Labour fends off Green party to win Holborn and St Pancras byelection 09. October 2026 (04:03) Victory by Sagal Abdi-Wali in north London seat will be a relief for Andy Burnham in high-stakes battle for the left of British politicsLabour has won the Holborn and St Pancras byelection in a high-stakes battle for the left of British politics.The byelection, called after the former prime minister Keir Starmer resigned the seat in September, was considered a two-horse race between the Labour candidate, Sagal Abdi-Wali, and the Green party leader, Zack Polanski. Abdi-Wali recieved 12,292 votes to Polanski’s 8,928. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
India’s ‘Cockroach’ party accuses government of mass detention of members ahead of weekend protest 09. October 2026 (03:55) Thousands expected to march in Delhi on Saturday, as anger mounts over controversial changes to voter lists in world’s largest democracy India’s Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which began as a satirical movement but is now emerging as a political force among gen Z’s, says authorities have begun detaining its members en masse days before a major anti-government protest in Delhi.Opposition parties, their student units, and the “Cockroach” youth movement have been holding almost daily demonstrations seeking the resignation of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over a controversial revision of voter lists. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Sydney festival 2027: 11 international dance works to headline ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ program 09. October 2026 (03:00) Making its southern hemisphere debut, Dance Reflections will feature collaborators of Rosalía, Madonna and Beyoncé – and a high-wire takeover of the CutawayGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailA “once-in-a-lifetime” program of dance works of scale will be coming to Sydney in January, including 11 international works from France, Belgium, South Africa and beyond making their Australian premiere.The program, which triples the scale of the dance offering at the last Sydney festival, will bring 174 performers and crew to Sydney, with the crowning jewel being the acclaimed French choreographer Rachid Ouramdane’s Outsider. The 2024 work features 21 dancers from the Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève and four elite athletes, navigating a “cat’s cradle” of high wires and slack lines, to the mesmerising, minimalist music of the avant garde composer Julius Eastman. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Jim Chalmers delays ATO’s controversial ban on credit card payments following business outcry 09. October 2026 (02:45) Treasurer earmarks funds for year-long transition period for tax office, delaying ban’s 30 November start dateA controversial credit card ban for payments on tax bills will be delayed by up to a year after extra funding was announced for the Australian Tax Office.Treasurer Jim Chalmers announced the move on Friday following backlash from small businesses in response to the ATO’s plan. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
ICE agent shoots man in New York City with five-year-old in car, mayor says 09. October 2026 (02:13) Police say man taken to hospital and mayor says child physically unharmed as he condemns ‘unconscionable’ actA US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot a man in New York City on Thursday afternoon, according to the city’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani.Early reports indicated that agents had surrounded the man and a five-year-old child in his car in a residential area before firing multiple rounds, the mayor said in a statement on Thursday evening. The child was physically unharmed, according to Mamdani. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Plans for Sydney’s controversial new public square in doubt after NSW government intervention 09. October 2026 (01:59) State planning minister declares project ‘state significant’, wresting approval process away from local councilPlans for a grand new public square in centre of Sydney are in doubt after the New South Wales planning minister declared the project “state significant”, wresting the approval process away from the City of Sydney.The lord mayor, Clover Moore, released renders in August for the plaza opposite Sydney’s town hall. The design for the space, which the council had expected to be completed by 2031, include a semi-circular clearing projecting eastwards towards Hyde park, with a fountain and a grove of native trees. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
No ‘snowflakes’: mental health review says today’s youth have it harder and harms are real 09. October 2026 (01:01) Peter Fonagy lauds courage of young people and warns of consequences of rising prevalence of mental illnessFull report | NHS at risk of ‘system failures’ as demand for ADHD and autism care soars, inquiry findsExplainer | What has the Fonagy review found and what does it recommend?Eighteen months ago, in an off-the-cuff remark during a discussion on disability benefit cuts, Wes Streeting said mental health conditions were being “overdiagnosed”, riding headlong into another culture war.He later apologised for the comment, but at the time it seemed the then health secretary had endorsed a populist view that ordinary stresses and disappointments had become too often medicalised, resulting in a surge of bogus clinical diagnoses and creating a “snowflake generation” of fragile, avoidant and workshy young people.I am in awe of their courage. Young people are contending with more powerful forces than I ever faced Continue reading...(The Guardian)
NHS England mental health services review: what has it found and what does it recommend? 09. October 2026 (01:01) Prof Peter Fonagy’s 607-page report is categoric that mental distress has increased substantially and ‘cannot be explained by greater awareness alone’Full report | NHS at risk of ‘system failures’ as demand for ADHD and autism care soars, inquiry findsAnalysis | No ‘snowflakes’: mental health review says today’s youth have it harder and harms are realThe Fonagy review of NHS England’s mental health, ADHD and autism services was commissioned in 2025 by Wes Streeting, then the health secretary, in response to growing concerns that spiralling waiting lists for assessment, diagnosis and care threatened the NHS’s ability to meet the demand.The 607-page report, published on Friday, says that without a radical overhaul, mental health and neurodiversity services will be overwhelmed. Here are some of its key findings and recommendations. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
NHS at risk of ‘system failures’ as demand for ADHD and autism care soars, inquiry finds 09. October 2026 (01:01) England-focused mental health review returns stark warning and calls for shift to ‘needs-led’ systemExplainer | What has the Fonagy review found and what does it recommend?Analysis | No ‘snowflakes’: mental health review says today’s youth have it harder and harms are realThe NHS in England is heading into a “world of system failures” as it struggles to cope with relentlessly rising demand for mental health, ADHD and autism care, leaving those affected desperate for support, a government-commissioned inquiry has found.The stark warning was made in a review led by Prof Peter Fonagy into the sharp rise in demand over recent decades for help with mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
New Ofsted inspection regime damaging teachers, survey says 09. October 2026 (01:01) Nine in 10 school heads who responded say inspections still ‘negatively affected’ staff mental healthSchool inspections in England continue to damage the mental wellbeing of teachers and senior leaders, according to a survey commissioned by Ofsted that casts doubt on efforts to reduce the stress caused by inspectors’ visits.The independent survey of school leaders who had undergone the revised inspections since last year found that 88% said it had “negatively affected” the mental wellbeing of school staff, including 29% who said it affected them “a lot”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
