We’ve seen a steady stream of groups representing health professional formally oppose the Bill, with the Royal College of GPs among the most recent and significant. Many Coalition MPs and Ministers will be wondering how they can save face and pull back at this late stage. There is one way: publish the Department of Health’s Risk Register.

Timetable to end combat operations highlights gaps in the administration’s strategy

Afghanistan wants Barack Obama to stick to an agreed timetable after the US said it would switch to a training role in 2013

Under my proposal, the ECB and the EFSF could do what the ECB cannot do on its own: act as a lender of last resort, writes George Soros

Some prominent Plaid Cymru AMs need to to improve their performance as policy spokespeople, says the leader of a party review.

The voters of New Hampshire did everything they could to make Mr Romney’s transition to South Carolina as comfortable as possible, writes Edward Luce

Alex Salmond confirms the Scottish government will publish a consultation on its plans for an independence referendum by the end of January.

Eastern and central European countries face disappointment with capitalism on a par with their previous disillusion with communism as western European banks continue to pull back from investment in the territory. The EurActiv network reports. More »

The papers all seem to be reserving economic predictions for 2012 until today. Let me offer a few. This will be the year the world faces the biggest economic crisis since 1945. Then we pulled together. This year countries will pull apart. Things are going to get worse, not better.

Every day the economic storm clouds get darker and darker as the recession deepens and unemployment soars. Over the past two years one new sector has offered a glimmer of hope: the UK solar industry. But Government cuts to solar payments this month are set to devastate a home-grown economic success story and pull the