A children’s commissioner report ranked Middlesbrough as the hardest place in England to grow up, based on 162 measures including poverty, school exclusions and air quality. Children and local youth workers acknowledged serious challenges but said the ranking overlooks community ties, local pride and positive experiences.
Key Facts
The report, The Childhood Lottery, was published by Children’s Commissioner Rachel de Souza.
It combined 162 measures of children’s lives to compare how difficult it is to grow up in areas across England.
Middlesbrough ranked at the bottom of the report’s assessment.
Local youth workers and a teacher said the label could add to negative views of the town and discourage families.
Young people at a youth club described activities including cooking, table tennis, crafts and sports.
Some young people said they enjoy living in Middlesbrough and value its parks, museum, football and youth club.
Linx Youth Project chief executive Wayne Mason said many young people in deprived areas want to stay because Middlesbrough is home.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Andrew Woosnam’s recruitment company Premier Group entered administration in September 2025 with £2.9m in debts, including £647,000 owed to HMRC. A company he owned bought Premier’s assets but did not make the promised payments and later entered liquidation; a new recruitment brand, Xpertis Talent, has since appeared, though Woosnam is not listed as its owner.
Key Facts
Woosnam owned 99% of Premier Group, which entered administration in September 2025.
Premier Group owed £2.9m, including £647,000 to HMRC, when it entered administration.
PGGBR Ltd, a company also owned by Woosnam, acquired Premier Group’s assets three days later.
Woosnam initially paid £10,000 for the assets and promised a further £600,000 in monthly instalments.
The promised payments did not materialise, and PGGBR reportedly incurred another £400,000 in HMRC debt before entering liquidation.
Companies House filings show Woosnam received a £1.2m director’s loan from Premier Group and nearly £2m in dividends since 2022.
At least eight former Premier Group staff say they now work for Xpertis Talent, a recruitment brand created in July 2026.
Companies House filings show Xpertis Talent is wholly owned by a person based in Thailand; Woosnam is not listed as a shareholder.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
A study of more than 1,700 company administrations in England and Wales found that businesses bought back by former owners or directors were more likely to fail again than those bought by unconnected buyers. Connected-party deals also led to lower repayments to unsecured creditors, including HM Revenue and Customs.
Key Facts
The study examined official documents from more than 1,700 administrations that began in 2019.
By July 2026, 44% of pre-pack deals involving connected buyers had led to another insolvency, compared with 26% of deals involving unconnected buyers.
Connected buyers deferred payments in 65% of the administrations studied; unconnected buyers did so in 28%.
Unsecured creditors received repayments in 23% of connected-party deals with deferred payments, averaging 1.58 pence per pound owed.
For unconnected buyers, unsecured creditors received repayments in 36% of pre-pack administrations, averaging 7.86 pence per pound owed.
The study’s findings broadly align with a 2014 government review and a 2018 European Union-funded study.
Turnstone Intelligence conducted the research for the Guardian using AI agents to review company filings.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Democratic state Representative James Talarico have made competing views of Christianity a focus of the state’s U.S. Senate race. Their campaigns formed faith coalitions with different memberships, as Paxton highlights his religious faith and Talarico’s coalition includes voters from several religions.
Key Facts
Paxton is the Republican nominee and Talarico is the Democratic candidate in Texas’s U.S. Senate race.
Paxton’s “Pastors for Paxton” coalition includes 27 faith leaders, largely from evangelical, charismatic and nondenominational churches.
Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian, organized “Faithful Texans for Talarico,” which includes Christian, Jewish, Muslim and other religious voters.
Paxton has served as Texas attorney general since 2015 and won the Republican primary against four-term U.S. Senator John Cornyn.
The Republican-led Texas House impeached Paxton in 2023 on allegations of corruption and abuse of office; the state Senate acquitted him.
Paxton has described his political survival in religious terms, saying he believes God delivered him.
President Donald Trump has endorsed Paxton in the Senate race.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Brazilian voters are set to choose between Senator Flávio Bolsonaro and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in a presidential runoff. Final polls show a close race, while prediction markets give Bolsonaro a stronger chance of winning.
Key Facts
Flávio Bolsonaro is the eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro and an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Flávio Bolsonaro received 47.03 percent of valid votes in the October 4 first round, compared with Lula's 45.16 percent.
Datafolha's Thursday poll showed the candidates tied at 50 percent of valid votes.
Other final polls produced mixed results, with most showing the candidates close and within the polls' margins of error.
The Rio Times' poll average put Bolsonaro at 50.9 percent and Lula at 49.1 percent.
Polymarket gave Bolsonaro about a 78 percent chance of winning as of Saturday afternoon; Kalshi showed similar odds.
No candidate who finished second in Brazil's first round has won a presidential runoff since the country returned to democracy in 1985.
Turnout could affect the result; abstention was high in the first round, and Lula has sought to bring more voters to the polls.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
An October New York Times/Siena poll found that President Donald Trump had 38 percent approval and 57 percent disapproval among Midwest respondents. The article says the result could pose a challenge for Republicans in competitive Midwestern races, but cautions that the regional sample is less precise and does not predict election outcomes.
Key Facts
Trump’s Midwest approval rating was 38 percent, while 57 percent disapproved, a 19-point gap.
The poll surveyed 3,494 voters nationwide from October 12 to 19 and had an overall sampling error of plus or minus 1.9 percentage points.
The poll did not report the Midwest subgroup’s sample size or a separate margin of error.
Midwestern respondents gave Democrats a nine-point advantage on the generic House ballot.
Republicans are defending congressional majorities in the November 3 midterm elections.
Democrats need a net gain of four Senate seats to take control of the chamber.
Experts cited in the article pointed to economic pressures, including fuel costs and policies affecting farmers, as possible factors in Trump’s regional standing.
Republican strategists said strong local candidates might outperform Trump by attracting voters who split their tickets.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
The article argues that delays in breast cancer screening and follow-up can increase treatment costs and hinder diagnosis. It says Melania Trump’s women’s health initiative could address barriers such as referral rules, scheduling delays, and insurer approval requirements.
Key Facts
A study of Medicare beneficiaries found first-year oral prescription drug costs averaged about $700 for localized breast cancer and about $25,000 after cancer spread.
The same study found other cancer-related medical spending averaged about $34,000 for localized disease and more than $73,000 after it spread.
The American Cancer Society attributes a 44 percent drop in the breast cancer death rate since its 1989 peak to earlier diagnosis and better treatment.
The article reports five-year breast cancer survival rates of about 90 percent in the United States, 88 percent in Canada, 87 percent in France, and 86 percent in the United Kingdom.
Breast cancer diagnoses have risen about 1 percent per year overall and 1.4 percent per year among women under 50, according to the article.
In 2023, 79.8 percent of U.S. women aged 50 to 74 reported having a mammogram in the previous two years; the article says the rate has changed little since 2019.
About 10 percent of women screened in the United States are called back for further evaluation, which may involve more imaging or a biopsy.
The article says some facilities do not accept patients who book mammograms without a physician referral, and it describes delays from scheduling, referrals, and insurer authorization for advanced imaging.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
The article examines Matthew McConaughey’s video urging Americans not to dismiss independent votes as wasted. It checks his claims about party primaries, independent voters and Congress, and notes both support for some claims and limits to his argument.
Key Facts
McConaughey said he was not endorsing a candidate or party, but was speaking in favor of “fairness and reality.”
San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones criticized the video and urged voters to support Democrats; Hillary Clinton called it “really unfortunate” on her podcast.
The article cites Unite America’s estimate that 87 percent of U.S. House seats in 2024 were effectively decided in party primaries by 7 percent of eligible voters.
The article reports that Gallup found 45 percent of Americans identified as independents, including 20 percent who leaned Democratic, 15 percent who leaned Republican and 10 percent who leaned neither way.
Independent senators Bernie Sanders and Angus King caucus with Democrats, which helps them obtain committee assignments, according to the article.
Independent candidate Ross Perot received nearly 20 million votes, about 19 percent of the total, in the 1992 presidential election but won no electoral votes.
The article says McConaughey’s claim that no one has offered voters an independent candidate is contradicted by Perot’s campaign.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Alyce Collins recounts that her 18-month-old son, Deacon, was taken to a hospital after an emergency at his daycare on October 5, 2016. She says responders had cut off his Baltic amber teething necklace and that doctors saw a strangulation mark on his neck; the article title says he died.
Key Facts
Collins says she was a single mother and had researched natural parenting practices.
She put a Baltic amber teething necklace on Deacon, believing it could ease teething pain.
Collins says Deacon was 18 months old in October 2016.
She dropped him off at daycare on the morning of October 5, 2016, then went to work.
After hearing sirens, Collins drove to the daycare and found emergency vehicles there.
The daycare owner told Collins that firefighters had cut off Deacon’s necklace.
At the hospital, Collins says she saw doctors trying to resuscitate Deacon and saw a strangulation mark on his neck.
The article title states that Deacon died.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
A three-part Netflix documentary, *The One About Matthew Perry*, explores the actor’s addiction, relationships and efforts to help others. It features accounts from his sister and longtime friends and is scheduled to premiere October 27, 2026, shortly before the third anniversary of his death.
Key Facts
Perry’s sister, Mia Perry Bowick, says he spent more than $7 million pursuing sobriety.
The article notes that this figure differs from reports about Perry’s 2022 memoir, which put his rehabilitation spending above $9 million.
Bowick says Perry had recently left treatment when his family watched the *Friends* episode featuring Chandler and Monica’s wedding.
Bowick says Perry was exhausted after filming the 2021 *Friends* reunion; comedian Kevin Pollak also recalled Perry struggling on camera.
Perry let Tim Harrington, whom he met through recovery, move into his home for about a year and attended recovery meetings with him.
The documentary is directed by Mary Robertson, who said Perry’s 2022 memoir prompted her interest in telling his story.
Perry’s five *Friends* co-stars did not participate in the documentary.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Divorce attorney Hannah Hembree Bell describes a “medium-suck” marriage as one without a major crisis but marked by ongoing unhappiness. She shares signs of this situation, including feeling unsure whether to leave and judging a marriage by the problems it lacks rather than by whether it brings happiness.
Key Facts
Bell says her first marriage ended after she recognized that she was quietly unhappy, despite no single major problem.
Bell describes a “medium-suck” marriage as one in which a person feels they are functioning rather than flourishing.
One sign Bell identifies is feeling that there is no clear reason to leave but also no strong reason to stay.
Another sign is measuring a marriage by the absence of major problems, such as abuse, infidelity, or frequent arguments.
The article says researchers estimate that about 40 percent of first marriages in the United States end in divorce.
A study cited in the article found that divorced participants most often named lack of commitment, infidelity, and excessive conflict as contributors to their divorce.
The study also listed financial problems and substance abuse among commonly cited contributors to divorce.
Bell is now a divorce attorney and says she is happily married in a blended family with four children.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Vote-Scope projects Democrats will win 54 Senate seats, but polling experts say a 55-seat majority remains unlikely. They say Democrats would need to hold their current seats and win several races in Republican-leaning states, including contests beyond their main pickup opportunities.
Key Facts
Vote-Scope’s October 23 forecast gives Democrats 54 seats, with a range of 48 to 55 and a 71 percent chance of a Senate majority.
The forecast draws on 529 polls and 50,000 simulations, weighting polls by quality, sample size and recency.
The Fred Cornell Senate Forecast projects 52 Democratic seats and gives the party a 66 percent chance of winning at least 51.
The 270toWin consensus places 49 seats in the Democratic column and lists five races as tossups.
Democrats need a net gain of four seats for a 51-seat majority and eight pickups, with no losses, to reach 55.
The article identifies North Carolina, Maine, Ohio and Texas as four leading Democratic pickup opportunities; winning all four would bring the party to 51 seats.
Pollsters Lee Miringoff and Patrick Ruffini said a 55-seat outcome is unlikely; Ruffini estimated its probability at about one in ten.
Ruffini said Iowa could be a key test: a Democratic win could make Kansas competitive, while a loss could leave 53 seats as the party’s upper limit.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Indigenous communities in Brazil’s Amazon say they are concerned that the election outcome could affect environmental protections. Al Jazeera’s Monica Yanakiew reports on their concerns.
Key Facts
Indigenous communities in Brazil’s Amazon expressed concern about the election’s potential impact on environmental protections.
The article focuses on Brazil’s election and environmental protections.
Monica Yanakiew reported the story for Al Jazeera.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
A shooting near Florida A&M University's Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee injured 11 people on Saturday, police said. Police said a physical altercation may have preceded the shooting; no arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing.
Key Facts
The shooting happened shortly after Florida A&M's homecoming football game at Bragg Memorial Stadium.
Six of the injured people were juveniles, including an 11-year-old.
One injured person is a Florida A&M University student.
Police said one victim was in critical condition, three had serious injuries, and the others were stable.
The grandmother of one victim was injured while fleeing the scene.
Tallahassee police said they believe a physical altercation occurred before the shooting.
No arrests had been made, and detectives and forensic personnel were investigating.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Former President Barack Obama campaigned for Democrats in Ohio and Michigan ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. He criticized President Donald Trump’s Iran war, tariffs and trade policies, and urged voters to reject Republicans.
Key Facts
Obama spoke at rallies in Cleveland, Ohio, and Michigan on Saturday, 10 days before the elections.
In Cleveland, Obama backed former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown.
Obama said Trump’s decision to withdraw from the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement and start a war had raised oil and diesel prices.
Obama cited attacks on U.S. bases, American casualties and disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz as consequences of the war.
Obama argued that tariffs raise costs for consumers and for U.S. manufacturers that use imported parts.
Trump has threatened 50 percent tariffs on Canadian vehicles and auto parts starting in January 2027, according to the article.
Obama said the federal debt had reached $40 trillion; the article notes that this is accumulated debt, not the annual budget deficit.
Senate and gubernatorial races are taking place in both Ohio and Michigan.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Kenyan creator That Girl Boina says diverted customer payments and suspected employee theft contributed to falling revenue at her Nairobi waxing studio, which closed in October 2025. Her account drew responses from other Kenyan business owners, while a 2022 PwC survey found that 63% of East African respondents said their organisations had experienced economic crime.
Key Facts
Boina opened Waxaholic Studio in Nairobi on 1 September 2024.
She hired a receptionist and two specialists and took a two-week trip to Europe.
A customer told Boina that someone at the studio had asked them to send payment to a number different from the one displayed at the business.
Boina said the studio's revenue began falling in early 2025, and she later decided to close it rather than confront the employees.
Waxaholic Studio closed in October 2025 after Boina failed to find a buyer and sold some of its equipment.
Boina shared a video about the experience on TikTok in September, nearly a year after the studio closed; the video was widely reposted and viewed.
A 2022 PwC survey found that 63% of East African respondents said their organisations had experienced economic crime, compared with 46% globally.
The article says employee theft was among the problems partly attributed to the collapse of Kenyan supermarket chains Tuskys and Nakumatt, alongside wider financial and operational issues.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Elon Musk said SpaceX restricted Ukraine’s Starlink service last week because, he alleged, Ukraine used the civilian network for offensive drone strikes. Ukrainian officials said the connection had stabilized, but Kyiv had not officially responded to Musk’s claim; a Ukrainian presidential adviser disputed it. The article links the service disruption to a broader dispute between Washington and Kyiv over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure.
Key Facts
Musk said SpaceX closed what he described as a loophole that let Ukraine use Starlink for offensive drone strikes.
Musk denied responsibility for a simultaneous issue with Starshield, which he said is controlled by the U.S. government.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov said Ukraine could not use commercial Starlink for long- and medium-range drone strikes.
Ukraine’s defense minister said the military was recording a stable connection, and President Volodymyr Zelensky said service speeds had returned to the needed level.
Ukraine uses Starlink for battlefield coordination and Starshield for some military communications and drone operations.
Ukraine previously said the connection cut out when drones exceeded 161 km/h; officials said speeds were now above 400 km/h.
The connectivity problems began amid a dispute between Washington and Kyiv over Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil infrastructure.
Trump said he had told Musk to restore the service, while also denying that he had instructed Musk to restrict it.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Brazilian voters are choosing between President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro in a closely contested presidential runoff. Lula has gained ground since the first round, while the candidates’ supporters remain largely settled and undecided voters may determine the result.
Key Facts
Flávio Bolsonaro won the first-round vote by less than two percentage points.
Lula focused his runoff campaign on voter turnout after abstention reached a record high in the first round.
Flávio Bolsonaro is the eldest son of former president Jair Bolsonaro.
Jair Bolsonaro is under house arrest and serving a 27-year sentence for attempting to overturn his 2022 election defeat, according to the article.
Flávio Bolsonaro has said he would pardon his father if elected.
Flávio Bolsonaro has proposed building five large prisons and has called for constitutional changes.
The article says Flávio Bolsonaro is under investigation in two federal police inquiries over alleged corruption and money laundering.
Both candidates held large closing campaign rallies on Saturday.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Channel 4 is bringing back One Born Every Minute for a 12th series, filmed at St Mary’s Hospital in Manchester. The new series focuses more on parents’ experiences and includes stories about caesarean births, pregnancy loss, health anxiety and complicated pregnancies.
Key Facts
The first episode airs on Sunday night.
The series is made by Dragonfly for Channel 4.
Executive producer Will Rowson said the show reflects greater willingness among parents to share personal experiences.
The series shifts its focus toward parents and their stories, rather than medical staff.
The programme features caesarean births and other surgical procedures.
Faye discusses multiple miscarriages and the anxiety she experienced during a later pregnancy.
Peace shares her experience of having twins and concerns about their growth.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited China on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, and inaugurated a new bridge linking the two countries. He met Chinese officials and said North Korea would strengthen cooperation and ties with Beijing.
Key Facts
Kim crossed the new bridge into the Chinese border city of Dandong, according to South Korean and Chinese sources.
Kim visited a memorial to China's support for North Korea during the 1950–53 Korean War.
Kim met Wang Huning, a member of the Chinese Communist Party's Standing Committee.
Wang conveyed Chinese President Xi Jinping's greetings, according to North Korea's state news agency.
Kim and Wang toured a car factory before Wang accompanied Kim to the bridge.
North Korea has sent troops and conventional weapons to support Russia's war in Ukraine, the article says.
Kim last visited Beijing in September 2025, when he met Xi Jinping and attended a military parade.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
