In this issue

August 16, 2024

"Two-tier system': record A-level results highlight regional divide

South-east well ahead on top grades as gap in university access widens

4 mins

Gaza toll of 40,000 hides true scale of loss

Dalia Hawas was 24 when an Israeli airstrike flattened the apartment building where she lived in February, burying the young mother with her 10-month-old daughter, Mona.

4 mins

Biden and Harris hail win against Big Pharma as they woo older voters

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris cast themselves as the champions of older people in a David-and-Goliath fight against big pharmaceutical companies, at a joint event last night touting a deal to lower the cost of prescription drugs.

3 mins

Dinosaur-killing meteor 'likely to have come from beyond Jupiter'

When a massive space rock slammed into Earth 66m years ago, it wiped out huge swathes of life and ended the reign of the dinosaurs.

1 min

Trainee gondoliers wanted: must be in love with Venice and know how to swim

With their straw hats and stripy shirts, Venice's distinguished gondoliers have been deftly rowing passengers through the narrow canals of the lagoon city for centuries.

3 mins

Ceasefire talks Hamas stays away as latest round begins in Doha

A new round of negotiations aimed at brokering a ceasefire in the war in Gaza and preventing it from spiralling into a region-wide conflict began yesterday, as the death toll in the Palestinian territory reached a grim milestone of 40,000 people, according to local health authorities.

3 mins

Rail firms’ prosecutions of 74,000 alleged fare dodgers to be quashed

Tens of thousands of fare dodging prosecutions brought by train companies are to be quashed after a court ruling yesterday.

2 mins

New towns plan for England risks missing housing targets, Rayner told

Angela Rayner has been warned that the government could risk missing its housing targets by placing too much emphasis on creating new towns across England.

2 mins

Woman wins CPS payout over sexsomnia’ rape claim

A woman has been awarded £35,000 from the Crown Prosecution Service after the case against a man accused of raping her was dropped over claims that she could have had an episode of a rare sleep condition called sexsomnia.

2 mins

Five people arrested and charged over death of Friends actor Matthew Perry

Five people have been arrested and charged over the death of Friends actor Matthew Perry, US prosecutors said last night, including the actor's personal assistant and two doctors.

2 mins

Taylor Swift fans shake off security fears as they flock to Wembley show

Thousands of fans flooded Wembley Stadium last night to see Taylor Swift perform for the first time since her shows in Vienna were cancelled after a foiled terrorist attack.

2 mins

'Unbelievably proud' Nerves, then joy, at UK's oldest sixth-form college

When Yasser Imlahi Iallouchen arrived to collect his BTec results yesterday morning, he said he was so nervous he could barely breathe.

3 mins

Analysis Highest grades are up this year but worrying regional disparities remain

Many students in England who received their A-level grades yesterday will have been happy after overall results showed an increase in the number of As and A*s, exceeding not only last year's results, but those recorded before the disruption caused by the pandemic.

3 mins

Caterer in legal Case over mice in school kitchen returns to profit

A catering company owned by the billionaire Coates family has reported a return to profit, after it emerged that the company had served food from a mouse-infested kitchen to primary school children and failed to pay staff the minimum wage.

3 mins

Cyanide spill in Walsall canal condemned as unacceptable’

The Environment Agency described a cyanide spill into a West Midlands canal as \"unacceptable\" and promised robust action yesterday if any wrongdoing was found to have occurred.

1 min

Gena Rowlands, star of Gloria and Opening Night, dies at 94

Gena Rowlands, the Oscar-nominated actor best known for the string of films she collaborated on with her husband, the director John Cassavetes, has died aged 94.

2 mins

Government drops appeal over activist who held sign outside court

The government has dropped an appeal against a judge's decision to throw out a contempt case against a woman who stood outside a climate activist trial holding a placard about jury rights.

1 min

Boat on which at least 8 people died in Channel was wholly unsuitable’

An investigation into the sinking of a migrant boat in the Channel that claimed at least eight lives in December 2022 has found that the dinghy was \"wholly unsuitable and illequipped\" for its hazardous journey and even more poorly constructed than other similar vessels making the crossing.

2 mins

Crown actor struggled to lose Diana's mannerisms

The Crown actor Elizabeth Debicki took a long time to shake off the mannerisms of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, whom she portrayed in the award-winning Netflix series.

1 min

Apology for student therapist expelled for his gender views

A student psychotherapist expelled from his master's course after expressing gender-critical views has received an apology from the training institute where he was studying.

2 mins

Hot cities Seville's ancient fix to tackle worsening problem

Beneath the streets of Seville - where summer temperatures regularly top 40C -a €5m (about £4m) cooling strategy is taking the city back in time.

4 mins

British MPs urge Azerbaijan to free State critic and LSE academic

A group of British MPs have called on Azerbaijan's government to free an LSE academic who was detained after writing articles critical of the country's environmental policies.

2 mins

Ukrainian troops now in full control of key Russian town, says Zelenskiv

Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, yesterday said Kyiv's troops have full control over the Russian town of Sudzha, the biggest of 80 settlements the country claims to have taken in the 10 days since its surprise incursion into Russia began.

3 mins

Harris strives to win over Latino voters to clinch swing states

The abrupt substitution of Kamala Harris for Joe Biden as the Democratic party's presidential nominee has energised two of the party's bedrock bases of support-pro-choice women and African Americans along with millions of young voters who felt dismay at the Hobson's choice posed by two old white guys in the presidential contest.

2 mins

Town in Kenya mocked for lousy’ statues of top athletes

Authorities in a Kenyan town known for its athletics success have rushed to remove statues of runners that some people had deemed shoddy, on the eve of an event to confer city status on the municipality.

1 min

Vollering plunges to ninth after Amnéville horror

Demi Vollering's hopes of back-to-back victories in the Tour de France Femmes took a painful blow after the defending champion crashed in the final moments of stage five from Bastogne to Amnéville, in the Moselle.

2 mins

Breakdancer Gunn hits back at 'devastating' online attacks

The Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn said the backlash she has received since competing at the Paris Olympics has been \"devastating\" and pleaded for privacy for her family and friends.

1 min

Bompastor calls for WSL to help clubs in Europe

New Chelsea manager wants to avoid big games before Champions League matches

2 mins

United's 'belief' Emboldened Ten Hag sets his sights on dethroning City

Erik ten Hag says Manchester United's ambition is to win the Premier League, claiming they have only been second best to rivals Manchester City since his arrival in 2022.

1 min

Bissouma to miss opener after laughing gas incident

Ange Postecoglou has said Yves Bissouma must earn back his trust after confirming the Mali midfielder has been suspended by Tottenham for their opening game of the season against Leicester on Monday after he was seen inhaling laughing gas.

1 min

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