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For cash-strapped consumers shopping for a car, used would seem like the place to start. Not necessarily. A new one might actually be cheaper.

Business News: Net may part ways with BermanBraun, Original -- NBC may be parting ways with BermanBraun and Original Prods. on the three nonscripted skeins that were ordered more than a year ago as part of a larger pact between the Peacock and the production shingles.

. Judge upholds ban on publishing bank's documents . Insider says tax avoidance central to firm's businessFurther detailed allegations about tax avoidance schemes set up by Barclays Bank emerged tonight from whistleblowers who said the bank made close to £1bn profit a year from a series of elaborate deals.The schemes are similar to those detailed in documents published by the Guardian this week which have been the centre of a three-day hearing at the high court, and are the subject of a gagging order.The internal Barclays memos were leaked by a mole to the Liberal Democrats. The new allegations reiterate claims that the bank's main purpose in entering into these schemes was to make profit from tax avoidance through an intricate circuit of offshore Cayman Islands and Luxembourg companies. The profits are said to be enormous and the deals so complex that HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) struggles to unravel them.Barclays has vigorously denied the claims and earlier this week won an emergency

GreenFactor Study Finds Dell is the Leading Green Brand among IT Buyers; Wins with Product Recycling Program

. Judge upholds ban on publishing bank's documents . Insider says tax avoidance central to firm's businessFurther detailed allegations about tax avoidance schemes set up by Barclays Bank emerged tonight from whistleblowers who said the bank made close to £1bn profit a year from a series of elaborate deals.The schemes are similar to those detailed in documents published by the Guardian this week which have been the centre of a three-day hearing at the high court, and are the subject of a gagging order.The internal Barclays memos were leaked by a mole to the Liberal Democrats. The new allegations reiterate claims that the bank's main purpose in entering into these schemes was to make profit from tax avoidance through an intricate circuit of offshore Cayman Islands and Luxembourg companies. The profits are said to be enormous and the deals so complex that HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) struggles to unravel them.Barclays has vigorously denied the claims and earlier this week won an emergency

'Quango fat cats' and ID cards to be targeted in cost-cutting plansDavid Cameron told the Conservative party today that reducing government debt would take priority over tax cuts if he won the next election.In a wide-ranging speech in London on public spending, the Tory leader said he was abandoning his commitment to 'sharing the proceeds of growth' and that his administration would focus on paying off the national debt.Cameron said this was necessary because the next government would inherit 'the most red-inked, ruined public accounts in modern British history'.Without giving firm details of his plans, he said he would save money by cutting 'quango fat cats' and abandoning Labour programmes such as ID cards. He also suggested he would stop relatively high earners receiving tax credits.Cameron said controlling public spending would have to be carried out 'with a social conscience'. And he said the rich would have to pay 'a fair share of the burden' under a Tory tax system.Until last ye

Once known as secretive, G.M. has its books open and its hand out for another federal bailout.

The latest generation of roofless MINIs have the performance credentials to win over doubters.

The Sun submits: I have talked a lot about gold here. The reason is I am a believer that gold, not physical gold though, should have a place in the portfolio, not exactly for hedging against information but for diversification. Take a look at the performance of the stock market and gold since 2007, for instance. After reaching the all-time high in October 2007, the Dow has lost nearly half of its value, while during the same gold has actually gained about 10%. Of course, if you only have something like 5% of your investment in gold (invested in [[GLD]] for example), the gain won’t do much good to your portfolio as whole if the equity portion of your investment has tumbled 40 - 50%, but still that’s the little help we can always use. Thursday, spot gold again surged more than 7% after the Fed announced yesterday that it plans to buy up to $300 billion long-term Treasuries in a bid to halt the economy from sliding into even deeper recession. The move immediately stirs up inf

Refusing to answer most questions and demanding to be referred to an outside judge for a contempt hearing, a defiant Philip Kay insisted in California State Bar Court Wednesday that there's no evidentiary basis for the misconduct charges he faces. The lawyer, known for winning big employment verdicts, sometimes rolled his eyes or threw his arms up in exasperation while on the stand. 'These charges should never have been brought,' Kay told the State Bar Court judge in an extremely contentious proceeding.