25 h. ago Alabama board votes to remove books about being transgender from public library youth sections

The board overseeing Alabama public libraries on Thursday voted to remove books that discuss being transgender from the teen and children’s sections of public libraries

Politics

4 d. ago Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey urges delay on PBS decision by public TV board

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey is urging the board that oversees Alabama Public Television to delay a decision to sever ties with PBS

Politics

6 d. ago 'They've REALLY shaken things up': DOLLY BUSBY reveals the five things you need to know about this year's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!

From a major public vote shake up to removing a much-loved classic feature, I'm A Celeb producers want to make sure no one hides in the shadows.

Politics

7 d. ago Catholic bishops condemn Trump administration’s immigration enforcement – US politics live

US Conference of Catholic Bishops issues rare condemnation of president immigration crackdown and calls for ‘meaningful immigration reform’Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog. I’m Tom Ambrose and I will be bringing you all the latest news lines over the next few hours.We start with news that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has issued a rare condemnation of president Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and advocated for “meaningful immigration reform.”Donald Trump is facing the prospect of a politically damaging congressional vote on releasing the Jeffery Epstein files after attempts to press two female members of Congress to withdraw their backing for it appeared to have failed. The reported refusal of Lauren Boebert, a Republican representative from Colorado, and Nancy Mace, from South Carolina, to remove their names from a discharge petition to force a vote leaves Trump exposed on an issue that carries the possibility of turning segments of his Maga ba...

Politics

8 d. ago Trump faces prospect of congressional vote on releasing Epstein files

President’s attempts to press two female members of Congress to withdraw backing for vote appear to have failedDonald Trump is facing the prospect of a politically damaging congressional vote on releasing the Jeffery Epstein files after attempts to press two female members of Congress to withdraw their backing for it appeared to have failed.The reported refusal of Lauren Boebert, a Republican representative from Colorado, and Nancy Mace, from South Carolina, to remove their names from a discharge petition to force a vote leaves Trump exposed on an issue that carries the possibility of turning segments of his Maga base against him. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago A cultural revolution? Trump’s America feels oddly familiar to those watching from China

Demands of absolute loyalty and attacks on institutions have raise memories of Mao-style chaos from US watchers in ChinaWhen Vickie Wang, a budding standup comedian, gets on stage in New York, she’s not just thinking about what jokes to crack. She’s also thinking about which ones to avoid. “I don’t criticise the administration directly,” she said. Or if she does, she makes sure it’s not recorded for social media. “I would never publicly publish something where I directly criticise the government I think it’s a learned behaviour from China”.Wang, 39, lived in Shanghai for nearly a decade, leaving in 2022. In 2025 she relocated to the US. When she arrived, she went on a frenzy of “revenge bingeing on democracy”, going to talks, protests and diving into New York’s public library. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Queen Esther by John Irving review – a disappointing companion to The Cider House Rules

The once-great author revisits St Cloud’s orphanage all too briefly, in a novel that begins with an adopted girl but wanders all over the placeIf some writers have an imperial phase, where they hit the heights time after time, then American novelist John Irving’s ran through a series of four fat, satisfying novels, from his 1978 breakthrough The World According to Garp to 1989’s A Prayer for Owen Meany. Those were generous, funny, big-hearted books, tying characters he calls “outliers” to social issues from feminism to abortion.Since Owen Meany, it’s been diminishing returns, except in page length. His last novel, 2022’s The Last Chairlift, was 900 pages of subjects Irving had explored better in earlier books (mutism, dwarfism, transgenderism), with a 200-page screenplay in the middle to pad it out – as if padding were needed. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Supply teacher banned for telling pupil ‘if you took him outside and shot him, no one would miss him’

Science supply teacher Carolyn Akers also told the pupil he would ‘grow up to be transgender’ and hit him on the head with a booklet

Events

3 w. ago Max Dowman’s journey from Billericay to making history with Arsenal

How Arsenal-supporting family put the youngster on road to history-making appearance at Emirates on WednesdayThere was never a question about which club Max Dowman wanted to join after he was spotted playing up an age group for Billericay Town’s colts in 2015. In the Essex town best known these days for being one of the backdrops for the popular BBC comedy series Gavin and Stacey, and where allegiances have often been split between Tottenham and West Ham, Dowman had caught the eye of scouts from London’s biggest academies at the age of six.“He had the pick of clubs,” says Nick Hutt, the chair of Billericay’s youth section, who saw a four-year-old Dowman play. “But the whole family are Arsenal supporters, so they chose Arsenal.” Continue reading...

Politics