The first ever spacecraft to fly directly toward the Sun is poised to blast off Saturday, on a mission to plunge into our star’s sizzling atmosphere and unlock the mysteries of the center of the solar system.   NASA’s car-sized, $1.5 billion Parker Solar Probe is scheduled to launch on a Delta IV Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida during ...

Lawyers want minister called to inquiry over allegation he intervened in investigation Lawyers representing child abuse survivors have called for the environment secretary, Michael Gove, to be called before a public inquiry over an allegation he intervened in a sexual abuse investigation at a boarding school. Two child abuse professionals have testified at the ongoing independent inquiry into child sexual ...

Chancellor says Chequers white paper lets UK remain linked to EU economy in way that works for both sides The British chancellor, Philip Hammond, has called on Brussels to accept Theresa May’s Brexit blueprint, saying it offers a “fair and sensible” way forward. Hammond said the controversial plan hammered out at Chequers last month would enable the UK to remain ...

Move comes after MEP says party must choose between being a ‘genuine one nation force’ or ‘an English nationalist movement’ The former foreign secretary Boris Johnson is to a face a disciplinary investigation following a string of complaints that his comments about the burqa breached the Conservative party’s code of conduct. The investigation represents the first step in any disciplinary ...

Labour leader faces damaging defeat over the party’s ‘no second referendum’ policy Labour has been considering how to head off a concerted attempt by remain-supporting members to stage a vote at its annual conference on calling for a second referendum, to avoid what would be an embarrassing defeat for Jeremy Corbyn on the party’s Brexit policy. About 130 constituency Labour ...

Three members of Rochdale gang face possible deportation to Pakistan after court ruling Three members of a Rochdale grooming gang face possible deportation to Pakistan after court of appeal judges upheld a decision to strip them of their British citizenship. Abdul Aziz, Adil Khan and Qari Abdul Rauf were among nine men jailed in May 2012 for their part in ...

Exclusive: Sayeeda Warsi says burqa jibe adds to view that Muslim women are ‘fair game’ One of the Conservative party’s most high-profile Muslims has accused Boris Johnson of making “hate crime more likely” with an indefensible, “dog-whistle” reference to fully veiled Muslim women. Sayeeda Warsi, writing in the Guardian on Wednesday, said the former foreign secretary had used rightwing, “alt-right” ...

Education secretary wants UK and Silicon Valley firms to help put tech at heart of classrooms Tech companies in the UK and abroad, including Apple and Microsoft, have been urged to help foster an education revolution by putting technology at the heart of the classroom. The education secretary, Damian Hinds, said only a minority of schools and colleges were taking ...

Former minister asked to say sorry for comparing veiled Muslims to bank robbers Boris Johnson has been told by Conservative party chiefs to apologise for his claim that Muslim women in burqas resemble letter boxes and bank robbers. The Tory chairman, Brandon Lewis, said he had asked the former foreign secretary to say sorry for his controversial remarks in an ...

Rayhan Ahmed Topader: Student protests spread like wildfire across the capital and elsewhere in the country yesterday, with the demonstrators vowing to remain on the streets until their demands for road safety are met. Angered by police beating on the previous day, thousands of students in uniforms and schoolbags on their back poured onto the streets of Dhaka and blocked ...