Parents opposing plans told they can home school their children if they object to sending them to state schoolsThe court of appeal has rejected the latest challenge to the addition of VAT to private school fees, telling parents they have the option to home school their children if they object to sending them to state schools.The appeal was launched by families and leaders of four independent Christian faith schools, aiming to overturn a high court ruling last year by arguing that the decision to add 20% to fees would make small faith schools unviable" and unaffordable, depriving children of their rights to an equivalent education. Continue reading...
Popped collar worn by Duchess of Sussex and Rama Duwaji is rising in popularity, with sales at John Lewis up 1,000%Shoppers are avidly searching for jackets that cover half your face - so much sales are up 1,000% year on year at John Lewis.The funnel-neck jacket is boxy, generously cut and comes with a permanently popped collar, between 9cm and 14cm high running from clavicle to nose; high enough to cover your mouth, low enough to see out - just. Continue reading...
Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, Mercury, Neptune and Uranus will all be visible at same time in curved line across skySix planets are set to parade across the sky this weekend in a rare celestial spectacle, experts have said.For the next few days, Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, Mercury, Neptune and Uranus will all be visible at the same time in the night sky - although binoculars or a telescope will be needed to spot the latter two planets. Continue reading...
Judge rules that Crowborough residents cannot challenge a decision before it has been formally madeA residents' group has lost its high court challenge against a Home Office decision to use an army training camp to house asylum seekers.Crowborough Shield, a group of concerned residents, launched a legal challenge after securing more than 100,000 for legal fees with crowdfunding, after a government announcement about using Crowborough army training camp as accommodation for asylum seekers. Continue reading...
by Tom Ambrose (now) and Taz Ali (earlier) on (#73WA3)
This blog is now closed, you can read our full report hereBoth sides are reporting they have inflicted heavy casualties on each other, but it is difficult to know the true numbers when they are presenting sharply divergent figures.Pakistan's information minister Attaullah Tarar claims 133 Afghan Taliban fighters were killed, with more than 200 injured. Of its own soldiers, Tarar says that two were killed in the cross-border fighting, while three were injured.The UK is deeply concerned by the significant escalation in tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan. We urge both sides to take immediate steps toward deescalation, avoid further harm to civilians, and reengage in mediated dialogue. Continue reading...
Three-part docudrama makes notion of going into the sea in the UK terrifying - much as Jaws did for Americans in 1975Since I was a child I've been going to the same beach on the south coast and never given a second thought to its safety. Swimming in the US, you have the occasional panic about sharks. In South Africa I got stung by a jellyfish. But the English seaside, give or take the odd riptide and the constant threat of hypothermia, has always seemed benign in its outlook, a dull, unthreatening sea. Continue reading...
Head office job losses part of plan for more separation between supermarket and Argos businessesSainsbury's is cutting 300 head office jobs as it restructures its technology team and Argos delivery network, creating more separation between the two businesses.The London-based retail group said most of the job cuts would be in technology and data, where it was consolidating routine reporting tasks" and creating dedicated teams for Argos and the supermarket. Continue reading...
A shout of racist' could also be heard during the segment at France's version of the OscarsA tribute to Brigitte Bardot at the Cesars, France's version of the Oscars, on Thursday was greeted with boos. In a video clip posted by Paris Match, boos can clearly be heard among the applause as the tributes, and a shout of racist!" is also audible.Bardot, who died in December aged 91, became arguably the most celebrated figure in postwar French cinema for films such as And God Created Woman and Contempt, but after quitting acting in the early 1970s her later years were marred by increasing political activity on the far right, resulting in a string of convictions for inciting racial hatred. Continue reading...
Met arrests man on suspicion of racially aggravated criminal damage after slogans including Zionist war criminal' sprayedA 38-year-old man has been arrested after the statue of Winston Churchill outside the Houses of Parliament was defaced with graffiti calling the former prime minister a Zionist war criminal".The Metropolitan police said the man was arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated criminal damage on Friday morning. Continue reading...
Decision by Netflix to walk away from takeover leaves workers anxious about possible merger of news networksNetflix's decision to walk away from its $83bn bid for Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) has left some staffers working at CBS News and CNN panicking about the future as the two top-tier news operations come under the same roof.With Paramount Skydance emerging as the winning bidder, a deal that still requires the approval of WBD shareholders and government regulators, they fear the merging of the two networks - and, with it, the potential for a significant amount of job cuts. Some CNN employees are also nervous about Paramount's Trump-friendly ownership and leadership enacting ideologically driven programming changes at the network, with particular concern about the specter of CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss possibly getting a significant role. Continue reading...
Purbeck Capital Partners seals deal for business and property rights of toy with model railway makerFor almost six decades Hornby has watched Scalextric drive revenues for its hobby business but on Friday the company said it had decided to sell the famous slot car racing brand for 20m to a little known buyer.The model railway company, which also sells toy planes and cars under the Airfix and Corgi brands, has sold the Scalextric business and intellectual property rights to Purbeck Capital Partners. Continue reading...
Javier Milei's boosters say law will revive employment, but critics decry cuts to severance and longer working hoursArgentina's senate is poised to approve a sweeping overhaul of labour laws aimed at weakening trade unions and lowering labour costs for businesses.The government of the self-styled anarcho-capitalist" president, Javier Milei, says the initiative will help revive formal employment, after 290,600 registered jobs were lost between December 2023, when he took office, and November 2025. Continue reading...
Households on a default dual-fuel tariff in Great Britain could cut costs by moving to a fixed dealExperts have told households whose energy bills arepegged to the price cap not to rest on their laurels" as they could save more than 200 a year on a fixed deal.This week, Ofgem said the price cap in Great Britain would drop by 7% from April. This usually only matters if you are on a default tariff, but this time the reduction applies to everyone because the government is removing green charges from bills. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: This byelection has long been mooted as a foreshadowing of upcoming elections in Wales, Scotland and eventually the whole of the UKGood morning. Hannah Spencer is the new MP for Gorton and Denton after the Green party's first ever parliamentary byelection victory. In a bitter blow to Keir Starmer, Labour were pushed into third place in a constituency the party has represented for nearly a century. Reform's Matt Goodwin came second, as Nigel Farage claimed the result was a victory for sectarian voting and cheating".This contest had been billed as a three-way fight and for much of the campaign, it felt like a pollster's nightmare. One side of the seat looked ripe for Reform's message of grievance and cultural threat; the other was saturated with Green posters and the sense that Labour's coalition was splintering. Add the row over Andy Burnham being blocked from standing, accusations of dirty tricks and disinformation, and you had a byelection that felt like a microcosm of 2026 British politics.Iran | High-stakes talks between the US and Iran over the future of Tehran's nuclear programme ended on Thursday without a deal, as the threat of war grows.Migration | Hospitals and care homes in the UK face an impending car crash", experts have warned, as research shows the number of overseas nurses and carers has collapsed.UK politics | Jeremy Corbyn is to become the parliamentary leader of Your Party, after an election in which his rival Zarah Sultana was also voted on to the party's leadership committee.Environment | US bullying" over a proposed carbon levy on shipping appears to be paying off, experts have said, after Panama reversed its support for the measure.Epstein | Peter Mandelson is facing an inquiry by the EU's anti-fraud agency after the European Commission requested the body look into his activities during his time as trade commissioner in Brussels. Continue reading...
Landslide in Niscemi in January tore away entire slope of town and carved 4km chasmFirefighters in Sicily have rescued about 400 rare books from a library in Niscemi that hangs on the edge of a mudflow, after a devastating landslide in January tore away an entire slope of the town and carved a 4km chasm.The library stands on the lip of the precipice gouged out by the landslide, with part of the building in effect hanging in mid-air. The recovery operation, which began on Monday, was preceded by a detailed study of floor plans and interior photographs to map the position of the books. Continue reading...
Many observers believe North Korean leader has decided daughter Kim Ju-ae will succeed him, but others say gender politics could block her path to powerWhen North Korea's ruling party held a top-level meeting this month there were predictable boasts of unstoppable nuclear development and, more unexpectedly, a suggestion by Kim Jong-un that his country and the US could get along" - provided that Washington recognised North Korea as a legitimate nuclear power.But for many North Korea watchers, the Workers' party congress - held over several days just once every five years - was a rare opportunity to speculate over the identity of the country's future leader. Continue reading...
Exhibits pay homage to Ukrainians' resilience and bring home the reality that war is going on in EuropeDescending into the windowless basement of a second world war air-raid bunker built for civilians in central Berlin is arguably an eerie enough evocation of what it means to endure life in a conflict.But in a modern twist, before they have even walked into the first room of the city's new Ukraine Museum inside the bunker, visitors are targeted" by a Russian drone just before its operator prepares to release the lethal shot, and see themselves in the firing line on the screen of the weapon's camera. Continue reading...
Escalation of violence between the volatile neighbours makes a Qatar-mediated ceasefire appear increasingly shakyPakistan bombed Afghanistan's capital of Kabul and two other provinces on Friday, hours after a cross-border attack, the latest escalation of violence between the volatile neighbours who signed a Qatar-mediated ceasefire in 2025.Following months of tit-for-tat clashes, Afghan forces attacked Pakistani border troops on Thursday night in what the Taliban government said was retaliation for earlier deadly air strikes. Continue reading...
Lead plaintiff, now 20, says use of social media made her relationships with friends and family anxious and strainedThe young woman at the heart of the landmark trial about the addictive nature of social media testified for the first time on Thursday, saying she got hooked on YouTube starting at age six and Instagram at nine. By the time she was 10, she said, she had become depressed and was engaging in self-harm.The woman, who is now 20 and known by her initials KGM, is the lead plaintiff in an expansive lawsuit against YouTube and Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook. The crux of the case alleges social media companies intentionally create addictive products, leading to mental health issues in young people. Continue reading...
by Hannah Al-Othman North of England correspondent on (#73W3W)
Democracy Volunteers says it saw 32 cases of apparent collusion - the highest levels in its 10-year historyAn election observer group has raised concerns over people appearing to collude on voting in the Gorton and Denton byelection.Democracy Volunteers, an organisation founded by Dr John Ault, and supported by the Conservative peer and psephologist Prof Robert Haywood, deployed four accredited election observers across the constituency. Continue reading...
by Chris Osuh Community affairs correspondent on (#73VWE)
Care roles hit particularly hard by UK's lurch to the right on migration, according to analysis of Home Office dataHospitals and care homes in the UK face an impending car crash", experts have warned, as research shows the number of overseas nurses and carers has collapsed.Analysis of Home Office quarterly data reveals the number of overseas nurses granted entry to the UK has fallen by 93% over three years. Just 1,777 overseas nurses were granted entry in 2025, compared with 26,100 in 2022. Continue reading...
European Anti-Fraud Office to look into the former US ambassador's time as trade commissioner in BrusselsPeter Mandelson is facing an inquiry by the EU's anti-fraud agency after the European Commission requested the body look into his activities during his time as trade commissioner in Brussels.The commission said it referred the peer, 72, to the European Anti-Fraud Office (Olaf) last week after the US Department of Justice released documents allegedly showing he shared sensitive government information with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Continue reading...
by Ashifa Kassam European community affairs correspon on (#73VWF)
Women from countries with near-total bans on terminations will be given help to access services elsewhereEU states will be able to tap into a social fund to help citizens access safe abortions, in an announcement hailed as a victory for women".The roots of Thursday's announcement go back to a long campaign for the European Commission to create a funding mechanism that would allow women from countries with near-total bans on abortion, such as Malta and Poland, to go where it is legal. Continue reading...
by Nadia Khomami Arts and culture correspondent on (#73VWG)
Indhu Rubasingham calls in Jennie Lee lecture for renewed commitment to creative risk and new writingThe National Theatre's artistic director, Indhu Rubasingham, has said conservative theatre-making will kill the industry, even if it helps venues balance the books for now.Delivering the second-ever Jennie Lee lecture in front of an audience of 200 representatives from the UK arts industry on Thursday, Rubasingham called for a renewed national commitment to backing creative risk and new writing. Continue reading...
Hannah Doran's The Meat Kings! (Inc) of Brooklyn Heights and Ro Reddick's Cold War Choir Practice declared joint winners of award for female, transgender and non-binary writersThe Susan Smith Blackburn prize for female, transgender and non-binary playwrights has been awarded to joint winners, both for their debut plays.Hannah Doran's The Meat Kings! (Inc) of Brooklyn Heights and Ro Reddick's Cold War Choir Practice beat the other eight finalists to the 48th annual award. Doran and Reddick each receive a cash prize of $25,000 (18,500) and a signed print by the artist Willem de Kooning. Continue reading...
by Mark Brown North of England correspondent on (#73VN3)
English Garden, painted in 1965, is on display before it goes under the hammer with estimate of 2.5m-3.5mDavid Hockney's first English landscape, depicting a perfectly manicured Oxfordshire garden, is on show for the first time in three decades before being auctioned.Sotheby's said the 1965 painting, English Garden, which was completed in Boulder, Colorado, was pivotal for Hockney as well as holding an important place in wider art history. Continue reading...
Councillors vote to allow couple to stay on plot of land, overruling objections of Wuthering Heights actorEarlier this month, Martin Clunes was appearing on a red carpet in London alongside his fellow stars Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi for the UK premiere of Wuthering Heights.On Thursday, the actor was to be found in the rather less glamorous surroundings of a county hall in the English West Country to hear councillors rule against him in a long-running dispute with a family of new travellers. Continue reading...
Inmate understood to be Huntley taken to hospital after being assaulted at HMP Frankland in County DurhamThe Soham murderer Ian Huntley has been seriously injured in a prison attack in County Durham.A prisoner, understood to be Huntley, who was convicted of killing two 10-year-old girls, Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in 2002, was taken to hospital after being assaulted on Thursday morning at HMP Frankland, Durham constabulary said. Continue reading...
Leaked information obtained by Guardian paints disturbing picture of violence waged by terror group's Ukrainian cellThe Ukrainian wing of an internationally proscribed terrorist organization with suspected links to Russia is continuing to claim multiple murders in Ukraine, which comes after it was linked to the brazen assassination of an intelligence officer in Kyiv over the summer.In a Telegram post, the Ukrainian cell of the Base - born in the US, but with a web of cells all over the world - claimed a successful operation to eliminate an enemy agent in Odesa" in a car bombing, which was later reported on in local Ukrainian media. Continue reading...
Firm, which has announced record profits and 9bn share buyback, has 3bn project for smaller commercial planesThe chief executive of Rolls-Royce has pressed ministers for taxpayer support for a new jet engine, on a day the company also announced record profits and promised to give up to 9bn back to shareholders.The 3bn engine project, designed to power smaller commercial planes, would allow Rolls-Royce to re-enter the lucrative short-haul flights market. Continue reading...
Wendy Faith and Alesi Diana Denise were taken into custody under laws that have outraged LGBTQ+ community and rights activistsTwo women have been arrested and detained in Uganda after allegedly kissing in public, an act of same-sex activity" which can lead to a life sentence in the east African country..Wendy Faith, a 22-year-old musician known as Torrero Bae, and Alesi Diana Denise, 21, were taken into custody after police raided their rented room in Uganda's north-west Arua City last week. Continue reading...
by Nadia Khomami Arts and culture correspondent on (#73VDB)
Move comes after 35% of sector workers surveyed described their mental health as poor' or very poor'The Film and TV charity has unveiled a landmark set of principles for safeguarding mental health in what's been called a watershed moment" for the UK creative sector's duty of care to its production community.The principles are the result of a collaboration between the charity and more than 45 industry organisations, including all the public service broadcasters, studios, leading streamers, production companies and trade unions. Continue reading...
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