The Tory leader says the public sector duty to consider minorities encourages division – but legal experts say abolishing it will fuel discrimination

For more than two decades, an important part of Britain’s equality laws ensured public institutions had to think about the impact their decisions could have on different groups in society.

Introduced after the Stephen Lawrence inquiry, the public sector equality duty required public bodies – such as local councils, police forces and hospitals – to think proactively about equality law. Now this once uncontroversial public duty is a new battleground in Britain’s culture wars.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: James Manning/PA

© Photograph: James Manning/PA

© Photograph: James Manning/PA

The core flaw of Washington's approach is the tendency to isolate conflicts that are fundamentally linked.

The core flaw of Washington's approach is the tendency to isolate conflicts that are fundamentally linked.

‘Gender norms explain some of it, but not all of it’ says Tiya Banerjee, an economist at the e61 Institute

• Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates

• Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast

In about a week’s time, the Socceroos will step up against Turkey, their first opponents in this year’s World Cup.

Winning their first match will be a big ask; progressing beyond the first round will be a bigger one.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Matt King/Getty Images

© Photograph: Matt King/Getty Images

© Photograph: Matt King/Getty Images

Crowds gather at sites across Belfast after Sudanese man charged with attempted murder

• Full report: Man seriously injured in Belfast stabbing Starmer describes as ‘sickening’

Badenoch said, after the murder of Stephen Lawrence, it was right that people wanted to ensure this did not happen again.

It led to the Macpherson report, she said.

[It] wanted to put right what went wrong with policing in the 1990s.

However, in attempting to do so, it also enshrined a principle which I believe is wrong that a racist incident is racist if it is perceived as racist by the victim or any other person.

Equality law, properly designed, should protect us all in the same way. It should be a shield, not a sword.

It should protect people from discrimination. It should protect people from being treated differently because of their race, sex, religion, sexuality, disability or age.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: PA

© Photograph: PA

© Photograph: PA

On Monday, Yemen’s Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, announced a “ban” on Israeli shipping on the Red Sea, renewing a blockade that the US had previously failed to end with a bombing campaign. “We declare a complete and total ban on Israeli maritime navigation in the Red Sea, and we consider all enemy movements […]