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Huge crowds turn out for Kate and William's walkabout
Thousands of royal revellers have turned out in Brisbane to catch a glimpse of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, as they walked about greeting locals.
William gets up close and personal with well wishers who've waited hours in the sun http://t.co/NErlIt1Fp4
Duchess of Cambridge takes helm of fighter plane
The Duchess of Cambridge relegated her husband to the role of an onlooker when she turned down his offer to jump into the back seat - of a fighter jet.
Yesterday she suggested he try an alpaca toupee, and this morning she took control of a sophisticated fighter plane, sitting in the pilot's front seat.
The Duke had made an offer to his wife he believed she could not refuse, asking: "Do you fancy jumping in the back?" But the Duchess was not about to miss the opportunity to see for herself the multimillion-pound plane's cockpit.
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Search resumes for four missing guides on Everest
Sherpa climbers aided by helicopters resumed a search on Saturday for four missing guides after an ice avalanche swept the lower slopes of Mount Everest, killing at least 12 in the deadliest accident on the world's highest mountain.
Climbers declared a four-day halt to efforts to scale the 8,848-metre (29,029-ft) summit and, while some decided to abandon their mission, others said they would go ahead after talking to their Nepali guides.
The Himalayan Guides, a Nepali hiking group, said six of its sherpas had gone ahead of climbers they were accompanying in order to fix ropes and crack snow and ice to carve out a route, when they were caught in the avalanche and died.
"We have two helicopters stand by in the area and will start looking for those who are still missing. Many of them have already been rescued," Nepali Army spokesman Brig. Gen. Jagdish Chandra Pokharel told Reuters.
Underwater search for MH370 'complete in 5-7 days'
Australian officials supervising the search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 told Reuters that an underwater search for the black box recorder based on "pings" possibly from the device could be completed in five to seven days.
Sinn Fein member condemns 'senseless' shooting
Sinn Fein Stormont Assembly Member Jennifer McCann has said that those behind the killing of former Continuity IRA figure Tommy Crossan had no consideration for anyone in the community except themselves and their own criminal agenda.
She said: "They have shot a man dead and endangered anyone in the immediate vicinity. There is now a family in mourning and a community traumatised by this shooting.
Crossan, 43, was shot dead at a fuel depot in the grounds of an industrial complex in full view of surrounding houses.
Ms McCann added: "It will not go unnoticed that, with sadness, at Easter time as republicans gather to commemorate their patriot dead, that there are criminals on the streets masquerading as republicans for their own ends.
"This community does not want them. They need to listen to this community, stop these senseless actions and go away."
Unqualified teachers 'damaging school standards'
Schools hiring unqualified teaching staff is "damaging standards", shadow education secretary Tristam Hunt said, after a poll claimed that around more than half said that unqualified staff working as teachers were planning and preparing lessons.
Tristram Hunt said: "Many parents will be shocked to learn that David Cameron has changed the rules to allow schools to appoint unqualified teachers on a permanent basis.
"Improving the education our children receive in our schools means continually improving the quality of teaching in the classroom. Labour would end David Cameron's policy and ensure a qualified teacher in every classroom."
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DfE: Quality of teaching workforce 'is rising'
It is right that state schools should enjoy the same advantage that private schools, a Department for Education spokeswoman has said, after a survey found that schools were using unqualified staff to teach pupils.
– Spokeswoman, Department for Education[The] latest teacher workforce census show there are 700 fewer non-QTS teachers in schools than there were in 2010, while the percentage of non-QTS teachers in academies is down from 9.4% in 2010 to 5.3%.
Overall the quality of the teaching workforce is rising. A record 96% of all teachers now have degrees or above, meaning there are an extra 43,000 teachers with degree level qualifications in classrooms since 2010
NASUWT: Uncertainty over qualified teachers
Many teachers believe that the use of unqualified staff is worsening because schools cannot, or will not, pay for qualified individuals, according to a new survey of teachers. The general secretary of NASUWT, who conducted the poll, said:
– Chris Keates, NASUWT general secretaryParents no longer have the certainty of knowing that when they send their children to school they will be taught by a qualified teacher.
Our children and young people have been robbed of a fundamental entitlement to be taught by qualified teachers.
Schools 'using unqualified staff to teach students'
Schools are using unqualified staff to teach pupils and prepare lessons, according to a survey of teachers. It also suggests that many teachers believe that the use of unqualified staff is worsening because schools cannot, or will not, pay for qualified individuals.
The poll, conducted by the NASUWT union, asked around 7,000 members for their views on schools using staff that do not hold Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).
It found that just over half of those questioned (53%) reported that there were unqualified staff working as teachers in their school.
The results also show that nearly two thirds (65%) of teachers say that the use of unqualified staff is "getting worse because schools can't or won't pay for qualified teachers."
Duchess of Cambridge plants tree at airforce base
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge planted a tree of remembrance in honour of airforce members who gave their life at the Royal Australian Airforce Base at Amberley in Brisbane, Australia.
