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Obama Ready to Force Health Reforms

President Obama declared for the first time today that he is prepared to steamroll his troubled health reform legislation through Congress with only Democratic support, a move Republicans denounced as the “nuclear option”.
 

Austin Plane Crash ‘Deliberate’

An Austin, Texas, resident with an apparent grudge against the Internal Revenue Service set his house on fire Thursday and then crashed a small plane into a building housing an IRS office with nearly 200 employees, federal officials said. Federal authorities identified the pilot of the Piper Cherokee PA-28 ...
 

Austin Plane Crash ‘DeliberateR ...

An Austin, Texas, resident with an apparent grudge against the Internal Revenue Service set his house on fire Thursday and then crashed a small plane into a building housing an IRS office with nearly 200 employees, federal officials said. Federal authorities identified the pilot of the Piper Cherokee PA-28 ...
 

Operation Moshtarak Launched Without Hit ...

Declan Walsh in Islamabad and David Batty The Guardian Thousands of British, US and Afghan soldiers are engaged in the biggest military offensive against the Taliban since the war in Afghanistan began nine years ago. Skirmishes erupted as coalition forces swept into the Taliban strongholds of Marjah and Nad Ali in Helmand province in a bid to secure government ...
 

Luge Competitor Nodar Kumaritashvili Kil ...

IOC president Jacques Rogge, wearing a black tie, wiped away tears when he haltingly announced the death of 21-year-old Nodar Kumaritashvili, who crashed at speeds of more than 90mph on one of the most dangerous sections of the luge run that has previously been criticised for its extreme design.
 

Toyota Recalls Thousands of Prius Worldw ...

Toyota has announced the recall of about 436,000 hybrid vehicles worldwide, including its latest Prius model, to fix brake problems.
 

Billy Hayes ‘Stronger than Scargil ...

The trade union leader planning two days of crippling nationwide postal strikes next week has said he is more powerful than Arthur Scargill was in the 1980s.
 

Iran Security Agents Raids Opposition Of ...

Iranian security agents on Tuesday raided offices connected to senior reformist leader Mahdi Karroubi, arresting four aides and closing the headquarters of his political party, which had been probing abuse of protesters arrested in the country's postelection crackdown.
 

Three Convicted of Liquid Bomb Airline P ...

Three British Muslims were found guilty today of conspiracy to murder thousands of passengers and crew in an unprecedented airline bomb plot that could have proved as deadly as the 9/11 attacks.
 

Transsexual Moves to Female Prison

A transsexual prisoner serving life for manslaughter and attempted rape committed while she was a man has won a high court battle to be transferred to a women's jail.
 

Karzai Rift Worsens

Western forces were engulfed in bitter controversy yesterday after Nato air strikes on two oil tankers hijacked by the Taliban in northern Afghanistan led to carnage with a fireball killing 95 people, dozens of them civilians.
 

Straw Admits Megrahi Release Related to ...

The Justice Secretary said he was unapologetic about including Abdelbaset al Megrahi in the agreement, citing a multi-million-pound oil deal signed by BP and Libya six weeks later.
 

Greedy Footballers Let Cleaners Get Fire ...

By Ian Herbert The Independent The reputation of football's playing fraternity was not enhanced yesterday when it emerged that 85 people had been shown the door by financially stricken Portsmouth while only two players had offered to take pay cuts to save the fate of the less well-off. David James, the England international goalkeeper, is understood to have been one of the ...
 

Nuclear Bunker Sold on eBay

By Rosa Silverman The Independent A Cold War nuclear bunker has been sold on eBay for more than £20,000, it emerged today. The underground bunker in Derbyshire's Peak District went on sale on the online auction site with a starting price of £500, but was sold for £20,600 after more than 40 bids. The bunker was built in 1959 and operated by ...
 

Cameron Learned of Ashcroft’s Stat ...

Polly Curtis, Allegra Stratton, Nicholas Watt and Andrew Sparrow The Guardian David Cameron was told only about a month ago about Lord Ashcroft's tax status, a Conservative party spokesman said today. Lord Mandelson said the "astonishing" revelation suggested that either the Tory party leader had previously misled the public, or Ashcroft had misled Cameron. The business secretary seized on the ...
 

UK PM Brown Denies Bad Temper

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is denying allegations of "abusive behavior" and "volcanic eruptions of foul temper" ahead of the publication of a new book by a top British political journalist.
 

Barclay’s Reports Profits of £11. ...

By Russell Lynch The Independent Banking giant Barclays posted record annual profits of £11.6 billion for 2009 today as its two most senior bosses turned down bonuses for the second year in a row. The pre-tax profits - 92% ahead of 2008 - were buoyed by its investment banking arm and the sale of part of the business last year to raise ...
 

20% VAT in UK After Election?

Roland Watson, Suzy Jagger and Rachel Sylvester The Times Online A rise in VAT is looming whichever party wins the general election, as Labour and the Conservatives draw up plans to balance Britain’s books. Alistair Darling and George Osborne, the Shadow Chancellor, are both considering raising VAT to as high as 20 per cent — the European average — ...
 

Hindu Wins Right to Open-Air Pyre Funera ...

It took four years of complex legal wrangling, nearly bankrupted an ailing Hindu guru and has cost the tax-payer tens of thousands of pounds. But in the end open air cremations were legal all along.
 

Kraft Reneges on Cadbury Factory Pledge

Food giant Kraft today signalled the loss of up to 400 jobs by announcing the closure of a Cadbury factory - despite earlier promises to keep it open.
 

Billy Hayes ‘Stronger than Scargil ...

The trade union leader planning two days of crippling nationwide postal strikes next week has said he is more powerful than Arthur Scargill was in the 1980s.
 

Man Utd May Face FIFA Probe

Manchester United's signing of teenage defender Michele Fornasier could be investigated after the player's former club Fiorentina contacted football's world governing body FIFA about the move.