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Brexit: MPs take control after Johnson's Commons defeat

The government lost Tuesday's crucial vote, ceding control of the House of Commons timetable to those opposed to a no-deal Brexit. This means Labour, other opposition parties and Tory rebels are free to bring a bill in later aimed at preventing Boris Johnson from allowing the the UK to leave the EU on 31 October, unless MPs have backed any new deal with Brussels (should one be reached) or leaving without a deal.

For his part, the prime minister said the current position would not allow him to negotiate with EU leaders. He added that he would put down a motion calling for a snap general election. The BBC believes the probable date for this is 15 October - a Tuesday.

Twenty-one Tory MPs - profiled here - rebelled against the government, despite warnings they would lose the Conservative whip, effectively meaning they could not run for the party at the next election.

To make the situation more complex, Mr Johnson needs two-thirds of MPs to back an election or it can't happen. Unless, that is, a different mechanism can be used.

Amid impassioned scenes, Green Party MP Caroline Lucas criticised Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg over his body language.

Here are five other things that happened on Tuesday.

Looking ahead, BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg describes how the defeat mighty actually help the PM.

Our live page team will keep you up-to-date with all the latest developments throughout the day, and if you need to take a step back from the drama, try our guide to Brexit.

Hurricane Dorian death toll rises

The prime minister of the Bahamas says there are likely to be more deaths, after the number of people killed by Hurricane Dorian rose to seven. The storm is now running parallel to the coast of Florida, with maximum sustained winds having fallen to a still-dangerous 110mph (77km/h).

The BBC looks at the risks to those in Dorian's path.

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Heroin 'worth £120m' found

National Crime Agency officers at the port of Felixstowe, Suffolk, have seized almost 1.3 tonnes of heroin. This is believed to be the biggest such haul in UK history, the drug having a street value of £120m. The heroin was hidden in towels and bathrobes. Read the story here.

How do people learn to cook a toxic plant safely?

By Tim Harford

Cassava is highly toxic. It also requires a tedious and complex preparation ritual to make it safe. The cassava root will otherwise release hydrogen cyanide. What makes cassava particularly treacherous is that some processing will reduce the bitter taste and the risk of immediate cyanide poisoning.

However, only the full, time-consuming ritual can guarantee that you will not be slowly poisoned, and develop a condition called Konzo, with symptoms including sudden paralysis of the legs. But in 1981, in Nampula in Mozambique, a young Swedish doctor knew none of this. As a result, the situation he faced was deeply puzzling.

Read the full article

What the papers say

"Over to you, Britain" is the Sun's headline, as the papers react to Boris Johnson's Commons defeat over Brexit and the prospect of an election next month. "Johnson loses control," says the i, while the Daily Express calls MPs' behaviour "shameful" and a "surrender" to the EU. Meanwhile, the Financial Times reports that the Tories who rebelled have effectively sacrificed their careers.

Daily digest

Greenland Ice sheet "melting at record rate"

M&S Retail giant expected to drop out of FTSE 100

Windrush scheme More than 800 EU citizens use system to get right to remain in UK

US shootings Walmart changes gun policies

If you see one thing today

Image copyright Getty Images

Kindertransport: A fantastic act of love

If you listen to one thing today

Image copyright Getty Images

The first all-women peacekeeping unit

If you read one thing today

What do you do when a colleague dies?

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Lookahead

09:30 Christine Lagarde, the next president of the European Central Bank, speaks to the European Parliament's committee on economic affairs.

11:00 The fourth men's Ashes Test between England and Australia gets under way at Old Trafford, with the series tied at one-all.

On this day

1957 The Wolfenden Report suggests homosexual behaviour between consenting male adults should no longer be a criminal offence.

From elsewhere

A town for people with chronic fatigue (New Yorker)

Centuries of breeding have reshaped dog brains - here's how (National Geographic)

How do we recognise kinship in society? (Oxford University)

How Kate Middleton is preparing herself to be Queen (Marie Claire)