Stephen King’s son among writers boycotting British Library event in solidarity with striking workers 31. October 2025 (16:51) King’s son, Joe Hill, joins V Castro and Keith Rosson in withdrawing from the Tales of the Weird festival this weekend in support of industrial actionHorror authors are used to pushing the boundaries of fiction, but for some in the field there’s one boundary they won’t cross – a picket line.Several writers including Joe Hill, the son of Stephen King – who has just released his first novel in a decade, King Sorrow – have withdrawn from a seasonal spooky event at the British Library this weekend over worker pay at the central London institution. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Cost of BoM’s website revamp revealed after deluge of public criticism 31. October 2025 (16:48) Public-facing site cost about $86m as the Bureau of Meteorology apologises for the handling of the redesign launchGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe full cost of the Bureau of Meteorology’s website overhaul was approximately $86m, Guardian Australia can reveal, after years of delays and millions in cost blowouts.BoM apologised this week for the handling of the launch of the new website – its first redesign in a decade. It promised to make changes after the environment minister, Murray Watt, said the website was “not meeting many users’ expectations”, and the federal opposition said it had affected the ability of Queenslanders to prepare for recent rains. On Friday, the BoM reverted to the former colour scheme on the radar and weather map to match the old website in response to backlash. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Keir Starmer keeps Trumps’ silver necklace gift – for a price 31. October 2025 (16:45) Prime minister paid cabinet office to retain jewellery, but chose not to fork out for cufflinks and golf clubKeir Starmer has paid to keep a personalised silver necklace given to him by Donald and Melania Trump, transparency records show.The necklace was the only gift Starmer chose to keep after he hosted the US president for a historic second state visit in September. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Cotton Capital bonus episode: Searching for the spirit of pan-Africanism – podcast 31. October 2025 (16:08) In this bonus episode, the Guardian journalist Chris Osuh explores whether we are living through a pan-African moment 80 years on from Manchester’s groundbreaking 1945 Pan-African Congress‘A sense of freedom’: 80 years on from the Pan-African Congress in ManchesterIn this bonus episode, the Guardian journalist Chris Osuh looks at the idea of Pan-Africanism in 2025 – the belief that all Black people, whether on the continent or in the diaspora, are united in a shared struggle for liberation.As Manchester gears up to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the landmark 1945 Pan-African Congress, Chris speaks to Ntombizodwa Nyoni, the writer of the play Liberation that recently brought the event back to life. The pair discusses how congress delegates drove the wave of the African independence movements that followed, the parallels between 1945 and 2025, and what Pan-African activists today can learn from the experiences of those at the talks. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Kennedy Center ticket sales fall to lowest in years after Trump’s takeover 31. October 2025 (16:08) About 43% of tickets for typical productions remained unsold this fall as people pledge to boycott the institutionTicket sales for the Kennedy Center’s three largest performance spaces have reportedly fallen to their lowest level in years after Donald Trump’s takeover of the performing arts institution earlier this year, according to a new analysis from the Washington Post.The Post reported on Friday that it collected and analyzed ticket sales data from 3 September to 19 October and found that about 43% of tickets for typical productions remained unsold. In comparison, the Post reported that about 93% of tickets were sold or issued on a complimentary basis in the fall of 2024 and 80% in the fall of 2023. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Liberal-progressive party D66 wins election, Dutch media report 31. October 2025 (16:05) Party will take lead in first round of talks to form coalition government after securing majority of votesThe Dutch liberal-progressive party D66 won the most votes in Wednesday’s general election, the news agency ANP has reported, putting its 38-year-old leader, Rob Jetten, on course to become the youngest prime minister in the Netherlands.While the last few thousand votes are still being counted, Dutch media reported on Friday that Geert Wilders’ anti-immigration, anti-Islam Party for Freedom (PVV) could no longer win. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
About 700 killed in Tanzania election protests, opposition says 31. October 2025 (15:51) Demonstrators took to streets after president’s main challengers were excluded from ballotAbout 700 people have been killed during three days of election protests in Tanzania, the main opposition party has said.Protests erupted on election day on Wednesday over what demonstrators said was the stifling of the opposition after the exclusion of key candidates from the presidential ballot. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Addicts who opted to be banned from gambling in Australia targeted to bet with overseas firms 31. October 2025 (15:00) Media regulator condemns ‘deeply concerning’ third-party websites that seek to entice bets from self-declared addictsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOffshore gambling companies are using third-party websites to entice Australian addicts to resume betting, even after gamblers have placed voluntary restrictions on themselves.The new trend, targeting those registered with the federal government’s BetStop service, has been condemned as “deeply concerning and opportunistic” by the media regulator, which has begun contacting the websites to “make them aware of Australia’s interactive gambling laws”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australian governments ‘turning their backs’ on soaring Indigenous incarceration, former minister says 31. October 2025 (15:00) Robert Tickner says there are ‘no excuses for the failure to implement’ recommendations from the royal commission into Aboriginal deaths in custodyWarning: This article contains references to Indigenous Australians who have diedGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe country’s longest serving Aboriginal affairs minister has accused governments of “turning their backs” on soaring Indigenous incarceration rates, after a record number of Aboriginal deaths in custody in New South Wales this year.Before a protest march in Sydney on Saturday, Robert Tickner, the Hawke and Keating government minister who tabled a landmark royal commission report into Aboriginal deaths in custody in 1991, declared “time’s up” to take action on the issue. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump calls for Senate to scrap filibuster as Johnson again refuses to bring back the House during shutdown – US politics live 31. October 2025 (14:57) Snap food benefits are set to run out this weekend as shutdown comes close to matching the record of 2018-2019US House Speaker Mike Johnson reiterated this morning that he will not bring the chamber back into session until the government shutdown ends.Speaking to Fox News on Friday, Johnson said: “We are anxious to get the house back to regular legislative session, but we have to get the lights turned back on. Chuck Schumer and the Democrats in the Senate have got to reopen the government. Again, it’s the most fundamental responsibility of congress is to have the government operate and work for the people. That’s the number one priority right now and we cannot deviate from that.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
