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Demand for year 7 pupils is expected to fall by 7.6% over the next four years, with similar numbers expected in primary schoolsSchools in London could lose 45m in funding over the next four years as pupil numbers continue to fall, a report has warned, with secondary schools facing staff and curriculum cuts as budgets dwindle.Until now, primary schools in the capital have been worst hit by falling birth rates, leading to about 90 school closures or mergers in the past five years. But the crisis is now spreading to secondary schools, which are expected to see steep declines in pupil numbers. Continue reading...

Poor communication also cited as factor in death of Ellame Ford-Dunn, 16, on Worthing hospital's groundsA shortage of mental health beds and poor communication between agencies contributed to the death of a teenage girl on hospital grounds, an inquest has found.Ellame Ford-Dunn, 16, who had a history of self-harm, died in March 2022 after absconding from an acute children's ward where she had been put because of a dearth of appropriate mental health beds. Continue reading...

Croydon school's principal says success of Olivia Dean and Lola Young is a brilliant celebration' of free arts educationAs the Grammy winners took to the stage in Los Angeles on Sunday night, one common thread emerged: many had once walked the halls of a comprehensive school in Croydon, south London.British performers Olivia Dean, who won the prestigious gong for best new artist; Lola Young, who took home best pop solo performance for Messy; and FKA twigs, who won best dance/electronic album for Eusexua, all attended the Brit school in Selhurst. As did Raye, who earlier in the week received the Harry Belafonte best song for social change award for Ice Cream Man. Continue reading...

Former Italian PM and ECB chief says Europe must urgently unify on defence and foreign affairsUkraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the country's energy system remained seriously" challenged by the impact of recent Russian strikes.More than 200 buildings are still without heating in Kyiv, as temperatures plummeted to -17 Celsius, with crews from many regions of Ukraine ... deployed for the repair work."Europe absolutely can defend yourself. Please stop whining. Why is this so much whingeing about [on], you know, if the US leave, what are we going to do? Come on.... Europe ... why are we so scared: please, don't leave the US leave...' Please stand up to my president. Hold us accountable. Make us live up to our talking points." Continue reading...

Gothams LLC's draft proposal, obtained by the Guardian, suggests seven-year trucking and logistics monopolyA US disaster response firm submitted a plan to White House officials that would guarantee 300% profits and a seven-year monopoly over a new trucking and logistics plan for Donald Trump's Board of Peace in Gaza, according to a November proposal obtained by the Guardian.The draft plan from Gothams LLC would allow it to collect a fee for every truck moving goods into Gaza, and charge for the use of its warehousing and distribution system. Continue reading...

Charge is designed to protect much-loved monument from overtourism, but not all visitors like the ideaTeresa Romero is in Rome to celebrate a milestone birthday and one of the first things she did on Monday was visit the Trevi fountain to participate in the ritual of tossing a coin into the waters of the late baroque masterpiece.But before the Portuguese tourist could get close to the fountain, she had to hand over 2 (1.70) - the cost of an access fee that has finally been enacted by Rome council officials after years of discussions. Continue reading...

Emails from 2009 appear to show the then business secretary shared confidential UK tax plans with Jeffrey Epstein

Responding to critics of policy, Pedro Sanchez says Spain is choosing path of dignity, community and justice'

Labor can afford a few moments of glee now, but spending, emissions, AI and Aukus are just some of the challenges on the road to the next election

Dozens of eCourier workers who deliver vital NHS samples claim they are classed wrongly as self-employedDozens of drivers are taking legal action against a Royal Mail-owned courier service, arguing that they are entitled to workers' rights.The 46 drivers are classified as self-employed by eCourier. They work around the clock making deliveries, including transporting vital blood and tissue samples to and from NHS hospitals. Continue reading...

The US president tried to kill offshore wind projects - now four are back under constructionConstruction has resumed on four offshore wind mega-projects after they survived a near fatal attack by Donald Trump's administration thanks to rulings by federal judges. These are being seen as victories for clean energy amid a wider war being waged on it by the Trump administration.The wind farms are considered critical by grid planners as America faces an energy affordability crisis. Together, the four projects will contribute nearly five gigawatts of energy to the east coast, enough to power 3.5 million homes. Continue reading...

Island's first tropical storm of season may bring 150mm of rain - meanwhile, eastern Europe freezes with possible night-time lows of -30CAt least three people have died and nearly 30,000 people have been affected by flooding after Madagascar's first tropical storm of the season hit over the weekend.Tropical Cyclone Fytia formed to the north-west of Madagascar over the northern Mozambique Channel on Thursday. Continue reading...

Tens of thousands of ill and wounded Palestinians await evacuation as diplomatic efforts inch forward

Labour suspended Norris, 66, last year after his original arrest on suspicion of child sexual abuse offencesDan Norris, a former Labour minister and now an independent MP, has been rearrested on suspicion of rape, sexual assault, voyeurism and upskirting, it is understood.Labour suspended Norris, 66, who defeated Jacob Rees-Mogg at the last election, last year after his original arrest. Continue reading...

Explore the Guardian's tracker to see which operators are nationalised and if services are improving under public ownershipThe majority of Great Britain's major rail operators are now in public ownership, as the Labour government continues its efforts to make the railways more reliable, affordable and accessible".The nationalisation of West Midlands Trains on 1 February represents the tenth major passenger service to be brought back into public ownership, leaving six to go before the government's deadline of completing every operator by 2027. Continue reading...

Nationals leader met with Liberal counterpart less than two weeks after spectacularly blowing up the Coalition

Exclusive: Andy George, who has been subject to several investigations, believes there is an effort to marginalise the views of those he representsI tell you now, there is an attempt by some of the longer serving chief constables to get rid of me," says Ch Insp Andy George. I can guarantee I know exactly what they think of me: that I'm a wee upstart, so I am, that doesn't know my place," he adds with a smile.The eldest son of a Protestant mother from Armagh in Northern Ireland and a father who was born in Malaysia but served in the British army, George is the longest-serving president of the National Black Police Association (NBPA). Continue reading...

Nationwide says average price of UK home rose by 0.3% last month after surprise fall in late 2025

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I need to focus on getting better, on being with family and friends and making sure that I'm giving my health my best shot', Afternoons host says

Ahead of a major exhibition in London documenting the South American wetland as it faces unprecedented threat, Lalo de Almeida recounts the stories behind his award-winning imagesLalo de Almeida is a documentary photographer based in Sao Paulo, Brazil. In 2021 his photo essay Pantanal Ablaze was awarded first place in the environment stories category at the World Press Photo contest. In 2022, he won the Eugene Smith grant in humanistic photography and World Press Photo's long-term project award for his work Amazonian Dystopia, which documents the exploitation of the world's largest tropical forest.I have been photographing socio-environmental issues for more than 30 years, especially in the Amazon. 2020 was no different. News of the uncontrolled fires devastating the Pantanal began to catch my attention. So, together with a fellow journalist, I decided to go and see what was happening for myself. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Underdrawing suggests attempt to debunk myth that former wife of Henry VIII had sixth fingerAnne Boleyn's Hever Rose" portrait is one of history's most iconic faces, with her B" pendant, her French hood, her dark eyes and a red rose in her right hand. Now a secret that has remained hidden for nearly 500 years has been discovered beneath the layers of paint.Scientific analysis of the painting at Hever Castle, her childhood home in Kent, has uncovered evidence that an Elizabethan artist sought to create a visual rebuttal" to claims that Henry VIII's ill-fated wife was a witch with a sixth finger on her right hand. Continue reading...

Woman, 22, thought to have suffered a cardiac arrest after being dragged along the snow and suspended mid-air

Report covering 23 conflicts over last 18 months concludes more than 100,000 civilians have been killed as war crimes rage out of controlAn authoritative survey of 23 armed conflicts over the last 18 months has concluded that international law seeking to limit the effects of war is at breaking point, with more than 100,000 civilians killed, while torture and rape are committed with near impunity.The extensive study by the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights describes the deaths of 18,592 children in Gaza, growing civilian casualties in Ukraine and an epidemic" of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Continue reading...

William Blake House in Northants accused of mismanagement after revelation it paid one of its own trustees 1mA group of families have called for an urgent inquiry into a charity caring for their highly vulnerable disabled relatives which is under threat of closure after running up debts of 1.6m in unpaid taxes and paying 1m to one of its own trustees.Earlier this month, a judge gave the charity, William Blake House, just weeks to pay off its debts to HMRC or face a winding up order. The charity's accounts show auditors have routinely questioned whether it is a viable business. Continue reading...

US naval battle group gathers off Iran's shores as supreme leader in Tehran warns attack would spark regional warDonald Trump has said Iran is talking to the US, hinting at a deal that would avoid the use of military strikes, as Iran's supreme leader warned that any attack by the US would spark a regional war.The US president's comments came as Washington deployed a naval battle group led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln off Iran's shores, after Trump's threats to intervene in Iran's deadly crackdown on anti-government protests. Continue reading...

More than 100 police and volunteers in five-day search of Mount Buffalo national park, near Porepunkah

Clive Palmer's Mineralogy was the single biggest political donor in 2024-25, giving $53.1m to Trumpet of Patriots, which failed to win a seat

With big numbers for Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, Bad Bunny and more, check out the nominated artists this year

Those who stuck to minimum loan repayments through last year's rate cuts will bear the brunt of Tuesday's anticipated hike, while those already paying extra are in a great position'

Departure from party follows release of documents in US appearing to show Jeffrey Epstein sent former US ambassador $75,000Peter Mandelson has said he has resigned his membership of the Labour party to avoid causing it further embarrassment" after more revelations about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.The peer, who was sacked as US ambassador last year because of his links to Epstein, featured in documents released by the US Department of Justice on Friday related to the convicted sex offender. Continue reading...

PM says Europe must step up' and signals he wants to work more closely with other states to build military capabilityThe UK should consider re-entering talks for a defence pact with the EU, Keir Starmer has said, arguing that Europe needs to step up and do more" to defend itself in uncertain times.The prime minister signalled that he wanted to work more collaboratively with other European countries to increase defence spending and build up military capability, and doing so through the EU's scheme is one option available. Continue reading...

Documents released under FoI show Wells' department worried about how gambling reforms would affect sporting codes and media companies

Late singer said kids loved his personality and wanted to touch and hug him, and sometimes it got me into trouble'As Michael Jackson saw it, children would become enamored with his personality as well as want to touch and hug him - and sometimes it [got] me into trouble," the late US pop superstar says in previously unheard audio recordings contained in a new documentary.The UK's Wonderhood Studios included the recordings of Jackson voicing those thoughts for a new four-episode documentary series beginning on Wednesday that explores his acquittal on child sexual abuse charges after a 14-week criminal trial near Los Angeles in 2005. Continue reading...

Patients missing out on effective new radiotherapies widely used in other countries, health secretary toldCancer patients are being denied access to cutting-edge treatments on the NHS because of a deadly postcode lottery" in access, doctors have warned.Patients in England are missing out on two innovative forms of radiotherapy that are known to be effective against several forms of the disease and are widely available in other countries, due to red tape" and lack of funding. Continue reading...

Mette-Marit apologises for poor judgment' as documents reportedly include scores of email exchanges with child sex offenderNorway's crown princess has become embroiled in another scandal after newly unsealed files appeared to show her years of extensive contact with the late child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.The latest tranche of Epstein files, released on Friday by the US justice department, appear to include nearly 1,000 mentions of the crown princess, Mette-Marit. Continue reading...

Families allege Bright Horizons brushed concerns aside allowing Vincent Chan to commit dozens of offencesFamilies of victims of a paedophile are taking legal action against a north London nursery where their children were abused, as they allege a consistent culture of brushing concerns aside".Vincent Chan, 45, is facing prison for molesting girls aged between two and four while working at the now-closed Bright Horizons nursery in Finchley Road, West Hampstead. Continue reading...

Three bishops accuse British government of contributing to culture of impunity' in the occupied territoryThree prominent Church of England bishops have accused the UK government of contributing to a culture of impunity" in which Israel has accelerated its de facto annexation of the West Bank.Guli Francis-Dehqani, the bishop of Chelmsford, Rachel Treweek, the bishop of Gloucester, and Graham Usher, the bishop of Norwich, visited Palestinian Christian communities in the occupied West Bank last week. Continue reading...

Employees of Ukraine's largest private energy firm, DTEK, were travelling about 40 miles from frontline, says policeA Russian drone attack on a bus carrying mine workers in Ukraine's central-eastern Dnipropetrovsk region has killed at least 12 people, officials said.The bus was driving about 40 miles (65km) from the frontline, according to police. Images published by Ukraine's state emergency service showed what appeared to be an empty bus, its side windows shattered and windscreen hanging from the front. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Dr Susan Gilby, who won 1.4m bullying payout, says whistleblower protections must be strengthenedPatients are being put at risk by NHS bosses launching sham investigations" into whistleblowers to shut down concerns, a former hospital chief executive who won a 1.4m bullying claim has said.Dr Susan Gilby took over as chief executive at the Countess of Chester hospital in 2018 after it was rocked by the Lucy Letby case. She was awarded the payout - one of the biggest in NHS history - last month after a tribunal ruled she had been unfairly dismissed after raising concerns about alleged bullying and harassment by the chair of the hospital board. Continue reading...

Cherub at landmark church causes ecclesiastical and political uproar with alleged resemblance to Italian PMItaly's culture minister and the diocese of Rome have launched investigations after claims were made that an angel in a landmark church in Rome was restored in the likeness of the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni.The resemblance was first flagged by the newspaper La Repubblica, who noted that one of the two angels flanking a marble bust of Italy's last king in the Basilica of St Lawrence in Lucina now had a familiar, astonishingly contemporary face". Continue reading...

Government has learned lesson' of botched welfare overhauls but MPs say they will not back cost-saving measuresMinisters have learned the lesson" of botched welfare changes and are on a sustained lobbying blitz of Labour MPs over an overhaul of special educational needs, Labour MPs told the Guardian, as they said they would not back measures aimed at saving money.The changes will raise the bar at which children in England qualify for an education, health and care plan (EHCP), which legally entitles children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) to get support. Plans will be reserved for children with the most severe and complex needs, according to sources familiar with the proposals. Continue reading...

Tim Martin makes Sunday Times Tax List top 10, paying 200m while Harry Styles is the highest-contributing celebritySir Tim Martin, Harry Styles, Ed Sheeran, Erling Haaland and Mo Salah are among the UK's 100 biggest taxpayers, according to new rankings.The billionaire brothers behind gambling giant Betfred, topped the Sunday Times 2026 Tax List. Fred and Peter Done paid 400.1m in tax, about half of which relates to gambling duty from their betting shop empire. Continue reading...

Prosecutors say seven deaths now being looked at in connection with Queen Elizabeth university hospitalThe deaths of seven patients at Glasgow's landmark super-hospital are now being investigated, prosecutors have confirmed.The revelation that another two deaths are being examined after cancer patients, many of them children, contracted infections linked to Queen Elizabeth university hospital's (QEUH) contaminated water supply and ventilation system, comes after Scottish Labour made public further evidence of political pressure being applied to open the campus in April 2015, just before the general election. Continue reading...

Film with a cast headed by Anthony Hopkins tells the story of a supercar marque that began in a small Bologna garageDozens of Maseratis of 1920s and 1930s designs have been built specially for a feature film about the Italian car company's earliest days, with a cast headed by Anthony Hopkins.Maserati: The Brothers tells the story of siblings driven by their love of cars to create an automotive company from scratch. It all began in a little garage in the Italian city of Bologna: in 1914 they founded a sports supercar company that went on to make some of the fastest vehicles on the planet. Continue reading...

This is a blatant and disturbing disregard for the law and for people's security,' digital rights advocate says

Green party leader wants to legalise all drugs, regulate their use and not be the fun police'

Exclusive: Thousands of pounds unlocked to fund more diversity initiatives in diocese of capital

Woman claims she spent night at Royal Lodge and had tour of Buckingham Palace, says lawyerA second woman has alleged that Jeffrey Epstein sent her to the UK to have a sexual encounter with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, according to her lawyer.The woman has claimed she spent the night at the former prince's residence Royal Lodge in 2010, her US lawyer, Brad Edwards, told the BBC. The woman, who is not British, was in her 20s at the time, it was reported.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...