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Ministers have been accused of "bullying" councils into ending weekly refuse collections after figures showed that 18 million people across England have their rubbish picked up only once a fortnight. The Daily Telegraph has established that at least 155 councils - almost half of all English authorities - have abandoned weekly collections despite public opposition. Waste collection will be a major issue in the local elections in May Households in areas losing the weekly service - including cities as well as rural areas - complain of increased risk to health caused by rotting food waste. This is also associated with...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. economy may be in recession, based on Midwest manufacturing data, a report said on Thursday. According to Kingsbury International, a partner of NAPM Chicago which puts out The National Association of Purchasing Management-Chicago business barometer, "the U.S. economy could be in a recession at this time." "In four of the last five recessions, the slowing of the Chicago business barometer signaled a recession either one or two years later," the report said. Copyright 2006 Reuters

If things are so bad, then why are they so good? Consumer confidence, as judged by the Conference Board, is now at a two-year high, boosted by an improving jobs market. The percentage of Americans who consider jobs hard to find is the lowest since October 2002. However, according to the speakers at the Democratic National Convention -- including former Presidents Clinton and Carter, and former Veep Al Gore -- the jobs picture is terrible and confidence is low. Things, they say, couldn't be worse.

http://www.humaneventsonline.com/blog-cb.php Byrd-Brain: John Kerry will soon be put on the spot over coal, which he has long opposed, hurting his election prospects in several coal-producing states. Senators John McCain (R-Ariz) and Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) are threatening to resurrect their anti-coal global warming bill in the next few weeks. Despite being soundly defeated last year, McCain, as he did with campaign finance reform, has vowed to take repeated votes on the bill until he wins. Most stunning for energy observers is that Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W. Va.), who voted against McCain-Lieberman last year, is now contemplating supporting it. The reason? Byrd...

<p>It is a good bet that no one running for president -- not even President Bush -- will make a speech applauding the strong corporate profits that have been reported lately. The phrase "fatter profits" conjures up an image of a greedy chief executive stuffing his pockets, perhaps illegally. But the truth is the earnings numbers are good news and important news -- not just for chief executives and investors, but for the rest of us. Profits always matter. Given the events of the past three years they matter more than ever. The economic slump that began in 2000 was first and foremost a profits recession. During the boom of the late 1990s corporate America overspent and overinvested. When the slowdown hit, companies were stuck with expenses that were far out of line with sales. The result: a profits meltdown. Allen Sinai, the chief economist with Decision Economics, says the profit decline of the past few years was the steepest since World War II. In 2001 profit margins -- profits divided by sales -- reached their lowest level on record.</p>

Reuters Shares of Space Shuttle Contractors Fall Monday February 3, 10:43 am ET CHICAGO (Reuters) - Shares of space shuttle contractors Boeing Co. (NYSE:BA - News), Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE:LMT - News) and Alliant Techsystems Inc. (NYSE:ATK - News) fell on Monday, the first trading day after the Columbia shuttle disaster. ADVERTISEMENTAlliant, which builds the solid rocket boosters for the shuttle, tumbled nearly 12 percent, its biggest one-day point loss since its October 1990 debut on the New York Stock Exchange and its biggest percentage loss since January 1993. Credit Suisse First Boston downgraded Alliant stock to "neutral" from "outperform."...

For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary July 31, 2002 Remarks by the President in Photo Opportunity with the Cabinet The Cabinet Room 11:34 A.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for coming. First, I want to condemn in the strongest possible terms the attack that took place in Israel. There are clearly killers who hate the thought of peace, and, therefore, are willing to take their hatred to all kinds of places, including a university. And this country condemns that kind of killing, and we send our deepest sympathy to the students and their families. I also...