The Wardman Wire

To mention it once again, I continue - since the hyperlinks which they broke when they redesigned their website continue to be broken, and I have received no response to requests for them to sort it out. I have added this paragraph to the Daily Roundup template.

Here is today’s roundup of stories.

Comment

Victoria Brittain (Comment is Free)

- Spanish practices
The collapse of Spain’s extradition case against el-Banna and Deghayes should lead to an official British acknowledgement of their innocence

Guy Herbert (Comment is Free) - The politics of identity
The Labour ID card schedule, announced today, makes a mockery of the joined-up government it is supposed to embody

Economist (Economist) - Why the Grand Canyon has been flooded
Floods once raged through the canyon every year. Snow from as far away as Wyoming would melt and swell the Colorado river to a flow that averaged around 1,500 cubic metres (50,000 cubic feet) a second. Every eight years or so, that figure rose to almost 3,500 cubic metres. These floods infused the river with sediment, carved its beaches and built its sandbars.

Telegraph (Telegraph) - If Livingstone loses London, he will have only himself to blame
The formidable political machine that is Ken Livingstone has started to leak oil. London’s mayor has not yet broken down, but his pistons are no longer pumping quite so freely. A nasty noise is emanating from City Hall engine, as friction over corruption allegations tests Team Ken’s mettle.

David Cameron (Telegraph) - Do not ignore feelings over post office closures
Post Offices provide much needed services for millions of vulnerable people in this country, particularly the elderly, and Labour has been closing almost 10 a week since 1997. Post Offices often provide the only community service in rural areas and the strength of public protest against closures is being ignored by this Government.

News

Norma Cohen in London (FT)

- Companies face bigger pensions risk levy
Companies with pension schemes heavily reliant on risky investments such as equities will pay far higher premiums to the Pension Protection Fund under proposals to be unveiled this year.

Duncan Campbell and Ian MacKinnon in Bangkok (Guardian) - Lord of war arms trafficker arrested
If Viktor Bout did not exist, a thriller writer would have invented him. A former Russian lieutenant, he became one of the world’s biggest arms dealers, flying his ancient Soviet planes into battlefields from Liberia to Afghanistan. His clients have included the Taliban and the US government, African warlords and the UN.

NYT (NYT) - Party Donations Show G.O.P. Edge
The Democratic National Committee ended 2007 nearly flat broke, with cash of $2.9 million and debts of $2.2 million. Since then it has raised some money, paid down debt and managed to put $3.7 million in its piggy bank. This compares, however, with $25 million that the Republican National Committee has in cash on hand, after having raised $97 million since the beginning of 2007.

Christine Buckley, Grainne Gilmore and Miles Costello (Times Online) - The British status as a financial leader is under threat, Alistair Darling is cautioned
In separate warnings, the CBI and the ABI said that if the Government made hasty changes to banking regulation and pushed ahead with changes to rules on capital gains tax and nondomiciled workers, the financial services sector and the country’s reputation would be damaged.

Nick Ray/The Times (Times Online)- Grudging GPs give in and agree to open evenings and weekends
Family doctors have reluctantly decided to open in the evenings or at weekends after being bulldozed into an agreement by the Government. GPs accepted a set plan to work extra hours but 98 per cent of those in a poll said that the Government method of negotiation was not acceptable and that their hand had been forced.

Wales

BBC (BBC)

- Assembly members get 8.3% pay rise
Welsh assembly members are set to receive an inflation busting pay-rise of 8.3%, bringing their salaries more in line with MPs at Westminster.

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