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Rental property’s gravy train needs derailing

The rental property market has continued to boom, according to estate agent figures. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images A side-effect of the Bank of England‘s monetary policies over the last four years has been to protect property values. Some of that can be seen in figures from the estate agents Savills, which says the value of [...]

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Understanding the healthcare battle: the best resources from around the web

Demonstrators in front of the supreme court building as arguments begin in the healthcare reform case. Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images And we’re off! The first day of arguments is underway at the supreme court, opening the challenge to the attorney generals of 26 states and private business interests to prove that the healthcare law violates [...]

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Tories may be on the final approach to a U-turn on Heathrow third runway

Businesses say extra airport capacity is vital for global commerce in Britain. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA If vote blue, go green, was the throwaway slogan that epitomised the transformation of the Conservatives into an eco-friendly party, then junking a third runway at Heathrow airport in favour of high-speed rail was the political substance behind the spin. [...]

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This business startups act is a hucksters’ charter | Dan Gillmor

The Capitol in Washington, DC, with the Senate to the left of the dome and the House of Representatives to the right Photograph: J Scott Applewhite/AP Barring some last minute complications, Congress will soon give its final approval to legislation that backers say will aid the American economy by giving a big boost to entrepreneurship. [...]

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Public sector workforce ‘will shrink to record low by 2017′

The government is expected to cut 880,000 public-sector jobs by 2017. Photograph: Christopher Thomond for the Observer George Osborne’s seven-year austerity drive will slash the size of the public sector to a record low as one in seven state employees lose their jobs, according to a new analysis. When the independent Office for Budget Responsibility [...]

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Budget 2012: the highlights and lowlights

The Budget’s £4.5m raid on income tax breaks for over-65s was the only aspect not leaked in advance. Photograph: Alamy The chancellor in his 2012 Budget has proclaimed that almost every working person will gain £220 a year from changes to income tax. But critics dubbed it a budget for millionaires, with pensioners funding a [...]

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Vince Cable hints coalition banking row is brewing

Vince Cable suggested not a time-limited role for a nationalised bank, but a ‘permanent’ one. Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images Vince Cable has sent a clear signal that rows within the coalition over banking could soon come to a head. Discussing the state of the economy with the Observer’s Will Hutton at the Guardian Open Weekend, [...]

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