Friday's papers

The Independent asks whether our children get a better education thatn our Victorian counterparts and it seems the answer is no after

A devastating attack on what is taught in primary schools is delivered today by the biggest inquiry into the sector for more than 40 years.

adding that

Too much stress is being placed on the three Rs, imposing a curriculum on primary school pupils that is "even narrower than that of the Victorian elementary schools"

The Guardian also leads with the story

In a damning indictment of Labour's education record since 1997,the Cambridge University-led review claims that successive Labour ministers have intervened in England's classrooms on an unprecedented scale, controlling every detail of how teachers teach in a system that has "Stalinist overtones"

Most of the papers report that David Wilshire who is facing questions over why he paid more than £100,000 of public money to his own company will not stand at the next general election.

He made the decision after being summoned by the Tory Chief Whip to explain the claim. He said he was confident that a parliamentary inquiry would clear him but had “reluctantly concluded” that he should not contest his Spelthorne seat in Surrey for the sake of his family and party.

says the Times

It leads with a report that the Middle East peace process was on the brink of collapse last night as Britain and other European countries failed to back Israel in a key vote at the United Nations.

A furious Israel threatened to pull out of peace talks if the UN Human Rights Council endorses today a controversial report condemning the Jewish state for war crimes during the Gaza offensive in January.

says the paper

A Middle East theme to the front of the Telegraph which reports that , according to a leaked report,British prosecutors were told more than two years ago that they had sufficient evidence to charge two Libyans over the killing of WPc Yvonne Fletcher

The secret report, which was commissioned by the CPS on behalf of the Metropolitan Police, was completed in April 2007, just six weeks before Tony Blair, the prime minister at the time, held a controversial meeting with Colonel Gaddafi in Libya. The meeting formally opened trade links between Britain and the north African country.

says the paper

Pakistan could well be descending into chaos

Teams of gunmen, several disguised as police officers and wearing suicide vests, attacked three police facilities across Lahore, leaving 28 people dead, 19 of them police.reports the Guardian

Yesterday was the fifth day of bloodshed in Pakistan in the past week-and-a-half. The violence, which has claimed more than 100 victims and demonstrated the Taliban's brutal reach across the country, comes as Pakistan launches a series of air strikes on South Waziristan, paving the way for what it has promised will be an ambitious army ground offensive on the Taliban stronghold

.says the Independent

The Mail is not happy that banker's bonuses have returned

Bankers have already forgotten the lessons of the credit crunch, it was claimed last night.adding

They were accused of recklessly returning to the practices that tipped the world economy towards meltdown only a year ago.
Executives are queuing up to collect multi-million pound bonuses and lenders have launched a hard sell on 95 per cent mortgages, triggering a price war on the high street.

The Telegraph reports that

Goldman Sachs is under fresh fire after revealing its compensation pot is on track hit a record $22bn (£13.5bn) this year after the bank set aside more for pay and bonuses in nine months than in the whole of last year.

According to the Times,The Royal Mail is preparing to impose changes on its staff with the full backing of the Government,this on the day that

the Communication Workers Union (CWU) confirmed that it was calling out 120,000 Royal Mail employees on a two-day strike, which it said was aimed at maximising disruption.

The Sun continues with the death of Stephen Gately reporting that

THE "third man" who befriended STEPHEN GATELY and his partner on the night the BOYZONE star died saw his body the following day - but thought he was just sleeping and walked away.

Austerity Andy makes the pages of the Mail

Prince Andrew has been advised by independent auditors on how to cut his spending.
The prince, who has faced much criticism of profligate handling of taxpayers' money on his travels, underwent a detailed review of his work by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Finally many of the papers report on the 'balloon boy' found safe and well hiding in attic.

The Telegraph reports that

Three Colorado brothers set off a frantic search involving every available branch of the emergency services on Thursday when they pretended that the youngest sibling, Falcon Heene, had floated off in a homemade helium balloon.

adding how

The incident absorbed much of America for the best part of three hours in the afternoon, as television cameras followed the balloon's progress across the blue skies of Colorado to a crash landing 80 miles from the boys' home in Fort Collins.

The paper says that

Apart from setting a new international standard for boyish pranks, and giving their parents the fright of their lives, Ryo Heene, eight, and Bradford Heene, nine, maintained their pretence for several hours, before revealing that Falcon had been hiding in the attic of the family's garage all along.