Hamas said 600 more foreigners and dual nationals, including 400 American citizens, are expected to leave Gaza on

By Noele Illien and Oliver Hirt ZURICH (Reuters) -UBS Group embarked on a sweeping plan to cut more than $10

When John Green’s book, The Fault in Our Stars, was first published in 2012 it rose to the top of bestseller lists. The love story about two cancer stricken teenagers won the hearts of teenagers globally and was soon turned into a movie starring Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort. Now the book, a favourite of older teenagers, has been moved to the adult section in a library in the suburbs of Indianapolis. Green took to X, formerly called Twitter, to voice his frustrations. “This is ludicrous. It is about teenagers and I wrote it for teenagers. Teenagers are not harmed by reading TFIOS. This is such an embarrassment to the city of Fishers,” he said. “I only have a small voice in these decisions, of course, but you won’t catch me alive or dead in Fishers, Indiana until these ridiculous policies are revoked,” he added. “Which I guess means no Top Golf or IKEA for a while.” At the local library, staff have spent hours rummaging through books and moving those that don’t comply with the board’s policy to the general section from the young adult section. Books have been targeted for language about sexuality and reproduction, profanity and criminal acts. This isn’t the first time one of Green’s books has irked administrators and parents. His book Looking for Alaska, also aimed at older teenagers, has become a regular feature on the American Library Association’s top 10 most challenged books, making the list in 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2022, for being sexually explicit. In 2008, the author filmed a YouTube video titled “I Am Not A Pornographer” explaining that a school in Buffalo, New York was planning to teach Looking for Alaska to 11th graders. But some people, he said, found the book controversial so the school administrators gave parents the choice: their children could read the book or find an alternative. “But there were a few people who weren’t happy with this solution,” Green said in the clip. “These people didn’t actually have kids in the 11th grade, but no matter. They think that my book is pornographic, and that it will cause immoral thoughts and actions in children. These people believe that no one should be allowed to read the book, even those people whose parents signed the permission slip.” And now with book bans on the rise across America (2022 saw the highest number of attempted book bans), Green told The Independent earlier this year that these parent groups have rallied “to take over America’s school systems”. “There are attempts not just to ban books, but to ban entire subjects from high school curricula,” he said. “There are attempts to rewrite American history to better fit contemporary narratives around America’s purported greatness.” The book, a coming of age story with themes of loss and forgiveness, features a scene in which the main character Miles, receives oral sex from Lara, a friend. A few pages later, in a highly emotional scene, Miles kisses another character, Alaska. By juxtaposing the two scenes, Green said in the YouTube video, he attempts to show “that physical intimacy can never stand in for emotional closeness.” Yet, it’s these very scenes that have led to some seeking to ban the book. “It’s always a bummer to have your work read in bad faith,” Green told The Independent in an interview earlier this year. “It’s always a bummer when people read your work to find out what they hate about it, because that’s not, of course, why anyone writes.” Having this specific section read out of context, he adds, is “especially troubling,” because “removed from its context, it can’t do its work – which is to point out that the romantic encounter that Miles and Lara have is awkward and unfulfilling, precisely because they don’t have the emotional connection they need to have a fulfilling romantic encounter.” Read More John Green on book bans, bad faith, and the ‘history of folks trying to control what other folks can read’ Book bans in US schools increased by 28 per cent in the first half of the school year, says new report Texas county moves to restrict ‘explicit’ and ‘objectionable’ books at public libraries Tennessee educators file lawsuit challenging law limiting school lessons on race, sex and bias Jacqueline Wilson says censorship of children’s books is ‘a huge worry’ Biden reelection campaign offering joint meeting with Obama as ex-president enters 2024 fray early Biden wants to compensate New Mexico residents sickened by radiation during 1945 nuclear testing Trump campaign runs ad attacking Georgia DA who’s expected to indict him

Olivia Dunne shared six pictures of herself donning different gymnastics outfits and gave each a rating

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge played catch before a game at Oakland in the AL MVP’s first baseball activity since tearing a ligament in his right big toe on June 3

Megan Rapinoe was left devastated after her career swansong came to an early end as she limped out of the National Women’s Soccer League final. The 38-year-old suffered a suspected ruptured Achilles in just the third minute of the season-decider in San Diego and then had to watch her side OL Reign lose 2-1 to NJ/NY Gotham FC. Rapinoe won two World Cups and an Olympic gold medal in a brilliant 203-cap career for the United States, but the defeat means she ends her domestic stint without an NWSL title. She admitted that it was the “worst possible outcome” to her finale. “It felt like just a huge pop,” Rapinoe told ESPN. “The worst possible outcome. I just thank god I have like a f****** deep well of sense of humour. But just obviously devastating to go out in the final so early. “That’s life, it’s part of the game. I was feeling really good before the game, wasn’t feeling tight or wasn’t having calf issues or anything. You don’t always get to have the perfect ending. “I feel so lucky and so grateful to have played as long as I’ve played and to have played with the incredible players that I’ve played (with). “Every sort of new cycle that I’ve come with, I’ve gotten close to certain players and built relationships and played with some of the very best players in the world. “I’m looking forward to retirement. I’m retiring on the field, but you’ll definitely be seeing a lot of me off of it.” Read More Rob Key ready to take share of blame for England’s poor World Cup Victor Lindelof: Scoring more goals is next step for Manchester United On this day in 2004: John Toshack becomes Wales boss on five-year deal

Want your Xbox Series X to stand out? Microsoft is preparing to sell custom covers

Although people typically associate the month of October with spooky season and the beginning of fall foliage, the month is also known as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast Cancer Awareness Month dates back to 1985, when the American Cancer Society picked one week in October and teamed up with the pharmaceutical division of Imperial Chemical Industries – now part of AstraZeneca, which has worked to develop medicines for breast cancer treatment. The initial goal for the week-long event was to raise awareness towards breast cancer screenings and mammograms. First Lady Betty Ford was diagnosed with breast cancer when her husband, former US president Gerald Ford, was in office. As a breast cancer survivor, she initially helped bring attention to the disease during the week-long event. Over the years, the original week transformed into a month-long event. The goals for Breast Cancer Awareness Month have also evolved over time, such as supporting people diagnosed with breast cancer and metastatic breast cancer, educating people about breast cancer risk factors, stressing the importance of regular screening starting at age 40, and fundraising for breast cancer research. However, the well-known pink ribbon associated with Breast Cancer Awareness Month wasn’t introduced until the 1990s. The inspiration for the ribbon dates all the way back to 1979, when the wife of a hostage who had been taken in Iran tied yellow ribbons around the trees in her front yard as a symbol of her desire to see her husband return home safely. Ribbons were also used years later during the AIDS epidemic, when activists made bright red ribbons to represent those affected by AIDS. The AIDS ribbon was made mainstream after the 1991 Tony Awards, when actor Jeremy Irons was the first to publicly wear the pinned ribbon with a singular loop while hosting the awards show. A woman named Charlotte Haley is attributed with the creation of the Breast Cancer Awareness ribbon, as she was the granddaughter, sister, and mother of women who have all battled breast cancer. Initially, she designed the breast cancer ribbon to be peach-coloured instead of pink. With each ribbon, she passed out a card that read: “The National Cancer Institute annual budget is $1.8 billion, only five per cent goes for cancer prevention. Help us wake up our legislators and America by wearing this ribbon.” Because of her success in passing out thousands of ribbons, many corporations and news outlets reached out to Haley asking to showcase her ribbons and the message she was promoting. She declined each offer as she believed they were “too corporate”, but Self magazine was increasingly persistent. The magazine’s lawyer insisted they change the symbol’s colour, and the pink ribbon was born. In October 1992, the pink ribbon first spread across the nation after Estée Lauder displayed the symbol on its cosmetic counters throughout the country. While the iconic shade of pink is normally associated with Breast Cancer Awareness Month, other colours have been introduced, including hot pink for inflammatory breast cancer; teal and pink for hereditary and gynecologic cancers; pink and blue for male breast cancer; and teal, pink, and green for metastatic breast cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women after skin cancer. There is a 13 per cent chance, or one in eight chance, that a woman will develop breast cancer at some point in her lifetime. Although breast cancer is more typically associated with women, it can also occur in men. In 2021, President Joe Biden designated 17 October to 23 October as Men’s Breast Cancer Awareness Week. While Friday the 13th may be a spooky-themed day, don’t forget that it’s also Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day. Read More Elizabeth Hurley issues reminder to women about getting mammograms as she raises awareness about breast cancer Amy Dowden delights Strictly Come Dancing fans in surprise appearance amid breast cancer treatment Jill Biden urges women to get mammograms or other cancer exams during Breast Cancer Awareness Month Elizabeth Hurley issues reminder to women about getting mammograms Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne ‘plan to be euthanised’ if they lose mental abilities Billy Connolly says reports of his ‘demise have been greatly exaggerated’

Scientists are setting out to collect genetic material from 500,000 people of African ancestry to create the world’s largest database of genomic information from the population

By Andrew Hayley BEIJING U.S. incentives to boost consumption of more environmentally friendly fuel has created a new

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 21, 2023--

Investors have shown few signs of panic during a stock market slump that’s pushed the S&P 500 Index