The influential role vacated by the new Makerfield MP will be fiercely contested by Labour, Reform and the Greens

Young adults and teenagers prevalent in ‘skyrocketing’ admissions linked to class B drug, say doctors in northern England Experts have warned that urology departments across the UK could be close to breaking point as ketamine-related hospital admissions have “skyrocketed” in the past few years. Ketamine, a class B dissociative drug used for pain relief and sedation, is increasingly used recreationally in the UK. It is one of only three drugs, alongside magic mushrooms and hallucinogens, to have become used more regularly since 2015. Continue reading...

Passengers welcome climbdown and say plan to turn Avanti West Coast service into ‘ghost train’ made no sense

Former footballer guilty of six counts of sending communications with intent to cause distress or anxiety The ex-footballer Joey Barton has been found guilty of six counts of sending a grossly offensive electronic communication with intent to cause distress or anxiety. A jury at Liverpool crown court found Barton, 43, had “crossed the line between free speech and a crime” with six posts he made on X, formerly Twitter. Continue reading...

Jennifer Cahill and her daughter, Agnes Lily, died in birth described by coroner as ‘a Victorian-age nightmare’

A London coroner found Georgia Barter’s death was caused by years of violence and coercive control by Thomas Bignell. Her family want justice, but the CPS won’t charge him and the police can’t find hi...

Family, friends and celebrities pack Manchester Cathedral with Liam Gallagher and Wayne Rooney among mourners Tens of thousands lined the streets of Manchester on Friday to pay tribute to Ricky Hatton, the former world champion boxer who died last month aged 46. Hatton was one of the most respected and adored sportsmen of his generation, able to tempt thousands of fans across the Atlantic to America for his fights against the likes of legendary boxers Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. His death at home on 14 September was mourned throughout the world, with a minute’s silence held during the Manchester football derby that was played later that day. Continue reading...

Officers start arresting activists at silent vigil in support of banned organisation Arrests have begun in Trafalgar Square at what may be the biggest demonstration so far against a ban on the proscribed organisation Palestine Action. Police began arresting demonstrators at the silent vigil in support of the group, which has been classed by the UK government as a terror organisation since July this year. Continue reading...

Groups of large language model artificial intelligence agents can adopt social norms as humans do, report says