Evening Standard

OpenAI says it will not release a new AI model because it 'didn't quite meet the bar' on the company's internal safety standards. The decision, reported by CNN, highlights how safety testing can delay or block model launches even when development is complete. It is likely to fuel ongoing debate about how AI companies weigh safety reviews against competitive pressure to ship new products.

The Republic of Ireland and Israel skipped the traditional pre-match handshake at their football fixture, underlining the political tensions surrounding the game. The decision, reported by BBC Sport, reflects the sensitivity of any sporting encounter between the two sides given the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The teams proceeded with the match without the usual formalities, drawing attention to the broader context.

New research suggests the usual split between 'normal' and 'abnormal' health checkup results oversimplifies risk. The study finds that checkup values have nonlinear relationships with future healthcare costs, meaning risk can rise even within ranges typically considered normal. The findings could prompt a rethinking of how screening thresholds are used to predict and manage long-term healthcare spending.

A new Atlas Intel poll in Brazil puts Lula at 45.3% and Flávio Bolsonaro at 42.2% in a first-round scenario for the 2026 presidential election, with the two statistically tied. In a second-round matchup, the survey shows the candidates even, underscoring how competitive the race has become. The numbers are fueling debate about Bolsonarismo's strength under a new standard-bearer and Lula's re-election prospects.

Nigeria are preparing to take on Guinea-Bissau in an international football fixture, with attention focused on team selection. Outlets including the London Evening Standard have published predicted lineups and confirmed team news ahead of kickoff, as fans debate which players will start for the Super Eagles and how Guinea-Bissau will line up in response.

External affairs minister S. Jaishankar, speaking in New York, said there was once a narrative in America that it disliked India having too many options, and that Washington wanted New Delhi to focus on its relationship with the US even as America kept its own options open. He said that pretence has now dropped. The remarks fuel debate in India over shifting US-India ties and American pressure on New Delhi's strategic autonomy.

Filmmaker Robert Eggers has shelved another horror project after 'Werwulf', saying it became 'so dark' that it could not move forward. The director, known for 'The Witch' and 'The Lighthouse', has a history of uncompromising, atmospheric horror, and the report suggests the project's tone crossed a line even for his standards.

OpenAI, Red Hat, and NVIDIA are backing an open-source control plane for managing AI agents, even as OpenAI simultaneously ships its own proprietary version. The move signals a split approach in the emerging agent-infrastructure market, where vendors are hedging between open standards and locked-down commercial offerings. The apparent contradiction from OpenAI is drawing attention across the software industry.

A Washington Post opinion piece argues that the Trump administration's rollback of fuel efficiency standards, while a setback, does not spell the end of US climate goals. The author contends that market forces, state-level policies and falling clean-energy costs can keep emissions reduction on track even with weaker federal vehicle rules. The argument is feeding ongoing debate over how much harm the rollbacks actually cause.

The BFI London Film Festival has announced the juries for its 2026 competition strands. Details of the judges chosen to award the festival's prizes were published by the Evening Standard, drawing attention from film culture audiences. The lineup signals early momentum for next year's festival and prompts speculation about which films and filmmakers will compete under the new juries.

OpenAI is reportedly in talks to raise a $30 billion funding round at a $1.4 trillion valuation, according to TechCrunch. The figure would mark a dramatic jump for the ChatGPT maker and one of the largest private funding rounds ever, fueling debate over whether AI company valuations have become detached from reality.

An evidence file concerning the housing department has been handed to prosecutors as part of the ongoing Grenfell Tower investigation, the Evening Standard reports. The file was passed on by the Metropolitan Police as criminal inquiries continue years after the 2017 fire that killed 72 people. The development signals that scrutiny of the department's role remains active.

Hurricane Rachel has formed in the Pacific Ocean, and forecasters say the storm poses no threat to land. News outlets across the United States are carrying the advisory, noting the system is expected to remain over open water. It is being tracked as a standard seasonal storm, with no coastal warnings or evacuation concerns issued for populated areas.

A strange real estate photograph has become entangled in Australia's tightening rules on AI-generated imagery. The case is drawing attention because it shows how tough new standards for property listings and synthetic images are being applied in practice, catching even odd or ambiguous photos in the enforcement net and raising questions about how the rules will be policed.

Olga Rudenko, editor-in-chief of the Kyiv Independent, said in an interview with the Guardian that while her readers want Russia to suffer for its invasion of Ukraine, the outlet cannot become a propaganda outlet. She argued the publication must maintain editorial standards and honest reporting even amid a war that stokes strong emotions.

The Evening Standard reports on a new frontier in computing: data centres that use lab-grown human brain cells to process information. The technology, often called biocomputing, uses cultivated neurons that can learn and adapt, raising the prospect of far more energy-efficient computing than silicon-based systems, alongside ethical questions about the use of living human tissue in machines.

DeFi analytics service Feeloop is publishing automated market digests flagging unusually negative funding rates on the GP/USDT pair, with a short-pay-long setup quoted at roughly -4,380% APR. The same updates also list liquidity pools totalling about 3.2 million dollars and a BSC pair offering over 5,000% APR for liquidity providers, figures that stand out even by DeFi standards.

Former UK Chancellor George Osborne has said he would take Britain back into the European Union Customs Union, a statement that reopens debate over the UK's post-Brexit trading arrangements. Osborne, now editor-in-chief of the Evening Standard, was a prominent Remain supporter during the 2016 referendum, and his comments add a senior Conservative voice to ongoing arguments about the economic costs of leaving the single market and customs framework.

Samsung's display division is reportedly supplying the OLED screens for Apple's latest iPhone Duo, a detail some see as ironic given the companies' rivalry. Commentators point out the partnership is longstanding: Samsung Display has made iPhone screens for years, Apple and Samsung remain major business partners even as they compete in the smartphone market, and display sourcing between rivals is standard industry practice.