Improving schools is first challenge for new first minister, Vaughan Gething, as IFS study shows lower attainment is not due to povertyWales's new first minister, Vaughan Gething, faces a major challenge in improving the country's schools, after the Institute for Fiscal Studies found that pupils in Wales were performing only as well as disadvantaged children in England.The IFS study follows Wales's weak performance in the OECD's most recent Programme for international student assessment (Pisa) standings, in which results in Wales declined by more than in other UK nations and were well below the average across OECD countries. Continue reading...
Jian Wen became involved in a criminal racket converting cryptocurrency into assets including property and jewelleryA former takeaway worker found with bitcoin wallets worth more than 2bn, believed to be the largest ever seizure of its kind, has been convicted of a crime linked to money laundering.Jian Wen, 42, lived above a Chinese restaurant in Leeds when she became involved in a criminal racket converting the cryptocurrency into assets including multimillion-pound houses and thousands of pounds' worth of jewellery. Continue reading...
But lawyers for WikiLeaks founder say they have been given no indication' Washington will change approach in espionage caseThe US government is reported to be considering a plea deal offer to Julian Assange, allowing him to admit to a misdemeanor, but his lawyers say they have been given no indication" Washington intends to change its approach.The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that the US justice department was looking at ways to cut short the long London court battle of the WikiLeaks founder against extradition to the US on espionage charges for the publication 14 years ago of thousands of classified US documents related to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Continue reading...
by Nadeem Badshah (now) and Andrew Sparrow (earlier) on (#6KFSR)
Lords back amendments saying bill must comply with international law, on classifying Rwanda as a safe country and independent monitoringYesterday I covered quite a lot of comment on the Rachel Reeves' Mais lecture based on a three-page press release sent out by Labour with advance extracts. The full speech runs to 8,000 words and it is certainly worth a read. Here is some commentary published after the full text was made public.Paul Mason, the former economics journalist who is now an active Labour supporter, says in a blog for the Spectator that Reeves is proposing an approach that should make it easier for the government to justify capital investment. He explains:Reeves effectively offered markets a trade-off. She set out the same broad fiscal rule as the government: debt falling at the end of five years and a deficit moving towards primary balance. She will make it law that any fiscal decision by government will be subject to an independent forecast of its effects by the OBR. But, she said: I will also ask the OBR to report on the long-term impact of capital spending decisions. And as Chancellor I will report on wider measures of public sector assets and liabilities at fiscal events, showing how the health of the public balance sheet is bolstered by good investment decisions."Why is this so big? Because the OBR does not currently model the long-term impact of capital spending decisions'. It believes that 1 billion of new capital investment produces 1 billion of growth in the first year, tapering to nothing by year five. Furthermore, since 2019 it has repeatedly expressed scepticism that a sustained programme of public investment can produce a permanent uplift in the UK's output potential.George Eaton at the New Statesman says the Reeves speech contained Reeves' most explicit repudiation yet of the model pursued by Tony Blair and Gordon Brown's governments". He says:In her 8,000-word Mais Lecture, delivered last night at City University, the shadow chancellor offered her most explicit repudiation yet of the model pursued by Tony Blair and Gordon Brown's governments. Though she praised New Labour's record on public service investment and poverty reduction, Reeves warned that the project failed to recognise that globalisation and new technologies could widen as well as diminish inequality, disempower people as much as liberate them, displace as well as create good work".She added that the labour market remained characterised by too much insecurity" and that key weaknesses on productivity and regional inequality" persisted. This is not merely an abstract critique - it leads Reeves and Keir Starmer to embrace radically different economic prescriptions.Mais lecture is the most intellectually wide-ranging speech Rachel Reeves has given. Worth reading for takes on Lawson, austerity, New Labour, link between dynamism & worker-security, and how geo-politics changes our national growth story (& more besides) Continue reading...
UN refugee agency criticised by Israel, which claims Unrwa staff were implicated in 7 October Hamas attacksIsraeli diplomats have pre-emptively attacked the findings of two inquires into the role of the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency, Unrwa, in Gaza, on the day that one of the inquiries submitted its interim finding to the United Nations secretary general, Antonio Guterres.Unrwa has come under heavy criticism since Israel accused 12 of its Gaza staff of 13,000 of being implicated in the 7 October Hamas attack on southern Israel. The agency denies the charge and says no solid evidence has been presented to support it. Continue reading...
Nothing will satiate the hive mind in a post-truth America, where a deep distrust in institutions makes the ability to have civic discourse difficultFor a while, the Katespiracies" were the most fun people have had on the internet in a long time.The whereabouts of the Princess of Wales after her planned abdominal" surgery and subsequent recovery were not particularly high stakes, and so many reveled in the threads and group chats as the what ifs" got wilder - the theories both more specific and more incredible at the same time. Continue reading...
Waltham Forest council has not yet found suitable location for statue that was completed in 2020The first photographs of the dormant sculpture of the Bayern Munich and England striker Harry Kane have been published, five years after it was commissioned. The statue has sat in storage because Waltham Forest council in east London has been unable to find a suitable location for it.The sculpture of the Walthamstow-born, Chingford-raised record goalscorer for Tottenham and England was completed in 2020 at a cost of 7,200, but has yet to appear in public. Continue reading...
Findings come as UN secretary general calls on Israel to give unconditional access to Gaza for aid reliefHalf the population of the Gaza Strip is at imminent risk of famine as food shortages approach catastrophic levels for more than a million people, the World Bank has warned.Almost six months after the war between Israel and Hamas began, the Washington-based Bank said urgent action was needed to prevent widespread deaths from starvation within the next two months. Continue reading...
Richard Brock arrived late at detectorists' outing, but within 20 minutes had found Hiro's Nugget, likely to be worth over 30,000A metal detectorist in Shropshire has unearthed England's largest ever gold nugget worth 30,000 - despite turning up an hour late for the dig with a faulty metal detector.Richard Brock, 67, travelled three and a half hours from his home in Somerset to join an organised expedition on farmland in the Shropshire Hills last May, and ended up arriving late. He also had problem with his metal detecting kit, and was forced to use an older machine that was not working properly. Continue reading...
by Esther Addley, Dan Milmo and Andrew Roth on (#6KG8G)
Data reveals scale of conspiracies after Kensington Palace's release of altered image of princess with her childrenWhen the Sun published images of the Prince and Princess of Wales shopping at a farm shop at the weekend, it said it was doing so in a bid to end weeks of online speculation which has seen wild conspiracy theories about Kate spread unchecked".If that was the aim, it certainly has not worked. Do you believe this is Kate Middleton?" is the caption of one TikTok video that has been viewed 3.5m times. Not Kate. Nooo," reads one of the almost 2,000 comments. I'm not even big on the royals and I knew it wasn't her," says someone else. Another video, titled: Where is #katemiddleton? Cause that's not here! [sic]", has 1.1m views. Continue reading...
Bruno Donat, head of UN Mine Action Service in Geneva who is fasting over child victims of war, in intense pain' after incidentA senior UN official who went on hunger strike in support of child victims of the Israel-Hamas conflict has said he was assaulted by UN security guards at the organisation's New York headquarters.Bruno Donat, head of the UN Mine Action Service in Geneva, alleged the guards pushed him back on to the pavement outside the headquarters on Monday so forcibly that he fell, striking the back of his head. Donat did not break any bones and has since been discharged from hospital, but says he is still in intense pain. Continue reading...
Stuart Garner was convicted of three offences in 2022 after illegally investing others' retirement savings in his own businessesThe disgraced former owner of Norton Motorcycles should have served jail time for his role in the multi-million-pound pension fraud, the chair of the Pensions Ombudsman service has told a parliamentary inquiry into the scandal.The comments by Anthony Arter will be viewed by victims as a thinly veiled criticism of a prosecution run by the Pensions Regulator against former Norton boss, Stuart Garner, who was convicted of three pensions offences in 2022 but avoided prison because the regulator did not allege dishonesty. Continue reading...
The Princess of Wales is the latest person in the public eye to find there are questions about the security of their health historyMedical records are meant to be sacred, the preserve of the dedicated professionals treating a patient, but the Princess of Wales is not the first to find herself at the centre of allegations that they have been plundered for gossip.The former prime minister Gordon Brown told the Leveson inquiry into media conduct that he believed a story in the Sun about his son Fraser's diagnosis with cystic fibrosis in 2006 could only have come from leaked medical records. Continue reading...
by Amy Sedghi (now) and Rachel Hall (earlier) on (#6KFSG)
Russia tortured and arbitrarily detained people in occupied country, creating climate of fear' and suppressing Ukrainian identity, UN report saysRussian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday that EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell's proposals to use revenues from frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine amount to banditism and theft, reports Reuters.The EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, has said he will propose the EU use 90% of revenue from Russian assets frozen in Europe to buy arms for Ukraine via the European Peace Facility fund. Continue reading...
by Martin Belam (now) and Sammy Gecsoyler (earlier) on (#6KFR4)
Israeli prime minister reiterates his intention to launch a ground offensive but cautions over timingUnicef has published a video during which spokesperson James Elder has visited what remains of the Nasser hospital medical complex in Gaza after five months of Israeli bombardment and the ground offensive there.Visibly emotional, during the video Elder says:The last time I was in this hospital there were thousands of people taking shelter there. I mean, look at this place. Sorry, I need a minute.Medical staff would do 36 hour shifts. These incredible people, running, giving incredible care, to every single child with the wounds of war who needed it. Extraordinary medical staff. Continue reading...
Investigation asserts that detention centre staff had key to cell in which men were being held but did not open door to let them outA new report has challenged the official version of events during a fire in a Mexican migrant detention facility that killed dozens, alleging that staff could have let the men out of their cell, but instead decided - or were told - not to.The fire in Ciudad Juarez broke out on 27 March 2023, when detainees started a fire to protest conditions at the facility. But as the flames spread, the men were left in a locked cell as smoke filled the building, until firemen arrived. Forty men were killed, and another 27 survived, with life-altering injuries. Continue reading...
by Benita Kolovos, Victorian state correspondent on (#6KG05)
Exclusive: supreme court judge says it is a cause for concern' if public policy is considered over individual merits of a caseA Victorian supreme court judge has raised concerns an increased focus on crime may be causing authorities to take a more conservative approach" when it comes to assessing bail suitability for children.In a decision published earlier this month, supreme court judge Rita Incerti granted a 16-year-old Aboriginal boy bail after he had earlier been denied by a magistrate at Bendigo children's court.Sign up for Guardian Australia's free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...
Latest legislative crackdown on dissent and international collaboration likely to scare off some businesses, say criticsHong Kong was once Asia's world city, a global financial hub and business gateway to China. But the passage of new national security laws is the latest sign that the door is closing.On Tuesday, article 23 was unanimously passed by Hong Kong's unicameral, opposition-free parliament. The law covers newly defined acts of treason, espionage, theft of state secrets, sedition and foreign interference. Continue reading...
Jewish Voice for Peace and the Auschwitz Memorial among those defending Oscar winner amid backlash over words at ceremonyJewish figures are speaking out in support of Jonathan Glazer amid a backlash over the Zone of Interest director's Oscar speech, with some calling his words honest and brave".While accepting the award for best international film, Glazer said he refuted his Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people" in Gaza and Israel. His speech drew applause in the Dolby Theatre but was quickly condemned by groups such as Anti-Defamation League (ADL), and this week hundreds of Jewish Hollywood figures signed an open letter denouncing it. Continue reading...
Maria Caulfield says police have been asked to look at' whether staff at London Clinic tried to access Princess of Wales's recordsStaff at the London Clinic could face enforcement action, including fines and prosecutions, if they are found to have accessed the Princess of Wales's medical records, a government minister has said.The health minister Maria Caulfield told Sky News it was pretty severe and serious stuff to be accessing notes that you don't have permission to". Continue reading...
Lawmakers in more than a dozen states have considered efforts to give legal rights and protections to embryos and fetusesLawmakers in more than a dozen states have considered efforts to endow embryos or fetuses with legal rights and protections since the start of the year, and at least three states have advanced such fetal personhood" legislation since February, when an Alabama supreme court decision ruling that frozen embryos are extrauterine children" unleashed national outrage.The Alabama state legislature responded to the repercussions of that ruling - which led several of the state's in vitro fertilization (IVF) providers to halt their work - by passing a bill to protect providers' ability to offer that treatment. Yet, just hours after the legislature passed those protections, Republicans in the Iowa statehouse passed a fetal personhood bill that amends state law to criminalize causing the death of an unborn person". Continue reading...
Motion passed by 75 union members expresses outrage over way Chris Oliver-Taylor and senior executives damaged the public's trust in our capacity to report without fear or favour'
Saudi Arabia is likely to host the 2034 tournament, but a Guardian investigation has revealed there are already a high number of unexplained' migrant worker deaths in the Gulf kingdom
Home being sold after supreme court ruling in dispute with Aung San Suu Kyi's estranged brother, with the price reportedly set at tens of millions of dollarsNo bidders have appeared at an auction in Myanmar for the sale of the home of jailed former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, for which the starting price was reported to be in the tens of millions of dollars.The family property on Yangon's Inye Lake was up for auction by order of the supreme court, after a years-long legal battle between Aung San Suu Kyi, who was ousted in a 2021 coup, and her estranged brother Aung San Oo. Continue reading...
Justice Michael Lee to hand down decision after considering 15,000 pages of transcript and hours of CCTV footage in case against Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson
At least one person is believed to have made attempt to see Princess of Wales's notes while she was at the London ClinicAn investigation has reportedly been launched at the London Clinic over claims staff tried to access the Princess of Wales's private medical records while she was being treated there.At least one member of staff tried to access Kate's notes while she was a patient at the private hospital in central London in January, according to the Mirror. Continue reading...
Damning report on long-term care system blames uneven funding and a lack of a plan for failureThe government has brought adult social care in England to its knees" with years of uneven funding and a woefully insufficient plan" to fill thousands of staff vacancies, MPs have said in a damning report on a system that provides long-term care for 835,000 people.The public accounts committee said chronic underfunding, rising waiting lists and patchwork funding" has placed sustained pressure on local authorities, and the government is falling short on Boris Johnson's promise in 2019 to fix the crisis in social care once and for all". Continue reading...
European Union joins chorus of criticism of Article 23, which includes harsh new penalties for offences such as insurrection, sedition and espionageThe European Union has sounded the alarm over Hong Kong's new national security bill, saying it had the potential to significantly" affect the work of the EU's office and the territory's status as a business hub.On Tuesday Hong Kong lawmakers unanimously passed the new bill only two weeks after it was first presented, fast-tracking a major piece of legislation that critics say further threatens the city's freedoms. Continue reading...
Parliamentary motion from New Democratic party passed with support of Liberals, Bloc Quebecois and Green partyCanada will halt future arms sales to Israel following a non-binding vote in the house of commons. The foreign affairs minister, Melanie Joly, told the Toronto Star her government would halt future arms shipments. It is a real thing," she said on Tuesday.The decision follows a parliamentary motion, introduced by the New Democratic party (NDP), that called on the governing Liberals to halt future arms exports to Israel. The New Democrats, who are supporting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority government, have expressed frustration with what they see as his failure to do enough to protect civilians in Gaza. Continue reading...
Some collectors want the tackiest items imaginable, but for others they are heartfelt reminders of the pastFor Caroline Walker, 65, holiday fridge magnets aren't merely practical souvenirs holding up the shopping list but meaningful little reminders" that bring her back to a time or place in her life. The first in her collection was a little magnet from Dnipro, Ukraine. It was a gift from the leader of a group of Ukrainian students to whom she taught English. I look at it now and I wonder where they all are, if they're OK, how many of them died, how many of the boys are fighting," she says.Walker is among dozens of people who contacted the Guardian to share their emotional response to holiday fridge magnets in light of a new study conducted by Liverpool University that suggests these objects may also provide an important means of accessing happy - and not so happy - memories of past trips. Continue reading...
New minimum wage law to be brought in two years after P&O Ferries replaced hundreds of workers with low-cost crewCross-Channel ferry operators will be required to pay their crew at least 9.95 an hour after France implemented a new minimum wage law aimed at preventing the exploitation of seafarers.The move comes two years after P&O Ferries caused outrage on both sides of the Channel by sacking almost 800 workers and replacing them with low-cost crew. Continue reading...
Reform party leader Richard Tice says he expects BBC to change its editorial guidelinesThe BBC has apologised for referring to Reform UK as far right" in a news report.The apology related to coverage of the Liberal Democrats' spring conference by the broadcaster, which said it had removed a sentence from an article that did not adhere to its editorial standards. Continue reading...
by Lisa O'Carroll in Brussels and Dan Sabbagh, Defenc on (#6KFBE)
Initiative to boost supplies as standoff in US congress continues and arms from EU fall shortThe Czech Republic says it is on the verge of delivering thousands of extra artillery shells to Ukraine, just weeks after it announced an initiative to source the much-needed supplies from outside the EU.Its foreign minister, Jan Lipavsky, said it had so far secured 300,000 shells and that the ammunition would provide a vital few months' breathing space" on the frontline. Sources added that the first deliveries would come before June. Continue reading...
Leonard Farruku, 27, died in a suspected suicide on barge for asylum seekers and his relatives want an independent inquiryThe family of Leonard Farruku, who died in a suspected suicide last December on the Bibby Stockholm barge used to accommodate asylum seekers, have said that the British government should be held responsible for his death.The family has launched legal action against the government to force a decision over holding an independent investigation into the death. Lawyers for the family said they took the decision after the government failed to respond to three letters sent to it last month. Continue reading...
by Lanre Bakare Arts and culture correspondent on (#6KEXR)
BBFC survey finds sexual violence remains main area of concern while views on some drug use have easedThe British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has introduced stricter guidelines for sex scenes and nudity in 12 and 12A productions, saying the public are concerned about the amount of explicit content to which young people are being exposed.In the BBFC's first major audience research for five years, sexual violence remained the biggest area of concern. Continue reading...
by Yohannes Lowe (now) and Lili Bayer (earlier) on (#6KEW4)
Russia attacking Ukraine with drones, guided bombs and missiles, says president; Kaja Kallas says spending should rise to over 3% GDPThe EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, has said he will propose that the EU uses 90% of the revenues from Russian assets frozen in Europe to buy arms for Ukraine via the European Peace Facility fund, Reuters reports.Borrell told reporters in Brussels he would propose that the remaining 10% be transferred to the EU budget to be used to boost the capacity of the Ukrainian defence industry. Continue reading...
Police investigate theory animals killed by people who set dogs on hares and livestream chase for gamblersIt was a typically tranquil day at the community shop in the picture postcard village of Broughton on the banks of the Wallop Brook in Hampshire. Delicious breads and tempting cakes were being delivered - the store prides itself on supporting local suppliers - while a stream of customers, including villagers and groups of walkers and cyclists who know it is as an ideal stopping off point, kept the volunteers busy.The scene that greeted the shop workers a few days ago could hardly have been more different, after the battered remains of about 50 hares and two birds of prey were dumped in the early hours outside the shop. Blood was smeared on the windows and the bodies of a kestrel and barn owl jammed in the door handles. Continue reading...
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