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Pupils across England, Wales and Northern Ireland find out their results for GCSEs and level 2 vocational technical qualificationsThe gap in the top grades between boys and girls - which widened during the pandemic - has closed to its smallest level since at least 2016, with a difference of less than 6 percentage points.A quarter (25.3%) of the entries taken by girls got a 7 or above grade (equivalent to A and A*), similar to the 25.1% of the results in 2019. The proportion of boys' results getting one of the top grades this year was 19.5%, still above the 18.6% of 2019. Continue reading...

Polling described as shambolic', with electoral body accused of conspiring with ruling party to disenfranchise' opposition votersVoting in Zimbabwe's election has been extended by another day after huge delays in the delivery of ballot papers to some wards.The country's president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, issued a decree late on Wednesday to extend voting by another day in 40 wards across Harare, and the provinces of Mashonaland Central and Manicaland, as the government tried to salvage polling that had been described as shambolic". Continue reading...

Authorities also set up air-conditioned climate refuges' as city struggles with record temperaturesBarcelona council is handing out water and caps to homeless people and has issued a heat alert as the city struggles to cope with record-breaking temperatures.The temperature at midnight on Wednesday was close to 30C (86F) after daytime temperatures hit 38.8C. Humidity is also high, adding to the sensation of suffocating heat. Continue reading...

Joe Biden not surprised' by apparent death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner founder, in plane crash, while Kremlin and Russian president stay silent

Argentina, Ethiopia, Egypt and UAE also to join club of large emerging economies in major expansionThe five Brics nations - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - have announced the admission of six new countries from next year as the club of large and populous emerging economies seeks to reshape the global order.Argentina, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE are to become full members from 1 January 2024, the group announced at its summit in South Africa. Continue reading...

Those said to have died alongside Yevgeny Prigozhin include Dmitry Utkin, whose call sign was Wagner'

Abortion and the southern border energized presidential hopefuls, while the war in Ukraine elicited divided opinionsDuring the first Republican debate on Wednesday, eight candidates attempted to cast themselves as viable alternatives to Donald Trump while, for the most part, studiously ignoring the shadow of the doggedly popular former president who declined to appear on stage.The Republicans alternatively railed on government excesses - promising, for example, to slash funding for federal programs - while debating the merits of a federal abortion ban and calling for an increasingly militarized southern border. Continue reading...

Journalist arrested on espionage charges in March set to remain in jail until at least 30 NovemberA Moscow court has extended the detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested on espionage charges at the end of March.During a brief hearing on Thursday, the court ordered that Gershkovich should remain in jail until 30 November, Russian news agencies reported. His pre-trial detention had initially been scheduled to expire next week. He is being held in the notorious Lefortovo prison in Moscow, and could face a sentence of up to 20 years if found guilty. Continue reading...

The company has achieved an eye-watering annual profit - but at the expense of soaring ticket prices, record complaints and plummeting trust

Preliminary hearing has been told of extraordinary security procedures required for the appeal which has been set down for 10 days

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Australian Electoral Commission says rules on ticks and crosses is not new after no campaign claims requirement will stack the deck'

Streaming platform provides lift in tough market as media giant eyes opportunities and threats of AI

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Leifer must serve at least 11 and a half years before she is eligible for parole

Ryan Bayldon-Lumsden was arrested at a Arundel property on Wednesday after emergency services found a 58-year-old man dead on the scene

Treasurer Jim Chalmers says the government remains optimistic about the future despite big challenges detailed in latest intergenerational report

Hobart city council votes to remove statue of colonial figure eight votes to two

Palaszczuk government overriding state's Human Rights Act to allow for imprisoning children as young as 10 in adult watch houses

Jamie Strange told the NZ parliament that opening Aldi stores' would be among the benefits of becoming an Australian stateNew Zealand has been urged to reconsider membership of Australia by an outgoing MP, citing cost-saving and economic benefits.In the final sitting block of the New Zealand parliamentary term this month, legislators have been offering free and frank advice to their colleagues during their valedictory speeches. Continue reading...

CEO Alan Joyce hails remarkable turnaround' for airline whose results were a stark change from a year earlier, when it fell to a $1.86bn loss

Pyongyang's aerospace administration says failure is not a big issue' and promises third attempt in OctoberNorth Korea's second attempt to place a spy satellite in orbit has failed after the rocket booster experienced a problem during its third stage, state media reported, as space authorities vowed to try again in October.The first attempt in May also ended in failure when the new Chollima-1 rocket crashed into the sea. Continue reading...

Tamara Ramos claims Luis Rubiales asked what colour her underwear was when they worked togetherSpain's football federation president Luis Rubiales was at the centre of new misogyny allegations on Wednesday, as he faces growing calls to be sacked for kissing Jenni Hermoso on the lips after the country's World Cup victory.The country's football federation (RFEF) chief, 46, has been widely condemned for planting a kiss on the lips of the footballer after her team's 1-0 triumph over England in the Women's World Cup final in Sydney on Sunday. Continue reading...

Lloyd Odain was subjected to discrimination, including monkey chants, in 2019 while working for the serviceHM Prison and Probation Service has paid an undisclosed settlement to a former contractor who endured racial discrimination and harassment, including monkey chants.Lloyd Odain, who worked for the probation service, was subject to incidents of racial discrimination by another contractor in 2019. Continue reading...

Exclusive: The RSV Nuyina cannot sail safely under the Hobart bridge, meaning a round trip of hundreds more kilometres to refuel

Officials say Wagner chief behind June mutiny was on jet that crashed in Tver region, killing all 10 onboard

Independent monitoring board reports high likelihood of real harm' if deportation policy implementedEleven people earmarked for the first deportation flight to Rwanda staged a hunger strike to protest about their forced removal, according to a report from an independent watchdog. The annual report from the Independent Monitoring Board for Gatwick Immigration Removal Centre highlights grave concerns about how the Home Office managed the process of attempting to remove people to Rwanda, a controversial policy that the government claims will deter small boat arrivals.That first flight was cancelled shortly before it was due to take off from Boscombe Down Ministry of Defence site in Wiltshire after a last-minute intervention by the European court in June. The court of appeal found the Rwanda policy to be unlawful, but the government is due to appeal against that ruling in the supreme court in October. The report issues a series of warnings for government about its Rwanda policy. Continue reading...

Three doctors accused of performing or coercing women into sterilisation proceduresA judge in Quebec has given the go-ahead for a class action lawsuit over the forced sterilisation of Indigenous women in the Canadian province.Two Atikamekw women known publicly by only their initials, UT and MX, brought the lawsuit against three doctors they accuse of performing or coercing women into sterilisation procedures in a small, remote town in northern Quebec. Continue reading...

Most urban polling stations in Harare and Bulawayo, where opposition claims it has strong support, open four hours lateDelays have marred voting in Zimbabwe's general election after a campaign dominated by the country's interlinked economic crises.Voting at most urban polling stations in Harare and Bulawayo began four hours late after polling officers failed to distribute papers for the council elections. Some polling stations were still to receive election material more than seven hours after polls opened. Continue reading...

Disruption as buildings shut due to safety fears while others under construction have had to be demolishedThe government has been accused of staggering incompetence" after new school buildings it commissioned had to be closed due to safety fears, while others under construction were demolished before they even opened.Main buildings at two secondary schools and a primary school in England, which were all completed relatively recently using a modular, off-site construction method, were told to close with immediate effect, disrupting the start of the new term for many pupils. Continue reading...

UK retailer, which has about 400 shops, likely to shut some branches in near future' after no buyer foundThe majority of Wilko stores are expected to shut with the loss of thousands of jobs after a white knight failed to step forward to rescue the collapsed retailer.The family-owned household and garden products retailer, which has about 400 stores and employs almost 12,500 people, will leave big gaps on high streets after the failure of talks with interested parties forced it to call in administrators this month. Continue reading...

Documentary maker tells Edinburgh TV festival he fears broadcaster is playing it safe after volleys of criticisms'Louis Theroux says the BBC is increasingly reluctant to cover morally complex topics because the broadcaster is too worried about avoiding offence".The documentary maker said the national broadcaster had been damaged by endless criticism from its opponents, making him concerned it was playing it safe: From working so many years at the BBC, and still making programmes for the BBC, I see all too well the no-win situation it often finds itself in. Trying to anticipate the latest volleys of criticisms. Stampeded by this or that interest group. Avoiding offence. Continue reading...

Kevin Lygo tells Edinburgh television festival broadcaster will publish independent review into Philip Schofield's departureITV's boss has warned against media pressure to end people's careers after the resignation of Philip Schofield from This Morning.Schofield quit This Morning in May amid tensions with his co-host, Holly Willoughby, later admitting he had lied to ITV bosses over his unwise, but not illegal" affair with a younger colleague. Continue reading...

Russian officials have said the Wagner group founder was on a plane that crashed outside Moscow. Some of those who knew him describe - what had been up to his abortive rebellion this summer - an extraordinary journey from prison to powerAt the height of Russia's first, covert invasion of eastern Ukraine, in summer 2014, a group of senior Russian officials gathered at the defence ministry's headquarters, an imposing Stalin-era building on the banks of the Moskva River.They were there to meet Yevgeny Prigozhin, a middle-aged man with a shaven head and a coarse tone whom many in the room knew only as the person responsible for army catering contracts. Continue reading...

Nick Read says he will return payment and apologises for procedural and governance mistakes made'The chief executive of the Post Office has said he will return a bonus payment linked to the inquiry into the Horizon scandal that led to hundreds of postmasters being wrongfully convicted.Nick Read apologised for procedural and governance mistakes" made by the firm linking significant bonus payments to work related to the inquiry into the miscarriage of justice. Continue reading...

Call to change policy of forced retakes as nearly 40,000 more pupils in England likely to miss grade 4 in one - or both - subjectsSchools and colleges in England are expecting a flood of demotivated" young people forced to retake their GCSE English and maths exams next year, as nearly 40,000 more students are thought likely to fail to get the minimum grade in at least one of the two key subjects.Students who have not gained at least a grade 4 (equivalent to a lower grade C) in English or maths have to resit the subjects until they are 18 and remain in full-time education. The numbers are likely to rise this year as GCSE grading returns to tougher, pre-pandemic levels. Continue reading...

Building under construction in capital's financial district damaged as three people killed in Belgorod region, governor says

Ahead of unveiling what is expected to be a bumper profit on Thursday, Qantas boss Alan Joyce has been called before an Australian senate inquiry to explain high ticket prices and a controversial travel credit scheme

Bank to pay salary, pension and shares to Alison Rose, who resigned at end of July, during 12-month notice periodNatWest Group's ousted chief executive Alison Rose is in line for a pay package worth more than 2.4m, despite being forced to resign last month over a scandal linked to the threatened closure of Nigel Farage's bank accounts.The bank, which is 38.5% owned by the taxpayer, said it would continue to pay Rose while she served a 12-month notice period, as stipulated in her employment contract. Continue reading...

Glasgow Caledonian University project to give people chance to add their stories to programme's legacy'The menacing chords of the theme tune played over the title card of a brooding Glasgow skyline remain instantly recognisable: Taggart, one of the longest-running police dramas in the world, became a national institution across its staggering 27-season run.But the series, which finally wrapped in 2010, made the city and its people stars and now to coincide with the 40th anniversary of its pilot, Glasgow Caledonian University is launching a people's archive to recognise the role the public played in the drama. Continue reading...

Three black men jailed under joint enterprise law, which is often based on dubious evidence' of gang membership, says LibertyThe human rights campaign group Liberty has backed three black men who are contesting their murder convictions on the grounds of institutional racism by Greater Manchester police and the criminal justice system.Liberty has made its own submission to the Criminal Cases Review Commission to support the application made in May by the three men, Durrell Goodall, Reano Walters and Nathaniel Jay" Williams, who are serving life sentences. Continue reading...

Actor accuses Central School of Speech and Drama of paying lip service to anti-discrimination pledges after 2015 incidentThe actor Shaniqua Okwok has criticised the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, claiming she was told to embrace her inherited trauma" and act like a slave in chains during an acting exercise.Okwok, who appeared in Steve McQueen's series Small Axe and the award-winning drama It's a Sin, accused the prestigious drama school of paying lip service to its anti-discrimination pledges by failing to say whether it had disciplined the teacher involved in the incident in 2015. Continue reading...

Government-run railway opens inquiry after incident in north-eastern state of MizoramA railway bridge under construction in India has collapsed killing at least 26 workers and injuring two, police said, as the state-run railway authority opened an investigation.The incident happened on Wednesday in the town of Sairang in the north-eastern state of Mizoram, its chief minister, Zoramthanga, said on the messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter. Continue reading...

Tim Loughton responds after archaeologists' association raised concerns about protection of Greece's heritageThe chair of parliament's all-party parliamentary group for the British Museum has accused Greece of blatant opportunism" in claiming the institution is not safe following thefts from the museum.The British Museum announced last week that items from its collection were found to be missing, stolen or damaged" and police are investigating. Continue reading...

Chinese dissident Kwon Pyong, 35, was arrested after becoming stuck in mudflats near IncheonA Chinese dissident previously jailed for criticising Xi Jinping has fled to South Korea by jetski, towing barrels of fuel behind him to ensure he made the long journey.The man identified by Chinese activist groups as Kwon Pyong, 35, was arrested last Wednesday night after he got stuck in mud flats near Incheon. Continue reading...

Advocates say state governments, especially NSW, are trashing and trampling' natural, Indigenous and historic values by failing to cull brumbies

State government grants new power to assist watchdog after request from chief commissioner John HatzistergosThe New South Wales corruption watchdog has been granted the power to use in its investigations recordings that have been obtained illegally by third parties.The state government on Wednesday gave the Independent Commission Against Corruption the new power to assist it with an ongoing investigation after a request from its chief commissioner, John Hatzistergos. Continue reading...

Greens MP says it is unacceptable' that results not made public as Minns government faces calls to abandon nets

Low 20s expected for southern regions of Britain and high teens for the north, with no heavy rain or high temperaturesForecasters are predicting a mixed picture" for the bank holiday weekend weather as temperatures return to normal.The Met Office expects temperatures in the low 20s in southern regions, while northern areas may get temperatures in the high teens. Continue reading...