Angoulême comics festival in crisis as creators and publishers declare boycott 20. November 2025 (06:00) French government withdraws funding after claims of toxic management and dismissal of staff member who lodged rape complaintOne of the world’s most prestigious comic book festivals is under threat of cancellation after leading graphic novelists and publishers announced they would boycott the event and the French government withdrew a tranche of its funding.In the biggest crisis in its illustrious history, the Angoulême festival of la bande dessinée (comic strip) may not take place in 2026 after claims of toxic management and the dismissal of a member of staff who had lodged a rape complaint. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Wanna hear the one about the low-paid dad who took paternity leave? 20. November 2025 (06:00) MPs will tell ‘dad jokes’ in parliament to highlight ‘real joke’ of UK paternity leave, which is a class issueToe-curlingly bad jokes (“I’m reading a book about anti-gravity, it’s impossible to put down”) are not the preserve of fathers, but as a demographic, dads are widely recognised for their unique comic talents.Which is why on Thursday, dozens of MPs, many of them dad-joke specialists, will tell groan-worthy gags in the House of Commons to highlight the “real joke” of paternity leave in the UK.Winner: I gave my handyman a to-do list, but he only finished items one, three and five. Turns out he only does odd jobs.Runner-up one: I went shopping and someone threw a block of cheese at me. I said: “That’s not very mature.”Runner-up two: When I was a young boy I wanted to be a Gregorian monk. But I never got the chants. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Samoa PM suspends country’s only daily newspaper from press briefings amid dispute over coverage 20. November 2025 (05:14) Prime minister has accused the Samoa Observer of inaccurate reporting during his eight-week medical stay in New ZealandSamoa’s only daily newspaper has been banned from attending press conferences with the Samoan prime minister, in a move that critics say threatens the democratic integrity of the Pacific nation.Relations between La’aulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao Fosi Schmidt and the Samoa Observer have deteriorated in recent weeks, with the prime minister accusing the newspaper of inaccurate reporting during his eight-week medical stay in New Zealand. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Rabih Alameddine wins National book award for fiction with darkly comic epic spanning six decades 20. November 2025 (04:45) True to his irreverent style, author of The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) thanks his psychiatrist, his gastrointestinal doctors and his drug dealersRabih Alameddine has won the National book award for fiction for The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother), a darkly comic saga spanning six decades in the life of a Lebanese family.The novel, which traverses a sprawling history of Lebanon including its civil war and economic collapse, is told through the eyes of its titular protagonist: a gay 63-year-old philosophy teacher confronting his past and his relationship with his mother and his homeland. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Larry Summers to relinquish Harvard teaching role amid Epstein investigation 20. November 2025 (03:52) Decision comes after ex-treasury secretary said he would step back from public commitments over links to EpsteinLarry Summers, the former president of Harvard University, will stop teaching at the school while it investigates his connection to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, a spokesman for Summers said on Wednesday.Emails recently released by the US House oversight committee reignited questions about Summers’ relationship with Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal charges of sex-trafficking minors. Many of the messages indicated a friendship that lasted well into 2019. Contact only ceased shortly before Epstein was arrested in July of that same year. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Papua New Guinea ‘not happy’ as Australia walks away from bid to host Cop31 20. November 2025 (02:38) Australia had been pushing to host climate conference next year with south Pacific nations, which are increasingly threatened by rising seas and climate-fuelled disastersPapua New Guinea has voiced frustration after Australia ditched a bid to co-host next year’s UN climate talks with its Pacific island neighbours.“We are all not happy. And disappointed it’s ended up like this,” foreign minister Justin Tkatchenko told Agence France-Presse after Australia ceded hosting rights to Turkey. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Democratic Florida lawmaker indicted for allegedly stealing $5m in Fema funds 20. November 2025 (02:05) Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick accused of funneling money to family healthcare business for 2021 congressional campaignDemocratic representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida was indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly funneling more than $5m worth of federal disaster funds from her company into her 2021 congressional campaign.The indictment states that Cherfilus-McCormick and her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, stole $5m in Fema overpayments that their family healthcare company received, moving the money through multiple accounts to hide its origins. The indictment alleges that the majority of the money was used for Cherfilus-McCormick’s congressional campaign, as well as for the personal benefit of the defendants. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Shock’ loophole in NSW law meant to protect children against incarceration could mean more will be locked up 20. November 2025 (02:00) Minns government bill says presumption known as doli incapax can be overturned if child knew conduct was ‘seriously wrong’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Minns government is seeking to create a loophole in a law meant to provide protection against the incarceration of children, which could mean more children will be locked up.On Tuesday, the New South Wales government announced it was strengthening protections for children aged 10 to 14 by legislating a common law presumption known as doli incapax, which means children cannot commit an offence because they do not understand the difference between right and wrong. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Dog and cat abandonment soars in UK as owners struggle with cost of living 20. November 2025 (01:01) RSPCA says pet abandonments in England and Wales rose by almost 25% in 2025 compared with 2024There is an “epidemic” of dogs, cats and other pets being abandoned as owners struggle to cope with the cost of living crisis, the UK’s largest animal welfare charity has said.The RSPCA said abandonments in England and Wales had risen by almost 25% in 2025 compared with last year, reaching their highest rate for at least five years. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pinprick blood test could detect disease 10 years before symptoms appear, study finds 20. November 2025 (01:01) Molecular profiles will give detailed snapshot of person’s physiology and predict diseases from diabetes to cancer and dementiaThe world’s largest study into key substances in the bloodstream has paved the way for a swathe of pinprick tests that can detect early signs of disease more than a decade before symptoms appear, researchers say.Work on the tests follows the completion of a project by the UK Biobank to measure the levels of nearly 250 different proteins, sugars, fats and other compounds in blood collected from half a million volunteers. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
