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After two years of student-led, anti-corruption protests, Serbia is holding an early parliamentary election that could break long-time populist leader Aleksandar Vucic's grip on the Balkan country.
After two years of student-led, anti-corruption protests, Serbia is holding an early parliamentary election that could break long-time populist leader Aleksandar Vucic's grip on the Balkan country.
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Bulgarians are voting in presidential elections amid security concerns over attacks on ships in the Black Sea. The vote for the largely ceremonial post is seen as a test of the popularity of Prime Minister Rumen Radev.
<p>Exclusive: Wastewater analysis in England suggests people took roughly 2.5bn lines of drug in one year</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/oct/23/deaths-cocaine-crime-survey-england-wales">Ageing users and record deaths – the data behind Britain’s £9.8bn-a-year cocaine habit</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/ng-interactive/2026/oct/23/how-cocaine-conquered-the-uk-inside-britains-pubs-festivals-and-workplaces-the-drug-has-become-an-everyday-habit">Pubs, festivals and workplaces: how cocaine has become an everyday habit</a></p></li></ul><p>British police are recording a growing number of crimes linked to cocaine, including assaults, domestic abuse and dangerous driving, as figures show consumption has surged across England.</p><p>A Guardian investigation has found police forces across Britain recorded a 10% rise in crime rates associated with the class A drug since 2019, while the Home Office estimates cocaine usage at sites across England has risen by 26% since 2021.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/oct/25/cocaine-linked-crimes-on-the-rise-in-britain-as-consumption-surges">Continue reading...</a>
<p>Sewage samples and crime statistics paint a picture of established users taking more cocaine, more often</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/oct/24/cocaine-linked-crimes-on-the-rise-in-britain-as-consumption-surges">Cocaine-linked crimes on the rise in Britain as consumption surges</a></p></li></ul><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/ng-interactive/2026/oct/23/how-cocaine-conquered-the-uk-inside-britains-pubs-festivals-and-workplaces-the-drug-has-become-an-everyday-habit">Pubs, festivals and workplaces: how cocaine has become an everyday habit</a></p></li></ul><p>From pub toilets and private parties to football terraces and far-right marches, cocaine has become a familiar presence across modern Britain. Deaths linked to the drug have risen to record levels, while its supply supports a multibillion-pound criminal industry.</p><p>But who is using the drug, and how has the picture changed? The figures do not necessarily show millions of new users, but highlight an established market in which some people take more cocaine, more often – and face greater harm as they grow older.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/oct/25/deaths-cocaine-crime-survey-england-wales">Continue reading...</a>
<p>Novelist says demise of Britain’s ‘incredible’ welfare system and housing struggles have led to deeper divisions</p><p>The novelist Zadie Smith has said that inequality has made culture clashes feel “existential”, adding that it has become “natural to look to your left and think ‘who the fuck are you?’”</p><p>In an interview with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/dua-lipa">Dua Lipa</a> as part of the Southbank Centre’s London literature festival, Smith argued that the demise of Britain’s “incredible, historic” welfare system has led to greater divisions.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/oct/25/zadie-smith-tells-dua-lipa-inequality-has-made-culture-clashes-feel-existential">Continue reading...</a>