Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Monday 2 Feb 2015
- 1. FREED GRESTE TO WORK FOR COLLEAGUES
- 2. PM: NEW HEADS FOR ‘MEDIOCRE' SCHOOLS
- 3. CROATIA CANCELS DEBT OF THE POOR
- 4. MICHELANGELO BRONZES GO ON SHOW
- 5. SECOND EBOLA WORKER FLOWN BACK TO UK
- 6. STRAUSS-KAHN PIMP TRIAL TO BEGIN
- 7. FOUR MAGNA CARTA COPIES ON DISPLAY
- 8. TREE TEARS ROOF OFF LONDON BUS
- 9. PATRIOTS AND KATY PERRY WIN SUPERBOWL
- 10. BRIEFING: THE POWER OF GENETIC SCISSORS
1. FREED GRESTE TO WORK FOR COLLEAGUES
Peter Greste, a journalist who was arrested and imprisoned in Egypt in 2013, has said he will use his freedom to work for the release of his two still-imprisoned Al-Jazeera colleagues. Greste was released on Sunday after 400 days and immediately deported. He landed safely in Cyprus en route to his native Australia.
Peter Greste: why Al-Jazeera journalist was freed in Egypt
2. PM: NEW HEADS FOR ‘MEDIOCRE' SCHOOLS
David Cameron says he wants almost 3,500 schools in England - those rated as “requiring improvement” by Ofsted - to be forced under new leadership. The PM says the plans, to be implemented if the Tories win the election, are “an all-out war on mediocrity”. Labour said better teachers were the answer.
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3. CROATIA CANCELS DEBT OF THE POOR
The government in Croatia is to write off the debts of its poorest citizens in an attempt to boost the economy. A deal has been struck with the country's largest banks, telecoms operators and utility companies, who will not be refunded for their losses. As many as 600,000 people could benefit, although some have claimed the move is a political gimmick.
Why Croatia is writing off the debt of its poorest citizens
4. MICHELANGELO BRONZES GO ON SHOW
Two bronze sculptures of naked men riding on panthers recently attributed to Michelangelo are going on display at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge from Tuesday. The attribution is sensational: if it is correct, the metre-high sculptures are the only surviving bronzes by the renaissance master.
5. SECOND EBOLA WORKER FLOWN BACK TO UK
A second military health worker has been flown back to the UK over fears they have been exposed to the Ebola virus while working in Sierra Leone. The worker was pricked by a needle while treating a patient with the virus and is now being monitored at London's Royal Free Hospital. Another worker returned to England on Saturday after a similar incident.
6. STRAUSS-KAHN PIMP TRIAL TO BEGIN
Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn is appearing in a Paris court today to face charges of pimping, alongside 13 others including a brothel owner known as Dodo the Pimp. He is alleged to have helped procure prostitutes for sex parties at a hotel in Lille. He denies knowing the women were sex workers.
Dominique Strauss-Kahn's pimping trial begins in France
7. FOUR MAGNA CARTA COPIES ON DISPLAY
The four surviving original copies of the Magna Carta - the 1215 document which limited the power of the English monarchy for the first time and laid the foundation for British democracy - have been brought together for the first time. They are on show at the British Library for just three days to those who entered a ballot.
8. TREE TEARS ROOF OFF LONDON BUS
Five people were injured after the roof was torn off a London bus by a tree. The number 91 was travelling through Holborn on the way to Trafalgar Square when it hit the tree. The roof was almost completely ripped off although the five victims only suffered minor injuries. Pictures showed that the accident happenend near a sign warning of overhanging trees.
9. PATRIOTS AND KATY PERRY WIN SUPERBOWL
The New England Patriots beat the Seattle Seahawks 28-24 in the American football Super Bowl yesterday, despite allegations they used under-inflated balls in an earlier match. But the real winner was Katy Perry, says The Guardian. The singer’s “epic” half-time show featured her riding on a large tiger puppet.
Super Bowl, super costumes: Katy Perry's half-time 'epic'
10. BRIEFING: THE POWER OF GENETIC SCISSORS
A new technique of genome editing, tipped for the Nobel Prize, is being deployed in the race to discover new drugs. The technology, know as Crispr, allows changes to be made to DNA sequences, giving scientists "unprecedented power to rewrite the code of life".
750m genetically modified mosquitoes to be released in Florida Keys
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