Newsroom edition: the Trump effect, the Coalition's bad campaign, and are we over interpreting the election results?
Bridie Jabour talks to editor Lenore Taylor, deputy editor Patrick Keneally and national news editor Josephine Tovey about why the lessons learned from this election are not as simple as they seem
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The Guardian
23 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Morning Mail: Israel expands Gaza offensive, how to fix childcare, Epstein files to remain sealed
Good morning. Israel's military has announced it is expanding its offensive in Gaza City as Benjamin Netanyahu ordered generals to accelerate 'the defeat of Hamas'. In Australia, a leading doctor and public critic of Israel has stepped down from chairing a medical insurance provider. We look at what Jason Clare has to do to fix childcare at tomorrow's meeting with state ministers, a US judge rules the Epstein files must remain sealed, and how a French live-streamer has died live online. Flood warning | People in New South Wales have been warned to 'stay ready and stay safe' as another bout of intense rainfall hits the state, bringing possible floods. Doctor's call | High-profile emergency physician Dr Stephen Parnis has stepped down as chair of the board of a leading medical insurance provider in an apparent response to concerns about statements he has made on social media opposing the war in Gaza. Childcare crunch | As the education minister, Jason Clare, prepares to meet his state counterparts today to discuss reforms to the childcare sector, Kate Lyons traces how – despite review after review making recommendations to the government – little has been done to create a proper national system of regulation. Netanyahu 'inflammatory' | Australia's peak Jewish group has lambasted Benjamin Netanyahu for his attack on Anthony Albanese as 'inflammatory and provocative', adding that it showed a 'woeful lack of understanding of social and political conditions in Australia'. Emmanuel Macron has described as 'abject' Netanyahu's claims of an antisemitic surge in France. Winter's over | Tasmanian Labor has replaced Dean Winter as parliamentary leader, with Josh Willie elected unopposed to serve as the state's new opposition leader after a failed bid to unseat the premier, Jeremy Rockliff. Epstein ruling | A federal judge in New York who presided over the sex-trafficking case against the late financier Jeffrey Epstein has rejected the government's request to unseal grand jury transcripts. Israel offensive | Israel has announced it is expanding its military operation in Gaza City as Benjamin Netanyahu said the aim was to speed up the timetable 'for seizing control of the last terrorist strongholds and the defeat of Hamas'. In the UK, a court heard that the terror charge brought against the Kneecap rapper Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh for flying the Hezbollah flag should be thrown out. Moscow red line | Moscow has said it must be part of any international talks on Ukraine's security as Russia continues to stall on Donald Trump's push for a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy. We're looking at what it all means for the prospects of peace in Ukraine. Online death | French authorities are investigating the death of a man during a live video stream on the Kick platform, where he had regularly been shown enduring violence and humiliation. Lai trial | A lawyer for Jimmy Lai has argued that it is not wrong to support freedom of expression as he began his final argument in the Hong Kong democracy activist and newspaper founder's landmark national security trial. Can the government keep kids safe in childcare? After revelations about abuse at childcare centres, Kate Lyons talks to Reged Ahmad about whether the government can restore faith in the sector. Sorry your browser does not support audio - but you can download here and listen $ Discussion at today's sessions of the government economic roundtable will be dominated by the thorny issue of tax: how much we should be paying, and which form that tax should take. Our economics editor, Patrick Commins, casts his expert eye over the key questions, while economist Nicki Hutley argues that the focus should really have been about creating an economy that's good for everyone. The subject of Luke Buckmaster's critical lens this week is Kangaroo Island, a relationship-centric family drama by first-time feature director Timothy David, starring Rebecca Breeds and set on the eponymous South Australian idyll. The landscape is something of scene-stealer in a 'tonally uneven' film, but just when it seems destined for 'Hallmarkian slosh' it has moments that resonate. Sign up to Morning Mail Our Australian morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Tennis | On the eve of her final tournament, double Wimbledon champion and Australian Open finalist Petra Kvitova explains why she has no regrets about her career. Rugby union | The Wallaroos begin their World Cup campaign against Samoa in Manchester on Saturday night AEST and the young squad is hoping to spring a few surprises. Football | Experts are concerned that local laws are not robust enough to tackle illegal international online gambling on football, especially with the Women's Asian Cup taking place in Australia next year. The Telegraph highlights a 'billion-dollar' spending spree by two cousins that could transform Sydney's Hills district. The Adelaide Crows' case against Izak Rankine's ban has gone into overtime with the hearing delayed 24 hours, the Age reports. Tempers are at boiling point on the Gold Coast over increased parking charges at Burleigh Heads, according to the Bulletin. The Mercury looks at how the Tasmanian premier, Jeremy Rockliff, outmanoeuvred Labor 'at every turn'. Business | Full-year earnings from Whitehaven, Domain and Star Entertainment Group. Brisbane | Pre-trial hearing begins for the Australian company charged with bribery over its conduct on Nauru a decade ago. Environment | AGL reveals its climate action plan. If you would like to receive this Morning Mail update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here, or finish your day with our Afternoon Update newsletter. You can follow the latest in US politics by signing up for This Week in Trumpland. And finally, here are the Guardian's crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Starmer will give 16-year-olds the vote – but they aren't studying politics
Children are uninterested in studying politics at GCSE, despite Labour announcing that it will lower the voting age to 16. Analysis by The Telegraph shows that the take-up of politics-related subjects at GCSE has remained significantly lower than others, such as religious studies, over the past five years. Around three per cent of teenagers are thought to have taken a politics-related GCSE this summer, according to provisional entry data from the Department for Education (DfE). Separate figures obtained by The Telegraph show that teaching staff are ill-equipped to provide lessons on the subject to 16-year-olds. Just nine teachers across the whole of England who offered lessons on government and politics to GCSE pupils last year had a relevant post A-level qualification in the subject, according to official data released through Freedom of Information laws. Last month, ministers confirmed that they would lower the voting age in Britain by two years. Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, said Labour would make its manifesto pledge law by the end of this Parliament, meaning 16-year-olds would be able to vote at the next general election. Experts have called for that to be matched with better politics teaching in schools amid concerns over a lack of political engagement among young people and an over-reliance on social media content. The DfE does not publish specific participation data for the government and politics GCSE because entries are so low that it is categorised along with other social sciences. Citizenship studies Pupils can also take a separate GCSE in citizenship studies, which is a mandatory part of the national curriculum and is taught in the same vein as personal, social, health and economic education. Take-up of overall social sciences has grown by a quarter since 2021, with 50,025 pupils sitting GCSEs this summer in one or more of those subjects – which also include psychology and law. But individual figures for politics are thought to make up a very small portion of those numbers. The Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA), a Northern Irish exam board that is one of the only ones to offer the government and politics GCSE, has recorded just a handful of students taking the subject over the past few years. Data provided to The Telegraph showed that 205 pupils sat the CCEA's government and politics GCSE in 2021, with the figure rising to 313 last year. The figures are eclipsed by the popularity of other optional subjects at GCSE, with nearly 292,000 students studying geography and more than 240,000 taking religious studies. Entries for citizenship studies GCSE have remained similarly low, having barely moved over the past five years despite an increase in the 16-year-old population. Around three per cent of students sat an exam in the subject last year, with the figure expected to stay roughly the same this summer. The Government is facing calls to make politics a more fundamental part of the national curriculum in England to better equip children with the skills they need for adult life. Last year, Labour appointed Prof Becky Francis, an education expert, to lead an independent review into the current curriculum and assessment model, which will publish its findings in the autumn. An interim report by Prof Francis, published earlier this year, said the review had 'heard consistently from children and young people and their parents that they want more focus' on subjects such as 'financial education, careers knowledge and politics and governance'. However, a Government source told The Telegraph there were no plans to make politics a compulsory GCSE subject or to broaden teaching on the topic, even with 16-year-olds set to get the vote. They instead pointed to the existing citizenship part of the national curriculum, which includes teaching on the UK's political system and democracy, as well as modules on the justice system, police and public money. Schools are required to offer citizenship lessons, but there is no minimum number of hours mandated for the subject and many schools stop teaching it by Year Nine. By contrast, schools must teach a minimum of two hours of physical education each week. Rollout has also been criticised as patchy, with just 42 per cent of teachers in England saying their schools provided regular citizenship lessons in 2023, according to a poll by the Institute For Public Policy Research think tank. Data from the school workforce census, obtained by The Telegraph through freedom of information requests, also showed a dearth in qualified politics teachers at GCSE level – they are instead concentrated on A-level pupils. There were 17 teachers across the whole of England offering politics lessons to pupils in Years Seven to Nine last year who had a post-A-level qualification in the subject, with the figure dropping to just nine for pupils in Years 10 and 11. The number of qualified teachers then swelled to 1,342 for pupils in Years 12 and 13, with politics generally taken more seriously as a subject at A-level. The DfE did not provide similar data for qualified teachers offering GCSE lessons on citizenship studies, but figures show that fewer than a fifth of those teaching all age groups had a degree in a relevant subject last year. Overall GCSE results this summer are expected to be broadly similar to those seen last year, when more than a fifth – or 21.8 per cent – of all entries were awarded the top grades. However, pupils could face tougher competition for sixth form places this year after the Government hit private school fees with VAT for the first time from Jan 1, 2025. It is expected to spark a scramble for places at top state-funded schools, with a rise in the 16-year-old population set to add to pressure. Prof Lee Elliot Major, a social mobility expert at the University of Exeter, told the PA news agency: 'Competition for the most selective sixth forms will be fiercer than ever, with fears over VAT on private schools likely driving more families to seek out places in the state sector.'
Scottish Sun
4 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Nicola Sturgeon hails JK Rowling amid 'complete f**kwit' trans row jibe
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) NICOLA Sturgeon insists she still admires JK Rowling and buys her books - despite the Harry Potter author branding her 'a complete f**kwit'. The ex-first minister fired back in the war of words between the pair and called for the billionaire writer to face 'more scrutiny' over her stance on trans issues. Sign up for the Politics newsletter Sign up 3 Nicola Sturgeon admitted she still admires JK Rowling Credit: Alamy 3 The author penned a foul-mouthed review of Ms Sturgeon's new book Credit: PA 3 The former FM admitted still buying Harry Potter books despite her war of words with the author Credit: Getty Ms Rowling was a vocal critic of the gender recognition reforms championed by Ms Sturgeon and famously donned a t-shirt which branded the SNP MSP a 'destroyer of women's rights'. In her new autobiography, Ms Sturgeon said the stunt led to a surge of 'vile' abuse against her and made her feel 'more at risk' of physical harm. And in an interview with BBC Radio Ulster, Ms Sturgeon said: 'I have bought Harry Potter books for all of the kids in my life and I will continue to do so as long as they want to read them. 'I think she is an amazing talent and has done great things.' She added that Ms Rowling is 'absolutely entitled to speak her mind' but added: 'I don't admire the way some people have gone from speaking their minds on this issue to, almost it seems, to be punching down on trans people who have never harmed anybody at any point in their life. 'JK Rowling is absolutely entitled to her view, maybe putting herself up for a bit more scrutiny about her view would be helpful, but I don't criticise her for expressing her view. 'But I think I would like to see a bit less punching down on trans people to be perfectly frank.' In a scathing review of Ms Sturgeon's book, Frankly, the Harry Potter author slammed her for not addressing a string of scandals during her time leading the country including the delayed ferry scandal, deleted covid WhatsApp messages, drug deaths and education failings. But and her turned on her for the disastrous handling of the Isla Bryson saga when Ms Sturgeon was unable to say is the trans rapist - born male - was a man or a woman. Ms Rowling wrote: 'When asked on television whether bald, blonde wig-wearing Bryson was a man or a woman, the First Minister, whose composure and articulacy under fire had, for years, been her most potent political asset, made herself look – and forgive me for employing a PR term here – a complete f***wit.' Five of the biggest BOMBSHELL moments from Nicola Sturgeon's new memoir But Ms Sturgeon told BBC Radio Ulster's Nolan Show that she 'wasn't destroying women's rights', and added: 'Is it really the best way to elevate a debate, put a picture of yourself in a T-shirt with something like that? That is the point I am making.' Ms Sturgeon sparked fury when Holyrood debated proposals for her government to make it easier for trans people to legally change their gender - without any legal or medical certificates. The Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill was passed by Holyrood but it was blocked by Westminster, with the changes never coming into force.
