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Gordon Brown’s leadership comes under attack from Hazel Blears

Gordon Brown's leadership has come under thinly veiled criticism from a senior colleague. Communities secretary Hazel Blears attacked his government's "lamentable" failure to communicate, and warned of "dire" consequences if things don't change. In an Observer article she makes clear reference to Brown's attempt to use the internet to get his message across. "YouTube if you want to. But it is no substitute for knocking on doors or setting up a stall in the town centre". (Observer)
The Mole: 'Ashamed' Charles Clarke lays into Brown 
The Mole: Brown makes expenses vote personal 

Government to step back from Royal Mail privatisation

The government has signaled a retreat over plans to privatise the Royal Mail, fearing another embarrassment to add to last week's defeats over the Gurkhas and MPs' expenses. The scheme to sell off part of the postal service is opposed by around 150 Labour MPs. It will be "kicked into the very long grass", according to a Brown ally. "We cannot afford to be left in a position where we are relying on Tory support". (Sunday Times)
Pros and Cons: Privatisation of the Post Office 
The Post Office we hanker after no longer exists 

Army investigates medal claims

An Army major who won the Military Cross is being investigated following allegations that he exaggerated his own bravery. Major Robert Michael Armstrong won the award for "consistent bravery and inspirational leadership" while serving with the 1st batallion of the Royal Irish Regiment in Helmand last year. The investigation follows claims that actions attributed to himself were actually carried out by fellow officers. There is a wider fear that 'medal inflation' is creeping into the Armed Forces.(Sunday Telegraph)
Britain in Iraq, 2003 - 2009: the statistics 
Pros and Cons: Intervention in Afghanistan 
Will Self: Labour is sacrificing our soldiers in Afghanistan 

Internet set for revolution

The internet is set for another revolution, as a British scientist prepares to launch a new search engine that could put Google in the shade. Instead of swamping you with information, the new "brainier" system is able to work out the answer to a complex question, such as 'When is the next solar eclipse visible from Birmingham?' Dr Stephen Wolfram, who showcased his invention at Harvard University last week, said that it would be free to the public. (Independent on Sunday)
Meet WolframAlpha - the most ambitious search engine since Google 

Staff get bonuses at DFID offshoot

Staff at a government-back fund to tackle global poverty have been awarded £65m in bonuses – equivalent to £350,000 per employee. The fund, Actis, was formerly part of the Department for International Development (DFID). It now manages government investment funds attached to DFID. The funds have been doing very well, but other poverty campaigners question whether banker-style bonuses are appropriate in this sector, when the money is intended for poverty relief. (Sunday Times)
The Third World needs food, not shopping malls 

Clarke attacks ‘poisonous’ clique

Charles Clarke, who is leading the Labour plot against Brown's leadership, has turned his sights on Schools Secretary Ed Balls. He, and Cabinet Office minister Tom Watson, must be sacked to purge the "poisonous" clique from Downing Street, associated with spin-chief Damian McBride. Clarke is thought to favour Alan Johnson taking over from Brown, but Johnson denies any interest. (Mail on Sunday)
The Mole: Charles Clarke slams Gordon Brown 
The Mole: Labour is doing what it does best - tearing itself apart 

Chris Woodhead, the former chief inspector of schools, has revealed that he is suffering from Motor Neurone Disease, and that he intends to commit suicide when his pain intensifies. He has had the muscle-wasting illness for three years. "The quality of one's life is more important than its quantity", he said. (Sunday Times)
Pros and Cons: Assisted suicide 
Diana Athill on making euthanasia legal 

The total number of Britons diagnosed with swine-flu has reached 15, after a six-year old girl from Oxfordshire and a man from Merseyside were confirmed to have the virus. Only one of these, a man from Gloucestershire, has contracted the illness without having been abroad.(Sunday Telegraph)
Swine fever - it's spreading but it might not be that bad 
Precautions to take to avoid swine flu infection 
An outbreak of swine fever and media hype 

Boris Johnson's latest brainwave is to revive the old London Bridge, pulled down 178 years ago, that was lined with shops and houses. It will be the 21st century version of the medieval Ponte Vecchio in Florence, he promises. It will span the Thames between Waterloo and Blackfriars bridges, and extend the cultural centre of the South Bank. (Sunday Times)
People: Is Charles close to carbuncle victory? 

DNA profiles of almost a million people are to be removed from the police national database. There are currently 5.1m people on the database, and around 800,000 have no criminal conviction. Many of these are people who have been arrested but never charged, or tried and found not guilty.(Observer)
DNA databases harm children and the victims of crime 
Government databases condemned as illegal 

Labour peer Baroness Uddin has claimed around £100,000 living expenses, on the grounds that her main home is a flat in Kent, rather than her house in East London. The flat has been unoccupied for years according to neighbours. She has claimed almost £30,000 a year since she bought the flat in 2005. (Sunday Times)
The Mole: Brown backs down on changes to MPs allowances 

Scores die in Sri Lanka hospital

Seventy-five people were reported to have died when a hospital was shelled in the small area still held by the Tamils in Sri Lanka. The claims come from health officials working in the makeshift hospital, but the government strongly denies it, attributing the deaths to a Tamil suicide bomber. (Independent on Sunday)
How Sri Lanka's war with the Tamil Tigers started 
Sri Lanka must stop treating Tamils like terrorists 

A young woman artist was hanged in Iran for allegedly murdering an elderly relative when she was 17. Delara Darabi was executed on Friday in defiance of a two-month stay of her sentence ordered last month. The regime is thought to have acted quickly to prevent international protests (pictured) from growing.
(Observer)
Love letter plea for Roxana Saberi's freedom 
Will Self: Which idiot invited Ahmadinejad to a UN racism conference 

The Taliban is forcing thousands to flee from northern Pakistan, as it extends its rule over the region. Despite extensive American backing, the Pakistani army is struggling to stop the Taliban from moving south, and there are even fears in Islamabad that the extremists will unsettle central Pakistan. (Sunday Telegraph)
US relies on robot army to fight extremists in Pakistan 
Meet the Taliban commander who likes girls and shopping 

ITV pins hopes on ex-BSkyB man

Shareholders in ITV are hoping that the company's fortunes can be revived by Tony Ball, the former chief executive of BSkyB. He is widely seen as the big-hitter needed to replace Michael Grade as chief executive, but there are questions about whether he can work together effectively with Grade, who is staying on as non-executive chairman.

(Sunday Telegraph)
Is Lord Hollick lining up a bid for ITV? 
Showman Grade does it again and quits ITV 
People: Grade to sue Greg Dyke and the Times 

Global advertising giant WPP is to axe 7,200 jobs this year, a six per cent reduction. Many of these jobs have already gone, but scores of people in London are still expected to be made redundant. The firm, headed by Sir Martin Sorrell (left), is due to suffer a five per cent revenue fall this year. (Observer)
People: Sorrell sells off Mugabe's ad agency 

Some of Britain's top business leaders have joined a revolt against the government's plan for a third runway at Heathrow. Justin King of Sainsbury's and Charles Dunstone of Carphone Warehouse are among those questioning whether the case for the economic benefits has really been made, and whether environmental fears have been taken seriously.(Sunday Times)
Pros and Cons: A third runway at Heathrow 

C4 in crisis as executives fall out

Channel 4 is in crisis due to a spat between its two top executives. In an echo of Big Brother, chairman Luke Johnson must decide between his chief executive Andy Duncan and his director of television Kevin Lygo, who are finding it impossible to get on. The channel faces financial crisis, with advertising revenue predicted to plunge by £100m this year. (Sunday Times)
Michael Grade does it again - and quits ITV 

Tracey Emin (left) is flirting with the Tories. She recently attended a Tory arts dinner and is due to meet George Osborne to discuss her concerns about taxes on artists. She has also attacked Labour for not showing enough "pride" in the arts and said that the Tories have changed since Thatcher. (Sunday Times)
People: Tracey Emin lives in a pre-crash bubble 
People: Turner Prize winner Mark Leckey leaves critics unimpressed 

A left-wing novel of 1910 is enjoying new popularity. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell is the story of painter-decorators struggling to find work, and to stand up for their political rights. Its popularity has been boosted by a radio adaptation and by the support of the actor Ricky Tomlinson. (Observer)