Andy Burnham has said local leaders in England should no longer be forced to go “cap in hand to Westminster” as the government prepares a new push to hand more spending authority to the regions in next week’s budget. In his statement on Wednesday, the chancellor, John Healey, is expected to unveil proposals for a new £1.5bn borrowing facility, developed jointly with metro mayors over the next two years. Regional leaders have long argued that their ability to borrow is too restricted, especially

October’s full moon will light up the night sky this weekend, and observant stargazers may also be able to spot Saturn nearby. Coming about a month after the autumn equinox, the full moon will rise unusually early, appearing around sunset before reaching its fullest point at 12:12 a.m. ET on Monday, October 26. On Sunday evening, Saturn will shine with a golden tint a few degrees south of the moon. The moon’s low position near the horizon can make it seem warmer in color, with shades of orange

Watching birds may help support a healthier ageing brain, and it is increasingly being introduced as a calming activity for people living with dementia. Each week, a small group of older bird enthusiasts gathers inside a wooden shelter in the English countryside. They sit quietly with binoculars, then eagerly compare sightings: an oystercatcher using its vivid beak to search among the stones, or a pair of great crested grebes floating across the lake with their feathered crests raised. Many in

Gliding towards the mountains by rail can make flying to a ski resort feel unnecessarily stressful. A journey that looks quick on paper often becomes an all-day ordeal once airport queues, crowded cabins and lengthy road transfers are added in. When calculated from door to door, a daytime train journey from London can rival flying for speed, while an overnight service can leave you with more valuable time on the snow. As Alpine glaciers continue to lose snow cover in a warming climate,

Russian actor Yefim Startsev, known for appearances in the television series “Menty Wars” and “Our Special Forces,” was killed while fighting in Russia’s war against Ukraine. He was 50 years old. Information about his death emerged only recently, although he was reportedly killed on September 30. Russian media, citing people close to the actor, reported that Startsev was buried in St. Petersburg near members of his family. It remains unclear how Yefim Startsev ended up participating in the war

The Stanford Prison Experiment ran for fewer than seven days in 1971, yet its supposed lessons about human behavior shaped public discussion for generations. A new Netflix series is now returning one of psychology’s most disputed studies — along with the serious questions surrounding it — to public attention. Led by American psychologist Philip Zimbardo, the project turned the basement of a Stanford University building into a simulated prison. From more than 70 men who replied to a newspaper

Once the bustling centre of Labrador’s fishing trade, Battle Harbour has been reborn as a remote island escape where modern life barely seems to exist. Several fishermen gather along the wharf, sleeves pushed up as four men who once “lived here” split cod. Behind them, neatly dressed merchants and other fishers in oilskins pose outside a white clapboard building trimmed in rusty red. Yet as our ferry nears the dock, there is something strange about the scene. Everyone is as still and grey as

Reports recently circulated in the media claiming that Poland had allegedly paused its military assistance to Kyiv. The speculation was linked to a decision by the Lviv Regional Council, which triggered strong reactions among Poland’s political circles. Poland’s Ministry of National Defence has now addressed the claims. Janusz Sejmej, spokesperson for Poland’s Ministry of National Defence, firmly denied that there had been any interruption or suspension of defence deliveries to Kyiv. "This

US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has arrived in St. Petersburg for talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Russian media reported. According to Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, the meeting is scheduled to take place at the Konstantinovsky Palace during the first half of the day. He said the war in Ukraine would be the main subject of the discussion. Ushakov also described the talks between Putin and Witkoff as a planned event that had been agreed in advance. He added that

US special envoy Steve Witkoff has travelled to Russia for talks with President Vladimir Putin, after Ukraine’s leader said American intelligence support on lethal Russian attacks was now functioning again. Kyiv had alleged that the United States had recently limited the sharing of this intelligence, contributing to Ukrainian deaths. Washington dismissed the accusation as outrageous. Volodymyr Zelensky made the comments after holding talks with Witkoff in Oslo on Tuesday, a meeting later

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Ukraine received no advance alert from the United States before a Russian missile assault on Sunday night, prompting renewed fears in Kyiv that Washington may be limiting intelligence support to pressure Ukraine into making concessions to Moscow. Yuri Ihnat, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s air force, said in a television interview on Monday that no warning was received before Russian missiles struck energy infrastructure in Kyiv at around 11pm. A Ukrainian government

A Saudi citizen accused of covertly placing a listening device in an OpenAI meeting room received what US prosecutors described as “substantial support” from the Saudi government, according to a court document filed in California. Prosecutors said Abdulrahman Alfozan, an employee of the company behind ChatGPT, had been in regular contact with a member of Saudi Arabia’s royal family. They also alleged that a Saudi military official paid for a one-way ticket to Saudi Arabia for his wife and child

This year’s Toronto International Film Festival brought together an impressive range of talent. In an exclusive portrait studio, filmmakers and performers reflected on the productions that have shaped their lives and careers. Warning: This article includes language that some readers may find offensive. Which film from your career has the greatest meaning for you? Kristine: Sharp Stick, directed by Lena Dunham. It was deeply personal for her, and it became personal for me too. I played Sarah Jo,

A recent mission to a remote island in the South Pacific in search of debris from Amelia Earhart’s missing aircraft has ended without a definitive discovery. On Monday, researchers said they found “no conclusive evidence” that the celebrated pilot brought her Lockheed 10E Electra down on or near the tiny atoll located south of the planned stop on her doomed journey nearly 90 years ago. The expedition to Nikumaroro Island was organized by the Archaeological Legacy Institute, based in Eugene,

Improving insulation in British homes and expanding the use of heat pumps could do more to reduce living costs, support employment and strengthen the UK economy than opening new oilfields, according to new analysis. The government’s £15bn warm homes programme, which faces possible reductions as ministers look for spending cuts, could lower household energy bills by £1bn a year nationwide, with the largest benefits going to lower-income households, research from the thinktank E3G suggests. The

The first song I truly adored When I was about five or six, my mum only allowed Christian gospel music in the house. Then her friend Jane took pity on me and gave me a cassette: Whitney Houston on one side, Cher on the other. I was completely stunned by what I heard. I Will Always Love You made me realise: this is what I want to do. The first single I bought It was So Young by the Corrs, bought from Sainsbury’s in Walton Village, Liverpool. Music was something I could rarely afford as a child,

Collioure feels like a Mediterranean fantasy Last October, while cycling through south-west France close to the Spanish frontier, a recommendation from a local waiter brought me to Collioure, near Perpignan. It felt like a Mediterranean fantasy: the peak-season visitors had gone, leaving a calm, creative town filled with gentle light, golden warmth, cobbled lanes, small beaches and the Pyrenees rising behind it. In the early evening, the lingering autumn heat made it ideal for drifting through

Crossing the causeway that joins the small fortress island of Monemvasia to the south-eastern Peloponnese, with the Aegean glittering on either side, I thought of Yiannis Ritsos, among Greece’s most admired 20th-century poets. Ritsos lived here in Monemvasia, in a home now turned into a museum beside the ochre-coloured castle walls. One line of his stayed with me: “The voyage is neither a leave-taking nor a home-coming – an ethereal bridge …” My own journey into the far south of the Peloponnese

A territorial recruitment center denied a man a deferment from military conscription during mobilization, despite his claim that he needed to support his mother, who has a Group II disability. The decision was based on the fact that the man has a sister who may also provide care for their mother. The man filed a claim with the Ternopil Administrative Court. He asked the court to declare the recruitment center’s decision unlawful and cancel it. He also requested that the court require the

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON, Oct. 15 — A decision to limit a satellite network used by Ukraine for military communications and drone missions originated within the White House, according to two U.S. officials and a Western official familiar with the matter. The officials said Defense Department leaders were informed that SpaceX’s Starshield service, which supports the Ukrainian military, was to be restricted. Those speaking anonymously did not identify the White House official who made the decision or