backup to Teams

The European Commission is trialling Element Pro as a backup to Microsoft Teams, aiming to keep control of its communications systems and data. Several officials criticised the tool’s usefulness and usability, while Element’s chief executive said the rollout was still in trial and would involve teething issues.

Bottom line — Element Pro gives the Commission a self-hosted fallback, but staff feedback suggests the Teams backup still has work to do.

Go deeper 6

A Commission memo described Element Pro as an internal backup for business continuity if Teams is disrupted, according to POLITICO.
POLITICO reported that the Commission runs Element on its own infrastructure, unlike Teams, which relies on Microsoft’s cloud.
Officials quoted by POLITICO questioned the tool’s added value and compared it unfavourably with Teams.
Element Pro supports audio and video calls, file sharing and project rooms, according to the Commission memo cited by POLITICO.
Element CEO Matthew Hodgson told POLITICO that switching from a widely used app can be painful and that the company wants feedback.
POLITICO reported that France plans to move civil servants away from US video-conferencing tools by 2027.

Read the reporting 3

POLITICO politico.eu ‘Absolute s–t’: EU’s Microsoft Teams alternative draws bad reviews from officials Gizmodo gizmodo.com European Commission Staff Really Dislike Their 'Sovereign' Alternative to Microsoft Teams: Report worldnewsdotcom article.wn.com EU

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AI · Wed, Oct 7

OpenAI publishes 722 AI-generated maths papers, leaving 377 claimed results to be checked

OpenAI has released 722 manuscripts from an unreleased model, grouped into 372 research families and covering work on around 4,000 problems. The company says the collection contains 377 new results; mathematicians will need to verify them, while questions about attribution and the model’s secrecy remain.

Bottom line — Until OpenAI releases the model, researchers cannot reproduce how it produced the 377 claimed results.

Sources The Wall Street Jour… TimesNow NewsBytes +6 more

TV/Movies · Wed, Oct 7

Skydance plans one streaming service for HBO Max, Paramount+ and Discovery+

Skydance says HBO Max, Paramount+ and Discovery+ will eventually become one service after its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, while the apps will operate separately in the near term. The combined platforms have more than 200 million subscribers, but Skydance has not announced a launch date, name or price.

Bottom line — Casey Bloys will oversee Skydance’s streaming strategy as the company works towards one service.

Sources Ars Technica nine.com.au ComingSoon.net +7 more

Health · Wed, Oct 7

Cancer rates rose for seven cancers among under-50s in England

World Cancer Research Fund analysis of English registry data found significant increases in seven cancers among people under 50 between 2001 and 2023. Prostate cancer rose fastest proportionally, from 1 to 3.6 cases per 100,000 men, although it remains rare; researchers say the causes are not established.

Bottom line — WCRF says the trends across seven cancers make further research a priority, while cancer remains far more common among older adults.

Sources Anadolu Ajansı International Busine… Technology Networks +5 more

Apple · Wed, Oct 7

RemoveMacAI targets up to 12GB of Apple Intelligence files on Macs

A free open-source tool lets Apple-silicon Macs running macOS 27 disable Apple Intelligence, remove its downloaded models and block them from returning. The launch follows Apple’s removal of the system-wide off switch; users must instead navigate individual settings, while the tool requires approval of a configuration profile and can disable other Apple features that rely on the models.

Bottom line — RemoveMacAI offers a reversible fix, but Apple’s undocumented system interfaces could make it unreliable after an update.

Sources Tech Times UK github Gadget Review +2 more

Global Economy · Wed, Oct 7

ECB proposes lighter supervision for 150 more European banks

The ECB wants national authorities to be able to raise the asset threshold for small, non-complex banks from €5 billion to €10 billion, potentially bringing around 150 more institutions into a lighter supervisory framework. Frank Elderson says the changes would cut compliance work without lowering safeguards, including through less frequent reviews and sharply reduced reporting.

Bottom line — The ECB estimates reporting for small banks could fall from 13,500 data points to about 700.

Sources cyprus-mail.com ecb guavy.com +4 more

World · Wed, Oct 7

Malaysia hosts Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing as refugee returns face scrutiny

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is hosting Myanmar leader Min Aung Hlaing as the countries discuss returning thousands of Myanmar nationals. Malaysia says about 5,000 have agreed to return in stages, but the UN refugee agency and rights groups warn that returnees, including Rohingya, could face persecution or conscription in Myanmar’s conflict.

Bottom line — Malaysia says 3,524 people remain in the planned return programme, while Human Rights Watch says the next deportations should be suspended.

Sources The Independent Malay Mail The Straits Times +4 more

Games · Wed, Oct 7

Monster Hunter Rise reaches 20 million sales, becoming Capcom’s third-best-selling game

Capcom says Monster Hunter Rise has sold 20 million units worldwide, making the 2021 game its third-best-selling title. GamingBolt and Wisevoter report that it added 700,000 sales since June; the milestone comes as Capcom promotes digital-store discounts and its newer Monster Hunter titles.

Bottom line — Rise has reached 20 million sales across platforms, while its Sunbreak expansion has sold 11.9 million units.

Sources GamingBolt Softonic My Nintendo News +4 more

Cyber Security · Wed, Oct 7

Atlassian patches critical file-access flaw across eight self-hosted products

Atlassian has issued fixes for CVE-2026-21589, a critical vulnerability in eight self-hosted Data Center products, including Jira, Confluence and Bitbucket. An unauthenticated attacker can read specific files in an application’s web root, but must know each file’s exact path; Atlassian rates the flaw 9.3 out of 10. Cloud products have been patched, with no customer action required.

Bottom line — Atlassian says self-hosted customers should patch each affected product or restrict access until they can.

Sources watchTowr Labs confluence.atlassian… watchTowr +8 more

Global Economy · Wed, Oct 7

The euro nears a 17-month low as French fiscal strain and energy costs mount

The euro has fallen to its weakest level against the US dollar since May 2025, as French budget deadlock, political uncertainty and higher energy costs weigh on the currency. Euronews reports that speculative traders’ record bets against the euro total about €38 billion; Reuters quotes Commonwealth Bank of Australia strategist Joseph Capurso predicting it could fall below €0.94 per dollar. A weaker euro raises the cost of dollar-priced imports for European households and businesses.

Bottom line — A French budget deal, calmer bond markets or lower energy prices could ease pressure, but the euro’s recovery depends on more than traders closing short bets.

Sources Euronews English Reuters

Global Economy · Wed, Oct 7

Ireland cuts capital gains tax to 31% and expands R&D relief

Ireland’s Budget 2027 cuts the standard capital gains tax rate from 33% to 31% for disposals from 7 October, excluding development land; the Department of Finance estimates the change will cost €186 million a year. The Government also increases early R&D tax-credit payments and subcontracting limits, while a tax adviser quoted by The Irish Times cautions that the CGT cut may be too modest to materially change investment decisions.

Bottom line — The €1 billion ISIF scale-up programme runs for three years, alongside the new tax incentives for Irish businesses.

Sources The Irish Times Irish Examiner businessplus.ie +5 more

Football · Wed, Oct 7

Messi ends Argentina career with 208 caps, 126 goals and a farewell win

Lionel Messi signed off from Argentina with a goal and two assists as the world champions beat Benin 3–0 in Buenos Aires, according to VNTV. He finishes with 208 appearances and 126 goals; the farewell closes a 21-year international career that brought Argentina the 2022 World Cup and two Copa América titles.

Bottom line — Argentina now begin a new era without the player who led them to the 2022 World Cup.

Sources the Guardian EUROPE SAYS CBS Sports +6 more

World · Wed, Oct 7

Russian missile strike kills two in Kyiv as Zelensky warns of a larger attack

A Russian ballistic missile attack killed two people in Kyiv’s Darnytskyi district and damaged non-residential sites and warehouses in other districts, Ukrainian officials said. The strike followed President Volodymyr Zelensky’s warning that intelligence pointed to preparations for a larger Russian attack, as repeated strikes put pressure on the capital’s energy and transport networks before winter.

Bottom line — Kyiv officials reported two deaths as the city braces for further attacks on infrastructure.

Sources The Independent France 24 Ukrinform-EN +3 more

TV/Movies · Wed, Oct 7

Jessica Biel joins Searchlight’s Playboy Mansion drama as Hugh Hefner’s fictional wife

Jessica Biel has joined Playmates, a Searchlight film set at the Playboy Mansion, where Bill Pullman plays Hugh Hefner and Biel plays his fictional wife, a former Playmate. The story follows a friendship between a 13-year-old girl and an aspiring Playmate; director Lorraine Nicholson says the film draws partly on her childhood experiences around the Mansion.

Bottom line — Playmates is Lorraine Nicholson’s feature directorial debut; no release date has been announced.

Sources Deadline Geo News Yahoo Entertainment +2 more

World · Wed, Oct 7

Vance makes Iranian enrichment cuts a condition for ending the war

JD Vance says Iran must make a meaningful cut to its uranium enrichment capacity before Washington will agree to end the seven-month war. The talks also concern reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy shipments; Vance says Washington is unsure who has decision-making authority in Tehran.

Bottom line — A deal remains possible, but Vance says it requires concrete nuclear concessions, not promises.

Sources Reuters armenpress.am The Independent +4 more

AI · Wed, Oct 7

DeepSeek seeks at least €10.3bn as funding talks run past its target

DeepSeek is close to raising at least 80bn yuan, about €10.3bn ($12bn), with Tencent and battery maker CATL among its largest backers, Bloomberg reports. The round began with a 50bn-yuan target and could approach 100bn yuan (€12.9bn; $15bn), while the company prepares for a potential early-2027 IPO. The capital is intended to support a major computing build-out, including a data centre in Inner Mongolia.

Bottom line — DeepSeek’s funding round could reach 100bn yuan (€12.9bn), but the final terms remain unsettled.

Sources www.techinasia.com finance.yahoo.com CNBC +5 more

Gaming Hardware · Wed, Oct 7

The Coalition gives Gears of War: E-Day about 1GB more usable memory on Xbox Series S

The Coalition used the Series S’s NVMe SSD as a slower second tier of memory to help Gears of War: E-Day handle its detailed environments. Digital Foundry says the technique yielded about 1GB of usable system memory, potentially helping the game avoid larger visual compromises on Microsoft’s less powerful console.

Bottom line — The Coalition’s SSD-paging technique gives Series S developers another tool, but it takes specialised engineering and has performance limits.

Sources Eurogamer.net Gaming ProMax

Technology · Wed, Oct 7

Google’s October Pixel update fixes three bugs and patches 28 security issues

Google is rolling out its October Android 17 update to Pixel 6 and newer devices, including three bug fixes and security patches for 28 vulnerabilities. The update fixes a keyboard issue, ringtone distortion during some VoIP calls and, on Pixel 11 models, incorrectly oriented photos and videos; Google says the rollout is staged.

Bottom line — The October update is expected to be the final regular software update for the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro.

Sources 9to5Google Android Open Source … Basic Tutorials +5 more

Europe · Wed, Oct 7

Spain and Portugal are attracting data centre developers with abundant renewable power, but grid limits and the need for reliable 24-hour supply are driving investment in batteries and hybrid energy projects. Rystad Energy forecasts the Iberian Peninsula will account for 11.5% of Europe’s installed data centre capacity by 2030, up from 5.8% in 2025.

Bottom line — Spain’s €17 billion grid investment is planned through 2030, but new transmission infrastructure will take years to arrive.

Sources Reuters

Cyber Security · Wed, Oct 7

Citrix issues urgent NetScaler patch as attackers target a new flaw

Citrix says attackers are targeting a NetScaler vulnerability that can cause service outages on affected appliances. The flaw applies to ADC and Gateway systems using SAML authentication with Gateway or AAA functionality; Citrix has released emergency updates and urges customers to install them.

Bottom line — Citrix rates CVE-2026-88779 at 8.7 out of 10, and says eligible NetScaler deployments need the new update.

Sources Computing

Health · Wed, Oct 7

UK study links GLP-1 drugs to 11-fold rise in regurgitation during anaesthesia

A study of more than 47,000 UK patients found GLP-1 users were 11 times more likely than non-users to regurgitate or aspirate during general anaesthesia. The finding matters as these drugs become more widely used, but the researchers say it does not prove the medication caused the events; Australian anaesthetists are urging patients to disclose their use before surgery.

Bottom line — Tell the anaesthesia team about GLP-1 drugs; the study found most recorded events involved regurgitation, not material entering the lungs.

Sources abcnews ABC listen Yahoo Health +5 more

Europe · Wed, Oct 7

Brussels proposes lasting limits on Ukraine’s farm access to the EU market

The European Commission proposes restricting Ukraine’s access to EU farm subsidies and markets after accession, a plan Kyiv says cannot involve permanent limits on food sales. The dispute matters for Ukraine’s membership terms and for European farmers concerned about competition from Ukrainian grain. Kyiv says it will accept temporary restrictions only if they have an end date.

Bottom line — Ukraine’s agriculture minister says a permanent market limit would conflict with the terms of full EU membership.

Sources POLITICO Meduza NAMPA +4 more

Science · Wed, Oct 7

A 99-million-year-old planthopper had a feeding tube nearly twice its body length

Researchers identified Cretodorus noonoo, a new planthopper species preserved in amber from Myanmar, with a flexible feeding structure nearly twice as long as its body. The study authors propose it could reach sap deep inside tree-bark cracks, offering a glimpse of feeding strategies in Cretaceous forests.

Bottom line — Thirteen amber fossils show an ancient feeding design with no known equivalent among the insect’s living relatives.

Sources Knowridge Science Re… The Times of India The Independent

Europe · Wed, Oct 7

Brussels weighs a broad corporate levy to fund the EU’s next budget

The European Commission is considering a levy on very large companies, including US tech groups, to help raise money for the EU’s 2028–34 budget without singling out digital firms and provoking Washington. The proposed tax is one of five new EU revenue sources, but it would need unanimous support from all 27 countries as capitals debate the budget’s size.

Bottom line — The proposed corporate levy is part of a €60bn-a-year package, but every EU country must agree to it.

Sources Financial Times News Financial Times News

Space · Wed, Oct 7

NASA’s Curiosity marks 5,000 Martian days with a two-time panorama

NASA’s Curiosity rover marked its 5,000th Martian day with a panorama from the ridge nicknamed Chocolatal, in Gale Crater. NASA’s images combine morning and afternoon views, coloured blue and yellow as an artistic interpretation; the milestone highlights a mission still returning views from the lower slopes of Mount Sharp.

Bottom line — Curiosity’s panorama records 5,000 sols of exploration, with the rover’s tracks stretching across Gale Crater.

Sources PetaPixel ScienceDaily www.friendsofnasa.or… +1 more