NowMyNews

MPs have been told they can claim up to £3,750 if they want to take part in today’s Commons tributes to Baroness Thatcher. Expenses chiefs emailed all 650 MPs to tell them they can receive the sum to cover the cost of returning from their Easter holidays. Critics say the debate could have been held next week when Parliament  returns from its recess. There is nothing to stop MPs covering the cost of attending today’s session themselves. The Union Flag was lowered to half mast over Portcullis House on Monday to mark the death of the former Conservative Prime Minister, which will be debated in the Commons today Commons Speaker John Bercow announced Parliament would be recalled to allow MPs to pay tribute to Baroness Thatcher, who died on Monday aged 87. Under rules covering emergency recalls, MPs can claim travel expenses to return from anywhere in the world. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) said that, in line with normal rules, MPs were

If President Barack Obama wanted a showdown over the federal government's 2014 budget, he got his wish - only instead of Republicans vs. Democrats, it's the White House vs. members of Congress on both sides of the aisle. The hefty tome handed to Congress Wednesday afternoon included a $744 billion deficit that sent the GOP howling for fiscal sanity, and leverages the so-called "Chained Consumer Price Index" as a new way of calculating cost-of-living benefit increases - a sure-fire way to enrage liberals in his political base. That projected deficit is down from an estimated $973 billion in fiscal 2013. Though the president claimed his $3.8 trillion proposal for 2014 was a good-faith 'compromise,' Republicans on Capitol Hill laughed it off as the latest in a series of pie-in-the-sky plans to spend the government's way to prosperity. 'It's quite similar, frankly, to his budget last year, and it's two months late,' said Sena

A Philadelphia pediatrician pleaded for her life as she was strangled by an exterminator working in her home this year, police have revealed. The confession by 37-year-old suspect Jason Smith was read by police on Wednesday in court. Police said that Smith cried and apologized as he admitted to choking Dr Melissa Ketunuti to death, tying her up and burning her corpse. A judge then ordered Smith held for trial on charges including murder and arson in the death of Dr Ketunuti, 35. Smith was dealing with a mouse infestation in the doctor's home at the time, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. According to Smith's statement, he attacked Dr Ketunuti in the basement of her downtown home on January 21 after she criticized his work. The statement says Smith strangled her, tied her and up and set a fire to destroy evidence. Surveillance video from nearby businesses helped lead to Smith's arrest a few days later at his Levittown home. Smith's lawyer did not immedi

The mother of a 13-year-old boy told how he scrubbed himself in the shower for weeks after he had sex at a swingers' party. And she criticised the justice system after three of four defendants were cleared at Swansea Crown Court of inciting him to engage in sexual activity. She said the verdicts had shocked the family. The mother, who can't be named for legal reasons, said: 'I can't really put into words how I feel. Emmanie Hughes (left), 31, Brian Ecclestone (centre), 32, and Peter Sweetman (right), 32, pictured at Swansea Crown Court on April 2, were all cleared of inciting the 13-year-old to engage in sexual activity with Hughes Iwan Walker, 24, Saron, Llandysul, pictured here outside Swansea Crown Court on April 2, 2013, was the only one of the four to be jailed. He received four years after the jury accepted he knew the boy was only 13 'I've always had faith in the justice system, but not now. I don't f

U.S. defenses could intercept a ballistic missile launched by North Korea if it decides to strike, the top American military commander in the Pacific said on Tuesday, as the relationship between the West and the communist government hit its lowest ebb since the end of the Korean War. Amid increasingly combative rhetoric from Pyongyang, Adm. Samuel Locklear, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, said North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missiles represents a clear threat to the United States and its allies in the region. The admiral said Kim Jong Un, the country's young and still relatively untested new leader, remains unpredictable after using the past year to consolidate his power. Scroll down for video Resolve: U.S. Pacific Command, Navy Admiral Samuel Locklear III, testified at the Senate Armed Services Committee that the American military was prepared to intercept a missile launched by North Korea   Admiral: We

Armstrong sells estate , Disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong has sold his Austin estate to an oil-and-gas rights agent. The Austin American-Statesman (http://bit.ly/14d3Ric) reports a deed of trust filed with Travis County last week showed Al Koehler obtained a $3.1 million loan to buy the property, Armstrong's home since 2004. Although county tax rolls listed the 1.7-acre property's value at $3.9 million, local real estate agents say the house was listed at $10 million. However, in an email to the American-Statesman, Koehler says he paid nothing close to the listed value. Koehler is a founder of Royalty Clearinghouse, which buys oil and gas royalties and mineral rights on behalf of clients. Armstrong spokesman Mark Higgins confirmed the sale and says Armstrong plans to remain an Austin resident. Armstrong has admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs. He was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles in August and is banned for life from sports.