A third of UK school staff report ‘physical underdevelopment’ in poor students

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A survey of more than 14,000 staff also found schools having to step in to provide basic household items

A third of school staff have seen “physical underdevelopment” in students due to poverty, with schools in England stretching their budgets to buy basic household items such as cookers, bedding and clothes for pupils whose families are struggling.

A survey of more than 14,000 school staff, published at the National Education Union’s annual conference in Harrogate, found that this rose to more than half of those teachers working in deprived areas, with warnings that things “can only get worse” after recent benefit cuts.

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GPs in England will be able to claim £20 for every time patient is not sent to hospital

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Surgeries will be able to claim money if doctors refer patients to an out-of-hospital setting in bid to cut waiting lists

GPs in England will be paid £20 each time they decide not to send a patient to hospital under a government scheme to help reduce the NHS waiting list.

Family doctors will be able to claim the money if they instead refer patients for tests and treatment in an out-of-hospital setting, such as a health clinic, or to see a community-based specialist.

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Australia to woo US’s ‘smartest minds’ disfranchised by Trump research cuts

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New talent program aims to attract academics fleeing US as administration slashes higher education funding

The “smartest minds” in the United States will be beckoned to Australia with a new talent program aiming to capitalise on academics disfranchised by the Trump administration’s research cuts.

The Australian Academy of Science announced the global talent attraction program on Thursday, warning the nation needed to “act swiftly” to capitalise on the opportunity.

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China seeks reset with EU amid Donald Trump’s trade war – Financial Times

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  1. China seeks reset with EU amid Donald Trump’s trade war  Financial Times
  2. Why Europe Fears a Flood of Cheap Goods From China  The New York Times
  3. China pounces as Trump turns on Europe  The Telegraph
  4. Europe on alert to track any wave of diverted Chinese imports  Journal of Commerce
  5. EU’s ‘trade bazooka’ was meant for China. Could the US be hit instead?  South China Morning Post
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Ex-UK defence minister ‘disgusted’ by Trump’s attitude to Putin and Russia

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Grant Shapps also compares calling Sumy strike a ‘mistake’ to statements by IRA terror group when it killed civilians

Pronouncing himself “disgusted” by Donald Trump’s favorable attitude to Russia and Vladimir Putin, the former UK defence minister Grant Shapps said the US president calling a Russian missile strike that killed dozens in Ukraine last weekend a “mistake” was an example of “weasel language we used to hear … from the IRA” terrorist group.

“All anybody needs Putin to do is get the hell out of a democratic neighboring country,” Shapps told the One Decision podcast, regarding attempts to end the war in Ukraine that has raged since Russia invaded in February 2022.

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Ministers in ‘active conversation’ with UK drug firms over potential tariffs

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Government seeks ways to shield industry from possible US levies amid concern over effect on medicine supply

Ministers are having an “active conversation” with UK pharmaceutical firms about the potential impact of US tariffs, amid calls for an emergency taskforce to make sure the supply of medicines is not disrupted.

The UK government has been trying to head off the threat of tariffs to the pharmaceuticals industry, which exports about £7bn of goods to the US – just behind the £8.3bn of car exports.

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Venice’s €5 tourist fee returns – and will double for last-minute day-trippers

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City authorities still hope the scheme, which made an unexpected €2.4m last year, will help tackle overtourism

Venice’s entrance fee will resume from Friday, with the main novelty this year being that last-minute day-trippers will pay double.

Last year, as part of an experiment aimed at dissuading day visitors during busy periods, Venice became the first major tourist city in the world to charge people to enter.

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Temu and Shein drop US ad spending as they face tariffs on even small sales

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E-tailers also hiking prices after Donald Trump ends ‘de minimis’ exemption for cheap shipments from China and Hong Kong

Temu and Shein are cutting back their spending on US social media advertising as they lose an exemption on tariffs for many of their shipments from China and Hong Kong.

The online e-tailers, both of which ship low-priced China-made goods direct to US shoppers, had been on an ad spree until recently. But under an executive order from Donald Trump, as of 2 May their sales valued at under $800 will no longer be exempt from US tariffs.

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Sydney hospital where two children died recently is at risk of failure, scathing report finds

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Report accusing Northern Beaches hospital of not taking sufficient actions to stop risks comes as parents of baby who died after waiting for caesarean speak out

A controversial hospital where two children have recently died is accused of failing to meet healthcare standards and is at risk of failure.

In a scathing report from the New South Wales auditor general, the operators of Sydney’s Northern Beaches hospital are accused of not taking sufficient actions to stop clinical safety risks.

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Russian missiles hit Sumy civilians as military held ceremony, soldier says – The Washington Post

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  1. Russian missiles hit Sumy civilians as military held ceremony, soldier says  The Washington Post
  2. Palm Sunday Attack Leaves Sumy Residents Doubtful of a Ukraine-Russia Cease-Fire  The New York Times
  3. Analysis: Trump calls Sumy missile strike a ‘mistake.’ But Russia’s war seems to be raging on exactly to Putin’s plan  CNN
  4. In the Ukrainian city of Sumy, life goes on despite the constant threat of attack  AP News
  5. US Derails G-7 Condemnation of Russian Missile Strike on Ukraine  Bloomberg.com
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Israeli defense minister says troops will remain in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria indefinitely – Politico

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  1. Israeli defense minister says troops will remain in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria indefinitely  Politico
  2. Why Israel is expanding its frontiers into Gaza, Lebanon and Syria  AP News
  3. Israeli troops will remain in Gaza buffer zones indefinitely, Defense Minister Katz says  Fox News
  4. Memories and Mourning as Israel Annexes Rafah  Inkstick
  5. Israeli troops will remain in Gaza 'security zones' after war, minister says  BBC
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‘Massive Blackout’ Leaves All of Puerto Rico Without Power – The New York Times

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  1. ‘Massive Blackout’ Leaves All of Puerto Rico Without Power  The New York Times
  2. Puerto Rico slammed by island-wide blackout ahead of Easter weekend  The Independent
  3. Island-wide blackout hits Puerto Rico as residents prepare for Easter weekend  CNN
  4. Puerto Rico power outage leaves most of the island in the dark ahead of Easter weekend  CBS News
  5. Puerto Rico goes completely dark after another islandwide power outage  NBC News
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International tourism to America under threat – Axios

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  1. International tourism to America under threat  Axios
  2. America used to fire the world’s imagination – but now the cultural conversation is being silenced | Van Badham  The Guardian
  3. Tourists Are Avoiding the U.S. It’s a Problem for the Oil Market.  Barron's
  4. ‘It’s like our friend started a fist fight with us’: These Europeans are skipping US travel  CNN
  5. U.S. economy to lose billions as foreign tourists stay away  Fortune
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‘Who is going to face Mr Trump’: Canada leaders’ debate dominated by US crisis

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Mark Carney’s Liberals have surged in the polls since Donald Trump’s attacks on Canada, scuppering Conservative calls for change after Trudeau era

Prime Minister Mark Carney said the key question in Canada’s upcoming election is who is best to deal with Donald Trump as he faced his Conservative rival in a French-language leaders’ debate on Wednesday.

Opposition Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said during the debate Canada needs change after a decade of Liberal party rule and Carney is just like his predecessor, Justin Trudeau. Carney responded: “Mr Poilievre is not Justin Trudeau. I’m not Justin Trudeau either. In this election the question is who is going to face Mr Trump.”

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