UNITED KINGDOM

Welsh Rugby Union is to cut number of professional teams from four to three, with Ospreys the likely choiceFor Ian Gough, a lock forward who had been dropped by the Wales national rugby union team, signing with Swansea’s Ospreys in 2007 was life-changing: he credits his time at the club with resurrecting his international career.“It was great fun playing for the Ospreys,” he said. “They did it the hard way, ground their way up, and the supporters embraced that identity and went with them on that journey to becoming a good side. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/feb/22/swansea-ospreys-fans-dismayed-as-club-faces-axe-amid-crisis-in-welsh-rugby Author :

The government plans to halve the attainment gap in EnglandGood morning and welcome to our live coverage of UK politics. The education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, will be speaking to the BBC and Sky News shortly and will likely be asked about government plans to halve the attainment gap between the poorest pupils in England and their more affluent peers.The schools white paper, set to be published in full tomorrow, will set a target to halve the disadvantage gap by the time children born in this parliament finish secondary school. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2026/feb/22/uk-education-ehcp-attainment-schools-andrew-latest-news-updates Author : Yohannes Lowe Publish

With construction overwhelmingly male, Refuge says tradeswomen help survivors of abuse feel saferOne of the main challenges in maintaining the 64 homes for domestic abuse survivors run by Refuge is the reliance on a male-dominated workforce of electricians, plumbers and decorators.“The presence of men can be distressing and could trigger past traumas for our survivors,” said Lisa Cantwell-Hope, the head of property services at the charity. “Male contractors need an escort to make our survivors feel more comfortable, and we always put a notice out to all our residents saying there will be a male presence in the building today.

The trade minister, Don Farrell, says Australia has ‘consistently advocated’ against the ‘unjustified tariffs’, after the US president announced new leviesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia will “examine all options” after the US president Donald Trump announced a temporary 15% tariff would apply to US imports from all countries.The US president’s move came less than 24 hours after the US supreme court overturned his original 10% import tariff. Shortly after the ruling, Trump announced he was reinstating the 10% duties using a different law before raising it