British Prime Minister Tony Blair's mid-term Cabinet reshuffle received a mixed response from London's press yesterday -- with his move to bury the post of justice minister largely applauded but the sudden resignation of health chief and close ally Alan Milburn seen as a blow.
"Emergency surgery on the Cabinet," read the headline splashed across the front page of The Times, in response to Blair's quick-fire appointment of John Reid as health secretary in place of Milburn, who unexpectedly resigned Thursday citing family reasons.
The Independent said Reid's appointment was not a move "to invigorate the Blair revolution" on public services but rather a "patching-up exercise."
"Blair is rocked by great Milburn mystery," headlined the right-wing Daily Mail which, like other papers, was taken aback by the resignation of a politician thought to harbor great ambition.
Paul Routledge, chief political commentator for the left-wing Daily Mirror, claimed Milburn may have quit to prepare a leadership challenge should Blair come unstuck in his pursuit to win a third term in office.
The Daily Telegraph, a right-wing publication heavily critical of Labour's policies, said "the voluntary departure of Mr Blair's most ambitious disciple speaks volumes about the government's failure to deliver radical change in the public services."
The Sun said that in losing Milburn, the prime minister had "lost the backbone of his Blairite revolutionary guard."
The other major change brought about by Blair's reshuffle was the announcement that the role of lord chancellor was to be gradually killed off after a 1,398-year run.
In existence since 605, the lord chancellor has been at once justice minister, speaker of the House of Lords -- Britain's upper chamber of parliament -- and responsible for the running of law courts in England and Wales, including the nomination of judges.
London's press welcomed the departure of the outgoing lord chancellor, Lord Alexander "Derry" Irvine, who claimed he had retired.
The Daily Mail called his leaving "the one move deserving an unqualified welcome."
It said that as lord chancellor, Irvine "became a joke in the worst possible taste, with his pomposity, arrogance and outrageous extravagance. He will not be missed."
With Irvine's departure comes a radical shake-up of the judiciary, including the setting up of an independent panel to appoint judges and a supreme court as England and Wales' final court of appeal.
The Guardian said the changes could prove to be "the largest single legacy" of Blair's premiership, adding that "a great step has been taken towards bringing British institutions into the 21st century.
Both the Financial Times and The Sun said that the changes were "long overdue."
School bullies in Singapore are to face caning under new guidelines, but the education minister on Tuesday said it would be meted out only as a last resort with strict safeguards. Human rights groups regularly criticize Singapore for the use of corporal punishment, which remains part of the school and criminal justice systems, but authorities have defended it as a deterrent to crime and serious misconduct. Caning was discussed in the parliament after legislators asked how it would be used in relation to bullying in schools. The debate followed stricter guidelines on serious student misconduct, including bullying, unveiled by the Singaporean Ministry of
A MESSAGE: Japan’s participation in the Balikatan drills is a clear deterrence signal to China not to attack Taiwan while the US is busy in the Middle East, an analyst said The Japan Self-Defense Forces yesterday fired a Type 88 anti-ship missile during a joint maritime exercise with US, Australian and Philippine forces, hitting a decommissioned Philippine Navy ship in waters facing the disputed South China Sea, in drills that underscore Tokyo’s rising willingness to project military power on China’s doorstep. The drill took place as Manila and Tokyo began talks on a potential defense equipment transfer, made possible by Japan’s decision to scrap restrictions on military exports. The discussions include the possible early transfer of Abukuma-class destroyers and TC-90 aircraft to the Philippines, Japanese Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi said. Philippine Secretary of
‘GROSS NEGLIGENCE?’ Despite a spleen typically being significantly smaller than a liver, the surgeon said he believed Bryan’s spleen was ‘double the size of what is normal’ A Florida surgeon who is facing criminal charges after allegedly removing a patient’s liver instead of his spleen has said he is “forever traumatized” by that person’s death. In a deposition from November last year that was recently obtained by NBC, 44-year-old Thomas Shaknovsky described the death of 70-year-old William Bryan as an “incredibly unfortunate event that I regret deeply.” Bryan died after the botched surgery; and last month, a grand jury in Tallahassee indicted Shaknovsky on a charge of manslaughter. “I’m forever traumatized by it and hurt by it,” Shaknovsky added, also saying that wrong-site surgeries can happen “during
A South Korean judge who last week more than doubled former South Korean first lady Kim Keon-hee’s prison sentence was found dead yesterday, police said. Shin Jong-o was found unconscious at about 1am at the Seoul High Court building, an investigator at the Seocho District Police Station in Seoul said. Shin was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead, he said. “There is no sign of foul play in the death,” the investigator added. Local media reported that Shin had left a suicide note, but the investigator said there was none. On Tuesday last week, Shin presided over 53-year-old Kim’s appeal trial, finding her guilty
RSS