Overseas education project for women and girls axed by UK after two years 04. July 2026 (10:00) The programme, aimed at keeping 1m girls in school across Africa, Asia and the Middle East, withdrawn after aid cutsA leading higher education programme, aimed at keeping 1 million girls in school across Africa, Asia and the Middle East, has been axed by the British government just two years after it was announced.The scheme, Strengthening higher education for female empowerment (SHEFE), which was unveiled with some fanfare two years ago by the outgoing Conservative government, had a £45m budget to increase access to higher education for 1 million students worldwide. It has now had its tender withdrawn, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘My childhood stopped’: woman sues CPS after taking stepfather to abuse trial 04. July 2026 (09:00) Annie’s lawyers argue that prosecution was so badly executed it breached her human rightsAt her kitchen table, in a village in southern England, Annie* sits with a blue folder stuffed with court documents, witness statements and correspondence relating to the trial of her stepfather, whom she had reported to police for alleged childhood abuse.As she prepared to tell her story for the first time, she was flooded with emotion when a photograph fell from the folder. The square Polaroid showed a young girl standing in a field beside a pony, dressed in jodhpurs and a riding hat. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pull an all-nighter? How parents, schools, fans and police plan to cope with England’s 1am kick-off 04. July 2026 (08:00) Popular national pastimes of drinking and football will make post-Mexico Monday a day of sore heads and sleepy childrenEngland are through to the round of 16 in the World Cup and, as is customary in the run-up to a major international footballing fixture, the country may be losing its mind.Because piled on top of the 60 years of hurt for the men’s team, England fans have another obstacle to overcome with the forthcoming fixture: a gruelling kick-off time of 1am BST. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Brexit rule change means British teens in EU face soaring student fees for UK degrees 04. July 2026 (08:00) Brexit means ‘home fee’ qualification ends in 2028, leaving those hoping to study in UK not now eligible for loansBritish teenagers living in the EU could be priced out of UK universities in two years’ time as a Brexit rule change means they face the double whammy of paying costlier international fees, while losing access to student finance.British passport holders living in the EU still qualify for “home fee” status at UK universities. But this will no longer be the case when the grace period ends in 2028, meaning the first wave to be affected are starting their A-levels, or equivalent, this autumn. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK and Ireland leaders fear for union’s future under Farage-led government 04. July 2026 (08:00) Politicians across Celtic nations braced for constitutional turmoil if Reform continues to riseThe rise of Nigel Farage has prompted political leaders across Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to game the unthinkable: the break-up of the United Kingdom.Unionists who wish to save the union and nationalists who wish to end it are bracing for constitutional turmoil if Reform UK emerges triumphant – with Farage as prime minister or official leader of the opposition – after the next election. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump launches America’s 250th birthday celebrations with partisan attack 04. July 2026 (07:30) In a speech at Mount Rushmore on Friday evening, the US president claimed a resurgent ‘communist menace’ posed a severe threat the countryDonald Trump has kicked off America’s 250th birthday weekend with an extraordinary partisan attack on what he called the “communist menace” in America, framing its supporters as “the enemy of July 4th, 1776”.The US president spoke for half an hour on Friday night at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, the latest stop on his tour celebrating the milestone anniversary of the US declaration of independence from Britain. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
