UK & USA Today Editoweb 22 july 2009

Obama to make prime-time healthcare appeal
WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama will plead his case for a broad healthcare overhaul in a prime-time news conference on Wednesday, with doubts growing about the plan even among his fellow Democrats and polls showing slipping public support.

Is Marijuana the Answer to California's Budget Woes?
Proponents of marijuana legalization have advanced plenty of arguments in support of their drug of choice - that marijuana is less dangerous than legal substances like cigarettes and alcohol; that pot has legitimate medical uses; that the money spent prosecuting marijuana offenses would be better used on more pressing public concerns.
While 13 states permit the limited sale of marijuana for medical use, and polls show a steady increase in the number of Americans who favor legalization, federal law still bans the cultivation, sale, or possession of marijuana. In fact, the feds still classify marijuana as a Schedule I drug, one that has no "currently accepted medical use" in the United States.

EBay 2Q profit falls as marketplaces revenue drops
The recession continued to hurt eBay Inc. in the second quarter, as earnings and revenue fell amid a drop in sales in the main online marketplace, overshadowing growth in the PayPal online payments and Skype communications units.
The pioneer of online auctions, which is now trying to revitalize its Web site, managed to come in ahead of Wall Street's expectations, though, and predicted third-quarter earnings and revenue largely in line with analysts' views.

Deficit may force Lib Dems to scale back ambitions
London: the weak state of the country's finances may force the Liberal Democrats to scale back some of their ambitions, if elected, its leader Nick Clegg said on Wednesday.
"There are policies the Liberal Democrats have talked about before - that we remain committed to in the longer term -- that may not be affordable at all in the next Parliament," he said in a statement to launch the party's document "A Fresh Start for Britain."

National Express plan hits buffers
The UK's biggest transport firm, FirstGroup, has said it would be "inappropriate" to consider a formal takeover bid for struggling rival National Express because of uncertainties around the business.
First said the decision by National Express earlier this month to walk away from its loss-making East Coast rail franchise and subsequent Department for Transport (DfT) comments on the future of its other train deals had created "considerable uncertainty" around the business.