House prices: biggest fall since 1983
Halifax has reported the biggest year-on-year fall in house prices since it began to keep records in 1983. The cost of the average home slumped by £20,000 between July 2007 and July 2008 - a fall of
11 per cent, the first ever double-digit decline. Even in the property slump... [continued]
The Bank of England must cut rates now 
China ready for Olympics as four billion watch
As many as 4bn people are expected to watch the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games today. Final preparations are being made for the extravaganza when 35,000 fireworks will be lit over
a stadium where 10,000 people will dance and perform. World leaders including George W... [continued]
Beijing 2008: speedy analysis, strong comment, enduring photographs
Has Putin been recruiting former Olympians to politics?
Heavy fighting erupts in Caucasus
The UN Security Council is meeting in an emergency session after heavy fighting erupted between Georgian forces and South Ossetian rebels backed by Russia. At least 15 people have died already.
Russian media reported that Georgian troops launched air-strikes on troop positions and a tank attack on the separatist stronghold... [continued]
Spectre of war threatens Putin's Olympics
Georgia: the army that likes to go to Iraq
South Ossetia: The Georgians with a passion for Putin
Musharraf to face impeachment
Pakistan's government has announced plans to impeach Pervez Musharraf, the country's president who seized power in a military coup. The announcement is a breakthrough for the fragile coalition
government, which has been able to agree on very little since it was formed earlier this year. To make it stick, Musharraf... [continued]
Nato and Pakistan are as divided as the Taliban
Anti-Obama speech haunts Clinton
Hillary Clinton's bitter battle with Barack Obama for the US Democrat presidential nomination has come back to haunt the party, as many Democrats feared it might. A new campaign ad made for the
internet by Republican nominee John McCain's team shows a series of Democrats praising McCain. It concludes with... [continued]
The race for the White House turns nasty
Tories approached by civil service
Whitehall seems to be preparing for a Conservative government, with senior civil servants arranging informal meetings with the shadow cabinet, the Daily Telegraph has claimed. According to
the newspaper, Tory front-benchers revealed that they have been "surprised" by the approaches from officials and invitations to discreet dinner parties to discuss... [continued]
The Mole: an odd year for Darling
RBS loses £691m in six months
Royal Bank of Scotland has announced the second-biggest loss in UK banking history. In the first six months of this year, the bank lost £691m before tax. In the same period last year, the bank made a
profit of £5bn. The loss was significantly smaller than many alanlysts had... [continued]
America and Europe will rise from the financial ashes
Chinese growth to stabilise
China says its economy will stabilise in the next quarter after its rapid growth slowed in the first half of this year. The global financial crisis has caused China's economy to grow at a slower rate
- 10.1 per cent annually in the past three months as opposed to 11.9... [continued]
America and Europe will rise from the financial ashes
