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• English pupils do better than expected in international maths and science tests
  by Guardian staff on December 4, 2024 at 9:00 am

  England maintained good maths scores and improved in science, coming ninth and fifth among 70 countriesEnglish pupils have made a strong showing in the latest round of prestigious international tests, maintaining their scores in maths and improving in science, a subject in which they rose to fifth in the league tables.They were among students from 70 countries who participated in the 2023 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (Timss), which takes place every four years, providing education policymakers with international comparisons. Continue reading...

• Australian primary students score best ever result in global maths and science test, despite pandemic disruption
  by Caitlin Cassidy Education reporter on December 4, 2024 at 9:00 am

  Timss report finds year 4 students ranked equal fifth internationally out of 58 countries, up from ninth in 2019Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralian primary school students have recorded their best ever results in an international maths and science assessment, curbing concerns about lockdowns disrupting learning.The 2023 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (Timss), released by the Australian Council for Educational Research (Acer) late on Wednesday, analysed the skills of year 4 and 8 students.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

• South Korea crisis live: motion to impeach President Yoon submitted, say opposition parties
  by Guardian staff and Kate Lamb on December 4, 2024 at 8:52 am

  Opposition Democratic party lawmakers have called on Yoon Suk Yeol to resign immediately or they would seek his impeachmentYoon Suk Yeol faces calls to resign after martial law shockExplainer: what happened and what comes next?South Korea’s finance ministry has said it stood ready to deploy “unlimited” liquidity into financial markets after President Yoon Suk Yeol lifted a martial law declaration he imposed overnight that pushed the won to multi-year lows, Reuters reports.The announcement came after finance minister Choi Sang-mok and Bank of Korea governor Rhee Chang-yong held emergency talks overnight, and as the central bank board abruptly met to approve rescue measures for the local credit market. Continue reading...

• Easey Street double murder and rape accused faces Melbourne court nearly 50 years after alleged attack
  by Australian Associated Press on December 4, 2024 at 8:23 am

  Perry Kouroumblis was extradited from Italy and charged over the 1977 deaths of Suzanne Armstrong and Susan BartlettFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAn accused double murderer has faced a Melbourne court close to five decades after police allege he stabbed two women to death in a frenzied attack.Perry Kouroumblis, 65, appeared bleary-eyed as he sat in the dock of the Melbourne magistrates court on Wednesday after arriving on Australian soil on Tuesday night. Continue reading...

• Australian Music prize: 80-year-old Kankawa Nagarra wins over Nick Cave and Amyl and the Sniffers
  by Sian Cain on December 4, 2024 at 7:45 am

  Walmatjarri elder and blues musician wins $50,000 prize for Wirlmarni, saying she hopes it will bring pride to her community in WangkatjungkaGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Walmatjarri elder and blues musician Kankawa Nagarra has won the $50,000 Australian Music prize (AMP) for her debut album Wirlmarni, seeing off competition from Nick Cave, the Dirty Three and Amyl and the Sniffers.Inspired by the UK’s Mercury prize, the AMP focuses “entirely on artistic merit” and aims to “financially reward and increase exposure” for Australian musicians who release the best album in a calendar year. Continue reading...

• How Ukraine has faced its worst month on the battlefield in two years – visualised
  by Ed Gargan, Pablo Gutiérrez and Ashley Kirk. Design by Prina Shah on December 4, 2024 at 7:00 am

  November was Ukraine’s worst month since September 2022 for territory lost to Russian forces. These charts and maps show the latest developments in the warUkraine lost an area equivalent to the size of New York City to Russian forces in November – the worst monthly figure for Ukrainian defenders since September 2022.After the full-scale invasion in February 2022, Russia gained ground quickly before being pushed back in a Ukrainian counteroffensive. Last year, with the conflict mostly at a stalemate, Institute for the Study of War (ISW) data shows that Russian forces took 2,233 sq km (862 sq miles) of territory. Already in 2024 they have taken about 2,656 sq km. Continue reading...

• California Democrat Adam Gray unseats Republican as last House race decided
  by Associated Press on December 4, 2024 at 6:59 am

  Adam Gray wins by fewer than 200 votes, leaving Democrats with 215 House seats and Republicans 220 this election cycleDemocrat Adam Gray captured California’s 13th congressional district on Tuesday, unseating Republican John Duarte in the final US House contest to be decided in the 2024 elections.Gray’s win in the farm belt seat that cuts through five counties means Republicans won 220 House seats this election cycle, with Democrats holding 215 seats. Continue reading...

• Donna Nelson, who claims she was love scam victim, jailed for smuggling drugs into Japan
  by Guardian foreign staff and agencies on December 4, 2024 at 6:55 am

  Donna Nelson sentenced to six years in prison after court finds her guilty of bringing methamphetamine into countryFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA court in Japan has sentenced an Australian woman to six years in prison after finding her guilty of smuggling methamphetamine into the country, ignoring her claims that she had been the victim of an online romance scam.Donna Nelson, from Perth, was found guilty of smuggling 2kg of the drug concealed beneath a false bottom in her suitcase when she arrived at Narita airport near Tokyo from Laos in January 2023. Continue reading...

• Cathay Pacific apologises over inflight Family Guy episode with Tiananmen Square scene
  by Guardian staff on December 4, 2024 at 6:53 am

  Hong Kong carrier removes episode from entertainment system after social media complaint that it might breach national security lawsHong Kong’s flagship airline, Cathay Pacific, has apologised over the inclusion of a Family Guy episode in its inflight entertainment system that features a scene depicting Tiananmen Square.The airline told the South China Morning Post it had apologised to customers after a complaint was raised on social media that the episode might breach Hong Kong’s national security laws. Continue reading...

• Labor declines to review three coal proposals for potential climate impact – as it happened
  by Caitlin Cassidy and Rafqa Touma (earlier) on December 4, 2024 at 6:51 am

  This blog is now closedDonna Nelson, who claims she was love scam victim, jailed for smuggling drugs into JapanGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMore on the new Malaysia-based maritime institute:The government is contributing $1.78m over four years to support the institute, which will train regional government officials on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, broader maritime law and ocean governance, awareness of maritime domains and environmental protection.We don’t want to see any unilateral changes to the status quo across the Taiwan straits, and our focus is on doing everything we can in terms of exercising our international voice around promoting stability and peace in and around the Taiwan straits, in and around Taiwan.Rules and norms are vital for our shared maritime region and the countries of our region make an ongoing contribution to maintaining and promoting them.The institute will deliver training to officials from across the region on complex maritime legal and policy topics. It will nurture leaders and help further our collective contribution to a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific region. Continue reading...