Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

A former British soldier awaiting trial on terror charges who appears to have escaped from a London prison by strapping himself to the underside of a food delivery truck remained at large Thursday as police stepped up security checks across the United Kingdom amid concerns he may try to flee the country.

Opposition parties linked the escape to years of financial austerity, while Britain's Conservative government said an independent investigation will take place “in due course” into how Daniel Abed Khalife managed to slip out of the medium-security Wandsworth Prison, which opened in 1851 during the reign of Queen Victoria.

His escape has prompted extra security checks at major transport hubs, particularly in and around the Port of Dover, the main boat crossing from England to France.

Britain's justice secretary told lawmakers that “no stone must be left unturned in getting to the bottom of what happened” as he confirmed an “independent investigation into this incident.” Alex Chalk also said “urgent” reviews into prison categorization would be carried out as questions remained over how Khalife wasn't being held at a maximum-security facility such as Belmarsh Prison in east London.

Khalife, 21, is accused of planting fake bombs at a military base and of violating Britain’s Official Secrets Act by gathering information “that could be useful to an enemy.” He was discharged from the British army after his arrest earlier this year and had denied the allegations. His trial is set for November.

Chalk said Khalife, who had been working in a kitchen at the prison, escaped at around 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning, when a vehicle that had made a delivery left.

Shortly afterward, he said, contingency plans for an unaccounted prisoner were activated and police were informed. The vehicle, he added, was subsequently stopped and searched by police after the alert was raised.

“Strapping was found underneath the vehicle which appeared to indicate that Daniel Khalife may have held onto the underside of it in order to escape,” Chalk said.

More than 150 investigators and police staff are on the case, according to Metropolitan Police Commander Dominic Murphy, who is the lead investigator.

“We have issued a nationwide alert that has resulted in increased security at our ports and borders, however currently there have not been any confirmed sightings," he said.

Opposition politicians have sought to pin the blame on the Conservative government, which has been in power since 2010. Many U.K. prisons, including Wandsworth, are over capacity and short of staff. The escape could hardly have come at a worse time for a government that is already scrambling to get all schools to reopen for the new academic year amid concerns over crumbling concrete.

“It simply beggars belief that a man being held on suspected terror charges was able to escape a prison by clinging to the bottom of a food delivery van,” said Shabana Mahmood, the justice spokesperson for the main opposition Labour Party. “How is such an escape even possible?”

Charlie Taylor, who scrutinizes detention facilities in England in his role as the chief inspector of prisons, said staff shortages are “the source of many problems” at Wandsworth.

Taylor said it “should be standard practice” for vehicles entering and leaving the prison to be checked and a prisoner has to earn a “certain level of trust” in order to be allowed to work in a kitchen.

“But the issue that we are particularly concerned about is there are too many prisoners in Wandsworth for the amount of staff who are there," he said. "And that ultimately is the source of many of the problems in the jail.”

In an annual review, published in July, Wandsworth Prison was deemed to be a “serious concern." The prison, which is in the middle of a residential area, holds around 1,600 defendants appearing at London courts and offenders due to be released in five wings.

- by Pan Pylas, AP

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President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are certainly putting in the time to cultivate their relationship.

Less than three months after honoring Modi with a state visit to the White House, Biden is to arrive in New Delhi on Friday — a day before the start of the Group of 20 summit there — to squeeze in another round of one-on-one talks with the leader of the world’s most populous nation.

There have been more than a dozen in-person or virtual engagements between the leaders since 2021 as both have looked to tighten the U.S.-India partnership amid shared major concerns. Those include an increasingly assertive China and monumental challenges posed by climate change, artificial intelligence, global supply chain resilience and other issues.

Modi has heavily branded the summit as his own. The Indian prime minister has pictures of himself posted along the highway from the airport, greeting G20 delegates with quotes about the need to address climate change. As a result, Biden will be something of a houseguest when he meets with his Indian counterpart.

“This meeting will be taking place at the prime minister’s residence — so it is unusual in that respect,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters aboard Air Force One. “This is not your typical bilateral visit to India with meetings taking place in the prime minister’s office.”

Biden, a center-left Democrat, and Modi, a conservative Hindu nationalist, are hardly ideological soulmates. Yet, both leaders are increasingly drawn together by China's military and economic maneuverings in the Indo-Pacific.

India late last month lodged an objection through diplomatic channels with Beijing over China's new standard map that lays claim to India’s territory along their shared border.

The version of the Chinese map published by the Ministry of Natural Resources website shows Arunachal Pradesh and the Doklam Plateau — over which the two sides have feuded — included within Chinese borders, along with Aksai Chin in the western section that China controls but India still claims. The Philippines and Malaysia have also lodged protests over the new Chinese map.

The map was released just days after Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of a summit of the BRICS bloc of developing economies — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — and agreed to work to de-escalate tensions at their disputed border.

China and India have had thousands of troops facing off in a disputed region of the Himalayas since 2020, when skirmishes led to the first deadly clashes in decades. Both countries are nuclear armed.

China, which is also a member of the G20, has said that Xi will not attend this weekend's India summit and is instead dispatching Premier Li Qiang to represent China.

Vice President Kamala Harris, in an interview Wednesday with The Associated Press on the sidelines of a summit of Southeast Asian leaders in Indonesia, spoke out against China's new map.

“It’s a violation of the law. And that’s where I put that map,” Harris told the AP.

The U.S. government outreach goes beyond Biden. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told reporters on Friday that the G20 is her fourth trip to India in the past year, making it the country she's visited most. Yellen said India has shown leadership in helping to provide loans to developing nations as well as provide debt relief when needed.

The White House has been tight-lipped about what, if any, major announcements will come out of Biden's latest talks with Modi. But the administration seems eager to build on the momentum from the June state visit, which included announcements on climate, health care and space as well as some major private sector projects.

The two sides set the groundwork for U.S.-based General Electric to partner with India-based Hindustan Aeronautics to produce jet engines for Indian aircraft in India and the sale of U.S.-made armed MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones. U.S.-based Micron Technology agreed to build a $2.75 billion semiconductor assembly and test facility in India, with Micron spending more than $800 million and India financing the rest. The administration also plans to discuss civil nuclear issues.

Friday's meeting seems unlikely to produce as many major deals. Still, the White House will look to “put something on the table," predicted Richard Rossow, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Rossow said Modi would like to see the Biden administration put greater focus on the Indian Ocean region as it goes about recalibrating its Indo-Pacific policy.

India’s concern is that “the United States is overly focused on Taiwan, South China Sea, East China Sea, Pacific Islands,” Rossow said. “And there’s not nearly enough attention on the Indian Ocean region. And that’s where India sees its primary security concerns rising now.”

The White House has sought to play down Biden and Modi 's differences over Russia’s war in Ukraine. India abstained from voting on U.N. resolutions condemning Russia and refused to join the global coalition against Russia. Since the start of the war, the Modi government has dramatically increased its purchase of Russian oil.

Biden's effort to pull India closer has been shadowed by concerns from activists and some American lawmakers about India's human rights record on Modi's watch.

Modi has faced criticism over legislation amending the country’s citizenship law that fast-tracks naturalization for some migrants but excludes Muslims, over a rise in violence against Muslims and other religious minorities by Hindu nationalists, and the recent conviction of India’s top opposition leader, Rahul Gandhi, for mocking Modi’s surname.

India also ranks 161st out of 180 countries in this year’s Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders.

In recent years, journalists have been arrested and some are stopped from traveling abroad. Dozens are facing criminal prosecution, including for sedition. The government also has introduced sweeping regulatory laws for social media companies that give it more power to police online content.

A number of media outlets critical of Modi have been subjected to tax searches, including the BBC after it aired a documentary that examined the prime minister’s role in 2002 anti-Muslim riots in the western state of Gujarat, where he was chief minister at the time.

Biden will travel on Sunday to Vietnam, another country with a poor track record for press freedoms and human rights. Sullivan, the White House national security adviser, told reporters this week that Biden and his advisers have been consistent in raising human rights and press freedom concerns.

“President Biden himself has spoken to questions related to democracy and human rights as recently as the state visit earlier this year,” Sullivan said. “The United States, our position on these issues is clear.”

by Aamer Madhani and Josh Boak, AP

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A new approach to paying for private healthcare has started in New Zealand.

Fettle gives people the ability to contribute to an investment fund which eventually goes into paying for private healthcare.

Fettle founder and CEO Dr Colin Hutchinson joined Heather du Plessis-Allan.

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Injury concerns in the Warriors camp ahead of their first finals game since 2018.

Star playmaker Shaun Johnson will sit out the first-round clash against Penrith due to a calf injury.

And ticket demand for them is through the roof.

Fans will be able to purchase presale access to finals tickets for $49, a perk usually reserved for those with full season memberships.

But where those games will be held is up in the air.

And the All Blacks have got injury concerns of their own.

Jordie Barrett, Shannon Frizell and Brodie Retallick will all sit out the Rugby World Cup opener with France with injury concerns.

Andrew Gourdie and Nick Bewley joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to discuss the week's sports news

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Huge problems in the All Blacks camp ahead of tomorrow’s Rugby World Cup opener.

The three-time champion All Blacks will kick off the spectacle with hosts France tomorrow morning.

But Jordie Barrett, Shannon Frizell and Brodie Retallick will all miss the opener due to injury.

NZ Herald rugby writer Liam Napier joined Heather du Plessis-Allan.

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Consumer NZ is warning that many household appliances actually should last longer than both the warranty and what's expected.

For example, TVs should be providing 8 years of work, and ovens should last for about 15 years.

It wants to see a mandatory 'repairability' rating system introduced, showing how many years an appliance should last - similar to an energy rating.

Consumer NZ Head of Testing Dr Paul Smith joined Heather du Plessis-Allan.

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National's released more of its education policy today.

If it wins the election, it will require primary schools to teach every single child how to reach using structured literacy.

It's basically a return to phonics, instead of the whole language approach used for the last 50 years.

Education spokesperson Erica Stanford joined Heather du Plessis-Allan.

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Security has been upped ahead of the opening Rugby World Cup match in Paris.

More than 7000 Police officers will be on-site as the All Blacks play France tomorrow morning.

It's after chaos broke out after last year's Champions League football final at the Stade de France in Paris.

France Correspondent Catherine Field told Heather Du Plessis-Allan this is what France has to do.

“The Rugby World Cup – whilst this is what we’re all focusing on – the security forces are also using this as a test run for next year’s Olympic Games which are gonna be here.”

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Parliament has officially wound up today.

New Zealand Herald Extraordinary Phillip O'Shea headed procedures earlier today, despite Parliament officially closing last week.

A new Taxpayers Union-Curia poll has spelled turmoil for the Labour Party.

It's put the party at 27 percent - no change from last month - but well behind National at 35 percent.

But Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says his election campaign is "only just ramping up".

Meanwhile, National leader Chris Luxon has been rounding up the business conference, pledging to bring back 90-day trials and concentrate on low productivity.

Newstalk ZB Senior Political Correspondent Barry Soper joined Heather du Plessis-Allan.

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If you are a parent or a grandparent worried about whether our schooling will teach your child to read properly – you need to listen to this.

Good education announcement from National today. I have been waiting for anyone to announce this for a couple of years now. So I'm pleased someone’s finally done it.

If the Nats win the election, they will require all primary schools to teach little ones to read using structured literacy – which is basically going back to phonics. 

Now let me explain to you why this is potentially a game changer.

For the last 50 years, our schools have not been teaching phonics. They have been teaching what’s called whole language. 

And basically what that does is assumes that kids will naturally learn to read just like they learn to talk.

If you leave books with pictures lying around for them and if the book has the word apple next to a picture of an apple – that will teach them to read. 

It is rubbish. It does not. 

It is such a fail that 36 percent of our 14-year-olds failed the NCEA pilot reading exam last year.

The reading ability of our 10-year-olds is the worst it’s ever been and is apparently the worst in the English-speaking world.

So what's been going on is that a lot of schools have been spending thousands of dollars of their own money to pay consultants to come in and help them teach in another way, which is called structured literacy. And as I say – basically goes back to phonics.

And they have been getting amazing results, the kids are learning to read again.

Here's an example: 

Kaiapoi North School in Canterbury spent $20,000 and the principal said it was worth every cent. 

After two years: the principal said 68 of their 72 kids learning it were at or above the curriculum standards and scoring not around 70 percent – but in the 90 percents. 

The Education Ministry knows this.

There have been campaigns for years to get them to go back to phonics. 

New South Wales has just gone back to phonics, and yet our Education Ministry has dragged their heels. 

And now finally, the Nats have seen the light.

And they say if they win in October, teachers will all be teaching structured literacy to kids, and the way it’s phrased – they will not have the option of doing anything else.

There will be tests on Year 2s to make sure it’s working, and every new teacher will be taught it too.

And that is brilliant. 

I tell you what: this could be a game changer.

It could genuinely be the thing that lifts our reading rates again and turns our education system around, because if you can’t read... you can’t do any education. 

Good, simple, practical announcement.

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