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Leading article: Iran risks playing into the hands of its enemies

The way Tehran is upping the ante suggests a belief that it has nothing left to lose

Leading article: Not such a beautiful game

The saddest thing about Rangers FC's slide into administration is not the spectacle of a 140-year old footballing institution brought low. Nor is it the dire implications for the Scottish league if one half of the "Old Firm" rivalry with Celtic is fatally wounded. Rather, it is that Rangers are so far from being an isolated case.

Leading article: Calling time on super-cheap alcohol

There are some superficially reasonable arguments against the introduction of a minimum unit price for alcohol: the market should find its own level, say, or hiking prices penalises all drinkers, not just the problematic ones. But such points count for nothing against the wider social costs of super-cheap booze.

Leading article: Superpowers in search of the next world order

From the sidelines, the view is of the US and China warily taking each other's measure

Leading article: Not much economic wriggle room

The shadow Chancellor claims that Moody's decision to place Britain's triple-A credit rating on "negative outlook" proves that the Government is cutting too far, too fast. Meanwhile, George Osborne insists that the agency's warning shot – suggesting a one-in-three chance of a downgrade to come – is a "reality check" that reinforces his commitment to cutting national debt.

Leading article: A welcome move to take on whiplash claims

The most cursory glance at the statistics for whiplash injuries is enough to raise suspicions. There are now more than 1,500 insurance claims for whiplash every day. Indeed, claims have gone up by a third in recent years, even as accident rates have dropped, adding around £90 to ballooning car insurance premiums.

Leading: Now stand by for Act II of this Greek drama

The Prime Minister has to persuade an impoverished, angry and resentful population

Leading article: An unhappy record on reprocessing

That the costs of the new evaporator needed at Britain's nuclear reprocessing facility at Sellafield have spiralled from £90m to £400m is troubling enough. That the kit will not be up and running until at least 2014 – not only four years late, but only another four years before the closure of the Thorp reprocessing plant that will use it – borders on the farcical. The biggest concern, though, is that this is just one link in a chain of expensive, mismanaged nuclear decommissioning projects that have failed to deal with the backlog of radioactive waste from as long ago as the 1950s.

Leading article: Just don't mention any 'green shoots'

It all started, of course, with Norman Lamont. As Chancellor of the Exchequer, in 1991, he spoke cheerfully of the "green shoots of economic spring". And although within a year the economy was indeed showing signs of life, he made his speech just as it hit the bottom. Cue much – arguably justified – ridicule.

Leading article: Heat on The Sun can only intensify

After the exposure of the Milly Dowler affair, it seemed as if matters had become as bad as they could for Rupert Murdoch's media empire. Public fury in Britain about the hacking of the murdered girl's mobile phone was on such an epic scale that Mr Murdoch took what then seemed the drastic action of closing the offending newspaper, the News of the World.

Guantanamo: A decade without justice

Leading article: An anniversary that should shame us all

At a time when the US administration has only warm words for those brave enough to demand respect for their civil rights in the Middle East, it is sobering to be reminded of the US's own flagrant, continued abuse of human rights by detaining people without trial in Guantanamo – years after Barack Obama pledged to close the prison down.

Leading article: Why we need to keep an eye on players' hands

What's in a handshake? A lot, when it's a question of players from two football teams with as deadly a rivalry as Liverpool and Manchester United. Apologies from the former have flowed thick and fast after Luis Suarez refused to extend a hand to Patrice Evra at Old Trafford, which seemed doubly churlish given that Evra has been the victim of racist abuse from Suarez.

Leading article: A good idea hobbled by austerity

We agree with Iain Duncan Smith, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, that the welfare system is "broken, trapping in 'idleness' the very people it was designed to help", although we are not convinced that the Government is dealing with the problem the right way. Even before unemployment started its recent rise, many claimants were discouraged from seeking work and many children grew up in households where worklessness was a way of life. As Mr Duncan Smith says, writing exclusively for The Independent on Sunday today, "there is nothing progressive about destroying aspirations and limiting opportunities for the poorest".

Leading article: An impression of drift that Mr Cameron must dispel

Opposition from medics' professional bodies was one thing; the most influential Conservative grassroots website weighing in against the Government's NHS reforms is quite another.

Leading article: Policing does not need a Prescott

It can hardly be what Lord Prescott intended.

Career Services

Day In a Page

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How an abortion divided America

Single mother who took a pill to end her pregnancy is now fighting a landmark prosecution in a conservative state
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Can you master a language in a weekend?

Ed Cooke insists he can use his techniques as a memory expert to help novices learn even the hardest tongues.
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From the DeLonghi Retro Fan Heater to the Dimplex MicroFire
Coming soon to a shelf near you: The publishing industry has gone mad for film-style trailers

Coming soon to a shelf near you

The publishing industry has gone mad for film-style trailers
Mad, bad and delightful to know: How Lord Byron became a cultural superstar

How Lord Byron became a cultural superstar

As the poet takes centre stage in the West End, Boyd Tonkin looks into the life of the outspoken champion of the poor
Did they all live happily ever after? That's up to you...

Did they all live happily ever after? That's up to you...

New digital novel will overturn centuries of literary tradition by allowing readers to choose how they would like story to end
How to look good for less – Primark in copycat row

How to look good for less – Primark in copycat row

With London Fashion Week starting tomorrow, designers are closeted in studios putting finishing touches to their collections
James Lawton: Arsène and Arsenal are living in the past

James Lawton

Arsène and Arsenal are living in the past
How Docherty's resurgent Reds beat Dutch greats

How Docherty's resurgent Reds beat Dutch greats

United have met Ajax only once before in Europe, in 1976. The key performers recall an electric occasion
Civil war at Ajax

Civil war at Ajax

A rift between two club legends has torn the Dutch giants apart
Lewis Moody: For an idea of where England are headed, look at Wales now

Lewis Moody column

For an idea of where England are headed, look at Wales now
Geoff Toovey: Little gem with huge incentive to become king of the world

Geoff Toovey interview

Little gem with huge incentive to become king of the world
Picture preview: Portrait of London

Portrait of London

Picture preview
No secularism please, we're British

No secularism please, we're British

Arguments about the role of religion in national life have recently acquired a new urgency
Harold Tillman: 'Chinese tourists can save the high street – if we let them'

Harold Tillman interview

'Chinese tourists can save the high street – if we let them'