Monday 31 October 2011

A shake up for Universities,Prince Charles under the spotlight and a new Winehouse album-Monday's papers

The Telegraph reports that tens of thousands of new jobs will be announced today as David Cameron “strains every sinew” to get the sluggish economy moving.

The paper says that Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, will announce that 35,000 jobs will be created using nearly £1 billion of public money.

A big shake up for universities appears on the cards.The Independent says that proposals, published today by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas), aim to end the system which sees university hopefuls admitted on predicted grades.

Instead says the paper,A-level exams would be brought forward by 15 days, results published in early July before schools break up for the summer holidays, and the university term would start no earlier than 8 October.

There is plenty more coverage about higher education.The Guardian says the review acknowledges that the system unfairly advantages private pupils

Ucas warns that significant reforms are needed because the current system is “complex, lacks transparency for many applicants and is inefficient and cumbersome for [universities]”
says the Telegraph

The Times leads with details of a new green paper on adoption which it says will enable local authorities to be stripped of their duties if they fail to meet new standards.

The paper carries an interview with the Prime Minister who says that any council that consistently fails to meet the standards will be compelled to contract out its adoption service to a more successful local authority or a charity, increasing its risk of suffering funding cuts and job losses.

The failing councils,it adds, will be “named and shamed” when data is published.

The Guardian leads with a rather worrying report claiming that ministers have been forced to seek permission from Prince Charles to pass at least a dozen government bills.

It says that there is a secretive constitutional loophole that gives him the right to veto legislation that might impact his private interests.

According to the Mail,the Church of England is threatening to use its financial power to stem the tide of internet pornography.It is considering withdrawing the millions it has invested in Internet Service Providers (ISPs) unless they take action.

The paper adds that

Concern over the easy availability of vile images which demean women and corrupt the young has intensified following the disclosure that Jo Yeates’s killer Vincent Tabak was obsessed with websites showing sexual violence, bondage and strangulation.


The Sun leads with the story that a secret album of unheard Amy Winehouse material is to be released.It will include a track recorded while the troubled star was under the influence of heroin.

Meanwhile the Star reveals that Jeremy Clarkson had to sweet- talk his two wives after being caught with a third woman.

According to the paper,at the height of his affair with his first wife Alex in 2003, Clarkson was pictured embracing his BBC producer Elaine Bedell and he had to explain himself both to first wife Alex and second wife Frances, 49.

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