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First recorded in 687BC, the meteoroids were once part of the tail of a comet discovered in 1861This week, the annual Lyrid meteor shower returns to the spring skies. Although active since 16 April, the shower peaks during the late evening of Wednesday 22 April and early the next morning.The chart shows the view looking east from London at 00.01 (BST) on Thursday 23 April. The origin point of the meteors, known as the radiant, is labelled Lyrids. It sits in the constellation of Lyra, the Lyre, close to the bright star of Vega. Continue reading...

Former minister leading review into young people and work cites survey showing most teachers decry lack of ‘soft skills’ An “exam-obsessed” school system is leaving young people unprepared for work, Alan Milburn has said, as new polling suggests teachers believe pupils are leaving education without the skills they need for adult life.Milburn, a former cabinet minister under Tony Blair and now leading a government-commissioned review into young people and work, said the system had become overly focused on academic sorting rather than real-world readiness. Continue reading...

Meanwhile treasurer warns of ‘big risks’ to inflation and growth as global oil price jumps again. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTreasurer says capital gains changes and other tax reform still under considerationSticking with the budget, Chalmers said the government hasn’t made any decisions on capital gains tax reform.We haven’t taken any decisions on those policies, whether the specific ones you mentioned [or others].There’s more work to do on our options for tax reform in this budget.The savings package won’t be exactly the same as what we would have been contemplating over the summer, but it will be a substantial savings package.When we came to office the NDIS was out of control and it had strayed a long way from its original intended purpose.It was growing around 22% when we got to office. Continue reading...

Head of newly formed institution questions whether naming is ‘reflective of our current reality’ amid criticism of ‘shameful’ fossil fuel company promotionGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe newly formed Adelaide University is considering removing gas company Santos’s name from one of its buildings.On Saturday, students and conservationists rallied outside the Santos Petroleum Engineering building, calling on the university to dump the name because of the company’s new gas projects. Continue reading...

Catholics around Atlanta share mixed feelings on faith and politics as Trump engages in rhetorical war with popeAlex Sullivan tended to his five children on the lawn after a traditional Latin mass at the Catholic Church of Saint Monica in Duluth, Georgia, and contemplated his faith in the light of God and the shadow of Donald Trump.Sullivan, a self-described conservative who once staffed a libertarian state representative at the Georgia capitol, described his faith as almost medieval. Continue reading...

Rumen Radev – an EU critic who has called for renewing ties with Russia - looked set to top the polls in the country’s eighth election in five yearsBulgarian ex-president Rumen Radev – an EU critic who has called for renewing ties with Russia – on Sunday hailed a “victory of hope” after his formation topped the eighth parliamentary elections in five years.Projections from polling agencies put his Progressive Bulgaria (PB) grouping at 44%, which would give him an absolute majority of at least 129 seats in the 240-seat parliament. Continue reading...

The Israeli army said on Sunday that it was looking into the authenticity of an image circulating on social media that appears to show a soldier in south Lebanon hitting a statue of Jesus Christ with a hammer.

A Democratic political analyst was floored on Sunday after President Donald Trump's "lying" about negotiations to end the war in Iran seemed to come back to bite him. Over the weekend, Trump said the White House was preparing to send another delegation to Pakistan to negotiate the end of the war in Iran. The deployment follows Vice President JD Vance's unsuccessful trip to the Middle East last week to secure a deal. Trump's announcement seemed to catch the Iranian counterparts off-guard, as Iranian state media reported that Iranian officials were unaware that talks had been scheduled. The news floored Adam Mockler, a Democratic analyst and founder of Mockler Media, who asked Trump in a new reaction video on YouTube, "How do you screw up this badly?" "Iran wasn't privy to any more negotiations, yet Donald Trump announced that we're sending JD Vance and an entire delegation over to Pakistan for negotiations," Mockler said. "But the question is, negotiations with whom? Iran isn't even privy to any of this again. How do you screw up this badly on the global stage?"Mockler added that Trump's "lying" was sending him down a path where he is losing credibility with world leaders. That could come back to bit him as he seeks a way to end the war in Iran. "He is straight-up lying about negotiations that aren't taking place," Mockler said.