Schools in England could be judged on scale of colours in Ofsted proposals

Inspectorate aims to replace single headline grade such as outstanding with assessment of 10 key areas

Schools could be judged on a five-step scale of colours or descriptions across 10 separate areas, such as inclusion and belonging, according to proposals by England’s schools inspectorate.

The proposals by Ofsted aim to replace inspection reports that culminate in a single headline grade such as outstanding, which Labour pledged to scrap after a coroner’s report said Ofsted’s inspection had contributed to the death of headteacher Ruth Perry last year.

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Scholz’s call with Putin will open ‘Pandora’s box’, Zelenskyy says

Ukrainian president says talk between German and Russian leaders on war will reduce Putin’s isolation

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that a telephone conversation between Olaf Scholz and Vladimir Putin will open a “Pandora’s box”, after the German chancellor and the Russian leader discussed the war in Ukraine in a rare call on Friday.

Scholz urged his Russian counterpart to withdraw troops from Ukraine and negotiate with Kyiv to achieve a just and lasting peace, in the first call between a major western leader and Putin since December 2022.

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AP PHOTOS: An AP photographer captures a bomb falling on a building in his childhood neighborhood – The Associated Press

  1. AP PHOTOS: An AP photographer captures a bomb falling on a building in his childhood neighborhood  The Associated Press
  2. Israel drops massive bomb in Beirut strike, as Lebanon mulls cease-fire  The Washington Post
  3. LIVE: WHO chief slams Israel’s killing of 12 paramedics in Lebanon strike  Al Jazeera English
  4. Photographer captures moment building in Beirut Hezbollah stronghold hit in Israeli airstrike  The Times of Israel
  5. Israel Pounds Area Near Beirut Amid Signs of a Widening Offensive  The New York Times
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Green signal given for first UK co-operatively owned railway service

Regulator approves bid by open-access operator Go-op to run trains in south-west England from late next year

The UK’s first co-operatively owned railway service could begin running trains in the south-west of England late next year.

The Office of Road and Rail (ORR) has approved a bid from open-access operator Go-op to run several new services between Swindon, Taunton and Weston-super-Mare, and compete with Great Western Railway on the line.

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Shadow chancellor warns Reeves over EU ties after Bank chief says Brexit harming economy – as it happened

Mel Stride said there must be no suggestion of the UK going back into the EU single market or customs union

In news that will disappoint those of you who enjoy a Liberal Democrat stunt, PA has just reported that Ed Davey will not, as was planned, be taking a bus-driving lesson at a depot in Oxfordshire, due to logistical issues. Instead he will be visiting high-street businesses.

It is part of a campaign by the Liberal Democrats to get Labour to keep the bus fare price cap at £2 in England when it extends the scheme into next year.

The fare cap increase is like a bus tax for people across the country, impacting bus users and commuters already struggling to make ends meet. MPs must be given a say on this bus fare hike on behalf of their constituents.

Our communities have already paid too high a price for years of Conservative neglect and incompetence. This bus fare hike will hit cherished local businesses and high streets, many of which are already struggling.

Uncertainty around Labour’s first budget and high interest rates played their part, but [the GDP figures are] still a blow for Rachel Reeves, as [it] underlines difficulty of reaching her ambitious growth target.

Some in Labour want to recalibrate economic focus away from growth and towards cost of living ie “will people feel better off by time of next election?”

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How will BBC revamp Match of the Day when Gary Lineker leaves?

Plan is forming for digitally focused show to expand and grow the brand in a fractured media landscape

When the BBC confirmed the news this week that Gary Lineker was leaving Match of the Day at the end of this season, the presenter’s official reaction was limited to a terse 21-word statement that he was “delighted” at signing a new contract to cover the FA Cup and 2026 World Cup.

The former England striker was – unsurprisingly – more expansive about leaving the BBC’s flagship football programme after 25 years on his own podcast, the Rest is Football, on Thursday. “All things have to come to an end,” he mused. “I think the next contract, they’re looking to do Match of the Day slightly differently. So I think it makes sense for someone else to take the helm.”

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Anger in Lebanon at large number of rescue workers killed by Israel

Attacks on Thursday night bring total number of emergency workers killed by Israel in Lebanon to more than 200

Twenty-one civil defence rescuers have been killed in two Israeli strikes on Lebanon, in one of the deadliest days for rescue workers since the fighting began between Israel and Hezbollah 13 months ago.

Thursday night’s airstrikes brought the total number of emergency workers killed by Israel in Lebanon to more than 200, most of them during the last two months.

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GM’s Cruise admits submitting false report to robotaxi safety investigation

General Motors unit to pay $500,000 fine after failing to disclose key details of 2023 San Francisco crash to NHTSA

General Motors’ self-driving car unit, Cruise, admitted on Thursday to submitting a false report to influence a federal investigation and will pay a $500,000 criminal fine as part of a deferred prosecution agreement, the justice department said.

The department said Cruise failed to disclose key details of an October 2023 crash to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in which one of its robotaxis in San Francisco struck a pedestrian after she was hit by another vehicle and dragged her 20ft (6.1 meters).

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Pete Hegseth, Trump’s Pentagon pick, sparks alarm over far-right extremism

Experts concerned over the Fox & Friends host, his Christian nationalist ideology and militant language

Extremism experts are sounding the alarm about Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of defense, whose writings and online presence reveal someone immersed in a culture of rightwing Christianity, political extremism and violent ideation.

The Fox & Friends host, who has served in the US army but has no experience in government, drew shock from Pentagon officials when Trump nominated him. Hegseth’s books on American culture and the military, his commentary on Fox and his frequent posts on social media showcase his far-right ideology. On these platforms, Hegseth telegraphs paranoia and anger toward “leftists”, an ultra-masculine Maga persona and apparent revulsion toward service members who do not fit his vision – including women.

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Prince Harry to continue lawsuit against Sun publisher, high court hears

Duke is ‘one of two claimants whose claims are still live’ against NGN, court told, the other being ex-MP Tom Watson

The Duke of Sussex is continuing his lawsuit against the publisher of the Sun over allegations of unlawful information gathering, the high court has heard.

Prince Harry “is one of two claimants whose claims are still live” against Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers (NGN), his barrister David Sherborne said, with the other being the former deputy Labour leader Tom Watson. The court was told 39 cases had been settled since a previous hearing in July.

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Snow White star Rachel Zegler apologises for angry Trump post

West Side Story actor soon to take on iconic Disney role backs down after re-election response led to backlash

The West Side Story and Snow White actor Rachel Zegler has apologised after criticising Donald Trump and his supporters.

The 23-year-old, currently starring in Broadway’s re-imagined Romeo + Juliet, had posted a lengthy response to the re-election of Trump and the “four years of hatred” he would bring about in America.

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Lebanon ceasefire talks intensify as Hezbollah considers new US-Israeli proposal – CNN

  1. Lebanon ceasefire talks intensify as Hezbollah considers new US-Israeli proposal  CNN
  2. Netanyahu Plans a Big Gift for Trump—Two Months From Now  The New Republic
  3. The Price Israel and Lebanon are Each Paying for Their War on the Border  NPR
  4. Lebanon studying US plan to end Israel-Hezbollah conflict — officials  The Times of Israel
  5. Israeli Forces Push Deeper Into Lebanon in Widening War Campaign  The Wall Street Journal
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‘Ready for ceasefire, but Israel must respect proposal’, says Hamas – Hindustan Times

  1. ‘Ready for ceasefire, but Israel must respect proposal’, says Hamas  Hindustan Times
  2. Hamas says 'ready for ceasefire' as Israel presses Gaza campaign  Yahoo! Voices
  3. Hamas urges Trump to pressure Israel to end Gaza war; PIJ releases hostage video  The Times of Israel
  4. Hamas official says group is ready for 'immediate' ceasefire - report  The Jerusalem Post
  5. Middle East crisis: Hamas ‘ready’ for Gaza ceasefire, says senior official – as it happened  The Guardian
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Tropical Storm Sara: Forecast cone, maps, models and plots – NBC2 News

  1. Tropical Storm Sara: Forecast cone, maps, models and plots  NBC2 News
  2. Tropical Storm Sara Is A Dangerous Central America Flood Threat  The Weather Channel
  3. How Tropical Storm Sara's Impact on US Could Change  Newsweek
  4. Tropical Storm Sara to significantly weaken on path to Central Florida, drive up rain chances  WESH 2 Orlando
  5. Belize on alert as Tropical Storm Sara moves along Honduran coast bringing heavy rain  The Associated Press
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