A-levels: pupils in England to receive predicted grades after major U-turn August 17, 2020 Pupils in England will receive teacher predicted grades for their A-level results after a major government U-turn. Teacher predicted grades will also be used for the upcoming GCSE results. Education secretary Gavin Williamson said: “This has been an extraordinarily difficult year for young people who were unable to take their exams. “We worked with Ofqual [...]
Wales to use predicted grades for A-level results in U-turn August 17, 2020 Wales is to award pupils A-levels in line with their predicted grades after a backlash against the use of an algorithm to moderate results. Welsh minister for education Kirsty Williams, said: “Working with Qualifications Wales and WJEC we have sought an approach which provides fairness and balances out differences in the standards applied to judgments [...]
Liz Truss blasts ‘unacceptable’ US tariffs on Scotch whisky August 17, 2020 International trade secretary Liz Truss has slammed the “unacceptable and unfair” US tariffs on British products, while also vowing to negotiate their end when the UK leaves the post-Brexit transition period. The US levelled tariffs on several European countries last year – after permission from the World Trade Organisation (WTO) – as a part of [...]
GCSE results in Northern Ireland to be based on predicted grades August 17, 2020 Pupils in Northern Ireland will receive teacher predicted grades for their GCSEs, the education minister said. Ahead of the publication of GCSE results on Thursday education minister Peter Weir said that “exceptional circumstances” meant that pupils would receive predicted grades as their final mark. “Having received advice from CCEA and listened to the concerns of [...]
Belarus: There will be no new election, says Lukashenko August 17, 2020 Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko today said there would be no new presidential election despite calls from the opposition and nationwide anti-government protests, the Belta news agency reported. “You should never expect me to do something under pressure,” he was quoted as saying. “They (new elections) won’t happen.” Lukashenko’s reported comments came as he faces the [...]
UK urges at-risk groups to sign up for coronavirus vaccine trials August 17, 2020 The UK today urged elderly people and volunteers from black and Asian minority groups to sign up to a coronavirus vaccine trial registry to boost efforts to find a working vaccine against the disease that offers protection against higher risk groups. No Covid-19 vaccine candidate has yet been proven effective against the disease, but around [...]
In picking Kamala Harris, Joe Biden continues his successful front porch campaign August 17, 2020 To know some history, to comprehend the story of the past, is the invaluable guide in understanding the political present. For example, if I had a pound for every time it has been printed that the upcoming 2020 US presidential campaign is unprecedented, I’d be rich. I confess my first thoughts were also along these [...]
Belarus protests continue as Lukashenko claims Nato tanks are on the border August 16, 2020 Tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of Minsk again today to protest against the allegedly fixed election result that returned Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko to power. The “March for Freedom” has seen Belarusian opponents of Lukashenko clash with police, after Lukashenko won last week’s electoin with 80 per cent of the [...]
Trade groups threaten legal action over post-Brexit customs system August 16, 2020 The government’s new post-Brexit customs system may face a legal challenge, after trade bodies have complained it will distort competition. The Sunday Telegraph reports that trade bodies clashed with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) at a meeting of its customs experts panel. Trade bodies expressed their concern that the new Trader Support Service, which will [...]
Sadiq Khan allies claim Number 10 is trying to weaken City Hall August 16, 2020 Allies of Sadiq Khan are worried the government is making a concerted attempt to transfer power away from City Hall. The mayor of London has had a series of conflicts with the government, beginning with a set of conditions placed on a £1.6bn TfL bailout from the government. The terms of the bailout saw Boris [...]