Niger’s junta released around 50 people Tuesday, including former ministers, a diplomat, a journalist and soldiers linked to a 2010 coup attempt, following a national conference recommendation. Former President Mohamed Bazoum is still being detained despite global demands for his release. Source link
A plan to ban the Hijab in all sports is dividing the French government. On Tuesday, the Prime minister held talks with key cabinet ministers as divisions start to grow. While religious symbols have been banned in schools since 2004, earlier this year the senate voted in favour of a proposal to ban religious clothing in sports due to their role in education. Last summer during the Olympics, France was the ONLY country to ban female athletes from wearing the Hijab. For more, FRANCE 24’s French politics editor, Marc Perelman. Source link
UK drivers are “confused” by the country’s electric car transition, ministers are being warned. Although most drivers are not hostile towards electric vehicles (EVs), many are confused about what changes are coming and when, according to new research from the AA. In a survey of more than 14,000 AA members, 7% thought the government was banning the sale of used petrol and diesel cars. Around a third thought manual EVs exist, despite them all being automatic. More than one in five said they would never buy an EV. The government’s plan for increasing the number of electric vehicles being driven in the UK focuses heavily on increasing the supply of the vehicles. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 1:17 What you can do to reach net zero In 2024, at least 22% of new cars and 10% of new vans sold by each manufacturer in the UK had to be zero-emission, which generally means pure electric. Each year, those percentages will rise, reaching 80% of new cars and 70% of new …
(RNS) — At a church just outside Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Tuesday (Feb. 18), 33 ministers from the Christian Reformed Church in North America stood up to read aloud a declaration, officially accepting ordination in a rival denomination, the Reformed Church in America, and thereby gaining the freedom to be more accepting of LGBTQ believers. Having stated they will abide by the creeds and confessions of the RCA, each of the ministers was then offered a loaf of bread as a symbol of fellowship and welcome. The group ordination ceremony — the first of its kind — is one of the more public signs of an ongoing split in the Christian Reformed Church on the part of churches no longer willing to abide the CRC’s increasingly rigid stance on sexuality. The ministers are not moving alone. Since June of last year, 26 churches have informed the denomination that they intend to disaffiliate from the 1,000-church body based in Grand Rapids, according to a CRC spokesperson. Most of those churches have declared themselves open and affirming …
Trust boss left puzzled after advisory board refers decision to minister Trust boss left puzzled after advisory board refers decision to minister A trust CEO said he has been left puzzled after a merger that would create England’s second-biggest academy chain was referred to ministers to rule on. Delta Academies Trust boss Paul Tarn took over Coast and Vale Learning Trust as chief executive in April, following an “in-principle agreement” between the organisations to join forces. The proposals – which will take Delta’s tally to 63 schools – were due to be decided on by the Department for Education’s Yorkshire and Humber advisory board last month. Coast and Vale has six schools. But documents published today reveal the case has instead been escalated to government ministers, but don’t say why this has been done. “I’m at a loss,” Tarn said. “We’re well above national for all the key measures, we’re the most efficient trust, financially, in the country, we’re rebuilding all our schools from the ground up – this is the kind of trust you want …
It has established three separate winter heating payments, the pension age winter heating payment, which replaces the UK’s winter fuel payment, the winter heating payment, which is made to low-income families, and the child winter heating payment, which helps families which have higher energy costs because of a child with an illness or disability. Source link
New regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) teams will start to be rolled out in January New regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) teams will start to be rolled out in January More from this theme Recent articles The first group of leaders appointed to the government’s new school improvement squads will be picked by ministers, it has emerged, sparking fears of more “jobs for the boys”. The Department for Education launched a recruitment drive this month to secure the services of experienced turnaround leaders to work as advisers on its regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) teams. The divisions, which will also be staffed by civil servants, will start to be rolled out in January, commissioning support for struggling schools from bodies such as trusts, councils and federations. Pepe DiIasio But it has now been confirmed that a “small number of advisers” will be approached directly by department officials for those teams starting in January – avoiding the application process. Association of School and College Leaders general secretary Pepe Di’Iasio said: …
2 min read20 November Care leavers could get free prescriptions and bus fares as part of plans to boost government support for vulnerable young people, PoliticsHome understands. At a recent meeting of the Labour Government’s Care Leavers Inter-Ministerial Board, ministers also discussed waiving passport fees and uplifting Universal Credit for young people who have been in care to receive the same amount as over 25s. The new board, co-chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, met earlier this month for the first time since Labour’s General Election victory in July. The meeting heard from the children’s charity Become as well as young people who raised their concerns with ministers over the cost of living, transport and health support. One woman who ended up jobless and homeless after turning 18 told her story of being a care leaver and the need for more support. The cross-government group is exploring potential policies to improve care leaver outcomes and experiences. Other ministers who attended the meeting where the ideas were discussed include business minister Sarah Jones, …
Campaigners fear sign language GCSE now won’t be rolled out as promised in September 2025 Campaigners fear sign language GCSE now won’t be rolled out as promised in September 2025 More from this theme Recent articles The exams regulator warned the previous government it wouldn’t be possible to launch the long-awaited British sign language (BSL) GCSE in the timeframe announced by ministers, Schools Week can reveal. Conservative ministers pledged to introduce the qualification next September, arguing it will “breakdown barriers, advance equality of opportunity, and celebrate the history and rich culture” of BSL. But it now looks likely that date will be missed, campaigners say. It has since emerged Ofqual also advised the previous incumbents of Downing Street that it would not be possible to meet the timeframe. BSL work ‘taking time’ Lindsay Foster, of BSL awarding body Signature, said: “It is [our] belief, given how close we are to 2025, that it is unrealistic that first teaching will commerce in September 2025. “Although the delay may be frustrating, it is important that this …
Who is doing what at the DfE under the Labour government Who is doing what at the DfE under the Labour government More from this theme Recent articles The new government has finally confirmed which ministers are responsible for what at the Department for Education, nearly three weeks after Labour won the general election. The draft set of portfolios was first revealed by Schools Week earlier this month. As reported, Catherine McKinnell is schools minister with an expanded brief also covering SEND and AP. Stephen Morgan is minister for early education, with a raft of schools policies also included in his brief. Janet Daby is minister for children and families, with a brief more focused on children’s social care and less on education than the role under the Conservative government. Baroness Jacqui Smith, the former home secretary and schools minister, is minister for skills and will lead all the DfE’s work in the House of Lords. Education secretary Bridget Phillipson holds cabinet-level responsibility for the women and equalities brief, with Anneliese Dodds also serving as minister …
