The Wardman Wire

To mention it once again, I continue not to link to the Independent - 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

Economist (Economist) - Simba Makoni is getting up steam
President Robert Mugabe may face a real challenge in the election on March 29th

Guardian (Guardian) - Can you do me a quick cow head?
From Damien Hirst to Mark Wallinger, many major artists now rely on legions of helpers. How do they feel about their often uncredited roles? Patrick Barkham reports

Mikhail Gorbachev (Times Online)

- Memo to Medvedev: democracy counts
Russia has elected a new president. I voted, and I urged not only my friends and family but all citizens of Russia to go to the polls and cast their ballots - despite the fact that the result was predictable, even programmed.

News

BBC (BBC) - Paisley to quit as first minister
Northern Ireland first minister Ian Paisley is to stand down from the post in May, he has announced. He also said he would be resigning as leader of the DUP, a party he has led for almost 40 years. He will continue as MP and MLA for North Antrim. “

BBC (BBC) - Fire chiefs plea on flood rescues
Scotland fire chiefs believe their service should be the single agency in charge of flood rescues.

Joanna Chung and Jennifer Hughes (FT) - FSA cold calling in insider trading clampdown
Traders and investors are being cold-called by the City regulator in its latest bid to gather evidence of potential insider dealing crimes.

James Rossiter (Times Online) - Chancellor Alistair Darling to close loophole in finance deals based on Sharia
The Government brought in changes to the stamp duty regime three years ago amid concern that homeowners opting for Sharia-compliant mortgages were paying stamp duty twice. The 2005 Budget brought in measures to correct this anomaly but inadvertently created a tax avoidance opportunity that property developers have rushed to exploit. More than £1 billion of commercial property deals over the past two years have escaped stamp duty at 4 per cent.

Chris Brooke (Times Online) - Dozens of missing schoolchildren feared forced into arranged marriages
Dozens of children are missing from school amid fears they have been forced into arranged marriages, it was revealed yesterday. In Bradford, 33 children remain unaccounted for after being off school for at least two months with no explanation.

Obituary

AP (NYT)

- Dungeons & Dragons Co - Creator Dies at 69
Gary Gygax, who co-created the fantasy game Dungeons & Dragons and is widely seen as the father of the role-playing games, died Tuesday morning at his home in Lake Geneva. He was 69.

Scotland

MARTYN McLAUGHLIN (Scotsman) - Pulling plug on water monopoly
Whether it is a newsagents in the Shetland Islands, or a major housebuilding concern in Edinburgh, tens of thousands of Scottish businesses will have the right to choose their water and sewerage suppliers from the beginning of next month.

Telegraph (Telegraph) - Questions over £1,500 tax subsidy for Scots
In a move expected to reignite tensions between the Westminster and Edinburgh parliaments, Mr Brown has told Alistair Darling, the Chancellor, to look again at the Barnett formula. Downing Street confirmed last night that the review - which could end the much-maligned formula - had been ordered to inform the debate. Mr Darling will present its findings in the next few months.”

Wales

BBC (BBC)

- Plea to legalise flags on plates
A campaign calling on the UK Government to allow national flags such as the Welsh dragon to be displayed on car number plates has been launched.

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