Here are the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix off-track moments you might have missed.

Plenty of talking points emerged as the Madring made its debut on the Formula 1 calendar.

Liam Lawson believes "overall it's been a strong three weekends" with Red Bull since replacing the injured Isack Hadjar midway through the season.

Max Verstappen was instructed to give positions back at the start of the Spanish Grand Prix before eventually finishing in P2.

This week we’re joined by Jennie Rose Halprein, executive director of Library Futures, a non-profit that advocates for a fair digital future for libraries and the communities they serve. We have written a bunch of stories about libraries over the years, and I have talked to Jennie a few times for those stories. I always have really interesting conversations with her, but a lot of what we talk about never makes it into my articles. That’s why I wanted to share one of those conversations with you today. We of course touch upon censorship but also many other subjects, so I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. 

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Some interesting developments in the AI world. Dario Amodei, cofounder and CEO of AI company Anthropic, called for AI research to slow down a bit and for the application of more safety measures. Several other AI CEOs signaled agreement, including Sam Altman (OpenAI), Elon Musk (Grok), and Satya Nadella (Microsoft).

Behind this development are others, notably the OpenAI-Hugging Face hack (previously) and a July statement signed by 1386 AI workers. Calls for reining in AI have come from a variety of sources over the past week, including the author of a book on NVidia and former president Obama. A British member of Parliament introduced an Artificial Superintelligence Bill "to prohibit the development, deployment and operation of artificial superintelligence systems; to establish monitoring and control powers in respect of such systems; and for connected purposes." King Charles III is scheduled to meet AI leaders. In the US Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Greg Casar have said they plan to introduce a Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act. A bipartisan group of Representatives posted the Frontier Risk Oversight, National Transparency, Independent Evaluation, and Reporting (FRONTIER) Act. But that body seems unlikely to act, given president Trump's pro-AI attitude and recent comments by House Speaker Johnson. There are opposing views. Historian Rick Perlstein points out the long record of companies asking to be regulated in order to contain competitors. Timnit Gebru thinks "[t]his machine-god narrative is, in my opinion, meant to distract us." On the China side, a Foreign Ministry criticized the slowdown call as fear-mongering. The Minister of State Security sees AI as a security threat. American economist Noah Smith called for hacking Chinese systems to make a point.

WASHINGTON (ANP) - Oekraïne en Rusland hebben aan de Amerikaanse president Donald Trump beloofd geen energiedoelen van elkaar meer te zullen aanvallen. Dat zegt Trump op zijn Truth Social. Volgens Trump zorgen dit soort aanvallen in de oorlog tussen Oekraïne en Rusland voor hoge dieselprijzen wereldwijd.

Blue Origin is getting a taste of its own medicine after Rocket Lab filed a formal protest over NASA's decision to award Jeff Bezos' space biz a contract worth up to approximately $700 million to build the agency's Mars Telecommunications Network. NASA issued the award in early September following a request for proposals in May. It tasks Blue Origin with designing, developing, integrating, launching, and operating a Mars Telecommunications Orbiter (MTO) that will, among other things, serve as a communications relay for missions to the red planet. Rocket Lab has now filed a formal protest with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) over the decision, writing: "NASA's award decision appears to be inconsistent with the eligibility criteria mandated by Congress. In addition, the agency's punitive review of Rocket Lab's technical volume was inconsistent, making incorrect assertions and conclusions." This isn't the first time Rocket Lab has bristled at NASA's decision-making. In 2025, The Register spoke with Richard French, Rocket Lab's veep for Business Development and Strategy, over NASA's rejection of its Mars Sample Return proposal, which included a Mars communications orbiter. "We're asking for leadership," French said at the time. "We're fine with an open competition. We think open competition is how the best ideas come about." Blue Origin threw its toys out of the stroller in 2021 after NASA awarded SpaceX a contract to develop the next lunar lander. Bezos' biz filed an official protest with the GAO, offered discounts, and even lobbed a sueball to no avail. Blue Origin later won a separate competition. In 2023, NASA selected the company as the second Artemis lunar lander provider in a contract worth $3.4 billion. Blue Origin's MTO design is based on its Blue Ring spacecraft, which combines hybrid solar-electric and chemical propulsion with 13 ports for mounting payloads, including scientific instruments and small spacecraft. Multiple Blue Ring spacecraft are already in production, and Blue Origin reckons it can produce four vehicles per year – a rate that could be scaled up if required. Tory Bruno, formerly of United Launch Alliance and now president of Blue Origin's national security arm, Blue National Security, said: "This awarded contract is a testament to the Blue Origin team that has been building Blue Ring with exactly this kind of mission in mind. We're ready, and so is the hardware." ®

Veel te rechts, zo oordeelden D66 en CDA eind augustus over de eigen begroting van minister van Financiën Eelco Heinen (VVD). Onzin, vindt de VVD: ze bevatte genoeg gestes aan de oppositie. Tijd voor een vergelijking tussen de uiteindelijke Miljoenennota en het oorspronkelijke plan van Heinen, dat NRC heeft ingezien.

Al drie jaar op rij schiet het Nederlandse klimaatbeleid weinig op. Als de regering niet met extra maatregelen komt, ziet het Planbureau voor de Leefomgeving de plannen voor een groene samenleving somber in en blijft Nederland nog lang afhankelijk van import van fossiele energie.

Pas maanden ná de eerste aanranding in de Delftse Hout vond burgemeester Alexander Pechtold het nodig om vrouwen te waarschuwen: pas op vrouwen, het is in dit land niet meer veilig om alleen door het donker te fietsen! Boem paukeslag daar was Twittertonprater Bente Becker van de VVD, dat 'de overheid' (lol) in actie moet komen voor 'cameratoezicht, handhavers, en harde bestraffing van aanranders'. Bente Beckers lievelingswoordje is 'aanpakken': platformen en servers aanpakken, daders van huiselijk geweld aanpakken, daders van eergerelateerd geweld aanpakken, straatintimidatie aanpakken, haatimams aanpakken, belagers van vrouwen aanpakken, enz. enz. - voor een partij die in de laatste 40 jaar deel uitmaakte van 14 kabinetten is er dan bijzonder weinig aangepakt. VVD'ers die aan de VVD om VVD-dingen vragen na ál die jaren zweven in de VVD-o-sphere, was het dan allemaal voor niks? Wél ging de poort wagenwijd open voor aanranders, verkrachters en allerlei ander gespuis, werd het politie-apparaat kapotbezuinigd en is de enige overgebleven reflex nu om het hele land dan maar vol te stouwen met camera's. Maar hey, doe vooral nog wat gratuite oproepjes aan 'de overheid'!

Instant update - Aanrander, mogelijk die van Delfste Hout, aangepakt

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In Hanno near Tokyo

Military chief had pulled country out over ‘Harry-Meghan nonsense’ but U-turned after clarification from the palace

Uganda has U-turned on its decision to withdraw from the Duke of Sussex’s Invictus Games after the country’s military chief said he had been reassured by King Charles that there was “no problem” with its participation.

Last week, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the eldest son of the Ugandan president, Yoweri Museveni, made the surprise announcement the country would not participate in the games in a post on X. He said he was motivated by his respect for the king amid division over the “Harry-Meghan nonsense”.

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After 2025’s wildly lucrative reunion, the Gallagher brothers will tour the UK, Ireland and US, and revisit the Hertfordshire site of their greatest live triumph

Oasis have finally confirmed new tour dates for 2027, including their long-rumoured return to Knebworth for a run of shows 30 years after they played a historic two nights at the Hertfordshire venue in 1996.

“Start the celebrations!”, the band said in a statement. “After a period of reflection, The Most Damaging Pop Cultural Force In Recent British History” – a quote from a Guardian opinion piece about the band – “has declared itself fit for purpose and will once again return to lift the spirits of the people. Come witness the fitness. It shall be a sight to behold.”

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The payments reportedly included around $100,000 to rent a private island and $70,000 for a fireworks display.