Sports Calendar

Government plans joint property ventures

John McCready will manage the State's £370bn property portfolio to boost returns in partnership with the private sector

Whitehall's plans to privatise public sector

The work is being overseen by Gerry Grimstone, a former Treasury mandarin who led the sell-off of BT in the 1980s

Strike threats loom over civil service cuts

The public sector reacts with fury as the reality of the Chancellor’s announced spending squeeze sinks in

The week

A match of two halves

The Big Give, which its founder Alec Reed describes as a “virtual charity”, now has 6,000 charities on its books

It may not be cuddly, but these charities can bring about transformational change

Three organisations, tackling gritty, niche problems, will be the focus of The Times Christmas charity appeal this year

Leaders need to get thinking for the spending squeeze

The PBR contained one concrete measure that will help to contain costs — capping pay increases at 1 per cent

Campaigning for evidence-based education

Teaching practices rely too much on ideologies about how children learn, rather than research, says Sir Jim Rose

A striking new threat for the economy

The number of days lost to disputes has, in fact, dropped during the downturn, but trouble maybe brewing as Britain emerges from the slump

Graduate Watch

Unemployment may rise more slowly next year

New employment survey shows one in ten companies plans to reduce its workforce between January and March next year

Magnificent men at Cobham build a rugged defence machine

British defence contractor Cobham stays at the top by focusing on niche markets such as inflight refuelling kit

Balloon hunt boffins gave the web wings

The Pentagon is floating weather balloons in secret locations to examine how social networking sites help people collaborate

Woman blazing a trail in the police service

Cressida Dick, the most senior female officer in the Metropolitan Police, says the old sexist days are gone

We should learn a valuable lesson from foreign students

Degree level only study visas would cripple an education export system which earns £32 billion a year for the economy

The week

Hospital trusts; prisoner releases; council housing cheats; GCSEs; monitoring rapists; voting system; care homes

Should boys and girls be taught together?

After a conference on the topic we ask experts for opinions on the rise of single-sex lessons in schools