Government’s lead on academic freedom cautions of significant danger to integrity if expression is restricted

Universities in England should rearrange classrooms and use the Chatham House rule to help students overcome their fears of discussing controversial topics, according to the government’s lead on free speech.

Arif Ahmed, the Office for Students’ director of freedom of speech and academic freedom, said there was a significant danger to academic integrity if speech and expression were restricted on campuses, and he urged universities to take positive steps to tackle student reticence.

Police believe victim to be Joanne Penney and confirm 42-year-old man remains under arrest on suspicion of murder

A woman shot dead on a residential street in a south Wales town has been named as Joanne Penney.

Police were called to reports of the shooting in the Green Park area of Talbot Green at 6.10pm on Sunday.

The rightwing leader’s latest feud isn’t with remainers or ‘woke’ elites – but with his own party, fuelled by Elon Musk’s intervention

One constant of British political life is that Nigel Farage never stays out of the spotlight for long. Having built a political career on railing against the establishment – while, paradoxically, embedding himself within it – Mr Farage finds himself embroiled in yet another melodrama. This time, however, the threat comes not from the usual suspects – remainers, the BBC or “woke” elites – but from his own side.

The affair revolves around Rupert Lowe, a little‑known businessman, elected as one of Reform UK’s five MPs in 2024 under Mr Farage’s leadership. That should have been the beginning of a forgettable contribution to British public life. Yet, thanks to the intervention of Elon Musk – the world’s richest man and Donald Trump’s “government efficiency” tsar – Mr Lowe has a starring role in Mr Farage’s latest soap opera.

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More than 1,000 people are believed to have died so far in fighting between security services and Assad loyalists

Clashes between Syrian security services and fighters loyal to the ousted Assad regime erupted on Wednesday, kicking off five days of still-ongoing fighting which has killed more than 1,000 people, including 745 civilians, according to a war monitor.

The clashes, some of the deadliest in the country since the beginning of its civil war in 2011, were the biggest challenge Syria’s new authorities faced since taking power in December.

Former central banker won landslide victory in Liberal party race as trade war with US hastens transfer of power

Canada’s incoming prime minister, Mark Carney, has met with Justin Trudeau as the pair discuss a transfer of power after the former central banker’s landslide victory at the Liberal party’s leadership race.

The meeting on Monday sets the stage for an imminent federal election and gives Canada a fresh leader to square off against the United States president, with the two countries locked in a bitter trade war provoked by Donald Trump.