Goldman Sachs is planning a major hiring spree in Singapore as it prepares to slash its headcount in the US to cut costs. The financial giant is so worried about criticism over the job shift that it has taken the unusual step of notifying lawmakers about its hiring plans, insiders…
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Penguin found on North Island’s Peka Peka beach is to be freed in the Southern Ocean rather than be ferried back to Antarctica It has wandered thousands of miles off course, ending up confused, lost and in hospital, but a young emperor penguin that reached New Zealand must now find its own way home. Wildlife officials have decided to help the penguin – dubbed Happy Feet after the 2006 animated film – find its way back to its Antarctic home 2,000 miles from New Zealand’s North Island, but stopped short of giving it a lift all the way. The bird, which is 3ft (90cm) tall, will be taken part of the way home and freed into the Southern Ocean, south-east of New Zealand, and will be expected to swim the rest of the way. When Happy Feet was found on Peka Peka beach last week , it was the first time in 44 years the species has been sighted in New Zealand. Since then, wildlife experts – who are not sure if Happy Feet is male or female – have debated the best way to get the bird home. An initial suggestion of taking the penguin all the way back to the Antarctic was dismissed because of logistical difficulties and fears Happy Feet could have picked up infections while in New Zealand, which it could pass on to other penguins. An advisory group decided it would give the hapless penguin a helping hand, but it would have to do the bulk of the work. “The reason for not returning the penguin directly to Antarctica is that emperor penguins of this age are usually found north of Antarctica on pack ice and in the open ocean,” Peter Simpson, the department’s biodiversity spokesman, said. Instead, it will be released on the northern edge of the region where young emperor penguins are known to live. Simpson was unsure how far the penguin would have to swim before getting home. It has been a rough ride for the unfortunate penguin. After being rescued by marine experts, it had to have an operation to remove sand from its stomach , after apparently mistaking it for snow which penguins eat to hydrate themselves in winter. The bird has been recovering at Wellington zoo after one of New Zealand’s leading surgeons, more used to performing the operation on humans, carried out an endoscopy , flushing its stomach clear of sand and driftwood. The penguin has been resting in a private, airconditioned room filled with large blocks of ice and dining on the finest fish slurry. The zoo has said that the penguin will not be taken home before it recovers. Zoo spokeswoman Kate Baker said: “The plan is to let him rest, feed him and x-ray him again on Friday or Saturday to see how much sand has passed.” New Zealand Animals Animal welfare Antarctica Animal behaviour Alexandra Topping guardian.co.uk
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Heated exchanges at prime minister’s questions as Labour leader says PM ‘can’t be trusted’ with health service David Cameron has launched a scathing attack on the Labour leader, Ed Miliband, after being put on the back foot over the NHS. Miliband continued his strategy of challenging Cameron on policy detail at prime minister’s questions, asking him to state the cost of NHS redundancies before revealing the figure of £852m. The Labour leader then asked the prime minister to guarantee that none of those pocketing redundancy payments would be rehired in one of the hundreds of new bodies set to be created as a result of the NHS reforms. But Cameron sought to steer the debate away from health and on to the union strikes due to be staged on Thursday. He accused Miliband of choosing not to ask him about the forthcoming industrial disruption because he was in the “pocket of the unions”. “That’s what we see, week after week – he has to talk about the micro because he can’t talk about the macro,” the prime minister said. “What the whole country will have noticed is, at a time when people are worrying about strikes, he can’t ask about strikes because he is in the pocket of the unions.” The heated atmosphere prompted the Speaker, John Bercow, to appeal to MPs to “calm down and reflect on what the public thinks of this sort of behaviour”. Cameron was forced on the defensive after Miliband rattled off a list of new NHS organisations which he said would see the total number of NHS bodies grow from 163 to 521, despite a promised cull of quangos by the government. These included “pathfinder consortia, health and wellbeing boards, shadow commissioning groups, authorised commissioning groups, a national commissioning board, PCT clusters, SHA clusters, clinical networks and clinical senates”, Miliband said, adding: “Is this what you meant by a bonfire of the quangos?” Cameron said £5bn was being saved through the reduction of bureaucracy, and that the government was implementing the £20bn cost savings set out by Labour. “The difference is … we are going on with putting more money into the NHS, money that the party opposite doesn’t support, so there will be more nurses, more doctors, more operations in our health service and a better NHS compared with cuts from the party opposite,” he said. Miliband again asked him whether staff made redundant would be rehired “to do their old jobs at your new quangos”. Cameron said: “I know that you have this extraordinary vision of how the NHS is run, but it’s not the prime minister who hires every person in every organisation in the NHS.” The Labour leader said people would notice that Cameron “could not be trusted with the NHS”. “Isn’t the truth [that] he promised no top-down reorganisations, he is doing it,” Miliband said. “He promised a bonfire of the quangos; he’s creating more. He promised a better deal for patients, and things are getting worse. What people are asking up and down this country is, what is he doing to our NHS?” Cameron steered the debate away from the government’s policies by launching into the Labour party’s links to the trade unions. “What the whole country will have noticed is, at a time when people are worrying about strikes, he can’t ask about strikes because he is in the pocket of the unions,” said Cameron. “What the whole country will have noticed is, at a time when Greece is facing huge problems over its deficit, he can’t talk about Greece because his plan is to make Britain like Greece. “What the whole country will have noticed is, at a time when the economy is the key issue, he can’t talk about the economy because of his ludicrous plan for tax cuts.” Ed Miliband David Cameron Health policy PMQs House of Commons NHS Health Hélène Mulholland guardian.co.uk
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Independent editor-in-chief defends columnist involved in ‘politically motivated’ plagiarism furore Simon Kelner, the editor-in-chief of the Independent, described the online plagiarism row over star columnist Johann Hari as “politically motivated” and “fabricated anger” at lunchtime on Wednesday. Speaking to Radio 4′s The Media Show , Kelner said Hari’s practice of not attributing some interviewees’ quotes was wrong. But he sought to defend the award-winning columnist, saying it is not a great scandal and claiming that Hari had been unfairly vilified on Twitter. Kelner confirmed that the paper is investigating which editors knew about Hari’s interview technique and that they would review some of his past articles. Writing in the Independent on Wednesday, Hari apologised for his practice of sometimes using quotes taken from other interviews and presenting them as his own. “What Johann did was wrong. He accepts and we believe it,” Kelner told The Media Show presenter Steve Hewlett. “It was born from an honest ambition to give the clearest possible representation of what the interviewee was saying. In the grand scheme of things it is not a great scandal – it’s a naive error which we recognise.” Kelner suggested Hari would not face any disciplinary action – other than being “spoken to at great length” – and said the young columnist had suffered punishment enough with the vilification he’s had on Twitter. He added: “Johann has been vilified by the Twittersphere for what he has done. I don’t think you can discount [that an] element of it feels politically inspired [and] some of it is fabricated anger about what Johann has done.” Hari won the Orwell Prize for political journalism in 2008 for his work on American rightwingers, a report on Saudi Arabia, multiculturalism and women, and another on France’s “secret war” in the Central African Republic. A spokesman for the prize said on Wednesday that it was aware of the Johann Hari controversy and that it had a “process to follow in situations such as this and are doing so now”. Simon Kelner Independent News & Media Newspapers & magazines Blogging Digital media Twitter Internet Newspapers Josh Halliday guardian.co.uk
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Police Federation for Northern Ireland chairman says there have been 200 gun and bomb attacks against officers since last year There are around 650 active dissident republican terrorists determined to destroy Northern Ireland’s power-sharing settlement, police officers warned on Wednesday. The numbers from the Police Federation for Northern Ireland (PFNI) are the first hard figures on the size of the anti-ceasefire republican movements to be released in recent years. Over recent months there has been an upsurge in violence from the Real IRA, Continuity IRA and Oghlaigh naEireann – the three groups opposed to the peace process. In April a faction of the Real IRA in Co Tyrone said they carried out a car bomb attack that killed Constable Ronan Kerr in Omagh. Terry Spence, the chairman of the PFNI, said governments both at Westminster and Stormont should stop underestimating the scale of the dissident threat. Spence said it was “common knowledge that they number around 650 – hardly the microscopic numbers officially suggested in official circles”. He revealed that since last year there have been 200 gun and bomb attacks against his officers in the Police Service of Northern Ireland. Addressing the Northern Ireland secretary, Owen Paterson, Matt Baggot, the PSNI chief constable, and the Stormont justice minister, David Ford, as well as his delegates, Spence said: “Let me be absolutely clear. The Police Federation for Northern Ireland is frustrated at the seeming unwillingness of the executive and the PSNI to face up to the fact that we need to bring every resource that can be made available to us to bring the growing terrorist threat to an end.” He also singled out the Garda Síochána for praise in countering the dissident republican threat from across the border. “Thanks to their magnificent efforts over 170 people from both sides of the border have been arrested for terrorist offences over the past 12 months. Last weekend’s explosives discovery in Louth was a particular example of their good work.” Two men in their 50s were arrested last weekend after a police raid on a farm house close to the border with Northern Ireland. Detectives found parts for a mortar bomb launcher and a significant quantity of home made explosives. The Garda later said they believed they had foiled a major terrorist attack being planned for somewhere across the border. But in Northern Ireland, Spence said the authorities had been “blindsided by the growth in terrorism” both republican and loyalist. Referring to the recent attacks by a unit of the Ulster Volunteer Force on a Catholic community in east Belfast, Spence said more robust action needed to be taken against those loyalists still engaged in violence. “If being a proscribed organisation is to mean anything then action must be taken. The behaviour of the UVF demands that active members released under the Belfast Agreement on license should be recalled to prison by the secretary of state. “We cannot tolerate paramilitary groups creating public havoc because they think they have no voice in how Northern Ireland is governed. “They have exactly the same access to the ballot box and opportunity to stand for election as the rest of us.” The secretary of state retains the power to re-arrest and imprison any of the paramilitary prisoners who were freed early as part of the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement. During two nights of disturbances last week the UVF attacked police lines as well as residents’ homes in the Catholic Short Strand district of east Belfast. Dissident republicans also opened fire towards the loyalist side and wounded the Press Asociation’s photographer Niall Carson. On Friday night several thousand loyalists will march in the same area where trouble erupted last week during an Orange Order band parade around east Belfast. Security forces will be on alert in case there is any repeat of last week’s sectarian disorder. Northern Ireland Police Henry McDonald guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Joe Stagni must be wishing his affair had been uncovered before the Anthony Weiner scandal. The New Orleans-area city councilman is in the news across the US and even internationally for texting a photograph of himself in his underwear to a colleague in 2009. The woman forwarded the image to…
Continue reading …Thousands of protesters clashed with riot police in Cairo last night, leaving dozens injured in the worst unrest the city has seen for months. Security forces fired tear gas as they attempted to reclaim the city’s central Tahrir Square. The protesters included many relatives of the more than 800 people…
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• Hit F5 to refresh or turn on the automatic widget below • Email thoughts and chat to rob.bagchi@guardian.co.uk • Follow all today’s games in our daily live blog from SW19 Second set: Federer 6-3, 2-3 Tsonga* The problem with listening to McEnroe is that any personal judgment seems redundant by comparison. He says Tsonga’s penchant for going big from the back of the court is undoing his better work near the net and he’s right. If he lets Federer move him from side to side he hasn’t got a prayer. What gives him a chance, though, is that serve and he wins the game with a whacking great ace. Second set: Federer* 6-3, 2-2 Tsonga Tom Morgan’s been on: “I’m sure I won’t be the only one to contact you, but Mr Cochrane appears to have had the wool pulled over his eyes. As an amateur ref I can assure him that teams that win the toss still choose ends according to the FA laws. Perhaps the other team was going to buy the referee a pint or two after his game?” A ref hanging around after for beers? Brave soul. Oh I say. Tsonga is pushing Federer more but Fed wins the best point of the match with another crafty volley that clips the net. A last unforced error from Tsonga seals it for Federer. Second set: Federer 6-3, 1-2 Tsonga* Tsonga is fighting back, trying to take the initiative and succeeding with a biffed double-hand backhand and volley at the net when Federer digs it out. Another double fault brings the game to 40-30, though, as if belief deserts him at the moment he’s proved himself but he rallies to win the game when Federer goes wide. Second set: Federer* 6-3, 1-1 Tsonga Federer snuffs out Tsonga’s attempts at passing shots when the Frenchman is deep in the court because Tsonga rather telegraphs his intentions, and levels it at 15-all with a beauty of a volley from wide on the left of the court. Simon Watson writes: “Are you sure Federer is playing today? Apparently he was on court on Sunday trying to settle a score …” Murray’s beard suggests the sponsors haven’t been too heavy-handed with him. Federer takes the game. Second set: Federer 6-3, 0-1 Tsonga* Oh dear. Tsonga begins with a double fault, hitting the net with his first at 137mph. He’s obviously going for it now and does level at 15 all with a booming second serve that caught Federer off guard. One step forward, one step, maybe two back, as Tsonga fails to challenge a call that was in by the baseline and levelled it at 30-30. He then moves in front with his best shot of the match and wins the game. First set: Federer* 6-3 Tsonga Tales of the toss from Alec Cochrane: “A few years ago whilst captaining a 9th XI football team, having won the toss and chosen to shoot with the wind behind our backs the ref informed me that they’d changed the rules on the toss and now the winner kicked off, whilst the loser chose ends, apparently in an attempt to simplify the rules. The opposition captain then of course chose to shoot in the direction I wanted to in the first half and sure enough by the time the second half came around the wind had changed direction. I bet they don’t do that in tennis.” Federer wins the game to love off his serve and takes the first set. Cakewalk time unless Tsonga can string together better shots off the baseline with his strong suit near the net. First set: Federer* 5-3 Tsonga Sorry to sound repetitive and I know it’s early in the game but Federer has this ability to play wonderful shots off his forehand that Tsonga is unable to cope with. Mac thinks Tsonga is lumbering around and there’s truth to that. He looks peculiarly leaden-footed but this isn’t over and he wins points when he comes to the net and wins the game with a lovely return with the ball at foot-level. First set: Federer* 5-2 Tsonga Another beautiful stop-volley for Federer’s showreel puts him 15-love up and he gets up to beat Tsonga’s attempt at a lob to backhand smash and go 30-15 ahead, winning the game when Tsonga’s backhand isn’t up to the test. First set: Federer 4-2 Tsonga* Good first point from Tsonga, forcing Federer very wide with his serve then wrongfooting him off the return. Then vintage Federer to win with a sublime lob after a long rally where Federer manoeuvred Tsonga into position with a sadist’s precision. But Tsonga recovers to take the next two points before Federer brings it deuce with a gorgeous volley. Tsonga’s first ace gives him the advantage and Federer pushes it wide of the line on the right to lose the game. First set: Federer* 4-1 Tsonga Better response from Tsonga but to this layman he seems to momentarily be sacrificing power just to make sure that he gets the ball over the net and makes Federer commit a couple of unforced errors. After losing a referral, he moves to 30-40 when Federer loosely gives him the opportunity but Federer gets back to deuce. Tsonga earns another break point by pushing Federer wide then getting close to the net to volley past him. Federer wakes up and wins the game with a pair of powerful serves that force Tsonga to overhit. First set: Federer 3-1 Tsonga* Goodness. Nerves always play a part but Tsonga is more Bert Lahr than king of the jungle out there. He moves to 30-0 with a little luck but then can’t get his feet moving when Federert pings one deep to his right and he tamely hits it into the net. He wraps up the final point with more aggression, though, to take the game. First set: Federer* 3-0 Tsonga Tsonga again finds the net. He’s not even aiming wide and overpowering his shots, simply underhitting everything as if caution has got the better of him. Federe wins to love, the final point won with a lovely sliced forehand. Mike Cassidy writes: “Interesting chicken and lion quote from Tsonga. He may already be regretting appointing Eric Cantona as his media adviser.” Seagulls and trawlers were the first thing that came to my mind, too. First set: Federer 2-0 Tsonga* Tsonga’s nerves are jangling, approaching the net to volley, nailing the first of a rally then slicing the second into the net. Federer has two break points after Tsonga again hits a routine forehand from the back right of the court into the net then does the same from the left with the first break point. Poor start from Tsonga. First set: Federer* 1-0 Tsonga Federer chose to serve after winning the toss. Do they still do the toss with a racket, probably not but they did when I went there 20 odd years ago. A jammy net cord gets Tsonga the first point off an underhit return but Federer levels then takes the lead with a beautiful forehand from the baseline to Tsonga’s right and wins the next point on his second serve as Tsonga misjudges the pace. Federer ties up the set comfortably and looks in good nick. Mac watch: I can’t get his cameo from Curb Your Enthusiasm out of my head this morning, reading the Freak Book in the back of Larry David’s limo. He reckons the biggest chance of an upset today is in this match. Interesting. Jack Nicklaus and Greg Norman are watching on. Roger’s got his tank top on for the net photo op and the knock-up. Sue Barker says Fed trains in Dubai in 110C heat by playing two players simultaneously. Masochism leads to perfection. Remarkable John Inverdale interview with Tsonga in the build-up – “you frighten a chicken by running up to it and it runs away. You do the same to a lion he eats you. You attack me, I attack you.” Preamble: Afternoon all, and welcome to coverage of the men’s quarter-final between Roger Federer and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. I wouldn’t claim that tennis was my forte but this match is one I’ve been looking forward to – any chance to watch Fed is one to look forward to. He had to crank up the gears in his last match against Mikhail Youzhny but I had few doubts that he would make his 29th slam quarter-final in succession. They’ve met five times before but not on grass with Federer winning four of them but Tsonga’s form at Queen’s shows how dangerous a booming serve can be on this most unforgiving surface. Just waiting for the Daily Politics to end before I can give you a Royal Box update. Wimbledon 2011 Roger Federer Tennis Wimbledon Rob Bagchi guardian.co.uk
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New legislation allowing local authorities to retain business rates will encourage economic growth, says deputy prime minister Business rates are to be collected and retained locally, allowing councils to borrow against their future income from the taxation to fund local services. Speaking at the Local Government Association conference in Birmingham this week, deputy prime minister Nick Clegg announced the government would introduce legislation in the current Parliamentary session which would overhaul local government finance. Clegg said the bill would include plans to localise the retention of council tax, providing a “dramatic new incentive” for local authorities to encourage economic growth in their area. The legislation would also introduce tax increment finance, allowing local authorities to borrow against future income from the business rates to meet local priorities which could, the deputy prime minister suggested, include developing new homes. The announcement followed a Local Government Group poll, carried out by YouGov, which revealed that 66% of businesses said they would prefer it if their rates were retained by their council and distributed locally. Clegg reassured the audience that he would ensure the proposals were “fair”, so the poorest boroughs would not find themselves worse off than they are already are under the new system. He also announced the government was looking to set up a series of pilot schemes to test out local community budgeting, including two pilots to try out plans to pool the entire funding pot for local services. He describe the move to localism as a “once in a generation shift from a very centralised lopsided economy to one that’s more balanced”. Delegates roundly welcomed the announcement of new fiscal powers, for councils but a series of simple questions posed by Liberal Democrats among the audience were met with loud jeers. Speaking earlier at the conference, decentralisation minister Greg Clark said he wished to provide councils with an “entrenched right of initiative” allowing them to find their own answers to local problems. “I think we’re getting close to a new constitutional settlement between central government and local government,” he said. Fears were raised about the risk of creating a ‘postcode lottery’ in public service delivery, but Cllr Colin Barrow, leader of the London borough of Westminster, said such accusations were in fact a benchmark of success. “I praise the postcode lottery. I think the more of a postcode lottery we have the better, because we’re local and local means different.” This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. Join the local government network for more like this direct to your inbox. Policy Finance Localism Service provision Hannah Fearn guardian.co.uk
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