The British Council has been accused of exploiting hundreds of agency teachers on zero-hour contracts forced to compete for lessons in a “feeding frenzy” every week. An open letter from teaching staff reveals the prestigious government-funded public body does not offer regular hours to tutors on its popular English Online platform, which provides lessons to … Read more
When the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, resigned in early January, after months of pressure to quit, the approval ratings of the progressive firebrand had dropped from their peak of 65% in September 2016 to 22%. At the end of last year, the Conservative leader, Pierre Poilievre, described by many as “Trump Lite”, was the … Read more
Five people have been charged after a 40-year-old woman was shot dead in south Wales last week. Joanne Penney died at a block of flats in Talbot Green, near Pontyclun, in Rhondda Cynon Taf, on Sunday. South Wales police said they had charged two women and three men, who will appear at Cardiff magistrates court … Read more
A bin collection strike in Birmingham could lead to rats thriving on a “banquet” of food waste and pose a public health danger, pest controllers have said. About 400 council bin workers in Birmingham began an indefinite strike on Tuesday as part of a dispute over pay and conditions. The trade union Unite has argued … Read more
The former shadow chancellor John McDonnell has joined those criticising the government’s proposed benefit cuts, as he accused ministers of lacking empathy and understanding over the proposed changes. McDonnell, who sits as an independent MP after losing the Labour whip over a previous benefits vote, said he was surprised at how poorly Keir Starmer’s government … Read more
A devoted investor in Elon Musk’s Tesla – and once a close childhood friend of the US president’s eldest son and namesake – says he hopes the world’s richest man’s role in cutting federal spending for Donald Trump’s administration is “short-lived” and that he returns to managing his businesses. Investment manager Christopher Tsai, whose firm … Read more
Sipping tea on an unusually warm February afternoon on his veranda that overlooked the small Alawite village of Arza, north-west Syria, Mohammed Abdullah al-Ismaili said he trusted the new Syrian authorities to keep him safe. “We believe what [interim Syrian president Ahmed] al-Sharaa says, but the problem is these unknown groups,” the 62-year-old official in … Read more
Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature Ukrainian air defences destroyed 130 out of 178 drones launched by Russia during its latest overnight strike, Kyiv’s air force said on Saturday. It added that another 38 drones had been “locationally lost”, typically a reference to electronic jamming, and that … Read more
Up to 300,000 people with side hustles ranging from selling clothes online to dog walking are to be freed from the chore of having to do a self-assessment tax return. The government said this week it wanted “to make it easier for Britons to make the very most of their entrepreneurial spirit”. But this move … Read more
Labour’s push for economic growth at the expense of climate and nature is “extremely dangerous”, the co-leader of the Green party has said. Adrian Ramsay, the MP for Waveney Valley between Norfolk and Suffolk, was one of the five Green MPs elected to parliament last July in their best ever result. He said and his … Read more