UK lawmakers call for speaker to quit over expense scandal

Michael Martin, the speaker of the House of Commons, rebuffed calls from lawmakers for his resignation Monday amid widespread public anger about improper expense claims by UK members of parliament. Martin said lawmakers had let the public down “very badly indeed,” adding: “To the extent that I have contributed, I am profoundly sorry,” said Martin

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Why the Pentagon Axed Its Afghan Warlord

Public beheadings in Afghanistan are usually associated with the Taliban, but on Monday it was Defense Secretary Robert Gates metaphorically wielding the axe from the Pentagon platform. Gates announced that he had asked for and requested the resignation of his top commander in Afghanistan, Army General David McKiernan, after only 11 months in that theater. The 37-year veteran will be replaced by Army Lieutenant General Stanley McChrystal

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New video shows 22-year-old Boyle had talent

Video of a fresh-faced Susan Boyle confidently singing a Barbra Streisand track to a room full of football fans in 1984 has been unearthed. The “Britain’s Got Talent” singing sensation, looking trim and a bit like Abba’s Anni-Frid Lyngstad, is invited on to the stage at Motherwell FC’s Fir Park Social Club to take part in a singing competition between rival fans by a man wearing a checked coat and bow tie

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Report Details Pentagon Role in Torture Tactics

Opponents of last week’s release of memos detailing CIA interrogation techniques argue that they will provide enemies of the United States with a training manual to prepare their operatives for capture. The irony is that the U.S. military appears to have done the exact opposite, taking a training program that had been designed to prepare American soldiers to withstand torture by communist regimes seeking to extract false confessions and twisting it into a highly controversial interrogation manual.

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Armstrong accused in doping test row

Lance Armstrong could face punishment after being accused by the French anti-doping agency (AFLD) of breaking its rules during an unannounced test last month. According to a statement issued by the AFLD, the 37-year-old American “did not meet the obligation to remain under the direct and permanent observation” of the tester, taking a 20-minute shower before giving samples of blood, urine and hair.

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Thousands to mourn reality TV star Goody

Thousands of well-wishers are expected to line the streets of east London on Saturday for the funeral of controversial reality TV star Jade Goody. The 27-year-old lost a public battle with cervical cancer last month, prompting sympathy and headlines around the world. Goody had burst into the spotlight in the British version of “Big Brother” in 2002 but attracted global notoriety five years later when she made racist comments — for which she later apologized — to Indian actress Shilpa Shetty

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