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Yorkshire Water boss resigns after firm downgraded

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 13:59:16 GMT

Nicola Shaw had been criticised over Yorkshire Water's pay and performance

David Spereall

Yorkshire

30 October 2026, 07:54 GMT

Updated 4 minutes ago

Yorkshire Water's chief executive has announced she is to step down, just 24 hours after the company was given the lowest possible environmental rating by the Environment Agency.

Nicola Shaw, who has led the firm since 2022, will leave the role on 1 January to be replaced by Nicola Medalova, a chartered environmental health officer who previously worked for the National Grid.

In a statement on Friday, Shaw said it had been a "privilege" to lead the company but that it was the "right time" to leave her post.

Shaw has faced criticism in recent years, including for taking £1.9m in undisclosed payments between 2023 and 2026, while the company has come under scrutiny for its performance.

The payments were made by Yorkshire Water's parent company, Kelda Holdings, for what the firm said was "investor engagement" and "financial oversight".

On Thursday, the Environment Agency gave the firm one star out of four - its lowest possible rating - meaning Yorkshire Water was classed as a "poorly performing company".

The EA said Yorkshire Water was responsible for 260 pollution incidents in 2025, which was its highest total since 2011.

In 2024, Ofwat announced it was fining the company £47m for historic sewage leaks.

'Extremely proud'

In her statement, Shaw said: "It has been a privilege to lead Yorkshire Water and serve the people of Yorkshire.

"Although there remains a huge amount of work to do, I am extremely proud of what our colleagues have achieved, putting the business on a stronger footing for delivery across all aspects of its work."

Yorkshire Water said Medalova would join the company on Monday as part of a transition period before assuming the chief executive officer role full time in the new year.

She said: "I am delighted to be joining Yorkshire Water and grateful to the board for the opportunity to lead the business through its next chapter.

"Yorkshire Water faces huge challenges but also great opportunities for continued improvement and I look forward to working with Nicola Shaw, the leadership team and colleagues across the business as I get up to speed."

In December last year Shaw said "not being transparent" about receiving £1.3m in shareholder-funded payments across two instalments had been a "mistake", but had insisted those amounts were "not for me to decide".

She received a further £660,000 earlier this year. Ofwat said the payments were not performance-related.

The previously undisclosed payments had come to light the previous August when the government banned Yorkshire Water and five other water companies from paying "unfair" bonuses to bosses.

Reaction from MPs

Tom Gordon, Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said Shaw should have stepped down "much earlier".

"Good riddance. Nicola Shaw oversaw abysmal management of our precious natural resources, trashing our rivers while receiving an eye-watering salary," he said.

"Her replacement needs to understand that residents are at their wits' end, paying ever-rising bills for polluted rivers and threats of hosepipe bans while someone at the top rakes in millions."

Meanwhile, Judith Cummins, Labour MP for Bradford South, said Yorkshire Water needed "more than a change of leadership" but a "complete change of direction".

"A new face at the top cannot wash away years of Yorkshire Water failing to put customers first," she said.

"Nicola Shaw's time as Yorkshire Water boss saw customers frustrated by poor service, skyrocketing bills, record pollution incidents, and a plummet from 'good' to the worst possible one-star environment rating.

"There must be a wholesale shift in culture that finally prioritises customers. Only then can the company begin to restore public trust."

Robbie Moore, Conservative MP for Keighley and Ilkley, said Shaw's resignation "could not have come quick enough".

He added: "I have therefore already requested an urgent meeting with the new CEO Designate Nicola Medalova to understand how she plans to improve Yorkshire Water's performance at speed.

"The status quo cannot continue."

Additional reporting by David Rhodes and Grace Wood

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.

Alaska Senate candidate denies knowing about alleged plot to put two Dan Sullivans on ballot

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 13:46:16 GMT

Getty Images

Mary Peltola, Democratic Senate candidate for Alaska

Ana Faguy

17 minutes ago

Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola has denied she knew anything about an alleged "scheme" that led to two men named Dan Sullivan standing in the Alaska Senate race.

The denial comes as the Trump administration continues to escalate a criminal investigation into the matter, according to US media. The Republican governor of the state ordered an official inquiry earlier this week.

Dan S Sullivan, the incumbent Republican senator running for re-election, and allies have accused the Democrats of trying to confuse voters.

The Alaska race is considered by analysts to be one of the tightest of the upcoming US midterm elections, which will decide which party controls Congress.

"I just want to clear the air," Peltola said while speaking to voters on Thursday. "I knew nothing about any other candidate on the ballot except for me and the incumbent. That is all I have ever known about. I am not interested in tricking voters."

Both Dan Sullivans have been running for the open Senate seat for some time. Still, controversy erupted earlier this week when The New York Times, external reported that Peltola's team worked with people who tried to recruit spoiler candidates in the Senate race.

The Times's report alleged that people connected to Peltola's campaign, as well as senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), worked to try to recruit Dan J Sullivan, a retired teacher who lives in a remote fishing village, to stand in the Senate race.

The paper said it had seen text messages and interviewed 12 people who participated in or were told of the plan, or were would-be candidates who the team tried to recruit. The BBC has not independently verified the reporting.

The Peltola campaign has denied those reports and Sullivan has denied any links to the campaign.

But those denials have not stopped the US Department of Justice and Republicans from attacking Peltola.

The justice department has begun issuing subpoenas targeting Democratic officials allegedly connected to the effort to recruit Dan J Sullivan to be on the Alaska ballot, according to CBS News, the BBC's US news partner.

No charges have been filed as of Friday morning.

The Trump administration filed a federal lawsuit last week aimed at preventing the certification of the result if the Trump-backed Sullivan loses, arguing that the presence of both of them on the ballot could confuse voters.

On Wednesday, the justice department amended its lawsuit to include the reporting by the Times, citing significant sections of the story as well as Governor Mike Dunleavy's announcement of an investigation.

The legal action comes days before voters across the US head to the polls. This race in Alaska is among the closest-watched in the country, as it could be the deciding factor in who controls the Senate.

The non-partisan Cook Political Report currently classifies the race as a toss-up.

Popular and talented - but Grealish is running out of chances

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 13:42:15 GMT

Is it 'now or never' for Jack Grealish after he was dropped by Everton for a breach of club discipline, asks chief football writer Phil McNulty?

US inmate Christa Pike says she woke up 'confused and in pain' after failed execution

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 13:41:57 GMT

Reuters

30 October 2026, 13:28 GMT

Updated 21 minutes ago

US death row inmate Christa Pike has released her first public statement since her botched execution in September.

"There hasn't been a moment since that night when I haven't been in pain," she said in a statement released by her legal team on social media on Friday.

"My body hurts. My arms hurt. My hands hurt. My throat hurts. I still struggle to speak. And the pain isn't just physical. There is pain in my mind and in my soul."

Pike, 50, was discharged from hospital at the end of last month after surviving two lethal injections of the drug pentobarbital, which left her in a critical condition.

She has since been sent back to the prison where she has spent the last 30 years for murdering Colleen Slemmer in 1995.

Pike is thought to be the only person to have survived an execution attempt by lethal injection.

Her lawyers previously said she had suffered from pneumonia following the attempted execution, had significant swelling on her arms and was also unable to swallow.

"I am recovering, and I know that I am getting stronger," she said in her statement on Friday. "But healing is not the same as being okay."

Pike was 18 when she and her then-boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, beat, tortured and killed 19-year-old Slemmer, whom they had met at a job training camp for low-income young people.

Shipp was spared the death penalty because he was not legally an adult when the crime was committed. He remains in prison.

England edge towards World Cup exit despite PNG win

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 13:29:47 GMT

England's points chase against Papua New Guinea descends into an error-strewn 34-12 win that will almost certainly lead to their World Cup exit.

Spain transport minister says he won't resign over high-speed rail disaster

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 13:03:34 GMT

EPA

Angus Thompson

1 hour ago

Spain's transport minister says he won't resign over the high-speed rail collision that has left at least 69 people dead.

Óscar Puente told a news conference in Madrid he had "nothing to hide" while repeating the government's vow to get to the bottom of the disaster, saying many questions needed to be answered.

"My duty right now is not to talk about whether I should remain in my position, but to resolve the problem," Puente said.

The transport minister has been facing calls to step down in the aftermath of the tragedy, including from political rivals, a trade union and demonstrators who protested outside the transport ministry on Wednesday night.

Dozens were killed and many more injured when a state-operated Renfe high-speed train smashed into the back of another stationary train operated by the Iryo company near the town of Urda, in the central Toledo province, on Wednesday morning.

A preliminary report released by transport investigators late on Thursday found the Renfe train was travelling between 160km/h (99.4mph) and 200km/h when the collision occurred, causing its front carriage to become embedded in the tail of the stationary train.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said earlier on Friday that public trust in Spain's high-speed rail network had been broken and repeated it was "unacceptable" that there had been two similar tragedies within a year.

In January a collision on the same Madrid-Seville route killed 46 people in Adamuz in southern Spain.

Wednesday's tragedy was one of the worst rail disasters in Europe's modern history, and Spain's worst crash since 2013.

Puente said on Wednesday a computer failure at about 08:30 that morning led to the initial halt of six moving trains, including the two trains that subsequently collided.

Leaked audio recordings published in Spanish media revealed conversations between train drivers and a control centre just minutes before the crash.

AFP via Getty Images

Three audio recordings between Madrid's control centre and two train drivers appear to show that one high-speed train was given clearance to move even though another train had stalled on the track, about 25km (15 miles) ahead.

Puente had said that the decision to instruct the trains to move again, without any speed restrictions, was "inexplicable".

The leaking of the audio recordings has been criticised by some Spanish politicians, with Alberto Ibáñez, a member of Congress for the left-wing Sumar platform, writing on X that they were "despicable".

Meanwhile, Irene Montero - the prime ministerial candidate for the left-wing Podemos party - said responsibility for the crash should not be placed on one worker, adding that train drivers and experts have been warning against the liberalisation of the railway sector for years.

On Friday Puente said he was "not going to use any worker as a shield".

But he said "many questions" arose as a result of the tragedy and he wanted to look at them "one by one".

"If the investigation shows there is human error we will act in consequence of that," he said.

The country is observing three days of mourning, as the families of victims and the survivors of the crash struggle to comprehend how it could have happened.

The conservative People's Party joined calls for Puente's resignation after trade union CSIF called for the same earlier this week.

But Puente said on Friday he would not budge from his position.

"The easy thing for me would be to leave, but neither that fits with my character nor is it what the Prime Minister has asked me to do," he said.

"I feel immense pain and immense sadness for the victims and their relatives... I cannot let this pain paralyse me though. We have to find solutions to this problem."

Additional reporting by Sergi Forcada Freixas

Driver guilty of hitting cyclist and dragging him to death under car

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 12:55:37 GMT

GMP

Simon Richardson's Volvo was captured on CCTV after it struck Michael Mullins

Phil McCann and Lauren HirstNorth West

30 October 2026, 11:49 GMT

Updated 1 hour ago

Warning: This article contains distressing content

A man has been found guilty of murdering a head teacher who was dragged to his death for more than a mile while trapped under the wheels of a car.

Simon Richardson crashed into 56-year-old Michael Mullins, who was cycling home from his job at Stretford Grammar School on the evening of 20 April in the village of Warburton in Trafford, Greater Manchester.

Prosecutors claimed Richardson, 35, fled the scene of the crash before stopping to try to dislodge the injured but still-living cyclist and then driving on with Mr Mullins still lodged underneath the vehicle.

Richardson was also convicted of dangerous driving and will return to Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court to be sentenced on Monday.

There were shouts of "Yes!" from the court's public gallery as the murder verdict was returned.

Others could also be heard crying.

The judge, Mrs Justice Brunner KC, told Richardson that there was only one sentence for murder, namely life imprisonment.

Stretford Grammar School

Michael Mullins was head teacher of Stretford Grammar School in Trafford, Greater Manchester

The court heard Richardson had driven through "give way" markings at a junction in Warburton before colliding with the father-of-two, who went under the Volvo XC90.

Richardson then drove off before stopping in a country lane and twice getting out of the vehicle in attempts to pull Mr Mullins free, the jury was told.

He then mounted the grass verge in his Volvo and finally dislodged him before reversing over Mr Mullins, causing "crushing" chest injuries.

Richardson's cousin Gabrielle Debotte, who was a passenger in the front seat of the car, previously told the court that both of them had heard "moaning" shortly after the collision in Paddock Lane and that he had gone on to say: "He is under the car."

The prosecution claimed Mr Mullins' injuries were caused by "dragging and crushing" rather than the impact of the crash itself.

Michael Mullins was dragged for a mile by driver Simon Richardson

Prosecutor Phil Barnes KC told jurors: "Simon Richardson knew he was there and he inevitably knew what the consequences of driving on would be, and he did it anyway.

"For a split second after the collision, for a brief moment he possibly thought about doing the right thing and getting out and taking ownership of what he had just done and help the man he had just run down.

"But Simon Richardson did not get out. He did not do the right thing. He chose to drive away.

"The obvious reason is because he wanted to escape the consequences of what he had just done."

A motorcyclist followed a trail of blood and discovered Mr Mullins alone and barely breathing as he lay on a grass verge in a secluded country lane in Lymm, Cheshire.

The head teacher was pronounced dead at the scene shortly afterwards by emergency services.

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The killer was caught on camera filling his car shortly after leaving Michael Mullins for dead

Richardson was arrested the next day following a police chase.

He denied murder as he claimed he did not realise Mr Mullins was underneath his car and said he did not get out of his vehicle in a bid to free him.

But jurors did not believe him and he was found guilty of murder.

Mrs Justice Brunner KC thanked them and acknowledged their job "cannot have been easy".

She discharged the jurors from taking jury service again for 10 years and told them: "This was, I know, an upsetting case and there was evidence which you may have found distressing."

Family photo

Michael Mullins had been the head teacher of Stretford Grammar School for 17 years

Paying tribute, Mr Mullins's family said: "He was devoted to his family and our lives will never be the same.

"A gap has been left in our hearts and within his role as a head teacher of Stretford Grammar School."

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Sir Ian McKellen leads tributes to 'beloved actor' Sir Patrick Stewart after his death at 86

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 12:43:46 GMT

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Watch: The life of legendary actor Sir Patrick Stewart

Jamie WhiteheadHarry Sekulich and Hafsa Khalil

29 October 2026

Updated 1 hour ago

Sir Ian McKellen has led tributes to Sir Patrick Stewart following his death at the age of 86, calling him "the most respected and beloved actor of his generation".

Tributes to the renowned British actor have poured in since his death at his Los Angeles home after "a brief and poignant journey" with Alzheimer's disease and Lewy Body Dementia was announced on Thursday.

"He wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and, in my case, love," Sir Ian, Sir Patrick's X-Men co-star, said.

Famous for his role as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek, Sir Patrick was a versatile actor who won multiple awards, balancing Hollywood roles and a career in classical theatre.

Sir Patrick Stewart: Actor who moved effortlessly between Star Trek and Shakespeare

William Shatner, who also helmed the USS Enterprise in Star Trek, said Sir Patrick brought "intelligence, grace and a deep sense of humanity to everything he did".

"Captain Picard stood for the best of us and so did the man who played him. I was filled with affection and admiration for him and his work," Shatner added.

Stewart depicted Picard in more than 170 episodes of the hit sci-fi TV series between 1987 and 1994, as well as in four feature films. He returned to the role for Star Trek: Picard in 2020.

Getty Images

William Shatner (right) said Sir Patrick "stood for the best of us"

George Takei, who played Hikaru Sulu in Star Trek, said the actor "inspired a whole next generation of star-gazers who looked longingly ahead to a brighter future for all humanity".

Sir Patrick would later be celebrated for his portrayal of Professor Charles Xavier - most commonly known as Professor X - in the X-Men film franchise.

Hugh Jackman, who starred alongside him in the franchise, called him a "tremendous friend and man", saying: "We lost one of the greats of stage and screen today."

Sir Ian, a longtime friend of his X-Men co-star, who officiated his wedding in 2013, said Sir Patrick was "defined by being born and bred in Yorkshire".

"You could hear it in his accented voice and in the stern honesty with which he told you what he thought and felt. Yorkshiremen have no truck with half-truths or avoidance of big issues."

Press Association

X-Men co-star James Mcavoy (centre-right) said he was "lucky" to have worked with Sir Patrick multiple times, adding: "Where you're going I know you'll go boldly"

Sir Ian recalled first meeting Sir Patrick as young actors in the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and how he had expressed caution over him taking on the Star Trek role.

"He took the risk and thank goodness for us all that he did," said Sir Ian, who appeared with Sir Patrick in a 2009 theatre production of Waiting for Godot.

He added that while the US had become Sir Patrick's "adopted home", he "never forsook his origins" growing up in Yorkshire, and said "the proudest achievement of the most respected and beloved actor of his generation on either side of the Atlantic, was his appointment as chancellor of Huddersfield University".

Sir Ian noted that Sir Patrick's final film appearance will be as Professor X in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday film. Marvel Studios described him as "a singular talent, a generous collaborator and a true gentleman".

The Academy dubbed his voice "unmistakable", adding: "Whether commanding the bridge of the Enterprise or guiding a generation of young mutants, Sir Patrick Stewart brought a tenderness to his characters that made us feel we knew them."

Sir Patrick died on Wednesday "in the loving care of his wife", a statement from his family said. "We will forever cherish the peaceful ease and reflection on his face, an enduring reminder of his invincible grace," it added.

The veteran actor is survived by his wife, Sunny Ozell, as well as by his two adult children from his first marriage, Daniel and Sophie Stewart.

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Watch: "A big loss" - Fans react to death of Sir Patrick Stewart

'One of greatest stage actors ever seen'

Born in the town of Mirfield in 1940, Sir Patrick's love of drama began at school where he was introduced to Shakespeare and his first public performance was in a local church production of Cinderella.

He threw himself enthusiastically into the flourishing local theatre. "I used to recite Shakespeare from memory," he said. "I just learned all these big speeches."

When Sir Patrick was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2010, he said he owed "literally everything" to his former English teacher who first encouraged him to perform.

His first foray into professional acting was when he joined the RSC in 1966, going on to play King John, Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream and Henry IV.

The RSC described him as a "colossus of both stage and screen", remembering him as "one of the finest classical Shakespearean actors of his generation" whose contribution to the company was "beyond measure".

Reuters

His third wife, Sunny Ozell, was with the actor when he passed away

Dame Harriet Walter, who first met Sir Patrick in his theatre days more than 40 years ago, said his passing was like a "huge giant tree has fallen in the forest".

"He had fire in his eyes and you were absolutely in the room with him," the Succession actress told BBC Newsnight. "I've never heard a bad word against him. And I think the world's going to be very poor without him."

Theatres in London's West End will dim their lights for two minutes on 3 November in his honour.

Hannah Essex, co-chief of the Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre, called him "one of the greatest stage actors this country has ever seen".

As well as having roles in films such as Safe House, Robin Hood: Men in Tights and the original Dune, Sir Patrick continued to appear on TV throughout his career, making guest appearances on Frasier, Futurama and the Simpsons.

US actor and animator Seth MacFarlane, who grew up as a fan of Sir Patrick, said he was "gifted the privilege of becoming a colleague and friend" as they worked together on Family Guy, American Dad! and Ted.

MacFarlane described him as a "rare actor who could take any bit of dialogue and elevate it, making a good writer sound great and a great writer sound masterful".

Appearing in the BBC programme Extras in 2005

Comedian Ricky Gervais, whose BBC programme Extras Sir Patrick guest starred in, described him as a "legend".

Sharing a video of the pair giggling in a set of bloopers for the series, Gervais said: "I still can't believe he agreed to do this scene. And he didn't even mind when I ruined every take."

Sir Patrick was a lifelong supporter of English Football League club Huddersfield Town, which called him a "titan of his craft".

"Fiercely proud of his Yorkshire roots, Sir Patrick was a Terrier in every sense, and we're proud to have counted him as one of our own," the club added.

Alzheimer's is the most common type of dementia, while Lewy Body Dementia is another common form caused by abnormal protein deposits, which cause a loss of cognitive function.

The Alzheimer's Society CEO Michelle Dyson said Sir Patrick was an "extraordinarily talented and much-loved actor, admired by millions around the world", adding: "His death is a heartbreaking reminder of the devastating impact dementia has on people and families across the globe."

The actor became a campaigner on domestic violence in later life, including becoming an ambassador for domestic abuse charity Refuge in 2007, after witnessing his mother suffer violence at the hands of his father.

Hetti Barkworth-Nanton, Refuge's board chair, said it had been a privilege to "watch his endless devotion" to the cause, adding that he "broke down barriers and taboos on the subject".

Andy Burnham considered Sir Patrick to be "one of the very best" who "never forgot his working-class Yorkshire roots".

"He brought joy to millions," the prime minister's spokesman said on his behalf. "He always stood up for what he believed in, including through his campaigning to help those affected by domestic violence.

The acting legend defined by Yorkshire who 'loved it to the end'

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 12:35:18 GMT

University of Huddersfield

Sir Patrick Stewart was born in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, in 1940

Alex Moss

Yorkshire

30 October 2026, 07:06 GMT

Updated 1 hour ago

Sir Patrick Stewart once said he had to drop his Yorkshire accent for Hollywood, but he never forgot his roots.

The Mirfield-born actor, best known for his roles in Star Trek and the X-Men films, died at the age of 86 at his home in Los Angeles on Wednesday after suffering with Alzheimer's Disease and Lewy Body Dementia.

His death has prompted an outpouring of love from the community he proudly called home, along with his beloved Huddersfield Town - the club he followed from childhood.

Stewart's friend and fellow legendary actor Sir Ian McKellen said Stewart "never forsook his origins".

He added: "Before everything else, Patrick was defined by being born and bred in Yorkshire, the proud county in the north of England which he loved to the end."

Referencing a trait often associated with people from the region McKellen said Stewart "told you what he thought and felt".

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he was "very sad" to hear about Stewart's death, describing him as "one of the very best" who "never forgot his working-class Yorkshire roots".

In a TV interview with fellow Yorkshireman Michael Parkinson, Stewart said "we did toy" with using his regional accent when playing Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the Star Trek franchise.

But he added: "It was incomprehensible to the producers."

Getty Images

Sir Patrick Stewart was a lifelong supporter of Huddersfield Town FC

In 2004 he became chancellor of the University of Huddersfield - a role he filled until 2015. A year later the university's drama building was named after him.

Speaking at the time, he said: "I'm thrilled. It still makes me a little self conscious to think there's a building named after me."

Bob Cryan, the Vice Chancellor of the university, said Stewart was "very proud" of being chancellor and his success never changed him.

"It's something he took very personally," he said.

"He saw it as a way of paying back to Yorkshire because he was very proud of the fact that he was given a scholarship from what was then the West Riding of Yorkshire, but he felt he had never paid back."

University of Huddersfield

During his time as chancellor at the University of Huddersfield he presided over the institute's many graduation ceremonies

Sir Ian McKellen leads tributes to 'beloved actor' Sir Patrick Stewart after death aged 86

Born in Mirfield in 1940, Stewart attended Crowlees Church of England Junior and Infant School before moving onto Mirfield Secondary Modern School.

His mother Gladys was a textile worker. She was active in amateur dramatics and encouraged her three sons to take part.

His father was a former Sergeant Major in the Parachute Regiment, whose experience during the wartime evacuation of Dunkirk had badly affected his mental health.

Stewart's love of drama came at school when one of his teachers introduced him to Shakespeare and encouraged him to perform.

His first public performance was in a local church production of Cinderella.

He left school at 15 and eventually got a job as a reporter and obituary writer on the Dewsbury Reporter.

He later won a scholarship to the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School launching a career that would take him from Yorkshire to the world stage.

Although he became one of Britain's most celebrated actors through roles including in Star Trek and Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men film series, Stewart spoke of his pride in being from West Yorkshire.

Getty Images

The veteran actor is survived by his wife Sunny Ozell, who was with him when he passed away

Spen Valley MP Kim Leadbeater described Stewart as "Mirfield's finest".

Posting on X, the Labour MP described him as "an outstanding talent and someone who came across as a thoroughly decent and lovely".

Leadbeater said she had met the actor at Huddersfield Town football matches and corresponded with him several times, adding: "He was incredibly kind and he will be greatly missed."

A lifelong Huddersfield Town supporter, Stewart attended games when his schedule allowed and celebrated the Terriers' promotion to the Premier League at Wembley in 2017.

The club's chief operating officer David Threlfall-Sykes said: "Obviously it was Sir Patrick Stewart walking around so people would get star-struck, but he would get star-struck by seeing the players and the manager because they were his heroes.

"It was a weird dichotomy but it just shows how much this place meant to him, just like it does to everyone that comes here every weekend to fill the ground. He was no different in that respect."

Getty Images

A rose was laid for Stewart on his star in Hollywood

For many, it was the combination of worldwide fame and his down-to-earth Yorkshire roots that made him such a star across the world.

Reflecting on his sense of humour, Cryan, of the University of Huddersfield, said: "He had a great sense of fun.

"I remember saying to him we were hosting a dinner for staff at the university to say thank you for all their hard work and we decided he and I were going to be waiters.

"You can imagine peoples' faces when Patrick served them their meal."

The statement announcing Stewart's death, which was shared on his Instagram account, ended with a quote from his memoirs: "Like me, Jean-Luc has lived an unusual life that has taken him far beyond the bounds of normal human experience.

"But he is also someone who remains true to his earthbound roots, for they are what gave him his identity. In the end, he feels the call of home, as do I."

Additional reporting by Tom Ingall and David Spereall

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What we know about Binance's $6.3bn hack

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 12:27:28 GMT

What we know about Binance's $6.3bn hack

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Binance, the world's biggest crypto exchange, has been hit by a $6.3bn (£4.7bn) hack - thought to be the biggest in history.

Half of the assets have been frozen but many remain in the hands of the hackers, the cryptocurrency giant said. It later added that it has "begun recovering" some funds.

Two analytics firms have attributed the incident to a North Korean hacking unit, though no one has claimed responsibility. Binance did not directly respond to questions about the incident's potential links to North Korea.

BBC cyber correspondent Joe Tidy explains more about the hack and what to do if you are affected.

Follow our live coverage of the hack.

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Business

1 hour ago

Residents leave devastated Russian-occupied Oleshky as evacuation corridor opens

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 12:25:53 GMT

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Watch: How will the evacuation of Oleshky unfold?

Dan Johnsonin KyivOlga Malchevska and Laura Gozzi

30 October 2026, 10:32 GMT

Updated 1 hour ago

The evacuation of the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky is under way, Russian and Ukrainian authorities have confirmed.

A ceasefire, brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump, has been in force in the entire frontline region of Kherson since Tuesday, allowing for the road out of Oleshky to be demined.

Residents of Oleshky who wished to leave had a four-hour window to do so. A convoy of 25 buses was brought in to allow up to 750 people to leave the town until 14:00 (12:00 GMT), along with ambulances for people with limited mobility.

Several hundred people are understood to have decided to stay, despite the widespread devastation and the lack of gas, electricity and running water.

"Everyone who wishes to leave Oleshky will be given the opportunity to do so safely," Ukraine's human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said.

"At the same time, those who decide to remain will be able to stay and will receive all the necessary humanitarian assistance."

Ukrainian territory lies 5km (3.1miles) from Oleshky, but the evacuees will first have to travel into Russian-occupied territory and then to the southern Russian city of Anapa.

They will board a Russian government plane to Gomel in Belarus, and then drive across the border into Ukraine's Chernihiv region.

Others are expected to choose to stay in Russian-occupied territory.

Kyrylo Budanov/Telegram

Oleshky residents have a four-hour window to board buses to be evacuated to either Russia or Ukraine

Lubinets and his Russian counterpart Yana Lantratova travelled to Oleshky together on Friday, setting off from Armiansk, in the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula.

Lubinets is the first Ukrainian official since the start of the war to visit Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine. He will also become the first to visit Russia when he escorts the evacuees back into Ukraine on Saturday.

The Oleshky ceasefire has required close cooperation with Lantratova, which Lubinets said he carried out in the interests of saving lives.

But some in Ukraine have recoiled at the sight of him standing beside a representative of the Russian occupying power which has killed so many of the city's residents and made life unbearable for the rest.

Reuters

Dmytro Lubinets and his Russian counterpart Yana Lantratova spoke to journalists before arriving in Oleshky

Both Lubinets and Lantratova posted videos from Oleshky on their social media channels, saying people were given the chance to form two groups depending on whether they wanted to be taken to Russian-controlled territory or to Ukraine.

In one video, Lubinets can be seen meeting tearful locals. "The problem is that a lot of people are staying," he can be heard saying. "I was told that it was their own choice, we will do everything possible for the humanitarian aid to arrive."

Russia said on Thursday that it had prepared "dozens of tonnes" of aid for the residents who do not wish to leave, including food, medicine, hygiene products and fuel for generators.

An Oleshky resident told the BBC she had decided against leaving because "they wouldn't take my animals, so that's it."

Olena, who now lives in Kyiv, said her grandmother and wider family in Oleshky were also staying behind.

"The older generation does not want to leave," she told the BBC. "I've barely managed to persuade my father - and only because I've just had a baby, who he would never see otherwise."

Olena's grandmother's sister died in Oleshky last winter.

"She lost her legs after stepping on a landmine, covered in snow... People took her to the hospital in a garden wheelbarrow," Olena said.

"That's how locals transport all wounded and dead people in Oleshky to the hospital and the hospital's morgue: in garden wheelbarrows."

The ceasefire is due to be in force until the end of Sunday 1 November. It has provided the first few days of peace in the Kherson region since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Residents of Kherson told the BBC they were "overjoyed" by the ceasefire. However, they are concerned the truce has given Russia time to build up its military presence on the banks of the Dnipro river, which could result in a renewed assault once the ceasefire expires.

On Friday, the Kremlin made it clear that the success of the Oleshky ceasefire should not be interpreted as willingness to extend the truce to the rest of Ukraine.

A handful of foreign journalists have been invited to witness the evacuation of the town, which Moscow is expected to present as a humanitarian mission conducted with mercy to protect the people of Oleshky.

Many Ukrainians suspect Russia's real intention is to earn credit with the White House, and to provide US President Donald Trump with a boost ahead of next week's midterm elections.

Google value plunges by $500bn as its own AI search hits ad sales

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 12:04:02 GMT

EPA

Google CEO Sundar Pichai has backed the company's massive spending on AI.

Kali HaysTechnology reporter and Mitchell LabiakBusiness reporter

29 October 2026

Updated 1 hour ago

Google-owner Alphabet lost just over $500bn (£374bn) in value on Thursday after it revealed its own artificial intelligence (AI) summaries were hitting search advertising revenue.

Chief business officer Philipp Schindler said Google's "AI mode", where it answers questions conversationally, was eating into the money it makes from ads which appear next to results to traditional search questions.

Yet, Schindler said he felt "very good about our trajectory" with an AI-focused version of the search engine.

Google's role in answering the world's questions has been challenged by the AI boom, with millions of people using programs such as ChatGPT and Claude instead.

Kim Scott, who formerly led Google's advertising business, told the BBC's Today programme that the company would "rather eat its own lunch than allow someone else to eat their lunch" by having its own AI summaries hit its search revenue.

She said that Google was founded on the idea of making long-term bets on technology – even if they hurt the firm in the short term.

"I think they're making a long-term bet on AI," she said.

In its results published on Wednesday, Alphabet revealed that total revenue grew 25% in the three months to the end of September, compared to the same period last year, hitting $127.6bn.

However, the firm did not make as much money as analysts had predicted, particularly in its advertising arm, which spooked many investors.

Shares in the company plummeted over 12% to a six-month low following the release of the results.

By the end of Thursday, the company's total stock market value had fallen to $3.46 trillion from $3.97 trillion the day before.

Investors not buying Amazon's trillion-dollar business hopes

Microsoft and Amazon also issued updates this week, and joined Google in plans to keep spending huge sums of cash in the ongoing AI race.

But investors appeared dismayed at the impacts these plans are having on the ability of each to keep growing their core lines of business.

Amazon's stock took a hit on Thursday , with its shares falling 6% in after-hours trading.

Alongside quarterly sales growth of 11%, hitting $201bn, the company shared a staggering cash flow figure of negative $42bn.

That number shows that Amazon is not only spending more money than it makes, but that spending has increased six-fold over the span of three months.

Chief executive Andy Jassy claimed the business was spending in part because it had the chance at, not one, but two businesses that could end up bringing in $1 trillion for Amazon the future.

Jassy did not specify what two Amazon businesses those may be. But during a call with financial analysts he repeatedly mentioned the financial opportunity presented by Amazon making and selling its own computer chips, as well as its AI developer platform Bedrock, which offers paying users access to most major AI models and tools.

"One of the lessons we've learned over 20-plus years is that there is not one tool to rule the world," Jassy said. "People always assume whatever is in the lead early on will be the only thing that people use - it's never true."

As Jassy was asked several times to explain the company's spending, he admitted it "would be more convenient" if it were spread over the next 25 years. "That's not the world we live in," he added.

"We can fund this plan, and I think it will forever change the size, the revenue, the free cash flow of Amazon."

Microsoft begs the question of AI's real value

Wall Street's reaction to Microsoft's update was more muted, with shares falling by less than 1% on Thursday.

The company, which is also one of OpenAI's largest investors, spent around $5bn less on investments dedicated to AI. It also revealed earlier this week plans to cut thousands of workers, which will further reduce the company's costs.

Meanwhile, its revenue grew 19% from a year earlier, hitting $92.3bn for the quarter. Its crucial cloud business grew by 30% to $63bn.

Chief executive Satya Nadella said the use of Copilot, Microsoft's AI chatbot and tool, has seen "automated tasks nearly double since July" as daily users grew by 500% from a year ago.

Usually lower spending and growing sales earns a positive reaction from investors.

But Woo said Wall Street is trying to look farther into the future when it comes to which businesses will truly make good on their big promises around AI.

"Microsoft's results reinforce that enterprise demand for AI remains strong, but they also highlight a much bigger question facing the technology industry, where AI value will ultimately be captured," Woo said.

Who could be behind the Binance hack and what we know so far

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 11:57:33 GMT

Getty Images

Laura Cress

Technology reporter

2 hours ago

Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange, has been hit by what is believed to be the largest crypto hack ever at $6.3bn (£4.7bn).

Crypto is a type of digital asset which does not exist physically like cash or coins. Instead, people use digital wallets on their smartphones or computers to access and manage it.

Richard Teng, Binance's co-chief executive officer, said it is working with the authorities to work out what has happened and it will cover all losses.

Here's what we know so far.

Binance says it is beginning to recover crypto funds after $6.3bn hack thought to be largest ever

What is Binance?

Binance is the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, where people can buy, sell and trade digital currencies, like Bitcoin, as well as deposit and withdraw them.

It was founded in China in 2017 and has hundreds of millions of registered users worldwide.

The exchange has come under scrutiny over the past few years - notably in 2023, when its then-chief executive, Changpeng Zhao, resigned after pleading guilty to money laundering violations.

Last year, a lawsuit in the US accused the company of helping send millions of dollars to US-designated terrorist organisations.

In 2024, the company said it has more than $160bn in assets.

From Bitcoin to blockchain: Key cryptocurrency terms and what they mean

How did the hack happen?

The hack happened to Binance's global centralised exchange, Binance.com.

Binance.us, which provides trading services specifically for US residents, said it has not been affected by the issue.

In a statement, Teng said: "Our initial investigation suggests this security incident may have started with a compromised DevOps engineer's laptop.

"That gave an attacker access to a service container, where they submitted unauthorised withdrawal transactions."

He said the hack "was not a simple 'one-click' action" but a "more complex attack process".

Raghu Nandakumara, vice president of industry strategy at cybersecurity platform Illumio, said this could mean an engineer was "talked into taking a test" and malware - malicious software – "landed on their laptop while they did it".

Because the laptop already had sufficient security privileges, Nandakumara said early reports suggest it became "the attacker's route straight into production, and from there to the wallets".

"You can build a vault with mathematical firewalls, but if the individual holding the keys can be duped, the vault is opened," said Dr Clive Summerfield, head of FARx, a biometrics in AI security company.

Bloomberg via Getty Images

Binance co-chief executive officer Richard Teng speaks at a conference

Who is behind the hack?

It is not yet known who is behind the attack, but some analytics firms have pointed to North Korea - though this has not been confirmed.

AI-powered investigations company TRM Labs said in a report several elements of the Binance attack resembled earlier incidents linked to the territory, including a $1.5bn (£1.1bn) hack on the ByBit exchange in 2025.

These previous attacks have been linked to a cluster of cyber-criminals accused of working directly for the regime called the Lazarus Group - also known as TraderTraitor.

North Korean foreign policy expert Dr Edward Howell, from the University of Oxford, has told the BBC that Pyongyang "has a long history of using cyber warfare to extract cash".

Howell said North Korea "basically has a state-run cyber warfare agency", which it uses "to fund its weapons of mass destruction programmes" and as a "slush fund" for its leader Kim Jong Un's regime.

Howell added that as of the current day "about 40 – 50% of North Korea's weapons of mass destruction programmes are funded by cyber and crypto-currency warfare".

North Korea has always denied any involvement in these attacks; Binance has not directly responded to BBC queries about the incident's potential links to the area.

What does it mean for Binance users?

In his earlier statement, Teng said Binance users' funds are safe and, as a precaution, all deposits and withdrawals had been temporarily suspended.

He said the firm would cover all losses from its emergency reserve set up for such situations, and make up the rest with company funds.

Binance said it had been working with partners to freeze the affected assets, with around $3bn reportedly located so far.

"We are still on track towards the expected timeline to resume the withdrawal service in 45 hours," it said.

Users from other crypto platforms have also been warned to be wary of hackers seeking to exploit the situation.

Marijus Briedis, NordVPN's chief technology officer, said people should be on the lookout for things such as "an email claiming your funds are at risk", "a fake support account offering help" or "a message urging you to move your cryptocurrency to a 'safe' wallet".

"Check updates through the Binance app or a website address you already trust," he said.

"Avoid links in unsolicited messages, and never give anyone your password, verification codes or wallet recovery phrase."

Getty Images

Binance.us said it had not been affected by the issue

What does this mean for cryptocurrency and the wider financial system?

Jennifer Craven, an international commercial fraud expert at the law firm Pinsent Masons, said the repercussions of the hack could "extend well beyond Binance".

"More broadly, the incident exposes the fragility of parts of the crypto ecosystem," she said.

"If a platform as sophisticated as Binance can suffer a serious attack, regulators will inevitably ask what that means for smaller, less mature platforms and currencies."

She said the attack would likely accelerate scrutiny of how the sector protects both its infrastructure and its customers.

Although there is no evidence yet that AI was used in this attack, it fits into a much wider concern in the financial industry of whether AI agents could potentially identify weaknesses in software and work out how to exploit them much faster than human hackers.

The Bank of England has warned, external this could leave institutions struggling to fix vulnerabilities before attackers take advantage of them.

How many people use cryptocurrency?

Crypto has become an increasingly popular way of investing and transferring money online, partly because, unlike traditional currencies, it is not controlled by central banks or governments.

This makes it popular for people who think decentralisation can bring financial freedom.

But it also makes it extremely volatile, with it rising and falling in value at the whim of buyers and sellers.

According to Solcard, a crypto-funded prepaid payment and virtual card platform, somewhere between 560 million and 741 million people own crypto worldwide in 2026.

Police Scotland carrying out 'active inquiries' into Andrew and Epstein Balmoral visits

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 11:55:58 GMT

Getty Images

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied any wrongdoing

Megan Bonar

BBC Scotland

2 hours ago

Police Scotland is making inquiries into the activities of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislane Maxwell during their time at Balmoral Castle.

The Daily Express reported, external that the inquiry relates to allegations that women were trafficked to the royal residence in Aberdeenshire.

Sex offender Epstein - who died in 2019 - and Maxwell, who was jailed in 2022 for sex trafficking, are understood to have visited the castle with Mountbatten-Windsor, who has previously denied any wrongdoing.

Police Scotland said inquiries were at "a very early stage" and that it would be inappropriate to comment further.

Representatives of Mountbatten-Windsor have been contacted for comment.

US Department of Justice

An image released by the US Department of Justice appears to show Epstein and Maxwell at Balmoral

The Royal family traditionally spend summer at Balmoral, where Queen Elizabeth II died in 2022.

Asked about the Express report, a Police Scotland spokesperson said: "We have received information and active inquiries are ongoing but these are at a very early stage.

"All inquiries are evidence led, with the needs of victim survivors at the heart of those inquiries.

"We would never confirm details of ongoing inquiries and it would be inappropriate to comment further."

In February, the force said it wanted to "speak to anyone with information" about Epstein's private jet using Edinburgh Airport.

At the time officers said they had not received any reports or complaints in relating to the trip.

Epstein's UK flights had alleged British abuse victims on board - BBC investigation
Email by 'A' from 'Balmoral' asked Ghislaine Maxwell for 'inappropriate friends', Epstein files show
Prince Andrew hosted Epstein, Maxwell and Weinstein at Royal Lodge

Flight logs show Mountbatten-Windsor and Maxwell flew from Luton to Edinburgh on Epstein's private jet with two other passengers on 1 September 2006.

An image believed to show disgraced financier Epstein and former socialite Maxwell at Balmoral was also released by US prosecutors during her sex trafficking trial.

It is thought to have been taken in 1999, when Mountbatten-Windsor reportedly invited the couple to stay at the castle.

Epstein and Maxwell were reportedly regular guests at royal residences in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Last year, the so-called Epstein Files were released by the US Department of Justice.

Among them was an email from someone named 'A' to Maxwell which said they were at Balmoral and asked for "new inappropriate friends".

The message, sent to Maxwell on 16 August 2001, begins: "I am up here at Balmoral Summer Camp for the Royal Family."

Later in the email, the sender asks: "How's LA? Have you found me some new inappropriate friends?" before signing off "see ya A xxx".

US Department of Justice

A picture taken at Balmoral was released as part of the Epstein Files

Jeffrey Epstein was 66 when he died by suicide in 2019 in a US prison while awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges.

Maxwell, 60, was jailed for 20 years in 2022 for her role in procuring girls for Epstein.

Last October it was confirmed Andrew had been stripped of his "prince" title and would be leaving his Windsor mansion, Royal Lodge.

In February he was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, in the wake of information that emerged from the Epstein files in the US, and later released.

Earlier this month it emerged he was taking legal action against Thames Valley Police over search warrants issued before his arrest.

Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied any wrongdoing linked to his association with Epstein.

Footage of Seoul crush to be removed from Call of Duty after backlash

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 11:27:25 GMT

Infinity Ward / Activision

Modern Warfare 4 situates players in a war between North and South Korea

Riyah Collins

BBC Newsbeat

30 October 2026, 10:45 GMT

Updated 2 hours ago

Video clips showing the aftermath of a deadly crush in Seoul will be removed from the latest Call of Duty game after an angry reaction from victims' families.

Real life news coverage of the 2022 disaster which killed almost 160 people was included in an opening scene of Modern Warfare 4 to illustrate a fictional invasion from North Korea.

Bereaved families said they were "appalled" to see the footage - which included people being removed on stretchers, body bags on the street and resuscitation efforts - repurposed for the game.

Activision, which makes Call of Duty, has since apologised and confirmed it would be removed in the game's next update on 12 November.

The crush happened in the narrow alleys of Seoul's Itaewon district when more than 100,000 people went to the area to celebrate Halloween four years ago.

The streets became so tightly packed that people could not move and some were unable to breathe.

In a statement on Thursday, the families of those who died said the disaster "was a tragedy that caused hundreds of casualties, and citizens who took part in the rescue or witnessed it have suffered from trauma until now".

"We cannot help but be appalled that the chaotic and desperate scene, in which many citizens at the site performed CPR to save one another and victims lay on the freezing street, was used to create a scene in a game.

"Using such an event as material for a game made for entertainment is in itself highly inappropriate and senseless."

'Not intended to trivialise'

Activision confirmed it had used real news coverage of the disaster "to establish the game's fictional narrative" but insisted it had "not intended to reference or trivialise the Itaewon disaster or any other real-world tragedy in any way, shape or form".

Confirming on Friday that the footage would be removed in a statement, the company offered its condolences and apologised to the bereaved families and victims who have been hurt by this incident.

The decision was welcomed by the 10.29 Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families Association, however the group told the BBC they had not received a direct apology from Activision.

Modern Warfare 4, which was released last week, had already faced criticism for basing the game on North Korea invading South Korea, as the two countries have been technically at war for decades.

Fighting stopped in the Korean War in 1953, but the two countries never signed a peace treaty and conflict is a very real worry in that part of the world.

At the launch of the game, Call of Duty's chief marketing officer, Tyler Bahl, told BBC Newsbeat: "We have to understand this is entertainment".

Additional reporting by Sophie Jeong

Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.

Streeting denies 'kicking can down the road' in defence spending row

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 11:23:38 GMT

EPA/Shutterstock

Wes Streeting has defended the government's current approach

Ewan Somerville

Political reporter

30 October 2026, 08:27 GMT

Updated 2 hours ago

Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has denied "kicking the can down the road" over how much the UK spends on defence.

The government has faced criticism for not setting out a pathway at Wednesday's Budget to hit its target of spending 3% of GDP on defence by 2030.

Streeting is at odds with MPs on the Commons defence committee over the issue.

It comes as Chancellor John Healey and Streeting announce that foreign firms which are awarded defence contracts of more than £50m will need to invest an equal value back into the UK.

Under the new investment rules, described as an "offset strategy", these companies will need to spend an equivalent amount on British factories, jobs and training.

The Ministry of Defence will apply the rules on a "case-by-case" basis from April 2027, the government said. Healey and Streeting will unveil the policy on a visit to UK defence contractor BAE's shipbuilding site in Glasgow later.

Countries including Poland, Norway and the Netherlands have mandated similar rules to "boost the economic benefit from defence procurement", the government said.

While ministers hope the rules increase investment in Britain's defence industry, they appear designed to do so in a politically palatable way rather than committing to spending cuts.

Tan Dhesi, Labour chair of the cross-party Commons defence committee, said on Wednesday that decisions had been "kicked into the long grass" to next year's government spending review, rather than announced in the Budget.

He warned that without building capabilities now, "we risk leaving ourselves seriously vulnerable in the event of a major conflict".

Streeting hit back at these comments as "unfair" and "unfounded".

Speaking on Thursday, Dhesi said the committee stands by its criticism.

"We had hoped to see that the chancellor would set out a precise pathway to spend 3% of GDP on defence by 2030," Dhesi told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"But instead some of those key decisions on defence have lamentably been delayed until next year's spending review."

He praised the government for plugging a £4.7bn hole in the Defence Investment Plan in the Budget, through asking government departments to cut their capital budgets by 1%.

Labour MP Tan Dhesi has led the latest criticism of government defence spending

Responding on Thursday, Streeting told Today: "I like Tan very much, he's a friend and I respect him, but I strongly disagree with him.

"And I don't think the charge he makes of delaying or kicking the can down the road stacks up against the extra money that is already going into defence and the capability we're funding right now."

Streeting told BBC Breakfast the new rules, aiming to create "bang for the British buck", would help achieve this target given increasing defence spending "does come at a cost to the country and other things we'd like to spend money on".

He said waiting for the spending review, which does not have a fixed date and could come in the second half of 2027, was "the right thing to do" so ministers can look at "spending in the round".

He added that the UK was ready to deal with hostile threats, but "we're not where we'd want to be".

"There's no sugarcoating the fact that our Armed Forces were under-invested in for more than a decade," he told Breakfast.

Defence analysts have questioned the government's ability to deliver on its 2030 target and the Nato-wide target of 3.5% by 2035. UK defence spending is at an estimated 2.6% of GDP this year.

Some estimates have suggested the government will need to spend an additional £10bn annually to reach its targets.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said on Wednesday that Healey "failed his own test" by not setting out a "plan for 3%".

Healey resigned as then-Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's defence secretary in June over not spending enough on defence.

In the Budget, Healey said the UK was negotiating with Finland, Poland and the Netherlands to set up an international bank - the Multilateral Defence Mechanism - to boost defence investment and joint procurement.

But Conservative shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge said this amounted to "turning to borrowing at a time when the national debt is over £3 trillion".

"The answer is not more borrowing – it's to cut welfare to fund defence," he said.

Prominent Russian newspaper shuts down under pressure from authorities

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 11:23:06 GMT

AFP via Getty Images

A person leaves the building of Novaya Gazeta after the paper announced it was closing

Steven Rosenberg

BBC Russia Editor

2 hours ago

For the last three decades, Novaya Gazeta has been one of the most high-profile independent news outlets in Russia.

Now it's shutting down - and it has accused the Russian authorities of the "murder" of a newspaper.

"They've killed us," reads a statement on the Novaya Gazeta website.

"The newspaper is no more. The Russian authorities and Russian special services have forced the paper to stop its work."

Novaya Gazeta has received an eviction order. Crucially, at the same time, the system that had allowed the paper to receive donations from readers was disabled.

That leaves no way to fund the publication.

Novaya Gazeta had developed a reputation for fearless investigative reporting on subjects such as corruption, human rights violations and abuse of power by officials and bureaucrats - dangerous topics in Russia.

The paper said that over time six journalists connected with the paper were killed for "fulfilling their professional and civic duty." Those reporters include Anna Politkovskaya, who was shot dead in the stairwell of her apartment block 20 years ago this month. Among the subjects she had reported on were the wars in Chechnya.

In the statement announcing its closure, Novaya Gazeta launched a stinging attack on the Russian authorities, claiming the newspaper was the victim of a "coordinated act" and blaming "the repressive state apparatus".

"Human rights and freedoms have been eliminated in the country and their protection has been equated to a crime," the statement said.

"The courts have been destroyed along with the law. Having personal convictions is now state treason."

Novaya Gazeta

Journalists from Novaya Gazeta

Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the pressure on independent journalism and independent Russian journalists has been growing.

Soon after the start of what the Kremlin calls the so-called "special military operation", new laws were adopted in Russia. Their aim: to punish dissent and silence criticism of the war and of those in power.

Novaya Gazeta itself and its staff had been facing a multitude of problems.

The authorities had already revoked the newspaper's licence and blocked access to its website. Several of its journalists and contributors had been designated "foreign agents", a label often used by the Russian authorities to punish critics.

Earlier this year there was a police search of the editorial office. A veteran investigative journalist, Oleg Roldugin, was arrested and charged with "unlawful access to computerised information".

In connection with the case, the newspaper's editor-in-chief, Sergei Sokolov, was recently taken in for police questioning and his home was searched.

Despite increasing pressure, Novaya Gazeta had managed to continue operating, albeit in a reduced form.

Loyal readers used virtual private networks to circumvent official blocking of the website and access content. But the loss of its licence and other restrictions dealt a major blow.

One of the founders of Novaya Gazeta in the 1990s - and for many years its chief editor - was journalist Dmitry Muratov, external. In 2021, Muratov was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for efforts "to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace".

The award didn't stop the authorities from declaring him a "foreign agent" in 2023.

At the offices of Novaya Gazeta, they've already started packing.

The end of this newspaper is very much the end of an era.

In an increasingly authoritarian Russia, it's also a sign of the times.

Watch: Iconic moments from the career of Sir Patrick Stewart, who has died aged 86

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 08:59:45 GMT

Sir Patrick Stewart: The life of an iconic actor

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Iconic Star Trek actor Sir Patrick Stewart has died aged 86.

Sir Patrick died at his home in Los Angeles on 28 October after "a brief and poignant journey" with Alzheimer's disease and Lewy Body Dementia, according to a statement shared on his social media.

“His sonorous voice and singular talent will forever be synonymous with indelible performances in every genre,” the statement reads.

In a career that spanned seven decades, Sir Patrick won multiple Emmys and Golden Globes, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II.

Read more on his life and career

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US & Canada

5 hours ago

Why managers must put their own health first - Pulis

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 07:41:38 GMT

BBC Sport columnist Tony Pulis explains why Vincent Kompany's health scare was a reminder that management takes its toll physically and mentally

'I made the wrong decision,' Hyrox athlete who soiled herself in race tells BBC

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 07:33:27 GMT

'I made the wrong decision,' Hyrox athlete who soiled herself in race tells BBC

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Australian Hyrox athlete Joanna Wietrzyk says she made the wrong decision when she continued to race after soiling herself during a competition in Beijing.

Speaking exclusively to the BBC, she suggested her determination to win the race in September had clouded her judgement.

Roughly halfway through her event last month, Wietrzyk suffered a bout of diarrhoea and images of faecal matter on parts of her body were widely shared online.

"I didn't really think about those around me… the decision that I made in hindsight was the wrong decision and I'm truly sorry for everyone that I did affect," the athlete told the BBC.

She also talked about the effect of the social media reaction after the incident, saying she should not have received "such backlash", and that she is "only human".

F1 has never had anyone like me - Hamilton

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 07:25:41 GMT

Lewis Hamilton says he is unlike any driver Formula 1 has seen before and reaffirms a determination to keep racing into his mid-forties.

We went on holiday with our neighbours and swapped families - it tore us apart

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 06:21:28 GMT

Rachel Stone

Rachel as a baby with her father Rex and brother Ian - and Rachel today

Emily Doughty

30 October 2026, 00:57 GMT

Updated 7 hours ago

Rachel Stone was five and her brother Ian was 10 when their mum and dad took them on a caravan holiday to Wales with the family next door.

They spent two fun-filled weeks together - but when they got home, each family split in half and swapped houses.

Rachel and her mother Kay moved in with the neighbour Eddie and his daughter Alison. Eddie's wife Irene and their daughter Dawn moved in with Rachel's dad Rex and her brother Ian.

Rachel tells Dr Sian Williams, host of Radio 4's Life Changing podcast, of the trauma of her family being torn apart, the chaos that unfolded and how she has come to forgive her parents.

Rachel Stone

Rachel's dad Rex and brother Ian remained in their old home, while she moved in next door with her mother

Rachel and Ian had initially been delighted when a new family moved in next door. "We instantly hit it off, all four of us." They were thrilled to be going on holiday together.

Rachel remembers two caravans parked side-by-side and a trip up Mount Snowdon.

But when it was time to go home, everything was mixed up - people were getting in the wrong cars.

Rachel remembers her mum leaning back from the passenger seat, saying: "'We're going to have a new family. We're going to be living in number eight with Eddie and Alison. Alison's going to be your new sister.

"And your dad and brother are still going to live in number 10. And Auntie Irene and Dawn are going to live there. And Dawn's going to be your brother's new sister."

Rachel immediately felt "very panicked and afraid and upset" and says she started to cry.

As the car rumbled along, she felt "bewildered, but also a little bit excited". She liked Alison and had always wanted a sister.

That night, Alison let her sleep on her top bunk and the next morning the adults switched belongings between the houses in the Isle of Sheppey where they lived.

Rachel says she felt very confused. "You can't help but think that it's your fault."

Life Changing

My family was 'jumbled up'

28 October 2026

Listen on Sounds

Life at number 8, where Rachel now lived, was very different to number 10. Her old house had been clean, whereas this house had "dog hair, greasy things, car things".

She describes her mum as "firm but fair" and very practical.

Her stepdad Eddie "was never horrible to me, but I never called him dad. I wasn't his girl."

She also missed Ian desperately. "I was very proud of him. He was my big brother.

"I used to wait in the front garden for him to come home from school when I was a toddler."

Rachel Stone

Rachel, pictured here at nine years old, says life with her new family at number 8 was very different to her old life

Rachel was seven when the two couples went to court together and got divorced. They later married their new partners in separate low-key registry office ceremonies.

Rachel did not even know her dad had married Irene until she saw the wedding photo. Her visits to her old home tailed off when she was about 11 or 12. She says she found it difficult to go and visit her dad and did not get along with Irene.

Meanwhile, life with her mum Kay and Eddie was chaotic.

"[He] was quite possessive and controlling. By the time we got to 13, she [Mum] said, 'it's not sustainable, [we] can't live like this".

Rachel Stone

Rex and Kay on their wedding day. They went on to divorce and marry their neighbours

Rachel said school was her "escape". She got good grades and became a teacher. She got married and had two sons but is now separated and works as a business coach.

Throughout her life, Rachel's mother would never talk about the swap. "I asked a lot of questions. She told me it was complicated."

Decades later, on a family holiday with her own sons, Rachel asked again.

"I said to my mum, 'Oh, Joseph's 10 now... Ian was 10 when you let him go with Dad and Irene.'"

She says her mum was "beside herself with guilt and the shame... for her selfish decisions."

"Years later she actually said to me - the words I almost wanted to hear all my life - 'I'm so sorry I let you down and I want to try and make it up to you.'"

Rachel says it was the start of her rebuilding a "wonderful" relationship with her mum.

Rachel Stone

Despite being separated as children, siblings Rachel and Ian remain close

Rachel never had a close relationship with her dad. "He told me he had a choice between his wife and his children. Unfortunately for me, he chose his wife."

He and Irene stayed together until his death aged 81.

But when she spoke at her dad's funeral, Rachel said she felt she owed him an apology.

"I imagined a character of a perfect dad that had been taken away from me... I created this superhuman being that could be everything.

"And I wanted him to be like that. But I also think you have to accept people for who they are.

"I think that parents do the best they can... You can't hope for your parents to be something they're not."

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Attenborough-backed appeal secures £30m estate

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 06:16:43 GMT

The Wildlife Trusts

The Rothbury Estate, in Northumberland, covers a swathe of woodland and farmland

7 hours ago

Conservationists have completed the purchase of a huge upland estate following a two-year £30m public appeal backed by the likes of Sir David Attenborough.

The Wildlife Trusts - a federation of 47 conservation charities - and Northumberland Wildlife Trust (NWT) plan to "enhance the rich natural heritage" of the Rothbury Estate, a 9,500-acre stretch of former grouse moor, woodland and farmland - having headed off fears it could be split among multiple owners.

Broadcaster Sir David described it as an opportunity "to create something very special for generations to come".

Not everyone supported the campaign, though, with some local farmers having warned the purchase would be "a folly".

Owned by Lord Max Percy, the Duke of Northumberland's youngest son, the estate had been in the family for about 700 years and was understood to be the largest area of land put up for sale in England in decades.

Worried public access could become more difficult if it was divided between owners, the wildlife organisations bought an initial tract in 2024 covering the Simonside Hills and a mixture of lowland, woods, riverside and farmland.

That also saw them strike a deal to purchase the remainder of the estate if they could raise the £30m in two years with ambitions for it to become a 40-mile (64km) "wild" corridor, stretching from the North East coast to Kielder and the Scottish border.

It has now been announced they have taken out a "low-interest loan to bridge the short-term funding gap between pledged monies still to be received and the fundraising target, ensuring completion of the entire estate".

'Extraordinary landscape'

NWT chief executive Mike Pratt said the campaign had been "remarkable".

"Opportunities of this scale and significance are incredibly rare.

"By securing this extraordinary landscape, we've the potential to create a flagship for nature recovery supported by sustainable farming whilst delivering lasting benefits for wildlife, local people and the rural economy."

Backing last year by Sir David, who serves as president emeritus of the Wildlife Trusts, led to a surge in donations with more than £1m being brought in from across the globe in a week.

Commenting on the appeal's success, he said: "Now the opportunity to bring the vision of a landscape where nature and people thrive side by side can become a reality.

"This will be a place where nature, community, farming and heritage can combine to create something very special."

John Millard

The Simsonside Hills have long been a popular spot with walkers, but wildlife groups worried public access could be hindered if the estate was split between multiple owners

More than 25,000 people donated, NWT said, with other major contributions including a £5m grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund in March this year.

This week it was announced the government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) had pledged £1.94m, taking the appeal to within touching distance of its target.

Why is the area so coveted?

The estate has a number of important wildlife habitats, conservationists say, with some already designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

Species such as curlew, mountain bumblebee, lapwing and other wading birds have made it their home with endangered red squirrels finding safety in the woods.

Harebell, wild thyme and mountain pansy flower colourfully in summer months, with salmon and under-threat eels spotted in the rivers.

The wildlife trusts believe "this rich tapestry of wildlife could be richer still" if more species return over the next 10 years.

There are also hopes pine marten, beavers and ancient breeds of cattle could become common sights.

Peter Cairns

Red squirrels, whose numbers have dwindled nationally over the years, can be seen on the estate

Opinion 'finely split'

The plan was not universally popular though.

Chris Armstrong, a tenant farmer overseeing 1,000 acres close to the site, was among those questioning it.

He told the BBC earlier this year the community was split over the issue: "The most recent strapline seems to be 'time is running out to save the Rothbury Estate'.

"The Rothbury Estate doesn't need saving. Saving from what?"

"I would put it very much akin to the Brexit vote, I would think it would be that finely split.

"I think the majority of the farming community see this as a folly."

Meanwhile, Defra's contribution has come under fire from Councillor Guy Renner-Thompson, chairman of Northumberland Conservatives.

He said the pledge showed the government "has its priorities wrong" in light of difficulties people across the country have faced securing sustainable farming incentive (SFI) funding.

"Farmers were left scrambling in an application window that opened and closed the same day," Renner-Thompson said.

"Yet ministers can find nearly £2m to help a charity buy an estate."

In response, Nature Minister Jenny Riddell-Carpenter said the government was "stepping in to help" having seen thousands of members of the public give their support for a "once-in-a-generation opportunity".

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How talking about Man Utd's cycle of doom became an industry

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 06:14:19 GMT

Manchester United's struggles are pored over more than ever before - not least by former players.

'I run a spotless kitchen', says Michelin-star restaurant chef in wake of food hygiene debacle

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 06:08:16 GMT

Apple TV

Chef Gareth Ward, who co-owns Ynyshir near Machynlleth in mid Wales, appears in an Apple TV documentary

Antonia Matthews

BBC Wales

29 October 2026

Updated 7 hours ago

The chef at Wales' only two-Michelin-star restaurant has defended the way he operates his kitchen after the venue came under scrutiny over food hygiene standards.

While chasing a third Michelin star, Ynyshir was handed a one-star hygiene rating in February and told to improve due to concerns about raw and undercooked foods.

The news made global headlines and was a blow to Ward and his team, but in Apple TV's documentary series Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars, Ward said Ynyshir was "an incredible place".

"There's nothing in there that's amateurish," he told the programme. "I run a spotless kitchen."

Ward, who co-owns the restaurant near Machynlleth in mid Wales, added the hygiene rating had hurt, "because we are only trying to be the best".

"Whether you're a cafe, or a pub, or a two-Michelin-star restaurant. We've all got the same rules," he told the eight-part second series of the show, which follows elite chefs and their teams.

"But we go above and beyond everything to make what we do safe."

Ynyshir became the first restaurant in Wales to hold two Michelin stars

Ynyshir was previously ordered to stop serving raw lobster after Ceredigion council found "significant hazards" were not properly identified.

The restaurant received its first Michelin star in 2014 and its second in 2022, becoming the first and only restaurant in Wales to hold two.

It missed out on a third star at the ceremony this year.

The 16-seat restaurant serves Japanese-inspired raw dishes as part of its nearly £500 a head 30-course tasting menu, and accused inspectors of not understanding its specialised procedures.

By August, the council had reinstated its five-star hygiene rating after it found the "business had addressed all matters identified during the original inspection".

But, for Ynyshir, the scrutiny was a major setback, and Ward shared his frustration in the documentary.

"I'm very proud of my whole team and my business, and what we've achieved," he said.

"It's obviously massive in the media, which anyone instantly jumps on and thinks it's about cleanliness," he said. "I run a spotless kitchen.

"When something like this happens you're a bit blown away."

Ward said the restaurant served a lot of raw food and did a lot of things "that aren't normal".

"We have done some things wrong, but we don't deserve everything [we were accused of]," he said.

"It's just, we dare to be different."

He said the inspection left him feeling the weight of responsibility, with more than 30 members of staff and the business potentially at risk.

Management of food safety at Ynyshir was categorised by inspectors as needing major improvement, as was cleanliness and condition of facilities, while "hygienic food handling" was rated "generally satisfactory".

A dirty floor, inadequate hand-washing facilities in some areas and broken equipment posing a potential contamination risk were also identified in the inspectors' report.

Ynyshir responded at the time, saying the inspection "identified a small number of minor issues typical of a busy professional kitchen situated in the countryside of rural Wales" which had been "rectified immediately and in full".

It said biological testing, at "significant cost" to the restaurant, had "conclusively confirmed that our techniques are safe, compliant and appropriate".

It said at the time it was prepared to work constructively with the council but expected "an informed, consistent and fair assessment process that recognises the realities of modern, non-conventional restaurants".

When Ynyshir was reinspected, Ceredigion council said the "business had addressed all matters identified during the original inspection".

Syrians struggle with soaring prices as crisis challenges post-Assad recovery

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 06:02:23 GMT

Neha Sharma/BBC

Many Syrians say their economic situation has worsened in the last two years amid a cost-of-living crisis

Hugo Bachega

Middle East correspondentDamascus, Syria

8 hours ago

Last month, protests erupted in squares and streets across Syria. People burned tyres, blocked roads and chanted slogans, angry at the government's decision to raise fuel prices again. It was the largest show of discontent yet since President Ahmed al-Sharaa came to power two years ago.

Speaking on a Syrian TV channel, a man said he still supported the authorities but that his situation had deteriorated to the point where he could no longer afford to buy bread. "Honestly," another said, "we have begun to fear what kind of new decision each morning will bring".

The increase was the latest in a series of measures people blame for a growing cost-of-living crisis. For many Syrians, life, financially, has worsened since rebels led by Sharaa ousted President Bashar al-Assad, ending five decades of his family's brutal rule and more than 13 years of a devastating civil war.

Catapulted to the presidency, Sharaa has, since then, led Syria's transition and efforts to revive a broken economy after a long period of mismanagement, isolation and conflict.

There was never any doubt about how challenging this would be. But as they celebrated Assad's overthrow and their new freedoms, Syrians, perhaps unrealistically, hoped things would quickly improve. That, however, has not materialised, and the handling of the economy has frustrated many here.

From essential bills to basic items, the cost of virtually everything has gone up. And many saw a further and unexpected rise in fuel prices as a sign of a government out of touch with its country. "We don't want roundabouts. Every day they build a new roundabout. People stood by you and are still with you," another protester said, addressing Sharaa, "but this will [make] things explode".

Days later, amid calls for further demonstrations, the increase was revoked.

Neha Sharma/BBC

"We eat more sparingly now. We no longer buy chicken once a week," Fatima Saleh Eid says

In a suburb of Damascus, I joined Fatima Saleh Eid at an open-air market for her weekly shop. At 50, she works as a cleaner to help support her family. "We've suffered a lot," she said. Her husband had recently been hired by a ceramic factory after a year unemployed. He is among the lucky ones, as many are struggling to find work. In some streets, men gather in the hope of meeting someone offering a day job; often, they wait in vain.

Since coming to power, the government has slashed long-held subsidies as part of an austerity drive. The price of bread, a Syrian staple, has increased tenfold. Fuel prices are now in line with the international average, which has put pressure on farmers and made transportation more expensive, while the cost of electricity has gone up several hundred per cent for some.

The authorities, in response, have adjusted public sector wages, including pensions; unsurprisingly, the effect of the additional pay for people has been lost as prices keep rising.

"We eat more sparingly now. We can't afford chicken anymore nor meat. We only eat vegetables but even [that is] expensive," Fatima said. "Inshallah [God willing] things will get cheaper."

As she spoke, around a dozen people, of all ages, gathered around us. Nobody disagreed. One elderly man also said he had stopped eating meat. Another, in his 20s, told me his family were no longer able to pay the medicine for his father, who had a heart condition. One young woman said she and her four children could only afford to have a proper meal every two days.

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Marwan Bashour, a 68-year-old pensioner, said his monthly pay was around $90 (£70), which is the public sector minimum wage. "It's not enough at all," he said.

The United Nations Development Programme said 90% of Syrians were in poverty last year. Marwan told me how he made ends meet. "Sometimes I borrow money, sometimes I sell things from my house," he said, "like an old pot or plates that we never used, gifts that were given to us. I've even had to sell furniture".

There have been other pressures too. Like many Syrians, Marwan used to rely on help from aid agencies. But, for him, that has stopped, as organisations have been forced to cut back services because of funding cuts. Syria has also not been immune to the impact of the US-Iran war. The government said the fuel increase that led to the protests was, in part, due to the pressure on energy markets because of the conflict.

Neha Sharma/BBC

Nabil al-Remhein says he has cut back on lighting in his house because of high electricity bills

I met another pensioner, Nabil al-Remhein, who is 63. None of his four adult children could find work. "We're now having only one meal a day. It's tragic," he said. His face looked tired. "It isn't only me. It's the entire population. We're all hungry... We're suffocating under rising costs."

Nabil took me to his house, in a poor area of narrow alleys and modest buildings. There, I met his wife. She was doing her chores in the dark. "I'm afraid of the electricity bill," Nabil said. "We've cut back on lighting up the house and we [also] turn off the fridge for about five hours a day". Still, their latest bill was about a third of the family's income. He has not paid it.

Neha Sharma/BBC

Nabil al-Remhein's wife does her chores in the dark in their house

Dr Haid Haid, a Syrian columnist and consulting fellow at the London-based think tank Chatham House, said a "significant portion of the population" was worse off than before Assad's fall. The economic crisis, he told me, was "one of the most dangerous issues" for the government, and that some of it was of its own making.

"Part of [the crisis] is related to the lack of [financial] resources and the legacy left by the former regime," he said. "But it's also the direct impact of the new policies that are moving [Syria] towards a liberal and free-market sort of economy, which don't take into account the impact on people".

A spokesman for the Syrian economy and industry ministry told me no-one was available for an interview.

Neha Sharma/BBC

Jobar, on the outskirts of Damascus, still lies in ruins nearly two years after the fall of the Assad regime

Sharaa has, of course, scored some important gains. International sanctions imposed in the Assad-era have been lifted, and the US has removed the country from its list of state sponsors of terrorism. Security remains volatile and a source of concern, but the country feels more stable.

And the president continues to consolidate his power and, earlier this year, retook the resource-rich north-east from a Kurdish-led militia. (The Druze still control areas in the south, where they want to create an autonomous state; Israel occupies parts of the south-west.)

But real economic recovery is yet to happen. Large parts of Syria remain in ruins after a war that killed half a million people and displaced half of the population. Unable to afford rent, many families live in partially destroyed buildings. The World Bank says reconstruction costs are estimated at $216bn and, without foreign help and investment, it will be impossible for Syrians to rebuild.

Samir Aita, a Syrian economist who heads the Circle of Arab Economists, a Paris-based independent think-tank, said the crisis was a "combination of policies with the [government] not managing expectations and creating unrealistic hopes". When I asked him about how he felt about the future, he said: "It's unsustainable. If they don't change, I fear chaos."

Exhausted after years of conflict, Syrians, left with almost no choice, remain hopeful. Abu Mahmoud, a cab driver, told me: "They inherited the country bankrupt, so people need to be patient. Things don't happen overnight."

Additional reporting by Lana Antaki, Samantha Granville and Neha Sharma

Gruffalo illustrator considering legal action against AI firms

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 05:49:37 GMT

Macmillan/Axel Scheffler

The Gruffalo has been a staple of children's bookshelves since 1999

Matt Gravelling

London

8 hours ago

The illustrator behind the popular children's book The Gruffalo has told BBC London he is "seriously considering" launching legal action against artificial intelligence (AI) firms he says breach copyright in reproducing his work.

Axel Scheffler, whose illustrations have captivated children since 1999, said he wanted AI companies to stop using artists' work without permission.

The Gruffalo, written by London-born children's author Julia Donaldson, tells the story of a mouse who outsmarts a beast.

"I've been in touch with a lawyer in Germany," Scheffler said.

"There have been illustrators taking legal action against AI companies and I'm seriously considering it. I just want them to stop."

The south London-based artist did not name a company his legal team would consider pursuing.

AI firms have previously argued that using copyrighted material to train their models does not necessarily constitute copyright infringement.

Getty Images

Axel Scheffler says he wants better protection for creative works

Scheffler, who does not own a smartphone, said he tried to ignore AI until someone showed him how his most famous creations had been digitally recreated in locations such as Silicon Valley and Oktoberfest.

"I was quite shocked. It's clearly my mouse, my Gruffalo, as close as they can do it, but the rest of the image is completely created - it's a clear theft of copyright," he told the BBC.

Scheffler is considering launching the legal action in Germany because he believes the European Union is more creator-friendly.

Nick Buckland, an intellectual property lawyer at London firm Lewis Silkin, agreed that Germany could offer a route for creators seeking to protect their work.

"There have been two cases in Germany where music collecting societies have been able to win against AI companies by showing that those AI companies have copied lyrics of songs verbatim and have presented them," he told the BBC.

But proving copyright infringement could be difficult, he said.

While having a distinctive character such as the Gruffalo could help Scheffler's case, he would need to establish that his copyright had been infringed.

"Generative AI doesn't copy, it trains," Buckland explained.

"This is what AI companies say means that they're not infringing someone's copyright.

"For example, if someone wants a picture of a dog, what the AI machine does is it scans everything it's trained on, millions of pictures of dogs, and then one gets presented to the user."

Nick Buckland said proving copyright infringement would not be straightforward

OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, is already being sued by German publishing group Penguin Random House, together with author and illustrator Ingo Siegner.

The allegation is that OpenAI copied the children's book character The Little Dragon Coconut (Der kleine Drache Kokosnuss)

Whether the AI company has breached copyright law will be decided by the Munich Regional Court in spring 2027.

Carina Mathern, children's and young adult books publisher and member of the management board of Penguin Random House publishing group, said: "Through this lawsuit, we... want to help ensure that copyright remains effectively protected in the age of artificial intelligence and that fair conditions are secured for creative professionals."

An OpenAI spokesperson said: "We're having productive conversations with rightsholders around the world about supporting creativity, including fan art, while protecting intellectual property and taking appropriate action in response to copyright complaints."

The California-based firm said its models were trained in various sources and that copyright holders could submit disputes directly with them.

Coconut the Little Dragon/Ingo Siegner/Penguin Random House Verlagsgruppe

Penguin Random House is suing OpenAI over AI created-images of Coconut the Little Dragon, like this example on the left. The original cover is on the right

For Scheffler, the issue goes beyond the work of an established illustrator whose Gruffalo books have sold more than 18 million copies worldwide.

He said any legal action would not be about compensation, but about protecting creators now and in the future.

Other artists also fear the possible impact of AI on their livelihoods.

Ivy Deng, who is doing a master's degree in painting at the Royal College of Art, said: "In terms of regulations, I don't feel protected about the fair use of my art."

"In terms of the art industry and the people who support art, I have faith that they understand that there is a difference between the process and the perspiration behind developing an art practice and creating something by hand and replicating something in one moment," she added.

Ivy Deng says she has faith people will see the value of human-produced art

Prof James Coupe, head of the college's Artificial Intelligence programme, welcomed Scheffler's contribution to the debate.

"We tend to frame this debate as a choice between embracing AI and rejecting it, but that misses the more important question of who gets to shape these technologies and whose interests they serve," he said.

"Art has a vital role here, not because artists should become technology developers, but because artistic practice should challenge the assumptions, values and forms of power that technology often asks us to take for granted."

Last June, the UK government announced £2bn of investment in AI by 2030 "to harness the transformative potential".

Buckland said the government needed to strike a balance between protecting creative industries and allowing AI to develop.

"It seems pretty clear that in order for the AI investment to be maximised, you need to open those floodgates," he said.

"The government has a difficult choice to make. It's trying to find a middle ground."

Scheffler encouraged artists to continue "drawing by hand and being old-fashioned"

The government said it did not accept that backing the creative industries and supporting the AI sector were mutually exclusive.

A Department for Culture, Media and Sport spokesperson said: "We have engaged extensively with creatives, AI firms, industry bodies, unions, academics and AI adopters.

"Copyright laws must protect the UK's position as a creative powerhouse while unlocking the extraordinary potential of AI-driven innovation to grow the economy and improve British lives."

Even so, Scheffler and his publishers are still discussing the possibility of legal action in his native Germany.

For the illustrator, the value of the work itself remains central to the debate.

"AI can never replace the hand-drawn image," he said.

"There's always something lacking. I recommend drawing by hand and being old-fashioned, and hopefully that will be more appreciated when AI takes over."

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Democrats in the US have an identity crisis - it won't be an easy fix

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 02:14:41 GMT

Asma Khalid

The Global Story presenter

James Stevens calls himself a democratic socialist. The 24-year-old film student is the type of Democrat who recalls watching the provocative left-wing internet commentator Hasan Piker six years ago, "before he became relevant in politics". Last year, James flew up from his home in Georgia to New York City to canvass for Zohran Mamdani's mayoral campaign.

His mother, Tamara, 56, is a loyal Democrat too. But of a different ilk. She grew up Republican then switched to the Democratic Party after seeing Barack Obama on Oprah. These days, she's a loyal party woman, championing reproductive rights, attending campaign rallies and donating to local candidates.

Both mother and son want Democrats to win control of Congress at Tuesday's midterm elections, but they don't entirely agree on what they want their Democratic Party to be.

"I'm very sick of how compromising Democrats are to Republican policies that don't benefit a large group of people," James told me, as his mother looked on. "There needs to be a bold vision for the Democrats," he says, arguing that the party should adopt policies affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), a left-wing splinter group. In his view, that means anti-Zionism, getting corporate money out of politics, and government-run free healthcare.

The conventional wisdom in Washington is that Democrats are well-positioned to take control of the House, and possibly even the Senate, after the vote next week.

Underlying conditions are in Democrats' favour – Republican US President Donald Trump's approval rating is at a record low for a president heading into a midterm, comparable to George W Bush in his final term in 2006; the Iran war still isn't over and it's proving unpopular with American voters; and this has led to higher gas prices, which are frustrating an electorate that is already worried about the cost of living. Traditionally, the midterms are a referendum on a sitting president. In 18 of the last 20 US midterm elections, the party in power has lost seats in the House.

And yet despite those circumstances, the Democratic Party is also unpopular nationwide. The Real Clear Politics polling average shows the American public sees the Democrats as only marginally better than the Republicans. Recent polls show the Democratic Party still has a net unfavourability rating among Americans. Political analysts say that if the Republicans manage to buck the trend and survive these midterms, one key reason is that the Democratic Party (or the Democratic brand) is disliked by a majority of American voters too.

Behind the headlines of which party or which candidates win this Tuesday, there's also a story this election season about Democratic identity. This is a fight between institutionalists and reformists, of people who want incremental change and those who demand root-and-branch transformation. The question is, who will win out in the long run?

The not-Trump party?

I've covered every national US election in the past dozen years and this is an unusual one. When I was out interviewing voters ahead of the 2018 midterms during Donald Trump's first term, I was struck by how united many Democratic voters were in their opposition to the president. This time, I've noticed that under the facade of unity, there's a brewing fight.

There are persistent questions about what the Democratic Party stands for, and these divides erupted during the primaries this midterm cycle. "The identity of the party is pretty cloudy," said Ruy Teixeira, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a centre-right think tank. "It's all centred on reaction to the Trump administration and taking advantage of what is a thermostatic reaction against the administration... Beyond that, there's all these different factions in the party."

Part of the reason for this Democratic infighting is that the party never had a chance to have this fight during the 2024 presidential race, with the sudden departure of Joe Biden months before the election and nomination of Kamala Harris.

Analysts agree that if Democrats make big wins on election night, it still won't answer deeper, unresolved questions as they try to keep their big tent together to corral votes in Congress or eye the 2028 presidency.

In simplistic terms, the divide is between the centrist, more moderate wing of the party and its left flank. But operatives and analysts say it's also a divide between institutionalists and those who want to completely upend the existing institution. Both feel they have a better read on what voters genuinely want.

Usamah Andrabi, of the Justice Democrats, a prominent left-wing group, blames the Democratic establishment for ushering in a Republican Congress and president. "And so I think the people who led us into this mess are simply not gonna be the ones who lead us out of it," he told me.

"The affordability crisis… is a massive one, and it's not going to be resolved by tinkering at the margins," he added. Instead, he insists, it'll be solved through policies like universal healthcare and childcare, and redistributing money by cutting the Pentagon's budget to stop "endless wars". His organisation sprang up in 2017 to recruit and support the congressional members who became known as "the Squad", the furthest-left faction in the House, which includes members such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar.

Reuters

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been consistently popular among progressives

Healthcare will be one of the main arenas in which this fight is likely to play out, says Carrie Dann, managing editor of the Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan newsletter that forecasts the competitiveness of races.

"There is a lot of appetite for, at the very least, more transparency, more understanding of why healthcare costs are so high," said Dann. " Take a bad step, break your leg, and a huge swathe of Americans would see their worlds turned upside down by that because of the healthcare system as it is."

Several Democratic candidates this election cycle have outlined ideas to lower "out-of-pocket" costs for those who already have health insurance - being hit with additional costs on top of regular insurance payments is a common feature of the American healthcare system. But there's another flank of the party that is fed up with incremental changes and wants a national healthcare system that is free at the point of use - Medicare for All.

Recent polling suggests a majority of Democrats favour this kind of healthcare system, but a majority of Republicans oppose it.

But some Democrats say there's nuance in the issue.

"People want to have universal healthcare, and they also want to be able to keep their health insurance," says Neera Tanden, Joe Biden's former domestic policy adviser, now CEO of the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank.

Mainstream establishment Democrats acknowledge that many people see healthcare as a right, but they insist that others strongly oppose a fully government-run programme, fearing lower standards of care, and insist on having the option of keeping their private health insurance.

Healthcare costs have gone up across the board - health insurance and out-of-pocket healthcare expenses, hospital expenses and prescription drug costs have all surged in recent years, rising faster than the rate of inflation. As medical expenses have increased, polls suggest the idea of universal healthcare isn't as outlandish as it once seemed, and this campaign cycle has shown that it's far less taboo for politicians to openly call for it.

Back in Georgia, it's an issue on which Tamara and James agree - they want universal healthcare.

But their most fundamental disagreement is over Israel. Tamara calls herself a Zionist. "My kids get mad at me for saying that," she said.

And they're hardly the only Democrats having this debate.

EPA

Abdul El-Sayed's race is being seen as a bellwether

Dann, from the Cook Political Report, says one of the biggest lessons from this election cycle is that Democratic voters weren't just looking for candidates willing to fight Trump, but candidates willing to take on the establishment. Dann points to the key swing state of Michigan, where in the primary, Abdul El-Sayed - a fierce critic of Israel and its actions in Gaza - came out on top over the objections of the Democratic establishment.

"I think one reason for that was that he was not only talking about taking on Donald Trump, but taking on the Democratic establishment… the establishment in Washington writ large," she said. And part of that anti-establishment attitude is about US support for Israel.

The Israel question

Some who left the party in 2024 because they believe Biden was too supportive of Israel's actions in Gaza are now returning, energised by El-Sayed's tough tone.

"My red line has been Gaza," said Samraa Luqman, an Arab-American activist in Michigan who voted for Trump in the last presidential election, feeling betrayed by Democrats that year.

"2023 and 2024 have really taught this community a lesson that we are no longer going to be wishy-washy about the issue. It's Gaza or bust," she told me. "If you're not good on Gaza, on Israel, on Palestine, then we don't need you. We don't need you in office, and we don't need to vote for you, no matter what your party affiliation is."

EPA

Support for Israel has become a core issue within the party

But as El-Sayed has energised voters, he's also alienated others, particularly some who see support for Israel as connected to Jewish safety in the US and feel that antisemitism in their party has grown after the deadly Hamas attacks of October 7.

Zach Nessel is one of those Democrats. And he's increasingly worried about becoming politically homeless.

"We have people who don't think Zionists should have a place in our party, that they should be removed from the party," Nessel told me. "And as a proud Zionist, I don't want to be removed from the Democratic coalition just over this one issue in the Middle East."

Support for Israel became a litmus test in some Democratic primaries this season, leading to mounting resistance to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the longtime influential lobbying group.

Ideological test

But Dann tells me that it's not just Israel that's a litmus test, it's El-Sayed's race itself.

"Abdul El-Sayed's theory of the case is that he can run as an unabashed progressive in a purple state [a state that swings between the 'red' Republican party and 'blue' Democrats] and win because progressive ideas are not only popular if they're communicated correctly, but also activate voters who are not necessarily a normal part of the political process, particularly young people," she said.

If he wins, left-wing candidates will see it as a model, she adds. And if he loses, Democrats in the more centrist wing of the party will see it as evidence that left-wing ideas are out of touch with mainstream voters.

But there are others, like Jim Kessler with Third Way, a centrist think tank, who think Michigan shouldn't be the focus. He pointed out that if Democrats take control of the Senate it'll be because of more centrist candidates: Roy Cooper in North Carolina, Mary Peltola in Alaska, James Talarico in Texas, Josh Turek in Iowa, Adam Hamilton in Kansas. They, he said, are the ones expanding Democrats' odds this cycle. " So the bigger the Democratic victory, the more it seems like the centrist Democrats came through, not the DSA candidates," he said.

DSA-endorsed candidates made gains during the primaries this election cycle, but their ideas are still controversial to many.

" I don't think… the vast majority of working-class people in America are kind of mini socialists," Tanden told me, pointing to reporting that suggests the majority of people who support the DSA are college-educated voters.

" Working-class people are pretty moderate on issues like crime and immigration," she added.

Nonetheless, if Democrats gain the majority, their congressional leaders will have to navigate a group of Democrats in which there will likely be an increase in the loudest and most left-wing voices.

" The Democrats' biggest challenge is to figure out how to actually deliver on running the economy better and making things more affordable, because they've said over and over again and very loudly that's what they're going to do," said Teixeira.

Seizing the momentum

In all likelihood, people will start thinking seriously about the next presidential candidate the day after the midterms.

So, who actually has the momentum: the left flank or the centre?

"I think after the election we'll see a lot of fighting between the factions to claim credit," Teixeira said. " And that will of course feed into the jostling for the presidential nomination for 2028."

Back in Georgia, Tamara and James may disagree on some things, but they both want Democrats to win big on Tuesday.

"I'm a very pragmatic person when it comes to progressive politics," James said. He wants to make it clear he doesn't agree with everything DSA members espouse.

So much of this midterm cycle has also come down to candidate quality - not just the message but the messenger. So I asked both mother and son who their "ideal" Democrat is.

Tamara instantly answered Jon Ossoff, the Democratic senator running for re-election in Georgia.

Reuters

Jon Ossoff is being watched closely in Georgia

It's a point of agreement. They both really like their Georgia senator.

Ossoff is seen by many as a rising star of his party. The seat he is contesting is characterised by the Cook Political Report as "likely Democratic" - considered by analysts to be an impressive achievement in a swing state that voted for Trump in 2024.

"He knows how to speak to moderate Republicans, moderate Democrats, and members of the DSA," Tamara said. "He's not afraid to pull any punches… I appreciate how much he talks about corruption."

On Wednesday night, she joined thousands of people just outside Atlanta for a rally to cheer on the senator as former President Barack Obama campaigned for Democrats.

And when Ossoff took the mic, he spoke at length about what he sees as "corruption" in the Trump administration and in American politics, healthcare and corporate money.

And I heard this concern from voters in Georgia this past week, not just at the campaign rally, but at early voting sites in both Republican and Democratic counties.

"We have a corruption crisis," said Richard Schosky as he walked out of the voting booth in north Atlanta, after casting his ballot early. It's an issue that seems to be resonating deeply with voters, although the White House has repeatedly denied any allegations of wrongdoing.

In fact, Dann with the Cook Political Report says "corruption has become one of the central issues of this election".

Still, she added, "Democrats would be foolish to believe that a very good night for them in November is a mandate for the Democratic Party," said Dann.

"They are as almost as unpopular as Republicans and the president."

Lead image: Getty

More from InDepth

Israel and the US are both going to the polls - the consequences will be global
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Biggest fibre boost could be scraps in your bin, experts say

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 00:40:30 GMT

Getty Images

Michelle Roberts

Digital health editor

30 October 2026, 00:40 GMT

Eating fruit and vegetable scraps such as peels and stalks could provide a health boost that most of us are missing, say UK researchers, external.

They say scraps are an overlooked source of dietary fibre and are encouraging people to try "root-to-tip" eating, including watermelon rind, pineapple core and butternut squash seeds.

Most adults do not get enough fibre. Official figures, external show only 4% meet the recommended 30g a day, despite its well-known benefits for gut health.

Fibre aids digestion, helps you feel fuller for longer and is linked to a lower risk of heart disease and bowel cancer., external

Stalks, pips and rind on

Getty Images

Skin and pips can be beneficial, the fibre researchers say

As a rule of thumb, the skins of fruit and veg pack more fibre than the insides.

Eating a kiwi with the skin on, external provides 50% more fibre than having a peeled one, for example.

For their study, the scientists at King's College London analysed 12 raw or uncooked fresh foods - beetroot, bell pepper, broccoli, butternut squash, cauliflower, celeriac, curly kale, fennel, kiwi fruit, leek, pineapple and watermelon.

They found many discarded parts contained more fibre than the sections people typically eat.

For example:

watermelon rind contained 2.10g of fibre per 100g – roughly equivalent to the fibre in a slice of wholemeal bread
butternut squash skin and seeds contained 9.25g per 100g – nearly as much fibre as a bowl of bran flakes
pineapple skin and core contained five times more fibre than the flesh
broccoli stalks contained fibre, although a bit less than the florets

Fibre is essential for your gut to work properly and helps prevent constipation.

Project lead Dr Rachel Gibson said the findings suggested people are throwing away a significant amount of fibre.

"This isn't just a nutritional loss, it's also a financial one - you're effectively throwing away a substantial portion of what you've paid for."

Banana peel curry?

Getty Images

King's College London has been experimenting in its canteen, external, offering staff and students root-to-tip meals, such as banana skin curry.

At home, people might want to try leaving skins on kiwi fruit, using broccoli stalks in stir-fries or adding bell pepper seeds to dishes, the researchers suggest.

While cooking can change the fibre content, it doesn't usually destroy it all.

Steaming, microwaving or quick sautéing tends to preserve nutrients best.

Gibson said: "This isn't about perfection and this isn't about forcing people to eat unpalatable food – it's about recognising the nutritional value in components we've been conditioned to discard."

She acknowledges some may be hesitant to try it.

Some diners raised concerns during the canteen trial.

Over the nine-week period, "root-to-tip" dishes made up a third of total daily hot menu sales at the university.

Those choosing the new dishes were less likely to finish their meals than diners eating from the conventional menu.

Kirsten Jackson, a dietitian with the British Dietetic Association who specialises in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), says the food hacks are useful as long as produce is washed thoroughly.

She suggests blending pineapple cores into smoothies, but says the tough skins are not something she would recommend.

Some stalks may need to be cooked or finely chopped to make them more palatable, she adds.

"Just because a broccoli stalk doesn't fit into tonight's meal doesn't mean it needs to go in the bin. Chop it up, freeze it and add it to a soup or stir-fry another day," she said.

She advises increasing fibre intake gradually to avoid bloating, noting that people who have IBS may find it harder to tolerate.

And there are some things to avoid entirely, said the British Nutrition Foundation.

Green potatoes and rhubarb leaves contain toxic compounds, while tough stalks and seeds may not be suitable for young children.

I didn't know I was lacking in vitamin D until I collapsed at work

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 00:29:05 GMT

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Watch: "My low Vitamin D levels hit me like a truck"

Vicki Loader

Health reporter

30 October 2026, 00:29 GMT

Twenty-three-year-old Saskia Reeves-Priestley was at work when she suddenly collapsed.

"I just felt really dizzy, really nauseous, was having heart palpitations and was really hot," she says.

Saskia, a special educational needs teacher, was a keen goalkeeper who played football four times a week and felt fit and healthy. While her symptoms are not directly linked to vitamin D deficiency - she realised something was wrong.

Blood tests later showed her level was so low - it was "next to nothing".

In the UK, low vitamin D rates are increasing in some age groups, external - particularly in girls and young women.

According to data from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey, last year nearly a quarter of 11- to 18-year-olds were classed as deficient.

Vitamin D can come from our diet, in foods such as oily fish and meat, or supplements.

But most is made by our body when UV light in sunlight hits the skin. Lower levels of sunlight - depending on where in the world you live or the time of year - decrease the body's ability to produce it.

Covering parts of the body and wearing sunscreen also has an impact - despite their protective advantages.

Those with darker skin need exposure to stronger light to produce the same amount of vitamin D as lighter skin.

Doctors don't routinely offer blood tests to check for vitamin D deficiency, but will offer a supplement if a patient is concerned they might be high risk.

What are the symptoms - and their daily impact?

Vitamin D deficiency is linked to the bone disease rickets in babies and infants. In adults it causes a similar weakening of the bone called osteomalacia, external.

"They call it the silent disease," says Dr Suma Uday, a paediatric endocrinologist who wants to raise awareness of the problem.

She warns that vitamin D deficiency in young people and adults is difficult to spot and can be missed or misdiagnosed. Symptoms include fatigue and joint and bone pain.

Uday says: "It's basically silently eating away at the bones, leaving them softened and prone to breaks."

Amaka Osu

Amaka Osu says she doesn't think many of her friends realise what the symptoms are

Amaka was in the middle of making dinner at her university house in Liverpool when she started shaking.

"I couldn't really see in front of me," she says. Her housemate took her to A&E - later she too would be diagnosed as vitamin D deficient.

Other than feeling tired, she says she had no symptoms: "I'm a 21-year-old student. I've got work and uni - I'm always feeling tired."

She remembers her mother suffering from low vitamin D but says she did not realise it could happen to her.

After taking supplements, Amaka feels a lot better, but she is anxious in case it happens again. "It was scary and I don't want to experience that again."

Lifelong deficit in girls

Uday joins other clinicians and academics who have formed a group - ACT NOW Vitamin D - calling for the threshold at which you are classified as deficient to be raised.

She says that would "catch" more people with low vitamin D and give a more accurate picture of how widespread the issue is. It would also mean they can treat the deficiency earlier, she says.

Uday warns of "a lifelong deficit" in women - in adolescence, then pregnancy, and then the newborn is affected.

"If you don't correct it from the very beginning," she says, "this is going to affect multiple generations."

Liam Asman

Saskia Reeves-Priestley plays football four times a week - and had no previous symptoms

"It's shocking," says Prof Martin Hewison, from the University of Birmingham.

He tells me that despite being 100 years on from the discovery of vitamin D "rickets hasn't gone away".

"If we have rickets in the community, there are going to be many more people who are vitamin D deficient."

He says the government should look into wider fortification of food in which vitamins are added to foods during production. Countries like Canada and Sweden have mandatory policies.

In the UK, some foods such as breakfast cereals and spreads are already fortified with vitamin D, but it is voluntary.

During the winter months, people start to lose their vitamin D levels.

"We might have to accept that for certain groups vitamin D supplementation is a matter of course," says Hewison.

Saskia is now taking vitamin D supplements regularly - and is back in goal.

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Bombshell confession in The Traitors as faithfuls finally turn the screw

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 00:16:59 GMT

Press Association

29 October 2026

Updated 30 October 2026 00:16 GMT

Emma Saunders

Culture reporter

Spoiler warning: This article reveals details from episode nine of The Celebrity Traitors, series two.

With the traitors still riding high following last Friday's episode, could they really just walk it to the final? It was time to find out.

Having been bestowed with the almighty power of the double dagger - well, metaphorically speaking, at least - King Kenny held all the cards, choosing to use his special power of a double vote to send another faithful packing.

As cliffhangers go, it wasn't hugely thrilling for viewers at home, given that the pair up for banishment - Sharon Rooney and Joanne McNally - were both faithfuls.

Nevertheless, it left a big impact on the faithful crew as they realised they had let the traitors land yet another blow ahead of Friday's final.

"We've got to pull something out of the bag," said frustrated faithful Michael Sheen later. He wasn't wrong.

Joanne got teary as she departed and joked "she was premenstrual," before revealing she was "a hardcore faithful".

Maya described her as a "ball of fun", while Kenny put on his best acting skills in the aftermath by pretending to be struggling with having the deciding vote, even comforting poor Sharon. Give that man an Oscar.

Meanwhile, James Blunt was on the hunt for whiskey like a teenager at the end of a house party: "Where do they keep the stiff stuff?" he asked himself, finding only a tray of empty glasses.

Murder was soon on the minds of the traitors again as the dastardly trio of Kenny, Maya and James A trudged up to the turret.

"The life of a traitor... it's not for everyone," said Maya. And that probably includes James A, although to be fair, he has shown a bit more enthusiasm for some pantomime villainy in the last couple of episodes. More on him later.

"Let's have faith," said King Kenny without a hint of irony.

As ever, James B was as far off the pace as me in the year 11 cross-country race.

When Leigh-Anne Pinnock, probably the most astute faithful of the series, brought up James A being a potential traitor over breakfast, James B sarcastically replied: "I think that's a good theory to start banishing the most innocent."

Sharon - aka Poundland Poirot - failed to appear in the dining room, having been chosen for the chopping block so soon after escaping banishment, throwing all the faithfuls into more confusion. She was getting a bit stressed, so it was probably for the best.

Michael had a warning for the traitors though, giving his most rousing oratory since his motivational speech for the Welsh football team ahead of the 2022 World Cup.

"Traitors... today is going to be a living hell for you, I am going to push and push and push and you are going to suffer today. This is the apocalypse.

"Vengeful daddy is in the house today."

Theories were soon flying left right and centre, with Bash throwing the spotlight on "the head of the round table" Michael, Kenny putting suspicion on James B, while Romesh pointed the finger at actual traitor Maya, shock, horror.

And the obsession with the peacock perfume wasn't going anywhere.

Finally Michael 'Vengeful Daddy' Sheen seemed to be on to something, telling a shell-shocked Maya in the kitchen: "I think you could be a brilliant traitor, and if you and Kenny paired up, amazing."

She was probably relieved when the jeeps turned up for another day trip, and Romesh was all of us with his hilarious reaction to news of yet another insane mission.

On being told by host Claudia Winkleman that they had to find the severed heads of some of the murdered celebrities and reunite them with the head of the buried body, he got the giggles: "It's just so ridiculous. I love it though!"

James B tried to get one group in the Frankenstein-style lab to sing his hit Beautiful - which had Leigh-Ann and Michael bopping along but by the puzzled look on Kenny's face, he had clearly never heard it. Awks.

This mission was a bit of a rehash of the wailing in the well challenge from the first Celebrity Traitors series, with Claudia going full headteacher and cheering - or should we say, shouting - the teams on.

Digital versions of the dead celebs in bell jars had to be matched to the correct gravestone in the castle gardens.

"Seeing Ross's face when he was alive was enough to give a man pause, let alone when his dismembered head is looking out at you from a pickle jar," quipped Michael.

Press Association

Ross Kemp hasn't been himself since he was murdered in plain sight

Watch on iPlayer with new episodes every Thursday and Friday

The latest banished and murdered celebs have their say in Uncloaked

Back at the castle, it seemed that Michael wasn't the only one starting to turn up the heat on Maya.

Romesh and Bash decided she had gone under the radar long enough: "One of the greatest gliders in the game. Maybe Olympic level gliding," mused Bash. And King Kenny was also in their sights.

And so to the penultimate round table. (A shout out to Claudia's sequin-tastic midnight blue trouser suit).

Michael was under the spotlight first due to his presence, intelligence and status as "the father of the table."

In turn, he first went back to his previous suspicion of Leigh-Anne on the night of the murder in plain sight, accusing her again of using her Big Mix dance with Miranda as a distraction.

Romesh put heat on James B due to his vocal accusations, which were often wrong.

The quiet ones - traitors James A and Maya - were then questioned by Michael and James B, who soon honed in on the murder in plain sight, working out that Maya, Kenny and James A were in the library at the end of the night when Ross was killed.

Vengeful Daddy was indeed in the house, and James B was on the money for once. Credit where it's due.

Then the bombshell of the series - something that has never happened before in the history of the show.

James A, who failed dismally to defend himself against Michael's accusations, clearly couldn't take any more and confessed he was a traitor at the table.

"I was made a traitor without wanting to be," he revealed, as the others gasped.

"I've had a unique experience on this that no-one has had before, I wanted to be a faithful and that's all I wanted to be. But I couldn't just say 'guys, vote for me.'"

At least no-one had to explain their decision when they all wrote his name down on the boards.

And as Michael and Maya stood round the firepit before heading to bed - or the turret in Maya's case - she looked like a dead woman walking. And DI Sheen is on her case.

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Jaw-dropping moment at Celebrity Traitors round table

The Celebrity Traitors final will be shown on BBC One and iPlayer from 20:00 GMT on Friday.

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From watching Star Trek to knighthood - Sir Patrick Stewart on the BBC

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 22:52:45 GMT

From watching Star Trek to knighthood - Sir Patrick Stewart's memorable BBC moments

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From CBeebies to The Graham Norton Show, Sir Patrick Stewart's BBC appearances reflected a career that spanned decades.

The legendary actor, who has died aged 86, was best known for roles in Star Trek and X-Men, as well as his celebrated work with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Stewart died at his home in Los Angeles on 28 October after suffering with Alzheimer's Disease and Lewy Body Dementia, according to a statement shared on his social media.

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Weekly quiz: What was wrong with the Spotify listing of Dolly Parton's Jolene?

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 17:46:50 GMT

29 October 2026

This week, Chancellor John Healey delivered his first Budget, Storm Boelo tore across the UK, and Brazil, Israel and Serbia held elections.

But how much attention did you pay to what else happened in the world over the past seven days?

Quiz collated by Grace Dean and Richard Frost.

What information do we collect from this quiz?

Fancy some more? Try last week's quiz, or have a go at something from the archives.

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