Katarzyna Kawa defeated the fifth-seeded Swiss player Belinda Bencic 7–5, 6–2 in the second round of the WTA 500 tennis tournament on hard courts in Ningbo, China. She will face the Kazakhstani player Yelena Rybakina in the quarter-finals.more

A west London borough has been named the second worst place to grow up in England. Hounslow was given the poor ranking in a new report released by Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel De Souza on Monday. The Childhood Lottery report examined the “enormous disparities” between areas in England for young people.more

More than nine million households are heading into winter either in debt to their energy supplier or with no account credit, according to a survey. Research by Uswitch indicates that two in five households (40 per cent) feel more anxious about paying for energy this winter compared with last year.more

The British government approved the start of gas drilling in the North Sea on Wednesday. Extraction from the Scottish Jackdaw field, located approximately 250 km east of Aberdeen, is set to begin within a few weeks.more

The animal rights organization PETA has called on the English football club Crystal Palace to stop using a live mascot—a bald eagle named Phoenix—during its matches. "The Eagles" has been the nickname of the London-based team since 1973.more

Italy and Spain have decided to reinstate the Schengen Agreement on the abolition of passport and customs controls, the Ministry of the Interior in Rome announced today. Italy introduced these controls at the beginning of August in response to the migration crisis in Ceuta. Spain subsequently took similar measures.more

Adult single bus and tram fares in London will increase by 10p to £1.85 from November, Transport for London has announced. The new price includes the Hopper fare which enables travellers to pay a single fare for unlimited journeys within one hour on the city’s buses and trams, the company said.more

Russian leader Vladimir Putin told US envoy Steve Witkoff yesterday that Russia is, in principle, ready to resume trilateral talks with Ukraine and the US “around 10 November”, according to Putin’s foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov.more

The BBC has announced that in spring 2027 it will move two television channels online: the youth channel BBC Three and BBC Scotland, which is aimed at Scottish viewers. The public broadcaster is looking to make savings.more

Bayern Munich drew 2–2 with Arsenal in Wednesday’s marquee match of the third round of the UEFA Champions League. Five teams currently sit at the top of the table with a perfect record, led by defending champions Paris Saint-Germain.more

Is legendary Polish hospitality still a living standard, or merely a myth from the past? The educational platform Preply conducted a study surveying residents across 19 Polish cities. The results are mapped out across Poland—ranging from metropolises grappling with a fast-paced, indifferent atmosphere to oases of tranquility closer to the western border. more

New research has found the exact best seat on a train as passengers explain their priorities. Avanti West Coast has revealed the how far people will go for more space in its first Comfort Index, combining consumer research with booking and onboard data.more

Violence and looting has broken out across numerous European cities over the growing cost of living crisis, a lack of affordable housing and deteriorating school conditions.more

Britain cannot deal effectively with geopolitical crises such as Russian aggression and political turmoil in the US without rejoining the EU, according to an influential thinktank.more

The organisers of Ballon d'Or award for the season’s best player have decided to introduce a new category. Internet users will be able to vote for players who have won at least two such trophies.more

The British government made mistakes during the Covid-19 pandemic and failed to adequately protect care homes, according to a report published yesterday by a commission investigating the response of the state and the emergency services to the pandemic.more

British police have once again detained two men in connection with a potential attack on the Royal Air Force (RAF) Fairford base. The men are suspected of aiding a foreign intelligence service. The Counter-Terrorism Police (CTP) have reiterated that Iran was likely involved in the incident.more

Poles are increasingly demanding that their data be removed from Google. The number of requests is rising, and the company usually complies with them, according to Tuesday’s edition of “Rzeczpospolita”.more

Leading A&E doctors across the UK have raised concerns about the pressures emergency departments will face this winter, with just 3% saying they are well prepared for the colder months. Overcrowding, corridor care and a looming surge in demand are “creating perfect conditions for a terrible winter”, according to the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM).more

Paris Saint-Germain, the defending champions, beat Barcelona 4–2 at home in the headline fixture of Matchday 3 and retained their lead at the top of the Champions League table. FC Porto, for whom Jan Bednarek, Jakub Kiwior and Oskar Pietuszewski played, remain on zero points.more

Rwanda is the most likely location for the first centre for migrants deported from the European Union, AFP reported yesterday. Five EU countries are negotiating an agreement under which people whose asylum applications have been rejected would be sent to that country as early as 2027.more

The Duke of Sussex has said he wants to repair his complicated relationships with his father and brother, in a magazine interview. "Some people don't want it to work out. I want it to work out. With everything else that's going on in the world, the most important thing is to reconcile - that's the key point," Prince Harry told GQ in New York.more

County Donegal has been paired with Poland. As part of the ‘County Pairings’ programme, 26 counties in the Republic of Ireland have been paired with one EU Member State each. By the end of December, Donegal County, situated in the north-west of the country and home to just over 161,000 people, had become Poland’s ‘partner’.more

British pilots are to help Saudi Arabia defend itself against attacks by Yemeni Houthi militants, Bloomberg reported yesterday, citing anonymous government sources.more

Iga Świątek announced on social media that she has already brought her 2026 season to a close. The Polish tennis player had previously withdrawn from the WTA 500 tournament in Ningbo due to injury and missed out on the chance to qualify for the year-end WTA Finals.more