Author: DispatchTimes News Desk

European natural gas prices climbed above €80 per megawatt-hour on Wednesday, reaching their highest level since January 2023 as the conflict in the Middle East heightened concerns over energy supplies. Benchmark futures rose by as much as 6.8% to €80.98, extending a sharp rally that has more than doubled prices since the start of the war. Prices remain below the extreme levels recorded during Europe’s energy crisis. The increase has been driven by fears that disruption to liquefied natural gas shipments could further tighten supplies to Europe. The Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy trade, has been…

Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem were seen leaving Venice by water taxi on Wednesday, a day after their new film Bunker received a 15-and-a-half-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival. Cruz, 52, wore a floral dress as she waved to onlookers outside the Hotel Excelsior Venice Lido Resort, while Bardem, 57, opted for a beige shirt and matching trousers. The couple are in the city to promote their latest screen collaboration, which premiered at the festival’s Sala Grande on Tuesday evening. The reception proved overwhelming for Cruz, who was reduced to tears as the audience applauded the film. Bardem…

Uber has invested $10 million in Indian fleet management startup Carrum Mobility, valuing the company at about $168 million as the ride-hailing group deepens its reliance on large operators for vehicles and drivers. The Series B funding round gives Uber a stake in the “mid-teens” in Carrum, according to founder and chief executive Karan Jain. The post-money valuation has risen from ₹6 billion (around $63 million) following a $7 million investment by Uber in January. Carrum supplies vehicles for Uber’s Go, Premier and Black services in India. Its 5,100-vehicle fleet operates across Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune, Delhi and Kolkata, while…

Three jurors who deliberated in Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial have spoken publicly about the single holdout who prevented them from reaching a verdict in the case, which ended in a mistrial in Plymouth, Massachusetts, last week. The 12-person jury spent 36 hours deliberating over seven days before becoming deadlocked on whether Ms Clancy was criminally responsible for the deaths of her three children in 2023. The jury foreperson, Ronni Carlson, said 11 members were prepared to find her not guilty by reason of insanity, while one juror refused to do so. Speaking to NBC10 Boston, Ms Carlson said the holdout…

Actor and filmmaker Noel Clarke has been charged with six sexual offences following allegations involving five women, the Metropolitan Police and Crown Prosecution Service have said. Clarke, 50, faces two counts of sexual assault, three counts of voyeurism and one count of exposure. The alleged offences are said to have taken place between 2007 and 2016. The actor, who is from Kensington, west London, is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, October 21, at 10am. The charges follow a Metropolitan Police investigation which began in September 2025. Police said Clarke, who was then in his 40s, was…

An anonymous juror has revealed she initially believed Lindsay Clancy was criminally responsible for the deaths of her three children before changing her vote during tense deliberations involving what she described as “big personalities” in the room. The juror, identified only as juror No 5, told CBS Boston that she ultimately voted to find Clancy not guilty by reason of insanity after concluding that prosecutors had failed to remove what she called “too much grey area” from the case. Clancy’s trial at Plymouth County Superior Court in Massachusetts ended in a mistrial on Friday, September 4, after the 12-member jury…

Latitude, a payments infrastructure start-up founded by former Stripe and Uber executives, has raised $35 million (£27 million) to help businesses convert stablecoins into local-currency payments through bank accounts and mobile wallets. The Texas-based company said on Wednesday that Oak HC/FT led its Series A funding round, which also included NEA, Coinbase, Lightspeed Faction and OpenFX. The investment follows an $8 million seed round, although Latitude’s valuation has not been disclosed. Latitude was established by Cyril Mathew, its chief executive, alongside Brian Wrightson and Vivek Morzaria. The founders have held senior roles at companies including Stripe, Uber, Coinbase and Meta.…

Pauline Quirke’s son Charlie has said his mother is “happy” as he offered an update on her life with dementia during an appearance on Lorraine. The actress, 67, stepped away from acting after being diagnosed with dementia in 2021. Charlie, 31, who has also pursued a career in television and film, was speaking as he supported a new Alzheimer’s Research UK campaign. Asked about his mother’s health, he said: “She’s great. Every day is different, it’s part of our journey. We still do as much as we can, we still go out for lunch. “I think you’ve seen us down…

Account recovery attacks are increasingly being used to bypass multi-factor authentication, with cyber criminals impersonating employees and persuading help-desk staff to reset passwords or move authentication to devices they control. The shift has made service desks an important part of an organisation’s identity-security boundary. While multi-factor authentication can prevent stolen passwords from being used on their own, a weak recovery process may allow attackers to replace the additional protection altogether. Employees regularly lose phones, damage devices, change telephone numbers or mislay security keys. When self-service recovery is unavailable, support agents may have powers to reset passwords, remove authentication methods, issue…

Martin Odegaard’s return to form has been likened to a £100 million signing by former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson, who believes the captain could prove decisive for Mikel Arteta’s side this season. Odegaard has scored three goals in Arsenal’s opening four matches, a significant improvement on last term when the Norway international managed only one goal in all competitions. “He is back to what he was two years ago,” Merson told Sky Sports. “If he can keep on playing the way he’s playing, that’s like a £100m new signing.” The midfielder’s recent performances have followed an injury-disrupted campaign in which…