Pupils in England will be required to spell 'separate' and 'necessary' and quizzed on punctuation in controversial new examHundreds of thousands of 11-year-olds in England will sit a spelling and grammar test for the first time on Tuesday. Ministers argue the test will help to dramatically improve literacy standards, but teaching unions warn it could have the opposite effect.Pupils will be required to spell words such as "separate", "preferred" and "necessary" as part of the 15-minute spelling test. They will ... more

Distribution by joint US mobile phone business aimed at defusing tension between partnersVerizon Wireless, the US mobile phone company, is to make a $7bn (£4.4bn) dividend payment that will hand $3bn to Britain's Vodafone with the aim of easing tension between the transatlantic partners.In the announcement, Verizon Communications, which owns 55% of the joint business, said it would receive $3.85bn of the dividend payment. Vodafone, owner of the rest of the business, will receive $3.15bn, according to a regulatory filing.Verizon ... more

Prime minister to team up with prince aboard one of London's new Routemasters as part of campaign to promote BritainDavid Cameron will team up with Prince Harry in New York on Tuesday to promote British industry and tourism when they ride into Manhattan in one of London's new double-decker Routemaster buses.The bus, designed to specifications laid down by the mayor of London, Boris Johnson, who mourned the retirement of the original Routemasters, is on a two-year world tour as part ... more

Rare May snowfall expected on higher ground as cold temperatures and wet weather sweep BritainSnow is expected to fall on Tuesday across high regions in Wales and Scotland, according to weather forecasters.The cold temperatures and heavy rainfall mean especially wet areas may well see some snowflakes, though it is not expected to settle.Emma Corrigan, a forecaster at the Met Office said: "At the moment we've got quite cool air across the UK and through Tuesday as the weather system pushes ... more

In the potentially malign political landscape that is emerging, Mr Farage seems to meet an appetite for dramatic solutionsOpinion polls are the miners' canaries of democracy: on occasion they indicate something very nasty indeed coming down the tunnel. So our latest Guardian/ICM poll ought to keep every political leader awake at night. The "none of the above" party is now vying with the Tories for second place; a total of 27% of voters are opting either for Ukip or one ... more