Reported

A council investigated one of its own headteachers for saying the n-word while in the process of telling a student off for using it. Mark Tomkins was explaining to a student at Maidstone Grammar School why the racial slur is inappropriate but did not know he was secretly being recorded on an Apple Watch. The minute-long recording between Mr Tomkins and one of the students, was shared on Instagram and later reported to police. In the recording, played more than 1,000 times, Mr Tomkins can be heard saying: "I was told that some comment had been made about a student and the word n***** was used. "First thing I thought was that someone had used that word against you, but I found out you were the one who used it." An Apple Watch lock screen ( Image: Getty Images) He is then heard asking the student: "And should I treat someone differently if they use the word towards you? If someone posted that and a photograph of you?" The student tries to argue his case, telling … [Read more...] about Teacher reported to council for saying n-word while telling off student for using it

Published 21 minutes ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Related Topics Coronavirus pandemic Daily reporting of Covid figures will come to an end later, Public Health Wales has said. From Thursday, statistics will instead be given weekly at noon. Throughout the pandemic, PHW has provided daily figures for newly-infected people and those who died following a positive test. Many news outlets have already switched to collating the data on a weekly basis as the impact of the virus continues to ease. PHW said because community testing had ended, future reports would focus on broader trends such as people being treated in hospital, mortality, vaccinations and advice it provides to the health service. What do the coronavirus stats tell us? Covid in Wales: Exam help to continue Following the first cases of Covid in Wales more than two years ago, … [Read more...] about Covid: Wales’ daily reporting on cases comes to an end

A third of existing British jobs are at risk of being taken over by robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) within 15 years, a report reveals. As many as 30pc of existing roles in the UK could be automated by 2030 with the most at risk industries being waste management, transportation and manufacturing, according to an analysis by PwC. However, the report stressed that automation won't result in rocketing unemployment. "The UK employment rate is at its highest level now since comparable records began in 1971, despite advances in digital and other labour-saving technologies," said John Hawksworth, chief economist at PwC. Mr Hawksworth anticipates that manual and routine tasks will be susceptible to automation, with social skills and creative roles being more protected. "That said, no industry is entirely immune from future advances in robotics and AI," he said. However, in many cases the nature of jobs will change rather than the roles completely disappearing, … [Read more...] about Robots will take a third of British jobs by 2030, report says

Published 14 February 2012 Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Education services in Torfaen have been heavily criticised in a report by the school's inspectorate, Estyn. It found that standards were well below what was expected, with an overall judgement of "unsatisfactory" - the lowest rating given. Estyn said GCSE performance was among the lowest in Wales but primary schools standards improved in recent years. Torfaen Council accepted the findings and expects to see an improvements in standards as early as the summer. The Estyn report said Torfaen council needed to raise standards in secondary schools and do more for school leavers who don't go on to find jobs or training. In particular, the authority came in for criticism for standards at GCSE level in schools across the county. The report said that over half of schools are in the bottom quarter for … [Read more...] about Torfaen schools ‘unsatisfactory’, Estyn report says

To hold his Senate seat against his challenger, Beto O’Rourke, in 2018, Ted Cruz spent nearly $40 million. O’Rourke’s campaign spent double that amount. The day before the vote in Texas, Cruz lent his campaign $260,000. This was a curious—and seemingly unnecessary—gesture: The campaign’s final report showed it ended with $263,000 cash in hand. Yet Cruz was not acting irrationally. He was preparing the ground for a challenge of his own, an assault on the tottering remains of the McCain-Feingold campaign-finance law of 2002. That law, more formally known as the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, or BCRA, limited how campaigns could repay loans from candidates. A campaign has 20 days in which it can repay such loans in full. After that deadline, it can repay no more than $250,000. When Cruz’s campaign finished repaying him, the deadline had elapsed. So his campaign committee settled only $250,000 of the loan, leaving $10,000 outstanding—which Cruz then sued in federal court to … [Read more...] about What Ted Cruz’s Supreme Court Win Means

The proportion of pupils reaching expected levels in all areas was 59 percent in 2021 (Image: Getty) Sign up for our news briefing, including a daily special Russia-Ukraine edition SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info A study of children aged four and five found parents and schools felt pupils were disadvantaged in social and emotional wellbeing, language and numeracy skills when entering reception classes in 2020. Related articles RAF emergency: Typhoon fighter jet issues code '7700' First photo of rat that tried to eat disabled pensioner as she slep The proportion of pupils reaching expected levels in all areas was 59 percent in 2021, compared with 72 percent for 2019. This equates to three more children in every … [Read more...] about Young pupils in UK ‘held back’ by pandemic disruption – Report

Paul Paolucci, the top cop for one of the world’s biggest credit card companies, sure had some interesting friends. One made a fortune fronting for pornography websites that needed access to Mastercard’s and Visa’s payment networks. Paolucci, who oversaw Mastercard’s merchant fraud control, was photographed cavorting around the Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel with him and a group of women in white corset minidresses. A second was a Lamborghini-driving e-commerce mogul with whom Paolucci used to celebrate family holidays. The mogul ended up in prison for a financial crime he committed, in part, using Mastercard’s network. An executive at a famously corrupt European bank claimed to have dined with Paolucci and gotten his help evading Mastercard’s regulations. It was Paolucci’s job to make sure that the banks and companies using Mastercard’s network were playing by the rules. He bent those rules himself by getting close to the very kinds of high-risk businesses he was supposed to be … [Read more...] about Two-Card Monte: Why Mastercard And Visa Rarely Shut Down Scammers Who Are Ripping Off Consumers

Russia expels 34 French, 27 Spanish, and 24 Italian diplomats in a tit-for-tat move Russian soldier pleads guilty at murder trial in Ukraine Ukrainian and Russian officials say peace negotiations have stagnated EU announces funding to help bloc move away from Russian fossil fuels Finland and Sweden submit NATO membership applications This article was last updated at 12:49 UTC/GMT Russian soldier pleads guilty of murder at Kyiv trial Vadim Shishimarin, a 21-year-old Russian tank commander held in Ukraine, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to killing an unarmed civilian. After his convoy was hit, Shishimarin and four other fleeing soldiers are alleged to have stole a car from outside the village of Chupakhivka in the early days of the invasion. He is accused of attacking the 62-year-old, who was riding past them on a bicycle, to prevent him from reporting their presence. "One of the military servicemen ordered the accused to kill a civilian so that he would not report … [Read more...] about Ukraine: Russian soldier pleads guilty of murder at Kyiv trial — live updates

Yikes. Photo: Bing Guan/Bloomberg via Getty Images At this point, it’s not fair to say Netflix can’t catch a break; it’s more like Netflix is actively smashing breaks on the floor in a frantic effort to appease shareholders. Deadline first reported that the troubled media giant is eliminating 150 jobs as of May 17, many of them higher-up roles in original-content programming. “As we explained on earnings, our slowing revenue growth means we are also having to slow our cost growth as a company,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “So sadly, we are letting around 150 employees go today, mostly U.S.-based.” The Netflix spokesperson said the company is “working hard” to support those laid off “through this very difficult transition.” Among the more senior staff let go this round, according to Deadline, are the directors of Netflix original series, original comedy series, and spectacle and event TV. Vulture has reached out for a statement. The layoffs follow those in the … [Read more...] about More Bad Netflix News: 150 Jobs Were Just Slashed

The tension is overwhelming in villages near the frontline of Russia's war in Ukraine, reports Euronews' international correspondent Anelise Borges . Ukrainian troops have tell her that shelling around Kherson in the south is constant and indiscriminate. One soldier, showing Euronews around a school bombed earlier in the conflict, alleges Russian troops are using cluster bombs, which are banned under an international treaty. In Sevchenkove, on the road between Kherson and Mykolaiv, some locals say they are staying behind to protect what is left of their homes and country. "What can I tell you?" asks Svetlana. "We built these houses with our own hands. To leave this is very hard for us. Very hard. "We don’t want this war," she adds, beginning to cry. "We want to live in peace." Elsewhere in the village, Liubna and her husband Leonid have been spending every night in their dark damp basement. They have stockpiled jars of pickled vegetables to sustain … [Read more...] about Defiant locals stand firm amid Russian onslaught in southern Ukraine