Brown insists he’s right man for job
Gordon Brown has defended his leadership by insisting in a Downing Street press conference yesterday that he is the right person to lead Britain through dificult times. The PM dismissed speculation
about challenges to his job as "rumours and gossip". Meanwhile Brown is hoping to secure a last-ditch deal with... [continued]
The Mole: latest from Downing Street 
Obama angry over Bush’s Hitler jibes
Barack Obama has attacked President George W Bush for comparing the Democratic presidential hopeful's offers to negotiate with America's enemies in the Middle East to the "false comfort of
appeasement" of Hitler. Bush, on a visit to the Knesset in Israel, said it was a "foolish delusion" to think it... [continued]
Cockburn: Olmert and Bush should learn from the crusades
US election: latest news
President flies to disaster zone
The Chinese government has made a rare appeal for rescue equipment amid warnings that time is running out to rescue survivors from Monday's catastrophic earthquake in south-western Sichuan Province.
Yesterday Chinese President Hu Jintao flew to the disaster zone, his presence indicating the level of state concern over the disaster.... [continued]
In pictures: After the Sichuan quake
Lebanon rivals meet for peace talks
Lebanon's rival political leaders are due to meet in Qatar today, in an attempt to pull the country back from the brink of civil war. The immediate crisis - which saw at least 80 people killed in clashes between pro-government groups and Hezbollah forces - was defused yesterday after a... [continued]
Commons loses expenses fight
The House of Commons has lost its High Court battle against a decision to force disclosure of MPs' expenses. The Commons challenged the Information Tribunal's demand that a detailed breakdown of MPs'
additional costs allowances had to be provided under the Freedom of Information Act. A total of 14 MPs... [continued]
The Mole: latest news from Downing Street
Mortgages hit eight-year high
Fixed-rate mortgages are at their highest rate for eight years, figures have showed. The average rate for a two-year loan, the most popular mortgage, has reached 6.64 per cent - the highest rate since 2000 and up an average of 2.30 percent from two years ago. The survey by personal... [continued]
Walsh waives £700k bonus over T5
British Airways has reported a record pre-tax profits of £883m but is bracing itself for a difficult 12 months. Soaring oil prices and the problems at Terminal 5 are likely to affect its earnings,
particularly in the first quarter. Chief executive Willie Walsh, who described the annual profits as an... [continued]
People: Willie 'buck stops here' Walsh fires execs
Icahn launches Yahoo coup
Billionaire investor Carl Icahn has launched a bid to take control of Yahoo's boardroom, in an effort to force the online search engine to accept a $47bn offer from Microsoft. Icahn, who is legendary
for taking stakes in companies whose share price is weak, has spent $1bn acquiring a four... [continued]
People: Microsoft baulks at Yahoo asking price
