Pausing the scrapping of existing qualifications was the right decision. But the wider battle over further education continues The government’s granting of a stay of execution to popular courses including health and business studies BTecs, while alternatives are developed, is a victory for common sense. It should not have taken a years‑long campaign by the college sector to prevent the over‑hasty defunding of qualifications that are taken by more than 200,000 students each year in England and Wales. Belatedly, the government has admitted as much. Jacqui Smith, the skills minister, said that the previous timetable was “too aggressive”. Welcome though this admission is, the problems with this package of reforms to 16-19 education go beyond the timetable. Other questionable decisions remain to be either justified or unpicked. The most important of these is the replacement of numerous existing diplomas with brand-new V-levels, which are being designed as A-level-size equivalents, with a view to enabling students to mix and match (for example, studying an education V-level alongside sociology and drama A-levels). Education is one of the first three V-levels due to be launched, along with finance and digital, next year. Continue reading...

Pro-Palestinian protesters gather on one side of Thames as those backing US-Israel war on Iran meet on the other Twelve people were arrested as hundreds joined a pro-Palestinian al-Quds Day demonstration on one side of the Thames, while hundreds more gathered on the opposite bank to back Israeli and American attacks on Iran. At least 1,000 police officers were drafted in to keep the two rival protests apart. Lambeth Bridge, the nearest river crossing to each rally, remained closed on Sunday afternoon. Continue reading...

Evidence is piling up that GLP-1 drugs can treat addiction. We must learn from the way that obesity has been stigmatised In the years since so-called weight-loss jabs entered widespread use, there have been reports that these drugs may not just reduce food cravings, but in fact cravings and desires full-stop. Earlier this month, a study using large-scale data from US veterans undergoing diabetes treatment suggested that those on the jabs were less likely to develop addictions to a wide range of drugs. Patients already using substances appeared about half as likely to suffer overdose or drug-related death if they were taking the jab as well. This is an exciting avenue for future research. These medicines work partly on satiation and reward centres in the brain. It is likely that problematic food and drug cravings share a similar biological basis, and next-generation medicines may be more powerful or more targeted to one or the other. But, in the meantime, we should expect that existing weight-loss drugs will end up recommended (or prescribed off-label) for addiction treatment. This should make us rethink our approach to these remarkable medicines. Continue reading...

Afghan government reports zero casualties and accuses neighbouring country of wanting to ‘fuel the fire of war’ Pakistan has targeted militant hideouts in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province overnight, as the fighting that erupted between the two neighbours late last month showed no signs of abating. The cross-border attacks, which have included Pakistani airstrikes in Kabul, are the deadliest yet between the countries. Islamabad has referred to the conflict as an “open war”, adding to concerns about regional stability as the US-Israeli conflict with Iran engulfs the Middle East and beyond. Continue reading...

Coach ‘the perfect person’ to lead side into World Cup Springboks game ‘an amazing opportunity’ for players Jamie George has insisted England can go toe-to-toe with South Africa when they lock horns with the world champions in July and believes his side will be among the favourites for next year’s World Cup if Steve Borthwick remains as head coach. England are on a disappointing run of four straight defeats but, while Saturday’s 48-46 loss to France condemned them to their worst Six Nations campaign, the manner in which Borthwick’s side performed – scoring seven tries in Paris – has given rise to renewed optimism. Continue reading...

Energy supply shock from US-Israeli attack on Iran fuels record valuations for Shell, ExxonMobil and Chevron Beyond the strait: why attacks on Kargh Island could keep oil prices high Shares in big oil companies have soared to all-time highs since the war in Iran began and sparked historic price rises on global oil and gas markets. The combined market value of the six stock market-listed western “super majors” has soared by more than $130bn in the two weeks since the first US-Israeli attacks on Iran. Continue reading...

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Readers recall advice from their mothers – and fathers – on navigating the world I so enjoyed Tim Dowling’s article on advice from his mother (My mother’s best advice: learn to raise one eyebrow at the world, 11 March). My own mother died in October and, while she never gave me any advice about facial expressions, she certainly taught me the importance of seeing the absurd in the world around us and to take pleasure in that, but without mocking, criticising or belittling. A metaphorical raise of the eyebrow, if you will, and something that I still reflect on. David Nancarrow Marlborough, Wiltshire • Regarding words of wisdom from mothers, a friend’s mum taught her to recite the mantra “Bus pass, dinner money, homework, handkerchief” whenever she left the house to go to school. It still applies in principle. The first two have been replaced by a phone and credit card, the third by reading specs. But the necessity of a simple handkerchief has stood the test of time. Thank you, Mrs Moss. Caroline Alexander Sevenoaks, Kent Continue reading...

Universal phone coverage is yet to arrive in Britain, making a mockery of the government’s planned scheme, writes Teresa Rodrigues. Plus a letter from Sarah Davidson What needs to be spelled out to the politicians looking to consult people about digital ID is that you cannot have a universal digital anything until you have universal phone coverage (UK digital ID scheme to have limited use before next general election, minister says, 10 March). When the old copper phone lines are switched off, we will be cut off because no provider will invest in our area, and this is not untypical of large areas of Devon. That means that any digital ID accessed by phone will not be available to us unless we go and park in a layby every day where we can get signal. Does Darren Jones, the prime minister’s chief secretary, even understand this point? We are not refuseniks. We just live near a hill, and so we won’t be able to do our car tax, get our medical records or anything else as things stand. Continue reading...

The random selection of jurors from local communities ensures that they are far more likely to reflect the cultural heritage of people appearing in court, says Nic Madge The prime minister’s spokesperson is right that “only by using a combination of reform, investment and efficiency, can we hope to turn the tide on the backlog and deliver the faster and fairer justice the victims deserve” in the criminal courts (Labour lawyers ‘blocked’ from briefing MPs on jury trials overhaul before vote, 9 March). But curtailing the right to jury trial will have a minimal effect on the backlog. Jury trials are not the cause of the backlog. Furthermore, the government’s proposals will disproportionately impact Black complainants, witnesses and defendants. Continue reading...

Instead of romanticising a pre-AI past, universities should use this moment to rethink what they actually want students to demonstrate, says Dr Nafisa Baba-Ahmed The frustration many academics are expressing about artificial intelligence and critical thinking is understandable (‘I wish I could push ChatGPT off a cliff’: professors scramble to save critical thinking in an age of AI, 10 March). But from my experience working with students on academic writing, blaming AI risks masking a problem that universities have lived with for years. In my work with students, I have long seen the ways in which thinking can be outsourced when assessment allows it: essay mills, shared past papers, model essays passed between cohorts, or heavy reliance on tutors and friends to structure assignments. Artificial intelligence did not invent this behaviour. It has simply industrialised a shortcut that already existed. Continue reading...

We take a look at the best images from the Games, including skiing success and ice hockey despair Continue reading...

National Secular Society to launch court action after failure to investigate alleged breaches of academic freedom laws A university regulator in England has failed to investigate potential breaches of laws protecting academic freedom at a dozen theological colleges and is now facing legal action, the Guardian has learned. The National Secular Society says it is preparing to pursue the Office for Students (OfS) through the courts to act on complaints first made five years ago, arguing that the colleges are ineligible for public funding or government-backed student loans because of their commitment to theological doctrine. Continue reading...

Danish rider seals overall victory in final stage Isaac del Toro wins Tirreno-Adriatico The two-time Tour de France winner, Jonas Vingegaard, claimed his first Paris-Nice title as the Frenchman Lenny Martinez pipped him in a sprint finish to win Sunday’s final stage. Vingegaard had already won two stages earlier in the eight-day race but left his charge for the line a fraction too late in the two-up sprint after the pair had broken away on the final climb of the hilly 145km eighth stage that started and finished in Nice on the French Riviera. Continue reading...

Israeli military also says on social media brother of Ayman Mohamad Ghazali was ‘eliminated in airstrike last week’ Israel’s military claimed on Sunday that the brother of the recent Michigan synagogue attacker was a Hezbollah commander responsible for managing weapons in a unit that has launched “hundreds of rockets toward Israeli civilians”. In a statement posted on X, the IDF claimed that Ibrahim Mohamad Ghazali – brother of Ayman Mohamad Ghazali – was a Hezbollah commander within a specialized branch of the Badr unit. Continue reading...

Chelsea 2-0 Man Utd (James 19, Beever-Jones 76) Blues retain Women’s League Cup with victory Death, taxes and Chelsea women winning trophies. Regardless of their form this season, regardless of an all-but relinquished WSL title, with Manchester City nine points clear at the top of the table, you can never bet against the Blues in a cup final. If there was a time for Manchester United to get the better of Sonia Bompastor’s side, having twice lost to them in the FA Cup final, it was now. Marc Skinner’s side sit one point ahead of Chelsea in the league, and they have looked in better form. Continue reading...

Daniel Farke is trying to stay cool. Having moved to within touching distance of Premier League safety when they beat Nottingham Forest last month, picking up just three points from their last five games could be raising a few jitters among the Leeds supporters. But Farke and his players were the ones celebrating at full-time after earning a point that could be priceless to their hopes of survival in the end. Had Dominic Calvert-Lewin converted from the spot after Will Hughes had gifted them a penalty then things may have looked very different. Up until that point, Leeds had been the much better side as Crystal Palace again struggled against their physical approach. But the sending off of Gabriel Gudmundsson after a comical moment when the referee, Thomas Bramall, briefly forgot that the Sweden defender had already been cautioned changed the complexion of the game. Continue reading...

It seemed, for the briefest of moments, that it was finally Vítor Pereira and Nottingham Forest’s day. Dan Ndoye, the half-time substitute, had burst into the area after the hour-mark and sidefooted perfectly, prompting an explosion of relief at the City Ground. But the joy at taking the lead against Fulham was swiftly snuffed out as the goal was disallowed by the video assistant referee, denying a side that has struggled so much with the final touch all season. Pereira’s excruciating run continues, still waiting for his first Premier League victory this campaign. He has just four points from his 14 matches in charge of Wolves and Forest. Continue reading...

On 71 minutes a classic Manchester United riposte, via Matheus Cunha, to Ross Barkley’s equaliser moments before. From around halfway, the peerless Bruno Fernandes glanced up and steered the ball through an inside left channel for Cunha. United’s No 10 galloped forward and as Emiliano Martínez loomed large the Brazilian’s curled finish was a peach that kissed the far right of the net, Cunha stepping forward before the Stretford End to soak up the ecstatic adoration. Fernandes’ assist was a second of the contest and 16th in total in the Premier League: a record for United, this term’s competition high, and a latest argument for him winning the player of the season awards. Continue reading...

The Austrian tenor is making his Royal Opera debut as Siegfried in the third instalment of of the Ring Cycle. He explains why operetta prepared him for the opera’s epic demands, and why Wagner’s loutish adolescent is more hero than zero Andreas Schager bursts through the door, crosses the room in a single stride and engulfs my hand in a firm clasp. “Sorry I’m sweaty,” he grins. “I’ve been forging Nothung!” It’s a midweek lunchtime in a cluttered back office at London’s Royal Opera House, but hammering out a magical sword is all in a morning’s work for the world’s most in-demand Wagnerian leading man. Currently in rehearsals for Siegfried – the third panel of Covent Garden’s new staging of the Ring Cycle – Schager plans to spend the afternoon slaying a dragon and rescuing his beloved from an enchanted fire (after a spot of lunch, that is). But for now the tenor has a moment to catch his breath. At 54, Schager is an anomaly in the opera world. Most careers – particularly ones singing Wagner, whose scores are longer and whose roles are bigger and more demanding than any other – are built over decades. As veteran agent Boris Orlob puts it: “You see Wagner singers coming from miles away, it’s a gradual process. You take the stairs, not the elevator.” Continue reading...

⚽ Updates on the 4.30pm (GMT) kick-off at Anfield ⚽ Premier League table | Get in touch with Daniel here Liverpool (4-3-3): Alisson; Frimpong, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Szoboszlai, Mac Allister; Ngumoha, Wirtz, Gakpo. Subs: Mamardashvili, Konate, Kerkez, Salah, Chiesa, Jones, Ekitike, Nyoni, Ramsay. Tottenham Hotspur (3-4-3): Vicario; Porro, Danso, Dragusin; Spence, Sarr, Gray, Souza; Richarlison, Solanke, Tel. Subs: Kinsky, Austin, Rowswell, Olusesi, Simons, Kolo Muani, Wilson. Continue reading...

Response to Donald Trump’s callout for military support in the waterway has so far been vague and reluctant Middle East crisis – live updates Countries including the UK, Japan, China and South Korea have said they are still considering their options after the US president, Donald Trump, urged them to send warships to the strait of Hormuz to secure the vital shipping route. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump called on the UK, China, France, Japan, South Korea and other countries to send ships to the waterway, the world’s busiest shipping route which is being violently blockaded by Iran. Continue reading...

The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world Continue reading...

British negotiators ‘blindsided’ by Brussels’ demand for a reduction that could cost universities £140m a year Britain is in a standoff with Brussels over a demand to cut university tuition fees for European students, in a row that threatens to scupper Keir Starmer’s planned EU reset. EU officials say European students should pay “home” fees of about £9,500 a year as part of the negotiations over a youth mobility scheme, rather than the higher international rate, which can rise above £60,000. Continue reading...

Barbican, London Judith Weir’s salute to the Indian monsoon kicked off a concert on nature and folk themes, Korean pianist Yeol Eum Son brought poetic flourishes to works by Bartók and Finzi, while the magical Firebird made a rousing finale The environment took centre stage in a BBC Symphony Orchestra programme that journeyed from Judith Weir and the arid plains of India to Gerald Finzi and the rolling contours of the North Hampshire Downs. Bartók just about ticked the box thanks to the nocturnal sounds of the Hungarian steppe conjured up in his final piano concerto, while Stravinsky’s Firebird struts its stuff around the villainous King Koschei’s enchanted garden. With Weir’s The Welcome Arrival of Rain, it was the notes on the page that came first. Only latterly did she associate the music with the arrival of the monsoon bringing much-needed water to the parched earth. Glittering fanfares swooped heavenwards answered by shimmering strings before tom-toms and timpani turbocharged an extended series of variations. Sakari Oramo ensured the orchestra shone, even if the promised deluge never quite materialised. Continue reading...