All posts tagged: Highstakes

Coronation Street and Vigil stars in first look trailer at “high-stakes” new BBC drama

Coronation Street and Vigil stars in first look trailer at “high-stakes” new BBC drama

Published by Daniella Wilson

The BBC has unveiled a teaser trailer and first look images for its upcoming eight-part drama Crookhaven, which it described as “essential viewing for the whole family”. Based on the novels by JJ Arcanjo, the “high-stakes” story follows students and teachers at a fictional school for promising young thieves called Crookhaven. According to the synopsis, we’ll be introduced to a “group of eight very different, young international students as they go head to head in the competition for the infamous Crooked Cup – all while battling a terrifying enemy, The Nameless”. The plot will unfold primarily from the perspective of “pickpocketing genius” Gabriel (newcomer Lucas Leach) and his “arch-rival” Penelope (Carmel Laniado), who happens to be the daughter of the school’s headmaster. Check out the Crookhaven trailer now for a glimpse at what to expect: Want to see this content? This page contains content provided by YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as YouTube may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose ‘Accept and continue’ to allow YouTube …

U.S. and Iran’s High-Stakes Nuclear Talks Set to Kick Off

U.S. and Iran’s High-Stakes Nuclear Talks Set to Kick Off

Published by Sam Flores

new video loaded: U.S. and Iran’s High-Stakes Nuclear Talks Set to Kick Off transcript Back transcript U.S. and Iran’s High-Stakes Nuclear Talks Set to Kick Off The U.S. and Iran have been flexing their military might as negotiators from the two countries resume nuclear talks in Switzerland. I’ll be involved in those talks indirectly, and they’ll be very important. We’ll see what can happen. Typically, Iran’s a very tough negotiator. I don’t think they want the consequences of not making a deal. They want to make a deal. The U.S. and Iran have been flexing their military might as negotiators from the two countries resume nuclear talks in Switzerland. By Shawn Paik February 17, 2026 Source link

U.S. asks American citizens to ‘leave Iran now’ ahead of high-stakes talks with Tehran

U.S. asks American citizens to ‘leave Iran now’ ahead of high-stakes talks with Tehran

Published by Sam Flores

Two armed members of Iran’s police special forces stand behind a country flag placed on an armored military vehicle during a pro-Government rally in downtown Tehran, Iran, on January 12, 2026. Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images The U.S. Virtual Embassy in Iran issued a security alert early Friday urging American citizens to “leave Iran now” and prepare departure plans that don’t rely on U.S. government assistance. The notice comes ahead of U.S. and Iran’s scheduled talks in Oman on Friday, with little indication that the two sides have found common ground over the agenda of the meeting. U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, were due to take part in the meeting with a team led by Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, according to American and Iranian officials. The U.S. has issued several similar security alerts over the past month. The Embassy last urged American citizens to leave the country in a warning on Jan. 14 as Trump was weighing options for a possible intervention in Iran to …

Japan election becomes high-stakes gamble for Takaichi amid tougher opposition

Japan election becomes high-stakes gamble for Takaichi amid tougher opposition

Published by Sam Flores

TOKYO, JAPAN – JANUARY 27: Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (C), Japan Innovation Party Representative Hirofumi Yoshimura (L) and Japan Innovation Party Co-Representative Fumitake Fujita (R) hold up their hands during an election campaign rally on January 27, 2026 in the Akihabara area of Tokyo, Japan. Official campaigning for the general election for the House of Representatives, scheduled for February 8, began today. (Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images) Tomohiro Ohsumi | Getty Images News | Getty Images As Japan heads to the polls on Feb. 8, voters are weighing familiar concerns such as the cost of living, wages and the weak yen as they cast ballots in the Lower House election. Beyond the economy, however, the vote is also shaping up as a test of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi herself, with analysts saying the fiercely conservative leader has effectively turned the election into a referendum on her leadership. “She’s trying to make it as a referendum on whether the people accept [her] as a prime minister or not,” said Kazuto Suzuki, director at the Institute …

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen faces high-stakes trial ahead of presidential race

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen faces high-stakes trial ahead of presidential race

Published by Sam Flores

Marine Le Pen is set to learn her political fate. Her appeal trial, opening in Paris on Tuesday and set to run for a month, could dash her hopes of standing in the 2027 presidential election, for which she is currently the frontrunner. The case centres on the long-running scandal over fictitious National Rally (RN) party assistants at the European Parliament. In March 2025, Le Pen was sentenced to four years in prison – including two years in custody – fined €100,000, and given a five-year ban from public office with immediate effect. If the Paris appeal court upholds the ruling, it would send shockwaves through the far-right RN party, which has led opinion polls for several months. Financial damage to the European Parliament In the first ruling, judges found the three-time presidential candidate (2012, 2017 and 2022) guilty, along with 24 former MEPs, parliamentary assistants, an accountant, and the National Rally as a legal entity, of operating a “system” between 2004 and 2016 using European Parliament funds to pay party employees. The Paris criminal court assessed the financial damage …

High-stakes tests are common in England’s schools – and they’re linked to a fear of failure

High-stakes tests are common in England’s schools – and they’re linked to a fear of failure

Published by skeptic

The UK government has committed to reducing the amount of time pupils spend in GCSE exams in England by up to three hours on average. This comes after recommendations to cut exam time were made in an independent review of the national curriculum and school assessment. Professor Becky Francis, who led the review, has said: “Exams are currently this very stressful, elongated period that young people have to endure, and it’s an unusually long period in England.” But the government has announced the introduction of a new test. Children in year eight will take a reading assessment, intended to improve standards before they take their GCSEs. This seems to be different from the diagnostic tests in English and maths (also in year eight) recommended in the independent review’s final report. Children in England are among the most tested in the world and are set to remain so. However, frequent testing isn’t a requirement of school education – and it could be having a serious effect on children’s wellbeing. In our recent research, we wanted to …