Education secretary denounces exam board’s decision to replace two poets in English literature courseShelley said “poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world”, but politicians may be more powerful after the education secretary attacked the removal of poems by Philip Larkin and Wilfred Owen from a GCSE course as “cultural vandalism” and called for their reinstatement.Nadhim Zahawi denounced a decision by the OCR examination board to replace two works by Larkin and Owen from next year with a more diverse range of authors to be studied as part of its GCSE English literature course. Continue reading...

PM dismisses suggestion he should step down if his party loses Wakefield and Tiverton & Honiton byelections

Exclusive: Leaked emails reveal complex with marble floors, a private brewery and a $10,000 bidet

Child’s case argued that practice of naming surrogate mother’s husband breached her human rightsA six-year-old British girl who was born to a surrogate mother using an anonymous donated egg and sperm from her biological father has lost her case in the European court of human rights to have her father named on her birth certificate.In a complex case where five people were involved in her birth – a same-sex male couple, one of whom is her biological father, a surrogate mother and her husband and the anonymous egg donor – the European court of human rights ruled the case was “manifestly unfounded”. Continue reading...

Merlino and ministers Martin Foley, Lisa Neville and Martin Pakula could announce their retirements Friday

Ousted leader, held in secret location for past year, facing charges that have been decried as politically motivatedAung San Suu Kyi has been moved to solitary confinement inside a prison compound in Myanmar’s capital, Naypyidaw, according to a junta spokesperson.Myanmar’s ousted leader, who is 77, has been held by the military since 1 February last year, when it ousted her democratically elected government, plunging the country into chaos. Continue reading...

Young woman tells court her years in the office were ‘awful’ and says she only felt safe after moving interstate

Farmers federation says supply levels should return to normal in September, though distribution issues could persist

Government moves to dramatically lift fines following months of industrial disputes with a range of public sector workers

Hough Pharma says it ‘continually provided efficacy, safety and variant data’ to TGA and prides itself on customer service

March in London on 1 July 1972 was first with the name ‘Gay Pride’, inspired by events in USOn 1 July 1972 a crowd of people gathered in London’s Trafalgar Square and marched to Hyde Park chanting “Gay is fun! Gay is proud! Gay is beautiful!”.It was not the first march for LGBTQ+ rights in the UK, as similar protests had taken place in Highbury Fields, Islington, in 1970 and Trafalgar Square in 1971. But it was the first rally in the UK with the name “Gay Pride”, inspired by Pride events in the US. Continue reading...

Survey of EU nationals shows ‘profound and lasting’ impact of Brexit on sense of identityA study of EU citizens living in the UK has revealed the “open wound” left by Brexit, with respondents saying the decision to leave the bloc had left them feeling betrayed, insecure and distrustful towards the country that most nonetheless still call home.The survey of EU nationals from 22 countries, who had mostly been in Britain for more than five years and stayed since Brexit, showed “a profound and lasting impact on the lives and sense of identity and belonging of EU citizens in the UK”, the authors said. Continue reading...

Annual rankings return Austria’s capital to first place, as former title-holder Auckland tumbles to 34th and Ukraine war sees eastern cities slumpThe Austrian capital, Vienna, has made a comeback as the world’s most livable city, according to an annual report from the Economist.Vienna snatched the top spot from New Zealand city Auckland, which tumbled down to 34th place due to coronavirus pandemic restrictions, according to the report by the Economist intelligence unit published on Thursday. Continue reading...

Emmanuel Taché de la Pagerie, a member of Marine Le Pen’s far-right party, faces legal action by descendants of the Tascher de la Pagerie familyA newly elected MP for Marine Le Pen’s resurgent far-right National Rally party has been sued by the descendants of one of France’s oldest aristocratic families who accuse him of adding their name to his own.Emmanuel Taché de la Pagerie, 47, was one of dozens of National Rally MPs voted into the National Assembly on Sunday, with his official ID verified and approved by the local authorities in the southern city of Marseille. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can find our latest coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war hereOne of the leaders of the authorities imposed in occupied Ukraine has described the border between Russia and Ukraine as “worse than the Berlin Wall for the Germans”, according to a report from RIA Novosti.It quotes Vladimir Rogov saying:For us, the border with Russia is worse than the Berlin Wall for the Germans. According to various estimates, 60-68 per cent of the inhabitants of East Berlin and the German Democratic Republic [East Germany] had relatives in West Berlin and the Federal Republic of Germany [West Germany]. In Ukraine, depending on the region, 73-85 percent residents have relatives in Russia. Accordingly, this border should not exist. Continue reading...

Survey reveals many students value safety, compassion and avoidance of discrimination above free speechMinisters have warned that students are showing “shocking growth in support for censorship” after a survey revealed that many favoured safety and avoidance of discrimination over unrestrained free speech.The survey by the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) found that current students are more likely to support measures that restrain freedom of speech or expression on campus, and approve of removing offensive materials and memorials, compared with their predecessors six years ago, when it last conducted the survey. Continue reading...

Figures show impact of pay on recruitment as unions tell education secretary to compensate for inflation or face strikesSchools in England say they face an acute crisis over retention and recruitment without a significant pay increase, as the country’s biggest teaching union warned of strike action this autumn without an “inflation plus” deal.The threat came as new research shows that every 1% increase in pay gives a 2% boost to graduate recruitment in high-demand disciplines such as science, maths and technology. Continue reading...

Jo O’Meara recalls her issues with fruit machines and says addiction ‘can happen to anybody at any time’Jo O’Meara, a former member of the 90s pop group S Club 7, has shared how she became addicted to gambling on fruit machines as a “form of escape” from the pressures of touring, before realising she had to quit because it made her antisocial.O’Meara said she first went to bingo halls with family at about 18, where she began playing on fruit machines. Although she did not consider it an addiction at the time, she found herself playing regularly over five years before deciding, she said, that “the gambler never wins” and she was “wasting valuable time which would be better spent with friends and family”. Continue reading...

Nightclub group says new venue at west London shopping centre will host ‘fitness raves’Ministry of Sound is to “remix” a former House of Fraser store in west London as flexible offices, a gym and rooftop bar-restaurant.The owner of the nightclub, which first launched a members’ club with flexible workspace and a gym in 2018 near its original south London venue, is expected to open its second site at Westfield shopping centre in Shepherd’s Bush in 2024. Continue reading...

Pair are visiting for Commonwealth meeting, after Charles criticised government’s asylum policyBoris Johnson will have a potentially awkward meeting with the Prince of Wales in Rwanda after the heir to the throne criticised the government’s policy of sending asylum seekers to the east African state.The talks will take place at the Commonwealth heads of government meeting (Chogm) in Kigali this week. Prince Charles reportedly described the government’s plan to fly people 4,000 miles on a one-way ticket as “appalling”. Continue reading...

MPs look at whether watchdogs could investigate the claims after Boris Johnson refused to comment during PMQsMPs are looking at whether the foreign affairs watchdog or ethics officials in the Cabinet Office could investigate Boris Johnson’s proposal to give a senior job to his then girlfriend in 2018, after the prime minister refused to deny having done so.Johnson fuelled speculation that he attempted to install Carrie Johnson, now his wife, as his chief of staff when foreign secretary after he declined to comment on the allegations at prime minister’s questions. Continue reading...

France’s president seeks to form a working majority despite Le Pen’s far-right party being main oppositionLeaders of France’s opposition parties all agree on the need to avoid political gridlock and must now learn to compromise, Emanuel Macron said on Wednesday, as he faces the biggest crisis of his career and unprecedented political deadlock after losing control of parliament.In his first comments since his centrist grouping fell more than 40 seats short of an absolute majority in parliamentary elections on Sunday, Macron said that agreements needed to be found across party lines and that he would seek over the next weeks to establish a working majority. Continue reading...

Maros Tancos, and Joanna Gomulska forced vulnerable people to work unpaid at car washA couple have been jailed for a total of 25 years after trafficking at least 29 vulnerable people to the UK and forcing them to work for free at a car wash and live in a property described as the “gate to hell”.Maros Tancos, and Joanna Gomulska, both 46, kept the victims as “prisoners” in squalor in the house in Bristol and subjected them to beatings and death threats, a court heard. Continue reading...

Gen Timo Kivinen says Nato applicant is prepared and motivated to defend against neighbour and would be ‘tough bite’ to chewFinland has prepared for decades for a Russian attack and would put up stiff resistance should one occur, its armed forces chief said.The Nordic country has built up a substantial arsenal. But aside from the military hardware, Gen Timo Kivinen said, a crucial factor is that Finns would be motivated to fight. Continue reading...

Office is overseeing surge of Russia-related sanctions to more than 1,400 after invasion of UkraineThe UK’s sanctions enforcement office has been trying to introduce the “most extraordinary package of sanctions ever implemented” in UK history with a group of just 70 staff, its director has admitted.The head of the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), Giles Thomson, told MPs on the Treasury committee on Wednesday that his small team had been expected to oversee potential breaches of Russia-related sanctions despite the number of Moscow-related designations having surged from about 220 to more than 1,400 after the invasion of Ukraine. Continue reading...

Landmark ruling allows Ted Jennings, 38, to use embryo to have child via a surrogateA 38-year-old widower has won a landmark legal case giving him the right to have a baby with a surrogate using the last remaining embryo created with his late wife.Ted Jennings and his wife, Fern-Marie Choya, had spent years trying to have children and had sought fertility treatment, but Choya died suddenly while pregnant with twin girls in 2019. The fertility regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), rejected Jennings’s request to be able to use their last frozen embryo to start a family because Choya had not given written consent for posthumous surrogacy. Continue reading...

Derek Skipper says he ran out of time on paper but ‘it doesn’t matter two hoots about the result’A 92-year-old man is thought to have become the oldest person to sit a GCSE exam, after he completed a maths paper alongside a school hall full of 16-year-olds.Derek Skipper took the exam at Comberton village college near Cambridge after completing a free online course that involved him using YouTube for the first time. He needed to use a magnifying glass to read the paper due to his poor eyesight, and said he ran out of time before the end, but was still hopeful for a level 4 or 5 result. Continue reading...

Airservices Australia denies there is any shortage of controllers, despite struggle to fill shifts

Analysis: humanitarian appeals for Taliban-ruled country have had poor responses and there are sanctions complicationsAs Afghanistan reels from a powerful earthquake and starts to bury its more than 1,000 dead, the Taliban leadership in Kabul have already appealed to the international community to clear any barriers created by sanctions and come to their aid.“The government is working within its capabilities,” tweeted Anas Haqqani, a senior Taliban official. “We hope that the International Community & aid agencies will also help our people in this dire situation.” Continue reading...

Basil Watson’s sculpture at Waterloo station celebrates pioneers who arrived in Britain after second world warMembers of the Windrush generation have been “moved to tears” by a new national monument that pays tribute to their ambition, courage and contribution to Britain, the artist behind the sculpture has said.Basil Watson’s permanent monument to the Windrush pioneers who arrived in Britain after the second world war was unveiled at Waterloo station in London on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Home Office criticised as figures show 3,632 applicants were turned down and 314 returnedNine in every 10 people who were refused asylum by the Home Office two years ago were free to remain in the country, an analysis has found.The disclosure has fuelled claims that Priti Patel’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda is failing to address fundamental problems in the asylum system such as removals. Continue reading...

Party of 48 pupils and their teachers waited on train for almost three hours en route to Royal Festival HallAlmost 50 primary school children who took part in a Windrush event in central London had to be evacuated from a train en route after being stuck in a carriage for almost three hours.The party of 48 year five pupils and their teachers from Hatcham Temple Grove free school in Nunhead, south-east London, almost missed the chance to perform at Royal Festival Hall because of the delay. Continue reading...

Warburton had whip suspended in April after allegations of sexual harassment and cocaine useDavid Warburton, the MP for Somerton and Frome, is facing an inquiry by the parliamentary standards commissioner.The Conservatives suspended the whip from Warburton in April after a series of allegations emerged concerning sexual harassment and cocaine use. Continue reading...

Moscow’s troops move on to city neighbouring Sievierodonetsk, after capturing all but chemical plant there

Launch of digital asset to track value of £1 comes despite contraction of cryptocurrency sectorTether, the controversial “stablecoin” that underpins more than $60bn of the crypto economy, is launching a British version to capitalise on the UK government’s desire to make Britain a global cryptocurrency hub.Like its US dollar counterpart, of which $67bn (£55bn) are actively traded on cryptocurrency markets, the launch will see a digital asset built on the Ethereum blockchain, with its value set at £1. Continue reading...

Remains thought to be more than 1,200 years old shed light on region’s transition from Christianity to Islam, say officialsIsraeli archaeologists have unveiled a rare ancient mosque in the country’s south that antiquities officials said shed light on the region’s transition from Christianity to Islam.The remains of the mosque, believed to be more than 1,200 years old, were discovered during works to build a new neighbourhood in the Bedouin city of Rahat, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said in a statement. Continue reading...

Video shared on social media shows an explosion at the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery

Labour leader lambasts prime minister at PMQs for ‘blaming everyone else’ and not doing his job

UK Health Security Agency says evidence of limited community transmission of virus found in London wastewaterPublic health officials have declared a national incident after routine surveillance of wastewater in north and east London found evidence of community transmission of poliovirus for the first time.The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said waste from the Beckton sewage treatment works in Newham tested positive for vaccine-derived poliovirus in February and that further positive samples had been detected since. Continue reading...

Tangshan loses national honorary status as police officials investigated over incident that shocked ChinaThe northern Chinese city of Tangshan has been stripped of a national honorary title as the fallout from the assault of four women at a restaurant earlier this month continues.The civilisation office of the Communist party of China’s central committee announced on Wednesday it had decided to remove Tangshan from the list of “national civilised cities” – the highest recognition for a Chinese city. Continue reading...

Police investigating cause of death of Britons Nicholas and Hilary Smith, 81 and 79, at bungalow in TipperaryPolice in Ireland are investigating the cause of death of two British pensioners whose bodies lay undiscovered in their rural bungalow for an estimated 18 months until they were found this week.The couple, named locally as Nicholas Smith, 81, and his wife, Hilary Smith, 79, lived in a remote townland called Rossane, about three miles from Cloneen village in County Tipperary. Continue reading...

Police and crime commissioner ‘disappointed’ as child sexual abuse inquiry ‘fails to identify individual accountability’A long £6m investigation into multiple police failings during the Rotherham grooming scandal “lets down victims and survivors” by failing to identify any individual accountability, a police and crime commissioner has said.The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) on Wednesday published what it described as its overarching report from Operation Linden, the name given to a series of investigations it carried out into how South Yorkshire police responded to allegations of child sexual abuse and exploitation between 1997 and 2013. Continue reading...

One of country’s oldest-running organisations turns factory into accommodation for refugees

Opposition denies claims of running a ‘low-level scare campaign’ on Perrottet government’s proposed land tax implementation

National Education Union writes to education secretary Nadhim Zahawi, calling for ‘inflation-plus’ pay rise

Singer says she hadn’t listened to her song ‘for a really long time’ before it raced up the charts thanks to its inclusion in Stranger ThingsKate Bush has discussed the remarkable resurgent success of her 1985 song Running Up That Hill in her first interview since the song’s return to the charts.Speaking to Emma Barnett on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, Bush said the situation was “just extraordinary … quite shocking really, isn’t it? I mean, the whole world’s gone mad.” Continue reading...

Hough Pharma, which supplies home tests to Coles and Woolworths, allegedly failed to provide reports or appropriate customer support

Civil trial jurors rule in favor of Judy Huth who accused comedian of forcing her to perform a sex act in 1975 when she was 16Bill Cosby sexually abused a 16-year-old girl at the Playboy Mansion in 1975, jurors determined on Tuesday after a nearly month-long civil trial.Jurors in Los Angeles county ruled in favor of Judy Huth, who is now 64, awarding her $500,000 in a legal defeat for the once-beloved comedian and star of The Cosby Show. Continue reading...