Early evidence points to driver error as the reason a 2005 Prius sped into a stone wall on March 9, according to federal investigators.

“Information retrieved from the vehicle’s onboard computer systems indicated there was no application of the brakes and the throttle was fully open,” according to a statement from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The statement suggests the driver may have been stepping on the accelerator, instead of the brake, as she told police.

Investigators from Toyota and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration inspected the wrecked 2005 Prius on Wednesday and extracted data from the car’s event data recorder.

A housekeeper who was driving the car told police it accelerated on its own as she eased forward down her employer’s driveway, causing her to crash into a stone wall on the other side of the road.

The housekeeper was treated for minor injuries. No other cars were involved in the accident. Police said the driver, whose name has not been released pending the investigation, has a clean driving record.

A team of six inspectors from Toyota and two from NHTSA spent several hours taking photos, measurements and downloading the black box data from the car, which has been at the Harrison Police Department since the accident.

In addition, two independent inspectors from a forensic technology company hired by the Police Department, were on hand to help in the investigation.

Toyota spokesman Wade Hoyt said that in the 2005 model Prius, the black box contains data only from the moment the airbags deploy, and not the three seconds before impact that newer models are programmed to record.

The 2005 Prius was part of Toyota’s November recall to address the risk of pedal entrapment in the floor mat. But police said floor mats were not a factor in this accident. The recall to address the sticky accelerator problem did not include the Prius.

The US Congressional Budget Office says the final version of the Democrats’ healthcare plan will cut the federal deficit by $138bn over 10 years.

The non-partisan body said the proposed legislation, which the House is expected to vote on at the weekend, would cost about $940bn over a decade.

President Barack Obama said the bill represented the most significant effort to reduce the deficit since the 1990s.

He has delayed a trip to Asia until June to help lobby wavering Democrats.

The reforms would deliver on Mr Obama’s top domestic priority by providing insurance to some 30 million Americans who currently lack it.

They would increase insurance coverage through tax credits for the middle class and expanding of the Medicaid programme for the poor.

If approved, they would represent the biggest change in the US healthcare system since the creation in the 1960s of Medicare, the government-run scheme for Americans aged 65 or over.

Budget reconciliation

The House of Representatives and the Senate adopted different versions of the bill in November and December.

The usual procedure would be for two versions of legislation to be combined into a single bill for President Obama to sign into law. But after Senate Democrats lost the 60-seat majority required to defeat a filibuster by Republicans, Democratic leaders decided to use a controversial procedure to ensure the bill’s passage.

Under the plan, the House will vote on a package of reconciliation “fixes” amending the Senate bill.

The Senate will then be able to make changes in a separate bill using a procedure known as reconciliation, which allows budget provisions to be approved with 51 votes - rather than the 60 needed to overcome blocking tactics.

In a preliminary estimate, the Congressional Budget Office said a revised Senate bill would provide coverage to 32 million uninsured people by 2016, bringing the total number of insured to 95% of eligible Americans.

The measures would continue to reduce the federal deficit in its second decade, although such projections were uncertain, it added. Democrats say the total savings over 20 years will be $1.2 trillion.

Mr Obama said the bill represented “the most significant effort to reduce deficits since the Balanced Budget Act in the 1990s”, when President Bill Clinton put the federal budget on a path to surplus.

“This is but one virtue of a reform that will bring the accountability to the insurance industry and greater economic security to all Americans,” he added.

“I urge every member of Congress to consider this as they prepare for their important vote this weekend.”

Later, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs announced that the president was postponing his trip to Indonesia and Australia until June so he could help Democrats rally last-minute support.

“The president believes right now the place for him to be is in Washington seeing this through,” he said, adding that Mr Obama would apologise to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

He had already delayed his departure until Sunday, the earliest possible date for a vote.

House Democratic leaders published the updated legislation on Thursday afternoon. They have promised that lawmakers will be given 72 hours to review it before voting.

Democratic leaders say they have not yet mustered the 216 votes they need for passage, but they are pressing ahead in the belief that they can get them.

Republicans are opposed to the proposed reforms, arguing they will give the government too much control over healthcare and be mainly paid for by higher taxes and cuts in Medicare.

House Republican leader John Boehner said they would “do everything that we can do to make sure this bill, never, ever, ever passes”.

The US Congressional Budget Office says the final version of the Democrats’ healthcare plan will cut the federal deficit by $138bn over 10 years.

The non-partisan body said the proposed legislation, which will likely be voted on in the House on Sunday, would cost about $940bn over the same period.

President Barack Obama said the bill represented the most significant effort to reduce the deficit since the 1990s.

Some undecided Democratic lawmakers had feared it would run up the deficit.

US President Barack Obama hopes to see Tiger Woods in terrific form when the embattled golf champion returns to the course in next month’s Augusta Masters after details of his multiple extra-marital affairs exploded in public last year.

“You know, I think that Tiger has acknowledged that he betrayed his family and that’s a personal issue that he has got to work out,” said Obama who is an avid lover of the game.

“I hope they have worked it out, I’m sure he is going to still be a terrific golfer,” Obama told FOX news.

Woods has not played for the past five months following the sex scandal that has received worldwide attention as several of the golfer’s mistresses came forward with lurid details about his infidelity.

The cat was out of the bag after his wife Elin found out about his affair with, Rachel Uchitel, a New York party planner, which led to an argument and accident on November 27 when Woods crashed his SUV outside his Florida mansion sustaining minor injuries.

Woods has completed six weeks of sex-rehab at two different centres in the US and last week he announced his return to the game - contrary to what he said in his apology to the world in February.

“I do plan to return to golf one day. I just don’t know when that day will be,” he said, ruling out 2010.

“When I do return I need to make my behaviour more respectful of the game.”

Speaking to a roomful of his friends and colleagues for 14 minutes, Woods apologised for his behaviour and asked the media to back off from his private life, and revealed that he would use Buddhism to get his life back on track.

“I want to say to each one of you simply and directly I am deeply sorry for the irresponsible and selfish behaviour I engaged in.

“I am embarrassed I have put you in this position. For all that I have done I am so sorry,” he said.

The troubled sports star spoke of a sense of “entitlement” which came from money and fame that allowed him to believe that the normal rules of conduct did not apply to him.

Last week, cocktail waitress, Jamie Jungers won the “Tiger Woods Mistress Beauty Pageant,” organised by media personality, Howard Stern, on his satellite radio show.

The 27-year-old won USD 75,000 followed by runner up waitress Jaimee Grubbs who won USD 15,000 and call girl Loredana Jolie who received USD 10,000.

Stepping up its preparations for a possible strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, the United States is transporting hundreds of 387 ‘bunker-buster’ bombs to its air base on the British island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, a media report has claimed.

The US government signed a contract in January with Superior Maritime Services to transport 10 ammunition containers to Diego Garcia from Concord, California, Sunday Herald has reported.

The shipment includes 195 smart, guided Blu-110 bombs and 192 Blu-117 2,000lb bombs.

The key Iranian nuclear facilities are said to be underground and both these type of bombs are effective against reinforced or underground facilities.

Making sure that Iran does not acquire nuclear weapon is the top priority of US President
Barack Obama.

“It is one of our highest priorities to make sure that Iran doesn’t possess a nuclear weapon. And that is why I have worked so hard to mobilise the international community successfully to isolate Iran,” Obama told the Fox News in an interview.

He said Iran government was “more concerned” about preventing their people from exercising their democratic and human rights than trying to solve this problem diplomatically.

“That’s why we are going to go after aggressive sanctions. We haven’t taken any options off the table. We are going to keep on pushing,” the US President said.

In response to a question, Obama termed it a hard problem which needed to be solved and said “because if Iran gets a nuclear weapon, then you could potentially see a nuclear arms race throughout the Middle East, and that would be tremendously damaging to our national security interests.”

On relations with Israel, Obama conceded that the two countries have differences but asserted that the US and Israel were the closest allies.

“Israel is one of our closest allies. And we and the Israeli people have a special bond that’s not going to go away. But friends are going to disagree sometimes and I specifically sent Vice President Biden to Israel to send a message of support and reassurance about my belief that Israel’s security is sacrosanct and that was have a host of shared interests. There is a disagreement in terms of how we can move this peace process forward,” Obama said

The United States and Israel have repeatedly asserted that they do not rule out a military action to stop Iran’s nuclear ambitions and that they are keeping all the options on the table.

Contract details for the shipment were posted on an international tenders’ website by the US Navy.
“They are gearing up totally for the destruction of Iran,” Dan Plesch, director of the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy at the University of London, said.

“US bombers are ready today to destroy 10,000 targets in Iran in a few hours,” Plesch, who is the co-author of a recent study on the US preparations for an attack on Iran, stressed.