It's been one week since New York Times financial columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin wrote that at General Motors, "the average worker was paid about $70 an hour, including health care and pension costs."

    The nugget was part of a column in which Sorkin argued that the government should not bail out the ailing Big Three automakers and that they instead should embrace bankr

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    Washington - The White House on Tuesday approved a final rule that will make it easier for coal companies to dump rock and dirt from mountaintop mining operations into nearby streams and valleys.

    The rule is one of the most contentious of all the regulations emerging from the White House in President Bush's last weeks in office.

    James L.

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Just three years ago, the central government still controlled the provinces near Kabul. But years of mismanagement, rampant criminality, and mounting civilian casualties have led to a resurgence of the Taliban and other related groups. (Photo: uruknet)

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    As members of Congress who are active in education policy, we write to strongly urge the Treasury and Federal Reserve to include consumer protections in their plan to use taxpayer dollars to buy student loan securities. We strongly support ensuring that students have the money they need to attend institutions of higher education. However, we must make certain that any such plan aids students and doesn't simply line the pockets of for-profit lenders.

    Most students and families use federal loans to pay for college.

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    In the 30th anniversary year of the federal Pregnancy Discrimination Act, the "second generation of pregnancy discrimination" has arrived at the U.S.

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    A bipartisan group of legislators and advocates for the military and Americans overseas are urging Defense Secretary Robert M.

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    Network of supporters tapped on health-care issues.

    Barack Obama's incoming administration has begun to draw on the high-tech organizational tools that helped get him elected to lay the groundwork for an attempt to restructure the U.S. health-care system.

    Former senator Thomas A. Daschle, Obama's point person on health care, launched an effort to create political momentum yesterday in a conference call with 1,000 invited supporters culled from 10,000 who had expressed interest in health issues,

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    Change often occurs at a faster pace than people can comprehend. That is certainly the case with the quickly shifting political realities in Washington on Iran. In less than 50 days, America will be led by a president who made dialogue with Tehran a campaign promise - and yet he won.

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    Navigating a family health emergency, one policy expert learns it's not just doctors who make mistakes - systems can make them worse.

    I held my wife Veronica's hand as the technician applied cool gel to her chest. At first, the ultrasound images were the fuzzy black-and-whites I remembered from before our daughters Rebecca and Hannah were born. After a few touches to the LCD screen, a breathtaking three-dimensional movie began to run.

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    Washington - As the Senate Banking Committee debated a potential rescue package for American automakers, the committee chairman, Sen. Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut, suggested that it would be difficult for lawmakers to approve a financial lifeline for the three companies.

    Mr. Dodd used his initial round of questioning to stress that the Bush administration or the Federal Reserve could act unilaterally to aid the auto industry.

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First a foremost, a big thank you to the voters for spending your hard-earned pennies (or, rather, pounds) voting for someone other than David Van Day to be in the final. He may be entertaining but a winner he most certainly is not.

In tonight's instalment we witnessed one of the greatest challenges of the series. One of the ones which made Van Day look a fool.

He and Martina Navratilova arrived to find a giant teapot and a set of tennis balls. Their challenge was to use th...

Formula One is facing problems and it has been revealed that the Honda Team is up for sale. If it cannot be sold it may fold. Will more teams follow?

I had thought the credit crunch involved only bad news, but it would appear there is an upside. Less of the world's most boring and over-rated sport can only be...

  The sun is out here and there's a real feeling that Summer is now properly on the way. My brief investment in the veg garden a month or so ago is now multiplying at a tropical rate thanks to the combination of the rain showers and that ferocious southern hemisphere sun.

 The runner beans and new potatoes seem to be growing five inches a day, a phenomenon which was partly explained to me yesterday when I was weeding and paused to delve into the rich soil in pursuit ...

One of my favourite newspaper rituals is the box or breakout which routinely accompanies news events which haven't happened since a particular year. These enliven otherwise dry economic copy on such matters as inflation levels, jobless totals or changes in interest rates.

"Inflation at highest since 1990" for example, will inevitably be accompanied by a little box giving details of life in 1990: who won the FA Cup and the price of a pint of beer, for instance.

Today's Bank ...

Hillary Clinton's appointment as US Secretary of State has been challenged as unconstitutional. In fact it conflicts with Article 1, Section 6 of the Constitution which states: "No Senator or Representative shall, during the time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil office under the authority of the United States, which shall have been created, or the emoluments whereof shall have been increased during such time."

Vietnam mulls £1.7m date with Manchester United -

The Vietnam Football Federation is considering paying Manchester United £1.7m (42bn Vietnam Dong) to play a friendly match against its national team but the negotiations are far from over yet.


Will Vietnamese fans be allowed to look Ronaldo in the eye?

According to the Racial discord continues to bite in Malaysia -

I'm currently in the sleepy river-side city of Kuching in Malaysian Borneo, enjoying a much-needed escape from the ardours of life in Singapore. But, while on the face of it, all seems well in the state of Sarawak, which is one of the most ethnically diverse parts of Malaysia, underneath the surface, the racial tensions are all too evident.

Malaysia is currently facing a deepening political crisis, with the resurgent opposition alliance led by Anwar Ibrahim determined to unseat the...

Bah! Humbug! Home Secretary Jacqui Smith did a creditable impression of Ebenezer S by putting in the Queen's mouth yesterday words that spelt out an end to booze bargains in her Government's prospective legislation.

It's aimed at lager louts, but this mean-spirited plan is likely to put the wine trade out of business before it gets binge drinkers off the streets.

All Her Majesty referred to were measures to address "anti-social behaviour" but as our Home Affairs Editor...

The Strasbourg ruling on DNA databases is shocking indictment of political culture in Britain.