The Wardman Wire

Here is todays roundup of stories.

News

MATTHEW HICKLEY (Daily Mail)

- Outrage as publicity-mad chief constable says ‘ecstasy is safer than aspirin’

Notorious chief constable Richard Brunstrom is facing demands to resign after publicly claiming that the illegal rave drug ecstasy is safer than aspirin. In his latest bizarre proclamation, he insisted that the drug - which claims almost 50 lives a year - was a remarkably safe substance.

Tony Harnden (Telegraph) - Clinton gets personal in presidential race

Mrs Clinton’s 40-minute New Year’s Day speech, attended by 200 staunch supporters and nearly as many journalists, included several attempts to portray Mr Obama as an ingénu, unable to lead, and herself as uniquely experienced. Electing the young Illinois senator, Mrs Clinton, 60, argued - while never mentioning him by name - would require a leap of faith that would expose America to danger at a time of unprecedented challenges.

Polly Curtis, (Guardian) - Councils face £2.8bn bill for equal pay

Council bosses across England are having to remortgage their town halls and raid reserves to meet a £2.8bn bill to pay back a generation of women who have been discriminated against, the Guardian can reveal. Schools are to be told to find up to a third of the bill out of their reserves to compensate classroom assistants and cleaners who have been systematically underpaid. There are fears they could be forced to lay off other workers to pay women back.

Dalya Alberge (Times Online) - Can Ice Age art survive Man’s attempt to save it?

The survival of the most important cave paintings in the world is in doubt because of a severe fungal infection that spread after an air-circulation system was installed to protect them, archaeologists say. The 17,000-year-old paintings known as “the Sistine Chapel of pre-history” - the Lascaux cave in the Dordogne region of southwest France - are being damaged by black spots that are spreading at an alarming rate. Fragments of the cave walls have broken off and some colour tones are fading. Now Unesco is sending a delegation of specialists to the cave to determine whether it should be placed on its World Heritage in Danger list.

Mark Hughes (Independent) - It may be Europe’s cultural capital, but the people of Liverpool are paying a high price

In just a few days, Liverpool will officially be declared the European Capital of Culture. But, as the sun rises on the new year, the city could soon acquire another, unwanted, title: Britain’s capital of debt. As the credit squeeze hits hard in towns and cities across the country, figures suggest Liverpool could be hit worse than most.

Lord Clement-Jones (Times Online) - Peerage for Lord Hameed linked to Lib Dems’ biggest benefactor

The Liberal Democrats’ main corporate backer is a care home business that has been giving the party nearly half its profits and whose ultimate ownership is secret. A businessman who sits on the board of all the sister companies of the donor firm Alpha Healthcare has been given a seat in the House of Lords.

THOMAS WHITAKER (The Sun) - After CDOs and SIVs come CDSs

TWO British oil workers have been sacked after simulating sex with sheep due to be slaughtered for a Muslim festival. The animals were being killed for 30 foreign workers to celebrate Eid Al Adhha in the Algerian oil town Hassi Messaoud. The men, who have not been named, were reported by stunned restaurant workers and guards — then sacked by their employer, US industrial giant Schlumberger. They were accused of “sheep violation”.

The Economist (The Economist) - Markets in 2008

After CDOs and SIVs come CDSs IF NOTHING else, 2007 has enriched the vocabulary of international investors. Think back 12 months; how many people knew what subprime loans were, or what CDOs and SIVs stood for? (For those who are still baffled, they are Collateralised Debt Obligations and Structured Investment Vehicles.)

BBC (BBC) - Blairite offers PM olive branch

Tony Blair is history and his supporters must bury the hatchet with Gordon Brown and move on, a former cabinet minister has declared. Stephen Byers said everyone seeking a Labour election victory must throw their weight behind the prime minister.

Sky News (Sky News) - Passengers Demand Better Rail Service

A rail users’ group is planning a ticket boycott over fare increases of more than twice the rate of inflation on many lines from now. The price hikes see most season tickets going up by almost 5%, while other fares are set to rise by up to 11%.

NMARTIN FACKLER (New York Times) - Losing an Edge, Japanese Envy India’s Schools

MITAKA, Japan — Japan is suffering a crisis of confidence these days about its ability to compete with its emerging Asian rivals, China and India. But even in this fad-obsessed nation, one result was never expected: a growing craze for Indian education.

Bill Brubaker (Washington Post (Free Registration)) - Online Records May Aid ID Theft Government Sites Post Personal Data

In an era when government officials from President Bush to local sheriffs warn of the growing dangers of identity theft, the full Social Security numbers of untold numbers of Americans can be found in file rooms and on Web sites run by, well, governments.

Emma Wilkinson (BBC) - NHS e-records programme launched

The first patients’ electronic records have been uploaded to the new NHS online database. Around 20 GP surgeries in Bolton and Bury have added 110,000 patients’ details to the system, part of the £12bn NHS IT upgrade project. The e-records will eventually be available to NHS staff nationwide and contain details on medical conditions, current medication and allergies.

Comment

Ian Bancroft (Comment is Free) - Slovenia in the spotlight

Can Slovenia, during its presidency of the EU, help to steer Europe and the Balkans towards a solution of the Kosovo problem? Today, Slovenia assumes the presidency of the EU from Portugal, thereby becoming the first country from the 2004 wave of enlargement to fulfil this important role. While Slovenia must also contend with ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon, it is the issue of Kosovo which, according to the Slovenian foreign minister, Dimitrij Rupel, may well be the greatest challenge of the Slovenian presidency.

Chris Giles and Delpine Straus (Financial Times) - Worst outlook since dotcom bust

Britain this year faces the most difficult economic conditions since the dotcom bubble burst, according to the Financial Times’ annual survey of leading economists, which shows deepening pessimism about the impact of the global credit squeeze.