Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 7 Feb 2013

Education Secretary Michael Gove today announced a U-turn in the Commons over his plans to scrap GCSE exams in key subjects and replace them with an English Baccalaureate Certificate. The reversal was announced alongside plans for a new "core curriculum" for schools. Labour greeted the change as a "humiliating climbdown". Teachers are "delighted".

Mark Carney, the next governor of the Bank of England, has defended his £874,000 pay packet during an appearance at the Treasury Select Committee today. The 47-year-old Canadian banker said his salary was justified because the fact he was not taking a pension meant it was in line with that paid to the current governor, Sir Mervyn King.

Australian sport has been rocked by the discovery that the use of banned drugs is widespread. A year-long investigation has found banned substances, sometimes supplied by organised crime, are widely condoned by coaches and support staff. Home affairs minister Jason Clare said the findings were "will disgust Australian sports fans".

Journalist Jemima Khan yesterday attacked WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, saying he has gone from speaking truth to power to expecting "blinkered, cultish devotion". A long-time supporter of Assange, she wrote in the New Statesman that he should be in Sweden facing allegations of sexual misconduct made against him.

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp has reported a more-than-doubling of its profits despite spending another $56m to cover costs related to the defunct News of the World and the inquiries into illegal telephone hacking and bribery of public officials. Net income for the three months to December came in at $2.38bn thanks to strong growth at Fox TV and other cable networks.