A maths teacher, who describes maths as “quite addictive”, from Preston Manor School in Wembley, has reached the top 10 finalists for a global teaching prize. The final top 10 shortlist has been published, after entries were received from teachers in 148 countries.
The BBC says that Colin Hegarty is the only UK finalist, alongside teachers from the United States, Australia, India, Finland and Kenya.
The winner will receive a prize of £690,000 at an awards ceremony in March.
The Global Teacher Prize, set up by the Varkey Foundation, the charitable arm of the Gems international education firm, is aimed at “unearthing thousands of stories of heroes that have transformed young people's lives”.
Mr Hegarty said it was good to see a competition that “elevated the status of teachers”.
The Daily Mirror says that Poland is offering an alternative story to the cracking of the Enigma code in the Second World War.
The accepted view is that British maths genius Alan Turing led a team of code breakers at Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire but apparently it was the Poles who, a decade earlier, cracked the early Enigma machines and passed their knowledge to the British.
Poland has made it's case at the world’s biggest science conference, the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, in Washington, DC.
A spokesman for the Polish Embassy in Washington said: “I think the real story has been lost over time.
The Polish involvement was well known during the war, but during the communist period it was not so convenient to admit co-operation between Britain and Poland.”
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How much?
The BBC tells us that an Aston Martin sports car from the James Bond film Spectre fetched £2,434,500 at an auction in London.
The DB10 was one of only two 'show' cars from the 10 made specially for the film and has a 4.7-litre V8 petrol engine. It has a top speed of 190 mph but cannot be driven on public roads.
Other lots from the auction of items from the film included the 'Day of the Dead' costume worn by Daniel Craig which sold for £98,500 and Sam Smith's 'Writing on the Wall' record and sheet music which went for £9,375. Money raised went to charities.
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We Brits love our kitchen gadgets, according to the Daily Mirror.
They quote a survey by consumer analysts Mintel which says that we bought £897 million worth of new electrical kitchen gadgets last year
Sales of kettles, blenders and juicers have shot up by 41 per cent over the last five years, rising from £635 million in 2011.
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In the meantime, it seems that white bread, which was once a big part of Britain's diet, is on the decline on the country's dinner tables.
A Daily Mail article reports that sales have plummeted, with shoppers spending £40million less on it last year.
White bread appears to be the victim of a health backlash, with people switching to brown bread and foreign alternatives such as naan and ciabatta.
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Anatolian Shepherd dog Kurt is described by owner Tracey Buckingham as 'the biggest cuddle monster' in the world.
And, says the Daily Express, Tracey, from Chatham, Kent, reckons that Kurt, who is 7ft high could well be the biggest dog in the country.
The dog weighs 11 stone and Tracey spends £100 a month on his diet of raw meat and bones.
Reference list:
The Express (www.express.co.uk)
Daily Mail (www.dailymail.co.uk)
Daily Mirror (www.mirror.co.uk)
BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)