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GuardianOct 7Preview

Two men serving indefinite jail sentences freed after two decades

Convicted pair, plus third man released in August, have IPPs replaced after serving much longer than minimum termsTwo men jailed with indefinite sentences for public protection (IPPs) have been freed after each serving about two decades in custody despite receiving minimum terms of two years or less.A high court judge and a magistrate hearing an appeal after a review by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) told Luke Ings and Liam Bennett they would be freed, and also replaced an indeterminate sentence given to a third man, James Ward. Continue reading...

Rajeev Syal Home affairs editorUK criminal justiceCriminal Cases Review Commission

GuardianOct 7Preview

The Guardian view on the US midterms: the cost of living is on the ballot, but this is about democracy too | Editorial

Donald Trump’s unpopularity and the economic struggles of voters have boosted Democrats. But with less than a month to go, there is no complacencyFor once, Democrats and Donald Trump might be in agreement: “Pretend I’m on the ticket,” the historically unpopular president has instructed supporters. Midterms are in large part a referendum on the incumbent, and Trump’s war on Iran and its impact on the cost of living have boosted support for Democrats. With less than a month to go, they have reason to be upbeat. The party has a mountain to climb after the devastating defeats of 2024, and the gerrymandering of Republicans, but surveys give it a lead of about nine points on the generic ballot, which measures preference for parties rather than specific candidates.Attention has turned from the prospects of seizing the House, where Democrats are forecast a clear majority, to what once seemed lik

EditorialUS midterm elections 2026Donald Trump

GuardianOct 7Preview

‘You think you’re invincible, and you’re not’: Gretta Ray on sickness, surviving and finding her new sound

After a life-threatening infection, the Australian singer-songwriter has rebuilt her relationship with music – and her third album ‘sounds nothing like the last’The illness that almost killed Gretta Ray announced itself slowly. First there were chills that had her inexplicably shivering under the doona. Then came gastrointestinal symptoms; next a splitting headache. Fatigue flattened her, keeping her in bed for days. But it was when the singer-songwriter woke up one morning with double vision that she knew something was really wrong. Ray went straight to hospital – and stayed there for six weeks. After a long and agonising slew of tests, she was diagnosed with infective endocarditis, a life-threatening infection of the heart that can cause a strange, gradual march of symptoms.Ray was put on an antibiotic drip “pretty much 24 hours a day”, which saved her life. But at just 26 years old, h

Katie CunninghamAustralian musicPop and rock

GuardianOct 7Preview

‘In the wake of death, Courtney Love was giving it her all’: Hole’s Melissa auf der Maur on her best photograph

‘This is Courtney doing her makeup on the ’95 Lollapalooza tour. I was documenting my generation being hijacked by corporate greed – and destroyed following the sacrificial death of Kurt Cobain’When I was going through the archives for my rock photo book, I came across my first ever self-portrait, at Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, in front of Jim Morrison’s grave. I am a 13-year-old on an awkward trip with my cool father. He had no respect or interest in Jim Morrison, and that photo is like every photo I’ve taken from that moment on – I’m trying to take agency over what is happening. Photography was the absolute first thing that gave me a feeling of having my own say. It became a way of creating my own universe, one that I could trust. It was absolutely my first love.I was sidetracked into music in a beautiful way by these radical women and a countercultural movement, so the subject of

Interview by Zoe WhitfieldArt and designCulture

BBCOct 7Preview

Chemistry Nobel awarded for solving mystery of life's asymmetry

The prize was given to the French and Japanese scientists for solving the mystery of life's asymmetry.

GuardianOct 7Preview

Roast chicken, congee and cookies: Ravinder Bhogal’s autumn squash recipes

Nutty in flavour and creamy in texture, autumn’s bounty of squash and pumpkin has many uses, both sweet and savouryThe shops are heaving with pumpkins and squash, and though there are so many different varieties to choose from, most of them are interchangeable. My favourites are kabocha, crown prince and delicata, for their deeply nutty flavour and creamy texture, plus they hold their shape well when roasted or braised. And if you’re carving a pumpkin for Halloween over the coming weeks, don’t waste the flesh: chop it up and throw into a risotto. It’s hard to imagine that such deliciousness could come from such a ghoulish grimace. Continue reading...

Ravinder BhogalFoodAutumn food and drink