A new free repair shop will open in Oxford's Jericho neighborhood at St Barnabas CE Primary School on Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon. Volunteers will help fix bikes, electrical items, computers, and clothes for free, with donations accepted to cover costs and support future events.
Key Facts
The first Jericho Repair Shop event will be held at St Barnabas CE Primary School in Oxford on Saturday.
Repairs will include bicycles, electrical devices, computers, and sewing/mending clothes.
The event runs from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. British Summer Time (BST).
Donations are welcome and will help pay for rent and advertising.
Organiser John Mair was inspired by a similar repair shop in Wolvercote.
The goal is to reduce waste by fixing items instead of throwing them away.
If enough people attend, the repair shop plans to run monthly on the first Saturday.
The event aims to create a community hub and promote sustainability in the neighborhood.
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K-pop groups Stray Kids and BTS have decided not to participate in the 2027 Grammy Awards because a new category for Asian pop music has been added. They and some fans are concerned this category might separate Asian music from other main categories and limit recognition.
Key Facts
Stray Kids and BTS are two of the biggest K-pop groups in the world.
Both groups will not submit their music for Grammy consideration in 2027.
The Recording Academy introduced a new Grammy category specifically for Asian pop music.
The new category aims to honor Asian pop music performances mainly recognized in Asia.
Some artists worry the new category will isolate Asian music from the main Grammy awards.
BTS and Stray Kids are voting members of the Recording Academy, giving weight to their boycott.
The new category requires nominated songs to use an Asian language, which affects groups like BTS and Blackpink who sing mainly in English.
Grammy officials say they will keep talking with the Asian music community to improve the award.
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An Ethiopian government-aligned armed group says it is nearly in full control of the northern Tigray region after ongoing fighting with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). The conflict resumed in September, leading to rapid advances by government forces and worsening the humanitarian situation for millions of people living there.
Key Facts
The Tigray Peace Forces (TPF), aligned with Ethiopia’s federal government, claim to have wiped out TPLF forces in Tigray.
The fighting restarted in September after a peace deal from 2022 fell apart.
TPLF still controls some towns and promises to fight back.
Seven armed groups formed an alliance to remove Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and create a transitional government.
The conflict has spread from Tigray to nearby Amhara and Afar regions.
Ethiopia accuses Eritrea, Egypt, and Sudan of supporting the TPLF alliance; these countries deny the accusations.
The African Union urges calm and calls for avoiding actions that increase tensions in the region.
Around 6 to 7 million people in Tigray face electricity and communication outages and some civilians are fleeing due to the fighting.
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A Venezuelan delivery driver shot by a federal immigration officer in Texas had surgery to remove a bullet lodged near his spine. He remains in custody facing assault charges and possible deportation after the September incident involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Key Facts
Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez, 28, was shot by an ICE officer in Austin, Texas, on September 20.
The bullet stayed near his spine for about two weeks before surgery removed it.
He faces charges of assaulting an officer by hitting the officer with his car’s side mirror while trying to leave a traffic stop.
The ICE officer who fired was not wearing a body camera during the incident.
Garcés Pérez was initially treated in a hospital then moved to a detention center 140 miles away.
He could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted and is also facing deportation.
The shooting has caused protests in Austin against President Trump’s immigration policies and ICE’s actions.
Garcés Pérez’s legal team said he is recovering under U.S. Marshals custody after surgery.
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Berlin is experiencing political tensions similar to those in the 1920s during the Weimar period. The far-left Linke party won the recent state election, while far-right groups like the AfD have significant support, contributing to divisions in the city and the country.
Key Facts
The Linke party won 25.7% of the vote in Berlin’s recent state election, led by Elif Eralp.
The Linke party supports more affordable housing and wants to nationalize large property companies.
Far-right party AfD polls at 27% nationwide, focusing on sending immigrants back.
Berlin’s counterintelligence agency classifies hundreds of people from violent far-right, Islamist, and far-left groups.
The Linke party wants to replace the counterintelligence agency with a less secretive research group.
Some Arab-origin criminal clans attended the Linke’s election party, raising concerns about connections to extremist groups.
The political climate in Berlin is deeply divided, with tensions similar to those before the rise of the Nazis in the 1920s.
Coalition talks are ongoing, but parties are cautious because of the Linke’s links to radical pro-Palestine groups calling for armed uprisings.
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Maryland became the first state to ban supermarkets from using personalized dynamic pricing, which means stores cannot charge different prices for food based on data about the shopper. This law aims to stop stores from using algorithms to charge customers more for groceries, like milk, depending on who they are.
Key Facts
Maryland's Protection From Predatory Pricing Act started on October 1.
The law prohibits grocery stores from using personal data to set different prices for individual customers.
Dynamic pricing adjusts prices based on demand, supply, or customer behavior, often using computer algorithms.
Airlines and companies like Ticketmaster and Uber have long used forms of dynamic pricing.
Stores like Walmart are installing electronic shelf labels that make changing prices faster.
Walmart says its electronic labels don’t collect customer data or change prices automatically.
A study found 74% of grocery items had different prices for different users shopping at the same time on Instacart.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is investigating pricing practices that use consumer data, called "surveillance pricing."
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Tunisia has changed a law that punished people for spreading false information online. Now, first-time offenders can pay fines instead of going to jail, but repeat offenders may still face prison time.
Key Facts
The change is to Decree 54, a law from September 2022 targeting false news spread electronically.
First-time offenders will be fined between 10,000 to 20,000 Tunisian dinars ($3,370 to $6,740) instead of serving five years in prison.
Repeat offenders can still face jail time.
The law was criticized for being used to jail journalists, activists, and government critics.
The decree punished spreading untrue information that could harm security, reputation, or public order.
The harshest penalties included prison up to 10 years and fines over $32,000 for targeting public officials.
Human rights and media groups said the law was used to limit free speech and silence opposition.
Hundreds of journalists and activists have been prosecuted under this decree since 2022.
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President Donald Trump is urging Senate Republicans to advance a bill called the Sunshine Protection Act, which would stop the twice-yearly changing of clocks for daylight saving time and make daylight saving time permanent. He criticized Senator Tom Cotton for slowing down the bipartisan effort in the Senate.
Key Facts
President Trump supports the Sunshine Protection Act to end changing clocks twice a year.
The bill aims to make daylight saving time permanent throughout the year.
The House of Representatives has already passed the Sunshine Protection Act.
Senator Tom Cotton is seen as a key Senate figure slowing the bill's progress.
President Trump has renamed the bill the “No More Changing of Clocks Act.”
The bill has bipartisan support, meaning members from both parties back it.
The purpose of the bill is to avoid the inconvenience of switching clocks in spring and fall.
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Police and the FBI in Philadelphia are investigating a burned-out house linked to Raymond "RC" Horsch, a deceased criminal and photographer. They have found a large number of photos and films of women connected to the house, where at least seven women went missing, with five believed dead, though no bodies have been recovered.
Key Facts
The house at 417 West Chew Avenue in Philadelphia is linked to criminal activity over more than 30 years.
Raymond "RC" Horsch, who died last year, was a criminal, artist, author, and snuff photographer.
At least seven women tied to the house have gone missing; police believe five of them are dead.
Investigators found about a million photos and films showing 58 women; 25 have been located but not interviewed.
Some images show women unconscious or injured, but it is unclear if these are real or staged.
Horsch’s son Eugene is in custody on federal gun and drug charges.
The neighborhood near the house is known for drug use, homelessness, and high disappearance rates.
Police began the investigation after Eugene Horsch was stopped with fake law enforcement IDs and a missing woman's ID.
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In Ohio, 16 children were taken from a home found in poor conditions, highlighting problems with the state’s child welfare system. The family involved faces multiple charges, and the case shows the financial and logistical challenges counties face in caring for at-risk children.
Key Facts
In June 2025, Jody Walker, head of South Central Ohio Job and Family Services, warned lawmakers about severe challenges in the child welfare system.
On June 30, 16 children were removed from a decaying home in Hamden, Ohio; some were critically ill and needed hospital care.
The children’s grandparents and parents were charged with child endangerment; the parents face additional sexual offense charges.
The family services agency struggles with high costs, spending about $200 per child per day for foster care.
Costs for foster care and group homes have risen sharply, with placement expenses increasing 41% since 2020.
Ohio’s state funding for child services is about 20%, lower than the national average of 42%.
Vinton County, where the children were found, is rural and poor, with property taxes unable to cover the rising care costs.
Law enforcement found the children’s situation while arresting the parents on unrelated charges.
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Minnesota’s Senate race is attracting attention as a possible unexpected win for Republicans in the November elections. Republicans have focused on welfare fraud as a key issue in their campaign strategy.
Key Facts
Minnesota’s Senate race is seen as a potential surprise for Republicans in the upcoming elections.
Republicans are emphasizing welfare fraud to gain voter support.
Welfare fraud refers to people illegally receiving government assistance.
Midterm elections will determine control of the Senate.
The campaign strategy aims to appeal to voters concerned about government spending and fraud.
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A man arrested in 2023 in connection with the 1993 murders of Harry and Megan Tooze in Wales is no longer being investigated. The couple was found shot dead in their farm’s cow shed, and while their daughter's boyfriend was once convicted, he was later freed on appeal.
Key Facts
Harry and Megan Tooze were killed on 26 July 1993 at their farm in Llanharry, Wales.
They were found shot in the head and hidden under hay bales in a cow shed.
The couple’s daughter’s boyfriend, Jonathan Jones, was convicted in 1995 but was released after an appeal due to errors in the trial.
South Wales Police arrested an 87-year-old man in 2023 as part of a review but decided to take no further action against him.
Police believe the couple were killed elsewhere and their bodies moved to the cow shed.
The investigation is ongoing, with police urging anyone with information to come forward.
The original crime scene was not sealed properly, which affected the first trial.
The forensic review is led by South Wales Police’s Major Crime Investigation Team.
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Julie Ann McIlwaine, a woman from west Belfast who killed her abusive partner James Joseph Crossley while he slept, has had her murder conviction overturned. The Court of Appeal said the jury was wrongly instructed on the law about her temporary loss of control due to abuse, so her guilty verdict was quashed.
Key Facts
Julie Ann McIlwaine stabbed James Joseph Crossley multiple times while he was sleeping next to their child in March 2022.
McIlwaine admitted to killing Crossley but denied it was murder, claiming she temporarily lost control because of his abuse.
Crossley was abusive, emotionally controlling, and was on bail with a restraining order for assaulting McIlwaine before his death.
In 2024, a jury found McIlwaine guilty of murder and sentenced her to at least 12 years in prison.
On appeal, judges said jurors were wrongly told to apply a stricter legal test when deciding if McIlwaine's loss of control defence was valid.
Expert psychiatrists testified that abuse victims may react with loss of self-control, supporting McIlwaine's defence.
The Court of Appeal quashed the murder conviction and gave prosecutors two weeks to decide whether to seek a retrial.
McIlwaine was emotional when the decision was announced via video link from prison.
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FlyDubai captain Smit Machchhar was attacked by his co-pilot during a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. Despite serious injuries, Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, allowing others to help, and the plane made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
Key Facts
The attack happened mid-air on a FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
Captain Smit Machchhar was seriously injured by his co-pilot.
During the attack, the plane dropped thousands of feet.
Machchhar opened the cockpit door, enabling passengers and crew to intervene.
The plane made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised Machchhar for his courage and quick thinking.
Modi spoke to Machchhar via a video call while the captain was recovering in the UAE.
Prayers for Machchhar’s recovery were held at temples across India.
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A judge in Washington, D.C. permanently dismissed vandalism charges against former Olympian David Hearn related to damage at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The judge ruled that evidence showed the damage was caused by renovations, not vandalism, and ruled out new charges.
Key Facts
David Hearn was accused of damaging the Reflecting Pool lining during a bike ride.
Prosecutors claimed they had strong proof that Hearn vandalized the pool.
President Donald Trump said vandals caused damage to a pool renovation project he supported.
Evidence later showed the renovation work itself caused the damage.
Charges against Hearn were dropped six weeks after his arrest, but prosecutors originally wanted to keep the case open.
Judge Todd Edelman dismissed the case with prejudice, so Hearn can’t be charged again for this.
The judge noted President Trump’s public criticism may have pressured prosecutors to pursue the case despite lack of evidence.
Hearn and his lawyer are thinking about taking legal action against President Trump or his administration.
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Gordon Ramsay’s UK restaurants made over £100 million in sales last year but still had a loss of £5.8 million, smaller than the previous year. Globally, his restaurant group grew sales and profits, opening new locations in different countries and focusing on partnerships to expand.
Key Facts
UK sales rose to almost £101 million, but the business lost £5.8 million, less than the £9.4 million loss before.
The UK group includes 34 restaurants, such as Savoy Grill, Pétrus, and Lucky Cat.
Global sales increased 7% to £151.8 million, with profits rising 12% to £14.4 million.
The global group includes 103 restaurants, including those in the US, Middle East, and Asia.
The business benefited from the Netflix documentary "Being Gordon Ramsay" and new openings like the 100th restaurant at 22 Bishopsgate, London.
The company is focusing on profitability, controlled investment, and growth through partnerships and licensing deals.
Gordon Ramsay’s UK business was affected by the pandemic, leading to job cuts and losses, but has since improved.
The group did not pay dividends to shareholders this year.
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Many schools in France remain closed due to ongoing protests by students about their learning conditions. The protests have involved violence, blockades, and resulted in hundreds of arrests across the country.
Key Facts
The protests are happening in many French schools nationwide.
Students are demonstrating about their school learning conditions.
Some protests have turned violent.
Blockades have been used to disrupt normal school activities.
Authorities have arrested hundreds of people involved in the protests.
The situation is causing widespread school closures.
Students in Paris have been actively speaking out during these protests.
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The United States has tried to push Sudan’s army to agree to a ceasefire during the ongoing war in Sudan, but this strategy has not worked. Recent US sanctions and diplomatic efforts have put pressure mainly on Sudan’s army, while the rebel group remains largely unshaken, making a peace deal even harder to reach.
Key Facts
Sudan has been in a destructive war for over three years involving the national army and the rebel Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The US wants an unconditional ceasefire to stop fighting and allow aid into the country.
The US has pressured Sudan’s army (SAF) more than the RSF, which is seen as more cooperative in talks.
The US has a long history of sanctions on Sudan but those have not stopped the conflict.
New US sanctions were applied in 2024 against Sudan’s army and chemical weapons use, though investigations into chemical attacks were unclear.
The US tried to expand a UN arms embargo on Sudan but failed to get enough support, partly due to opposition from Russia.
General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, leader of Sudan’s army, was only allowed to attend the UN General Assembly after agreeing to sign the US ceasefire deal, which he refused.
Experts say a ceasefire without clear future plans for both sides may not end the war but instead divide Sudan more deeply.
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Divers found the body of a missing patient after a medical helicopter crashed into the Pacific Ocean near Catalina Island, California, bringing the total deaths to three. The helicopter went down shortly after takeoff while transporting a patient and four others; the crash is under investigation.
Key Facts
The helicopter crashed into the ocean near Catalina Island, off Los Angeles.
The missing person found was a patient being transported for medical care due to an allergic reaction.
Five people were on board: a patient, her 20-year-old son, the pilot, a nurse, and another medic.
The pilot and a nurse died at the scene; the patient’s body was found later in the wreckage.
Two others were rescued and are recovering in hospital.
Divers searched over 156 square miles for more than 23 hours before finding the body.
The helicopter was a Eurocopter EC-135-P2 and is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The helicopter crashed about 200 feet underwater shortly after takeoff.
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