• Brown promises more money for defence, but fails to silence critics

• Stop the pigeons!

• Teacher pay increases capped in school funding shortfall

Brown promises more money for defence, but fails to silence critics.

Chancellor Gordon Brown promised "real terms increases" in defence spending in this year's budget speech. He also outlined his plan for maintaining Britain’s stability and status as a world power. But his bombastic performance at the dispatch box was overshadowed by an embarrassing report from the Commons Defence Committee released one day earlier. The report titled “Lessons of Iraq”, criticised the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for sending British troops into battle without basic equipment. It highlighted “alarming shortages” of supplies such as body armour, chemical warfare suits and night vision goggles and said, “a more capable enemy could have exposed serious weaknesses in the preparedness and resilience of UK forces.” Read more...

Stop the pigeons!

"Rats with wings" or a London landmark? Say goodbye to Trafalgar Square's pigeons.

For generations, bird lovers young and old have flocked to Trafalgar Square to enjoy a close encounter with its famous pigeons. However, the flutter of wings may soon disappear from the square forever, as a ban on feeding the birds comes into effect on Monday. For three years, Mayor Ken Livingstone has made it a personal goal to reduce square’s pigeon population. Calling them “rats with wings,” he issued a report in September 2002 claiming the birds could transmit diseases and their corrosive droppings threatened many heritage-listed buildings. The cost of cleaning the square was estimated at over £100,000 per year. Read more...

Teacher pay increases capped in schools' funding shortfall.

More teaching posts may be lost in British schools as the government announces further limits to their funding this week. Education secretary Charles Clarke has already capped increases in schools’ spending at 4%, and is expected to announce a limit of 2.5% on teachers’ salary increases today. The announcement has divided teachers’ unions. The NUT, Britain’s largest teachers’ union, is calling for a double-digit salary increase and an overall schools’ budget increase of 11%, while the ATL and NASUWT, have tentatively supported the government’s reforms. Read more...