The ObserverNetherlandsThe city authorities have commissioned a complex with bars, restaurants, theatres and rooms for sex workers – but nobody wants it in their backyard A multi-storey “erotic centre” proposed to replace Amsterdam’s red light district has a big problem: nobody wants it in their back yard. Last year the mayor and city council agreed plans to move and reimagine Amsterdam’s infamous red light district after years of worsening nuisance, criminality and dangerous crowd levels in the ancient centre.

Child protection This article is more than 3 months oldPornography driving UK teens towards child abuse material, say expertsThis article is more than 3 months oldExclusive: Police and charities warn of rise in harmful sexual behaviour among young people Child abuse experts and police are warning that access to increasingly extreme pornography is driving a rise in harmful sexual behaviour among young people, from sexting to watching online child abuse.

Crime This article is more than 11 years oldSofyen Belamouadden killing: final conviction over Victoria station deathThis article is more than 11 years oldJoint-enterprise murder prosecution ends with case of Junior Bayode who joined 20-strong charge against 15-year-oldThe largest joint-enterprise murder prosecution in the country has ended with the conviction of the last of a group of 20 teenagers in connection with the killing of a 15-year-old boy at a busy central London railway station.

Top 10sHorror booksWith Halloween looming, these tales by authors from Shirley Jackson to Stephen King are guaranteed to keep you awake as the nights close in In the foreword to his anthology Skeleton Crew, Stephen King launched a memorable defence of the horror short story. No, they weren’t failed novels. Neither were they ideas he couldn’t bring himself to bin. Comparing a novel to a long affair, he saw the short story as a “quick kiss in the dark with a stranger … but those kisses can be sweet”.

BooksReaders find themes that align with their values as they seek to ‘grow empathy’ for a religion long vilified in the west Megan B Rice loves reading. She started a romance novel club on the instant messaging platform Discord and posts book reviews on TikTok. Last month Rice, who is 34 and lives in Chicago, used her social media accounts to speak out about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. “I wanted to talk about the faith of Palestinian people, how it’s so strong, and they still find room to make it a priority to thank God, even when they have everything taken away from them,” she said in an interview.