Few surprises as chancellor uses low-key speech blaming ‘global economic storms’ for stoking energy prices and cost of living crisis

• Budget 2026: key points at a glance

• Briefing: key questions answered by Heather Stewart and Pippa Crerar

• Editorial: Budget’s bold ambitions and welcome first steps

John Healey raised taxes on banks and landlords to fund a £100 winter handout for 20 million families as official forecasts made clear there is no end in sight for the cost of living crisis.

In his first budget, the chancellor blamed “global economic storms” for the grim outlook, as the war in Iran drives up oil and gas prices.

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© Photograph: House of Commons/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: House of Commons/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: House of Commons/AFP/Getty Images

Russia plans to build own version of US billionaire’s satellite communications to help attack Ukraine

Vladimir Putin praised Elon Musk’s genius and said he was in touch with Starlink’s controlling shareholder as Russia develops its own satellite communications for its military to use against Ukraine.

The Russian president, speaking at a summit with African leaders in Moscow, was comparing the Earth-orbiting network built by Musk’s SpaceX with Russia’s gradual efforts to build its own Rassvet constellation.

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© Photograph: Maxim Shipenkov/Reuters

© Photograph: Maxim Shipenkov/Reuters

© Photograph: Maxim Shipenkov/Reuters

Ford is rolling out two new chargers capable of powering a home or the grid — so-called V2X capability.

"It's causing a lot of people to run who I don't want to be running," native Californian Palmer Luckey said. "But I'm planning on staying in California. I'm going to keep fighting it."

Whether you favour spooky fairtales, satanic card games or infernal hijinks at the chip shop there are all manner of fresh top scarers at large this witching season

Tis almost All Hallows’ Eve and naturally, the thoughts of all good video game players are turning to horror. 2026 has already been a bloody good year for the genre with Resident Evil Requiem and Silent Hill: Townfall leading the rabble. But this autumn sees a festering surge of indie horror releases, featuring everything from cursed card games to Nazi-hunting penguins. Here are eight terrifying titles we think you should sample while jack-o-lanterns burn and spirits walk the moonlit streets.

Allogloom (PC)

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© Photograph: Question

© Photograph: Question

© Photograph: Question

Whose hand is behind this travesty?

The financing gives SpaceX another way to fund its rapidly expanding AI ambitions without relying solely on traditional debt markets.

Apple confirmed a “small number” of iPhone Duo units have an issue impacting the inner display.

Five experts on how best to limit a rapidly evolving technology.

Wolff puts ‘tequila on ice’ with Antonelli two points away from title

The footage looks okay, as long as you're not seeking artistry, inspiration, or human interest.

Antonelli takes another step closer to F1 title with US GP pole position

Elon Musk reportedly ordered SpaceX to throttle Ukraine's Starlink access.

A new study found Grok's AI overwhelmingly recommends Republican candidates while OpenAI's GPT favors Democrats, with the two AI models disagreeing in more than 90% of nearly 500 election races.

Recent efforts to throttle Ukraine's access to satellite systems have created a blame game of sorts among Trump administration officials and their allies, who have offered mixed messages about what led to the sudden restrictions on Kyiv's ability to intercept Russian strikes.

A newly launched stock class being offered was partially engineered to help Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg pay the "billionaire's tax," should the measure be voted into law.

Elon Musk likes the idea but says he is not on either committee, which is made up of independent directors.

Before you share the Netflix documentary "AI Gone Rogue," take note. Clem Delangue, Hugging Face's co-founder who is featured in the film, says it went "full doomer mode" and isn't accurate.

SpaceX hit profitability in the third quarter, with net income of $4.4 billion. AI was the engine.

The Sony ULT Tower 7 is one of our top party speaker picks and is at its lowest-ever price. Grab this or one of its sibling models before your next fete.