Monday, 19 October 2026today, still filling

Artificial intelligence lab Anthropic, developer of Claude, has committed five per cent of its shares to a new public benefit fund. The fund could grow further, receiving an additional two per cent of shares for every 50 per cent increase in the company's value above an undisclosed baseline. Anthropic is preparing for one of the largest IPOs in history as a public benefit corporation.

North Melbourne traded multiple draft picks to Sydney for Nick Blakey, an AFL player subject to a Victoria Police investigation into an alleged sexual assault at the Pullman Hotel in East Melbourne. The club stated its leaders were 'clearly comfortable' with the deal. However, AFLW premiership star Jasmine Garner has contradicted this, saying the team is still dealing with 'mixed emotions' about the acquisition.

Arson squad detectives are investigating a house fire in Belmont that broke out in the early hours of Monday. First responders arrived at the house in Daly Street about 2am to find flames and smoke billowing from the home. No injuries were reported, though fire damage to the roof was visible after the blaze was extinguished.

Anthropic has committed 5% of its shares to a new public benefit fund that will have 'increased flexibility and scale' to pursue its mission through donations to nonprofits or direct distributions. Combined with an existing employee equity match programme, roughly 20% of the company's shares will be dedicated to the public good, with the possibility of further increases if the company reaches specific valuation milestones. CEO Dario Amodei and five cofounders established Anthropic as a public benefit corporation and have pledged to donate 80% of their wealth.

Kenneth Walker ran for 128 yards and two touchdowns as the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 22-6 on Sunday to improve to 5-0. Patrick Mahomes passed for 272 yards, with Xavier Worthy catching seven passes for 73 yards and Travis Kelce five for 53. Kansas City remains one of only three unbeaten NFL teams alongside San Francisco and Minnesota.

Chad Ryland kicked a 43-yard field goal as time expired to give the Arizona Cardinals an 18-16 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. The Cardinals, a double-digit underdog, rallied after the Rams took a 16-15 lead with 47 seconds remaining following a touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to Colby Parkinson. Arizona moved 36 yards into field goal range on a long reception by Jalen Brooks and an unnecessary roughness penalty, allowing Ryland to attempt the winning kick.

Ben Simmons tore his right Achilles tendon during a live drill in practice on Sunday, ending his attempt to revive his career with the Sacramento Kings before the season began. The 30-year-old Australian guard will undergo surgery three days before the Kings' season opener on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Clippers. Simmons, a former No. 1 draft pick and three-time All-Star, had signed a one-year deal with Sacramento this summer after struggling with injuries in recent years.

Steve Disco, 77, of Chapmanville, died after a single-vehicle crash on Pond Drive in the Pecks Mill community on Sunday around 1:00 pm. According to the preliminary investigation by West Virginia State Police, he lost control of his vehicle and crashed. The Chapmanville Volunteer Fire Department and emergency services responded to the scene. The investigation is ongoing.

Ben Simmons, the Australian basketball player, has suffered a suspected torn Achilles tendon in practice with the Sacramento Kings, just days before the start of the 2026-27 NBA season. The 30-year-old, a former three-time All-Star who sat out last season for physical and mental health reasons, was preparing for his first game in 538 days. The injury is expected to be season-ending.

Ben Simmons has suffered a torn Achilles tendon during practice, expected to end his season before it starts. The Sacramento Kings forward had signed a one-year deal and shown promise in pre-season play. The injury comes as Simmons, 30, attempts to return to the NBA after spending the entire 2025-26 season away from the league.

Secondary ticketing platform Viagogo has criticised singer Raye's decision to manually review ticket registrations for her Royal Albert Hall show on 23 October as 'absurd'. Raye's team took the step after bots created 'hundreds of thousands of fake registrations'. Viagogo called for government review of the entire ticketing market and an 'open distribution' model allowing tickets to be sold through multiple firms, arguing this would tackle bot activity at source rather than in the resale market.

The Government has proposed 156 amendments to its Northern Ireland Troubles Bill, including one giving the UK Attorney General final say on whether Troubles-related prosecutions should proceed. The Victims and Survivors Commissioner says greater focus needs to be put on building confidence in the new processes. MPs will debate the Bill this week.

Chancellor John Healey plans to make online marketplaces directly responsible for collecting VAT from all retailers on their platforms with annual turnover above £90,000, regardless of where they are based. The move is expected to raise up to £1 billion and reduce business rates for physical high street stores. eBay's vice-president Eve Williams said the company supports ensuring overseas sellers meet tax obligations but stressed the reforms must 'definitely' protect small UK businesses from unfair treatment.

Chancellor John Healey is reportedly preparing to announce plans requiring online marketplaces such as eBay to collect VAT on behalf of retailers selling through their platforms. The proposals would apply to all retailers with annual turnover above £90,000, regardless of where they are based, closing a loophole that has allowed some overseas sellers to avoid VAT. The changes are expected to raise up to £1 billion and could help fund lower business rates for physical shops. eBay's UK boss Eve Williams warned that any changes must not unfairly hit small businesses, saying the company strongly supported ensuring overseas sellers met their tax obligations whilst protecting domestic retailers' chances to succeed.

The Institute for Public Policy Research has published a report arguing that Britain should eventually rejoin the European Union to better cope with threats from Russia and the United States. The think-tank says full EU membership is necessary to protect the UK's prosperity, security and democracy. Polling commissioned by IPPR found 52 per cent of voters now want to join the EU, compared with 29 per cent who want to stay out.

UK-listed companies have issued a near two-year high in profit warnings ahead of the autumn Budget. According to research from advisory firm EY, 65 firms issued downgrades in the three months to the end of September, up from 59 in the previous quarter and the highest since late 2024. Almost a fifth of listed companies have issued at least one warning over the past 12 months.