70 minutes ago Mother tells of ‘absolute contempt’ for predator who raped and killed daughter

Mohamed Iidow was found guilty at the Old Bailey of rape and manslaughter.

Events

79 minutes ago The week in audio: Origin Story: Russell Brand – Confidence Man; Lost Notes: Groupies; The Lion, the Witch and the Wonder – review

Brand’s strange journey from darling of the left to cancelled crank makes for an informed podcast, while a power imbalance impairs rock groupies’ tales. Plus, writer Katherine Rundell on the power of children’s fictionOrigin Story: Russell Brand – Confidence Man (Podmasters)Lost Notes: Groupies: Women of the Sunset Strip from the Pill to Punk (KCRW)The Lion, the Witch and the Wonder (Radio 4) | BBC SoundsOrigin Story, a podcast about understanding politics (topics covered: centrism, George Orwell, No 10, among others), has just launched its sixth series. The opening episode is a 90-minute show on that renowned political powerhouse Russell Brand. Which may seem odd, but hosts Ian Dunt and Dorian Lynskey use Brand in a way, you could argue, that Brand has used others: as a means of gettin...

Politics

79 minutes ago Good with numbers: the sketchbook art of director Tim Burton – in pictures

In the early 1980s, while working as an apprentice animator at Disney, a young Tim Burton channelled his creative energies into personal projects. One of these was this series of extravagantly decorated numbers, created for an unpublished children’s book; they were later repurposed as chapter headings for The Art of Tim Burton , a 2009 book bringing together 40 years of his artistry. “Anthropomorphic creatures feature heavily across Burton’s work,” says Maria McLintock, curator of a new exhibition displaying more than 600 Tim Burton designs and objects including costumes and storyboards. “He sketches voraciously, often engrossed in a pocket-sized sketchbook with a small watercolour kit in tow. The genesis of almost every shot in his films is a drawing.”The World of Tim Burton is at the ...

Culture

79 minutes ago Strictly star Shayne Ward's fiancée refused to speak to him for 24 hours after huge shock

Strictly Come Dancing contestant Shayne Ward is engaged to actress Sophie Ward, with two children together. His career success once left her speechless for a very good reason

Events

79 minutes ago Paul Merson's huge net worth, eight children and who his Strictly money goes directly to

Former Arsenal and England star Paul Merson is currently competing on the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing, but his life away from the cameras has been anything but smooth sailing

Politics

97 minutes ago Callous UK catfisher drove heartbroken US dad and daughter, 12, to their deaths

Warning: This article contains details readers may find distressing. Sick Alexander McCartney, 26, tricked children into believing he was a young girl before persuading them to send intimate photos and then blackmailing them.

Events

1 hour ago Of course teenagers want to be pop idols like Liam Payne. Given the perils, should we let them? | Martha Gill

The singer is the latest casualty of an industry that thrusts fame on children too young to copeSex, drinking, smoking, gambling, joining the army, being put to work – we now take it as obvious that there should be strict laws protecting young people from certain parts of the adult world.Of course there should. Young brains are soft, excitable and easily addled. There are many things they should be sheltered from, and some choices that should not be theirs to make.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a letter of up to 250 words to be considered for publication, email it to us at observer.letters@observer.co.uk Continue reading...

Politics

2 hours ago Man and woman arrested on suspicion of child neglect after death of four month

They remained in custody for questioning on Saturday, police said

Events

2 hours ago ‘He lashed out. He was scared’: the fight to save vulnerable UK children from being kicked out of school

Two hundred lawyers have come together to challenge a wave of discriminatory exclusionsWhen he started secondary school in Hackney, east London, at the age of 11, Sam* had high attainment levels and loved learning. At the end of the introductory week, he was given an award for being a “star”. Less than two weeks later, a courier delivered a letter to his home saying that he had been ­permanently excluded.Government data released this summer showed there were a record 9,400 permanent exclusions in 2022-23, up 45% from 6,500 in 2021-22. Sam, who lives on a council estate with his Cameroonian mother and has been diagnosed with ADHD and autism, is among the most likely ­children in the country to be thrown out of school. Continue reading...

Politics

2 hours ago Princess Kate 'admires' the way Duchess Sophie raises her kids and wants to do the same

The Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Edinburgh share a close bond - with one royal author explaining that Kate looks up to the way Sophie has raised her two children and hopes to do the same with George, Charlotte and Louis

Politics