UK

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson has launched a website to help parents teach their children the basics to get them ready to start primary school.The new Starting Reception website, developed by education charitable foundation Kindred Squared along with schools and parents, is being launched on Wednesday as parents learn which primary school their children will attend.It comes amid fears that the “Covid babies” born during lockdown may be the least prepared for school yet. There is growing evidence of four-year-olds starting primary school being unable to even climb stairs or take off their own coats.Advice on the new website includes helping parents to teach their children essential survival skills for school such as going to the toilet on their own and even recognising their own names.Speaking to The Independent, Ms Phillipson said: “It’s crucial to understand that giving every child the best start in life begins long before they walk through the school gates. That’s why we’re supporting Kindred on our collective effort to get tens of thousands of children school ready.”Bridget Phillipson More

Mozambique’s security forces carried out a brutal, three-month crackdown on protesters after the country’s election last year, a leading international rights group said Wednesday, citing local activists who alleged that more than 300 people were killed and more than 3,000 were injured in the unrest.In its new report, Amnesty International called on Mozambican authorities to investigate the killings and all rights violations in the wake of the election, and to bring law enforcement officials responsible to justice.Thousands of Mozambicans took part in waves of protests in the weeks after the Oct. 9 presidential and parliamentary election, where Daniel Chapo of the ruling Frelimo party was declared the winner amid allegations of rigging and election fraud raised by his challengers and international observers.The protests were in support of Venancio Mondlane, who ran as an independent candidate but was supported by the opposition Podemos party.The demonstrations intensified after the Oct. 18 killing of Mondlane’s lawyer and a Podemos official, who were fatally shot by gunmen late at night while sitting in a car in Mozambique’s capital, Maputo.Mondlane denounced the slayings as a political assassination and called for 25 days of protests — one day for each of the 25 bullets that were fired at the car. Mondlane, citing fears for his own safety, left the country for two months but returned in January.According to Amnesty’s report, between Oct. 21 and Jan. 25, the Mozambique police and army used deadly force against largely peaceful marches and gatherings, shooting live ammunition, rubber bullets and tear gas canisters at protesters and bystanders. Amnesty cited the Mozambican civil society group Plataforma DECIDE, which said 315 people died in the protests between Oct. 21 and Jan. 16 — a toll that far exceeded numbers that authorities have acknowledged. Police said in January that 96 people were killed in the protests during the three-month time period, including 17 officers.”Police unlawfully used firearms and less lethal weapons, killing and injuring protesters and bystanders,” Amnesty said. “The army also used force and less lethal weapons recklessly and unlawfully.”Amnesty said its report was based on interviews with 28 people, including eyewitnesses, victims, victims’ relatives, doctors and lawyers. Other rights groups have reported that at least 10 children were among those killed in the protests.Police carried out mass arrests of protesters and bystanders, including teenagers, Amnesty said. Plataforma DECIDE said more than 4,000 people were arrested, most of them arbitrarily. Amnesty also said it has evidence suggesting that Mozambican internet providers restricted access to social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram and the messaging service WhatsApp “at key moments during the protests.”In January, Chapo was sworn in as president. He and Mondlane met in March in an attempt at mediation, with the president promising to investigate protest deaths.The Frelimo party has ruled Mozambique since independence from colonial ruler Portugal in 1975 and has often been accused of rigging elections by putting officials loyal to it in charge of electoral processes. A report by election observers from the European Union said last year’s vote was marred by deliberate invalidation of opposition votes and alteration of polling results, as well as ballot box stuffing in favor of Frelimo.Mozambican politics have been largely framed by a 15-year civil war between Frelimo and rebel group Renamo, which ended in 1992, with the rebel group later becoming an opposition party. The protests in support of Mondlane, previously a member of the Renamo party, were the largest threat to Frelimo’s rule.Protests died down after the crackdown but violence still persists. Mondlane this week visited the port city of Quelimane, where gunmen on Sunday shot one of his main campaign organizers, Joel Amaral. He was shot three times, including once in the head, but survived and remains in an intensive care unit in the hospital.___Mangwiro reported from Maputo, Mozambique.___AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa More

The UK may be on the brink of agreeing a new trade deal with the US after nearly five years of negotiations.The previous government began discussions for a free trade agreement in May 2020 with then-president Joe Biden’s administration. Now, vice-president JD Vance has said that there is a “good chance” a deal could be reached between the two countries, as the world reels from the global trade war prompted by Donald Trump’s tariffs.The UK has received the lowest possible tariff rate, with 10 per cent taxes applied on exports to the United States, which Mr Vance has said was partly due to America’s “cultural affinity” with Britain. What could a trade deal look like? Sir Keir Starmer’s government has made no pretence over the fact that it is not looking for a traditional comprehensive trade deal. Instead, it is pushing for an agreement based around the growth of “future” industries, such as biotech, new pharmaceuticals and artificial intelligence.The proposal is that the UK and US research base, coupled with the money markets in New York and London, would create a powerhouse for the latest industrial revolution, which could shape the future of the world.The US largely embraces this idea, but there are caveats, and the negotiations have been complicated by President Trump’s tariffs.In February, prime minister Keir Starmer met with US president Donald Trump and vice-president JD Vance More

Sir Keir Starmer must embrace Donald Trump’s agenda by repealing hate speech laws in order to get a trade deal over the line, sources close to JD Vance have told The Independent.The warning came after the US vice-president suggested a UK-US agreement may be close, with the White House “working very hard” on it.He told UnHerd: “I think there’s a good chance that, yes, we’ll come to a great agreement that’s in the best interest of both countries.”But allies of Mr Vance say he is “obsessed by the fall of Western civilisation” – including his view that free speech is being eroded in Britain – and that he will demand the Labour government rolls back laws against hateful comments, including abuse targeting LGBT+ groups or other minorities, as a condition of any deal.The Independent was told: “The vice-president expressing optimism [on a trade deal] is a way of putting further pressure on the UK over free speech. If a deal does not go through, it makes Labour look bad.”US vice-president JD Vance said the administration was ‘working very hard’ to negotiate a trade deal with the UK More

Watch as Nigel Farage makes a Reform UK campaign speech in County Durham on Tuesday, 15 April, ahead of May’s local elections.Voters in 23 local authorities in England go to the polls on 1 May to choose new councillors.Reform is standing more candidates in next month’s local elections than either Labour or the Conservatives – though no party has managed to find enough people to contest every seat.It is the first ballot box test for political parties since Labour won the 2024 general election.A total of 1,641 council seats across the 23 authorities are up for grabs.According to PA news agency analysis of nomination data published by local authorities, Reform is standing 1,631 candidates — meaning the party is contesting 99.4 per cent of seats.The Conservatives have 1,596 candidates (97.3 per cent of seats) and Labour has 1,543 (94.0 per cent).The Liberal Democrats have 1,396 candidates (85.1 per cent), and the Greens have 1,183 (72.1 per cent). More

JD Vance has said the US is trying to secure a “great” trade deal with the UK as Donald Trump’s tariffs heighten global trade tensions. The vice president said Mr Trump is “working very hard” on an agreement with Britain that could see damaging import taxes eased or lifted. His remarks are a boost to Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves, with Mr Trump’s trade war threatening to wipe out economic growth and force Labour into further spending cuts or tax hikes in the autumn budget. It comes after senior Trump adviser Kevin Hassett last week said deals with two countries, thought to be the UK and Australia, were close.British officials fear a 10 per cent universal tariff levied by the US president could be a permanent feature under his administration. But they are hopeful a trade deal could see the 25 per cent tariffs on steel, aluminium and automotive imports lifted or slashed. US vice president JD Vance said the US is working on a trade deal with the UK More

Hackers have targeted the leader of the House of Commons’s social media account promoting the launch of a bogus House of Commons crypto coin. A link posted to Labour MP Lucy Powell’s X account called for investors in a so-called “$HOC” House of Commons coin, alongside the House of Commons logo.“House of Commons official crypto coin is now live!” a post from Ms Powell’s official account read. Lucy Powell’s X account was hacked to promote a fake cryptocurrency More

Since the beginning of the year, there has been a marked difference between the effusive and slightly over-the-top kind words Donald Trump has used about Keir Starmer and the appalling things his key supporters have been saying about the prime minister. This, along with the contemptuous briefings against him and his government.But over the last weeks, all has become crystal clear about the mafia boss-style game Trump is using in his relations with his beloved UK – the land of his mother. And his political heavy JD “knuckle dusters” Vance is a big part of that strategy.This is the context in which Vance’s latest optimistic comments on a free trade deal between the UK and US need to be considered.The vice president told Unherd: “We’re certainly working very hard with Keir Starmer’s government.Trump and Starmer hold a joint press conference in the East Room at the White House in Washington DC More