US book bans in public schools reach record annual high of 12,000 05. October 2026 (16:18) Texas tops list with 8,100 bans while Stephen King is again most banned author, PEN America findsThe US saw almost 12,000 book bans in public schools during the 2025-2026 school year, the highest number in a single year, according to the free-expression non-profit PEN America.In a report released on Monday, PEN America said that there had been 34,000 instances of book bans since the organization started tallying the increasing “book censorship crisis” across US schools in 2021. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Iran’s oil minister resigns as country’s economic crisis worsens 05. October 2026 (16:16) Departure comes amid large drop in oil receipts, rampant inflation and shrinking economyIran’s oil minister has resigned days after allegations that an intermediary trust selling Iranian oil abroad owed millions of dollars’ worth of export receipts to the state.Mohsen Paknejad’s departure comes as Iran grapples with a dire economic situation, including inflation running at 85%. An overall drop in oil receipts has led to a massive shortfall in foreign exchange earnings and one of the biggest drops in the value of the rial since the Iranian revolution in 1979. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Mel B ‘heartbroken’ by Windrush scandal victims’ fight for justice 05. October 2026 (16:11) Public figures back commissioner’s call for government commitment to funding legal support for those affectedThe singer and television personality Mel B has said she is “heartbroken” by the Windrush scandal victims’ fight for justice, as the Windrush commissioner urged ministers to commit to providing funding for legal support for those affected by the end of October.In April, the Guardian revealed that the Home Office had refused to pay compensation in more than half the claims made by victims of the scandal, in which mainly Black Britons who came legally to postwar Britain were wrongly stripped of citizenship and settlement rights. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
What is the Green Party's 'Zionism is racism' motion? 05. October 2026 (16:07) Israel's foreign ministry says it has banned Green Party leader Zack Polanski from entering the country, after party members adopted a motion declaring Zionism a form of racism.(BBC News)
Breast cancer patient, 34, who has just weeks to live reveals bitter regret at dismissing lump she found as 'just a boil' and assuming it would clear up itself
Always read the small print: The extraordinary case of the bungling council that sold a run-down house for £395,000... and threw in a school worth millions by mistake when the solicitor 'signed the wrong form'
Game of Thrones star Charles Dance seen speaking to police after 'crash between Lime bike and Lexus' leaves woman in hospital