The Independent - October 25, 2024

In this issue

October 25, 2024

British forces couldn't stop an invasion, admits Healey

Defence secretary delivers damning verdict on military

3 mins

Reeves will borrow billions after big fiscal rules change

Rachel Reeves has announced a change to the fiscal rules ahead of next week’s budget, allowing her to borrow billions more each year.

3 mins

What changes to workers' rights mean for the Budget

Talk of year-long strikes is overblown, says Sean O’Grady but proposals could still leave businesses with a 5bn bill

3 mins

Slavery reparations debate sparks Labour Party storm

Sir Keir Starmer has sparked a row at the heart of the Labour Party after senior figures urged him to rethink his decision to rule out reparations for Britain’s role in the slave trade.

3 mins

Industry anger prompts pub garden smoking ban rethink

Sir Keir Starmer is set to drop a proposed ban on smoking in pub and restaurant gardens, it’s been reported.

2 mins

NHS trust to stand trial for manslaughter of woman, 22

An NHS trust will become the first ever to be tried for the corporate manslaughter of a mental health patient after being charged over the death of a 22-year-old woman.

2 mins

Met to reopen probe into Wimbledon school crash

A mother says she is “living in hell” after her eight-year-old daughter was killed in the Wimbledon school crash – as police announced they are reopening the investigation into the tragedy.

2 mins

Child killer Letby loses bid to appeal latest conviction

Britain’s most prolific child killer Lucy Letby has lost a bid to appeal her latest conviction for the attempted murder of a baby girl.

3 mins

'Devil, we've had enough'

Why the anti-abortionists are a thorn in Trump’s campaign

7 mins

'I wish women chose not to have abortions - but I can understand why they do'

Evie Lastra West was pro-abortion when she found herself pregnant at 19 with her second child. But a visit to a crisis pregnancy centre altered everything. Words: Kelly Rissman

6 mins

Israeli strike on school building kills at least 17

An Israeli airstrike on a school housing displaced people in central Gaza has killed at least 17 people, including a number of children, according to Palestinian medical officials.

1 min

Mother on hunger strike for jailed activist son hopes she doesn't die before he's freed

Laila Soueif tells Tom Watling that David Lammy has failed to help her son despite spending years calling for his release

3 mins

Huge evacuation underway in India as cyclone closes in

Cyclone Dana is barrelling toward India’s east coast, prompting authorities to shut schools and airports and begin evacuating more than 1 million people.

2 mins

A VIRTUAL PRISONER

As more inmates are released from a prison system bursting at the seams, Zoe Beaty looks at new proposals to keep tabs on offenders in their own homes under the watchful eye of AI

7 mins

Grief is complex, but why is Payne's ex being targeted?

In the wake of the 1D singer’s death, Maya Henry is caught in a maelstrom of toxic public discourse, finds Olivia Petter

5 mins

The chaotic creature feature that won Spielberg's heart

As Gremlins’ returns to cinemas for its 40th anniversary, Geoffrey Macnab looks at the horror-comedy that led to the PG-13 rating and brought B-movie magic to the mainstream

7 mins

Plenty of fun if you ignore the glut of dull exposition

The third and supposedly final outing in the Venom series is a delight when it is not being a Madame Web’ rerun, writes Clarisse Loughrey, while The Room Next Door’ falls flat

5 mins

It's time to cut interest rates to give homeowners a break

Andrew Bailey, the Bank of England’s governor, has suggested that interest rates could be coming down faster than previously expected.

3 mins

Mourinho sent to stands as Fenerbahce thwart United

Jose Mourinho’s red cards are usually considered acts of deflection, but last night’s probably served that purpose for Erik ten Hag.

4 mins

Box office baseball returns at crucial time for the MLB

Los Angeles Dodgers vs New York Yankees isn’t a romantic narrative but it’s the World Series the sport urgently needs

5 mins

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The Independent has been at the frontline of journalism since 1986, with its mission to challenge and debate always ahead of its time. The Independent is free-thinking and free of bias in an increasingly fragmented world where communities locally, regionally and across continents are disenfranchised with traditional establishments. They want real facts and frank opinions delivered first-hand from a news source that is ready to stand for something, not everything.