The former leader of France's far-right National Rally (RN) has gone on trial in Paris for allegedly embezzling money from the European Parliament. Marine Le Pen is charged alongside 26 other figures in the party, including several sitting MEPs, in what Le Monde called a "decisive trial in more ways than one".

Le Pen has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. RN spokesperson Laurent Jacobelli said: "We are going to prove that there is no system to embezzle money from the EU."

What is Le Pen accused of?
It is claimed that between 2004 and 2016, the party – then known as the National Front – operated a fake jobs scheme, using EU funds to hire parliamentary assistants who worked exclusively for the party.

Many of the assistants were allegedly unable to describe their daily work and some had never met their supposed boss or even entered the European Parliament building. The parliament has estimated around €7 million (£5.8 million) was misused.

In her defence, Le Pen said parliamentary assistants "do not work for the parliament" but were rather "political assistants to elected officials".

What will happen if she is found guilty?
The trial is expected to last around two months, and Le Pen and her co-defendants could be facing a maximum sentence of 10 years behind bars if found guilty, as well as fines of up to €1 million each.

How would a guilty verdict affect her political career?
"The stakes are enormous for the three-time presidential candidate," said Politico. If convicted, Le Pen could face a possible five-year ban on running for public office, making her ineligible to fulfil her stated ambition to contest the 2027 presidential election.

In the last presidential election in 2022, Le Pen lost to Emmanuel Macron in the final run-off, with 41.5% of the vote. But French website Challenges said last month that latest polls suggested if a presidential election were called now, Le Pen would be "unshakeable".

Conservative leadership hopeful Kemi Badenoch sparked fury this week when she described statutory maternity pay as "taking from one group of people and giving to another". And "this, in my view, is excessive", she said during an interview with Times Radio.

"Of course I believe in maternity pay!" Badenoch later wrote on X, following a backlash. "Of course maternity pay isn't excessive… no mother of three kids thinks that."

'Less than half the National Living Wage'
Another day, another politician "doing their bit to slow down the fight for working parents", said Ella Delancey-Jones in Cosmopolitan. Has Badenoch "actually tried raising a baby on an income that's only 47% of the National Living Wage"? Given that her husband is an investment banker, I doubt it.

Having a baby isn't a "hobby or recreational side hustle", said Anna Whitehouse in The Times. It is an "essential cog in the UK's hulking great capitalist machine". Mothers are raising the next generation of employees, practically for free.

Yet maternity pay is spoken about like it's "some sort of favour rather than a statutory right", said Suzanne Moore in The Telegraph. From rising childcare costs to lack of support, there seems to be "a concerted effort" to make everything as difficult as possible for mothers. The fifth of women choosing not to have children are "making a sensible choice economically". I "would have thought a Conservative leadership candidate would respect that".

A 'generous' system
The "cavalcade of those queuing up to skewer Badenoch" are ignoring what she actually said, wrote The Telegraph's deputy comment editor Annabel Denham. Badenoch was observing "that regulations are becoming excessive", not maternity pay. "Enough of the feigned outrage."

This row is "part of a pattern", one in which Badenoch thinks she is saying one thing and the media hears something "very different", said The Spectator's assistant editor Isabel Hardman. "That can be difficult when you're in power. It's even harder when, as a party of opposition, people only listen briefly to you anyway."

As the nights draw in and the weather gets gloomier, October and November are the perfect months to leave the UK in search of sun.

Sicily
Sicily's "honey-hued baroque towns" wind down over autumn, with "thinned crowds and warm winds blowing in from the Sahara", said Roselyn Wikely in the London Evening Standard. Spend a week exploring the Val di Noto region's charming towns of Noto, Scicli and Modica, which are filled with shaded cafes, independent boutiques and art galleries. 

Provence
Throngs of tourists flock to Provence to see the lavender bloom over summer, but come autumn its vineyards are a "vibrant ochre", said Sarah James in Condé Nast Traveller. The season of "wine and truffles", it's one of the best times of year to visit for foodies.

Cape Verde
For "bankable winter sun", this archipelago off the west coast of Africa is a safe bet, said Rory Goulding in The Times. The island of Boa Vista has "dazzling white sand beaches" and a great selection of accommodation. Or, for "greener mountain scenery", explore the neighbouring islands.

Algarve
Throughout October, "sun-seekers can be found bathing in the Algarve's hot weather along the region's wealth of beaches, bays and coves", said Chris Wilson in The Independent. Located in the southernmost region of Portugal, the area is home to scenic hiking trails, ideal for exploring during the autumn when the "temperatures are not so intensely hot".

Rosie Duffield's savage departure raises difficult questions for Keir Starmer. He'd be foolish to ignore them
Gaby Hinsliff for The Guardian
Rosie Duffield "never dreamed" that she would quit the Labour Party, writes Gaby Hinsliff, but the Canterbury MP's resignation letter was "eye-wateringly savage". Keir Starmer "would be wise to treat this as a dry run" for "tougher times". Duffield "isn't alone in complaining" that his "inner circle is too blokey" or "thinking the juxtaposition of benefit cuts with the Labour donor Lord Alli's largesse looks bad", so the PM shouldn't ignore the "tougher questions".

Leaving the ECHR will be the new Brexit
William Atkinson in The Telegraph
The Tories "love a civil war", says William Atkinson, and "we are gearing up for yet another battle". This time, the "target" is not the EU but rather the European Convention on Human Rights. Robert Jenrick has "committed to leaving it", Tom Tugendhat has "suggested reform", and Kemi Badenoch and James Cleverly are "against it". "Whomever wins the leadership election", the party "will not avoid a fight". And after "first Tory civil war over Europe felled leader after leader", "don't rule out" a "similar scalp".

Baby Reindeer is still teaching us new lessons
Emily Watkins on the i news site
"Baby Reindeer" became an "overnight sensation" after debuting on Netflix in April, as did alleged real-life stalker Fiona Harvey, writes Emily Watkins. It seems "not enough had been done to anonymise her – an argument now supported by a US judge". The legal proceedings risk "painting endeavours" like writer Richard Gadd's as "fraught, or even somehow immoral". But in our "stark moral landscape, arenas that allow mass audiences to marinate in uncomfortable quandaries" are "few and far between" and we must "champion them".