UK ready to scrap cluster bombs
The government is preparing to scrap Britain's entire arsenal of cluster bombs in the run-up to talks in Dublin on a worldwide ban, despite opposition from the military. "The Prime Minister is very much behind this process," a senior Foreign Office source said yesterday. The agreement would end a long-running... [continued]
Government hints at road tax climbdown
Cabinet ministers have indicated the government is considering watering down controversial increases on road tax and fuel duty. As hundreds of hauliers demanded a cut of up to 25p a litre in fuel
duty (pictured), Jack Straw and John Hutton said they were listening carefully to concerns. They are under... [continued]
Climate change consensus questioned 
Burma extends Suu Kyi arrest
Burma shrugged off the risk of further international criticism yesterday when it extended the order detaining opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The military regime, already under international
criticism for its handling of the cyclone disaster that killed an estimated 134,000 people, renewed the five-year house arrest of Suu Kyi,... [continued]
Newsdesk special: Burma
Court hears Olmert received $150K
A US businessman at the centre of a high-profile corruption investigation told an Israeli court yesterday he gave thousands of dollars to Israel's prime minister, Ehud Olmert, in envelopes stuffed with cash. Morris Talansky, a long-time supporter and friend of Olmert, said he gave at least $150,000 (£75,000) over 15... [continued]
Ministers plan Olympics fund raid
Ministers are preparing to raid an "untouchable" £2.2 billion emergency fund set aside for last-minute costs of the 2012 Olympic Games. A large slice of the official contingency fund that Tessa Jowell, the Olympics Minister, has said would remain "locked away" for the next few years, may in fact have... [continued]
Oz troops shamed by lack of combat
The exclusion of Australian soldiers from the front line has left many "ashamed of wearing their uniform", a senior army official has said. Officers have complained that troops are being deliberately
kept out of combat roles in Iraq and Afghanistan and that infantry were trained to fight, equipped to... [continued]
News in pictures: A month in Afghanistan
City shuns Rock ‘poisoned chalice’
The Treasury is struggling to find an independent valuer to calculate how much Northern Rock's former shareholders should be paid in compensation. Two months ago, new laws called for the Treasury to pass the sensitive issue of compensation to an "independent valuer", but the selection process has yet to begin.... [continued]
US spending heads for 50s levels
Falling consumer confidence in America allied to the continued drop in house prices is pointing to the lowest level of spending since the 1950s, official data showed yesterday. According to the Conference Board's consumer confidence index, the outlook of Americans last month was the most gloomy since October 1992. Economists... [continued]
