G20: a good day to bury bad news?
Updated on 01 April 2009
With all eyes on the G20 summit, it would be easy to miss other significant announcements.
So is it a good day to 'bury' bad news? Channel 4 News online keeps a lookout for anything that might slip under the radar, and ranks it out of ten.
Can you help? Click here.
Dozens of local councils closed
Rank: 7
Dept: Communities and Local Government
England's network of local authorities undergoes its largest shake-up on a single day since the 1970s today, as 44 district and county councils are replaced by just nine serving 3.2 million residents.
Government ministers said the changes will save money, cut waste and boost services while providing stronger local leadership and making it easier for residents to access council services.
Press release here.
Below-par pupils leaving primary schools
Rank: 6
Dept: Children, Schools and Families
The majority of pupils at almost 800 primaries in England are leaving their schools without a good grounding in English and maths, according to league tables published today.
At around one in 20 primaries - 798 in total - fewer than half of 11-year-olds achieved a level 4, the standard expected of the age group, in both subjects in their Sats tests last year.
College building fiasco
Rank: 5
Independent report requested by government
The collapse of the government's multibillion-pound college building programme was "predictable and probably avoidable", an independent report concluded today.
Building projects at 144 colleges in England were halted at the end of last year because government funding ran out.
Sir Andrew Foster, who was asked by the government to investigate the delays, laid much of the blame today at the door of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC).
Myners defends himself in Lords
Rank: 5
House of Lords
City minister Lord Myners today insisted there was "no discrepancy" over accounts he had given Parliament about his knowledge of ex-RBS boss Sir Fred Goodwin's pension.
The minister, who was forced to come to the Lords to make a statement about his knowledge of the £703,000-a-year deal, insisted he was not told the full details of the deal during discussions with ex-RBS chairman Sir Tom McKillop in October last year.
Fuel duty hike
Rank: 4
Dept: Treasury
Millions of motorists will pay an extra 2.12p a litre for petrol from today as a much-opposed government fuel duty increase takes effect.
Banks allowed to appeal against charges ruling
Rank: 4
House of Lords
Banks were today given the right to appeal against a High Court ruling that unauthorised overdraft charges are subject to regulation by the Office of Fair Trading.
The House of Lords said seven major banks and a building society could appeal against an earlier ruling which found that the charges come under "unfair contract" rules.
The decision is a blow for tens of thousands of consumers who have had refund claims frozen while the test case goes through the courts.
Ex-RBS chairman steps down at BP
Rank: 3
Former Royal Bank of Scotland chairman Sir Tom McKillop resigned today from the board of oil giant BP.
Sir Tom - caught up in the row over former RBS chief executive Sir Fred Goodwin's £703,000 pension - will step down at BP's annual meeting on April 16.
He joined the BP board as a non-executive director in 2004 and served on its remuneration committee, earning £95,000 in 2008.
Sir Tom said he felt "this is an appropriate step for me to take at this time".
New £300 road fines
Rank: 2
Dept: Transport
Police and examiners from the Vehicle Operator and Services Agency (VOSA) can now collect on-the-spot payments from alleged offenders who cannot provide a satisfactory UK address. Fines will be up to £300.
It has been released as a clampdown on foreign drivers, but the new powers can be used on UK residents too.
Press release here.
