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'Grenade' thrown at British tourists in Kenya
The Foreign Office said it is "urgently" looking into reports that a grenade has been thrown at a group of British tourists in Mombasa, Kenya.
"The grenade was detonated safely by experts," Mombasa police chief Robert Kitur said, according to Sky News. "We are investigating the incident and looking for the man who threw the grenade at the tourists and fled."
Academy status for weak schools 'best for pupils'
The best action for primary schools that are "not stepping up to the mark" is for them to be taken over by academy sponsors, according to the Department for Education.
Read: Detailed breakdown of December 2013 Ofsted report findings
– Department for Education spokesmanSchools with a long history of under-performance, and who are not stepping up to the mark, will be taken over by an academy sponsor.
The expertise and strong leadership provided by sponsors is the best way to turn around weak schools and give pupils there the best chance of a first-class education.
Despite DfE findings that 767 schools are failing to meet the Government's new tougher targets, the data suggested that overall primary schools are improving.
Last year 834 primaries would have fallen below the new standards.
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MPs' pension contributions to go up under new pay plan
MPs will have to contribute more to their pensions under new pay proposals that will see salaries rise to £74,000 in 2015.
Read: Watchdog recommends MPs' pay to rise to £74K
The proposals include:
- A one-off uplift in salary to £74,000 in 2015, an increase of 9.26%
- After that MPs' pay will be linked to average earnings - if they go up, so will MPs'
- Scrapping of "resettlement payments" worth tens of thousands of pounds per MP- these will be replaced with "more modest" loss-of-office payments
- MPs will pay more into their pensions, putting them on par with those in other parts of the public sector
- Expenses and business costs will be more strictly monitored, and MPs will no longer be able to claim for their evening meal
Budget set for March 19, Osborne announces
The next Budget will be on March 19, 2014, Chancellor George Osborne told the House of Commons Treasury Select Committee.
Read: George Osborne's Autumn Statement message is 'growth is up, up, up'
Watchdog recommends MPs' pay to rise to £74K
The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority has published its recommendations to increase MPs pay to £74,000 in 2015, an increase of 9.26%.
Government writes to Ipsa urging MP pay hike rethink
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said the government had written to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) urging them to take account of the overwhelming public anger at a decision to raise their pay by 11%.
Read: MPs' pay rise 'unacceptable'
Mr Clegg said the letter stressed "how MPs are remunerated really does need to go with the grain of public consent."
But he stressed Ipsa were an independent body, and MPs had no input in deciding on the pay hike.
"The body that has put forward this suggestion is entirely independent of politicians precisely because politicians, when they were deciding on their own pay and rations in the past, got into the total mess of the expenses scandal.
"Some people are suggesting because this body has come up with this bad recommendation we should somehow scrap it. I would be very wary of turning the clock back and going back to the bad old days of MPs being judge and jury of their own pay and expenses all over again."
Ipsa's recommendation was "not cast in stone" and would be reviewed after the election, he added.
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English primary schools 'failing in three Rs'
More than 700 primary schools in England fall below the Government's new tougher standards in reading, writing and arithmetic, Department for Education figures suggest.
For the first time, schools are judged on the number of children achieving at least a Level 4 - the standard expected of the age group - in reading, writing and maths.
They must ensure that at least 60% of pupils reach this level in all three subjects and meet national averages in pupil progress.
Read: Full list: Which area has the best primary schools?
In previous years, they were rated on reading and writing combined to form an overall English result and maths, as well as progress.
The 767 schools that fail to meet the target are considered under-performing and face being taken over and turned into academies.
G4S and Serco will have 'no direct role' in tagging
– Justice Secretary Chris GraylingManagement of these services, which are now operated by G4S and Serco, will transition to Capita by the end of the current financial year.
Under these arrangements, Capita will be using the systems and equipment of G4S and Serco, but the two companies will no longer have a direct role in delivering the service on the ground.
G4S and Serco to lose electronic tagging contracts
Private security giants G4S and Serco are to be stripped of all responsibilities for electronically tagging criminals following an overcharging scandal.
Electronic monitoring contracts will be handed over to rival firm Capita on an interim basis at the end of the financial year, Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said.
Capita is in the running to take on the contracts permanently.
