Jennie Kermode

18h

€150 might be enough for a good-sized weekly shop in many places, but in Gaza, with the crossings closed and food prices soaring, it's barely enough to buy anything. Ahmad's family have cut back on everything they can, but they need to eat. Every small contribution matters - at all adds up. 🍉#Gaza

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18h

@slimyswampghost.bsky.social @gorangligovic.bsky.social @leftistlawyer.com Are you able to help Ahmad al Madhoun? He is struggling to afford any food for his family in current circumstances, and needs to reach people who can support him.

19h

All Samaa wants is for her daughters to have the chance to play, study, learn, grow up and live normal lives, but right now she can't provide the food, water and shelter they need without help. It's shocking how quickly she found herself in this situation. Please assist her if you can. #Gaza 🍉

Cåråbine à Citron 🍋@carabinacitron.eurosky.social

In Gaza, they live amidst fear, hunger, and anxiety every day. Samaa is a mother of two young daughters, struggling to provide for their basic needs amidst this ongoing tragedy. Your support and donations give them hope and help them persevere. 💔 chuffed.org/project/1575...

bylines.scotThe body politic: reclaiming intersex experiences - Bylines ScotlandThis Intersex Awareness Day, it’s time to look beyond the struggle to celebrate three decades of building community and changing the debate

20h

This Intersex Awareness Day, I reflect on how far we've come in 30 years and why we now have achievements worth celebrating. bylines.scot/society/the-... #IntersexAwarenessDay

20h

And @bsky.app, once again, I request that you give us an intersex flag emoji. It's time.

22h

Soad is in a really desperate situation. She has been spending all her money on food and medicine because prices are high, and now her rent is due and she's $250 short. If she can't raise the money, she and Omar will have no shelter from the winter storms. Can you help? tinyurl.com/4rdnwyzx 🍉#Gaza

21h

@mckelvie.bsky.social Can you help Soad? She asked if I would reach out to you because she and Omar really need help to make their rent.

If you're in Edinburgh tonight and looking for something to do, why not attend this talk on witches and feminism by Mary Craig, hosted by the lovely Bylines Scotland team? It's free and there will be snacks, plus a chance to share your own Hallowe'en stories and listen to other people's. 🧹👻🎃

This is an important thread about what just happened in Brazil's election, with insights that can be applied elsewhere.

Bruno Dies@brunodias.dev

Genuinely I don't know that it comes across to people who haven't been here to watch how almost unbelievable this was, just people taking something that looked impossible and dragging it kicking and screaming all the way to inevitability.

Two election results to celebrate this morning. I know there are a lot of problems with Lula but still, we can literally breathe a little easier thanks to his victory in Brazil. And Serbia has excelled itself.

There's little hope of real improvement in Israel tomorrow but still I'll be relieved when it's over and Palestine becomes slightly less of a political football. And then it will only be a week until the US midterms. Let's hope they follow the same trend.

gofund.meDonate to Help Heba Al-Madhoun's family in Gaza, organized by Quentin GervasoniCan you imagine looking into your children's eyes one day and seeing them fill… Quentin Gervasoni needs your support for Help Heba Al-Madhoun's family in Gaza

Heba is also struggling to feed her children in a city where it's hard to find anything at all to eat. It's particularly difficult for families dependent on women (her husband is disabled), who find it harder to fight their way through the crowds when food does appear. gofund.me/c3bf6fb78 #Gaza 🍉

Micheeel@micheeel.bsky.social

Hunger is returning to Gaza. Markets are empty and prices are soaring. My children sleep hungry and cry for food. 💔 Please donate whatever you can to help feed my children. Every dollar matters. Please don't let us suffer alone. Don't abandon us! 🙏🇵🇸 gofund.me/c3bf6fb78

My biggest problem with the clocks changing is that the change is out of sync in the UK and US. As usual I have a week packed full of interviews and I know that half of them will be no-shows because people get the time difference wrong.

It's a while since Waseem's kids have had bread like this. Lately they've had to share scraps, or got nothing at all. #Gaza is almost out of food and he can't afford to meet their basic needs without help. Please step in if you can. Don't let them become statistics in genocide. gofund.me/35fdca7d 🍉

Samaa doesn't set big targets. She's just trying to raise enough, day by day, to feed her girls and get their home ready for the encroaching winter. Little Talia is always hungry and Julia is underweight and listless. Please help if you can, so they can live to see a brighter future. 🍉🍼 #Gaza

Cåråbine à Citron 🍋@carabinacitron.eurosky.social

Every day that passes in Gaza weighs heavier on them. Samaa is trying to protect her two daughters and provide for their needs amidst extremely harsh conditions. Your support today gives her family hope and strength to keep going. 🤍 chuffed.org/project/1575...

action.wemove.euDefend the International Criminal Court, block Trump’s sanctions!Share the petition and you'll help multiply the impact of this campaign: Defend the International Criminal Court, block Trump’s sanctions!

There has never been a more important time to defend the rule of law. The EU does pay heed to petitions. Will you add your name to this call for it to protect the International Criminal Court? action.wemove.eu/sign/2026-10...

If you don't feel motivated to do it out of basic human decency, do it in anticipation of some fine quality schadenfreude.

"If I disappear tomorrow, remember my little children," writes Waseem. 💔 "Please leave a dot to show you care. We need your help to survive. Don’t let us be forced into death traps just to find food for our children. Your support can keep us safe. Please don’t forget us." 🙏#Gaza 🍉

gofund.meDonate to Emergency Appeal: Help Wassim's Family, organized by Anna OrridgeHi I'm Anna and I'm fundraising for Wassim, a father in Palestine. This is Wassim'… Anna Orridge needs your support for Emergency Appeal: Help Wassim's Family

I was exhausted when I wrote this and forgot to add the all-important link. Please support Waseem and his family if you can. gofund.me/35fdca7d

Ahmad has almost enough to afford the food his family needs to get through this difficult week. Can you help him make up the rest of the cost? There's a good chance that the borders will reopen after the Israeli election & prices will fall again. We need to keep his family alive until then. #Gaza 🍉

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@slimyswampghost.bsky.social @gorangligovic.bsky.social @justadog.me I would be very grateful if you could help Ahmad find the support he needs to keep his chronically ill parents fed and safe until Gaza's borders reopen.

Big thanks to everyone who donated over the past couple of days to help Soad and her young son Omar. Unfortunately prices just keep rising, so although they got the money, it's no longer enough. They can barely afford one small meal a day. Please help if you can. tinyurl.com/4rdnwyzx 🍉 #Gaza

@mckelvie.bsky.social Soad has asked me to reach out to you because she believes that you are in a position to make a real difference to her situation, and keep Omar and her from starvation. I hope it's okay to have done so. She has a lot of faith in you.

Just to put that in context, many of us will have gone through times when we only had that much to eat, but few of us were severely malnourished beforehand. Even with that one small meal, they're losing weight. Without it, they might not see another sunrise.

Like most Palestinians, Samaa really wishes that she didn't have to reach out to strangers for help, but there's no choice in a situation like that facing Gaza, and she has to prioritise her daughters' needs. If she doesn't get help, they go hungry, and there's nothing she can do about it. #Gaza 🍉🍼

Cåråbine à Citron 🍋@carabinacitron.eurosky.social

It's not easy for Samaa to ask for help, but she and her daughters are desperate. she needs $300 to provide for their essential needs, and they're at a loss. If you can't help directly, please share this message; it might reach someone who can. chuffed.org/project/1575...

We're all hoping that things will get a little easier after the Israeli election on the 27th of this month. There will no longer be such a strong political incentive, then, to keep the borders closed. Right now, people like Samaa need our support more than ever.

leicester.newsBBC edits out pride pins on University Challenge in ‘Orwellian’ move* * * This story was published by **The Leicester Gazette** : a local, independent newspaper about Leicestershire. 1,000 people have already joined our community. Just use those buttons below to download our app and **sign up for free**. * * * Astrophysics student Samuel Carlier and History student Emmeline Hague-Wright were shocked to find that their LGBTQ+ pride pins had been edited out of their University Challenge appearance earlier this year. The episode, initially scheduled for BBC Two on 24 August, was delayed twice before airing on 7 September 2026. The pins showed the progressive LGBTQ+ pride flag, the bisexual pride flag and a rainbow feather. Speaking to the Leicester Gazette, Sam said: “Living in a liberal democracy and having the state broadcaster tell you ‘we’re editing how you look’, seems very Orwellian.” Sam described the choice to remove the pins before broadcast as “weird” and “absurd”. He said: “[Censoring] that seemed weird. If I had worn a rainbow shirt, would they have censored that? If the idea is to keep things impartial, where is that line in the sand?” A side by-side image of Sam wearing the pin and with it having been digitally removed. Photograph: supplied Sam contacted the BBC to try to understand why his pins had been edited out. He told the Gazette: “The BBC people said they’d ring me, and I chased them, they just said go to the complaints website and file a complaint there, that’s what I did.” Since then, Sam hasn’t had a response from the BBC as to why his pins were removed. After the episode had aired, Sam noted that his shirt ‘melted’ into itself occasionally, as a result of the editing. Photograph: supplied ## Students believe the decision was made following online transphobia Emmeline was also shocked when she found out that the feather pin she wore was due to be removed from the episode she was in. It was understood by Emmeline that there was online transphobia in response to previous episode of University Challenge, and she had been contacted by the BBC, anticipating support from the broadcaster. When the BBC contacted her, instead of an offer of support, she was told her pin was going to be removed. “At first it was mostly confusion,” she said. “I heard that they had received a lot of nastiness online from people and I thought they were going to call me to say ‘we have support services if needed,’ and that wasn't what I got at all.” Instead, Emmeline was notified that the episodes were going to be delayed. “It was out of left field, I was confused for a while,” she said. “This entire delay has been because of a feather and two badges on a teammate that were basically impossible [for viewers] to see.” Emmeline had expressed her frustrations with the repeated delays from the BBC, spanning from mid-July to early-September. She said: “We were announced on the website and then delayed again, and then announced on the website a second time, and delayed even further. Speaking about the removal, she said: “It takes a lot of time” she said. “Making it [the edit] look good would be even more expensive and time-consuming. It seems like drastically a lot of effort.” ## Join the conversation Our app is more than just a way to keep up – it's a gateway to award-winning journalism and the local community. __Want to support our work?__ Click here for membership__.__ ## Wider criticism on LGBTQ+ support The pins Sam wore during the episode. Photograph: supplied According to leading LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall UK, two in five LGBTQ+ students will hide their identities at university for fear of discrimination. Stonewall has reported that more than 36 per cent of trans students have received hostile conduct from university staff due to their gender identity. Reflecting on the digital removal of the pins, Sam spoke about how disheartening the choice was. He said: “There was maybe like a span of eight years where someone could be uncontroversially out in the open queer – now that’s gone again.” he said. The BBC has also been widely criticised for ‘an attack on the LGBTQ+ community’ by pulling its involvement with the popular show, RuPaul's Drag Race. The broadcaster pulled its involvement in September following “significant financial pressures” as the reason for axing their involvement. The criticism follows another recent controversial edit by the BBC. On its hit show, Strictly Come Dancing, a decision was made to edit out ‘Protect the Dolls’ from contestant Bethany Antonia’s T-shirt. It’s a slogan which has become widely used to support the rights of trans women. The BBC defended their decision, saying the changes were made to meet editorial guidelines. It comes as the LGBTQ+ community has faced challenges amid an increasingly less tolerant political climate. ## What the BBC had to say When we asked them about editing out the pins worn by Leicester’s University Challenge team, a BBC spokesperson said: “In line with our editorial guidelines, we advise that no badges, flags, and emblems or symbols are worn or visible during filming, along with clothing with obvious branding or slogans. If such items are not removed for any reason then a decision is made between the programme makers and the BBC regarding any edits to the programme.” The BBC said the delays to the episode were unrelated to the decision to edit out the pins. A spokesperson for ITV Studios said: “University Challenge is an entertainment quiz show and is made in accordance with the BBC Editorial Guidelines requirements for impartiality.” The University of Leicester refused to comment on the matter. * * * **Before you go…** We’ve recently surpassed 1,000 subscribers, which is amazing considering we’re a small team on a shoestring budget. Now, we’re ready for the next stage of the Leicester Gazette. **Download our new app and get all of our journalism anytime, anywhere.** The app connects with **Bluesky** , **Mastodon** and **Threads** , giving you access to a network of around 60 million people. It’s a safer, more meaningful alternative to mainstream social media – owned by the community. * * *

The BBC is, alas, not a thing that has got better in my lifetime.

Leicester Gazette@leicestergazette.leicester.news

Two University of Leicester students speak out over ‘absurd’ and ‘Orwellian’ decision by the BBC and ITV Studios to edit out pride pins worn on University Challenge

When I was a child and labelled female, the assumption was that I would grow up without access to certain sports or genres of fiction, get a job in a shop or similar and then give it up to marry the first man who would have me and raise his children, rarely getting out of the house, until they left.

Michael Druker 🇨🇦@mdruker.app

Social media loves talking about how everything is getting worse. But what’s something that you’ve seen get _better_ in your lifetime?

Then there are the little things. In the early eighties my prize possession was a black pencil case with rainbow stripes. People envied that. Now kids grow up in a world of glowing, glitterythings, and that's its own kind of awesome.

There have been losses, of course, some of them awesome, but I have seen positive change I thought was impossible and that's why I keep on fighting for change that seems impossible now. Never give up because impossible things do happen, and the future could still be unimaginably wonderful.

Michael Druker 🇨🇦@mdruker.app

Social media loves talking about how everything is getting worse. But what’s something that you’ve seen get _better_ in your lifetime?

If I had managed to survive with my illness in an earlier time, I would have been shut away in an institution as I got weaker, denied the chance to work or have relationships or do anything interesting with my life. Now I can have equipment at home, and things aren't perfect, but much better.

I have seen amazing things happen over the course of my life. I think a lot of people forget or fail to realise just how shite the 1970s were, let alone previous decades. Everything was literally filthy from cigarette smoke and prejudice was everywhere, bold, uninhibited, totally mainstream.

Michael Druker 🇨🇦@mdruker.app

Social media loves talking about how everything is getting worse. But what’s something that you’ve seen get _better_ in your lifetime?

When my own illness got to the point where I really didn't expect to survive, a new treatment based on a Japanese fungus came along and gave me a fighting chance, and i made it past fifty, which no-one really expected, after which things get statistically much less dangerous.

Many people have medical stories like these, and it's going to be even better for future generations if we can just keep on funding research, because we're now getting to grips with several truly revolutionary new techniques for tackling disease and the damage it does.

Michael Druker 🇨🇦@mdruker.app

Social media loves talking about how everything is getting worse. But what’s something that you’ve seen get _better_ in your lifetime?

My partner developed leukaemia at the end of 1993 and was given two weeks not live. Not only did he make it through treatment, twice, but if it ever recurs (which it's now highly unlikely to do), there are new treatments which mean he'd have a fighting chance.

When i was caring for him through the 'nineties, the internet became affordable from home, so i didn't have to be cut off from the world. Back then, Glasgow's shite postal service used to steal half my paychecks, but now I can get paid electronically, so I can make a proper living from home.

Michael Druker 🇨🇦@mdruker.app

Social media loves talking about how everything is getting worse. But what’s something that you’ve seen get _better_ in your lifetime?

People across the water in Northern Ireland were killing each other in a conflict that seemed interminable, and yet that ended, and again there remains much to be done, but it's vastly better than it was. And Scotland and Wales got devolution, and a step towards a fair electoral system.

Intersex people now have the chance to talk to one another and develop a positive language about our bodies. We have a _lot_ of battles left to fight but we no longer have to live in shame with no support, and, since 2012, the NHS has stopped lying to us about our diagnoses.

Michael Druker 🇨🇦@mdruker.app

Social media loves talking about how everything is getting worse. But what’s something that you’ve seen get _better_ in your lifetime?

I understand how hard it is for many people now seeing some things go backwards, but when I was a kid, I didn't even have the language to explain my attraction to women, let alone to reckon with my gender. There was just the misery of recognising that I was an outsider, and how dangerous that was.

Simple things like being able to hold hands with a girlfriend in public once seemed impossible, and now there is (mostly) equal marriage, ffs, and still a long way to go, but a long road travelled.

Michael Druker 🇨🇦@mdruker.app

Social media loves talking about how everything is getting worse. But what’s something that you’ve seen get _better_ in your lifetime?

I would grow old in that house and after thirty or so my husband wouldn't want me even if I wanted him. He would have affairs but I wouldn't get that chance. I'd help with grandkids and then I'd die and that would be my whole story. And really, fuck that.

I had to fight for a lot of the things that changed, from the chance to play football at school to the right to have my relationships treated with respect (and to not be assaulted) regardless of the gender of my partner, but others fought too, and change did come, and much greater equality.

This, I think, is a point which clarified any number of odd recent behaviours by powerful people.

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Just to clarify, that is an old picture. It's hard to find any bread in northern Gaza today. Even some bakeries were shut yesterday due to the lack of flour.

Little Ahmed's family are getting close to their target and will soon be able to get him the surgery he desperately needs - if you keep donating. Here's a bonus for those who are able to give larger amounts - on top of potentially saving a little boy's life. chuffed.org/project/mahm... #Gaza 🍉🆘

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I don't remember for certain - the early ones are a bit of a blur. I saw 'The Black Stallion' when I was six but think I had seen a re-run of 'The Jungle Book', 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' or 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court' before that.

Mark Thompson@markreckons.bsky.social

First film you saw at the cinema. The real first one, not the pretend one you tell people! Mine: The Empire Strikes Back, 1980, Wigan. We were near the front and I can still remember how massive the AT-ATs looked, looming over us out of the snow :) Film, year, where, and whatever stuck with you.