29 March - 4 April 2014
Saturday
High price for free school
Funding has been approved for a pound;45 million free school for sixth-form students supported by the prestigious Westminster private school in London, it emerged. Critics labelled the project a waste of money.
Sunday
No-fly zone
Mauritian A-level student Yashika Bageerathi, who is facing deportation from the UK, received a temporary reprieve after an airline refused to fly her home. Her school is leading the campaign to let her stay.
Monday
Fee fie? Ho-hum
The UK Labour party said its manifesto for the next election would include a pledge to reduce pound;9,000 university tuition fees by at least pound;3,000. Does that count as a bargain for something that used to be free?
Tuesday
Tupac of lies
US president Barack Obama was due to release a hip-hop single with a hologram of Tupac Shakur.Just joking, in fact it was April Fool’s Day, when news outlets spin even taller stories than usual.
Wednesday
Up periscope
History teachers ahoy! Britain’s last surviving Second World War submarine, HMS Alliance, was set to be “relaunched” after a pound;7 million restoration. Keen visitors thronged the Royal Navy Submarine Museum in Gosport.
Thursday
Height of technology
Think your old laptop was a bit chunky? It couldn’t be worse than the Osborne 1, the world’s first commercially successful portable computer, which weighed nearly 11kg and was released on this day in 1981.
Friday
It’s choc o’clock
Oh happy day, it’s the Easter holidays for many UK schools and never has a break been more welcome. Time to lie back and think of chocolate - while carefully planning for next term’s onslaught, of course.
5-11 April 2014
Saturday
Cushioning the blow
Get the endorphins going on International Pillow Fight Day. Lots of feather-fuelled mass brawls are planned in cities around the world, from Aberystwyth and Abu Dhabi to Zaragoza and Zurich.
Sunday
Row, row, row your boat
It’s just a bunch of blokes rowing up a river but it’s one of the biggest events in the high society calendar. The universities of Oxford and Cambridge will go head to head in their annual boat race on the Thames in London.
Monday
The defence opens
The trial of Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius is due to resume. The athlete is expected to testify in court in Pretoria, South Africa, where he is charged with the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.
Tuesday
Taken too soon
Fans will mark the passing of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, whose body was found 20 years ago today. His suicide fuelled conspiracy theories about the “27 Club” of musicians who have died at the same age.
Wednesday
Snow going
Hard nuts only need apply for the North Pole Marathon, which takes place today. Runners brave temperatures of minus 30oC and unpredictable ice floes. Irish teacher Gary Thornton was last year’s hardy winner.
Thursday
Sister act
It’s Siblings Day in the US, when brothers and sisters are encouraged to do good deeds for each other and celebrate their relationships. Celebrity sisters the Kardashians are reportedly fans.
Friday
Seize the Oppi-tunity
The Oppi education festival starts today in Finland, bringing together some of Europe’s leading educationalists and thinkers. The event aims to encourage people to connect, have fun and learn.
