Tuesday, 27 October 2026today, still filling

Australians have borne the brunt of rising fuel prices linked to the US-Iran war, paying an extra $550 per person since late February—six times more than the global average of $85 per person, totalling $10.5 billion. Research by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air attributes this to Australia's high fuel consumption per person and heavy reliance on private cars. As of Monday, Sydney unleaded petrol averaged 236 cents per litre and diesel 280.4 cents per litre.

A petition with over 1,000 signatures demands the removal of Gilbert Police Chief Michael Soelberg, nearly three years after 16-year-old Preston Lord was beaten to death outside a Halloween house party. Preston Lord's grandfather, Tony Reich, wants Soelberg removed, arguing he has not been held accountable for the department's failures. The criticism centres on the police response to repeated teen attacks linked to a group known as the Gilbert Goons.

Austin Hendrick, 31, was sentenced to one year in jail for misdemeanor child abuse and an additional year for obstruction of a police officer after a 15-month-old child was found alive in a ditch in rural Adams County on 4 October. A felony child abuse charge was dropped in a plea bargain. The child was in Hendrick's care at the time but was found healthy and unharmed by a concerned citizen. Hendrick's attorney said his client denied abandoning the baby in the ditch, though he failed to contact law enforcement immediately after discovering the child was missing. Judge Morgan Farquhar described the outcome as 'a miracle', noting what could have happened given the circumstances.

The Golden State Valkyries defeated the Atlanta Dream in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals on Saturday, 24 October 2026, in Atlanta, evening the best-of-seven series at 2-2. Coach Natalie Nakase attributed the win partly to improved body language from her players, citing better messaging and delivery. Point guard Veronica Burton said that visible engagement and positive responses to setbacks were contagious and mattered throughout the team.

Sir Tony Blair's think tank has urged the Government to fundamentally reshape its energy strategy, replacing the Clean Power 2030 plan—which aims for 95 per cent clean electricity by 2030—with a 'Cheaper Power' mission prioritising affordability and security. The Tony Blair Institute said the current target has created 'the wrong hierarchy' for energy policy. The think tank proposed rewarding businesses that locate in areas where wind power is wasted due to grid bottlenecks, and suggested the 2050 net zero target should remain.

The Open Rights Group has published a report documenting AI use across the Home Office immigration system, from determining asylum seekers' ages to detecting sham marriages and monitoring borders. Cross-party MPs are calling for transparency, saying the government is stonewalling information requests. Spot-checks by the Home Office found an AI tool summarising asylum interviews was failing accuracy tests, but asylum seekers are not told when AI has been used in their cases.

Royal Mail will release six stamps on Armistice Day, November 11, honouring the service of the nation's armed forces and marking 110 years since the Battle of the Somme began. The stamps feature specially commissioned artworks by British artist Matthew Cook, a former reservist in the Parachute Regiment and The Rifles who was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.