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More than 100 unaccounted for after ferry sinks
More than 100 people remain unaccounted for after a ferry sank off the coast of South Korea, carrying more than 400 passengers.
It has been reported that many of those on board were high school students.
Bomb squad destroy suspect backpack in Boston
A lone officer from the bomb squad was captured on video destroying an unattended backpack left near to the Boston Marathon finish line. A man remains in police custody in connection with the incident.
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Couples' sleeping positions 'show state of relationship'
A new study suggests couples' sleeping positions can reveal how healthy their relationship is.
Read the full storySouth Korean ferry reportedly hit rock before sinking
The ferry that sunk off the coast of South Korea reportedly made a distress call after hitting a rock.
ITV News Correspondent Lucy Watson has tweeted:
South Korea ferry made distress call at 8.58am local time after those onboard heard loud thump; reportedly hit a rock
UK wages expected to surpass inflation
Wages are expected to surpass inflation today for the first time in six years.
On Tuesday the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rate dropped to a new four-year low of 1.6%.
ONS labour market statistics are expected to show that regular pay is rising at a rate of 1.8%, up from 1.3%.
Competition for primary schools 'sign of the times'
Parents planning their child's primary school place before the have even conceived is "a sign of the times", a parenting expert has said.
Netmums founder Siobhan Freegard said their survey into measures taken by parents to get their child into their ideal school showed how "tough" competition for places had become:
– Siobhan FreegardCompetition for what parents perceive to be the best schools is now so tough they will do almost anything to gain their child a place.
Some ways like moving house to be close to the school can cost tens of thousands of pounds, while others such as applying for a nursery place at the school in a bid to boost their chances are bending the rules - but determined mums and dads will do what it takes.
It's a real sign of the times that people now begin thinking about which school to send their child to before they are even pregnant.
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Ferry falls below surface off coast of South Korea
There was a loud impact and noise before the ferry off a coast of South Korea began sinking, a passenger who had been rescued from the vessel told YTN news television.
One person has been found dead in the ferry wreckage, according to a coast guard official.
The president of South Korea, Park Geun-hye, earlier ordered all available vessels and special operations divers to the rescue operation.
'One fifth' tried to charm staff for school place
A little over a fifth (22%) of parents have tried to be friendly to education staff while visiting a prospective primary school in a bid to secure a place for their child, a survey has found.
A poll conducted by parenting website Netmums revealed:
- More than a fifth (21.2%) had bought a house closer to their favoured school, while a further 17% had rented somewhere nearby.
- Around one in six (16.2%) of mothers and fathers had started thinking about primary schools when their child was still under one.
- A further 9.3% considering it when they were expecting.
- Some 6.9% thinking about the issue before they fell pregnant.
Parents picking nurseries with 'strong links' to primary
More and more parents picking nurseries with "strong links" to their favoured primary school in the hopes it will secure a place for their child, according to a poll.
Read: Call to start schooling at six
Read: Ofsted: Sure Start 'has failed to close gap in education'
Parenting website Netmums found competition for primary school places has become even more fierce, with some parents thinking about which school to send their child to as soon as pregnancy starts.
It suggests that applying for a primary place is a tough task for many families, with almost half (43.9%) of the more than 1,000 people questioned saying they found it stressful.
Hundreds of thousands of families across England are today discovering which infant school their child will attend from this September in the first ever primary National Offer Day.
One person found dead in a sinking South Korean ferry
The South Korea Coast Guard says one person has been found dead in a sinking ferry, off the country's coast, reports Reuters.
