Musician who had hit albums with Racine and Rats later became a judge on six seasons of Canadian IdolSass Jordan, the singer-songwriter who became a significant success in Canada's rock scene in the 1990s before starring as a judge on Canadian Idol, has died aged 65.No cause of death has been given. A statement on social media said she died on 2 October surrounded by her loving family ... She remains in our hearts, an inimitable force of nature. An irreplaceable being of light and joy!" Continue reading...
Former prince to challenge whether Thames Valley police acted lawfully over searches relating to his arrestAndrew Mountbatten-Windsor is taking action against Thames Valley police to challenge the legality of search warrants that led to his arrest earlier this year, a judicial spokesperson has said.A private high court hearing is due to take place before Mr Justice Hilliard on Thursday to determine whether documents related to the the former Duke of York's call for a judicial review can be made public; with Thames Valley police in opposition. Continue reading...
PM says vote will take place on 29 November after parliament rejected two of his government's emergency relief measuresThe conservative People's Party is very pleased with the announcement.At last," they say on their X, with a slick election video - set to the EU's anthem Ode to Joy" - to go along with it.Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez has called a snap election for 29 November, just days after rightwing parties blocked his minority government's emergency measures on housing amid widespread protests (9:10).The election will take place on Sunday, 29 November, the earliest possible date procedurally.In a fierce address, Sanchez framed the election as choice between regressing" under a far-right coalition" or keeping moving forward" with his progressive administration (9:04, 9:09, 9:17).He said the election will be about who will guide Spain through a period of disruption amid high political tensions, global instability, climate emergency, and uncertainty posed by the rise of AI (9:13). Continue reading...
Temperatures in US state forecast to hit high 30s celsius this week, while regions in Indonesia grapple with wildfiresThe National Weather Service in the US has issued extreme heat warnings for parts of southern California, including Los Angeles, until Thursday, as temperatures are expected to hit the high 30s celsius. Burbank, a suburb north of Los Angeles, recorded 39C on Saturday, a few degrees shy of the October record for the region set in 1987. A persistent area of high pressure will remain in place this week, leading to further hazardous hot weather and increased fire risk.Parts of Indonesia are in the midst of an extreme wildfire season, which has peaked over the past month. Western Kalimantan (Borneo) and southern Sumatra have been particularly badly affected. The lack of rainfall has dried the usually water-logged tropical soils, meaning that fires have been able to spread quickly, above and below the surface. Indonesia's soils are also extremely rich in peat, meaning that the smoke produced from the fires contain higher levels of toxic gases such as sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide. Cities in surrounding areas and as far as Malaysia and Singapore have experienced reduced air quality in recent weeks as a result. Drought and wildfires are more common in this part of the world during El Nino events owing to suppressed thunderstorm activity. Continue reading...
by Sam Jones and Ashifa Kassam in Madrid on (#78V0M)
Election called after rightwing parties voted down emergency legislation aimed at tackling housing crisisSpain's socialist prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, has announced a snap general election three days after rightwing parties torpedoed the emergency legislation his minority government had put forward in response to growing public anger over the country's housing crisis.Sanchez, who has been in office since 2018, used a televised address on Monday morning to communicate his decision, which had been widely expected. Continue reading...
Demonstrators gather in south coast town as nearly 150 people trying to reach UK by small boat brought ashoreAnti-migrant protesters have scuffled with police in Gosport, Hampshire, as they opposed the rescuing of nearly 150 people trying to reach the UK by small boat.The demonstrators gathered in the south coast town as news of the vessel's expected arrival spread. It was the second time protesters had targeted the town amid rumours of rescued people disembarking there. Continue reading...
Percentage who feel very emotionally attached to Israel' rose to 51% in June 2025, up 13 points from before Gaza warBritish Jews have become more likely to identify as Zionist, consider emigrating to Israel, and feel a close attachment to the country since the 7 October attacks, research has found.A study from the Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR) titled October 8 Jews: The Impact of October 7 on British Jewish Identity", by Dr David Graham, found the percentage of British Jews who identified as Zionist rose seven points to 66%, between 2022 and 2025. By June 2025, the numbers who felt antisemitism in the UK was a very big problem" had tripled to 50%. Continue reading...
The actor will perform famous TV sketches - as well as new material created with Richard Curtis, Ben Elton and Howard Goodall - in Rowan Live, which opens in FebruaryRowan Atkinson will return to the stage next year to play Blackadder, Mr Bean and other comic characters from across his career in a West End show, Rowan Live. The production, which will have a short run of 30 performances, is to feature new routines as well as his famous sketches from TV shows including Not the Nine O'Clock News.It is 40 years since I last did a comedy sketch show in the West End," said Atkinson. I thought it would be fun to perform again the sketches that began it all for myself and [writer] Richard Curtis, and in which my most well-known characters originated, alongside some surprise new material written especially for this show." He and Curtis will be collaborating once more with Blackadder writer Ben Elton and its composer Howard Goodall. Continue reading...
RMIT confirms co-pilot was a student as Australian authorities examine his time in country between 2015 and 2017An Australian university has confirmed a flydubai co-pilot who allegedly tried to hijack an Israel-bound flight studied at its Melbourne campus, but left before completing his qualification.Disaster was narrowly averted on 30 September when passengers and crew intervened to stop the alleged attempt of the co-pilot, identified by media outlets as Hammam al-Hammami, to take control of a flight to Tel Aviv with 182 people onboard. Continue reading...
The FBI arrested Wanying Zhang, also known as Heather, at Los Angeles International Airport before she left for China, the agency saidUS authorities arrested a California woman on Sunday, accusing her of spying on the son of Taiwan's president at the behest of Chinese officials, the FBI said.The FBI arrested Wanying Zhang, also known as Heather, at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday before her planned departure to China, the agency said in a statement. Authorities charged Zhang, 34, of Irvine, California, with acting as an unregistered foreign agent. Continue reading...
Plans to shed as many as 2,000 employees have been announced in stages, and staff fear further cuts in 2027Morale at the BBC has been severely dented by a gradual bloodletting" that has seen plans to shed as many as 2,000 staff slowly announced over several weeks, members of the corporation's staff have warned.More internal meetings have been called for this week to discuss further details of the cuts, which aim to save 500m. Some staff already fear that further waves of cuts will follow soon after in the new year. Continue reading...
Natural History Museum and British Museum among cultural institutions leveraging collections and exhibitionsThey are often free to visit but museums are bolstering their finances by putting their stamp on everything from upmarket hotel suites to trendy jumpsuits and virtual reality experiences.Forget buying a T-shirt. If you can afford the from 724" price tag, you can spend the night in the Natural History Museum family suite at the Park Plaza London Riverbank hotel, which has an interior inspired by the museum's founder, Sir Richard Owen, complete with Tyrannosaurus rex bunk beds. Continue reading...
Study of remains taken from royal cemetery at Umm el-Qa'ab appears to confirm early Egyptologist's theoryCourt officials and craftspeople serving early Egyptian kings may have been sacrificed when their ruler died, according to research that found fractures in several ancient skulls.The royal cemetery of Umm el-Qa'ab near Abydos features the tombs and enclosures of the First Dynasty rulers of Egypt, and dates as far back as 3,000BC. Continue reading...
Experts say country does not have plan to feed people in a crisis and is unprepared for future shortagesBritain does not have a plan for how to feed people in a crisis and is unprepared for potential future food shortages, according to a warning from more than 150 experts delivered to Andy Burnham.The climate crisis, geopolitical shocks, cyber-attacks and energy outages are among the threats to food chain security, according to the open letter, which claims the government is complacent about food as a national security matter".Establish a new system of local food resilience committees under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004.Audit the UK's reliance on a few very large food companies and food imports.Realign national food production around nutritional needs.Create national, regional, local and community food storage schemes.Support the decentralisation of the UK's food supply. Continue reading...
Nine years on from a failed independence push, former president Carles Puigdemont will find times have changedAfter years of legal wrangling, Spain's constitutional court is expected to remove the last obstacle to the return of the former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont after nearly nine years in exile this week.Puigdemont fled in 2017 to avoid being jailed for his part in the failed and illegal independence push for which nine of his colleagues were imprisoned on sentences of up to 13 years, although all were released within three years. Continue reading...
The actor, who is performing on the West End, was filmed telling theatre fans you can't come 20 times and sit in the front row, it'll drive me mad'Gillian Anderson has come under fire after the actor was filmed telling a group of fans that they were distracting" her by repeatedly sitting in the front row while she performs in London's West End.The Sex Education and X-Files star was filmed outside the Soho Place theatre where she's performing in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, telling a group of fans: You guys cannot sit in the front row. I do not care; you cannot sit in the front row. It's so distracting." Continue reading...
The announcement came hours after Iranian-backed Houthis reportedly cut a vital supply route to besieged city of TaizYemen's Saudi-backed government has announced the start of a new military operation to retake all territory held by the Houthis, even as the militant group made fresh gains on the ground, reportedly encircling a government-held city.Rashad al-Alimi, the head of Yemen's presidential council, said in a statement on Sunday: I announce today the start of military operations to retake the remaining territories of the republic and extend the authority of the state and its institutions across the entire national territory." Continue reading...
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is standing against Flavio Bolsonaro in the first round of the presidential raceThe incumbent, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, is up against Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of the former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is in prison for plotting a military coup. The president in Brazil is directly elected, and candidates need more than 50% of the vote to avoid a second round. Continue reading...
by Tom Phillips and Tiago Rogero in Rio de Janeiro on (#78TWC)
Far-right challenger and son of disgraced ex-president Jair Bolsonaro put in a stronger than expected showing, with Lula calling the result unexpected'Brazil's presidential race will go to a second round after the far-right candidate, Flavio Bolsonaro, beat the incumbent leftwing president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, but failed to secure the outright majority he needed to avoid a runoff.With more than 99% of votes counted, the 45-year-old son of the disgraced former president, Jair Bolsonaro, had won 47.1%, meaning he will now face a 25 October showdown with his 80-year-old rival. Lula received 45%. Continue reading...
Union says staff left with no choice but industrial action after breakdown in pay talks with Texas oil firm ApacheA looming strike by oil workers in the North Sea could severely disrupt" UK fuel supplies, the Unite union has said, adding that staff were left with no choice after a breakdown in pay talks with the Texas oil company Apache.The union said Apache workers had emphatically" backed strike action after being given what it said was an unacceptable pay offer that amounted to a real-terms pay cut for many employees, at a time when the company was raking in eye-watering profits". Continue reading...
Many cases involve criminals using other people's identities to sell fake event tickets to friends and familyThe total amount stolen by criminals who hack into people's emails and social media accounts and then pretend to be them has risen by more than 400% in a year, official UK data shows.In many cases, the scammers are hijacking people's accounts in order to use their identity to sell fake event tickets - such as to sold-out gigs - to unsuspecting friends and family. Continue reading...
Only 150 of 2,189 titles published in UK for young children last year focused on minority ethnic, disabled or neurodivergent charactersThe number of children's books featuring Black main characters fell by almost 8% last year, according to research into diversity in UK publishing.Just 47 - or 2.1% - of the 2,189 books published for under-10s in 2025 featured a Black main character, a 7.8% fall from the previous year, according to Inclusive Books for Children. Black children make up about 8.5% of that age bracket in England and Wales. Continue reading...
by Jessica Elgot Deputy political editor on (#78TT4)
Shadow chancellor will also promise to scrap affordable homes regulations as part of strategy to refocus on growthThe Conservatives will announce a bonfire of regulations including abolishing affordable homes and community funding rules as well as scrapping Natural England and the Environment Agency.The shadow chancellor, Andrew Griffith, will say the party intends to streamline regulations" that protect nature and oblige developers to include affordable homes and community services such as GP surgeries, to speed up infrastructure and housebuilding. Continue reading...
Staunchly pro-Russia politician has dominated campaign and inflamed divisions despite not appearing on ballotBosnian Serb nationalist politician Milorad Dodik has declared victory for his party in an election in Bosnia shaped by economic pressures, the prospect of the Balkan nation joining the European Union and ethnic tensions that have divided the country since its brutal 1992-95 war.Dodik is a staunchly pro-Russia politician who, despite not appearing on the ballot, has dominated the campaign and inflamed divisions with separatist rhetoric that has sparked fears of renewed instability in Bosnia. Continue reading...
by Australian Associated Press and Andrew Messenger on (#78TD8)
Indika Bambrick Samarasinghe, 18, appears in court on dangerous driving offences after car struck Knights supporters lining streets to farewell their team
Home secretary warns people traffickers will exploit asylum seekers because they decide who comes to the UKNearly all women who try to reach the UK in small boats from northern France have been raped on their journey, Shabana Mahmood has claimed.In an interview with The Rest Is Politics podcast, the home secretary said far-right, balaclava-wearing activists would kill" or kick me out of my own country" if they took power. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Senior political correspondent on (#78TMB)
Motion calling for single Palestinian state, which is opposed by most Green MPs and expected to be challenged, passes by 1,022 votes to 813The Greens have formally adopted a policy that equates Zionism with racism and calls for Israel to be replaced by a single Palestinian state, a move opposed by the bulk of the party's MPs and which is expected to face legal challenge.Zack Polanski, who heads the Greens in England and Wales and missed the vote at the party's conference in Brighton to campaign in the Holborn and St Pancras byelection, has faced criticism for a perceived lack of leadership on a hugely divisive issue. Continue reading...
Party formally adopts policy which equates Zionism with racism, as all Green party votes to adopt policy that equates Zionism with racismOn Friday the Times revealed that Katie Lam, the communities secretary, told a meeting in private earlier this year that the state pension system needs a fundamental overhaul.Speaking in June, when she was a frontbencher but not yet in the shadow cabinet, Lam was asked at a meeting with activists if she thought the pensions triple lock was sustainable. She replied:Ultimately I think what we will need in the end is an entirely new pension system.I mean, a baby that is born today has a 20% chance of living to be 100 and I don't think we can fund one in five people half of their lives, you know, for the first 20 and the last 30 years. But obviously if you are 90 you probably can't go out and get a job right, so I think you have to be realistic about how you would taper that and bring that in across the population.The fact is, the triple lock and pensions are things that people have contributed to.Conservatives believe that if you have contributed, then you deserve to get your state pension. Continue reading...
Attack shortly after Friedrich Merz arrived on unannounced visit intended to underline Germany's backingRussia has struck another major bridge in Kyiv as the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, arrived in the capital in a show of support for Ukraine.A Russian drone hit Kyiv's key Northern Bridge over the Dnipro River, marking the fourth consecutive day that Russia has targeted bridges used by tens of thousands of residents commuting between the city's two banks. Video footage showed cars driving across the bridge as the drone plunged into the roadway and exploded in a burst of fire. Two people were injured in the strike, said Kyiv's mayor, Vitali Klitschko. Continue reading...
Calls for release of six Matsadaash staff after one is charged, while whereabouts of other five remain unknownAn Egyptian journalist has been charged with joining a terrorist group, days after an entire newsroom was detained in what rights groups have said is a crackdown on press freedoms.Last week, authorities arrested six journalists from the independent fact-checking and investigative platform Matsadaash - literally meaning don't believe" - accusing them in a statement of being unlicensed and publishing false news on behalf of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. Continue reading...
Reform UK leader was interviewed for half an hour last month over money from crypto billionaireNigel Farage has been interviewed by the standards commissioner for an investigation into whether he should have declared a 5m gift from the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne.The Reform UK leader spent about half an hour being questioned over the money, the Sunday Times reported. Farage maintains the gift was for his personal security. Continue reading...
At least 5,000 people, mainly teenagers, have been arrested while dozens of people, including students and teachers, have been injuredGermany is Ukraine's largest donor and has sent Kyiv more than 43.3 billion ($48.8 billion) since the war began, along with equipment and weapons.
Lula and Flavio Bolsonaro face off in battle between leftwing incumbent and far-right son of jailed ex-presidentBrazilians are going to the polls in the first round of a highly polarised and high-stakes presidential election that could change not only the direction of Latin America's largest country but that of the entire region.The election on Sunday pits the leftwing president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is seeking a fourth non-consecutive term, against the far-right senator Flavio Bolsonaro, an ally of Donald Trump and the son of the former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year sentence for attempting a coup after his failed 2022 re-election attempt. Continue reading...
Immigration court judge finds unsafe journeys' policy was applied unlawfully to two familiesA decision by the Home Office to block mothers and children in Gaza from joining their families in the UK has been quashed by a court.Families abroad who have had their applications approved to reunite with loved ones in the UK usually have to undergo biometric checks, including fingerprinting and facial images at a visa application centre. But the VAC in Gaza has been closed since October 2023 and it is difficult to get out of the territory. Continue reading...
Rallies have been mainstay of president's brand but even some in his own party fear voters are sick of the sight of himGet your asses in that car." That was Donald Trump's order, he later recalled, to his motorcade after foul weather grounded Air Force One in Texas on Thursday. The 85-mile dash to Oklahoma at nearly 100mph was proof that nothing can keep Trump from a Trump rally.Which might not be the good news for Republicans it once was. As the US president embarked on a 32-day campaign blitz aimed at helping them defend narrow congressional majorities in next month's midterms, some fear that he is driving them towards an electoral wipeout. Continue reading...
Trump supporters may be surprised to learn the state takeover of means of production is not driven by the leftAmericans will never accept the Democratic party's slide to the left, or so desperate Republicans are hoping.With the midterm elections fast upon us, Zohran Mamdani's promise of a few city-run bodegas in New York City will scare the bejeezus out of middle America. Disgust over the democratic socialists' unicorn-and-puppy promises of a world without capitalism will keep the Republicans in power. Continue reading...
Former Tory minister defends UK decision to enter war in podcast with US rightwinger and Putin sympathiserThe former Tory minister Jacob Rees-Mogg has found himself defending Britain's decision to fight against Adolf Hitler after inviting the US rightwinger and Vladimir Putin sympathiser Tucker Carlson into his home for an interview.During the encounter, Carlson repeatedly suggested the west was to blame for inviting aggression from Russia and said of the prospect that Britain could have lost to Hitler: Who cares?" Continue reading...
by Tobi Thomas Health and inequalities correspondent on (#78TGA)
Most counties don't have their own health agencies, and some specific population groups have low vaccination ratesPennsylvania is bracing for a wave of measles cases, with some public health officials concerned that it's only a matter of time" until the disease spreads beyond the outbreak's epicenter.Last week the state reported its fifth measles-associated death amid 943 confirmed cases across 39 counties. The outbreak comes amid concerns that public health in the US has been hit by increasing vaccine skepticism, especially due to the power and influence of controversial health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. Continue reading...
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