7 h. ago Government announces £3bn plans to create ‘tens of thousands’ of school places for SEND pupils

'This will reduce waiting lists that cause misery and deep anxiety for parents'

Politics

7 h. ago £3bn announced to create ‘tens of thousands’ of school places for Send pupils

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the Government will make sure local schools are the right schools for children and young people with Send.

Economics

11 h. ago Mike Lindell, Trump ally and MyPillow founder, running for Minnesota governor

Lindell, an election conspiracist who still maintains the 2020 election was stolen, joins a crowded Republican fieldMike Lindell, a pillow salesman and election conspiracist, is running for governor of Minnesota, he announced Thursday.Lindell, an ally of Donald Trump’s and major player in efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, joins a crowded Republican primary in the left-leaning state, where his pillow company, MyPillow, is headquartered. Continue reading...

Politics

13 h. ago MyPillow founder Mike Lindell officially announces run for Minnesota governor

Lindell stated he plans to ‘leave no town unturned in Minnesota’

Politics

41 h. ago ‘A generation lost at sea’: the desperate Rohingya falling prey to traffickers as they flee Bangladesh

Barred from work and school in Bangladesh, thousands of refugees are making the perilous voyage to Malaysia by boat – with some beaten en route to extort even more moneyMajuma Begum stayed awake until 3am waiting for her son to return from the market before accepting he was not coming home. The next day he phoned to say he was on the Bangladeshi coast, waiting to begin a boat journey to Malaysia that she had desperately tried to stop him taking.It was the start of weeks of worry for the 58-year-old, whose fears deepened when a boat carrying Rohingya refugees capsized near Malaysia in early November, killing dozens. She felt as though she could finally breathe again when he finally reached his destination. Continue reading...

Politics

43 h. ago Escalation in Yemen threatens to reignite civil war and create wider tensions in Gulf region

A separatist group has seized control of an oil-rich region in southern Yemen, threatening to reignite the country's civil war

Events

53 h. ago Welsh Government makes major announcement on free school meals

Councils will get an extra £8m to give all primary children, regardless of income, free lunch each day. The extra cash is to cover rising costs and adds 20p per meal

Politics

62 h. ago Florida declares US Muslim civil rights group a foreign terrorist organization

Ron DeSantis’s legally dubious order designating Cair – and Muslim Brotherhood – follows similar move by TexasFlorida is declaring the Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair) – a US civil rights and liberties group – a foreign terrorist organization, the Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, announced on Monday.The move closely follows a similar order issued in November by Texas’s governor, Greg Abbott, DeSantis’s fellow Republican, even though only the federal government can designate terrorist organizations. Continue reading...

Events

63 h. ago Former children’s commissioner to lead grooming gangs inquiry

A former children’s commissioner will chair the national inquiry into grooming gangs after months of delays.Baroness Anne Longfield will lead the inquiry over three years with a budget of £65 million.Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood set out the appointment and the inquiry’s terms of reference in the Commons on Tuesday.Of her appointment, Baroness Longfield said: “The Inquiry owes it to the victims, survivors and the wider public to identify the truth, address past failings and ensure that children and young people today are protected in a way that others were not.“The Inquiry will follow the evidence and will not shy away from difficult or uncomfortable truths wherever we find them.”There has been mounting pressure on the Government to move forward with the inquiry, first announced by the Prime Minister in June.In October, the final two candidates to chair the inquiry dropped out of the process which led to concerns it could take months to get someone in post.Five women also resigned ...

Events

3 d. ago Canada’s environmental ‘realism’ looks more like surrender | Tzeporah Berman

At a time when the UK and other countries are finally taking bold steps for climate, Canada is preparing a new oil pipelineLast week, the United Kingdom did something all too rare: it chose leadership by backing science and prioritizing public safety. The Labour government announced it would ban new oil and gas licences in the North Sea, strengthen a windfall tax and accelerate phasing out of fossil-fuel subsidies.These are not symbolic gestures. They are an acknowledgment that the global energy system is shifting and that mature economies must shift with it.Tzeporah Berman is a Canadian environmental activist, campaigner and writer Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Troops and warplanes deployed in Benin after ‘failed coup attempt’

West African Ecowas forces sent to country after group of soldiers announced dissolution of government on state TVWest African troops were deployed to Benin on Sunday following what the country’s president described as an unsuccessful coup attempt.Benin’s president, Patrice Talon, said on Sunday that the situation was “totally under control” after security forces acted to end a coup attempt by a group of soldiers who attacked state institutions. Continue reading...

Events

6 d. ago Argentina's President Milei to issue a dollar bond, eyeing a return to global markets

The libertarian government of Argentina’s President Javier Milei has announced that it will issue a dollar bond for the first time in nearly eight years as the cash-strapped country seeks a return to international markets

Politics

6 d. ago German MPs rubberstamp military service plan amid school pupil protests

All 18-year-old men to be screened for suitability for armed forces, but proposal falls short of conscriptionThe German parliament has rubberstamped a new model for military service that aims to boost its armed forces as thousands of school pupils demonstrated across the country against the plans.The change will include the obligatory screening of all 18-year-old men to gauge their suitability to serve in the military from 1 January, but does not include conscription, as favoured by some conservative politicians. Continue reading...

Events

7 d. ago DWP issues update on major changes for parents who claim Universal Credit

The Government has announced its new scheme to try and lift children out of poverty

Politics

7 d. ago From Otis Redding to Booker T, Steve Cropper was a strong yet subtle force that shaped so many soul classics

The guitarist for Booker T & the MGs defined the sound of original R&B, co-creating soul anthems and proving himself one of the most influential musicians of the 60sSteve Cropper, legendary guitarist for Booker T & the MGs, dies aged 84Steve Cropper stood at the side of musical legends and toiled in the shadows of the studio, never a star. But his work with his fellow musicians and singers at Stax Records in Memphis, Tennessee, established him as one of the most creative and influential musicians of the 1960s.Actually, pretty much every rock icon of that fabled decade looked up to Cropper, who has died aged 84. The Beatles seriously considered recording at Stax, and the Stones covered songs he played on and emulated his crisp rhythm and lead guitar playing. As a jobbing musician in 1964, Jimi Hendrix drove from Nashville to Memphis to meet Cropper (they chatted about guitars and jammed), while Janis Joplin insisted her new band play Stax’s Christmas party so as to rub sh...

Politics

8 d. ago Wood burner rules change proposed by UK Government for England

The UK Government has announced a consultation on stricter wood burning stove regulations as part of new air pollution targets

Politics

8 d. ago Government announces major changes set to save new parents 'up to £500'

The Prime Minister said the plan aims to "lift half a million children out of poverty"

Politics

8 d. ago New loyalty points and vouchers plan 'to help parents save £500 on baby formula'

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has announced the Government will do more to help parents access baby formula at more affordable prices

Economics

8 d. ago Households ‘have been shoring up cash Isas amid uncertain economic backdrop’

The Government announced in the Budget that the annual adult cash Isa subscription limit will be reduced to £12,000 from April 2027.

Economics

9 d. ago Jury trials to be axed for crimes with sentences under three years as 'swift court' plans announced

David Lammy told the House of Commons the plan for jury-free trials will take time to implement

Events