A BBC review of more than 110 university websites in England found that 12 used only below-average salaries in worked examples of student loan repayments. A parliamentary committee chair said some information could mislead students, and the Department for Education said it would review its guidance.
Key Facts
England’s Plan 5 student loans require graduates to repay 9% of earnings above £25,000 for up to 40 years or until the loan is paid off.
The UK average salary cited in the report was £39,039.
The BBC found inaccurate information on some university websites about repayment starting salaries and repayment periods.
Most university websites reviewed did not provide worked repayment examples, and many referred students to government or student finance information.
The Department for Education website did not provide real-world repayment examples for Plan 5 loans.
Someone earning £30,000 would repay £37.50 a month, while someone earning £100,000 would repay £562.50 a month.
Northumbria University removed a comparison describing repayments as less than the cost of a daily coffee after the BBC contacted it.
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Iranian lawmaker Amir Hayat Moqaddam said ships from India, China, Qatar and Iraq are exempt from Iran’s Strait of Hormuz restrictions. He said Tehran expects medicine from India, political support from China and transit fees from some ships; analysts say the arrangement could also help Iran earn revenue and challenge the U.S. blockade.
Key Facts
Moqaddam told ISNA that ships from the four countries can pass freely and are not intercepted by the United States.
Iran effectively closed the strait early in the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, which the article says began on February 28.
The United States reimposed a naval blockade on Iran’s southern ports in July.
Moqaddam said Iran would receive medicine from India and political backing from China.
He said Iran would charge Indian and Chinese ships transit fees, while Qatari ships would pass without a toll; he did not specify whether Iraq would pay.
Analysts cited in the article said Iran may collect transit fees or a share of cargo value, but the article does not confirm how the arrangement operates.
Kpler analyst Muyu Xu said about 42 percent of Gulf crude that passed through Hormuz in October went to China and 13 percent to India.
Xu said Qatar shipped 1.8 million tonnes of LNG through the strait in October, while Iraq’s crude transits rose to 2.65 million barrels a day.
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East Sussex residents who rely on heating oil say rising prices are making it hard to heat their homes. Sheila Williams has taken a winter waitress job to help pay an oil bill she says has doubled since early 2026.
Key Facts
Williams lives alone in a park home in Golden Cross and says she took the extra job to cover heating costs.
The article says filling a 1,000-litre tank could cost more than £970.
Nigel Wanstall, from Sheffield Park, says he cannot afford to refill his oil tank and is using an open fire and an electric blanket.
Rye Oil director Jon Reardon says heating oil prices have doubled on average since the war in the Middle East began.
Reardon says some customers are delaying orders, which has reduced the supplier’s sales.
The government says it has pledged £53 million to support vulnerable households using heating oil and removed a 4% tariff on home heating oil.
Energy minister Polly Billington said the government is working to regulate the heating oil sector and hold suppliers to account.
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A wildfire killed 15 people in the Spanish village of Bédar on July 9, including nine British nationals. Relatives say emergency warnings and evacuation guidance came too late, and they want a public inquiry; Andalusia’s governing parties blocked an opposition proposal for one, saying a criminal investigation should provide answers.
Key Facts
The fire struck Bédar, in southeastern Spain’s Almería province, and killed 15 people.
Nine of the dead were British; the other victims included three Belgians, one French national, one American and one Spaniard.
Relatives criticized authorities for not sending mobile-phone emergency alerts as the flames approached.
Andalusia’s emergencies chief said officials did not use the alert system because they could not target it to specific communities.
Officials said some residents were safer staying indoors and argued an alert could cause panic and traffic jams.
The regional parliament’s People’s Party and Vox rejected a Socialist Party request for an inquiry commission, citing an ongoing criminal investigation.
Bédar’s emergency plan was last approved in 2019 and was being updated, according to regional officials.
Families also said they were unhappy with how police handled victims’ remains and belongings.
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Police in England and Wales say rising numbers of teenagers are encountering illegal or harmful sexual material online, and some forces are considering charity or civilian-led support to safeguard them without criminalising them. Officers and legal experts say the new pornography restrictions should focus on distributors and platforms, while police report about 1,000 arrests each month for online child sexual abuse offences.
Key Facts
New laws in England and Wales ban publishing or possessing pornography showing strangulation, incest, or adults acting out fantasies involving sex with under-16s.
West Mercia officers say the volume of arrests for online child abuse offences is rising significantly.
Police across England and Wales arrest about 1,000 people each month for online child sexual abuse offences, most of them men.
West Mercia officers are considering a pilot that would send civilians to visit children found viewing illegal material.
Officers say some cases involve sexting between teenagers, while others involve young people encountering violent child abuse images in chat sites and forums.
Police say a Surrey project called Solah has prompted several forces to consider similar safeguarding approaches.
Legal experts cited in the article say the new law should target large platforms and distributors, rather than focus on material individuals have on their phones.
Ministry of Justice adverts warned users of extreme pornography to delete it before 6 November or face prison sentences of up to five years.
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Al Jazeera reports from Exarchia, a neighborhood in Athens known for pro-Palestinian sentiment. Residents say short-term rentals, many owned by Israelis, are raising rents and changing the area’s character.
Key Facts
The report focuses on Exarchia in Athens.
The neighborhood is described as pro-Palestinian.
Residents say short-term rentals are driving up rents.
Residents say many of the short-term rentals are Israeli-owned.
Residents say the rentals are eroding the area’s character.
Al Jazeera reporter Nils Adler reported from the neighborhood.
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Eva Geller, 90, has died in a Sydney hospital nearly a year after she was shot in the Bondi Beach attack. The attack killed 15 people and led to Australian gun law reforms and a crackdown on hate speech.
Key Facts
Geller died on Thursday night, according to Rabbi Aron Moss.
She was shot when two gunmen opened fire at a Jewish event at Bondi Beach on 14 December.
Geller escaped the Holocaust as a child and later moved to Australia.
Her injuries required repeated hospital treatment; she later regained the ability to walk.
One attacker, Sajid Akram, was killed by police at the scene.
Sajid Akram’s son, Naveed Akram, was arrested and charged with 15 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder, and committing a terrorist act.
New South Wales police said they were working with the coroner’s office after Geller’s death.
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Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi told U.S. President Donald Trump that Iraq would not allow its territory to be used to attack neighboring countries. Iraq’s foreign minister warned that renewed U.S. attacks on Iran could draw Iraq into a devastating conflict, and urged armed groups not to join any retaliation.
Key Facts
Al-Zaidi and Trump discussed regional developments and security in a phone call on Thursday, according to al-Zaidi’s office.
Al-Zaidi called for respect for national sovereignty and said Iraqi territory must not serve as a launch point for attacks on neighboring countries.
Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said Iraq was not prepared for war and warned that involving Iraqi society would lead to disaster.
Hussein said Iraq had come under attack from the United States, Iran, and armed groups inside Iraq since the war began.
Al-Zaidi took office in May and has prioritized disarming armed groups, including powerful groups aligned with Iran.
Iraq has lost more than $60 billion in oil revenue since the war began, according to the article.
About 90 percent of Iraq’s oil exports normally pass through the Strait of Hormuz, and oil provides about 90 percent of the federal budget.
Iran has allowed Iraq, among a small number of countries, to continue passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
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Democrats’ midterm victory shifted control of the U.S. Congress and raised questions in Australia about the effects on the alliance, defense cooperation and U.S. foreign policy. Analysts said voter concern about living costs and the Iran war could also affect Australian politics, oil prices and inflation.
Key Facts
The article says Democrats won control of Congress in the midterm elections.
Australian officials and defense industry representatives closely watched the results.
Analysts cited rising living costs, fuel prices and concerns about datacentres as issues in the election.
Bruce Wolpe said economic uncertainty linked to the Iran war was hurting the Albanese government.
Westpac economist Elliot Clarke said the results improved the prospects for resolving the Iran war and could ease inflation pressures.
The article reports that Brent crude fell 20% as election results emerged.
Former Australian ambassador Arthur Sinodinos said Australia could advance policy goals with both U.S. parties.
Sinodinos said Congress could press the administration to support Ukraine and fund munitions.
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The United Nations condemned Israeli settlers’ seizure of eight Palestinian homes near Jericho in the occupied West Bank, saying residents were assaulted and dozens fled. The Israeli military later declared the area a closed military zone, limiting humanitarian workers’ access to people displaced by the incident.
Key Facts
About 30 settlers took over the homes in Ein a-Duyuk a-Tahta on Wednesday afternoon, according to Peace Now.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said settlers reportedly used live ammunition, assaulted residents and threw stones.
Peace Now said settlers shot a Palestinian man in the leg and assaulted and robbed two Israeli activists.
Some displaced residents lack adequate shelter, and the military’s closed-zone order has blocked humanitarian workers from reaching them.
The settlers said they legally bought the homes; Palestinian officials said the sale documents were forged and the land belongs to the Palestinian Authority.
The homes are in Area C of the West Bank, which has been under Israeli control since the 1990s Oslo Accords.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967; more than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements there, which are illegal under international law.
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Residents of al-Mawasi camp in Gaza built wind turbines from scraps recovered from destroyed buildings. They use the turbines to generate electricity after the war damaged reliable power sources.
Key Facts
Palestinians in Gaza made wind turbines to generate electricity.
The builders used scraps found in the rubble of destroyed buildings.
Residents of al-Mawasi camp engineered the solution.
The war damaged reliable power sources in Gaza.
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Paraguayan lawmakers voted to impeach President Santiago Peña amid a crisis linked to the collapse of Ueno Bank. Prosecutors have opened three criminal investigations into the collapse, including one involving allegations against Peña.
Key Facts
Lawmakers voted to impeach Paraguay’s President Santiago Peña.
The impeachment vote came amid a crisis linked to the collapse of Ueno Bank.
Prosecutors opened three criminal investigations into the bank’s collapse.
One of the investigations includes allegations involving Peña.
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A 90-year-old woman who was shot in the Bondi beach attack in Australia died in hospital nearly 12 months later. A senior Jewish community source said she had received repeated hospital treatment for her injuries and died after developing an infection and suffering a stroke.
Key Facts
The woman was shot during the attack on 14 December the previous year.
She had been in and out of hospital during the year for treatment of her injuries.
A senior Jewish community source said she developed an infection and died after having a stroke.
Her funeral was scheduled for Monday, and her family requested privacy.
Fifteen people died and 40 were injured in the attack at a Hanukkah festival on Bondi beach.
Sajid Akram was shot dead by police at the scene.
Naveed Akram has been charged with 78 offences, including 15 counts of murder and one count of committing a terrorist act; he remains before the courts.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin met Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei in Moscow to discuss regional security, the war involving Iran, and energy cooperation. Rezaei delivered a message from Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and said Iran would not negotiate with the United States or reopen the Strait of Hormuz until Washington met seven Iranian demands.
Key Facts
Rezaei said he delivered a letter from Khamenei to Putin, but did not disclose its contents.
Rezaei said the talks covered regional security arrangements and the post-war period.
Rezaei said discussions included a proposed gas pipeline from Russia to Iran.
Rezaei said Iran would not negotiate with the United States or reopen the Strait of Hormuz until it met seven demands.
According to the article, diplomatic efforts to end the war have focused on the Strait of Hormuz, a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, sanctions, and Iran’s nuclear program.
Rezaei said Putin reiterated that Russia was ready to support efforts to end the war.
Iranian state media reported that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held calls with counterparts in six regional countries about developments and peace efforts.
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The Victorian Liberal Party’s campaign bus hit and damaged a jewellery shop awning while reversing in Bentleigh on its first day on the campaign trail. The shop was closed, no one was injured, and the party contacted the owners; the bus had minor scratches.
Key Facts
The bus, named the “Jess Express,” carries an image of Liberal leader Jess Wilson and the slogan “A Fresh Start for Victoria.”
The collision happened as the bus backed into a parking spot on Centre Road in Bentleigh.
Wilson joked that the shop’s owners could identify who was responsible because her face was displayed on the bus.
The party provided the shop’s owners with its contact details.
The bus carried party members and reporters, who had been given satirical safety cards criticizing Labor.
The article says the latest Newspoll put the Coalition ahead of Labor 55–45 on a two-party-preferred basis.
Bentleigh MP Nick Staikos holds the seat on an 8% margin, while Liberal candidate Tynan Putt identified cost of living and crime as local issues.
Victorians are scheduled to vote on 28 November.
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A jury at Southwark Crown Court convicted Russell Brand of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault after a four-week trial. The court denied him bail, and he is due to be sentenced on Monday; police are also investigating further rape allegations made by two women.
Key Facts
The jury found Brand guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault.
He was acquitted of two other rape counts and one count of attempted indecent assault.
The jury deliberated for eight and a half hours.
The judge remanded Brand in custody until sentencing on Monday.
The judge said Brand should expect a significant custodial term.
The charges at trial involved allegations by six women covering 1999 to 2009.
The Metropolitan Police said its investigation into further complaints from two women remains ongoing.
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As winter approaches, people in Gaza are using damaged cooking pots to build makeshift seawalls. The barriers aim to reduce flooding at shelters and schools and hold back the sea.
Key Facts
People in Gaza are turning damaged cooking pots into makeshift seawalls.
The effort is taking place as winter approaches.
The barriers aim to protect shelters from flooding.
The barriers also aim to protect schools from flooding.
The seawalls are intended to hold back the sea.
Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum reported on the effort.
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The Trump administration announced new sanctions against Cuba on Thursday, targeting 10 individuals and entities linked to the Cuban government, military and oil industry. The State Department said Cuba’s ruling elite was hoarding energy, shipping and technology resources for its own enrichment.
Key Facts
The United States announced another wave of sanctions against Cuba.
The sanctions target 10 individuals and entities.
The targets are tied to Cuba’s government, military and oil industry.
The sanctions target a shipping network described in the article’s headline as illicit.
The State Department accused Cuba’s ruling elite of hoarding energy, shipping and technology resources for its own enrichment.
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Beau Lamarre-Condon told a New South Wales Supreme Court jury that shooting Jesse Baird was not intentional, while saying he was responsible and “guilty of manslaughter.” He has pleaded not guilty to two murder charges and aggravated break and enter over the deaths of Baird and Luke Davies in Sydney in February 2024.
Key Facts
Lamarre-Condon, a former police officer, is accused of shooting Baird and Davies with his police service weapon at Baird’s Paddington home on 19 February 2024.
He told the court he fired at Baird after Baird allegedly lunged at him, and said he believed he was at risk of being stabbed.
Lamarre-Condon said he entered the home wearing a motorcycle helmet and clothing that he thought would make him look like a delivery rider.
He testified that he went to Baird’s home to retrieve belongings, including a surfboard, clothes and a Cartier ring.
He said he had signed out his firearm for a shift three days before the alleged killings and had permission to do so.
He told the jury that he had previously fired his gun at a tree in the Royal National Park while considering suicide.
Baird’s mother left the courtroom as Lamarre-Condon described the shooting.
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Peruvian authorities seized more than 3,000 tarantulas at Lima’s Jorge Chávez International Airport. The spiders were hidden in dirty socks in three suitcases bound for Germany, and three European travelers were detained and face criminal proceedings.
Key Facts
SERFOR said the suitcases were carried by two German citizens and one Polish citizen.
Customs agents noticed movement inside the luggage during a routine inspection.
The tarantulas came from several regions of Peru and included eggs, hatchlings, and adults.
SERFOR technician Cora Suarez said one tarantula can sell for about €500 in Europe.
Authorities estimated the shipment could be worth about €1.5 million at that price.
Police specializing in environmental crimes detained the travelers.
Interpol estimates illegal wildlife trafficking generates about $20 billion worldwide each year.
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