The government’s efficiency drive is dismissed as “smoke and mirrors” by the public accounts committee chairman.

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Finance Minister Andrew Davies undergoes a hospital procedure after suffering chest pains.

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - Faced with some of America’s highest energy costs, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin proposed a plan on Thursday to provide state residents with special debit cards good for $100 of fuel every month.

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Tony Blair’s first Welsh Secretary, Ron Davies, takes another cabinet job - this time on Caerphilly council.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The House of Representatives, in a surprise and largely symbolic move, defeated legislation on Thursday to fund the war in Iraq for another year.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Presumptive Republican presidential candidate John McCain secured millions in federal funds for a land acquisition program that provided a windfall for an Arizona developer whose executives were major campaign donors, according to a USA Today report.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Leaders of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee said on Thursday they have agreed to the underpinnings of a housing rescue plan that will create a federal backstop for failing loans.

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A new body set up to boost confidence in the exams system is to stage a public debate about standards.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former presidential contender John Edwards said on Friday he would not be Democratic front-runner Barack Obama’s running mate, but did not rule out taking a role in an Obama administration.

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Rebel Labour MPs bid to block Gordon Brown’s plan to extend the time terror suspects can be held to 42 days.

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