Family man

The Guardian says there's no condition attached to James Harding's £1.3m pay off from News International which prevents him starting work at the BBC straightaway - he's simply familiarising himself with the myriad news departments before starting in August.

That's not quite the same picture as received at the BBC, where they expect him to lurk for six weeks, before taking some paternity leave - wife Kate is expecting their second child. Six weeks would take us to the end of May; leaving June and July free before an August start.

News International's paternity leave is not quite as generous...

PATERNITY LEAVEEmployees employed for 26 weeks or more have the right to take either one or two consecutive weeks leave. Employees who have been with the company for at least one year at the start of their leave, or who have returned to work for at least one year since the end of previous leave, will receive one week on full basic pay.