Narratives

Despite talk of an electric vehicle slowdown, plug-in cars accounted for roughly a quarter of all new car sales worldwide last year, according to InsideEVs. The figure suggests EV adoption continues to grow overall, even as some markets and automakers report softer demand, prompting debate over whether the slowdown narrative is overstated.

Ukraine reports blowing up a Russian bot farm that was operating inside MAGA-related social media, according to a widely shared claim circulating online. The operation allegedly targeted accounts pushing pro-MAGA audiences with Russian narratives. Details on where, when, and how the farm was taken down have not been confirmed, and reaction so far centres on the claimed overlap between Russian influence operations and US political discourse.

A new Campfire Stories episode from storyteller MrBallen is drawing large audiences with a tale alleging that the Chinese military tried to cover something up. The story is presented in his signature narrative style rather than as verified reporting, and viewers are sharing and debating the claims it makes about the incident and the alleged concealment.

American tennis player Ben Shelton is drawing widespread attention after pushing back against claims that Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner's dominance is fading following their recent injury setbacks. Shelton called the narrative 'unfair' and said their absences are 'sad for tennis', arguing the two remain the sport's standard-setters. His comments are being discussed across sports media internationally.

American tennis player Ben Shelton has resumed his singles campaign at the Shanghai Masters, drawing wide international attention. John Isner speculated on how Shelton might fare against Carlos Alcaraz under coach Juan Carlos Ferrero next year, while Shelton also pushed back on the narrative that Jannik Sinner and Alcaraz dominate men's tennis, saying it is 'sad for tennis'.

American tennis player Ben Shelton is making headlines for two reasons: he has hired Juan Carlos Ferrero, the former coach of Carlos Alcaraz, sparking debate about whether the partnership will work, and he has publicly said it is 'sad for tennis' that Jannik Sinner and Alcaraz have dominated the season, challenging the narrative around their duopoly. He is also competing in Basel, facing Jerome Kym. Interest spans the US, Europe and Latin America.

Long-term temperature measurements from Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania are offering a new picture of how climate change is affecting the iconic mountain. The records, analysed by researchers and reported via Phys.org, suggest the warming pattern on Africa's highest peak is more complex than widely assumed, challenging simple narratives about glacier decline and temperature trends at high altitude.

A fictional zombie apocalypse story follows a lone soldier defending a bridge from the first day of an outbreak to the hundredth. The full-length narrative traces his survival day by day as the world collapses around him, and it is drawing a large audience and heavy engagement from viewers of pandemic and apocalypse-themed fiction.

Social media users are sharing and discussing posts that frame Anakin Skywalker, the Star Wars character who turns to authoritarianism, through a right-wing political lens. Commenters are debating whether the character's fall fits conservative or fascist narratives, with many pushing back on the reading.

JD Vance said Republican data analysts closely watched the 'composition' of the electorate, comparing turnout patterns to 2024 to gauge whether conditions favored a Republican win. He said that despite polls pointing to a Democratic blowout, the data consistently told the same story, with turnout in some states looking closer to 2024 levels.

A storyteller known as Nobody Gets In has published the fourth installment of an ongoing series about school experiences, titled 'I Left Her on the Roof.' The episode recounts an incident in which the narrator left a girl on a roof during their school days. The story has drawn a large audience, with viewers reacting strongly to the installment, continuing interest in the serialised personal narrative.

Governments in Venezuela under Nicolás Maduro and in Cuba systematically brand opposition criticism as 'foreign disinformation' in official campaigns designed to delegitimise dissent. State propaganda in China uses similar narratives against alleged Western 'fake news'. Critics say the tactic turns disinformation warnings into a political tool to silence independent voices and restrict free expression across authoritarian states.

The Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays are meeting in the 2026 World Series, with Spanish-language live commentary drawing large audiences during the MLB playoffs. Fans are following the game in real time through Spanish narration, and the matchup is generating strong engagement across baseball communities as the postseason reaches its decisive stage.

A first-person account of surviving what is described as the world's deadliest storm is drawing large audiences, with hundreds of thousands engaging with the story. The narrative centres on the survivor's experience during the disaster and its aftermath. Readers are reacting to the dramatic firsthand testimony of extreme weather and loss.

MLB World Series coverage is drawing attention in Japan, where a baseball play-by-play broadcast in the style of classic radio commentary featured a game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Milwaukee Brewers on October 29. Japanese fans are following the matchup closely, with the retro-style narration format adding to the appeal for listeners.

A visitor to Bologna, Italy, says he cycled through roughly half the city between 8pm and past midnight and found the situation far calmer than social media suggests, encountering only one protest area which police were blocking access to. He argues the online portrayal of 'insanity' in Bologna does not match what he saw on the ground, questioning the scale of the unrest being reported.

The fifth installment of the 'Supermarket' horror series, titled 'My Dead Boss Just Knocked Back', has drawn strong audience engagement, particularly from viewers following the series 'Nobody Gets In'. The episode continues a supernatural story in which a protagonist's deceased boss apparently returns, with fans reacting to the latest twist in the ongoing pandemic-themed narrative.

A zombie outbreak story about people trapped for 120 days inside a school has released its fourth part, drawing strong interest from audiences. Viewers are following the survival narrative as it unfolds, with the school setting adding tension about whether anyone can get in or out.

Japanese actress Minami Hamabe is drawing attention after discussing her involvement in the new film 'Godzilla -0.0'. She said she was surprised by the offer, joking that she thought she would only be handled through narration. Toho, the film's studio, is also promoting theatrical merchandise for the movie, keeping the title in the spotlight ahead of its release.

A researcher from Chinese AI firm DeepSeek spoke at the Wuzhen Summit, arguing that open source development matters for advancing artificial intelligence. The remarks highlight DeepSeek's positioning as an advocate of openly available AI models, a stance that has drawn global attention since its models rivaled leading Western systems. The Wuzhen Summit is China's main forum for internet policy and technology discussion.

Spanish writer Arturo Pérez-Reverte is drawing attention with the release of his latest novel, which critics describe as a dialogue between past and future set at sea. In interviews, he has also defended video games as a fully legitimate form of narrative, pushing back against those who dismiss the medium. Spanish media outlets including El Mundo and Diario AS are covering both the book and his remarks.