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David Beckham signs new deal with LA Galaxy

Posted: January 19th, 2012, 11:39am EST

pDavid Beckham today revealed how he turned down "many offers" from around the world to re-sign with the Los Angeles Galaxy./p

Warrior Sports replaces Adidas as Liverpool kit supplier

Posted: January 19th, 2012, 11:38am EST

pLiverpool have struck a six-year deal with Warrior Sports that will see the American company replace adidas as the club's official kit supplier./p

Robbie Keane will not be rushed insists Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish

Posted: January 19th, 2012, 11:36am EST

pAston Villa manager Alex McLeish insists he is under no pressure to pick loan signing Robbie Keane despite the striker joining for just a six-week spell./p

PSG set for talks with Carlos Tevez

Posted: January 19th, 2012, 11:35am EST

pCarlos Tevez's representatives will open talks with Paris St Germain today, Press Association Sport understands./p

Bolton take MLS striker Sebastian Le Toux on trial

Posted: January 19th, 2012, 11:33am EST

pBolton manager Owen Coyle has confirmed striker Sebastian Le Toux has joined the club for a week's training./p

Shanghai Shenhua step up Didier Drogba pursuit

Posted: January 19th, 2012, 11:28am EST

pShanghai Shenhua today claimed they were in talks to sign Didier Drogba just a month after landing his Chelsea team-mate Nicolas Anelka./p

Travelling Light, Lyttelton, NT, London

Posted: January 19th, 2012, 11:27am EST

pNicholas Wright is one of my favourite dramatists. I love the way that he can take vastly heterogeneous subject matter - from Melanie Klein to Vincent Van Gogh, from James Mossman to Terence Rattigan and Nijinsky -- and excavate acutely fresh and sharply researched plays that nonetheless have very distinctive finger marks on them. This reminds me a little of the relationship between Simon Russell Beale and his roles. It is furthermore wonderful that, at seventy one, Wright seems to be more productive than ever. So how to account for the mis-step that is his latest play, Travelling Light, premiered now at the Lyttelton in a nothing-if-not-charming production by Nicholas Hytner. /p

England facing defeat against Pakistan

Posted: January 19th, 2012, 11:03am EST

pEngland were frustrated by a stubborn half-century from Adnan Akmal - and then lost their captain Andrew Strauss in contentious circumstances as their fightback faltered in the first Test. /p

Basildon Council targets new traveller site

Posted: January 19th, 2012, 11:02am EST

pA council which cleared the UK's largest illegal travellers settlement is preparing to take fresh action after caravans moved to a neighbouring site. /p

Serena Williams untroubled in win at Australian Open

Posted: January 19th, 2012, 10:59am EST

pSerena Williams said before the start of the Australian Open that even with just two warm-up matches under her belt she was ready for Melbourne Park. More than ready it seems. /p

Novak Djokovic eases into third round in Melbourne

Posted: January 19th, 2012, 10:58am EST

pNovak Djokovic was pleased to have continued his untroubled progress through to the third round of the Australian Open today. /p

Crime total down 4%

Posted: January 19th, 2012, 10:56am EST

pThe number of crimes recorded by police fell by four per cent to 4.1 million in the last year, figures showed today. /p

Marcos Baghdatis rage goes viral on YouTube

Posted: January 19th, 2012, 10:56am EST

pWhack. Whack, whack, whack. Whack. Whack. Four broken racquets, $1,250 worth of fines and more than 200,000 hits on video sharing website YouTube was all it needed for Marcos Baghdatis to enter Australian Open folklore. /p

Petra Kvitova and Maria Sharapova progress at Australian Open

Posted: January 19th, 2012, 10:54am EST

pWimbledon champion Petra Kvitova claims her Australian Open chances have been enhanced rather than harmed by her gruelling three-set battle against Carla Suarez Navarro. /p

Man charged with murdering Birmingham couple

Posted: January 19th, 2012, 10:52am EST

pA man was charged last night with the murders of a couple found dead in their home, police said. /p

Andy Murray powers into third round of Australian Open

Posted: January 19th, 2012, 10:52am EST

pAndy Murray saw off the plucky challenge of Edouard Roger-Vasselin to move into the third round of the Australian Open today./p

Car production increases by 5.8%

Posted: January 19th, 2012, 10:46am EST

pThe number of cars built in the UK increased by 5.8% to more than 1.3 million last year, with record exports driving the growth, new figures showed today. /p

London Philharmonic Orchestra/ Jurowski, Royal Festival Hall, London

Posted: January 19th, 2012, 10:45am EST

pAs curator of the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s ongoing Prokofiev series, Vladimir Jurowski has striven to highlight the paradoxes which serve to make him the most contradictory of composers. He's fielding oddities, he’s bowling googlies – none more so than Symphonic Song Op.57. When did anyone last hear this curiosity, if ever, and was there ever a piece which more perversely stretched the credibility of its title?/p

Ed Miliband: PM must tackle surcharge culture

Posted: January 19th, 2012, 10:44am EST

pEd Miliband today challenged David Cameron to tackle the "surcharge culture" that sees consumers "fleeced" by powerful vested interests. /p

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L’Immediat, Barbican Theatre, London

Posted: January 19th, 2012, 10:36am EST

pIt must be terrifying to set up this show. L’Immédiat starts with a stage full of clutter. Furniture, cardboard boxes, ladders and stage equipment pack the whole space, out to the wings and right back to the loading bay. It looks like a junkyard, but there must be some method in the madness: performers charge through it, over it, under it, as furniture collapses under them and the scenery caves in./p

Amol Rajan: What's Cameron's Big Society? A lot more quangos

Posted: January 19th, 2012, 10:12am EST

pIn May 2007, Oliver Letwin, probably the biggest living intellectual influence on the Coalition government, gave a speech in which he set out what Cameronism means./p

Festival of the Spoken Nerd, Bloomsbury Theatre, London

Posted: January 19th, 2012, 10:06am EST

pIf there was a theme to Festival of the Spoken Nerd's mix of science and comedy tonight then it was pyrotechnics. From a tale of homemade napalm to a demonstration of a standing wave flame tube there were flashes and bangs aplenty, if no explosive end result./p

BBC hit by technicians strike

Posted: January 19th, 2012, 9:23am EST

pA strike by BBC technicians over plans to move production of TV and radio programmes disrupted the corporation's output today./p

Primark cheered by busy Christmas

Posted: January 19th, 2012, 9:20am EST

pBudget retailer Primark saw sales boom over its Christmas trading quarter as it continues to build up its presence on the high street./p

Andrew Lansley defends health Bill plans

Posted: January 19th, 2012, 8:56am EST

pHealth Secretary Andrew Lansley has defended the Government's controversial health Bill after the main medical unions became the latest bodies to declare all-out opposition to the reforms./p

Jonathan Powell comes clean over plot to spy on Russians

Posted: January 19th, 2012, 8:19am EST

pA former UK government official has admitted Britain was behind a plot to spy on Russians with a device hidden in a fake rock, it emerged today./p

Kodak files for bankruptcy

Posted: January 19th, 2012, 8:15am EST

pEastman Kodak, which invented the hand-held camera and helped bring the world the first pictures from the moon, has filed for bankruptcy protection, capping a prolonged plunge for what remains one of America's best-known companies./p

The Business Matrix: Thursday 19 January 2012

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongToys group has a tough Christmas/strong/p

i Editor's Letter: The true voice of Italy

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p /p

The News Matrix: Thursday 19 January 2012

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongCameron attacks 'colonial' Argentina/strong/p

The Sports Matrix: Thursday 19 January 2012

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongKean adamant Rovers will not sell disaffected Samba/strong/p

Cameron reveals his vision for 'moral markets'

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDavid Cameron will spell out his vision of "moral markets" today, as he enters the intense political debate over how to create a more "responsible capitalism"./p

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Doctors threaten first strike in 40 years – over £48,000 pensions

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDoctors' leaders escalated their dispute with the Government over planned changes to their pensions yesterday after a British Medical Association survey showed almost two out of three would back some form of industrial action./p

Vauxhall's Ampera is spearheading the rejuvenation of its tired electric car range

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWe are all familiar with the logic; petrol prices are rising, we need to reduce our emissions and electric cars offer the road to environmental salvation. But while they might promise conscience-clear (or at least clearer) motoring, the latest generation of electric cars is off to a slow start./p

Andreas Whittam Smith: Sarkozy could be toppled by the downgrade

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWill Nicolas Sarkozy, the French President, be a further casualty of the eurozone crisis, driven out of office like Silvio Berlusconi and George Papandreou before him? Sarkozy is a formidable political fighter. He has something of the Muhammad Ali about him, with his ability to "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." /p

Jobs crisis forces 1.3m to work part-time

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe number of people being forced to take precarious part-time work has shot up to new records as the economic slump deepens./p

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RBS Insurance fined £2.2m for altering customer files

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRBS Insurance has been fined £2.17m after staff from Direct Line and Churchill altered customer files and forged signatures in an attempt to pass a regulatory inspection. /p

Government scraps inquiry into prisoners' torture

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe inquiry into allegations of British complicity in torturing prisoners will be scrapped due to the launch of a fresh police investigation that will involve interviewing former cabinet ministers, the Justice Secretary says./p

Beckham stays with LA Galaxy

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDavid Beckham has signed a new two-year deal with the Los Angeles Galaxy having turned down the chance to return to Europe with Paris Saint Germain earlier this month./p

Jane McAdam Freud: 'How my sculpture of my father, Lucian, helped me cope with his death'

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLucian Freud's sculptor daughter, Jane McAdam Freud, has made a gigantic earthstone triptych sculpture of her late father's head, to help "keep him alive". Made in terracotta and measuring 3ft x 3ft x 1ft, the giant relief only came out of the kiln last week. "I can't put in words how it helped me with the grieving process," she says. "I was keeping him alive in a metaphorical sense – he was there the whole time I was making it."/p

Nature Studies by Michael McCarthy: More badgers and fewer hedgehogs. Coincidence? I don't think so

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIn the wild, animal numbers naturally fluctuate. The marsh fritillary butterfly, for example, can virtually vanish from some of its colonies in certain years, only to be present two or three years later in numbers that are overwhelming (this is caused by cycles of parasite infestation, and something similar happens with red grouse)./p

Thirties throwback wants to turn back his county's clocks

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEvelyn Waugh once complained that though the Tories had been in power for years, they had failed to turn the clock back a single minute./p

RBS Insurance fined £2.2m for altering customer files

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRBS Insurance has been fined £2.17m after staff from Direct Line and Churchill altered customer files and forged signatures in an attempt to pass a regulatory inspection. /p

Who are you calling colonialists? Argentina hits back at Britain

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA war of words broke out between Britain and Argentina last night after David Cameron accused the South American nation of "colonialism" over its claim to the Falkland Islands./p

Shorts or skirts? Female boxers face a split decision at London 2012

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWith only months remaining before women's boxing makes its debut at the Olympic Games, competitors are still contending with that most troublesome of distractions. Just what are they going to wear?/p

The 10 Best Memory Sticks

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrong1. IronKey (8GB)/strong/p

Charles Morris: Well-liked and highly regarded politician who served as PPS to Harold Wilson

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAs Opposition Leader and Prime Minister, Harold Wilson was careful about the choice of his Parliamentary Private Secretary. He displayed shrewd judgement, and it was never shrewder than the choice of Charlie Morris in the crucial years from 1970-74. Morris was immensely well-liked across the spectrum of a fractious Parliamentary Labour Party. And he was a reflective colleague, with good judgement about issues and people. He had an unerring "feel" for the Labour movement./p

Heathrow calls shots on Olympic guns

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pUK Border officials are investigating special measures to cope with the number of guns that will be brought into the country for Olympic shooting events./p

Last Night's Viewing: Jonathan Meades on France, BBC4br /The Crusades, BBC2

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe boilerplate way of beginning a documentary these days is to read out a bombastic contents list. In the first of his films about France, Jonathan Meades decided it would be more instructive to tell us what we weren't going to get: "No strings of onions, no Dordogne, no boules, no Piaf, no ooh-la-la, no Gallic shrugs, no street markets, no checked tableclothes," he said. And, it seems, only a very tiny snatch of accordion music, briefly aired to acknowledge the unavoidable trope and then swiped away with a needle scratch. Instead, Jonathan Meades on France offered "Fragments of an Arbitrary Encyclopedia", a collage of entries, all beginning with V and proceeding alphabetically from Valise to Vosges, by way of Vaugeois, Verdun and Vexatious Litigants, among other things./p

Back seat for Noam Gottesman at cost-cutting Man Group

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNoam Gottesman, co-founder of GLG, is taking a back-seat role at Man Group, the FTSE 100 firm that bought his Mayfair-based hedge fund business for $1.6bn (£1.04bn) just over a year ago. /p

Border agency was a law unto itself, MPs conclude

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPassport checks have been relaxed too often in recent years because of "highly troubling" mistakes by executives at the UK Border Agency, MPs warned./p

Coleman will take Wales job stressing continuity

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pChris Coleman will today be named as the new Wales manager, entrusted with succeeding Gary Speed, who committed suicide two months ago. The former Fulham manager was the overwhelming choice of the Football Association of Wales./p

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It's hip to be E=mc²: Can the worlds of art and fashion help to make the lab cool?

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pChris Hatherill is sitting in the office he shares with graphic designers, textile artists and painters in east London. Slight, speaking in a quiet Canadian accent and with thin-rimmed steel glasses he looks like the fashion, music and tech journalist for Dazed amp; Confused and Vice that he is./p

Vice-Admiral Sir Iwan Raikes: Decorated submariner

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pVice-Admiral Sir Iwan Raikes won a Distinguished Service Cross in combat in the Mediterranean before a Cold War career in which Britain gave increasing importance to his specialty, submarines. By the time Raikes equalled his admiral father as Flag Officer Submarines in the 1970s, a much smaller Navy had abolished centuries-old traditions such as the rum ration, and submarines had superseded RAF aircraft as the platform for carrying Britain's nuclear deterrent./p

Peter Popham: 'Nation of cowards tag returns to haunt Italy'

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAs long as you didn't lose a loved one, the sinking of the Costa Concordia has been almost the perfect news story, providing a spectacle of gigantic folly while confirming our fondest prejudices: the Italian nutter who drove his liner like a Ferrari, phoned his mamma when it started to sink, then scarpered for safety, leaving passengers and crew scrambling around in the dark. How very Italian!/p

Letters: Who profits from euro disaster?

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPresident Sarkozy was correct when he commented that the "eurozone crisis" was mainly a banking crisis. Your article "Greek rescue blocked by hedge fund greed" (18 January) confirms this. However, the situation is far, far worse than you describe. There is just one question to ask: cui bono – who benefits?/p

China and India set to drive up hybrid car sales

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSales of fuel-efficient, hybrid cars may have got off to a sluggish start, but ownership is set to explode to account for more than half of all vehicles sold by 2030, as improving models, government incentives and rising petrol costs escalate demand, according to BP./p

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Lindegaard: De Gea can replace me – in 10 years

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pManchester United's Anders Lindegaard has affirmed his belief that he can push David de Gea out of contention as the club's first-choice goalkeeper, asserting that it is his job to make sure the Spaniard is the club's No1 in 10 years' time, after his own retirement./p

Iranian actress exiled for posing nude

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAn Iranian actress who posed in the nude for a French magazine has been warned not to return home./p

Nato accused of war crimes in Libya

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAn independent report published by Middle Eastern human rights groups says there is evidence that war crimes and human rights violations were committed by all the participants – Nato, rebel forces and those loyal to Colonel Gaddafi – in last year's Libyan uprising./p

Miljan Miljanic: Serbian footballer who went on to coach Real Madrid, Yugoslavia and Red Star Belgrade

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMiljan Miljanic, who died on 13 January at the age of 81, was a Serbian footballer who went on to coach Real Madrid, Yugoslavia and Red Star Belgrade. It was in this latter capacity that he made a notable impact on English football./p

Schwarzer extends deal with 2014 aim

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer has agreed a contract extension to keep him at Craven Cottage until summer next year. The Australia international, 39, also wants to become one of the oldest footballers to have played at the World Cup./p

Leading article: No more delays, London needs a new airport

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThere is only one certainty in the seemingly endless debates about London's airports, and that is that something has to give. Heathrow is already overcrowded and running beyond its capacity, and, with passenger numbers set to more than treble over the coming decades, ignoring the problem will not make it go away./p

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Met spent £35,000 to find out time

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBritain's biggest police force spent more than £35,000 on 110,000 calls to the speaking clock over the last two years, figures have shown./p

Peacocks calls in the administrators as rescue fails

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPeacocks, the debt-laden discount fashion chain, collapsed into administration yesterday, leaving about 9,600 jobs hanging by a thread in the retail sector's biggest failure since Woolworths in 2008./p

McCarthy left 'livid' after Cup defeat

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLed Zeppelin's Robert Plant jetted in from Texas to watch his beloved Wolves, yet it was the 2,000 visitors from 20 miles down the M6 whose songs filled the air here last night. Wade Elliott struck with 16 minutes left to ensure a Championship success over the Premier League, sending Birmingham to Sheffield United in the fourth round and leaving Wolves dazed and confused after a ninth game without a win./p

Diary: Deep secrets from before the Cold War thaw

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhen a batch of previously classified government papers was released under the 30-year rule three weeks ago, attention was mostly focused on what they revealed about the urban riots of 1981. On the day, everyone missed a Cabinet file that demonstrated how frighteningly real the prospect of nuclear war was thought to be back then – but it did not escape the sharp eyes of the historian Peter Hennessy, aka Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield./p

Danilo del Carro: 'Dragging a dead body from the sea is something you never get used to'

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWith a scarcely credible number and variety of military and emergency personnel flooding the little outcrop of Giglio, one tiny but vital component of the rescue effort has distinguished itself by carrying out the most dangerous and so far, the grimmest task of all./p

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QPR weigh up third bid for Samba – but Rovers dig heels in

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Blackburn Rovers manager, Steve Kean, has reiterated that Christopher Samba, who arrived late for training yesterday and did not work with the first team, is not for sale./p

Leading article: Pubs and the cut-price penalty

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pGiven the overall state of the economy, pub chains generally are so far reporting reasonable results, and that includes JD Wetherspoon, which said yesterday that sales rose by almost 10 per cent last year, with a rise of 3.6 per cent in the three months to 15 January. But that does not mean that Wetherspoon's chairman, Tim Martin, does not have a point when he complains about the disparity between prices in supermarkets and prices in pubs. /p

Bouncer 'murdered teenager'

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA nightclub bouncer stabbed his cousin's pregnant girlfriend to death after raping her, a jury heard./p

Push to cut VAT in pubs and restaurants

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMore than two dozen of Britain's top pub and restaurant chains have joined forces to campaign for a cut in VAT to boost the country's ailing leisure industry. /p

Canary Wharf is soaring to new heights

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWith the Olympics in town, east London is set for a year like no other. But for all the glitz of the greatest show on earth, a far more significant regeneration project takes its next evolutionary step in 2012 as the landlord behind Canary Wharf plots the next stage in the development of its sprawling estate./p

Morrell leads brave fight but Wrexham fall at the last

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNot quite echoes of the January day precisely 20 years ago when 13,000 packed the Racecourse to the rafters to see the Football League's bottom side defeat the reigning champions Arsenal, but here was a night to add to Wrexham's rich tapestry of FA Cup occasions./p

City and De Jong may part ways

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pManchester City are prepared to listen to offers for Nigel de Jong this summer, if they cannot reach a new contract deal with him./p

Leading article: The man who saved Italy's reputation

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPublication of the exchange between the coast guard in Livorno and the captain of the stricken Costa Concordia, has made Gregorio de Falco a hero in Italy, and probably everywhere the transcript has seen the light of day. His advice, culminating in the abrupt instruction: "Get back on the ship... that is an order", epitomises all the qualities so signally lacking on the fateful night. /p

Fourth arrest in Olympic stadium spying inquiry

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA fourth man has been arrested by detectives investigating allegations that Tottenham spied on Olympic officials during its stadium bid. The 45-year-old was being held at a south London station on suspicion of fraud after his property was searched./p

Sales jump at Oxfam as austerity bites

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOxfam posted a 5 per cent jump in underlying sales over the final quarter of last year, laying bare pressure on household budgets in austerity Britain. /p

Hamish McRae: Why some types of debt are more important than others

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pYour starter for one: if you add all of a country's debt together – personal debt, company debt, bank debt and government debt – which country carries more debt relative to GDP: Germany or Greece?/p

Market Report: Shire under the weather as rival hits recovery trail

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThere was a rather pale look to Shire last night as the drugs maker weakened after one of its major rivals took a big step towards recovery. For a number of years now, Shire has been benefiting from serious supply issues suffered by Genzyne, but yesterday the biotech firm appeared to turn a corner./p

US dismay as Saleh delays Yemeni election

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe US has expressed regret at the Yemeni President's failure to comply with an agreement to leave the country and allow elections for a successor./p

WWW: World Without Wikipedia

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIf you were researching your history coursework yesterday, or, say, writing a newspaper article about Wikipedia, then you will have found yourself at a loss. Instead of the largest encyclopaedia in human history, visitors to Wikipedia.org were greeted with a black page, and a doomy invitation to "imagine a world without free knowledge"./p

Gabbidon: Ferdinand faces 'difficult game' against Chelsea

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDanny Gabbidon has admitted that Queens Park Rangers' FA Cup fourth-round tie with Chelsea might be "difficult" for Anton Ferdinand, the subject of alleged racist abuse from John Terry in October. /p

Celeb mags accused over lack of ethics in tabloid market

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pCelebrity magazines were last night blamed for driving down standards in British tabloid newspapers and contributing to the climate that led to the phone-hacking scandal at the News of the World./p

Shell and Tullow in Atlantic deal

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRoyal Dutch Shell has teamed up with Tullow Oil to find major new fields in the Atlantic. /p

More arrests in US clampdown on insider trading

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFour more hedge fund executives have been arrested in the US authorities' war against insider trading./p

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Trouble ahead for Cameron as IMF seeks extra £17.5bn funding

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDavid Cameron faces a showdown with Tory Eurosceptics over a move to increase Britain's contribution to the International Monetary Fund by up to £17.5bn because of the single currency crisis./p

Leeds accept Howson bid from Canaries

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNorwich City will open contract talks with Jonny Howson after Leeds "reluctantly" accepted an undisclosed offer for the 23-year-old midfielder, who is out of contract in the summer./p

Mining: BHP banks on China

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe mining giant BHP Billiton said yesterday it was eyeing record iron-ore production this year, allaying fears of a slowdown in China. /p

Grumeti's stock on rise after fall

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe old theatrical adage about a bad dress rehearsal clearly holds good on muddier stages, too. The Triumph Hurdle contender Grumeti may have slipped and slithered to the ground at Newbury yesterday but bookmakers clearly believe it will be all right on the night as, collectively, they shortened his price for the Cheltenham four-year-old feature. Among the first half-dozen in the market after an impressive debut over obstacles last month, the gelding is now clear or joint-favourite in nearly every list./p

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Goldman pays out bonuses of £8bn

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pGoldman Sachs, the City of London and Wall Street totem, will divvy up a $12.2bn (£7.9bn) pay and bonus pool among its staff, despite public and political anger and in the face of crumbling revenues and profits./p

Will Dean's Ideas Factory: Braille burgers lead the way for blind foodies

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEven stranger than the news that South Africa has 462 branches of Wimpy (the SA chain, in fact, owns the UK's Wimpys), is a recent video released by the firm showing its bakers preparing buns with a difference – written on the top of the bun in Braille are messages to blind Wimpy fans./p

Sorry day for Murdoch as High Court hears hacking apology

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLawyers acting for News International will shock the High Court today when they offer a humiliating apology to victims of phone hacking and announce that Rupert Murdoch's media group has settled dozens of outstanding claims linked to criminal activities at the News Of The World./p

Broad: We have a history of winning after 'average' starts

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDespite the understandable excitement surrounding England's comeback yesterday, one fact should be clear. To win a Test match after scoring 200 in the first innings is rare. England have done it since 1997 when they scored 180 against Australia and won on the third afternoon by 18 runs, though Australia, having already annexed the Ashes, were dashing for the airport at the time./p

'Vital' for big firms to help Earth

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSir David Attenborough has called on big businesses to help protect the natural world from the rapidly expanding human population. /p

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He's plodding, unexciting and cautious – but that's why France's favourite Socialist can oust Sarkozy

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFrançois Hollande has travelled to Lorraine to make a point. He is a man who keeps his promises; President Nicolas Sarkozy is a man who breaks them. The Socialist front-runner for this year's presidential election in April and May is in the depressed steel town of Gandrange, scene of one of the best remembered porkies of the Sarkozy years. Outside Gandrange town hall, a modest crowd is gathered, consisting of about one third local people and two thirds television crews and journalists./p

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Revenge – for everyone turned down by Oxbridge

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA state-school pupil from Hampshire who was invited to Oxford University for an interview turned the tables on the institution by writing her own letter of rejection because it "did not quite meet the standard" of other universities./p

Ssangyong Korando EX

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongPrice:/strong £16,995br /strongEngine capacity: /strong2.0 litre dieselbr /strongTop speed (mph):/strong 112br /strong0-62 mph (seconds): /strong9.9br /strongFuel economy (mpg):/strong 43.5br /strongCO2 emissions (g/km): /strong169/p

The Week In Radio: I'm sorry, but the celebrity satirists haven't got a clue

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRadio 2's Hot Gossip is a panel show hosted by Claudia Winkleman about celebrity tittle-tattle, but not in the shameless we-don't-care-if-you-think-we're-shallow sense. It is, in fact, propelled by shame./p

Supermarket staff live 'in poverty'

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe four largest supermarket chains are paying their staff "poverty" wages while making huge profits and raising executives' salaries, research suggests./p

Russia warns that Iran strike could trigger 'chain reaction'

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRussia strongly criticised Western belligerence towards Syria and Iran yesterday, saying that a military assault on the Iranian regime could cause a "chain reaction" that would destabilise the entire world./p

James Lawton: Can this new Murray lead to major prizes?

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThese may be extremely early days in the remaking of Andy Murray at the rather advanced age of 24 going on 25, but whatever happens at the Australian Open his new coach Ivan Lendl deserves applause for one achievement at least./p

Is the world ready for 'Boris island'?

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Government is poised to re-open the vexed and controversial debate over the expansion of air travel in South-east England after confirming plans to hold a consultation on a new airport in the Thames Estuary./p

The boss was right: being workaholic's good for you

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThey have been lambasted for their long working hours, for taking their laptops on holiday and obsessively checking their emails. But now there is good news for workaholics everywhere – their fixation with work is not necessarily a bad thing./p

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Indian teacher lands £6bn 'bonus'

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA school teacher became a billionaire overnight after a bank deposited 490bn rupees (£6.3bn) into his account by mistake./p

Deborah Ross: Happy Birthday! But I'm still going out like this

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIf you ask me, I am determined to make my fortune this year and, as such, have decided to enter the greeting card business. I have decided on this because, many a time, I have handed over a fiver for one such card and held out my hand for change, only to discover there isn't any, so there has to be a ton of easy money in it./p

How do I: Get my bike back ready for the road?

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAs any fair-weather cyclist will tell you, freezing temperatures and short days mean many bikes sit idle for much of December and January, but getting back on the road doesn't have to mean an expensive trip to the bike shop./p

Ousting PCC 'would harm local press'

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pReplacing the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) with a more expensive new body for self-regulating the press would damage Britain's already-enfeebled regional and local press, the editor of one of Britain's leading regional newspapers told the Leveson Inquiry yesterday./p

Chalk Talk: For the last time - my teaching union is bigger than yours

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pI knew when I quoted Chris Keates saying last year's teachers' union ballot on pensions proved her union was the biggest in the land, that would not be an end of the matter./p

Strauss-Kahn's wife to edit French Huffington Post

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAnne Sinclair, the wife of the former head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Dominique Strauss-Kahn, has been named as the editor of the new French edition of The Huffington Post website. /p

The day a team died: A tragedy for Zambian football

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAt 10pm local time on Saturday, Zambia will walk out to face Senegal at the new stadium in Bata, Equatorial Guinea. It will be the second match at this year's African Cup of Nations, and the minds of most of the crowd may still be on the opening game, which will have just finished at the same stadium. Not Zambian minds, though; they'll be much further away. They'll be thinking of 27 April 1993, when another Zambia team set off to play Senegal in a World Cup qualifier. That team, the best Zambia has ever had and potentially one of the greatest in African history, never arrived./p

What a difference a year makes: Indian army chief sues over his official age

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Indian authorities have found themselves in the embarrassing situation of being taken to court by their army chief in a move to determine how old he really is./p

The Great Debate: Do we need another airport to keep London in the top flight?

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongSimon Calder/strong Despite our lamentable lack of airport strategy, London is a far bigger hub for air travellers than any other city in the world. How do we remain the aviation capital of the world? By building. The Heathrow argument is effectively over as all three major parties oppose a third runway. Enough spare capacity remains at Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and London City to soak up another decade of growth. But to continue our supremacy beyond that, we need the concrete./p

Irish rely on old guard in Six Nations

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Ireland head coach, Declan Kidney, has named a battle-hardened 24-man squad for the Six Nations game against Wales in Dublin a fortnight on Sunday. No uncapped players made the cut, despite the fact that a number of big names – the centre Brian O'Driscoll, the hooker Jerry Flannery and the back-row forwards David Wallace and Denis Leamy included – missed out because of injury./p

Simon English: It won't happen, but Cameron would benefit from sharing a tipple with Martin

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pbOutlook/b: Tim Martin has been predicting the demise of the euro, sometimes with a reference to Tutankhamun (they are equally dead), since the day it was invented. Can't work, he kept saying. Won't work. Shouldn't work./p

Wales offer Henson another last chance

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pGavin Henson has yet another chance to stake his claim for Wales despite having made only nine first-class starting appearances in almost three years and having been dropped from this weekend's Heineken Cup decider by the Blues. Warren Gatland warned, however, that if the utility back "is not up to speed" he will not appear in the final Six Nations squad./p

Elocution lessons: Who wants to speak the Queen's English?

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAs the commercial director of one of the country's largest book-wholesaling companies, Annette Burgess makes an unlikely Eliza Doolittle. At the age of 44, she is responsible for a sales team that supplies books to the National Trust, Hamleys and hundreds of garden centres. Yet this successful bookseller shares one thing in common with the cockney flower-selling heroine of Pygmalion and My Fair Lady: she has taken up elocution lessons./p

I fell into life raft and got stuck, claims captain

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe captain of the luxury liner shipwrecked off Italy on Friday has explained his early escape from the vessel by claiming he stumbled into a life raft and was unable to get out./p

Gone one minute then, at the 13th hour, a lifeline for Darlington

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe clock in Darlington yesterday had reached the 13th hour when two men came flying around the corner of the Northern Echo Arena in a silver Peugeot 308. "We've got the money!" the pair shouted as they jumped out of their car and ran to the main entrance./p

Burma: Crowds cheer Suu Kyi as she registers for poll

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEcstatic cheers of "Long live Aung San Suu Kyi!" echoed through the streets of Rangoon yesterday as Burma's most famous citizen registered her candidacy for a parliamentary by-election. Throngs of flag-waving supporters crowded the local election office to shout support and catch a glimpse of the 66-year-old Nobel peace laureate, who spent years under house arrest./p

John Walsh: Self-improvement is on the rise. At last, a true return to Victorian values

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pI've been pondering the legacy of Samuel Smiles, the Victorian social reformer born 200 years ago in 1812. He was an interesting cove – a former surgeon who became editor of a newspaper – and he published one of the most influential books of the age: Self-Help. It preached rugged individualism and encouraged people to find their own way in the world, rather than accept their lot. Get off your lazy butts, it told the delighted Victorians, and develop yourselves. /p

Simon English: There's nothing to be lost by curbing executive pay

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pbOutlook/b: A relaxed lunch in a nice boozer. In attendance: a banker from the old school. An angel investor. A PR man of the even older school. An entrepreneur who has just sold a business he built from scratch for tens of millions of pounds with the aid of the others./p

Aussie bad boy looking good

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pConsidering that Australia has produced 34 different male Grand Slam singles champions, the treatment being given in the local media here to the current world No 38 might seem over the top. Even before a ball had been struck at the Australian Open, photographs of Bernard Tomic were dominating the front pages of The Age and Herald Sun./p

Skiing: Downhill hits the skids over plastic underwear row

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe deeply competitive world of downhill skiing is being rocked by a heated dispute about plastic underwear and whether wearing such garments on the slopes gives racers an unfair aerodynamic advantage over their rivals./p

Revealed: How Blackburn have collapsed into chaos

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBlackburn Rovers' Indian owners further dismantled the club yesterday, with the departure of their commercial director diminishing an already emasculated Ewood Park boardroom which evidently lacks any power to find a route out of the current financial calamity./p

Mark Donne: Shelf-stackers aren't the only victims

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTogether, the big four supermarket chains make up the largest block employer in Britain outside of the NHS: nearly 900,000 people work for Tesco, Asda, Sainsburys or Morrisons. And the Coalition is banking on the supermarkets recruiting again in serious numbers in 2012. But a new report by the Fair Pay Network demonstrates how the Big Four are complicit in keeping thousands of people in poverty. In the last trading year, Tesco, Asda, Sainsburys and Morrisons reported pre-tax profits of £3.5 billion; £803 million; £827 million and £632 million respectively. Their executives and CEOs revelled in the bounty with individual remuneration packages ranging from £3m to nearly £7m. /p

Two killed as light aircraft crashes into Welsh mountain

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTwo people died when a light aircraft crashed into a mountain in Wales yesterday./p

Trott chips in as England graft back into match

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhen England came to play in the desert they can hardly have expected to find themselves all at sea. They spent most of the second day of the first Test here yesterday trying to avert that peculiar fate./p

Snooker: Higgins tips Trump to rule the game

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFour-time world champion John Higgins believes Judd Trump could dominate the sport for years to come. Higgins and Trump are on course to meet in Sunday's final of the £500,000 Masters in north London. And Higgins, who survived a scare to beat Trump in last season's World Championship final, said the 22-year-old will be a box-office star./p

Mild winter will raise price of fruit

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe mild winter could lead to smaller fruit crops in the autumn, potentially pushing up prices, the Royal Horticultural Society has warned./p

Italian PM says City will not get special protection

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Italian Prime Minister, Mario Monti, insisted yesterday that David Cameron's demands for special protection for the City of London at last month's European Union summit were unacceptable. /p

Insight: Kathryn Bolkovac, whistleblower

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFormer Nebraska police officer Kathryn Bolkovac joined the UN Police Task Force in post-war Bosnia in 1999 as an employee of the private military contractor DynCorp. She became a human rights investigator and discovered, to her horror, that people from the mission were involved in human trafficking. Bolkovac blew the whistle and was fired. Her story was the inspiration for the powerful thriller The Whistleblower./p

The Sketch: By jingo, 2012 is the year of true-blue bulldog spirit!

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt's quite a Tory year coming up – what with the Queen's Jubilee, Boris's victory in the mayoral elections, Lord Coe's Olympics, the anniversary of the Falklands. Cameron seems to have lifted himself up an energy level to meet it. He's fizzing. He sometimes goes off in the wrong direction but his blast-area has doubled in size since the Opposition collapse. /p

Clarke aims to put paunch in past by turning to rugby trainer

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhen one thinks of Darren Clarke the physique of a Courtney Lawes does not spring to mind. But as he sets out on a new campaign, the 43-year-old has employed the England rugby team's sports scientist and is obeying a similar monastic lifestyle to the lock and his Red Rose colleagues./p

Boxing: Peterson appeals over Khan rematch

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLamont Peterson has lodged "a comprehensive written appeal" against the WBA's decision to order a rematch against Amir Khan. /p

Sir Mervyn King

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBecause of a problem with our wires service, a report published yesterday attributed a statement that bankers, bonuses are "unacceptable" to the Governor of the Bank of England, Sir Mervyn King, rather than to Michael Cohrs, who was also appearing before MPs as a member of the Bank of England's Financial Policy Committee./p

Steve Richards: Labour deserves oblivion if it listens to the unions on pay

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pI begin with a little quiz. Who said the following words and when? I will give you a clue, the second part of the question is at least as important as the first. Here are the words: "I have to level with you all... a plan for growth now will help get the economy moving again and stop the vicious circle on the deficit – but by itself it won't secure our economic future or magic the deficit away. A steadier, more balanced, medium-term plan to get the deficit down will still mean difficult decisions and tough choices in the years ahead. Tough choices on tax and spending... Discipline in public and private sector pay. And no matter how much we dislike particular Tory spending cuts or tax rises, we cannot make promises now to reverse them."/p

Wahlberg: I'd have been hero of 9/11

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMark Wahlberg wishes he'd had the chance to prove he can be an action hero off screen./p

Expats will not vote in Scotland referendum

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Scottish Government has rejected calls to extend the vote on independence to expatriates./p

Postraduate diary

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pShelling out £8,000 for a Masters course is a big step in anyone's book, and Carl McConnell admits that when he did that last September, at the outset of his MSc in urban regeneration at University College London, he felt nervous about whether he was taking the right step. "I didn't know if I was doing the right thing," he recalls. "But as soon as it started, it was great. I found myself with such a diverse bunch of people, and when we do group work, you get so many viewpoints expressed."/p

Research matters: Behind every breakthrough lies first-class infrastructure

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pExcellent researchers need excellent facilities if they are to push forward the frontiers of knowledge. In November 2011, researchers at CERN discovered hints of the biggest breakthrough in the history of particle physics, the Higgs boson particle. Finding proof that the Higgs boson exists would illuminate why particles have certain mass and help answer fundamental questions about the creation of the universe. Investment in this remarkable facility has produced five Nobel Prizes and generated countless discoveries, not least the invention of the World Wide Web, on which all of us now rely. It is now the largest particle physics laboratory in the world and UK researchers are among those from more than 20 countries who have the opportunity to work there. /p

City wins legal bid to evict Occupy London protesters

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 7:55pm EST

pThe demonstrators camped outside St Paul’s Cathedral are discussing whether to resist eviction after a High Court judge ruled today that their “Tent City” protest could be cleared as early as next week./p

Doctors reject pension changes

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 7:16pm EST

pDoctors have rejected the Government's planned pension changes and two out of three would be prepared to take industrial action over the issue, it was announced today./p

Boxing: Mustafa Ameen claims he 'helped correct scorecards' in Amir Khan fight

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 6:58pm EST

p'Mystery man' Mustafa Ameen has admitted he did get involved with the scorecards during Amir Khan's controversial defeat by Lamont Peterson on December 10 but claims he was simply helping to correct mistakes. /p

Kaka denies reaching agreement with PSG

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 6:56pm EST

pKaka has denied reports he has agreed a move to Paris St Germain and insisted he is committed to Real Madrid./p

David Cameron vows to protect Falkland Islands

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 6:39pm EST

pDavid Cameron today accused Argentina of "colonialism" as he insisted that Britain will continue to defend the right to self-determination of the people of the Falkland Islands for as long as they want it to./p

Picture preview: London Art Fair

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 6:32pm EST

pThe UK's largest art fair for Modern British and contemporary art begins today in London./p

St Helens to give new arrivals run out at new stadium

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 6:24pm EST

pSt Helens will give three new signings their debuts in their first match at their new stadium, Langtree Park, tomorrow./p

Wales set to announce Chris Coleman as new manager

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 6:20pm EST

pChris Coleman is expected to be named as Gary Speed's successor as Wales manager tomorrow./p

Jobs at risk as Peacocks placed into administration

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 6:08pm EST

pClothing chain Peacocks fell into administration tonight - putting some 9,600 jobs at risk./p

Jonathan Biss, Queen Elizabeth Hall, London

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 5:27pm EST

pThe American pianist Jonathan Biss prefaced his Southbank appearance with the release of a Kindle ebook called ‘Beethoven’s Shadow’, in which he discusses the challenge of Beethoven’s piano music. /p

Making a statement: Sportsmen and women who caused a stir with what they wore

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 5:20pm EST

p17-year-old British tennis hopeful Laura Robson exited the Australian Open at the first hurdle on Monday when she lost in straight sets to Jelena Jankovic. The result would not have surprised many tennis experts, seeing as Robson is ranked 161 in the world and Jankovic 14, but the match caught the attention of the tennis world due to a rainbow-coloured hairband the English youngster wore during the game./p

Lloyds Banking Group to cut 700 jobs

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 5:16pm EST

pPart-nationalised Lloyds Banking Group announced 700 job cuts across the UK today as chief executive Antonio Horta-Osorio continues to overhaul the lender. /p

Ten ways to get cheaper flights

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 5:14pm EST

pWhile many of us consider holidays an integral part of our lives, this does not mean that we want to pay more for them than is necessary. /p

Legislators oppose Armenian genocide bill

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 5:11pm EST

pA French Senate panel dealt a blow Wednesday to the government's plans to make it illegal to deny that mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks nearly a century ago amounted to genocide. /p

Two killed in Wales aircraft crash

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 4:57pm EST

pTwo people have died after a light aircraft crashed into a mountain in Wales, police confirmed tonight./p

Archbishop's 'grief' over Catholic school sex abuse

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 4:56pm EST

pThe leader of Catholics in England and Wales is "grief stricken" over incidents of child sexual abuse in Catholic schools, Education Secretary Michael Gove has said./p

LL Cool J to host the Grammys

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 4:44pm EST

pAfter seven years with a no-host format, the Grammys will have an emcee — LL Cool J. br / /p

Tottenham 'in with a chance' for Premier League title says Ledley King

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 4:37pm EST

pTottenham captain Ledley King maintains no-one is getting carried away with talk of a title challenge at White Hart Lane./p

Student sends Oxford University rejection letter for 'taking itself too seriously'

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 4:36pm EST

pA student has sent her own rejection letter to a prestigious university criticising it for "intimidating" pupils from comprehensive school backgrounds during the interview process. /p

Darlington saved for the short term

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 4:36pm EST

pDarlington have been saved from liquidation at the eleventh hour after a rescue group pledged £50,000 to ensure their survival for the next three games./p

Leveson inquiry: Editors laud regional press ethics

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 4:23pm EST

pThe UK's regional press has a "very good reputation" for behaving ethically and should not be tarnished by the phone hacking scandal, the Leveson Inquiry heard today./p

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Michael Gove applauds Barclays' £1.25m schools support package

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 4:10pm EST

pFree schools and academies in England are to be offered 3,000 work experience placements for pupils with Barclays under a new package of support announced by the bank./p

IMF ready to seek UK cash boost

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 4:00pm EST

pBritain looks set be asked to increase its contribution to the International Monetary Fund, after the international organisation confirmed it is looking at raising an additional 500 billion US dollars to shore up ailing economies./p

IMF to seek British cash boost

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 4:00pm EST

pBritain looks set to be asked to commit more money to the International Monetary Fund, after the global organisation confirmed it was planning to raise an additional $500bn to shore up ailing economies./p

Luke Fitzgerald omitted from Ireland squad for Six Nations

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 3:55pm EST

pLuke Fitzgerald has been omitted from Ireland's 24-man senior squad for the 2012 RBS 6 Nations. /p

Mark Schwarzer signs contract extension at Fulham

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 3:52pm EST

pGoalkeeper Mark Schwarzer has signed a contract extension with Fulham until at least the summer of 2013, the club have confirmed./p

Permalink for '_______Education_/2012/01/18/City_of_London_wins_bid_to_clear_Occupy_protesters_from_St_Paul%e2%80%99s_Cathedral'

City of London wins bid to clear Occupy protesters from St Paul’s Cathedral

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 3:36pm EST

pThe demonstrators camped outside St Paul’s Cathedral in London were told they will be evicted today after a High Court judge granted an injunction against their three-month Tent City protest./p

BBC under fire over local jobs at Salford site

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 3:06pm EST

pThe BBC has been criticised after it emerged that only 26 out of 680 new jobs created at its new Media City site went to locals./p

Only QPR have made bid for Chris Samba reveals Steve Kean

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 2:56pm EST

pOnly QPR have so far bid for wantaway Blackburn defender Chris Samba, Rovers manager Steve Kean said today./p

£8bn pay bill for Goldman Sachs

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 2:39pm EST

pWall Street banking giant Goldman Sachs, which employs thousands of staff in the UK, revealed a bill for pay and bonuses in 2011 of $12.22bn (£7.95 billion) today./p

Late wickets boost England but Pakistan in control

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 2:35pm EST

pEngland spent day two of the first Test playing catch-up, and eventually eking out seven Pakistan wickets, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. /p

David Nalbandian calls for action against umpire following controversial exit

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 2:35pm EST

pFurious David Nalbandian tonight demanded action against umpire Kader Nouni after a controversial end to his second-round match against John Isner at the Australian Open. /p

Northamptonshire radioactive waste dump battle lost

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 2:33pm EST

pCampaigners have lost a Court of Appeal battle to stop low-level radioactive waste being dumped near their village./p

Wales set to name Gary Speed successor tomorrow

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 2:26pm EST

pThe Football Association of Wales will name the successor to Gary Speed as national team manager tomorrow./p

Gareth Bale only Premier League player in Uefa.com team of the year

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 2:22pm EST

pTottenham winger Gareth Bale was today named in UEFA.com users' team of the year for 2011 alongside eight Spain-based players./p

Fulham sign youngster Jack Grimmer from Aberdeen

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 2:21pm EST

pFulham have signed 17-year-old midfielder Jack Grimmer from Aberdeen, the Barclays Premier League club have confirmed/p

Tamiflu effects 'still uncertain'

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:55pm EST

pThe effects of antiviral drug Tamiflu - which was stockpiled by the Government at the height of the swine flu pandemic - are still uncertain, researchers said as they accused pharmaceutical giant Roche of withholding data./p

Torture investigation to be scrapped

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:50pm EST

pThe long-awaited inquiry into British complicity in torture is to be scrapped following the launch of fresh criminal investigations into claims of ill-treatment in Libya, the Justice Secretary said today./p

Gibson Inquiry torture investigation to be scrapped

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:50pm EST

pThe long-awaited inquiry into British complicity in torture is to be scrapped following the launch of fresh criminal investigations into claims of ill-treatment in Libya, the Justice Secretary said today./p

Briton dies in Thailand shooting range suicide

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:48pm EST

pA British man has died in an apparent suicide at a shooting range in Thailand./p

Direct Line fined over forged files

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:41pm EST

pInsurance firms Direct Line and Churchill have been fined £2.17 million for fudging complaint files, including signature forgery, the City watchdog said today./p

Leveson Inquiry: Editors cautious on 'privacy list'

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:19pm EST

pCelebrity magazine editors gave a cautious welcome today to a proposal for an official register of famous people who want to remain private./p

Gavin Henson recalled to Wales squad for Six Nations

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 1:12pm EST

pGavin Henson could be in line for a first RBS 6 Nations appearance since 2009 after being included in head coach Warren Gatland's 35-man training squad./p

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Asher Roth, Jazz Café, London

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 12:54pm EST

pEmerging onto the stage with his (now long) ginger locks, this white Jewish rapper looks no more like a hip hop star than he ever did. /p

Translunar Paradise, The Pit, Barbican, London

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 12:50pm EST

pTheatre Ad Infinitum’s Translunar Paradise is a show about death and memory. A hit at the 2011 Edinburgh Fringe, it comes to London as part of the London International Mime Festival. Director George Mann plays an elderly man coping with the death of his wife (played by Deborah Pugh). Told in mime and music, it’s a touching portrait of grief, sometimes muffled by a loss of clarity. /p

Barbican classical podcast: Richard Egarr

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 12:48pm EST

pThe Academy Of Ancient Music has been at the forefront of the period instrument revolution for almost four decades. When Christopher Hogwood founded the group in 1973, the idea that we really could go back and through an informed awareness of style and faithful deployment of original instruments, rekindle the shock-of-the-new effect — the passion and vitality of great 17th and 18th masterworks — was greeted with a mixture of excitement and scepticism./p

Get a call from the Queen this Blue Monday!

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 12:31pm EST

pThat’s right, it’s official: the most depressing day of the year is coming this 23 of January. It’s going to be the worst Monday in what’s basically a month of Mondays. It’s been ages since anyone was paid, the weather’s cold, the day’s short, it’s been ages since Christmas, it’s ages until the next holiday, no-one’s stuck to their new year’s resolutions and everyone’s gonna be feeling rubbish!/p

Costa Concordia search suspended as ship shifts

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 12:25pm EST

pDivers searching the capsized Italian cruise liner Costa Concordia suspended work today after the vast wreck shifted slightly, but officials said they are hoping to resume as soon as possible./p

Our New Girl, Bush Theatre, London

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 12:04pm EST

pFictional nannies tend to range from the magical Mary Poppins ("practically perfect in every way") to the Nanny from Hell who arrives nursing secret dreams of a twisted takeover./p

Lianne La Havas, The Social

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 12:04pm EST

pThe crowd at tonight’s gig, which kicks off Lianne La Havas’ European tour, is probably very pleased that she’s been through a bad relationship. /p

Boxing: Amir Khan camp withdraw appeal, fearing hearing would be 'one-sided'

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 12:00pm EST

pAmir Khan's promoter claims they withdrew their appeal over last month's controversial defeat by Lamont Peterson because they feared Wednesday's International Boxing Federation hearing would be "one-sided" and not "fully transparent"./p

Human head found near Hollywood sign

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 11:57am EST

pAn investigation is under way in Los Angeles after two dogs found a human head in a plastic bag./p

Roberto Mancini urges Edin Dzek to improve heading prowess

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 11:52am EST

pRoberto Mancini wants Edin Dzeko to become Manchester City's head boy./p

Hearts to fight SPL charge in wages dispute

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 11:50am EST

pHearts have vowed to fight a charge of "failing to behave with the utmost good faith" over the alleged delayed payment of player wages which has been issued by the Scottish Premier League./p

Peter Odemwingie not for sale insist West Brom

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 11:49am EST

pWest Brom head coach Roy Hodgson insists striker Peter Odemwingie is not for sale./p

Norwich bid for Leeds captain Jonny Howson accepted

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 11:48am EST

pNorwich have had a bid accepted for Leeds midfielder and captain Jonny Howson./p

SFA chief says Olympic hopefuls could face backlash from Scotland fans

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 11:46am EST

pStewart Regan believes Scotland's Olympic football hopefuls could suffer the wrath of the Tartan Army if they turn out for Team GB./p

Mark McGhee named as new Bristol Rovers manager

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 11:44am EST

pMark McGhee has been named the new manager of npower League Two strugglers Bristol Rovers, the club have confirmed./p

Andy Murray distances himself from British failings

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 11:41am EST

pAndy Murray was quick to distance himself from British tennis' latest let-down after securing his place in the second round of the Australian Open./p

British doubles pair progress at Melbourne Park

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 11:39am EST

pColin Fleming and Ross Hutchins advanced into the second round of the men's doubles at the Australian Open today with a hard-fought victory over Americans Ryan Harrison and Ryan Sweeting./p

Caroline Wozniacki and Kim Clijsters win through to third round

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 11:38am EST

pWorld number one Caroline Wozniacki believes parallels can be drawn between the mental approach required in tennis and golf having observed boyfriend Rory McIlroy at close quarters./p

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer progress at Australian Open

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 11:36am EST

pIt may not have been as straightforward as Roger Federer's passage into the third round but Rafael Nadal was pleased to have avoided any major drama in progressing at the Australian Open today./p

Wikipedia in piracy row blackout

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 11:22am EST

pWikipedia blacked out the English language version of its website today in protest at anti-piracy laws being considered by the US government./p

Archie Bland: The elder Kim who chose lifestyle over compromise

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 11:11am EST

pThe urge to hold power is so incomprehensible to those of us who aren't possessed of it. /p

Hillary Clinton may be forced to appear before Manning's trial

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pLawyers for Bradley Manning, the US military analyst accused of passing thousands of secret documents to Wikileaks, are seeking to force Hillary Clinton to give evidence at his court martial./p

James Lawton: The smiling avenger carries Pakistan down the road to redemption

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pWe have said it before so many times and will still be saying it if and when it finally bends an old gnarled knee to all the quick-fix gratifications: Test cricket, what a game, what a story./p

When it's so much more than just a bed and some breakfast

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pBritain's bed and breakfasts have a reputation for querulous hosts, poky, tired rooms and nylon sheets, but – please sit down – they are actually the best in the world, according to TripAdvisor./p

The struggle to be both Jewish and a German

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pRafael Seligmann has reasons enough to despise, if not loathe, the Germans. The Nazis murdered his aunts and uncles. At school in post-war Munich, his teachers boasted that Hitler was a "brave soldier" and his first German girlfriend's parents said his relationship with her "defiled" the German race./p

James Moore: Bank shareholders should listen to Sir Mervyn's plan

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pSir Mervyn King is becoming quite the radical. The Bank of England Governor used a hearing at the Treasury Select Committee yesterday to fire yet another broadside at the banks and their addiction to six and seven-figure bonuses. It is pushing it a bit to call him "Red Merv", but behind the glass and steel of their luxurious headquarters, the banks' "masters of the universe" might agree with the description given his rhetoric. Before, that is, they get on with the business of ignoring him. The risk of reputational damage from paying bumper awards to management and other favoured staff while the rest of the country suffers – highlighted by Sir Mervyn – isn't something that worries them overly much./p

Something about Mary

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pMary Nighy decided to become an actress when she was at junior school. She promptly made her first film when she was 11 – a Gothic ghost story – and then found herself being directed by Sofia Coppola in Marie Antoinette as Princesse de Lamballe, the regal confidante to Kirsten Dunst's Queen Consort. She was 21 and studying for her finals, with a script in one hand, she remembers, and a compulsory Eng Lit copy of Chaucer in the other./p

Wealthy jet-setters are still buying Burberry

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe luxury goods brand Burberry has revealed a storming 22 per cent rise in third-quarter sales, despite the economic storm clouds./p

The show that blew the whistle on the old bobby

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pAt the start of the 1960s, viewers had two main choices of television cop show: the BBC's Dixon of Dock Green, whose hero was already 59 when the programme began in 1955; or ITV's No Hiding Place, in which Det Supt Lockhart, who wore his trilby at a rakish angle, righted wrongs and occasionally fluffed his lines. /p

Matthew Norman: The Prime Minister is showing a feeble commitment to disabled people

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThose who know him only as the ribald host of the Golden Globes in Hollywood will be unaware that Ricky Gervais was once Britain's most strikingly prescient socio-political satirist. Long before last year's outbreak of "mong" warfare on Twitter, Gervais produced an uncannily accurate predictive metaphor for the Tory attitude towards the disabled, on view this week as the Welfare Reform Bill wended its contentious way through the Lords./p

Relief for households as cost of living falls

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe sharpest slide in the cost of living for nearly three years offered some relief for squeezed household wallets yesterday, amid festive price slashing and easing pressure from petrol prices and energy bills./p

Archie Bland: The elder Kim who chose lifestyle over compromise

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe urge to hold power is so incomprehensible to those of us who aren't possessed of it. I'm always at a loss as to why the likes of Mubarak and Gaddafi didn't just cash in their chips and head off for the luxury villas that surely could have been theirs; the only explanation can be that if you're the sort of person who wants to be in charge of things, that need never leaves you, and the more human concerns that would come first for the rest of us simply don't figure. And so they choose dismal, humiliating incarceration or death over a cheery teatime pina colada. Like I said: incomprehensible./p

Premier to cut 600 jobs to double annual cost savings

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pPremier Foods, the manufacturer of Hovis, Bisto and Oxo, is to shed 600 jobs as its new management plans to more than double annual cost savings to £40m by the end of 2013./p

Simon Kelner: Pedants' Revolt seems to be gathering momentum

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pIt looks like I may have been on to something, On Monday, I exhorted i readers to rise up and join my campaign against the debasement of grammatical standards, which I coined the pedants' revolt. Never have I had such a response to a column and through the modern channels of communication – Twitter and Facebook – you responded in such numbers to make me believe that this is something you truly care about./p

King warns bankers to rein in multimillion bonuses

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe Governor of the Bank of England yesterday warned senior bankers that they should not pay themselves huge bonuses as the rest of the country suffers a fall in the standards of living./p

Mark Steel: Not too mean to help out the Queen, are you?

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pO ne of the talents of the Conservative Party since the days of Margaret Thatcher has been to explain economics as if the country is a household, so everyone can understand ideas, such as the need to cut spending when you're in debt. So I imagine they'll use the same homely reasoning to explain their support for a new royal yacht. Because anyone who's run a household knows, when money is tight and you've spent two years insisting your family can't have anything, if you're prudent, that's when you buy a 650ft yacht with a theatre and a helipad./p

Hedge funds hold Athens to ransom over debt rescue

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pA group of hedge funds is threatening to block a last-ditch attempt to save Greece from defaulting on its huge debt pile, unless they are guaranteed a significant payout./p

McClaren revels in return of his Twente vision

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pSteve McClaren will take his place in the dugout at FC Twente's Grolsch Arena on Saturday to what promises to be a warm welcome from the home supporters for the manager who delivered them the only league title in their club's history. After a 2011 that the former England manager would sooner forget, it will be just the tonic./p

Miliband backs cuts despite union threats to pull cash

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pEd Miliband warned trade unions last night that he would not back down over Labour's tougher commitment to spending cuts despite their threats to cut their financial support to the party./p

Managers turn on Mancini over his card-waving actions at referee

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe Football Association considers Roberto Mancini's habit of waving imaginary cards at officials to be unsportsmanlike, though last night it was criticism from his peers that looked most likely to force him to desist from repeating the gesture./p

Clegg stands firm on gay marriage despite rebellion

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pNick Clegg has pledged that the Government will not renege on its promise to legalise gay marriage despite a revolt by Tory MPs./p

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Newcastle sign £8m forward Cissé

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pNewcastle United last night became the biggest spenders so far in the January transfer window after securing an £8 million deal to sign the Senegalese forward Papiss Cissé. Cissé underwent a medical in the North-east yesterday after a deal was agreed between Newcastle and the German side SC Freiburg. That price could rise by a further £1m if the 26-year-old's move to the Premier League is a success./p

Indian TV chefs battle old enemy in 'Foodistan'

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pIndia and Pakistan will go to war next week. And thousands of foodies across South Asia will tune in to watch./p

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PSG to make £25m bid for Tevez the reluctant recruit

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pCarlos Tevez may be forced to swap one uncherished job for another, with Paris St-Germain expected to table a bid this week which would match Manchester City's likely £25m asking price./p

Simon Kelner: Pedants' Revolt seems to be gathering momentum

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pIt looks like I may have been on to something, On Monday, I exhorted i readers to rise up and join my campaign against the debasement of grammatical standards, which I coined the pedants' revolt. Never have I had such a response to a column and through the modern channels of communication – Twitter and Facebook – you responded in such numbers to make me believe that this is something you truly care about./p

Jobless total hits 17-year high

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 10:39am EST

pUnemployment reached a 17-year high today after a 118,000 increase in the jobless total, which saw a record number of young people out of work./p

David Cameron 'interested' in Thames Estuary airport

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 10:05am EST

pThe Government is getting "increasingly interested" in the idea of a new airport in the Thames Estuary, London mayor Boris Johnson said today./p

Five injured in M5 pile up

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 9:44am EST

pAt least five people have been injured in a crash between a lorry and several cars on the M5 in Gloucestershire, the ambulance service has said./p

Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang quits

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 9:08am EST

pYahoo co-founder Jerry Yang is leaving the struggling internet company, as it tries to revive its revenue growth and win over disgruntled shareholders under a new leader./p

Hedgehog hibernation habits studied

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 9:00am EST

pThe public is being urged to take part in a survey of hedgehogs to see if climate change is having an impact on their hibernation and survival./p

Wetherspoon remains cautious despite Christmas cheer

Posted: January 18th, 2012, 8:57am EST

pAn improved sales performance provided some Christmas cheer for pub chain JD Wetherspoon but its chairman warned today that its expansion plans may be scaled back in the face of more tax hikes./p

The Business Matrix: Wednesday 18 January 2012

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongMatalan benefits from ad campaign /strong/p

The Sports Matrix: Wednesday 18 January 2012

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongMancini card antics earn rebuke from fellow managers/strong/p

i Editor's Letter: A platform for differing views

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p /p

The News Matrix: Wednesday 18 January 2012

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongPinochet judge goes on trial for corruption/strong/p

Man threatens students at debate

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pStudents attending a debate about sharia law were told they would be "hunted down and killed" by a man who burst into their lecture theatre and filmed them on his phone./p

Spinner stars but England pay for lack of patience

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt was entirely possible to believe that the world's top Test team were on display yesterday. Pakistan were wonderful, rigorously disciplined in approach and ready to seize any opportunity, a bunch of players right at the peak of their game in conditions they adored, with a spinner to die for./p

Last night's viewing - Horizon: Playing God, BBC2; 15 Kids and Counting Channel, 4

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p"Somewhere on this farm there is an animal that is part spider, part something else," said Dr Adam Rutherford in strongHorizon: Playing God/strong. He said it in a very portentous way, which, along with that title, nudged the mind towards monstrosities and chimeras. "Yikes", you were supposed to think. "A spider and what?" Then Rutherford doubled down just before the reveal: "There's one animal here that I think shouldn't really exist," he said. Did "shouldn't" have an ethical edge to it? Or was it simply a statement about likelihood? The answer to that was for later, though, because first we had to look upon the beast itself. I think more excitable viewers may have been a little disappointed by what eventually turned up. If a fairground barker promised you a spider-goat, after all, you'd expect nothing less than a few extra legs, even if you didn't insist on the full eight. You'd want fangs, or bulging red eyes. If you just got a goat you might ask for your money back. The truth, though, was a bit less exciting than the promise. When Rutherford said "part spider, part something else", our minds naturally conjure up a half-and-half deal. What you actually got was something that blended a microscopically tiny bit of spider with an overwhelming quantity of goat, making a transgenic animal that could produce spider web proteins in its milk./p

Volatile global markets a winner for IG

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe collapse of rival MF Global and the unprecedented volatility of global stock markets in August saw IG Index, the world's largest spread-betting firm, increase profits by 28 per cent in its first half./p

Lancaster has three games to make his case

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pStuart Lancaster, the caretaker coach charged with guiding a chastened England through the forthcoming Six Nations in a style that will consign last year's malodorous World Cup campaign to the septic tank of history, may not be granted a complete run of tournament games in which to stake his claim for the full-time role. Senior Rugby Football Union figures said yesterday that an appointment could be made as early as the end of next month, a mere three-fifths of the way through the competition./p

Ellington's close shave on eBay

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA shaving company has come to the rescue of British sprinter James Ellington who put himself up for auction on eBay to secure sponsorship for the London Olympics only to find the winning bidder was a hoax. /p

It's still grim up North if you want to get a job at the BBC

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe BBC defended its employment record yesterday after it emerged that it had taken on only 26 people from Salford, where its £200m northern headquarters is based./p

A traveller wonders how low-cost airlines can charge such high booking fees

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongQ. EasyJet has introduced a new £9 booking charge. What does it mean for travellers? /strongemBill Hogg/em/p

EU 'should block finance for Israeli settlements'

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe European Commission should consider passing legislation to prevent finance generated within its member states being used to support illegal Israeli settlements in occupied territory, the bloc's top diplomats in Jerusalem and Ramallah have advised./p

Schama, Fellowes, and the 'cultural necrophilia' row that would make Lady Grantham grimace

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLord Grantham would describe it as the height of bad manners. American viewers have been urged to reject Downton Abbey's "silvered tureen of snobbery" by Simon Schama, the British history professor whose populist books have made him a New York celebrity./p

Hamish McRae: Has a wind of recovery blown in from the East?

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Chinese tail is wagging the world economy dog – and that may be to our own advantage in the months to come. George Osborne is out there at the moment and has been able to announce that London will become the first overseas centre for trading in the renminbi. (For the uninitiated, the renminbi is the name of the currency, like sterling, whereas the yuan, like the pound, is the principal unit of account.)/p

There's something about Mary Nighy

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMary Nighy decided to become an actress when she was at junior school. She promptly made her first film when she was 11 – a gothic ghost story – and then found herself being directed by Sofia Coppola in Marie Antoinette as Princesse de Lamballe, the regal confidante to Kirsten Dunst's Queen Consort. She was 21 and studying for her finals, with a script in one hand, she remembers, and a compulsory Eng Lit copy of Chaucer in the other./p

The Sketch: Britain has a new supercop. Now all he needs is his mission

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIn a snapshot of modern policing, the new DG of the NCA (which replaces the SOCA and the NPIA) was in front of the HASC describing how the SRC would operate with the PP to interact with the PCCs. /p

Watchdog's file on Met press chief's media links is given to Scotland Yard

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Metropolitan Police is considering whether to take disciplinary action against its head of public affairs over his links to a former News of the World executive./p

Murray nice as pie as he seals victory Lendl-style

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAndy Murray insists that Ivan Lendl, his new coach, is "a good fun guy" but there is clearly a time and a place for levity. In his victory speech on court in Brisbane 10 days ago Murray thanked "Mr Lendl", who was watching stone-faced in the stands. "That was just a one-off," Murray admitted here yesterday. "I don't think he liked it, to be honest."/p

Arab League meeting to condemn Syria brutality

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad looked dangerously isolated last night, with a wall of regional opposition steadily building around him and Arab League sources suggesting his regime will face unprecedented condemnation when the organisation meets this weekend./p

Ian Burrell: How times have changed at the court of the all-seeing Sun King

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAndrew Neil, when he looked back on his time as editor of Rupert Murdoch's Sunday Times, compared his role to that of a courtier of an all-seeing monarch whom he called the "Sun King"./p

Mary Dejevsky: In the new order of chivalry, fathers go first

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe other day, an elderly man with a walking-stick stood back to let me get on the bus. I signalled for him to get on first, but he insisted. In his canon, gender trumped age and infirmity. This sort of chivalry, though, is disappearing fast./p

All you need is a big fat wallet to record at Abbey Road

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWealthy guests at the Savoy Hotel will be allowed to take over Abbey Road and add amateur recordings to its heritage in a move that will horrify Beatles obsessives for whom the recording studios are sacred ground./p

Family of 'Scotland's Stephen Lawrence' make plea for justice

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe sister of an Asian man stabbed to death more than 13 years ago in one of Britain's most notorious unsolved murders has made an emotional plea for his killers to be brought to justice./p

Mountain-top wind farm halted

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPlans for a giant wind farm on the edge of the Cairngorms National Park have been rejected by councillors – who travelled 3,600ft up the mountains to see its potential impact for themselves, as reported by iThe Independent/i. /p

James Moore: Dear Sir Mervyn, Goldman Sachs will increase revenues paid out to its staff

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pbOutlook:/b Sir Mervyn King is becoming quite the radical. The Bank of England Governor used a hearing at the Treasury Select Committee yesterday to fire yet another broadside at the banks and their addiction to six- and seven-figure bonuses./p

Rovers tell Samba he can sit in stands rather than leave

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSteve Kean, the Blackburn Rovers manager, has told Queen's Park Rangers that his club are prepared to let captain Christopher Samba sit in the stands, rather than sell him./p

Implant danger extends to all medical devices

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe scandal of substandard breast implants placed in thousands of British women is symptomatic of a wider regulatory failure affecting all medical devices, an expert on patient safety said yesterday. /p

Reinvented serious crime squad could lose staff

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe new organisation set up during a major overhaul of British policing to tackle the country's most dangerous gangs will probably lose some of the staff currently fighting serious organised crime, its new head said yesterday./p

Ofsted called in to academy dispute

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Education Secretary Michael Gove has asked Ofsted to inspect a primary school which is resisting academy status./p

James Moore: Learn lessons in growth from the Germans

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pbOutlook:/b With what is becoming an annual battle over bonuses now well and truly joined, expect more threats to quit the UK from various banking executives./p

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Newcastle sign £8m Cisse... and will keep Ba

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNewcastle United last night became the biggest spenders in the January transfer window last night when they agreed an £8 million deal to sign the Senegalese forward Papiss Cissé from Freiburg on a five-and-a-half year deal./p

Hall ready to stay at Leeds 'for life'

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRyan Hall, the England winger, is to follow in the footsteps of some illustrious team-mates by playing out his entire career at Leeds. /p

Clegg: We will defy anti-gay marriage rebellion

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNick Clegg has pledged the Government will not backslide on its promise to legalise gay marriage despite a revolt by Conservative MPs who oppose the plan./p

Murdoch does not interfere, insists editor of The Times

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRupert Murdoch's reputation as a forceful, hands-on proprietor is undeserved, the editors of The Times and The Sunday Times said yesterday, telling the Leveson Inquiry he rarely called and had no influence over their decisions./p

Cost of living slides thanks to Christmas price cuts

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe sharpest slide in the cost of living for nearly three years offered some relief for squeezed household wallets yesterday, amid festive price-slashing and easing pressure from petrol prices and energy bills./p

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Miliband vows to back public sector cuts – even if union backers withdraw their cash

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEd Miliband warned trade unions last night that he would not back down over Labour's tougher commitment to spending cuts despite their threats to cut their funding to the party./p

Margareta Pagano: It shouldn't be so taxing to bring in share ownership for the workers

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIf Nick Clegg is serious about encouraging a John Lewis-style economy and not just after a few cheap headlines, the Deputy Prime Minister needs to do a little more homework. Three telephone calls should do it./p

Willis turns spotlight on legality of Ajmal action

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWith absolute inevitability, it took about five minutes to stoke the fires of controversy yesterday. They were doused down soon enough but doubtless the flames will be reignited sometime soon. It would not be England against Pakistan otherwise./p

The Caribbean: Come on in, the water's lovely!

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongWhat's the attraction?/strong/ppHow about eight to 10 hours of sunshine a day and a tourism industry that has perfected the art of the exotic bucket-and-spade family holiday over the past half-century?/p

London 2012: Slower traffic... Higher fares... Longer delays

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt is the issue that has nagged at the minds of the organisers of London 2012 from the very beginning: can they get people to the Games on time? And home again, while at the same time not condemning the inhabitants of the capital to two weeks of traffic jams and increasing frustration with the greatest sporting show on earth?/p

Leading article: Labour must stand up to the unions

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEd Miliband is fighting for his political life; not with the electorate, nor even with his Labour Party colleagues in Parliament, but with his erstwhile trade union backers. It is a battle that must be won if either he or his party is to stand a chance of winning a general election./p

Indonesia: Lethal deterrent for 'train surfers'

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIndonesia has gone to imaginative extremes to try to stop commuters from illegally riding on the roofs of trains, including hosing down offenders with red paint, threatening them with dogs and appealing for help from religious leaders./p

Curling tongs at dawn: the star stylists going head-to-head at the Baftas

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe actresses behind portrayals of Margaret Thatcher and Marilyn Monroe are set to face off at next month's glitzy Bafta ceremony; and so too will their characters' iconic hairdos./p

Cost-cutting sees Premier Foods set to axe 600 jobs

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPremier Foods, the manufacturer of Hovis, Bisto and Oxo, is to shed 600 jobs as its new management plans to more than double annual cost savings to £40m by the end of 2013./p

Qatada ruling hardens PM's desire to reform court

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDavid Cameron is seeking to reform the European Court of Human Rights, which blocked the Government's attempt to deport the militant cleric Abu Qatada yesterday./p

Managers turn on Mancini over his red-card gestures

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Football Association considers Roberto Mancini's habit of waving imaginary cards at officials to be unsportsmanlike, though last night it was the growing criticism from his peers that looked most likely to force him to desist from repeating the gesture./p

The Ten Best fitness camps

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrong1. Apples amp; Pears/strong/ppFrom £899 per week, applesandpearsretreat.co.uk/ppApples amp; Pears' courses range from boxing to one-on-one personal-training sessions./p

Rooms with a glowing review: Britain's BBs are best in the world

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBritain's bed and breakfasts have a reputation for querulous hosts, poky and tired rooms and nylon sheets, but – please sit down – they are the best in the world, according to TripAdvisor./p

Leading article: Mere words will not secure peace

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNick Clegg's description this week of Israeli settlements as "deliberate vandalism" of the basic premise of peace negotiations drew a sharp response from Israel. Yet it was only exceptional in making public what every sentient minister across Europe knows to be true, but seldom dares to say. There is ample justification for his remarks in two recent internal EU reports covered in this newspaper. The latest, disclosed today, warns that Israel's actions are making the idea of Jerusalem as a shared capital – which the EU rightly regards as a sine qua non of a two-state solution – "increasingly unlikely and unworkable". The continued growth of settlements already housing 500,000 Israelis in occupied territory – almost 200,000 of them in East Jerusalem – is not the only such action, but is the biggest obstacle to successful negotiations. /p

Bid for sheep shearing at the Olympics

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt was a world record, even if it passed much of the world by: last week a New Zealander, Kerri-Jo Te Huia, became the first woman to shear more than 500 lambs in eight hours./p

Mervyn King warns the bankers to rein in their multi-million bonuses

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Governor of the Bank of England warned senior bankers yesterday that they should not pay themselves huge bonuses as the rest of the country suffers a fall in the standards of living./p

Lords rebellion fails to block reform of disability benefits

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDisability campaigners were dismayed yesterday as the Government narrowly won a vote in the House of Lords against an attempted amendment to its reforms of the Disability Living Allowance./p

Hughes faces QPR's crisis of confidence

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMark Hughes' Queen's Park Rangers will host Chelsea in the fourth round of the FA Cup. That is the reward, and a rather generous one, after Rangers beat MK Dons in a replay here last night. It will be a ferocious and contentious tie, unlike last night's game, and Hughes confirmed afterwards that he will speak to Anton Ferdinand, the victim of alleged racist abuse last time Chelsea came to QPR, before deciding whether to select him./p

Ferdinand praises the golden oldies

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pManchester United's Rio Ferdinand is delighted that two of his favourite Premier League players are treading the boards on the biggest stage once more./p

Chicago on a plate

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThis is Soldier Field right ahead of us," says chirpy tour guide Britney, rocking back on her Segway to stop and explain the history of Chicago's South Side sports stadium. But her words fade out of earshot as I glide away from the group – Segway whirring, my orange plastic poncho billowing out behind me – towards a small metal cabin on the pavement. What's the lure? Kim and Carlo's: one of the city's renowned hot-dog stalls. The smoky, savoury smell draws me in like catnip./p

Janey Buchan: MEP who fought for artistic and political causes

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pJaney Buchan, who died at the weekend, was not a professional politician as we now know them but an old-fashioned political activist of the kind who always had a cause to fight and never allowed herself to be put off by the possibility of defeat or failure. Those who knew her learned not to be surprised to receive a telephone call out of the blue, which would last a good long time as she unburdened herself of whatever had excited or angered since the last call. Alternatively, it could be a hastily written letter, sometimes containing an unexpected gift such as a book that she thought deserved a bigger readership. She held strong opinions, but not easily predicted, of everyone she met. She was a Scot but had no time for the late John Smith; a left-winger who held a low opinion of Tony Benn; a lover of political folk music who thoroughly despised Bob Dylan./p

Leading article: There ought not to be a question over gay marriage

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pGay marriage simply ought not to be a matter of political controversy in a civilised society in the 21st century. /p

Olympus inquiry clears its auditors of cover-up

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAn internal inquiry by camera maker Olympus has cleared its auditors, Ernst amp; Young (Eamp;Y) and KPMG, of any wrongdoing, despite their utter failure to spot a $1.7bn (£1.1bn) fraud at the heart of the company./p

Chelsea deny they have discussed selling Torres

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pChelsea have not discussed selling Fernando Torres to Paris St-Germain despite reports that their former manager Carlo Ancelotti, who has recently taken over at the French club, has said he is interested in the Spaniard./p

EU issues legal threat over Hungarian constitution

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe European Commission has launched legal challenges against Hungary's new constitution amid concerns that the former Soviet-bloc country may be slipping back into authoritarianism./p

Say hello to a new language

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe first, and last, time I attempted to sit down and learn an Indian language was in 1996. My mother (originally from Mumbai) had given 10-year-old me a "teach-yourself Gujarati" textbook and cassette tape. One of the first, and last, phrases it attempted to impart on me was: "How many goats do you have in your village?" I didn't make it past the fifth page./p

1,200 still births a year 'could be avoided'

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pUrgent action is needed to tackle Britain's high rate of stillbirths and deaths in the first few weeks of life, a new report warns./p

Reginald Hill:Crime writer best known for hisdetectives Dalziel and Pascoe

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIn a 1993 interview with The Independent, the best-selling crime writer Reginald Hill said: "It is easy to mystify. The good mystery writer's real skill lies in clarification." At the time he was in his 23rd year as a published author but was less generally known than he deserved to be for his series of cunningly constructed mysteries featuring Dalziel and Pascoe. That changed when, in 1996, 11 years of successful TV productions began. The 20-odd Dalziel and Pascoe novels were less than half of Hill's output but he long recognised them as his "bankers". The two characters he created – a modern pairing of Falstaff and Hal – are probably the most interesting characters in modern crime fiction./p

Defence chief in Nepal to reassure Gurkhas over cuts

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir David Richards, has visited Nepal to address deep concern among Gurkhas that their historical ties with the British Army are being severely damaged by sweeping redundancies in the ranks. /p

Andrew Grice: This could prove to be Ed's defining moment

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhen Ed Miliband ran for the Labour leadership on a "not Blair" ticket, he reassured his party he would not pick fights with it to win cheap headlines. In line with that, he did not seek the battle with the trade unions which erupted yesterday over Labour's support for spending cuts and a longer period of public sector pay restraint. He did not want to define himself against his party but is learning that opposition leaders need to do that to "cut through" to the public. Abolition of Clause IV, Labour's support for old-style public ownership, defined Mr Blair in voters' eyes and helped convince many that the "new" in New Labour was real. Symbols matter./p

Z Cars: The show that blew the whistle on the British bobby

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAt the beginning of the 1960s, viewers had two main choices of television cop show; the BBC's Dixon of Dock Green, whose eponymous hero was already aged 59 when the show commenced in 1955, or ITV's No Hiding Place, in which the hawk-like Det Supt Lockhart, who wore his trilby at a rakish angle, righted wrongs and occasionally fluffed his lines. /p

Letters: Royal yacht not useless enough

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSupporters of a new royal yacht miss the point of royal symbolism. The display of riches as a means of showing others how rich and powerful your country is, depends on something being very expensive, yet simultaneously useless for its purpose. Thus a crown is useless as a hat, a throne useless as a seat and the Irish state coach limited to specially surfaced roads even in the heyday of the horse and carriage./p

Bad news for bonuses as Citigroup crashes into the red

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA wipeout in its equity derivatives business helped push Citigroup's investment bank into the red, presaging grim news for staff awaiting their bonuses./p

McCain raises National defence

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt rather comes under the heading "well, he would say that, wouldn't he?" But Donald McCain, the trainer of last year's Grand National winner Ballabriggs, is nonetheless robust and convincing in his defence of the Aintree marathon. And, like Mandy Rice-Davies, he most certainly speaks from experience./p

Davies' immediate impact gives edge to jittery Bolton

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIndividual mistakes were the undoing of a gallant Macclesfield at Bolton in this FA Cup third round replay last night. Goals from Kevin Davies and Martin Petrov saw the Premier League strugglers through to the fourth round against Swansea City, but Owen Coyle won't be happy with his relegation-threatened side's defending./p

Lisbon, Whistler-Blackcomb, India

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongNow... Lisbon life/strong/ppA week from today, you could be walking on the banks of the Tagus river, exploring Sao Jorge castle or admiring Rossio square. Sunshine Holidays has a week-long break in Lisbon, departing next Wednesday, 25 January. It includes Bamp;B at the Residencial Princesa Hotel, with easyJet flights from Gatwick for £248 per person. Sunshine.co.uk/p

View from the bridge: the inside story of Italy's cruise disaster

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAs further details emerged yesterday of the chaotic events that led to the Costa Concordia disaster, one constant remained – the blame continued to fall squarely (many would say fairly) on the ship's captain, Francesco Schettino./p

Matthew Norman: Cameron is the David Brent of welfare reform

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThose who know him only as the ribald host of the Golden Globes in Hollywood will be unaware that Ricky Gervais was once Britain's most strikingly prescient socio-political satirist. Long before last year's outbreak of "mong" warfare on Twitter, Gervais produced an uncannily accurate predictive metaphor for the Tory attitude towards the disabled, on view this week as the Welfare Reform Bill wended its contentious way through the Lords./p

Keith Little

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pKeith Little, who died on 3 January at the age of 87, was thepresident of the Navajo Code Talkers Association who travelled the US seeking funding for a museum and veterans centre. He preached about the preservation of Navajo traditions, culture and the language that the federal government tried to eradicate before he and others were called on to use it during the Second World War. He envisioned a place that would house the stories of the Navajo Code Talkers and where people could learn more about the famed group who used their native language as a weapon. The centre is expected to cost around $43 million./p

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Abramovich 'manipulated the truth' in evidence to £3.5bn trial

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRoman Abramovich, the billionaire owner of Chelsea Football Club, was accused of "smear and innuendo" and a "cynical manipulation of evidence" as his epic three-month court battle against his former business partner Boris Berezovsky entered its final hours./p

Tablets cure Dixons' troubles over Christmas

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDixons Retail described trading over Christmas as a "rollercoaster ride", but the electricals group's shares jumped as its results were no worse than the City had expected. /p

The victims: Search for girl aged five as death toll rises

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe bodies of five more passengers were discovered in the wreckage of the Costa Concordia yesterday, as the feared death toll from the disaster continued to rise./p

Judge who arrested Pinochet now finds himself in the dock

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHe tried to extradite General Pinochet, ordered the arrest of Osama bin Laden, put notorious members of the Argentinian junta, such as Adolfo Scilingo, behind bars and investigated the mass executions of nearly 150,000 Spanish Republicans under General Franco. But yesterday, in the first of three cases, Spain's crusading high court judge, Baltasar Garzón, went on trial himself./p

Lady Runcie

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAs a former member of the secretarial staff at Lambeth Palace, whose office window looked out over the back of the building,I should like to add an additional note to the obituary of Lady "Lindy" Runcie, widow of Robert, the former Archbishop (l7 January), emwrites Stella Taylor./em/p

Majority of Chinese now living in cities

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMore Chinese are living in cities than in the countryside for the first time in the nation's history./p

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DS Smith pays €1.6bn for Swedish firm

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDS Smith has spent €1.6bn (£1.3bn) buying the packaging division of a Swedish tissue-maker in a deal which it claimed made it Europe's biggest recycling company. /p

Airbus is king of the skies

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFor the ninth successive year, Europe has emerged victorious in what has become one of the great transatlantic rivalries. Airbus, owned by the pan-European manufacturer EADS, had a record year for the industry in 2011, with 1,419 firm orders – worth around $140bn (£91bn) – for its aircraft, the best part of double that of Boeing. /p

Sunday night's alright for fighting about who deserved a Golden Globe

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSir Elton John and Madonna are on opposite sides of a very public contretemps following Sunday's Golden Globes in Los Angeles. At issue: a decision to hand Madonna the "Best Original Song" prize at the event, at the expense of her British rival./p

Diary: A department that hasn't lost its marbles

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhen lovers of antiquity are locked in conflict with an order of nuns over whether a beauty spot should lose its marbles, you can understand why government ministers might not want to get involved. The argument is over part of the unique collection of Roman marble statues and busts assembled by the 18th century art collector Henry Blundell, most of which are safely housed in the National Museum Liverpool, but about 100 of which are in niches in the grounds of Ince Blundell Hall on Merseyside./p

Now India and Pakistan have started a food fight

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIndia and Pakistan will go to war next week. And thousands of foodies from across South Asia will tune in to watch./p

Kim Jong-un won't last, says his brother

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe eldest son of the recently deceased dictator Kim Jong-il thinks that the North Korean regime will soon collapse, according to a book to be published later this week./p

Ethiopia 'forcing out thousands in land grab'

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEthiopia is forcing tens of thousands of people off their land so it can lease it to foreign investors, leaving former landowners destitute and in some cases starving, Human Rights Watch has said./p

Wealthy are still buying Burberry

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p The luxury goods brand Burberry has revealed a storming 22 per cent rise in third-quarter sales, despite the economic storm clouds./p

Senna name returns to Williams

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBrazilian Bruno Senna has signed to drive for Williams this season. The move means the 28-year-old is joining the team for which his uncle Ayrton Senna was driving when he was killed in 1994./p

Spotlight on: Andrew Tinkler, Chief executive of Stobart

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pbThe lorry business? /b/p

Super-rich Romney admits paying only 15 per cent in taxes

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pJust four days before voting in the crucial Republican primary in South Carolina, Mitt Romney conceded yesterday that he has only been paying about 15 per cent in taxes on most of his very considerable income, a rate far lower than most middle-class Americans are asked to contribute./p

Perri Shakes-Drayton: London's local girl happy to cause a stir in Tesco

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEven in a global event, local knowledge plays a role. Perri Shakes-Drayton, raised in Bow, educated in Stepney, and training at Mile End, hopes to race to Olympic glory in the 400 metre hurdles this summer. So rooted in the area so close to the Olympic Stadium in Stratford, Shakes-Drayton is thrilled by the chance to make history in her own corner of east London./p

Chinese dissident charged with subversion... for writing a poem

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Chinese authorities have indicted a veteran dissident on subversion charges for writing a poem urging people to gather to defend their freedoms, his lawyer said yesterday. /p

Pro-Gaddafi nomads hit towns in Mali

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA new Tuareg rebel group, which includes nomads who fought for the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, launched attacks yesterday in several towns in Mali./p

Dire Forest keep Cotterill awake

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLeicester's big-spending challenge for a return to the Premier League may look tenuous after one win in seven matches but in this FA Cup third-round replay last night they were far too good for ailing Championship rivals Forest, who were left to concentrate on their fight to avoid relegation while Nigel Pearson's team look forward to a fourth-round tie at home to Paolo di Canio's Swindon./p

E.ON hire Mumsnet founder

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pE.ON has parachuted in Allan Leighton, the former Asda boss, and Justine Roberts, founder of parenting and consumer champion website Mumsnet, pictured, to restore its battered image in the face of rising prices./p

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Under a Cruel Star: a Life in Prague 1941-1968, By Heda Margolius Kovály

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHeda Kovály, the Czech translator of Roth, Chandler and Bellow, had a tragic history. In 1941, the mass deportation of Jews from Prague was instituted by the Nazis. "We were not yet inured to sounds of gunshots followed by agonizing screams, to unendurable thirst, nor to the suffocating air in the crammed cattle cars." Before they reached the Lodz ghetto, many perished on the long march in the snow, naked and barefoot./p

Clinton asked to testify for Manning

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLawyers for Bradley Manning, the US military analyst accused of passing thousands of secret documents to WikiLeaks, are seeking to force Hillary Clinton to give evidence at his court martial./p

Steve McClaren: Delight at returning to Twente vision

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSteve McClaren will take his place in the dugout at FC Twente's Grolsch Arena on Saturday to what promises to be a warm welcome from the home supporters for the manager who delivered them the only league title in their club's history. After a 2011 that the former England manager would sooner forget, it will be just the tonic./p

Human rights court blocks Abu Qatada deportation

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDavid Cameron is seeking to reform the European Court of Human Rights, which blocked the Government's attempt to deport the militant cleric Abu Qatada yesterday./p

Coyle backs Bolton after unhappy fans boo negative end

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOwen Coyle blamed Bolton's sluggish second-half display during their FA Cup victory over Macclesfield Town last night on the ease with which they went about winning the game in the opening period./p

Africa aid delays are 'costing lives'

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThousands of lives and millions of pounds were lost needlessly because of a "dangerous delay" in the response to the East Africa famine, a report has found./p

Henderson and Kane finally give Millwall some firepower

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDarius Henderson grabbed a hat-trick as Millwall saw off Dagenham amp; Redbridge last night and gained an FA Cup fourth-round home tie against the Championship leaders, Southampton. Henderson found the net for the first time since November and the Tottenham loanee Harry Kane scored his first goals for the club as they dispatched their League Two opponents./p

Boxing: Clinton praises Ali's courage in adversity

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBill Clinton, the former United States president, has paid tribute to the courage Muhammad Ali has shown throughout his entire life, not just during his boxing career./p

'Refreshed' Rodallega key to opening Wigan escape route

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Wigan Athletic manager, Roberto Martinez, is convinced that a refreshed Hugo Rodallega can play a major role in the club's survival fight./p

Real harness 'animal' Ronaldo

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe under-fire Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo may not be enjoying his best period of form but he is still "working like an animal" for the team, his coach, Jose Mourinho, said yesterday ahead of tonight's King's Cup tie with Barcelona./p

Taylor Wimpey bounces back as recovery gains momentum

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTaylor Wimpey was dicing with death three years ago, but its recovery looked on track yesterday after an "encouraging" start to 2012./p

Hewitt heartens locals but Stosur loses out to nerves

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSome things never change in Australian tennis. Lleyton Hewitt can usually be relied upon to put his fans through the wringer, while the weight of local expectations always sits heavily on the shoulders of Sam Stosur, the best Australian woman player for 30 years./p

Market Report: City ponders new move by Cowdery for Phoenix

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pCould Clive Cowdery rekindle his interest in caging Phoenix? That was the question being considered yesterday as hopes were raised that the tycoon's insurance conglomerate Resolution may have another go at adding the life insurer to its menagerie of businesses./p

Yahoo's founder leaves company paving way for possible sale

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pJerry Yang, the founder of Yahoo, is leaving the company that he founded in his university dorm room 17 years ago, it was announced last night./p

Snooker: 'Ally Pally' like home for Higgins

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWorld champion John Higgins is hopeful he can conquer his nerves at this year's Masters after getting his campaign off to a winning start over Welshman Matthew Stevens yesterday./p

James Lawton: Ajmal, the smiling avenger, carries Pakistan down road to redemption

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWe have said it before so many times and will still be saying it if and when it finally bends an old gnarled knee to all the quick-fix gratifications: Test cricket, what a game, what a story./p

Anfield exit ajar as Liverpool revisit Stanley Park plans

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLiverpool's decision to revert to their original plans for a new stadium does not mean the club have dismissed the prospect of remaining at a redeveloped Anfield./p

Transfer News: Redknapp puts Husinec on trial as Spurs look for defensive reinforcements

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHarry Redknapp, the Tottenham Hotspur manager, has given a trial to Eduard Husinec and watched the Croatian youngster play in a friendly against Celtic yesterday./p

Christina Patterson: Let's turn this party in the park into something that will last

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pI'm sure he meant well. I'm sure, when Michael Gove suggested a little pick-me-up for the Queen and her subjects, he meant really well. I'm sure he was thinking of the moment when the Queen blinked and gulped and wiped away tears, when, in fact, for the first time ever she showed her grief in public, and that grief was for a boat./p

Leicestershire optimistic about signing Yousuf

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLeicestershire are in talks to sign experienced former Pakistan batsman Mohammad Yousuf. /p

Ex-Innospec chief admits conspiracy to bribe

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA former senior executive at the chemicals group Innospec has pleaded guilty to conspiring to bribe Iraqi and Indonesian public officials./p

France's softly-spoken 'English gentleman' next hurdle for Scot

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHaving beaten a brash racket-throwing American in his first match, Andy Murray tomorrow faces a softly-spoken Parisian whose fellow countrymen regard him as an English gentleman. Edouard Roger-Vasselin's father, Christophe, a former player, had an English mother and French father. Born in London, he spent his first 15 years in Putney before moving to France./p

Deals of the week: Barcelona, Brussels, Indian Ocean islands

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongLess than £200... Summer flights/strong/ppSpanish airline Vueling has announced it is due to start direct flights from Southampton to its main hub at Barcelona's El Prat airport from 23 June this year, just in time for the summer season. Tickets to the Catalan capital – with its vibrant Gaudi architecture, gourmet cuisine and glorious beaches – are available to book now via the website, with return fares starting at €140 (£116). Vueling.com/p

Boxing: Mystery grows as Khan calls off his appeal

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pToday's hearing into Amir Khan's controversial defeat by Lamont Peterson last month has been cancelled after Khan's promoters, Golden Boy Promotions, inexplicably withdrew their appeal. /p

Rafael Seligmann: 'I didn't want Hitler to have the last word'

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRafael Seligmann has reasons enough to despise, if not loathe, the Germans. The Nazis murdered his aunts and uncles. At school in post-war Munich, his teachers boasted that Hitler was a "brave soldier" and his first German girlfriend's parents said his relationship with her "defiled" the German race./p

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PSG to make £25m bid... but Tevez unlikely to go

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pManchester City's Carlos Tevez faces the prospect of being forced to swap one uncherished job for another, with Paris St-Germain expected to table a bid this week which would match City's likely £25m asking price./p

Mark Steel: A new yacht is the least she deserves

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOne of the talents of the Conservative Party since the days of Margaret Thatcher has been to explain economics as if the country is a household, so everyone can understand ideas such as the need to cut spending when you're in debt. So I imagine they'll use the same homely reasoning to explain their support for a new royal yacht. Because anyone who's run a household knows, when money is tight and you've spent two years insisting your family can't have anything, if you're prudent that's when you buy a 650ft yacht with a theatre and a helipad./p

Natalie Haynes: It's about time we did some remembering for ourselves

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe thing is that if you ring me today and ask me a trivia question, I may not be able to answer it. Usually, I am the first person you should come to if you want to know the dates of the emperor Caligula (37-41AD), the full name of Danger Mouse's sidekick (Ernest Penfold), and whether Gloria Swanson or Bette Davis won the Best Actress Oscar in 1951 (neither, it was Judy Holliday for Born Yesterday)./p

Essar shares dive 26 per cent after tax blow

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pShares in Essar Energy plunged 26 per cent in London yesterday after the Indian Supreme Court ruled against it in a tax case./p

Greek rescue blocked by hedge fund greed

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA group of hedge funds is threatening to block a last-ditch attempt to save Greece from defaulting on its huge debt pile, unless they are guaranteed a significant payout./p

Henderson's treble strike opens New Den floodgates

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDarius Henderson grabbed a hat-trick as Millwall saw off Dagenham amp; Redbridge last night and gained an FA Cup fourth-round home tie against the Championship leaders, Southampton. Henderson found the net for the first time since November and the Tottenham loanee Harry Kane scored his first goals for the club as they dispatched their League Two opponents./p

Real Madrid v Barcelona: El Clasico preview

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 6:58pm EST

pA new chapter is set to be written in the great history of el clásico as Real Madrid and Barcelona go head to head once again, this time in the quarter finals of the Copa del Rey. The first leg is at Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium on Wednesday night, with the second leg taking place at the Camp Nou on Wednesday 25 January. /p

Birmingham reject bid from West Brom for Liam Ridgewell

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 6:17pm EST

pBirmingham have confirmed they have rejected an undisclosed offer from West Brom for Liam Ridgewell./p

Consumer Electronics Show: The top ten highlights

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 6:07pm EST

pThis year’s Consumer Electronics Show was as massive as ever – 1.85 million square feet of booths and stands ranging from tiny ones for importers of cables to monolithic areas like Sony’s. Over 150,000 people traipsed round the 3,000 or so booths. To save your shoe leather, here are the ten best highlights…/p

Transcript: The Costa Concordia captain in his own words

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 5:58pm EST

pThis is a translation of the transcript of the conversation between Captain Francesco Schettino, commander of the sinking Costa Concordia, and Captain Gregorio De Falco of the Italian coast guard in Livorno./p

Premier foods to axe 600 jobs

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 5:54pm EST

pMr Kipling and Hovis firm Premier Foods warned today that it is to cut 600 jobs - 5% of its workforce - in a bid to save £40 million by next year./p

Matalan reveals Christmas sales boost

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 5:49pm EST

pOut-of-town fashion and homeware retailer Matalan today hailed its Christmas television advert as it revealed a surge in sales in the run-up to the festive period./p

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Ali Dizaei accused of having 'gangster character'

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 5:46pm EST

pAn alleged victim of corruption by a Scotland Yard commander today accused the defendant's barrister of telling lies./p

'Cold case' rapist jailed

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 5:44pm EST

pAn unlicensed cab driver was jailed for five years at the Old Bailey today for raping a passenger nearly 17 years ago./p

Chris Samba is 'not for sale' say Blackburn

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 5:40pm EST

pBlackburn have insisted Chris Samba is not for sale despite the club captain handing in a transfer request./p

Andy Carroll says Steven Gerrard can help him to fire for Liverpool

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 5:38pm EST

pLiverpool striker Andy Carroll believes the return of Steven Gerrard can bring the best out of him./p

Gurkhas hit out at 'unfair' cuts

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 5:33pm EST

pGurkhas today claimed they were being unfairly targeted for cuts after the Ministry of Defence announced around one in 10 posts in the brigade will be axed./p

UK scientists find 'lost' Charles Darwin fossils

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 4:45pm EST

pBritish scientists have found scores of fossils the great evolutionary theorist Charles Darwin and his peers collected but that had been lost for more than 150 years. /p

Gunmen kill journalist in Pakistan mosque

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 4:31pm EST

pPolice say gunmen have killed a local television journalist in a mosque in northwest Pakistan. br / /p

Costa Concordia captain 'defied orders'

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 4:11pm EST

pFive more bodies were recovered from a shipwreck off Italy today as an audio tape appeared to expose the captain defying orders to return to his vessel./p

Costa Concordia captain 'said all was well'

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 4:11pm EST

pThe captain of a cruise ship wrecked off the Italian coast told port authorities everything was fine shortly before the vessel sank, it has emerged./p

Searches of Belgian church property continue in abuse investigation

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 4:06pm EST

pBelgian authorities searched the administrative offices of the bishops of Bruges and Ghent today, a day after raiding similar offices in three other cities as they investigated whether church officials protected child abusers instead of their victims. /p

Fancy dress costumes you can wear all year round

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 3:51pm EST

pFancy dress parties are becoming more and more popular, and the demand for eye-catching and original outfits is at an all-time high./p

Serena Williams returns to Melbourne Park with rusty performance

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 3:47pm EST

pA rusty and agitated Serena Williams returned to Melbourne Park after a two-year break with a scratchy 6-3 6-2 win over Austria's Tamira Paszek today./p

Newcastle 'in talks with Papiss Demba Cisse'

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 3:42pm EST

pNewcastle boss Alan Pardew was today closing in on a shock swoop for Freiburg striker Papiss Demba Cisse./p

Ryanair expansion to create 1,000 jobs

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 3:37pm EST

pLow-cost airline Ryanair is to create more than 1,000 jobs this year as it expands its fleet and bases around Europe./p

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Bank of England governor Mervyn King appeals over bonuses

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 3:09pm EST

pBank of England governor Sir Mervyn King today made a fresh appeal for fairness in bankers' pay and bonuses./p

Bruno Senna signs for Williams for 2012 season

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 3:01pm EST

pWilliams have today confirmed Bruno Senna has signed for the team for the forthcoming Formula One season. /p

Hearts fail to pay wages again

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 2:49pm EST

pHearts face the prospect of unlimited sanctions from the Scottish Premier League after failing to pay their players on time for a fourth successive month./p

Luka Modric targets Tottenham victory against Manchester City

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 2:47pm EST

pTottenham can haul themselves back in to the title race by pulling off a shock victory in Sunday's showdown at Manchester City, according to playmaker Luka Modric./p

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Cleric Abu Qatada branded 'truly dangerous'

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 2:47pm EST

pAbu Qatada has been described as "al Qa'ida's spiritual leader in Europe", "Osama bin Laden's right-hand man in Europe", "the most significant extremist preacher in the UK" and "a truly dangerous individual"./p

Alex Salmond seeks talks with Michael Moore

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 2:25pm EST

pAlex Salmond has called for a meeting with the Scottish Secretary later this month to discuss the referendum on independence./p

Syrian rebel chief asks world to stop bloodshed

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 2:14pm EST

pA Syrian rebel army chief urged the world today to protect civilians in Syria, saying Arab peace monitors had failed to curb President Bashar al-Assad's violent response to a 10-month-old revolt against his rule./p

Uncertainty remains over Liverpool stadium plans

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:57pm EST

pLiverpool's decision to revert to their original plans for a new stadium does not mean the club have dismissed the prospect of remaining at a redeveloped Anfield, Press Association Sport understands./p

Greek strikes greet debt inspectors

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:43pm EST

pStrikes and demonstrations over government cuts hit Athens today as international debt inspectors returned to continue examining the reforms./p

Australian Open in pictures - Day 2

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:35pm EST

pThe latest images from the Australian Open in Melbourne./p

Home scheme to help OAPs downsize announced

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 1:15pm EST

pElderly homeowners are to be encouraged to move into smaller properties under government-backed plans, enabling councils to rent out their homes to families./p

Bank overdraft charges are 'too complex'

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 12:51pm EST

pIf you go into the red, it’s almost impossible to work out how much it will cost you. Consumer group Which? put that to the test and asked volunteers – including a maths PHD student – to calculate the charges of an unauthorised overdraft for four different banks./p

QPR close in on Brazilian striker Henrique

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 12:37pm EST

pQPR today reached an agreement with Sao Paulo that could make Brazilian striker Henrique Mark Hughes' first signing as manager./p

Ed Miliband hits back at unions

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 12:26pm EST

pLabour leader Ed Miliband hit back against union critics today, insisting that Unite boss Len McCluskey was "wrong" to attack his decision to embrace austerity measures./p

Ed Miliband under assault from unions

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 12:26pm EST

pEd Miliband came under assault from Labour's union backers today, as fury over his decision to embrace austerity measures led to open discussions about the withdrawal of financial support for the party./p

Unions angry over Labour 'mistake'

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 12:26pm EST

pThe scale of the rift between Labour and the unions over Ed Miliband's decision to embrace austerity measures was made clear today when a senior leader warned of long-term implications over the "most serious mistake" the party could have made./p

Ian Hislop rejects state role in press

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 12:13pm EST

pPrivate Eye editor Ian Hislop today rejected calls for statutory regulation of the press, saying laws were already in place to tackle abuses like phone hacking./p

Leveson inquiry: Gordon Brown was impersonated for Sunday Times, says editor John Witherow

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 12:13pm EST

pSomeone working for The Sunday Times called Abbey National pretending to be Gordon Brown to obtain details about the former prime minister's finances, the paper's editor said today./p

Simon Kelner: Why Clegg's 'John Lewis Britain' is a sensible idea

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 12:04pm EST

pMy Auntie Bertha has never been a football fan. In fact, she has only gone to one football match in her long lifetime. It just happened to be the World Cup final of 1966 at Wembley when, of course, England beat West Germany to become world champions for the first and only time./p

England collapse against Pakistan on opening day

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 12:00pm EST

pEngland collapsed to Saeed Ajmal at the start of their first Test series as the world's top team, against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates. /p

2012 Olympic website to relaunch, but you can't buy any tickets

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 11:49am EST

pLondon 2012 will relaunch their Olympic ticket re-sale site this afternoon but the public will not be able to buy the newly available tickets until April./p

Laura Robson caught up in gay-rights storm

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 11:46am EST

pLaura Robson's first-round exit at the Australian Open may have only lasted 69 minutes, but that was long enough for the 17-year-old to find herself in the middle of a gay-rights storm./p

Novak Djokovic storms into Australian Open second round

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 11:44am EST

pIt took just four games for defending champion Novak Djokovic to brush off any early-season rust and cruise into the second round of the Australian Open today./p

Australia's Samantha Stosur in first round exit

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 11:42am EST

pUS Open champion Samantha Stosur's struggles on home soil continued today as she made a stunning first-round exit from the Australian Open./p

Wayne Rooney joins Roberto Martinez in criticising Roberto Mancini over ref row

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 11:39am EST

pWigan boss Roberto Martinez and Manchester United's Wayne Rooney have criticised Roberto Mancini for waving an imaginary card at referee Martin Atkinson during his side's win at Wigan./p

Thierry Henry apologises to Arsenal supporter

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 11:37am EST

pThierry Henry has apologised for swearing at an Arsenal fan following his side's defeat at Swansea on Sunday./p

Ryan Giggs wishes to be considered for Olympics

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 11:35am EST

pDavid Beckham and Ryan Giggs are among 184 of 191 players contacted by the Football Association who have indicated they wish to be considered for the British men's team at the London 2012 Olympics./p

Alex McLeish says Aston Villa departures are 'very unlikely'

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 11:33am EST

pAston Villa manager Alex McLeish admits it is "very unlikely" he will let any of his players leave during the current transfer window which ends a fortnight today./p

Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko always confident goals would return

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 11:31am EST

pManchester City striker Edin Dzeko was always confident he would rediscover his goalscoring touch./p

Brighton v Wrexham FA Cup replay postponed

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 11:30am EST

pBrighton's FA Cup third-round replay against Wrexham at the Racecourse Ground, scheduled for this evening, has been postponed because of a frozen pitch. /p

Haptic + Holistic Strata, Linbury Studio Theatre, Royal Opera House, London

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 11:26am EST

pHiroaki Umeda's dance double bill offers technological marvels, and not much happening. Mixing dance, computer imagery and video projection, Umeda surrounds and transforms himself with shifting light, then stops. He refuses to develop the images or ideas: there they are, take it or leave it./p

Winning start for Andy Murray at Australian Open

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 11:22am EST

pAndy Murray overcame a first-set scare to see off Ryan Harrison at the Australian Open today - and then revealed his first-round performance had delighted new coach Ivan Lendl./p

A safer way to puff

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pAround two-thirds of the UK's smokers – six million people – made new year's resolutions to quit in 2012, according to a recent study. Despite their best intentions, the majority will fail./p

Peacocks edges closer to the brink of collapse

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pPeacocks, the debt-laden discount clothing retailer, yesterday filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators, threatening up to 11,000 jobs/p

Hockney goes back to nature

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pWhen David Hockney pronounced "all the works here were made by himself, personally" of his new exhibition of landscapes at the Royal Academy, he wasn't only taunting Damien Hirst and his younger rivals. He was laying claim to a whole tradition of British and Western art and declaring he had made it his own./p

Dominic Lawson: Does more money make us happier? Of course it does

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pA pocket cartoonist, when on form, can achieve more with a single sketch than the contents of a thousand weighty editorials. Thus Pugh in yesterday's Daily Mail brilliantly encapsulated the eternal dispute about the exact connection between money and happiness: a doctor is telling his patient: "If the Prozac doesn't work, I'd like you to take this £5 note"./p

Richemont lifted as super-rich carry on spending

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pExpensive watches and jewellery such as the $20,000 (£13,000) Altiplano watch have helped the/p

Amol Rajan: The Diamond Jubilee is a celebration of mediocrity

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pI don't know about you but I've always thought the 60th anniversary of the ascension to Head of State of an unelected aristocrat from a half-German family unusually well-endowed with dimwits and philanderers was just the moment to ignore building schools for the poor, hospitals for the sick, and homes for the needy, in favour of a giant boat to sit moored for most of the year and be occasionally chartered by the aforementioned family on their trips through the Commonwealth. /p

Permalink for '_______Education_/2012/01/17/Robert_Wiseman_agrees_%c2%a3280m_takeover_by_M%c3%bcller'

Robert Wiseman agrees £280m takeover by Müller

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe first big takeover of the year was sealed yesterday as Britain's biggest milk producer Robert Wiseman agreed a £280m bid from Germany's yoghurts and desserts giant Müller./p

Simon Kelner: Why Clegg's 'John Lewis Britain' is a sensible idea

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pMy Auntie Bertha has never been a football fan. In fact, she has only gone to one football match in her long lifetime. It just happened to be the World Cup final of 1966 at Wembley when, of course, England beat West Germany to become world champions for the first and only time. /p

James Moore: You can criticise the RBS, but it's not the villain here

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pIt is always when you're down that people line up to give you a kicking. Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has been down for a very long time and so it's taking brickbats from all quarters. Start with the shares, which have halved in value over the past year, leaving its biggest shareholder (us, thanks to the Government bailout) facing a paper loss in the billions. Then there are the unions, who are outraged over the jobs cuts that seem to come on a monthly basis./p

Terence Blacker: Enough of this townie sneering

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pMost of the time, those of us who happen to live in the country are happy to ignore the casual urban prejudice which characterises British politics and the media. Now and then, though, the level of metropolitan silliness reaches a level which is impossible to ignore./p

Smart meters 'may lead to an increase in fuel poverty'

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pGovernment plans to install a smart meter in every British household could force a "significant increase" in fuel poverty because the cost of the programme could far outweigh the savings, the influential Public Accounts Committee (PAC) warns today./p

Cruise liner's captain sailed close to island to 'salute' crew mate's home

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe owners of the Costa Concordia admitted yesterday that the ship's captain had been sailing too close to rocks in order to impress people on the shore – and give the head waiter a better view of his home – amid serious concerns that an environmental disaster could compound the tragedy./p

James Lawton: Wenger can't restore faith if he fails to see the truth

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pArsène Wenger has suffered many harsh cuts recently but maybe the cruellest thus far came when he was caught by TV seething in his box made for one on the Swansea touchline. The man on the microphone couldn't resist a comparison with Victor – "I don't believe it" – Meldrew./p

100 Tory MPs to rebel against PM's plan to legalise gay marriage

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pConservative MPs are trying to sabotage David Cameron's plan to legalise gay marriage, threatening a rebellion bigger than the one in which 81 voted against the Government on Europe./p

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Swansea show more than a passing likeness to Barça

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pRespect. That was the buzzword in Swansea yesterday as this long-time footballing outpost acclimatised to suddenly becoming everybody's second-favourite team. Well, perhaps everyone but the Cardiff City hardliners./p

Tamiflu maker accused of secrecy over trial data

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe drug is a household name with millions of doses stockpiled against the threat of a potential flu pandemic and talked about alongside aspirin and penicillin as a wonder drug./p

Permalink for '_______Education_/2012/01/17/Cahill_finally_completes_%c2%a37m_switch_to_Chelsea'

Cahill finally completes £7m switch to Chelsea

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe England centre-back Gary Cahill completed his move from Bolton to Chelsea yesterday. The 26-year-old joins for a fee of £7m after two weeks of negotiation over personal terms. Cahill, who would have been out of contract at the end of the season, was thrilled to have joined Andre Villas-Boas's side, who lie fourth in the Premier League. "Chelsea is a massive club, it is a club that looks to win trophies season-in season-out and it is a big opportunity for me to be a part of that," he said yesterday. "Opportunities like this you can't turn down."/p

Protest sees Wikipedia go offline

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pJimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia is leading calls for search engines and social media sites such as Google, Facebook and Twitter to take themselves offline for a day in protest against a controversial bill currently making its way through the US Senate that could have profound implications for the internet./p

Permalink for '_______Education_/2012/01/17/Marseilles_tell_Redknapp_that_striker_R%c3%a9my_is_not_for_sale'

Marseilles tell Redknapp that striker Rémy is not for sale

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pHarry Redknapp was told by the Marseilles president, Vincent Labrune, that Loïc Rémy will not be allowed to leave the club this month when the Tottenham manager attended the club's home game against Lille on Sunday night.Redknapp was treated warmly by the French club and invited into Labrune's personal suite to watch the game but was left in no doubt that a move for the player was not an option this transfer window. Labrune told Redknapp that the club's supporters would never forgive him if he sanctioned the sale of the player, who scored both Marseilles' goals in Sunday's 2-0 win./p

Dead king could lead to club being kicked off ground

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pWhile more illustrious sides like Chelsea think about leaving their traditional home to solve the problem of only having a 42,000-seater stadium, a more modest football club faces being turfed out of the ground it has played at for almost nine decades because today marks the 21st anniversary of the death of the Norwegian King./p

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Internazionale near to £25m deal to end saga over Tevez

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pManchester City appeared to be inching closer to ending the Carlos Tevez transfer saga last night, with Internazionale only £4m short of the £25m asking price which may persuade the club to let him go./p

High Street price cuts trigger inflation fall

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 10:49am EST

pA raft of high-street promotions in the run-up to Christmas triggered the largest drop in inflation in nearly three years./p

Discounts trigger drop in inflation

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 10:49am EST

pPressure on household incomes eased last month as high street discounts in the run up to Christmas triggered the largest drop in inflation in nearly three years./p

Amol Rajan: Diamond Jubilee is celebration of mediocrity

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 10:45am EST

pI don't know about you but I've always thought the 60th anniversary of the ascension to Head of State of an unelected aristocrat from a half-German family unusually well-endowed with dimwits and philanderers was just the moment to ignore building schools for the poor, hospitals for the sick, and homes for the needy, in favour of a giant boat to sit moored for most of the year and be occasionally chartered by the aforementioned family on their trips through the Commonwealth./p

Killers lose European Court whole life appeal

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 10:40am EST

pBritain's most dangerous and notorious criminals can be kept behind bars for the rest of their lives, European judges ruled today./p

Court rules Abu Qatada cannot be deported

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 10:25am EST

pRadical cleric Abu Qatada cannot be sent back to Jordan while “there remains a real risk that evidence obtained by torture will be used against him”, judges ruled today./p

Judges block Abu Qatada deportation

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 10:25am EST

pA terrorist accused of posing a grave threat to Britain's national security cannot be sent back home because it would be a "flagrant denial of justice", human rights judges ruled today./p

Rail travel chaos after cable theft

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 10:19am EST

pTens of thousands of rail passengers suffered travel chaos today after another cable theft, and a cracked rail, led to huge disruption on some of the country's busiest routes./p

ScottishPower cuts gas prices

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 10:00am EST

pScottishPower has become the last of the big six energy companies to announce reductions in its tariffs./p

Manchester United: Potential January transfer targets

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 10:00am EST

pManchester United have a real battle on their hands to retain the Premier League title./p

Meryl Streep gets Bafta nomination for 'The Iron Lady'

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 9:12am EST

pMeryl Streep has continued her awards run while silent film The Artist and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy have been showered with nominations at this year's Baftas./p

London Olympics police plans left on a train

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 8:23am EST

pScotland Yard said security for the London Olympics had not been compromised after police documents were reportedly found on a train./p

Hopes fade for cruise liner disaster missing

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 8:21am EST

pFears are growing for the 29 people still missing from a shipwreck off Italy, four days after the vessel crashed./p

Union leader warns Labour of electoral 'disaster'

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 8:18am EST

pLabour faces electoral “disaster” because of its decision to embrace austerity measures including support for capping public sector pay, the leader of the country's biggest union has warned./p

It's a Mini PR adventure: 30,000 cars recalled in UK

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 3:06am EST

pNearly 30,000 Mini Coopers are to be recalled in Britain after makers detected an electrical fault which could lead cars to catch fire./p

Unite union chief rounds on Miliband

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 2:00am EST

pThe head of Britain's biggest union tore into Ed Miliband last night, warning that the Labour leader was taking the party to disaster – and risking his own survival – by alienating its most loyal supporters./p

Police clear protesters from Parliament Square

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 2:00am EST

pPolice moved in on the protest camp of anti-war campaigners and their tents in Parliament Square to clear the pavement last night./p

Natural History Museum attacked over links to 'illegal' Israeli company

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:30am EST

pThe Natural History Museum is today accused by a coalition of prominent academics and cultural figures of helping to break international law by leading a research project which involves an Israeli cosmetics company based in an “illegal” settlement in the occupied West Bank./p

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Dzeko answers Mancini’s call to halt the slide

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:08am EST

pThis was not the type of effervescence with which Manchester City have set the Premier League alight in the past five months and threatened to take a hammer to goal-scoring records which have stood since the 19th century, but Roberto Mancini would have taken it./p

Taking a leaf out of United's book looks champion move for Manchester City

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:05am EST

pJust like United. The comparison may sit uncomfortably with Mancunians of a blue persuasion, but this was consummate; a textbook answer to the question of whether City were losing their bottle./p

The News Matrix: Tuesday 17 January 2012

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongReport questions drug maker's claims/strong/p

i Editor's Letter: Some answers to i's FAQs

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAs I said yesterday, readers, old and new, have been emailing in your droves – some of you not even about Scotland! For the benefit of newer readers, I have pledged – foolishly – to read all your mail, and that either Hannah Nicholls or I will reply if you need one. Please put your name and hometown on emails, and remember if you text, that we cannot text back./p

Dead king could lead to club being kicked off ground

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhile more illustrious rivals like Chelsea ponder leaving their traditional home to cure the unimaginable ill of only having a 42,000-seater stadium, one altogether more modest football club faces the prospect of being turfed out of the ground it has occupied for around nine decades because today marks the twenty first anniversary of the death of the Norwegian King./p

The Sports Matrix: Tuesday 17 January 2012

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongDzeko heads City back to three-point lead at the summit/strong/p

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Moyes will try again in bid to land £4m Onuoha

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Everton manager David Moyes is hopeful of signing Nedum Onuoha on a permanent deal this month having attempted in the past to sign the Manchester City defender./p

The Business Matrix: Tuesday 17 January 2012

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongSlump in commercial deals /strong/p

Homs MP defies Assad to defect

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA Syrian MP has fled the country to join the opposition against President Bashar al-Assad, saying the people are suffering sweeping human rights violations./p

Leading article: Mr Putin must face the new reality

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pYesterday's announcement by the Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, that he will seek the presidency again will have surprised no one. /p

Mourinho must banish Real Madrid's clasico complex

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOvercoming Real Madrid's mental block against Barcelona will be the chief concern for coach Jose Mourinho when the teams resume their battle for supremacy tomorrow./p

Deborah Ross: Who does Madonna think she is to go out looking like that?

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIf you ask me, I would like to make an appeal to the British public, if it's all right with you, and the appeal is this: might we think of some fresh and new ways to despise and ridicule Madonna? Please?/p

Terence Blacker: Enough of townie prejudice against the countryside

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMost of the time, those of us who happen to live in the country are happy to ignore the casual urban prejudice which characterises British politics and the media. Now and then, though, the level of metropolitan silliness reaches a level which is impossible to ignore./p

Defence role for Moussi

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIn this all-Championship match, Leicester are without Sol Bamba and John Pantsil, both of whom are away at the African Cup of Nations./p

Letters: Museum must drop West Bank link

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt is extraordinary, but true, that one of our great national museums is co-ordinating an activity that breaks international law. That museum is the Natural History Museum, which is collaborating in research with an Israeli commercial firm located in an illegal settlement in the Palestinian West Bank./p

Scotland call up Kalman as Low ruled out

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAccording to latest figures compiled by what might be called the Rugby Football Union's health and safety team – Dr Simon Kemp, head of sports medicine at Twickenham is the man principally responsible for collating the statistics – the game is no more dangerous to life and limb now than it was a decade ago, despite the greater speed and dynamism of the people who play it for a living and the heavier collisions in every area of the field./p

RBS has its critics, but the bank is absolutely right not to prop up Peacocks

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOutlook It is always when you're down that people line up to give you a kicking. Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has been down for a very long time and so it's taking brickbats from all quarters. Start with the shares, which have halved in value over the past year, leaving its biggest shareholder (us, thanks to the Government bailout) facing a paper loss in the billions./p

The 10 Best vacuum cleaners

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongu1. Morphy Richards' Never Loses Suction/u/strong/p

Leading article: Britannia II will not rule any waves

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pYesterday was probably not the best time to float the idea that the nation might give the Queen a new yacht for her Diamond Jubilee. Not only were ships in the news for all the wrong reasons, but it was Blue Monday – a day of national moroseness when, it might be presumed, taxpayers would be especially averse to spending millions on a present for someone who could easily stump up for her own yacht if she chose. /p

Omar Waraich: Gilani faces fight of his life to survive this onslaught

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA vote reaffirming faith in democracy would seem odd in any parliament. But in Pakistan it underscored the fragility of the ruling coalition after the Prime Minister was summoned to the Supreme Court to face contempt proceedings./p

Mark Hughes set to make changes

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWith a tie against Chelsea at stake in the next round, QPR manager Mark Hughes has said he will make changes to the side that lost 1-0 away to Newcastle United in the Premier League on Sunday./p

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Ian Bell: Luckily the X-rays showed no fracture

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt was right at the end of my final practice session before the First Test that the ball came up off a length and hit me on the left wrist. Graham Gooch, England's batting coach, was using the side-arm – the piece of kit he uses to give us throw-downs in the nets – and, in the last minute of practice, I caught one./p

Spirit willing for Henderson's Champion tilt

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhen the man who has won two of the last three Champion Hurdles speaks, it perhaps pays to attend. And, as Nicky Henderson runs the rule over his three contenders for the Cheltenham showpiece eight weeks today, the only trick may be to listen between the lines./p

The Midnight Swimmer, By Edward Wilson

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pKilling is always a serious matter. All too often, amid the glitzy gadgetry of the spy thriller, all the fast cars and sexual adventures, we lose sight of the essential seriousness of what is at stake. /p

The new get fit quick schemes

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongClass act/strong/p

Rhodri Marsden: Support for the big beasts of the media is evaporating

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIn one corner sit the powerful media conglomerates, spitting bile over the way the internet has facilitated the widespread copying of their content. In the other sit the fast-growing companies of Silicon Valley, who've revolutionised the way we communicate, consume and co-exist./p

Macclesfield kids can upset Bolton

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Macclesfield Town manager, Gary Simpson, believes there is no reason why his talented pool of youngsters cannot pull off an FA Cup upset at Bolton Wanderers tonight./p

Winner of Swann v Ajmal duel will turn the series

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhatever happens in the desert in the next three weeks, it will not happen quickly. Trains of camels, weighed down by the chattels of mankind, would move more quickly than the Test series being played in the UAE./p

Scott's lost photos of Antarctica are bought for nation

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe last photographs taken by Captain Robert Scott on his doomed journey to the South Pole have been bought for the nation in time for today's centenary of the expedition./p

Hockney goes back to nature

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhen David Hockney pronounced "all the works here were made by himself, personally" of his new exhibition of landscapes at the Royal Academy, he wasn't only taunting Damien Hirst and his younger rivals. He was laying claim to a whole tradition of British and Western art and declaring he had made it his own./p

Misbah's blueprint to revive reputation

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFor the final time yesterday, Misbah-ul-Haq, the captain of Pakistan, insisted the past was the past. In the next three weeks the truth of that will become evident and, if it turns out as he hopes and expects, he may never have to address the issue again./p

Pakistan in turmoil as courts clash with PM

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPakistan plunged deeper into crisis last night after the country's highest court began contempt proceedings against Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani./p

Folk music enjoys chart revival

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFolk music is enjoying a sales boom, with Laura Marling leading a revival of the narrative song./p

Huntsman drops out of Republican race

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe race to become this year's Republican presidential nominee got a little less crowded yesterday as Jon Huntsman, a former Governor of Utah, called it quits and offered his endorsement to Mitt Romney, potentially giving him an important boost before this Saturday's primary election in South Carolina./p

Poverty is main culprit as 19 die in slum tragedy

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pUsually it's Cairo, this time it was Beirut, but it was a familiar story./p

Dementia: A small taste of hell on earth

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pI have been led into a room. It is unlike any I have been in before and I'm not at all sure of its topography.In one corner a television is blaring very loudly. There are other people milling around but I have absolutely no idea what they are doing. Cups and plates are clanking together nightmarishly and the sound is reverberating through my skull along with the disembodied voices that seem to be bellowing at me from the pit of hell./p

Down Under out: Brits crash out of Australian Open

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAt least they were consistent. From the opening encounter in the main stadium to the concluding match in the outback on Court 11, the story was the same. Five British players did battle on the first day of the Australian Open here yesterday and five left the fray without winning a set./p

OJ Simpson to lose his house

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA bank is to sell the Florida home of O J Simpson, who is serving time for kidnapping, armed robbery and other charges./p

Huaxi: The socialist village where everyone is wealthy

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe sort of oxen you expect to see in Chinese villages tend to be pulling carts or tilling fields, not a beasts made of a ton of gold. This precious cow is located on the 60th floor of a 328m-tall skyscraper in Huaxi, China's richest village, and building that juts out of the eastern landscape like a giant tripod topped by a golden ball./p

Knowing me, knowing you - Jimmy Osmond and Mel Bush

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongJimmy Osmond, 48, rose to fame in the 1960s as Little Jimmy Osmond, the youngest member of The Osmonds, who have sold more than 100 million records worldwide. He lives in America with his wife and four children./strong/p

Darlington make players and coaches redundant

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDarlington's administrator made all the club's playing and coaching staff redundant with immediate effect yesterday. Earlier this month the club went into administration for the third time in three years, leaving them with a 10-point deduction./p

Simon Carr: Thankfully, media hackers, thieves and blackmailers can always rely on Ken Clarke

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThat nice young Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has a refined, elevated and dignified soul. Actually, he has a small tonsorial baldness at the top of his hair – it may be how he communicates with higher powers (Rupert Murdoch, we thought). /p

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Germans swallow dairy giant Wiseman in £280m deal

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe first big takeover of the year was sealed yesterday as Britain's biggest milk producer Robert Wiseman agreed a £280m bid from Germany's yoghurts and desserts giant Müller./p

Federer is 'cool' after Nadal takes the heat out of dispute

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThey did not quite kiss and make up, but Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal did their best here yesterday to dismiss any suggestion that the friendly relationship between the world's two most famous players is not what it used to be. Nadal regretted making public his criticisms of his long-time rival 24 hours earlier, while Federer said he was "completely cool and relaxed" about the situation./p

What does the Chinese giveaway add up to?

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe 1997 transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from London to Beijing was dubbed "the great Chinese takeaway". But are the economic benefits now flowing in the other direction? George Osborne certainly thinks so. On a trip to the Far East yesterday, the Chancellor hailed an agreement with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority to make the City of London a hub for the trade of the Chinese currency as excellent news for the British economy. /p

Director says scientologists are trying to discredit him

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPaul Haggis, the Oscar-winning director who publicly resigned from the Church of Scientology in 2009, has claimed that private detectives are examining his rubbish bins to find information that might discredit him. /p

American Football: Giants cut Rodgers and Green Bay down to size

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe shadow of 2008 hovers over the NFL play-offs./p

Electronic cigarettes: A safer way to puff

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAround two-thirds of the UK's smokers - about six million people - made new year’s resolutions to get healthier by giving up in 2012, according to a recent study. Despite their best intentions, the majority will fail. Smoking is recognised as a chemical addiction to nicotine and a physical addiction to the act of lighting up, both of which are difficult to conquer. The NHS and most anti-smoking health groups focus their efforts on helping people to quit the habit completely, but most smokers only manage to stop after several failed attempts and that last cigarette is not always as final as it is intended to be./p

HRT breast cancer link in doubt

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pControversy over the link between hormone replacement therapy and breast cancer has been reignited after scientists cast doubt on the report which first established the connection./p

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Jeremy Laurance: Expectations shape our lives – but do they enhance them?

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe great psychoanalyst and sex therapist Wilhelm Reich is reputed to have said on his deathbed, in response to a visitor who admonished him over some aspect of his lifestyle: "Could, could, should, should – fucking expectations!"/p

Swansea face fight to keep hold of Allen as Liverpool prepare bid

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLiverpool have made Swansea City's emergent midfielder Joe Allen one of their targets for this summer having been impressed with his rise to prominence this season./p

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RBS banks £4.7bn in sale of aviation leasing business

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Royal Bank of Scotland last night made its largest disposal since being bailed out by the taxpayer, selling its aircraft leasing arm to Japan's second-largest bank for £4.7bn./p

Spotlight On: Micky Arison, chairman and chief executive of Carnival Corporation

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongSo who is this captain of industry?/strong/p

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Steve Bunce on Boxing: Ali was brutal in the ring – and could be horribly cruel outside it

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMuhammad Ali is 70 today and his life has reached a stage where golden moments are all that really matter. However, it is still important to remember the other bits. It was not all glory for Ali because the death threats were real, the CIA had numerous files, many of his fights struggled to sell and the KKK made him an honorary member./p

Tory MPs go to war over gay marriage

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pConservative MPs are trying to sabotage David Cameron's plan to legalise gay marriage, threatening a rebellion bigger than the one in which 81 voted against the Government on Europe./p

More vitamin D a day could keep glasses away

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBoosting vitamin D intake could help to prevent age-related diseases, in particular loss of vision and blindness, a study said./p

Virginia Ironside's Dilemmas

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongDear Virginia, I know my grandmother preferred my older sibling, and it always hurt. I now have two lovely grandchildren of my own, and my love for the younger is far greater than the love for the elder. I can't help it. Recently I said, with mocking self-pity, to the older one, who's four: "Oh, nobody loves me!" and she said: "Well, Nadia [her younger sister] does!" Poor little soul. I try so hard not to let it show. Do you think it will damage the older one as I feel my own grandmother's preference damaged me? Best wishes, Trish/strong/p

Swansea show more than passing likeness to Barcelona

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRespect. That was the buzzword in Swansea yesterday as this long-time footballing outpost acclimatised to suddenly becoming everybody's second-favourite team. Well, perhaps everyone but the Cardiff City hardliners./p

Samba determined to leave Blackburn

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pChristopher Samba has confirmed he wants to leave Blackburn before the end of the current transfer window./p

Former drug addict wins prestigious poetry prize

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA celebrated poet who has documented his battle with alcoholism and drugs saw off competition from a heavyweight shortlist including laureate Carol Ann Duffy to win the highest accolade in British poetry at the third time of asking./p

Hammerson loses key tenant for skyscraper

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHammerson's proposed £350m Principal Place skyscraper in London was dealt a major blow yesterday, as the main potential tenant walked away from the scheme, blaming financial uncertainty./p

Snooker: Trump ready for O'Sullivan test

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pJudd Trump demonstrated all of his battling qualities yesterday to secure a Masters quarter-final match against Ronnie O'Sullivan on Thursday./p

'Satisfactory' schools must do better

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pInspectors will be banned from using the word "satisfactory" to describe state schools, the new chief executive of the education standards watchdog Ofsted says./p

Greek woes dampen euro good news

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFears of another acute crisis in the eurozone eased somewhat yesterday despite last week's debt downgrade of nine EU nations, including France. /p

Ship's captain was 'showboating', admits cruise firm

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe owners of the stricken cruise ship Costa Concordia admitted yesterday that the captain had been sailing too close to rocks in order to "put on a salute" for people on the shore. Other reports suggested the captain was also giving the head waiter a better view of his home./p

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Redknapp told Rémy is not for sale

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHarry Redknapp was told by the Marseilles president, Vincent Labrune, that Loïc Rémy will not be allowed to leave the club this month when the Tottenham Hotspur manager attended the club's home game against Lille on Sunday night./p

North Korea puts the welcome mat out for AP bureau

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Associated Press opened its newest bureau in Pyongyang yesterday, becoming the first international news organisation with a full-time presence in North Korea./p

Bovis beats the drag and flags up leap

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe economy may be flirting with a double-dip, but there is scant sign of recession from housebuilder Bovis Homes, which yesterday bullishly flagged up a "significant increase" in its 2012 profits./p

Putin warns Russians of the dangers of revolution

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pVladimir Putin has warned against revolutionary fervour in Russia, insisting that history shows uprisings end up "destroying, not creating"./p

Tamiflu maker accused of secrecy over trial data

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe drug is a household name with millions of doses stockpiled against the threat of a potential flu pandemic and talked about alongside aspirin and penicillin as a wonder drug./p

Rauf Denktash: Politician who fought to establish the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRauf Denktash was the first president of the unrecognised Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). His consistent purpose was to destroy for ever the concept of a single Cypriot nation state, common to both Greeks and Turks. /p

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Cahill completes £7m Chelsea move

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe England centre-back Gary Cahill completed his move from Bolton Wanderers to Chelsea yesterday. The 26-year-old joins for a fee of £7million after two weeks of negotiation over personal terms./p

Murdoch slams 'pirates' google

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe issue of online piracy has pitted Rupert Murdoch in a war of words against the White House and Google. The head of News Corporation wrote a series of tweets during the weekend accusing the Obama administration of bowing to "Silicon Valley paymasters" because the White House had expressed concerns about the Stop Online Piracy Act (Sopa). /p

Goa: The gig all male poll officials want, but can't have

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe relaxed charms and sunny weather of the Indian state of Goa lure people from around the world. Little wonder then, perhaps, that the country's male election officials are keen to put themselves forward for a little duty in the sun./p

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The high street is hell – but the insolvency trade's booming

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDark days for Britain's high streets are becoming boom times for insolvency practitioners, who look set to pick up another windfall thanks to the debt-laden fashion chain Peacocks and the troubled gifts retailer Past Times./p

Surgery puts Kyle's career under threat

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Hearts striker Kevin Kyle is to undergo further surgery at the end of this month to try to save his career after a year-long absence with a hip injury./p

Dominic Lawson: Does more money make us happier? Of course it does

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA pocket cartoonist, when on form, can achieve more with a single sketch than the contents of a thousand weighty editorials. Thus, Pugh in yesterday's Daily Mail brilliantly encapsulated the eternal dispute about the exact connection between money and happiness: a doctor is telling his patient, "If the Prozac doesn't work, I'd like you to take this £5 note."/p

Bloomsbury gets ebook boost

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pStrong sales of best-selling cookbooks and a surge in ebooks helped boost the publisher Bloomsbury in the final three months of 2011./p

British MEPs try to challenge the 'stitch-up' in Brussels

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA pair of British Euro MPs will today challenge the “stitch-up” between two large, political groups that has monopolised the presidency of the European Parliament for the last two decades./p

Investment View: If you're seeking income, start with the Footsie's top-yield shares

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWith interest rates in much of the developed world close to or at zero, holding money in cash is a recipe for penury. /p

'It was a stupid thing sailing so close. I hope we don't all have to pay for someone showing off'

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAs a clearer picture emerges of the events that led to the Costa Concordia sailing into rocks off the island off Giglio last Friday, it is becoming obvious that it was an accident waiting to happen – in the truest sense./p

The chips that are good for your health

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAn edible microchip that records the precise details of a patient's pill regime will be available in Britain by the end of year following a commercial deal that opens the door to an era of digital medicines./p

Martin Isepp: Acclaimed accompanist

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe son of a distinguished Austrian artist, Martin Isepp was part of that hugely vibrant émigré community who contributed immensely to the broadening and enrichment of British cultural life in the latter half of the 20th century. /p

Dzeko header gives City room at the top

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pManchester City appeared to be inching closer to ending the Carlos Tevez transfer saga last night, with Internazionale – now the clear front-runners in the pursuit of him – only £4m short of the £25m asking price which may persuade the club to let him go./p

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Why I want to bring down the internet – for a day

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe founder of Wikipedia is leading calls for search engines and social media sites including Google, Facebook and Twitter to take themselves offline for an entire day in protest against a controversial bill winding its way through the US Senate that could have profound implications for the internet./p

Kazakhstan poll failed to meet 'basic standards'

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pInternational monitors have criticised Sunday's parliamentary election in Kazakhstan for failing to meet the basic standards of a democratic poll./p

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Royal yacht's a great idea – but don't expect us to pay, says PM

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDavid Cameron last night backed plans for the launch of a privately funded new royal yacht to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee this year./p

Scheduled television will withstand greater range of choice

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDespite the growth in the alternatives to scheduled television more than 95 per cent of all television programmes watched in 2012 will be live or within a day of the original broadcast, according to Deloitte's latest Media and Technology report, released yesterday. /p

Smart meters 'may lead to an increase in fuel poverty'

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pGovernment plans to install a smart meter in every British household could force a "significant increase" in fuel poverty because the cost of the programme could far outweigh the savings, the Public Accounts Committee will warn today./p

Market Report: Tui Travel on the climb as talk of takeover is revived

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pJust because it is one of the longest-running tales in the Square Mile does not mean a takeover of Tui Travel may not happen one day. Talk that Germany's Tui AG could be about to buy the 45.5 per cent of the tour operator it does not already own has done the rounds for years, but yesterday hopes were being raised that this time it really could happen./p

Solomona out for five months

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWarrington are expecting to be without David Solomona for the first four or five months of the season after his broken leg in Australia turned out to be even worse than first feared./p

Lady Runcie: Independent-minded wife of Robert Runcie

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLady Rosalind Runcie, widow of the late Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Runcie, was a warm-hearted, irrepressible woman who was determined not to be pigeon-holed as a traditional "clergy wife". /p

Afghanistan 'will need years of help'

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe international community will need to support Afghanistan for years after ending its combat mission in 2014, Nato's most senior civilian official in the country stressed yesterday. /p

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The Scotsmen who will go up a mountain – and decide if it should be a wind farm

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNineteen Scottish councillors will travel to the tops of Britain's highest mountains today to see if the view from them will be blighted by a giant wind farm on the edge of the Cairngorms National Park./p

Steve Richards: Don't be fooled by the power of false assumptions

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNothing in politics is what it seems. False assumptions take hold through constant repetition, blowing away the more complicated evidence in front of our eyes. Here are a couple of small examples of misplaced orthodoxy, before I move on to the case of Ed Miliband. For months before the last election, I read or heard several times a day that the Conservatives were heading for a decent majority. It was not an assertion, but an assumption on which a thousand columns, blogs, tweets and broadcasts were based. Yet nearly all the polls at the time pointed to a hung parliament. Misplaced assumptions swept aside the awkward evidence./p

Hacking may well have taken place at Mirror, says editor

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOne of Piers Morgan's key associates during his editorship of the Daily Mirror told the Leveson Inquiry yesterday it was possible that one of the paper's award-winning scoops – its 2002 revelation of the affair between the then England football manager Sven-Göran Eriksson and the TV presenter Ulrika Jonsson – could have been obtained by phone hacking./p

Companies told to be open about country risks

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Financial Reporting Council has told companies to be more open about their exposure to debt-ridden European economies and politically unstable Middle East territories./p

Osborne offers increased hope to eurozone

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBritain could help struggling eurozone countries by increasing its payments to the International Monetary Fund by billions of pounds, George Osborne, pictured, said yesterday./p

The Diary: The ugly truth about Murdoch's anti-Miliband campaign

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEd Miliband is going through a patch in which he makes headlines only if the news is bad, especially in newspapers that Rupert Murdoch owns. He is, after all, the first Labour Party leader since Neil Kinnock to criticise the Murdoch empire instead of humbling himself before it./p

James Lawton: Wenger can't restore belief if he fails to see the truth

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pArsène Wenger has suffered many harsh cuts recently but maybe the cruellest thus far came when he was caught by TV seething in his box made for one on the Swansea touchline. The man on the microphone couldn't resist a comparison with Victor – "I don't believe it" – Meldrew./p

Rhodri Marsden: A dating ad for singletons who have been there and done that

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pI've been taking pleasure in hurling spectacular abuse at that eHarmony television ad (ind.pn/eHarmAd) that begins "Being single can be amazing!". Yes, amazing things can happen when you're single. Breaking the world long jump record, learning Japanese or meeting Archbishop Tutu are all achievable outside the constraints of a badly floundering relationship. But who doesn't want to be in a badly floundering relationship? I know I do./p

Third man held for murders

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA third man was arrested on suspicion of murdering the parents of a police officer. The suspect, 37, was held at lunchtime on Monday./p

Food shop creates inhouse treats

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHotel Chocolat will today open the UK's first shop that sells and makes chocolate under one roof. /p

Newspapers may be forced to join regulator

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, said yesterday that the Government could take action to force newspapers to sign up to a new regulatory system and subject them to severe financial penalties if they refused./p

David Selby: An industry in search of clear blue water

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pCruising has become a huge business. Around 1.7m British people went cruising last year – double that of 10 years ago – and across Europe the number was close to six million. The opportunity to see so many places in one holiday, combined with the vast array of facilities on board modern ships, has made cruising a mainstream holiday experience./p

Eurozone bailout fund downgraded

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFears of another acute crisis in the eurozone eased somewhat yesterday despite the area's official bailout fund seeing its own credit rating downgraded, following the marking down of nine EU nations debt last week./p

Death-to-gays leaflets were for good of society, says accused

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA man accused of stirring up hatred by handing out leaflets demanding the death sentence for homosexuals believed that it was his duty as a Muslim to take part in the campaign to improve society, a court heard yesterday./p

Last night's viewing - Richard Wilson On Hold, BBC2; Coppers, Channel 4

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe problem with self-service tills in supermarkets, I realised the other day, is that most of them are manned by idiots. I don't exempt myself from this charge, by the way, and I don't mean to be insulting. /p

End of the road for ministerial chauffeurs

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSenior ministers including William Hague and Andrew Lansley have lost their right to a full-time ministerial car and driver, it emerged yesterday./p

Golden age of British film should be studied at school

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEvery schoolchild should have the chance to study film, according to a Government-commissioned report, as Britain looks to capitalise on a "golden" age and usher in the next generation of The King's Speech-style successes./p

Richemont lifted by the super-rich

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pExpensive watches and jewellery such as the $20,000 (£13,000) Altiplano watch have helped the Swiss luxury goods group Richemont bring in sales of €2.6bn (£2.2bn) in the last quarter. /p

Salmond spoof sees downfall of Miliband's Twitter tsar

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA Labour social media adviser has resigned from his position after making a spoof video ridiculing Alex Salmond./p

Strike called off as petrol price is cut in Nigeria

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pUnion leaders suspended a nationwide strike yesterday after the Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan partially reinstated subsidies to keep petrol prices low and deployed soldiers in the streets to stop widening protests./p

Weinstein rules the Globes as Brits play a supporting role

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pGilded trophy in hand, and with applause ringing in her ears, Meryl Streep neatly crystalised the big story at Sunday's Golden Globes. "I'd like to thank my agent," she declared, after picking up a new Best Actress gong to add to her collection. "And also God: Harvey Weinstein."/p

Could corruption trial stop the rise of the black sheep of Israeli politics?

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDescribed once by an American magazine editor as a "neo-fascist" and a "certified gangster", Israel's firebrand Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is no stranger to controversy. It has not stopped him from building up a devoted following that has propelled his party to the forefront of Israeli politics./p

Strikers doubt for Brighton

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWrexham's hopes of reaching the fourth round have been boosted by news that Brighton could be without their two main strikers./p

Samba determined to leave Blackburn

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Blackburn Rovers captain Christopher Samba is determined to leave Ewood Park, despite the club telling him that they believe their bankers will recoup cash paid out for him and that they will not let him go./p

Katherine Butler: Women! Do everything and then learn how to shoot clay pigeons

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAre you a woman aged between 15 and 51? Are you ambitious but discouraged by the failure of talented women like you to be promoted to senior positions in top companies? Are you in possession of a Hermès scarf?/p

Banned pair to miss replay

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAfter both were dismissed in Saturday's 6-0 home defeat by Birmingham City, Millwall will be without Shane Lowry and Alan Dunne./p

Leading article: Not every business can be like John Lewis

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAfter the Prime Minister's warning shots on executive pay, and the Labour leader's striking, if inchoate, evocation of "responsible capitalism", it is no bad thing that the Deputy Prime Minister is also weighing in on the question of how to create a fairer economy. The ability of the free market to deliver improved standards of living is not in doubt. But the widening gap between the richest and the rest is straining the consent at the heart of democratic society and it must be addressed. /p

Swansea show more than passing likeness to Barcelona

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRespect. That was the buzzword in Swansea yesterday as this long-time footballing outpost acclimatised to suddenly becoming everybody's second-favourite team. Well, perhaps everyone but the Cardiff City hardliners./p

State press regulation is wrong, says Jeremy Hunt

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 6:47pm EST

pState regulation of the press would be "completely the wrong direction to go" but there must be a way to ensure all newspapers sign up to any body that replaces the current system, the Culture Secretary said today. /p

Past Times goes into administration

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 6:45pm EST

pGift retailer Past Times fell into administration today and confirmed 507 staff were made redundant before the move./p

Clothes chain Peacocks goes into administration

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 6:37pm EST

pThe owner of clothing chains Peacocks and Bonmarche today said it planned to place both businesses into administration./p

Earl's son cleared of raping 16-year-old girl

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 6:32pm EST

pAn aristocrat was today cleared of raping a 16-year-old girl. /p

Darlington administrators sack all players and coaching staff

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 6:22pm EST

pThe administrators of Darlington today made all the club's playing and coaching staff redundant with immediate effect./p

Permalink for '_______Education_/2012/01/16/Jon%c2%a0Huntsman_quits_Republican_nomination_race'

Jon Huntsman quits Republican nomination race

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 6:00pm EST

pJon Huntsman suspended his bid for the Republican presidential nomination today, calling on his party to end "an onslaught of negative and personal attacks" in the campaign and then endorsing rival Mitt Romney./p

Michelin sees 50% increase in sales of cold weather tyres

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 5:47pm EST

pMichelin is reporting a substantial increase in sales of cold weather tyres this winter, despite the unusually mild weather enjoyed by most parts of the UK in the final three months of last year./p

Blackburn captain Chris Samba hands in transfer request

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 5:38pm EST

pChristopher Samba has confirmed he wants to leave Blackburn before the end of the current transfer window./p

ITV sign new deal for FA Cup and England internationals

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 5:37pm EST

pThe Football Association have announced a new two-year deal with ITV for the broadcaster to show England internationals and FA Cup matches./p

LSE investigates Nazi card game that ended in Jewish student's broken nose

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 5:21pm EST

pAn investigation has been launched at the London School of Economics as to why a Jewish student on a skiing trip organised by the university’s students’ union had his nose broken after objecting to fellow students playing a card game called 'Nazi Ring of Fire'./p

LSE investigates Nazi card game that ended in Jewish student's broken nose

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 5:21pm EST

pAn investigation has been launched at the London School of Economics as to why a Jewish student on a skiing trip organised by the university’s students’ union had his nose broken after objecting to fellow students playing a card game called 'Nazi Ring of Fire'./p

Block party: pattern-cutting beyond the garment

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 5:09pm EST

pThose of you who are handy with a needle and thread, will be pleased to hear that a new exhibition exploring the creative possibilities of pattern-cutting (beyond making garments) is touring the country./p

Kenny Dalglish says Liverpool must be more decisive in front of goal

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 4:45pm EST

pLiverpool manager Kenny Dalglish has called on his players to be more decisive in the final third if they are to solve their goalscoring issues./p

E.ON to cut electricity bills by 6%

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 4:23pm EST

pE.ON today became the latest energy supplier to cut prices when it announced a 6% fall in electricity bills, benefiting 3.7 million customers. /p

Tom Harris steps down over Alex Salmond jibe

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 4:21pm EST

pA Labour MP has stepped down from his role as the party's social media adviser in Scotland after he created an online video portraying SNP leader Alex Salmond as Hitler./p

Art collective Liberate Tate uses Arctic ice to protest at gallery's BP sponsorship

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 4:18pm EST

pAn art collective protesting against the Tate Modern's partnership with oil giant BP used a block of Arctic ice to express their grievances this weekend./p

Everton take striker Edson Buddle on trial

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 3:55pm EST

pEverton are giving United States international Edson Buddle a trial this week./p

Warning over legality of Scottish referendum

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 3:48pm EST

pThe Scottish Government risks flouting a "fundamental principle of democracy" if it stages an "unlawful" vote on independence, the Advocate General for Scotland said today. /p

Shares in cruise firm Carnival drop 15%

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 3:36pm EST

pCarnival has estimated the cost of the disaster at approaching £100 million but shares slumped today on fears the final figure will be much higher. /p

Government review highlights film 'golden age'

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 3:25pm EST

pThe British film industry has to do more to take advantage of what has been "a golden period" in UK cinema, according to a government review./p

Government review recommends film lessons plan to boost industry

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 3:25pm EST

pFilm lessons in schools and more screenings outside big towns and cities are among the proposals put forward in a new report to help the UK movie business take advantage of "a golden period" in its history. /p

Peacocks' survival hopes fade after RBS cuts lifeline

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 3:21pm EST

pHopes that heavily indebted clothing retailer Peacocks can avoid collapsing into administration faded today after major lender Royal Bank of Scotland withdrew from talks about a proposed debt-for-equity swap./p

England batsman Ian Bell cleared of serious injury after X-ray

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 3:14pm EST

pEngland batsman Ian Bell was today cleared of serious injury to his left wrist and is expected to take his place in the side to face Pakistan in the first Test in Dubai starting tomorrow. /p

Israel is 'damaging' the peace process, says Nick Clegg

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 3:10pm EST

pIsrael is doing "immense damage" to the Middle East peace process by continuing with illegal settlement building, Nick Clegg said today in another escalation of UK diplomatic pressure./p

Steve Kean reiterates Blackburn defender Chris Samba is not for sale

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 2:48pm EST

pBlackburn manager Steve Kean has reiterated his stance that Chris Samba is not for sale and he hopes the defender will be available for selection next weekend./p

Rafael Nadal moves to diffuse rift with Roger Federer

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 2:41pm EST

pRoger Federer and Rafael Nadal today displayed their class on and off the court by easing into the second round of the Australian Open and then diffusing a potential rift over the governance of tennis./p

Danny Care banned after pleading guilty to drink driving charge

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 2:30pm EST

pEngland rugby star Danny Care was fined a total of £3,100 and banned from driving for 16 months today after pleading guilty to drink-driving in the early hours of New Year's Day. /p

Phone hacking 'might have' happened, says Daily Mirror editor Richard Wallace

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 2:17pm EST

pThe editors of the Daily Mirror and the Sunday Mirror have conceded that phone hacking might have occurred at their newspapers./p

Bovis on track as profits rise

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 2:12pm EST

pA focus on family homes in the south of England has left Bovis Homes on course to deliver a "significant" increase in profits, it said today./p

Cruise captain 'overrode computer'

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 2:00pm EST

pThe captain of the cruise ship that capsized off Tuscany made an unauthorised diversion from the ship's computer-programmed course, his company said today./p

Costa Concordia cruise captain 'overrode computer'

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 2:00pm EST

pThe captain of the wrecked cruise ship which hit rocks off Italy made "an unapproved, unauthorised" deviation to his route, the liner's owners said today. /p

Death toll in Beirut building collapse rises to 18

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:57pm EST

pLebanese security officials said today that the death toll from the collapse of a five-story residential building in Beirut has risen to 18, most of them foreigners. /p

Australian Open in pictures - Day 1

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:55pm EST

pThe latest images from the Australian Open in Melbourne./p

Wiley, Proud2, London

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:45pm EST

pWhen informing a friend about my plans for Saturday night, he replied “If I was your father, I’d ban you from going.” Another said "Just you two girls on your own? Are you crazy?"/p

Caroline Wozniacki powers through to second round

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:30pm EST

pWorld number one Caroline Wozniacki dispelled any lingering doubt about her wrist injury by brushing aside the challenge of Anastasia Rodionova at the Australian Open today./p

The Man in the Middle, Theatre 503, London

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:25pm EST

p"The most dangerous man in the world" or "splendide mendax" (the Horatian tag meaning "nobly untruthful")? A "high-tech terrorist" or the visionary who "invented a new way of keeping governments honest"? The Man in the Middle, Ron Elisha's play about WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, purports to dramatise the tension between these conflicting verdicts and to explore the attendant ambiguities./p

Pss Pss, Purcell Room, Southbank Centre, London

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:24pm EST

pSimone Fassari and Camilla Pessi, the award-winning double act Baccala Clowns, bow in triumph because they’ve managed to juggle a single apple. Then they flip coolly through challenging acrobatics, Pessi poised on one hand on Fassari’s head. Pss Pss is a children’s show that works for its young audience, and for adults too./p

New royal yacht 'not appropriate', says David Cameron

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:21pm EST

pDowning Street has been approached with proposals for a new privately funded royal yacht to mark the Queen's diamond jubilee this year, Prime Minister David Cameron's official spokesman said today. /p

Permalink for '_______Education_/2012/01/16/Jon%c2%a0Huntsman_to_quit_Republican_nomination_race'

Jon Huntsman to quit Republican nomination race

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:06pm EST

pJon Huntsman, the former ambassador to China whose presidential campaign never connected with Republican primary voters, will withdraw today from the race for the nomination, his campaign manager said./p

The Switch: Behind the children of the revolution

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 1:00pm EST

pLast time, we took a peek into entrepreneur Ning Li’s psyche./p

Global trading presents rich opportunities

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 12:52pm EST

pWith favourable exchange rates and the maintenance of the 0.5 per cent interest rate, more UK businesses are considering international trade as a means of expanding their business./p

Kevin Pietersen promises not to use spot-fixing issue to sledge Pakistan

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 12:04pm EST

pKevin Pietersen has promised England will not use the issue of spot-fixing to get under Pakistan's skin in the forthcoming Test series. /p

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni backs coach Duncan Fletcher

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 12:02pm EST

pIndia coach Duncan Fletcher has been given the backing of his captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni despite being on the verge of a second successive away series whitewash since he took charge./p

Roger Federer back to his best in Australian Open victory

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:53am EST

pRoger Federer showed no sign of back trouble as he cruised into the second round of the Australian Open today with a 7-5 6-2 6-2 victory over qualifier Alexander Kudryavtsev./p

Rafael Nadal makes easy progress in Melbourne

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:52am EST

pRafael Nadal swatted away the threat posed by American qualifier Alex Kuznetsov to reach the second round at the Australian Open./p

Victoria Azarenka in a hurry at Australian Open

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:51am EST

pVictoria Azarenka led a quintet of leading players in cruising into the second round of the Australian Open today./p

In pictures: The Golden Globes

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:51am EST

pSee the winners, the losers, the entertainers and the wannabes in this selection of pictures from last night's Golden Globe awards./p

Local favourite Bernard Tomic stuns Fernando Verdasco with comeback

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:50am EST

pBernard Tomic thrilled the Melbourne crowd by hitting back from two sets down to stun 22nd seed Fernando Verdasco on the opening day of the Australian Open./p

Nightmare for British tennis following mass exit from Australian Open

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:47am EST

pLaura Robson made an attempt to play down the significance of five defeats out of five for British players on the opening day of the Australian Open./p

Danny Care set for court appearance over drink driving charge

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:44am EST

pEngland and Harlequins scrum-half Danny Care will appear at Southampton Magistrate's Court today to face a charge of drink driving. /p

Former Sale Sharks wing Selorm Kuadey dies age 24

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:43am EST

pSale Sharks have announced the death of their former wing Selorm Kuadey at the age of 24./p

Modern rugby 'no more dangerous' than before says research

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:42am EST

pThe perception that professional rugby players run a greater risk of injury now than ever before is false, according to the latest in-depth findings. /p

Gary Cahill transfer to Chelsea expected to be completed within 24 hours

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:39am EST

pBolton boss Owen Coyle expects Gary Cahill's transfer to Chelsea to finally be completed either later today or tomorrow morning./p

Gary Cahill completes protracted transfer to Chelsea

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:39am EST

pGary Cahill today insisted he was never going to turn down the chance to join Chelsea after finally completing his £7million move from Bolton./p

Patrice Evra vows to show leadership after receiving Manchester United captaincy

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:37am EST

pPatrice Evra believes he must show leadership on and off the field after inheriting the Manchester United captaincy./p

Premier League chief Richard Scudamore a 'constructive critic' of Fifa

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:35am EST

pPremier League chief executive Richard Scudamore believes it is "very hard to have huge regard for FIFA" after the organisation's difficulties over the past year./p

Alex Ferguson calls for clarity over red card offences

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:33am EST

pSir Alex Ferguson saw Manchester United get back to winning ways against Bolton on Saturday but was left baffled by the increasingly thorny issue of red cards in the Barclays Premier League./p

Oriol Romeu says Fernando Torres is now proving critics wrong

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:31am EST

pFernando Torres' recent performances have proven his critics wrong, according to Chelsea team-mate Oriol Romeu./p

Inter Milan make Carlos Tevez bid according to reports

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:29am EST

pInter Milan have lodged a bid of 25million euros for Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez, according to a report in Italy./p

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Inter Milan make £21m Carlos Tevez bid

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:29am EST

pInter Milan have renewed their bid to sign Carlos Tevez but their initial inquiry is likely to fail./p

Diego Maradona undergoes surgery in Dubai

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:28am EST

pDiego Maradona has undergone surgery to have kidney stones removed, the Dubai hospital where he is being treated said on Monday./p

Cruise liner captain faces accusations of 'significant error'

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:27am EST

pThe death toll in the Italian cruise liner disaster rose to six today as Captain Francesco Schettino's behaviour came under close scrutiny from investigators./p

I say Pooh to all this Yanking up the Queen's English

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:21am EST

pI have written before about those tell-tale signs of getting old, one of which is disapproval of grammatical errors./p

Half-price tickets for Cosi fan tutte

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:21am EST

pTreat yourself to an exciting evening with this special Independent offer for Così fan tutte at the Royal Opera House./p

Half-price tickets for Cosi fan tutte

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:21am EST

pTreat yourself to an exciting evening with this special Independent offer for Così fan tutte at the Royal Opera House./p

Simon Kelner: I say Pooh to all this Yanking up the Queen's English

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:01am EST

pI have written before about those tell-tale signs of getting old, one of which is disapproval of grammatical errors./p

England face endurance test to hold on to top spot

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pEngland begin their first Test series as the best team in the world tomorrow. By the time the third match against Pakistan finishes early next month they will have a clearer idea of where they truly stand./p

Male passengers pushed ahead of women and children in scramble to flee vessel

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pRescuers were last night frantically searching for 15 people still missing from the wrecked cruise ship Costa Concordia in Italian waters, after managing to save two honeymooners and an crewman earlier in the day./p

Champions split over grievances

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pRafael Nadal and Roger Federer have long been regarded as the friendliest and most respectful of rivals but, here, on the eve of the Australian Open, there were signs of a significant divide between the two men./p

Clegg courts public support with call for a 'tax the rich' Budget

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pNick Clegg is demanding a "tax the rich" Budget in March to head off growing fears that the Coalition will lose public support because its deficit-reduction programme is seen as unfair on ordinary families./p

Best steals the Hughes comeback show

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pNewcastle went sixth in the Premier League table yesterday with this victory – thanks to a Leon Best strike that embodied all that manager Alan Pardew asks from his side: spirit, endeavour and honesty – but the return of Mark Hughes (right) to management with QPR was the day's focus./p

Salmond hits back as pound takes centre stage

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe Government could not stop an independent Scotland keeping the pound, Alex Salmond declared yesterday, as sterling moved to the heart of the heated debate about the union./p

James Lawton: Flap over refereeing diminishes Premier League

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pIt is no doubt reasonable to believe that, if Mark Hughes gets a little more than nominal financial support from the owners who cut the ground from beneath his predecessor Neil Warnock's feet, he should save Queen's Park Rangers./p

Polluted air could put Olympic athletes at risk, warn scientists

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pOlympic athletes could suffer impaired performance times and become ill as a result of London's unacceptably high levels of air pollution, leading respiratory scientists are warning./p

Sam Wallace: Morrison's troubles throw the spotlight on teenage talent

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pGoodness knows, football has had its bad boys, its rebels and its malcontents over the years. But there has never been a case like that of Ravel Morrison, a boy who has played just three games for Manchester United's senior team, yet, at 18, has become as well known as some of his more experienced first-team counterparts. That the description "troubled" is more often than not placed ahead of his name is newspaper shorthand for a whole host of problems not easily squeezed into one line./p

Call to honour animal stars at the Oscars

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pAs two-legged actors celebrated at the Golden Globes last night, a campaign to honour stars of the four-legged variety was gathering pace./p

Ian Burrell: 'Press ethics? It's like asking Harold Shipman's advice on medical ethics'

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pIs Leveson working? Four months into an inquiry which Richard Desmond described last week as "the worst thing that has ever happened for newspapers in my lifetime" there are fears that this supposed cleansing process may render the press more toxic in the eyes of the British public than when the hearing began./p

Counting the billions: India starts to empower its people

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pShambhu Sharma has no passport, no ration book, no voter identity card or anything similar. Four years ago, he said, he was pick-pocketed./p

Lo-Q wins contract for Legoland queuing system

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pAlternative Investment Market-listed Lo-Q has won another contract with Merlin Entertain- ments, which will see its queuing technology installed in the theme park operator's Legoland Deutschland, above. Lo-Q is the company behind the Q-bot, a device with which harassed parents at many British theme parks may already be familiar: it enables them to reserve times on busy rides rather than having to queue./p

Professor is happy with his message of doom

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pH e is one of the most vilified men in the highly vilified field of climate science, yet Professor Michael Mann is jolly. Despite being the focus of a brutal campaign orchestrated by the fossil-fuel industry and the US Republican Party, Mann's cheery stoicism is positively infectious./p

Mary Ann Sieghart: Even Ed's friends don't see him as PM

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pIf you were prepared to tell pollsters you were a Labour supporter, the chances are you'd say you supported its leader too, right? Well, buried in a YouGov poll for the Sunday Times yesterday, and not even mentioned in the paper, is an extraordinary figure. Only 16 per cent of Labour supporters agree that: "Ed Miliband has the right policies and also looks and sounds like a possible Prime Minister." A staggering 59 per cent like his policies but say they can't imagine him in Number 10. And a further 11 per cent don't like his policies and can't see him as Prime Minister either. That's 70 per cent of Miliband's own followers who don't believe in him./p

$Permalink for '_______Education_/2012/01/16/Government_accused_of_complacency_on_fracking'$

Government accused of complacency on fracking

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe Government has been accused of "appalling complacency" after it emerged that not a single minister has met with the Environment Agency's experts to discuss the hugely controversial gas exploration technique known as fracking./p

Cut! It's time to snip the bloated blockbusters

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pIs it just me or are films getting longer? My last two cinema excursions have involved predictable action nonsense in the form of Tom Cruise's falsely titled Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (the fact the movie is now on its fourth iteration proves said mission is more than accomplishable) and Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Neither film is what you'd call a cultural magnum opus, and yet both found me shifting uncomfortably in my seat as they each creaked past the two-hour mark./p

Industry looking overseas for growth

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pA worsening economy will force British manufacturers to look overseas for growth in 2012, according to a survey of senior executives./p

Rebecca Armstrong: Every little helps, yes, but so do washing machines

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pShoppers and commentators with a keen sense of Schadenfreude have been huzzah-ing for the last few days over Tesco's seasonal slip-up (its value is down £5bn because of over-expansion, lack of investment in existing stores or because it's the supermarket equivalent of a moatful of hungry piranhas, depending on who you listen to). Meanwhile, I've been taking a longer view on the pros and cons of Tesco Metros, Extras or Superstores. That's because the book I'm reading at the moment, Among the Bohemians, a history of the early 20th century's arty crowd (written by bona fide boho descendent Virginia Nicholson, granddaughter of Vanessa Bell) has given me a new insight on housekeeping, 1900s style./p

RBS accused of turning its back on struggling chains

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe taxpayer-owned Royal Bank of Scotland stands accused of taking a decision to scale back its lending exposure to troubled high street operators, potentially killing retailers and risking major job losses./p

Philip Hensher: Try avoiding hackneyed 'Hockney' response

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pW hat's the world's greatest film? Citizen Kane. Greatest painting? The Mona Lisa. The greatest symphony? Beethoven's ninth. The greatest novel? War and Peace. Of course. What isn't quite so generally agreed is Top Living Exponent – or at any rate, it tends to change from time to time. By the time Lucian Freud died, it was generally agreed that he occupied the place of Top Living British Painter. The jockeying for position after a great man's death is not a noisy or ruthless affair – not like the lobbying for position which follows a political death. But the question starts to arise, nevertheless. In the New Year, David Hockney was awarded the Order of Merit – the grandest of honours, a step up from the Companion of Honour he has had for 14 years. That is timed to precede the most conspicuous of seals of fame, an enormous survey of his recent work at the Royal Academy, over which he has evidently had almost total control. Ten years ago, there might have been half a dozen plausible names competing for the honour of being the answer to the question: "Who's the best living British artist?" Now, the quest seems to be over for now; the answer: Hockney. The search for and subsequent assertion of Top Thing in an art form is an arid and discouraging affair, I must say. Stravinsky disliked the word "genius" with its responses: "Leonardo" and "Beethoven". The reason that such answers arise is that not all of us have sufficient time to devote to the arts. We don't want to waste our time with artists who are pretty good, with novels which have a terrific chapter now and again. The flawed masterpiece, or the flawed master, is one which is taking up our time. If we are going to find a work of art to fill a spare hour, it had better be something agreed to be the best. The value of art is not like the result of a sporting competition – it is only what is agreed on when thousands of critical judgements collide. Hockney is a fascinating but very quirky artist. Some will find his RA show horrible to look at and resent the recommendation which comes from him being considered Top Brit. And that may be as legitimate a judgement as the award of an OM. Nobody knows which has more truth to it./p

Rebecca Armstrong: Every little helps, yes, but so do washing machines

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 10:55am EST

pShoppers and commentators with a keen sense of Schadenfreude have been huzzah-ing for the last few days over Tesco's seasonal slip-up (its value is down £5bn because of over-expansion, lack of investment in existing stores or because it's the supermarket equivalent of a moatful of hungry piranhas, depending on who you listen to)./p

George Osborne 'confident' on economic outlook

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 10:30am EST

pChancellor George Osborne insisted today the Government was doing everything possible to "weather the storm" as economic forecasters warned the UK is likely to be already in recession./p

Britain already back in recession say respected forecasters

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 9:33am EST

pThe UK is likely to already be in recession, according to two highly regarded economic forecasters, as developments in the eurozone paralyse the country's recovery./p

Pakistan's PM faces court proceedings

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 9:14am EST

pPakistan's top court has initiated contempt proceedings against the prime minister for failing to carry out the court's order to open a corruption probe into the president./p

Pakistan's PM Yousuf Raza Gilani faces court proceedings

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 9:14am EST

pPakistan's top court has initiated contempt proceedings against the prime minister for failing to carry out the court's order to open a corruption probe into the president./p

Thousands set to strike in three separate disputes

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 9:12am EST

pThousands of workers will go on strike this week in three separate disputes over jobs and pensions affecting consumer goods giant Unilever, tax offices and a leading gallery./p

Trinity Mirror editors face Leveson inquiry

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 9:10am EST

pThree national newspaper editors from Trinity Mirror, one of Britain's largest media groups, will give evidence to the Leveson Inquiry today./p

Scotland Yard works on anti-gang strategy

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 9:06am EST

pScotland Yard is developing a new strategy to tackle gang-related crime and serious youth violence in the capital./p

Sound of silence: 'The Artist' triumphs at Golden Globes

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 8:16am EST

pThe black-and-white silent film The Artist came away with the most prizes with three wins at the Golden Globes, but the show spread the love around among a broad range of films and TV shows./p

The sound of silence: 'The Artist' triumphs at The Golden Globes

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 8:16am EST

pThe old adage about silence being golden was certainly true in Hollywood last night, after The Artist, a silent, black-and-white movie by a little-known French director emerged with three trophies at the 69th annual Golden Globe awards./p

Archaeologists discover tomb of female singer in Valley of the Kings

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 3:22am EST

pArchaeologists from Egypt and Switzerland have unearthed the 1,100-year-old tomb of a female singer in the Valley of the Kings./p

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Gove: Queen deserves £60m yacht for Queen

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 2:10am EST

pThe Queen should be given a new royal yacht – likely to cost at least £60m – as a way to help overturn Britain's mood of austerity, according to Cabinet minister Michael Gove./p

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Gove: Queen deserves £60m yacht for Jubilee

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 2:10am EST

pThe Queen should be given a new royal yacht – likely to cost at least £60m – as a way to help overturn Britain's mood of austerity, according to Cabinet minister Michael Gove./p

The News Matrix: Monday 16 January 2012

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 2:05am EST

pstrongBritain 'won't pick up until 2013'/strong/p

The Sports Matrix: Monday 16 January 2012

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:55am EST

pstrongWenger unhappy with 'dive' after Swansea defeat/strong/p

The Business Matrix: Monday 16 January 2012

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:40am EST

pstrongBarratts deal sees 2,290 jobs axed/strong/p

Milito gives Inter spoils and leaves Milan trailing

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:10am EST

pA Diego Milito goal early in the second half gave Internazionale the spoils in last night's Milan derby and cost Milan top spot in Serie A./p

Swansea rampage while Wenger rants

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:10am EST

pWhile Brendan Rodgers urged the England manager, Fabio Capello, to call up his match-winners against Arsenal yesterday, Arsène Wenger accused Nathan Dyer of "diving" and Michael Oliver of granting a penalty which he called "complete imagination"./p

i Editor's Letter: Blue Monday

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p /p

Solicitor reinstated after tribunal accepts sleeping tablets appeal

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA solicitor who was struck off for dishonesty has been reinstated after a tribunal accepted medical evidence that prescription sleeping tablets had rendered him confused, irrational and reckless at the time of the alleged wrongdoing./p

What to do if you have booked a cruise: QA

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOn 23 January 2012, Costa Concordia was sailing north-west from Civitavecchia to Savona on the Italian Riviera. She struck a rock close to the Tuscan island of Giglio and capsized. At least five people are known to have died in the shipwreck, and several more people still unaccounted for./p

Federer and Nadal split over talk of strike

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRafael Nadal and Roger Federer have long been regarded as the friendliest and most respectful of rivals, but on the eve of the Australian Open here there were signs of a significant divide between the two men./p

Romney hands over $60 to struggling supporter

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMitt Romney, the front-runner in the race for the Republican US presidential nomination, handed over a fistful of cash to an unemployed supporter at one of his rallies on Saturday night, after she complained of being so hard-up that she could not afford her electricity bills./p

Jobs at risk as teacher training courses dwindle

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pUniversities will be forced to axe teacher training courses this year, lecturers' leaders say, causing job losses across the country./p

Got a problem? Mediators are waiting for your call

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThere was a time when, if you wanted to get a divorce, complain about your doctor or fall out with a colleague, the only people who could help you were lawyers – and the only place to settle things was the cold, adversarial surroundings of the courtroom./p

Coleman set for talks with FAW

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe former Fulham manager, Chris Coleman, will meet with the Football Association of Wales (FAW) this week to discuss the vacant national team job./p

London comic contests top US film festival prize

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAn award-winning London comedian heads a strong contingent of UK talent out to make their mark at the Sundance Film Festival this week./p

Robshaw adds 'cool' to England captain CV

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAmong the considerations that go into deciding the captaincy of England – the most recent incumbent, Lewis Moody, showed a thespian talent in recreating his team talk for a sponsor's advertisement – decision-making under pressure must be high on the list. Chris Robshaw, the Harlequins flanker and skipper who is among three or four prime candidates to succeed the internationally-retired Moody, had just such a pressurised decision in the final quarter of this fifth-round Heineken Cup pool match that knocked Gloucester out of contention for the quarter-finals while keeping the Quins on course./p

Harrison and Murray share the burden of expectation

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHis talent is clear but he is regularly criticised for his fiery temperament. He comes from a country desperate to end its long wait for a Grand Slam champion. He has just appointed a new coach. Sounds familiar? Ryan Harrison has much in common with Andy Murray and tomorrow the brightest hope in American tennis will take on Britain's best player in three-quarters of a century in the first round of the Australian Open./p

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Tom Bawden: Cheap gas – the benefits and dangers

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEvery week somewhere in the world new evidence surfaces that confirms our worst fears about the environmental dangers of fracking. /p

Rick Perry attacks Obama over video

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRick Perry, a Republican presidential hopeful, is accusing the Obama administration of "over-the-top rhetoric" and "disdain for the military" in its attack on a video apparently showing Marines urinating on dead Taliban fighters./p

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Cruise tragedy death toll hits five – and 15 are still missing

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRescuers were frantically searching for 15 people still missing from the wrecked cruise liner off Italy last night after managing to save two South Korean honeymooners and an Italian crewman earlier in the day./p

Barritt and Farrell put Sarries on high road

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe job is not yet done: Saracens, the English champions, must take something from their final Pool Five game against Treviso in north-east Italy next weekend to be sure of qualifying for the knock-out stage of the world's best club competition for only the second time in six attempts./p

Senior Labour adviser defects to the Tories

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA Blairite former Labour official will defect to the Conservative Party today in another serious setback to Ed Miliband's attempt to mount a fightback./p

Health chiefs plan for epidemic during games

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPreparations are being made to deal with a possible epidemic of infectious disease during the London Olympics, with officials concerned at the prospect of an outbreak of unusual illnesses./p

Foden heroics fire Saints to comeback win

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNorthampton director of rugby Jim Mallinder hailed "world-class" matchwinner Ben Foden after the England full-back laid down a marker for Six Nations selection by playing a key role in his side's thrilling 29-17 win over Scarlets in the Heineken Cup./p

UK 'already suffering a double-dip recession'

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBritain is already in the grip of a double-dip recession and the economy will not pick up until 2013. Those were the stark conclusions of major reports out today from two of the country's most respected forecasters./p

Small Talk: Fearful firms need more help to grow

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWill he put his money where his mouth is? David Cameron's first set-piece speech of the year was to a group of small business owners in Maidenhead, an outing that was meant to underline the Prime Minister's determination – shared by his Chancellor – to ensure that small and medium-sized enterprises are the engine that drives economic recovery. Yet all the evidence suggests that fear continues to hold back many businesses that might otherwise be looking to expand in 2012./p

Sweeping troop cuts for army

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSweeping troop cut numbers due to be revealed tomorrow point to a fundamental reshaping of Britain's army./p

Booth hopes to clear Shingler for Scotland

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pToby Booth, the director of rugby for London Irish, has appealed for a common-sense solution in the dispute between Wales and Scotland for the services of Steven Shingler. In particular, Booth wants to know where the player stands before he takes London Irish to Scotland for next Sunday's final pool game in the Heineken Cup./p

The Weekend's Viewing: Call the Midwife, Sun, BBC1 Sherlock, Sun, BBC1

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pI do understand why creators don't much care for critics./p

Warning over speech therapy cuts

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pCuts to speech therapy services could force thousands of children with problems to wait for months for support, making it far harder for them to catch up, the Government's communication champion warns ministers today. /p

The Week Ahead: Cheaper land set to boost housebuilders' margins

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pToday/p

Ian Burrell: What the past four months have really taught us about the tabloid press

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIs Leveson working? Four months into an inquiry which Richard Desmond described last week as "the worst thing that has ever happened for newspapers in my lifetime" there are fears that this supposed cleansing process may render the press more toxic in the eyes of the British public than when the hearing began./p

Sarkozy ignores ratings blow as he promises reform

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPresident Nicolas Sarkozy promised yesterday to make an "important" statement to the French people about plans for "urgent" economic reform – but made no mention of the country losing its coveted AAA debt rating./p

Arsenal outgunned in Swansea Wonderland

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNo Thierry Henry heroics this time around. The fairy tale was all Swansea City's as they stretched their arms out wide in Wonderland. Nine years ago to the day, Swansea were bottom of the Football League. And guess who were top of the Premiership? Arsenal./p

Counting the billions: India starts to empower its people

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pShambhu Sharma had arrived with nothing that could prove who he was. He had no passport, no ration book, no voter identity card or anything similar. Four years ago, he said, he was pick-pocketed and everything was taken. As India goes about trying to provide a unique identity number to each of its citizens, it is people like Mr Sharma who provide officials with some of the most testing challenges. The government's scheme accepts 17 separate forms of photo identification and 32 as proof of address, but sometimes there are individuals such as Mr Sharma who genuinely have nothing./p

Hope for family of murdered waiter as prosecutor agrees to meeting after 14 years

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe family of a man stabbed to death, whose unsolved murder led him to become known as "Scotland's Stephen Lawrence", has welcomed the announcement that the country's top law officer will meet them./p

Round-up: McGahan warns Munster of Saints revenge mission

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Munster head coach Tony McGahan believes the two-time Heineken Cup winners can take plenty of positives from making it through to the quarter-finals of the competition for a 13th time on Saturday./p

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Exclusive: Ministers slammed over fracking

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Government has been accused of "appalling complacency" after it emerged that not a single minister has met with the Environment Agency's experts to discuss the hugely controversial gas exploration technique known as fracking./p

Call for more charitable bequests

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA campaign for people to leave 10 per cent of their estate to charities and cultural organisations on their death claimed the backing of all three political parties yesterday./p

Brian Cathcart: Could Leveson be about to join a long line of history's suckers?

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOne by one the editors pop up in front of Lord Justice Leveson and agree that there should be tougher regulation of the press. They may warn of the need to avoid throwing the baby of challenging journalism out with the bathwater of unethical conduct, but most of them accept that the Press Complaints Commission, as presently constituted, is not up to the job./p

Noisy protests against austerity in Romania

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pProtests reflecting widespread anger against the unpopular government and its austerity measures continued across the country yesterday./p

Mark Hughes sees bright signs from his new charges

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHe lasted just three minutes before the confines of the dugout proved too constrictive. Just after half past one, Mark Hughes was back in football management and at 1.33pm, officially back in business. At that point it was with instructions to Luke Young about giving his new team more width. At that point, as for the first half hour, the new headmaster had a classroom sitting to full attention, players who had listened to what had effectively been a week of cramming. He barely left his technical area all afternoon./p

Philip Hensher: Genius is just a matter of taste

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhat's the world's greatest film? Citizen Kane, of course. And the greatest painting? The Mona Lisa. And the greatest symphony? Beethoven 9. And the greatest novel? War and Peace. Of course. It's generally agreed. What isn't quite so generally agreed is Top Living Exponent – or at any rate, it tends to change from time to time./p

Taliban denies Pakistani leader has been killed

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIntercepted radio communications indicate that the leader of the Pakistani Taliban may have been killed in a recent US drone strike, Pakistani intelligence officials said yesterday. The reports were denied by a spokesman for the Taliban./p

Adkins praises Southampton's 'fantastic spirit' after 10-man Forest felled

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNigel Adkins, the Southampton manager, believes Saturday's 3-0 win at Nottingham Forest will put the club back on track for promotion. The leaders put an end to an indifferent run of league form at the City Ground, coasting to victory over goal-shy 10-man Forest following a run of one win in six in the Championship./p

Man held after two found dead

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA man has been held on suspicion of murdering his partner and her eight-year-old daughter after their bodies were found in a house./p

BP ready to support struggling Petroplus to safeguard supplies

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBP is considering possible measures to support the cash-strapped European refiner Petroplus, on whom the oil giant relies to supply its UK petrol stations./p

Salmond says Scots could keep pound

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe UK Government could not stop an independent Scotland keeping the pound, Alex Salmond said yesterday as sterling moved to the heart of the debate about the Union./p

James Corrigan: Matt Every refuses to play bawl with hypocrites

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMatt Every announced yesterday "I'm not running for President". Which is a shame. Because if he was challenging Obama, his interview on Friday would become an all-time classic which would open up a debate on the perils of being honest, the necessity for bland PR and the heinous crime of smoking spliffs./p

Ennis talks Turkey with confidence after golden return

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNo sooner had Jessica Ennis popped out of winter training to win her first gold medal and her first title of 2012 than she was getting ready to return to hibernation in home Olympic year./p

Racehorses face butcher's axe as recession forces courses to close

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt is not a good time to be a racehorse in Italy. Many Italians already had a taste for cavallo, but with the economy dipping and people staying away from the races, horse steaks, stews and cutlets are a set feature on many more menus./p

Sir Lancelot Errington: Civil servant who helped found the Welfare State

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHappily married to the same lady for 70 years, Lance Errington – it did not occur to us to call such an unpompous and witty man Lancelot – was a hugely effective civil servant who devoted his working life to welfare and his social life to keeping friendships in first-class repair./p

Luiz displays the need for Cahill

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA clean sheet, Chelsea's first in the Premier League in six weeks and seven matches, but there was plenty for Gary Cahill to savour as he watched his new team defend. The England centre-half, who passed a medical before the game and will complete the formalities of his £7m move from Bolton Wanderers today, has not come to Stamford Bridge to sit on the bench and on this evidence he will not do so for long./p

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Viv Groskop: Welcome to modern motherhood, Beyoncé...

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPoor Blue Ivy Carter. The daughter of Beyoncé and Jay-Z is barely a week old and already she has come to know both the highs and lows of celebrity life. Her high-pitched squawking has been sampled on her father's hip-hop track, "Glory", causing her to become the youngest person ever to appear on the Billboard chart ("Baby, I paint da sky for you"). Less glamorously – or perhaps more, depending on how you measure these things – she has now had a strain of marijuana named after her, on sale in labelled jars in medical weed dispensaries in LA. The high life indeed./p

Tibetans clash with police after man sets himself on fire

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSecurity forces clashed with angry Tibetans in south-western China yesterday, shooting one person, after a man set himself on fire in the latest protest against Chinese rule, activist groups said./p

Time running out for Portsmouth to find the right owner

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThis week, Portsmouth hope to learn the name of their sixth owner since August 2009. In November the club's parent company, Convers Sports Initiatives [CSI], went into administration after the arrest of No 5, Vladimir Antonov, on charges of bank fraud. The previous four presided over a period of decline that included relegation, administration and a legacy of debt that will eat up virtually all the parachute payments designed to help cope with life after the Premier League, which makes finding the right buyer now essential./p

British manufacturers rely on overseas growth

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA worsening economy will force British manufacturers to look overseas for growth in 2012, according to a survey of senior executives./p

'There were so many children and lots of people were thanking God that they were still alive'

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pCrossing the tranquil lagoon yesterday from mainline Tuscany to the verdant peninsula of Monte Argentario it was hard to imagine the scenes from 1970s-style disaster film that descended on this beautiful and isolated part of Italy on Friday night and early Saturday, as helicopters and ambulances raced back and forth./p

Frederica Sagor Maas: Screenwriter who spanned the silent era and film's golden age

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFrederica Sagor Maas went to Hollywood in her early 20s determined to be a writer./p

Vincent Kompany 'has no previous' says Platt

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRoberto Mancini's assistant, David Platt, has dismissed Sir Alex Ferguson's inflammatory claim that the Manchester City captain, Vincent Kompany, has a history of dangerous two-footed tackles, insisting that no amount of provocation from other clubs will deflect the Premier League leaders from their course towards a coveted title./p

Chris Bryant: The Church of England needs to forget its silliness about homosexuality

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAnyone who has ever heard Jeffrey John preach, read his poetry or met him knows that he is a man of immense spirituality who should have been made a bishop years ago./p

US think-tank hails Hong Kong as 'world's most free economy'

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHong Kong has the most free economy in the world, thanks to a combination of light regulation and the embracing of laissez-faire economic policy, according to the Heritage Foundation, a right-wing, US-based think tank./p

Mary Ann Sieghart: What happens when even your supporters don't believe in you?

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIf you were prepared to tell pollsters you were a Labour supporter, the chances are you'd say you supported its leader too, right? Well, buried in the interstices of a YouGov poll for the Sunday Times yesterday, and not even mentioned in the paper, is an extraordinary figure. Only 16 per cent of Labour supporters agree that: "Ed Miliband has the right policies and also looks and sounds like a possible Prime Minister." A staggering 59 per cent like his policies but say they can't imagine him in Number 10. And a further 11 per cent don't like his policies and can't see him as Prime Minister either. That's 70 per cent of Miliband's own followers who don't believe in him./p

RBS's 'outrageous' pull-out from Peacocks talks puts rescue at risk

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTaxpayer-owned Royal Bank of Scotland stands accused of a decision to scale back its lending exposure to troubled high street operators, potentially killing retailers and risking major job losses./p

The survivors: 'Chaos reigned as men pushed ahead of women and kids to board lifeboats'

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBritish passengers have told of the chaos on board the Costa Concordia cruise ship as men pushed ahead of women and children to get on to lifeboats as the ship listed after running aground off the coast of Italy./p

Still dotty about Damien

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pYou don't understand. This is a really monumental project," exclaims Stefan Ratibor, director of Gagosian in London. As indeed it is./p

Bert Reynolds: One of the world's oldest online editors

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAt the age of 96, Bert Reynolds, Publisher of The Industrial Pioneer, was still working on the publication's website on the morning before he collapsed and died./p

'Dinosaur' Scholes gives United old edge in experience

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe talk was all of Paul Scholes but perhaps more significant for the longer term was a banner with a picture of Manchester United's other late thirty-something, Ryan Giggs, emblazoned upon it. "He's won it 12 times," ran the slogan: "Twelve more than Gerrard."/p

Hilfenhaus's rapid haul leaves India without hope

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA rampant Australia blitzed India's tail to inflict an innings defeat on the tourists with more than two days to spare in the third Test in Perth yesterday, giving the hosts an unassailable 3-0 lead in the four-match series./p

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Disaster liner was insured for €405m

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pShareholders and insurers of the London Stock Exchange-listed cruise ship operator Carnival Corporation will today be counting the financial cost of the grounding of its Costa Concordia liner./p

Something From The Weekend: Adam Bogdan's heroics; out-of-form India; Grand old Spurs

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongThe good: Adam Bogdan/strong/p

Assad offers an amnesty to the 'criminals' of the Syrian uprising

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSyrian opposition groups last night poured scorn on President Bashar al-Assad's offer of an amnesty to his opponents, with one of the most senior members of the Muslim Brotherhood saying the time had come for foreign military intervention./p

Lambert stays in survival mode

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSchooled as they are in toeing the party line, Norwich City continue to talk of 40-point targets, tough fixtures and, humbler still, "staying in this League". Which leaves the rest of us to argue the case that they look sufficiently organised, driven and equipped not only to survive but to avoid serious anxieties./p

Sam Wallace: Ravel Morrison's troubles throw spotlight on teenage talent

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pGoodness knows, football has had its bad boys, its rebels and its malcontents over the years. Some have had to fall a long way before the penny dropped and some ran out of chances. Elite sport discriminates only on grounds of talent and in football, the nation's wealthiest, most intensely competitive sport, that means people will put up with a lot./p

England face an endurance test to remain at No 1

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEngland begin their first Test series as the best team in the world tomorrow. By the time the third match against Pakistan finishes early next month they will have a clearer idea of where they truly stand./p

'Business lounges' set to open in Shell petrol stations

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe serviced office group Regus has struck a deal with the oil giant Shell that could see its business lounges opened on petrol forecourts across Europe./p

RFL denies Gleeson cover-up

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Rugby Football League has denied any part in a cover-up of the doping scandal that saw Hull's Martin Gleeson banned for 18 months./p

American Football: Tebow's flaws are exposed in fairy tale's unhappy ending

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA mere 48 hours ago, he was America's most adored athlete, living a fairy tale that some dreamed might take his team to the Super Bowl. This chilly Monday morning, Tim Tebow is an afterthought to the NFL season as it moves towards its climax – a quarterback with uplifting game-side rituals but once again of uncertain career prospects./p

Summer Breeze: The new fashion season

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt may seem like winter has just begun but, with characteristic perversity, fashion is warming up for spring – the summer pre-collections are already in store./p

Clegg wants Budget to target the rich

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNick Clegg is demanding a "tax the rich" Budget in March to head off growing fears that the Coalition will lose public support because its deficit-reduction programme is seen as unfair on ordinary families./p

Kean happy for fans as Rovers move up

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSteve Kean, the Blackburn manager, has received little credit this season after his side's few victories, which include memorable wins over Arsenal and Manchester United, with the results being attributed to poor performances from the opposition, but the Scot deserves praise for seeing his side through to three points on Saturday./p

James Lawton: Flap over refereeing leaves the top flight looking amateurish

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt is no doubt reasonable to believe that, if Mark Hughes gets a little more than nominal financial support from the owners who cut the ground from beneath his predecessor Neil Warnock's feet, he should save Queen's Park Rangers./p

Leading article: Mr Cameron must listen to the call to tax the rich

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Labour leader, Ed Miliband, has come in for a good deal of criticism for his attempts to relaunch his leadership of the party with a debate on the need for a kinder, more responsible form of capitalism. Cut the deep philosophising and get on with hammering the Coalition Government more effectively, is the caustic response of some on his own side./p

More strikes and unrest in Nigeria after fuel price talks break down

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA nationwide strike in Nigeria over fuel prices is set to escalate today after two major unions said talks with the government had failed, threatening oil exports which are vital to the West African country's economy./p

Lennon misses pace of Forrest

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNeil Lennon admits his Celtic side missed James Forrest against Dundee United at Parkhead on Saturday despite moving two points clear of Rangers at the top with an unconvincing 2-1 win. /p

Misbah's rebuilt Pakistan hope for legitimate shocks

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhen Pakistan left England 16 months ago they were a rabble. They were poorly led and badly advised, hopelessly adrift and incapable of coping with the catastrophic match-fixing allegations that plunged their tour into chaos./p

Letters: England's anthem angers Scotland

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pScottish nationalism would not be the force it is today without the perverse decision by the (England) Rugby Football Union to use the British national anthem for the England team (letters, 11, 12, 13, 14 January)./p

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Ben Chu: All Greek bondholders should lose – even the European Central Bank

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe protracted struggle over Greek debt restructuring – which seemed further than ever from resolution at the end of last week – feels like an argument in a restaurant. The food has been eaten, but the diners don't agree about how much they each consumed. And everyone around the table has an interest in minimising their share of the bill./p

Skiing: Kostelic's third straight win equals Stenmark feat

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIvica Kostelic proved the master of Wengen yet again yesterday, winning a World Cup slalom to close the gap on overall leader Marcel Hirscher./p

The icing on the cake: All-new accessories

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstronguThe devil is in the detail/u/strong/ppGingham headscarves and printed frames lend a retro appeal to the spring wardrobe; woven belts provide a waisted silhouette./p

The Fashion Audit: Saddle bags, Iron Lady-likes, Kasabian, and the Fashion Fringe

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstronguWe Love: The new satchel/u/strong/ppThe geek-chic favourite has been knocked off its pedestal by something much more at home with the horsey set. Saddle bags are set to be everywhere this summer, so stand out from the crowd with a neon number./ppem£55, zatchels.com/em/p

Polluted air' puts Olympic athletes at risk'

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOlympic athletes could suffer impaired performance times and become ill as a result of London's unacceptably high levels of air pollution, leading respiratory scientists are warning./p

Toothless Liverpool miss Suarez

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p"I think I'm in danger of repeating myself here," said Kenny Dalglish when asked one question too many about his team's failure to break down a stubborn Stoke City side./p

Leading article: An establishment dilemma

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe office of a bishop is weighty in the Church. Charged with acting as a focus of unity and with upholding doctrine, the post is supposed to be prayerfully accepted rather than actively sought, which is why reports that the Dean of St Albans may sue the Church of England for discrimination over its refusal to make him a bishop will have shocked the Anglican hierarchy to its core./p

Cut! Why it's time to snip the bloated blockbusters

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIs it just me or are films getting longer?/p

Simon Calder: Cruise industry questions over Costa Concordia's loss

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAs stories of heroism, confusion and despair continued to flow from the Costa Concordia yesterday, attention began to switch from a small island off the west coast of Italy to the south bank of the Thames in London – location of the International Maritime Organization, the UN agency responsible for safety at sea./p

Matthew Norman: The minister who decided it was the right time to sell up

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRaw courage being the extreme political rarity it is, we celebrate it where we may. So a deafening bravo to the Welsh Secretary, Cheryl Gillan. With bravery bordering on recklessness, it emerges, Cheryl sold her constituency home in Amersham in November, despite it standing 500 yards from the newly announced rail link HS2 (not to be confused with David Miliband, who is of course R2D2). /p

Duminy steers proteas home

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSouth Africa claimed a five-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the second one-day international in East London on Saturday, despite an unbeaten 92 from Dinesh Chandimal. /p

Strike threatens Leonardo show

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pStaff at the National Gallery in London are to walk out on Thursday in a dispute over staff cuts, which could disrupt the Leonardo da Vinci exhibition./p

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Snooker: I'll play on – but on my terms, says O'Sullivan

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRonnie O'Sullivan stressed he will now play snooker on his own terms after battling through to the quarter-finals of the BGC Masters here yesterday./p

The Ten Best Men's wallets

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongu1. Topman/u/strong/ppem£10, red chambray, topman.com/em/ppThe softer sister of regular denim, chambray is a great option for those who don't like leather. This has two places for notes and a zipped pouch./p

Ready To Wear: Shop assistants are meant to be haughty

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt's survey time./p

Daughter demolishes the soup factory where her father lost his life

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAt 8am yesterday Sarah Griffiths looked at the landmark she hated, thought of the last time she saw her father, and pushed a red button. In five seconds, the Campbell's Tower, which had stood in King's Lynn, Norfolk, for 53 years was a heap of smoking rubble./p

US military chief heads to Israel to avert attack on Iran

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPresident Barack Obama's top military adviser will arrive in Israel this week amid deepening fears in Washington that the country is planning a pre-emptive strike against Iran's nuclear facilities./p

The gay churchman and an unholy row

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAt the end of last summer, a team of solicitors acting for the Church of England drew up a five-page document detailing in which circumstances a cleric could be legally banned from becoming a bishop because he was homosexual.The briefing was one of a number of dry, legal notes issued by Church House that year. But among liberals it caused consternation./p

McLeish gets warmed up by Ireland's smoking form

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhen three weeks ago Alex McLeish was shown a picture on a social networking website of a shirtless Stephen Ireland apparently smoking a Middle Eastern shisha pipe it was little wonder a deep furrow crossed his craggy Glaswegian brow./p

Leading article: Giving Oscars to animals is a beastly idea

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIn keeping with the spirit of our animal-friendly age, it is no surprise the idea has arisen for animal stars of films to be put forward for the same awards as humans. No less a name than Steven Spielberg, whose War Horse has just opened, has suggested animals should be eligible for Oscars. Anyone who has seen the astonishing performance given by Uggie the dog in The Artist might agree./p

Who's Hollywood top dog? Stars back Oscar honours for pet actors

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAs the two-legged acting fraternity celebrated at the Golden Globes last night, a campaign to honour stars of the four-legged variety was gathering pace./p

Changing faces: New make-up looks

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstronguGrunge Goth/u/strong/ppThe Nineties revival continues and with it, a make-up trend that goes beyond the "barely there" aesthetic and towards an "almost gone" look that is more gothic in its severity. /p

Killer flu doctors: US censorship is a danger to science

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAmerica should not be allowed to dominate the debate over who controls sensitive scientific information that could be misused in biowarfare terrorism, say the scientists who created a highly dangerous form of bird-flu virus in a study that has been partially censored by the US government./p

Michael Mann: The climate scientist who the deniers have in their sights

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHe is one of the most vilified men in the highly vilified field of climate science, yet Professor Michael Mann is surprisingly jolly. Despite being the focus of a brutal campaign orchestrated by the fossil-fuel industry and senior politicians within the US Republican Party, Mann's cheery stoicism is positively infectious./p

Nazi's lawyer helps Katsav

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAn Israeli lawyer who defended the convicted Nazi war criminal John Demjanjuk has joined the legal team of the disgraced former President, Moshe Katsav./p

So You Think lined up for Dubai prize

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPerhaps smarting from recent remarks by Ireland's official handicapper, connections of So You Think yesterday targeted a prize commensurate with the reputation that preceded him from Australia. /p

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Will Hawkes: Reborn Aussies take the biscuit – and they're feeling pretty bonzer about it

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSomething is stirring Down Under. Something that will chill the blood of every right-thinking Englishman, something that we thought we had seen the last of long ago, something – to be brutally frank – quite annoying. A phenomenon that has brought more pain into English homes than Simon Cowell has raised its becapped head once more. That's right: the Aussie cricket team is half-decent again./p

Coach admits he backed away from sex scandal

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pJust a few months ago he was one of the most successful and beloved names in college sport, but now a sick and frail Joe Paterno is fighting to restore his reputation after the sex abuse scandal that engulfed his team and his legacy./p

Leinster show mettle to outlast willing Glasgow

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pJust the other day, Ieuan Evans was extolling Leinster's virtues as polished purveyors of "total rugby". After less than 30 seconds yesterday, Jonathan Sexton was taking a feed behind his own posts, giving a little shimmy and setting off for the other end of the pitch. He could have been one of those heavily sideburned nominal defenders from the Ajax team who dominated European soccer in the early 1970s and gave rise to "total football"./p

The 10 Best Men's wallets

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongu1. Topman/u/strong/ppem£10, red chambray, topman.com/em/ppThe softer sister of regular denim, chambray is a great option for those who don't like leather. This has two places for notes and a zipped pouch./p

Still dotty about Damien Hirst

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pYou don't understand. This is a really monumental project," exclaims Stefan Ratibor, director of Gagosian in London. As indeed it is./p

Redknapp has striking need of reinforcements

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHarry Redknapp admitted he would like to have been playing golf in the South Coast sunshine yesterday. Instead he travelled to France to watch the Marseilles forward Loïc Rémy, whom the Tottenham manager could more easily have scouted when he played at Arsenal in the Champions League two months ago./p

Mourinho relief as Real Madrid edge out spirited Mallorca

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pJose Mourinho praised Real Mallorca after his Real Madrid side were forced to dig deep for the three points, which helps keep them clear of Barcelona at the top of La Liga, at the Iberostar Stadium on Saturday ./p

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Cruise tragedy death toll hits six – and 15 are still missing

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRescuers were frantically searching for 15 people still missing from the wrecked cruise liner off Italy last night after managing to save two South Korean honeymooners and an Italian crewman earlier in the day./p

Still dotty about Damien Hirst

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pYou don't understand. This is a really monumental project," exclaims Stefan Ratibor, director of Gagosian in London. As indeed it is./p

Newcastle into sixth place after win over QPR

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 9:45pm EST

pLeon Best's first goal since September fired Newcastle into sixth place in the Barclays Premier League as Mark Hughes' first game as QPR boss ended in narrow defeat./p

Graham hits winner as Swans shock Arsenal

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 9:44pm EST

pDanny Graham struck the winner as Swansea claimed the first major scalp of their maiden Premier League campaign with a thrilling victory over Arsenal at the Liberty Stadium./p

UK 'must redouble economic efforts', says William Hague

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 12:55pm EST

pThe latest string of credit downgrades in the eurozone requires Britain to "redouble our efforts" to boost economic growth, Foreign Secretary William Hague urged today./p

Kazakhstan voters go to the polls

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 12:51pm EST

pVoters go to the polls today in the oil-rich Central Asian nation of Kazakhstan in elections that are expected to slightly broaden democratic representation in parliament's rubber-stamp lower house./p

680 jobs lost in Barratts deal

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 12:32pm EST

pA deal has been agreed to save most of the Barratts shoe chain but at the cost of some 680 jobs, administrators said today./p

Ed Miliband 'winning battle of ideas'

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 12:26pm EST

pEd Miliband claimed today he was "winning the battle of ideas" but said it was a "hard process" to change the Labour Party./p

Bomb kills 13 in Pakistan

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 12:23pm EST

pA bomb blast ripped through a religious procession in eastern Pakistan today, killing 13 people and wounding at least 20, police said. /p

Police fire tear gas at protesters in Romania

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 11:57am EST

pRomanian police fired tear gas and clashed with protesters during an anti-government rally, the third consecutive day of demonstrations against austerity cuts and falling living standards./p

Norwegian UN worker kidnapped in Yemen

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 11:36am EST

pNorway's Foreign Ministry says a Norwegian man who was working for the United Nations has been kidnapped in Yemen. br / /p

Man hands 94 hamsters over to animal shelter

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 11:36am EST

pA man has turned over 94 hamsters to a local animal shelter, telling officials he was running out of room in his apartment./p

Syria: Assad 'must stop violence'

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 10:11am EST

pThe UN Secretary General today demanded that Syria's president stop killing his own people, saying the revolutions of the Arab Spring show that people will no longer accept tyranny./p

'Heavy-handed' bin fines face axe

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 9:56am EST

pHouseholders will no longer face fines for making "innocent mistakes" when putting out their bins under plans being announced by the Government this week./p

Third survivor found on cruise ship

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 9:53am EST

pA third survivor was discovered today inside the overturned Costa Concordia cruise ship grounded off the Tuscan coast./p

New search for missing passengers

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 9:53am EST

pThe search for up to 40 people missing from the capsized cruise liner Costa Concordia will resume today with the first wave of Britons caught up in the drama expected to land back on UK soil./p

Cruise ship death toll continues to rise

Posted: January 15th, 2012, 9:53am EST

pThe Costa Concordia death toll rose by two tonight - as all British passengers and crew were confirmed to have survived the disaster./p

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Failed £285m deal sees Adelphi back on the market

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Adelphi building off the Strand in London's West End, is expected to be put back up for sale in the next few weeks./p

Brown touches down to keep Quins in hunt

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHarlequins stand at a three-way fork in the Heineken Cup road, with two routes leading to the quarter-finals, after a drumskin-tight match that ended with Gloucester going the same way of elimination as Bath and London Irish in other pools./p

She's Never Coming Back, By Hans Koppel

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pYlva Zetterburg, a young wife and mother, is captured and held hostage in the sound-proofed cellar of the house opposite her own. Her captors systematically set about breaking her spirit with both physical and psychological abuse./p

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The Modern Pantry, 47-48 St John’s Square, London, EC1

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pI know myself well enough not even to attempt a New Year regimen; but after all the festive indulgences, I'm craving crisp, fresh produce and zingy flavours to blow away the cobwebs. Hence The Modern Pantry. The London restaurant/café run by Anna Hansen has, over the past couple of years, established itself as A Good Thing, spawning an excellent cookbook. In fact, Hansen has been awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours list for her services to the restaurant industry./p

How We Met: Christopher Luscombe Griff Rhys Jones

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongChristopher Luscombe, 48/strong/p

Permalink for '_______Education_/2012/01/14/Wines_of_the_week__Chapoutier_Petite_Ruche_Rouge_Crozes_Hermitage_2009__La_Prendina_Estate_Corvina_Red_2010__Ch%c3%a2teau_D_Angles_La_Clape_Classique_2009'

Wines of the week: Chapoutier Petite Ruche Rouge Crozes-Hermitage 2009; La Prendina Estate Corvina Red 2010; Château D'Angles La Clape Classique 2009

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongSunday lunch/strong/p

Shareholders must put a stop to fat-cat pay, says Clegg

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pExecutives will have to be clearer to shareholders how much they are paying themselves under plans to tackle eye-watering levels of executive pay. Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, will promise tomorrow to "force companies to open up their books" so that investors "don't need an accountancy degree to decipher them"./p

Pork ragu with herb pangrattato

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe addition of cheese to this meltingly tender pork makes this pasta too rich, but the addition of pan-fried breadcrumbs, or poor man's Parmesan, gives this dish its savoury texture boost./p

Clegg is silent over computer student facing deportation to US

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNick Clegg was last night under pressure to live up to his promises on civil liberties and intervene to prevent computing student Richard O'Dwyer being extradited to the United States./p

Hollywood braced for another dose of Golden Gervais

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSpare a thought for the great and the good of Hollywood. It may be the dead of night in LA as you read this, but the film industry's elite are not easy abed. For this evening, at the Golden Globe awards, George Clooney (Best Actor, The Descendants), Kate Winslet (Best Comedy Actress, Carnage) and many others will face their nemesis: a giggling former London University assistant events manager./p

John Curtice: A solution that dare not speak its name

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt is a curious battle. One side wants to keep alive an option in which it does not believe. The other side is insistent it be killed off, even though many of them would like something like it to happen./p

Dom Joly: If I do find a monster, no one will believe me

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBrazzaville is quite an extraordinary place. It sits on the mighty river Congo, a vast expanse of muddy water dotted with dug-out canoes carrying sure-footed fishermen. /p

Paul Vallely: Who did give the green light to torture?

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThere has been something artificially over-heated about the international reaction to the video of four American soldiers urinating on the bodies of their dead Taliban enemies in Afghanistan. It was, of course, a fairly disgusting thing to do. But all the breastbeating about how the men's "egregious inhumanity" had brought "disgrace to their armed forces" and "dishonour to their nation" had something of bluster about it. How could anybody do such a thing, asked people who had never been to war, heard their wounded friends scream or seen them die, blown to pieces, before their very eyes./p

The Business Week In Review: Tim Cook, Persimmon, and Olympus

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstronguIn profit.../u/strong/ppTim Cook had big shoes to fill, now he needs a wallet to match. It emerged that Steve Jobs's successor at Apple was awarded a compensation package of nearly $400m in 2011, in a deal structured to keep him at the helm for a decade. Cue: uproar and yet more cross words over executive pay./p

The Hacker: This time Porky's champagne is not on ice for winter league

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNow is the winter league of our discontent. Just one week gone of our 10-week competition through the dark and nasty months and already we are spoken of as prime candidates for the wooden spoon./p

The Social Animal: A Story of How Success Happens, By David Brooks

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Social Animal is an unusual synthesis of storytelling and science./p

UK looks east as eurozone absorbs more rating shocks

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pGeorge Osborne today takes advantage of the deepening eurozone crisis by appealing to China to make Britain the "home of Asian investment" in the West./p

Ian Holloway: I would take old timers like Scholes and Henry ahead of Tevez any day

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIf money was no object and I was offered a choice between Carlos Tevez, Thierry Henry or Paul Scholes, the last person I would take is Tevez. I am surprised any English club or manager would even consider signing him./p

Cast of 'Les Mis' in revolt over royalties

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThey made their names in the world-famous musical about revolution. Now actors from the first stage production of Les Misérables are gearing up for a revolt against the company behind the original cast recording, after discovering they will no longer get royalty payments./p

Indian government to take action against websites that 'insult' politicians

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIndian prosecutors are planning to take Google, Yahoo, Facebook and other websites to court for refusing to remove material considered insulting to Indian politicians and religious figures. /p

One For The Road: A replacement for a broken-down Mondeo

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pValerie Checkers paid £800 for a Ford Mondeo, which has gone badly wrong. She needs to replace it with something cheap but reliable and has £500 to spare./p

IoS letters, emails online postings (15 January 2012)

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOne of the key messages that came across from your in-depth piece on Race in Britain was on the issue of low aspiration within our younger black and minority ethnic (BME) communities ("Has life changed for ethnic minorities?", 8 January). /p

Shame, Steve McQueen, 99 mins (18) Margin Call, J C Chandor, 105 mins (15)

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSteve McQueen's Hunger was one of the boldest debuts of recent years – and it was no fluke./p

DJ Taylor: Why do the rich need ever more money?

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAs the argument about executive salaries grinds into gear again, and the newspapers are full of rich men's apologists proclaiming that nothing can be done even it were morally desirable so to do, it is worth asking what the proper attitude ought to be to privilege-based inequality here in our meritocratic 21st century./p

Lovesong, Lyric Hammersmith, London Huis Clos, Trafalgar Studios, London Man in the Middle, Theatre 503, London

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pElderly Maggie opens her wardrobe door and a young woman sashays out. For a while, family life in Lovesong seems frightfully overcrowded, resembling a game of sardines, or perhaps the more recent and widespread Kippers – as in Kids In Parents’ Pockets Eroding Retirement Savings./p

Gillespie and I, By Jane Harris

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA curious, creepy novel set in 19th-century Glasgow, with flash-forwards to the 1930s, Gillespie and I is not easy to review because the most striking thing about it is the hidden story that emerges as one reads, and that can't be revealed without spoiling things for the reader./p

Homeless killer suspect arrested in California

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPolice in southern California have arrested a man in connection with the latest in a series of murders apparently targeting homeless people, believed to be the work of a serial killer. Community workers and police are advising California's homeless population to take extra precautions to protect themselves, including avoiding sleeping alone or outdoors./p

Boxing: Why Muhammad Ali really is the Greatest of all

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMuhammad Ali will be 70 on Tuesday, yet even though the dancing years have ebbed away and the famous shuffle is no longer a dazzling quickstep but a distressingly slow wobble, he remains the most recognisable human being on earth, and among the best-loved./p

Tom Hodgkinson: 'We took a TV home. I admit I am weak'

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe television is back. Five years ago, in a fit of anti-capitalist pique, I unplugged this instrument of Beezlebub. I decided that I didn't want all its horrors flooding into the family home. I didn't want The X-Factor, CBeebies, Dick and Dom, the Ten O'Clock News or the dreary gloom of EastEnders. Mr Murdoch and his evil ways could stay out of my house for ever. Like Plato, I decided to banish the playwrights and their portrayal of negative character traits from my ideal Republic. My children would grow up unsullied by the false promises of consumerism. Instead, they'd learn useful skills, carpentry and violin./p

War Horse, Steven Spielberg, 146 mins (12A)

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWatching Steven Spielberg's films often demands a leap of faith, and War Horse requires more leaps than Becher's Brook./p

The Table, Soho Theatre, London Romeo and Juliet, Royal Opera House, London

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMarketing the London International Mime Festival must be an annual headache./p

City of the Dead, By Sara Gran

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pI like detective stories, and I like weird. So I thought I would like this weird detective story – and until about its halfway point, I did./p

The great Girl Scout cookie row

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIts motto is "be prepared." But there's a limit to everything, and at least one young member of America's Scouting movement is deeply unprepared for its forward-thinking efforts to embrace modernity./p

Lamps lights way for Chelsea again

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhen the Ivory Coast begin their African Nations Cup campaign against Sudan next Sunday, it is a reasonable bet that Fernando Torres will be hoping they win. Indeed, the Chelsea striker will be cheering them all the way to the final on 12 February./p

Consumers welcome gas price cuts, but is it enough?

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSwitch or stick, fix or flex those are the options which face Britain's millions of energy customers. Up until last week, the right choices to make were to probably switch and fix your tariff./p

Thousands of horses abandoned by owners last year

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThousands of horses are being abandoned or tied up and left to starve, many by desperate owners unable to afford the costs of keeping them. A national crisis has seen Britain's biggest horse charities under unprecedented pressure from the sheer number of animals needing their help./p

League round-up: Two reds as Blues hit six at Lions

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLeading through Curtis Davies' 18th-minute header at Millwall, Birmingham City ran amok after the Lions had Shane Lowry (22 minutes) and Alan Dunne (57) sent off for fouls on Nikola Zigic, Marlon King scoring twice in a 6-0 away win that lifts the Blues to seventh. /p

Retromania: Pop Culture's Addiction to its Own Past, By Simon Reynolds

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSimon Reynolds's thesis is that rock music is now simply feeding off its own past; it's not a novel argument, but it is dauntingly well supported./p

Ali celebrates his 70th in style

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMuhammad Ali was set to celebrate his impending 70th birthday with the first of five parties last night. The three-time world heavyweight champion, sometimes hailed as the greatest sportsman of all time, was back in his hometown in Kentucky to mark the milestone./p

Noble effort puts Hammers back on road

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWest Ham restored their reputation as the road warriors of the Championship with their eighth away win of the season yesterday. They remain behind Southampton, the leaders, on goal difference, but stumbles by Middlesbrough and Cardiff widened their advantage over their closest pursuers./p

Great Getaways: This Week's Deals - Thailand, South Africa, Venice and Cornwall

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstronguThailand/u/strong/ppThomas Cook Signature has an eight-night break at the beach resort of Pattaya, on the eastern coast of the Gulf of Thailand, for £729 per person./p

Uncle Sam need not be the black sheep of investors' portfolios

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSentiment changes fast in the world economy. Back in August when the US government found its national debt rating downgraded it seemed that the world's largest economy was heading for the buffers at a rapid rate./p

The Insider: How to make your own art

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pI never again want to spend my entire Christmas break redecorating. Especially as an easier way to update a space is with some new artwork. But if your January budget doesn't stretch to that.../p

First students graduate from Winfrey's South African school

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOprah Winfrey said the first students to graduate from her academy for underprivileged South African girls were "free to soar", during a graduation speech yesterday. Winfrey, one of the world's wealthiest women, spent $40m (£26m) to build the school./p

Ice sculptors kick off London festival

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSculptors put the finishing touches to their work at the fourth annual London Ice Sculpting Festival. /p

Ruck and Maul: Dallaglio ready to ride again in search of cash for good causes

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLawrence Dallaglio was back on his bike yesterday, pedalling a few hours with Rugby Players Association chief executive, Damian Hopley./p

Tom Daley, by Chas Newkey-Burden

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFew sportsmen have books written about them when they are 17. But then few sportsmen become world champions at the age of 15, as Tom Daley did when he unexpectedly won the individual platform gold at the 2009 World Diving Championships. /p

Ben Fogle: Scott died embodying the spirit of real risk

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThis Tuesday, 17 January, marks a sombre centenary. On that date in 1912 the British Antarctic Expedition commanded by Captain Robert Falcon Scott arrived at the spot they calculated to be the South Pole./p

Consumer rights: Floored by refusal to refund cost of a rug

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongQ./strong You probably get asked this a thousand times each New Year but I have been given an expensive rug for Christmas and I really don't want to keep it. /p

The house of plusher: Touch a neo-gothic nerve with these thrilling pieces

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrong1. Gothic Chair/strong/p

Egypt's democracy is a sham, says ElBaradei, as he pulls out of election

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOne of Egypt's leading voices for reform, Mohamed ElBaradei, said yesterday he is pulling out of the country's presidential race in protest at the military's failure to put the country on the path to democracy./p

Sarah Sands: 'Did we turn the oven off?' trumps 'I love you'

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA piquant gag in The Artist is when the neglected wife of the silent movie star begs him: "We need to talk." Her husband ignores her, demonstrating his modernity in marital relations, if not in movie technology. /p

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And now let's hope for something completely different – but what to do with Monty?

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt would be lovely to have a quiet, straightforward Test series between England and Pakistan in the next three weeks. One in which the batsmen bat and the bowlers bowl and the fielders field and everybody goes home as pals. Do not, as it were, bet on it./p

Portfolio: London Art Fair

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhen we define the photograph as a motionless image, this does not mean only that the figures it represents do not move; it means they do not emerge... they are anaesthetised and fastened down, like butterflies." That, at least, was the view of the philosopher Roland Barthes. The artists showcased at Photo50 would no doubt disagree./p

Rubbish bin fines to be abolished

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFines for people who put their rubbish in the wrong bin are to be abolished under plans to be unveiled this week./p

Tips and deals of the week: Mac cosmetics, The Caravan Motorhome Show and Miami Beach

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstronguThe Kit/u/strong/ppMac cosmetics has launched a new range of travel products, and 30ml bottles of cleanser and skin refresher are part of the range./ppemGo to maccosmetics.co.uk/em/p

'Agent wanted to keep deposit for inflated repair bill'

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRuth and David Ainsworth are, on paper, a landlord's dream. They are homeowners, both hold down professional jobs and have two young children, Arthur, aged two and 11-month-old Charlotte./p

Transfer window: Who's linked with who in the Premier League

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pbArsenal/b: Lukas Podolski (FC Cologne) fwd; Salomon Kalou (Chelsea) fwd; Aly Cissokho (Lyon) def; Taye Taiwo (Milan) def; Luke Shaw (Southampton) def; Eric Abidal (Barcelona) def. /p

Royal Marines capture 13 men aboard 'pirate ship' in Indian Ocean

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThirteen suspected Somali pirates have been captured by the Royal Navy, following an interception off the coast of Somalia. /p

All eyes on Mancini after Cup defeats turn up heat

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt's only 10 days since Roberto Mancini described so presciently why the next five months would grant Manchester United the easier ride. "They have won trophies for many years so they are quiet," he said. "They understand that they can play without pressure. For us it's different."/p

Heads Up: Picasso Modern British Art

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstronguWhat are we talking about?/u/strong/ppA major exhibition at Tate Britain, which will examine the Spanish artist's relationship with this country, charting his rise as both a celebrity and critically feted, collectible artist. It will also trace his influence on seven Brits: Duncan Grant, Wyndham Lewis, Ben Nicholson, Henry Moore, Francis Bacon, Graham Sutherland and David Hockney./p

Alberto Burri: Form and Matter, Estorick Collection, London

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pYou might think imprisonment an unlikely spur to becoming an artist, especially if the prison was in Texas. /p

Government in new climbdown over benefit cap

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFamilies with children will be allowed to keep more of their state support in a fresh government climbdown over plans to cut the costs of welfare./p

Kosovo: Police fire tear gas to disperse anti-Serbian protesters

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPolice in Kosovo fired tear gas and used batons and water cannon to disperse several thousand protesters demanding a ban on Serbian imports. /p

Editor-At-Large: Looks do count, Ed, but it's conviction that voters like most

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAs Ed Miliband made yet another "relaunch" speech last week, I looked across the room where I was lunching and spotted a geeky-looking bloke with bog-brush hair, wearing a pristine white shirt and a red tie – his brother David, impossible to ignore. He looked too scrubbed up, a bit otherworldly. Gary Lineker was nearby, but he blended into the hustle and bustle, a regular-looking chap with a bit of a tan. What is it about the Milibandroids that sets them apart from us, no matter how often they say they understand our aspirations and our concerns?/p

Outside the Box: Warning to managers - quadruple jeopardy of signing the double-jointed

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pClubs about to sign players may want to make sure they are not double-jointed, which according to research from Leeds Metropolitan University almost quadruples the risk of injury./p

Tension at new high as Iran vows to punish West

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThey buried a young scientist called Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan in Tehran on Friday. And if the hazardous carousel of attacks, embargoes and official threats does not slow down soon, there could be other bodies and hopes wrapped in a sheet and put into the ground. Many more young men, peace in the Straits of Hormuz and beyond, and supplies of oil at an affordable price could all be as dead as the assassinated Roshan if the crisis over Iran's nuclear project ratchets up further./p

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David Flatman: England captain must lay down law – and make sure he doesn't break it

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTeam sport has always reserved a position of great honour for one player who is deemed slightly more deserving than all the others. At any level, this position is one that comes with privilege and responsibility, and the person selected is deemed capable of shouldering all of this. But what does a captain actually do?/p

Joan Smith: The Big Society can be about more than cheap labour

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDuring the election campaign two years ago, one of David Cameron's big selling-points was his intention to create a Big Society. He was short on detail but the general idea was that a Conservative government would encourage volunteering and get us more involved in our communities. I suspected it might turn into something more coercive, along the lines of the workfare schemes which have been so controversial in the United States. /p

Halfpenny is full value as Blues kick on

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pCardiff Blues sustained their pursuit of a Heineken Cup quarter-final place with an archetypal cup display, short on romance but long on hard work and perspiration. They remain neck and neck with Edinburgh at the head of Pool Two and another English club has left the competition./p

BAE reviews the future of its shipyards

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDefence giant BAE Systems has drafted in management consultants to examine the future of its historic shipyards in Glasgow and Portsmouth, creating fears that thousands of jobs could be at risk./p

Smart meters 'will cost households more'

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPlans to install smart energy meters in every UK home could cost households even more, a consumer group warned the Government last night. A new report by Which? claims ministers are too hands-off about the £12bn project and are not properly in control of the costs. They warn that customers may not be protected from sharp price rises. /p

Code of conduct: The relentless march of the algorithm

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLast October a tiny tech start-up from Australia called Kaggle raised $11m from a trio of venture capitalists. More interesting than the sum, modest by Silicon Valley standards, is who provided the funding: Index Ventures, a venture-capital firm co-founded by Neil Rimer in London but now one of the hottest in San Francisco; Khosla Ventures, founded by Vinod Khosla of Sun MicroSystems; and Max Levchin, one of PayPal's founders. Among Silicon Valley's many potential investors, they are aristocracy. Kaggle swiftly relocated from Melbourne to new offices in San Francisco./p

Liverpool racism apology overshadows bore draw

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTomorrow is the first anniversary of Kenny Dalglish's first home game since his return to the Liverpool helm and in the intervening 12 months his team have lost just once at Anfield. The problem is the number of games they have actually won./p

John Rentoul: This is new all right. It just isn't enough

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEd Balls caught up yesterday with where the Labour Party should have been 16 months ago. It was an important moment. First, because saying, "We are going to have keep all these cuts" changes the balance of the debate. As with many important shifts in a party's position, Balls pretends that he has said nothing new, and that if we had been paying attention we would know that he said all this – not in so many words, obviously – in his party conference speech last year. But it is new all right, and necessary. /p

Captain held as cruise ship hits rock and sinks

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pExtraordinary claims emerged last night that the captain of the Costa Concordia cruise liner, which foundered off the coast of Italy with more than 4,000 people on board, abandoned ship three-and-a-half hours before the last of his crew and passengers. The procurators' office in Grosseto said that the Concordia hit submerged rocks at 9.45pm on Friday, and the last of the ship's complement were not evacuated until 3am yesterday, but that Captain Francesco Schettino allegedly left at 11.30pm. He has now been detained for questioning over manslaughter, abandoning ship, and causing a shipwreck./p

Graham Rowntree: Wanting English forwards to play it by ear

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAs England's new broom sweeps closer to a Murrayfield date with Scotland that may render all the talk of revitalisation redundant, these are the days and nights of broken sleep in the Graham Rowntree household. The recently promoted forwards coach has found himself awake in the small hours with the excitement and pride and worry of it all. "Where are we going to stand in that line-out? How are we going to defend that? Who are we going to pick?" – these and other thoughts have been racing through Rowntree's brain. And the conclusion? "You think to yourself, crikey, what an opportunity."/p

Rugby round-up: Murphy leads Munster's all-stars past Castres

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIn the Heineken Cup yesterday, Munster wrapped up Pool One and a place in the last eight with a 26-10 victory over Castres at Thomond Park. Johne Murphy and Wian du Preez scored Munster's tries and Ronan O'Gara kicked two conversions and four penalties. Yannick Caballero scored a try for Castres and Pierre Bernard kicked a conversion and a penalty./p

The Mystery of Edwin Drood, BBC2, Tuesday and Wednesday Coppers, Channel 4, Monday Borgen, BBC4, Saturday

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pJudging by the feedback, adaptations of Charles Dickens's novels aren't necessarily crowd-pleasers. Too many brothel scenes. Too few urchins. Pip's excessively handsome. London's not grimy enough./p

Park Lane Group, Purcell Room, London National Youth Orchestra, Barbican Hall, London

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFor young composers and musicians, the Park Lane Group's annual showcase is required listening./p

Burberry set to report solid third-quarter sales figures

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe rise of the "travelling luxury consumer" has helped Burberry to solid third-quarter sales figures, the fashion brand will tell the market in a trading update on Tuesday. /p

Michael Moore: 'We are much, much stronger together'

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLike many parents, Michael Moore spent Christmas reading – and re-reading – The Gruffalo, to his two-year-old daughter Ella. The tale of the tiny mouse taking on the terrifying big beast of the forest, and turning him to his own advantage, could be a manual for the quietly spoken Secretary of State for Scotland as he prepares to outfox Alex Salmond in his battle for independence./p

The women who are breaking into the boardroom

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt was the week that finally provided some tangible evidence that the glass ceiling in Britain's boardrooms wasn't made of shatter-proof glass./p

Players could strike at SW19 over money

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe prospects of a strike aimed at Grand Slam tournaments hardened here last night after players backed calls for action over what they consider to be inadequate prize money. Although it is believed there are no plans for any disruption at the Australian Open, which begins here tomorrow, there was strong support at a meeting of the men's players for the idea of taking action in the future. The next two Grand Slams, the French Open and Wimbledon, could be the ones to suffer./p

The Death of Mao, By James Palmer

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe year 1976 is shaping up to be one of history's dramatic turning points. It saw Mao Zedong's death and the power struggle that followed, which has put China on the road to becoming the wealthiest and therefore most powerful country on Earth by the middle of this century, if not before./p

Between The Covers: David and Goliath, The Omnivore website and the Apostrophe Protection Society

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p*Judas Iscariot has had his say in fiction in the past decade, with novels by Jeffrey Archer (The Gospel According to Judas) and CK Stead (My Name Was Judas) doing their bit to rehabilitate the former friend of Jesus./p

Inside Lines: Queen Vic leading the parade for 2012's bread and circuses

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSnubbed they may have been in the BBC's sexist shortlist for Sports Personality of the Year, but Britain's sportswomen are now beating the men in the race to the 2012 cashpoint./p

Putting on a brave front: Behind the scenes of the BBC's epic adaptation of 'Birdsong'

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOn the banks of a dirty, swollen tributary of the Danube, a picnic is under way. Under bamboo parasols and on heavy rugs lie the remains of a sumptuous spread: baguettes, fruit, cheese, cake, lemon barley water and a wine of rather pricey-looking vintage – 1906 Château Les Alberts Bordeaux. But rather than Budapest in the early 21st century, we are in Amiens 101 years earlier./p

Pedersen guides 10-man Rovers out of drop zone

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIn a week in which he has lost his assistant and quite possibly his captain, Steve Kean was overjoyed to see his resilient side gain their first home win in more than a month, despite playing for three-quarters of the match with 10 men. Blackburn's top scorer, Yakubu Ayegbeni, was sent off in the 23rd minute with the game goalless, but Blackburn rallied, with Morten Gamst Pedersen and David Dunn scoring a minute either side of half-time, and Mauro Formica sealing the result after Damien Duff scored for Fulham./p

Menzies Campbell: I am proud to be Scottish. And British. And European

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pI was born in Scotland, went to school and university in Scotland, practised law in Scotland, have always lived in Scotland, and for nearly 25 years have represented a Scottish constituency. I state these qualifications, for it has become commonplace in Scotland to assert that those who do not support independence are unpatriotic. Last week, for example, a member of the Scottish Parliament refused to withdraw the insulting claim that political parties which opposed independence were "anti-Scottish"./p

Patrick Cockburn: Whose hands are behind those dramatic YouTube pictures?

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p"Rumour" used to have a bad reputation. In Shakespeare's plays it is assumed that "rumours" mean artful lies and the spreading of detailed but false accounts of victory and defeat. No journalist could credibly tell of massacre, torture and mass arrests, citing "strong rumours" as the sole evidence for the story. Editors at whatever newspaper, television or radio station the reporter worked on would shake their heads in disbelief at such a vague and dubious source and almost certainly refuse to run it./p

Bidders sought to build Kurdistan pipeline

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pGulf Keystone Petroleum has invited bidders to build a pipeline that would allow the much-watched oil amp; gas company to export vast supplies of black gold from its key Kurdistan field./p

Time for Swann to turn on the style

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIn so many ways, Graeme Swann has achieved all that he could have expected. He has already played 36 Tests when he might easily have played none, he has taken 153 wickets – behind only Jim Laker among English off-spinners – and he has been ranked as the world's leading spin bowler for more than a year./p

Sport on TV: It's hard-hitting stuff when Flintoff says he's all at sea

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIf ever there was a sportsman from the money-mad professional era who was guaranteed to put a smile on the face of the fans – or even the opposition – then it was Freddie Flintoff. Ebullient big-hitting, big-hearted fast bowling, smacking sixes for his father to catch in the crowd, even consoling Australia's Brett Lee at the moment of victory: this was how he will be remembered, playing as if he was still an amateur, even like the fans themselves would dream of performing. /p

Neil Hannon: 'I always get everything wrong on stage. The audience loves it'

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongYou think twice about even letting kids walk the dog round the block these days/strong which is a shame. I don't know whether Swallows and Amazons [Hannon has written the music for a new stage version] was quite fanciful for the 1930s – to let children go off on their own for a fortnight – but it wouldn't happen now. There's a lot of interesting themes going on [in Arthur Ransome's book] – mores concerning what you can let children do. I don't how much has really changed and how much is media-induced paranoia./p

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Margareta Pagano: Tesco must decide: price or quality – or both?

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLike any sensible shopper in these tough times, I plotted the Christmas food shopping with the zeal and precision of a general going to war – and 12 people feasting over three days is an expensive battle./p

The Dame vs The Lady: Yorkshire takes on New York as part of UK tourism's new strategy

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOne is the home of Sex and the City, Lady Gaga and the Statue of Liberty. The other is better known for Last of the Summer Wine, Dame Judi Dench and the Humber Bridge./p

Hockney has all the time in the Wolds

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA corner of England that is beautiful, mysterious, and well off the tourist map will soon come into focus./p

Rupert Cornwell: Time to tell the story of Mitt the Mormon

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAnother odd thing is happening, or rather not happening, in this already curious contest for the Republican presidential nomination. Controversy rages over Mitt Romney's record at Bain Capital, the private equity firm which he founded and where he made his fortune, plunging the party of free enterprise and unfettered markets into civil war over the very principles of capitalism. But over the little-loved frontrunner's religion – which many Americans regard as a weird and sinister cult – barely a word. Thus far, at least, the Mormon dog has failed to bark./p

Hamish McRae: Satnav is heading for the East but at least Britain should move up a gear

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLet's concentrate on the world, not just Europe for a moment – not withstanding all the fuss about downgrades./p

Andrew Neil: 'I am a better journalist than I am a businessman'

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThere have always been two Andrew Neils. There's the one who jets between homes in Kensington, New York and St Tropez, oiling with the Eurotrash at Tramp, a seven-foot glamazon on his arm – all to make sure we know He's Made It. Then there's the Andrew Neil that got him there: the clever, hard-working, aggressive politico, a brilliant interviewer on top of his brief and never afraid to embarrass with a difficult question./p

Polar Holidays: Follow in the tracks of Captain Scott

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThis Tuesday marks the 100th anniversary of an event that has become a symbol of human endeavour, bravery in the face of impossible circumstances and cold, bleak tragedy: the arrival of the team of British adventurers, led by Captain Robert Scott, at the South Pole./p

Scarlets meet their match in 'world class' Foden

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pCredit to Northampton – they simply were not prepared to allow their European campaignto expire without a kick and a scream. Munster's subsequent victory against Castres ensured that the Saints' Heineken Cup is all but over, but their ever-so gutsy fightback ensured that they will at least have something to play for next weekend./p

Don't Log Off, Radio 4, Monday Outlook, BBC World Service

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA few years ago, Alan Dein, oral historian and broadcaster extraordinaire, devised the wonderful Don't Hang Up, which involved ringing up public phone boxes around the world at random and speaking to whoever picked up./p

A Shed of One's Own: Mid-life Without the Crisis, By Marcus Berkmann

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIf a different part of you aches every day, or you've developed a strategy for dealing with ear hair, or laid down a jolly good wine cellar, you are probably a middle-aged man. Under-35s think they're immortal and that this will never happen to them, but age comes like a thief in the night. Hair recedes, the world enrages us with its rudeness and bad punctuation, youthful dreams are dashed, memory starts to ... what's the word?/p

Invisible Ink: No 106 - Leslie Charteris

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe creator of the quintessentially English stiff-upper-lipped hero, The Saint, was half-Chinese, born in Singapore in 1907./p

How To Be Beautiful: On the lash with the 1960s Twiggy look

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe best thing about a beauty trend is that you have a little time to observe its success or failure on others before deciding you want in. In fashion, if you take three months to decide that denim harem pants could work for you, you'll have missed the boat (incidentally, you'd also be wrong)./p

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Tougher tax regime will leave late payers with fines of up to £1,600

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWith a little over two weeks to go before the self-assessment tax return deadline, taxpayers are being warned that they need to get their skates on or fall foul of a newly strengthened penalty regime./p

Donovan stars as Keane has to accept bit part

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThere was no Thierry Henry moment for Robbie Keane and it would have been hard on Everton if there had been. Ravaged by injuries and playing their fifth game in 12 days, they worked hard for their point and perhaps deserved more, given that referee Mark Clattenburg failed to award them a first-half penalty that, on review, he would probably have given./p

Lendl should be missing piece in Murray's jigsaw

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThere is a 27-year age gap between them and Andy Murray cannot remember Ivan Lendl playing, although he has been catching up with his new coach's career on YouTube. Lendl, meanwhile, admits that the toll of time is such that he cannot even trade practice shots with Murray. "I have a bad knee," the 51-year-old admitted. "My game is way too slow to hit with Andy and that would be bad preparation."/p

In the Orchard, the Swallows, By Peter Hobbs

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe nameless first person narrator of Peter Hobbs's second novel is 14 when he is imprisoned for falling in love with the daughter of a powerful politician in Northern Pakistan./p

The Blagger's Guide To...Professor Moriarty

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p*Sherlock Holmes's arch enemy, Professor Moriarty, is at the centre of tonight's third and final episode of the current BBC adaptation (Sherlock: The Reichenbach Fall, BBC1, 9pm)./p

Urban Outfitters rocked by boss's shock departure

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIts stores have been described as the epitome of urban cool. Its clothes are favoured by actors including Cameron Diaz and its chief executive heralded as a retailing genius. But the golden age of Urban Outfitters, known for its subversive styles – including a discontinued line of T-shirts featuring a Palestinian child holding an AK47 over the word "victimized" – may be on the wane./p

Style shrinks: Our experts analyse Meryl Streep's true-blue Iron Lady impersonation

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongThe hair/make-up/strong/p

Morison caps Ruddy great performance

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLife gets better and better for Norwich City. Still no clean sheet since promotion but this third win out of three in 2012 puts such daylight between them and the bottom three that they should soon be able to dismiss notions of mere Premier League survival./p

Bwalya believes Zambia can recreate glory days

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pKalusha Bwalya needs no reminding about the significance of next month's African Nations Cup final being held in Libreville./p

Photography: Interrogations, By Donald Weber

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p"The unseen subject of these photographs is power," writes the man who took them, Donald Weber/p

Agenda: Marc Jacobs; Judy Greer; Adam Riches; The 2 Bears; theskintfoodie.com

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongFashion: Squeak and cheerful/strong/p

Lender backtracks on 'rate shock' for new customers

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNationwide borrowers who face paying 60 per cent extra on their mortgage from March have been given fresh hope that their repayments will rise gradually rather than overnight. /p

A Lucid Dreamer: The Life of Peter Redgrove, By Neil Roberts

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHere's a sentence you don't expect to see in the biography of a major poet: "Once Peter defecated on the sunroof of a parked car."/p

Leading article: A fascinating battle begins

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWe can see why David Cameron chose to confront Alex Salmond, First Minister of Scotland, last week. The Prime Minister recognised that he would have to grasp the thistle at some point, and it would be better to do it early, and at a time of his choosing, than to be forced into it later. However or whenever he did it, Mr Salmond would find a way of portraying him as a colonial master telling the bonded slaves about changes in their work rotas. That said, Mr Cameron did not handle the Government's decision to facilitate a Scottish referendum brilliantly. Lord Forsyth, who as Michael Forsyth was the Conservative minister associated with using Scotland as a laboratory for the poll tax, should have been dissuaded from making any media appearances. /p

Time to close tax havens loophole, says Miliband

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEd Miliband declares war today on the UK's secretive offshore tax havens which he says could raise £2.4bn for the Exchequer and help to reduce the deficit./p

Britain accused of hypocrisy over Arab arms sales

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe British Government was accused of "a brazen return to business as usual" yesterday, after licensing exports of weapons worth millions of pounds to regimes accused of repression, including Egypt and Bahrain. The permits were granted just months after ministers said they would "carefully review" licenses for countries that met protest with violence./p

On the Front Foot: The ICC are here and so are we but it still doesn't feel quite right

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTen days in and the UAE still feels like a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. And that's only the cricket./p

Album: Guided by Voices, Let's Go Eat the Factory (Fire Records)

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAfter a 15-year hiatus, the "classic" line-up of Dayton, Ohio, lo-fi veterans reformed in 2010 for a year-long tour, culminating in this new album of 21 songs with titles such as "Doughnut For a Snowman"./p

Miner hands evidence to SFO

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pENRC, the mining giant at the centre of corporate governance storms, has agreed to hand over details of an internal investigation into its activities to the Serious Fraud Office (SFO). /p

High hopes for Hoops as Beard faces future

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFor a man who helped transform the Millennium Dome from a supposed white elephant into one of Europe's foremost concert venues, turning Queens Park Rangers into a force in English football should be a doddle. Philip Beard does not put it quite like that, of course, for even as a comparative newcomer to the unpredictable world of football – having joined QPR as chief executive after Tony Fernandes's takeover in August – he appreciates that those who sit in the directors' box are at the mercy of what goes on inside the rectangle of white lines in front of them./p

Bees in the bonnet: How a mobile insect circus has started to take over one couple's lives

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTheir house is stuffed to the gills with retro posters, colourful furniture, stacks of crockery and characterful figurines. But, Sarah Munro explains, when she moved 20 years ago to the Victorian cottage in Great Livermere, a village in Suffolk, with her partner Mark Copeland they didn't have a bean between them. One treasured item began their magpie-like approach to decorating: a Catholic-kitsch Madonna that still stands in the corner of the kitchen./p

Hardeep Singh Kohli: A Scotland that believes in itself can be exactly what it wants

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIn April 1992, I was begrudgingly departing my beloved Glasgow for an enforced three-month-long sojourn in The Big London. The BBC, my then employer, had ordained it thus. But I had absolutely no desire whatsoever to leave Scotland. Why would I? Why leave the best city in the best country in the world?/p

Scots Wha Hae! The battle for independence

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Scots and the English share many things, but a sense of humour is not always one of them. As the Scottish National Party's ruling body met on Friday at the end of a tumultuous week for the nation, one senior member ventured his own suggestion for resolving the new problem presented by an agitated Prime Minister down at Westminster./p

The Last Word: Henry should not have left in the first place

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhile everyone with a football soul, and without a Leeds United or Republic of Ireland scarf, was celebrating the destruction of the maxim "you should never go back", maybe something else flashed through Thierry Henry's mind: "I should never have left in the first place."/p

Album: Enter Shikari, A Flash Flood of Colour (Ambush Reality / Pias)

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA Flash Flood of Colour kicks off with a pained metaphor comparing modern Britain to a clifftop house threatened by coastal erosion, and doesn't let up from there./p

Man arrested for murder of Birmingham couple

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDetectives were last night questioning a 24-year-old man in connection with the murder of a Birmingham couple battered to death in their home. West Midlands Police said officers arrested the man at a house in Birmingham on Friday. The arrest followed the discovery of the bodies of Avtar Kolar, 62, and his wife, Carole, 58, at their home in Handsworth Wood, Birmingham, by their policeman son on Wednesday. The couple had been married for 40 years. /p

Festive sales reduce inflation

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pCut-throat Christmas competition among retailers desperate to drum up trade is likely to have triggered the steepest monthly fall in inflation for more than three years. /p

Cahill signs but Alex deal in limbo

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Bolton defender Gary Cahill underwent his medical at Chelsea's Cobham training ground yesterday morning and watched his new team-mates beat Sunderland 1-0 at Stamford Bridge in the afternoon prior to being officially unveiled as a Blues player tomorrow. The England centre-half has agreed personal terms and could play in next Saturday's Premier League game at Norwich City./p

Crumbs of comfort: Bill Granger reveals how stale bread can be used in a range of delicious dishes

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe past 20 years have seen a revolution in bread. When I was growing up, the lighter and fluffier the bread, the better. While I still have time for a deliciously crisp baguette with butter and jambon, these days my heart lies with chewy, dense sourdough loaves./p

So, what have the Scots ever done for us? Just 101 of the innovations Caledonia gave the world

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongAdam Smith/strong/p

Exposed: University bosses' lavish expense claims

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBritish university chiefs are paid generous expenses to cover worldwide travel and lavish entertaining on top of salaries that are eight times the national average./p

Matthew Bell: The IoS Diary (15/01/12)

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Duchess of Cambridge is to suffer the indignity of undergoing a CRB check for her new role with the Scouts. But she can take comfort that even the grandest families are into CRBs these days. The Duchess of Devonshire has placed an advert in The Lady appealing for a "first-rate PA/secretary", to assist her in her "very busy business and private schedule", and stipulating that "a CRB check will be required". In this case, perhaps it's no bad thing. Sarah Ferguson found her assistant Jane Andrews through the small ads of The Lady, and she ended up murdering her own boyfriend. Anyone thinking of submitting an application should note they'll be working for the current chatelaine of Chatsworth, Amanda, not her more famous mother-in-law, Debo, youngest of the witty Mitford sisters. A "sense of humour" is, all the same, required./p

Album: Ani DiFranco, Which Side are You On? (Righteous Babe)

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA first new album in three years by this most steamingly righteous babe./p

New law will send women to jail needlessly, peers warn

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThousands of women will be sent to jail needlessly if new criminal justice legislation is allowed into law in its current form, a group of cross-party peers warn this weekend ahead of a vote in the House of Lords. /p

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Album: Donizetti, Maria di Rohan – Orchestra of the Enlightenment / Elder (Opera Rara)

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDonizetti's taut, dark opera of stifled desire in 17th-century France is handsomely presented and performed in the 1843 Vienna version under Mark Elder. There is little wastage. Musky period brass and woodwind intensify the sense of entrapment./p

Tablets set to oust cars as the must-have status symbol

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pForget flashy cars: the number and quality of tablet computers and mobile phone devices that you own are now seen as the ultimate show of wealth. /p

Bath run empty but Glasgow eye last eight

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBath's disappointing Heineken Cup campaign continued as they slumped to their fourth defeat in five matches this season, going down to a last-gasp try./p

Pawn again: The rebirth of the high-street credit merchants

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRoom in Mayfair, two men shake hands across a sleek wooden desk. Casually but expensively dressed, one gets up and turns toward the glass security door that's de rigueur in this enclave of central London. He smiles as he leaves: "Pleasure doing business. I'll recommend you."/p

Councils sidestep ban on lobbying

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLocal authorities are spending tens of thousands of pounds on lobbying every year at the same time as making cuts to frontline services, the Government claimed last night./p

Album: Milagres, Glowing Mouth (Memphis Industries)

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThey live in Brooklyn but are not art-school types who wear NHS specs and play world-music-influenced indie./p

Mouchel to win shareholder vote on borrowing limit

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pInvestors in Mouchel are expected to vote through plans to quadruple the embattled infrastructure and outsourcing group's borrowing limit to £225m this week./p

Fury as Goldman Sachs unveils bankers' pay

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pGoldman Sachs will stoke the fury over bankers' bonuses this week when it increases the proportion of revenues paid to staff despite what could be its worst year for earnings since 1999./p

Don't let Blue Monday get you down!

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIf you believe the hype, tomorrow will the most depressing day in 2012. Though the science behind it is, perhaps, not the most rigorous, it does enjoy a mathematical formula all of its own./p

All hail the 21st-century Socrates...

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhen I was a child I remember very clearly when books ceased to be illustrated./p

Album: 1982 (Nils Okland, Sigborn Apeland, Oyvind Skarbo) Pintura (Hubro)

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThis extraordinary album of chamber-style improvisations by the Norwegian trio of Okland (violin/Hardanger fiddle), Apeland (harmonium/Wurlitzer) and Skarbo (drums) lasts a little over half an hour and casts a very powerful spell./p

Album: Yale Strom and Hot Pstromi, The Devil's Brides: Yiddish and Klezmer Song (Arc Music)

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIn 18th-century Poland there were women klezmer musicians who travelled to perform at fairs all over Central Europe. Ethnographer-violinist Strom has researched their repertoire, and this CD contains some of his discoveries./p

DVD: Killer Elite, For retail rental (Entertainment In Video)

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA hitman thriller that casts Jason Statham alongside Robert De Niro, Killer Elite doesn't even work as a guilty pleasure: its embarrassing attempts to engage with the politics of the Middle East sit uncomfortably with the testosterone-drenched fight scenes./p

A breathless week in non-stop Vietnam

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p'Good Morning Vietnam!" boomed the taxi driver shuttling me from the airport to breakfast in Hanoi./p

Julian Knight: New watchdog must rebuild consumers' trust

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p'Box tickers" who occupy an "ivory tower" is the final damning verdict from the Treasury Select Committee on the sorry history of the soon-to-be-replaced Financial Services Authority./p

Album: Wiley, Evolve or Be Extinct (Big Dada)

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pYou get no prizes for being ahead of your time, and Wiley knows it. "I've been an inspiration to the UK grime scene...", he points out on EOBE's most telling moment, "I've got a temper but my name ain't Tinie." /p

Major investors to tackle boards over executive pay

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe UK's biggest investors will lead a crackdown on excessive boardroom pay, according to an exclusive poll of 200 leading City fund managers for The Independent on Sunday./p

Scholes' magic moment lifts United

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFirst Thierry Henry and now Paul Scholes, it has been such a week for dramatic comebacks that Manchester City might ask Colin Bell if he is doing anything tomorrow night./p

Home help is a shot in the arm for Ennis

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDriving up the Don valley yesterday morning, past the Sheffield Forgemasters works, the grass verges were dusted with frost. The temperature gauge registered -3 but it felt twice as cold getting out in the car park next to the English Institute of Sport./p

Album: Kathleen Edwards, Voyageur (Rounder)

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWe should all be so lucky to spend winter under the duvet of a Bon Iver co-production./p

Hardeep Singh Kohli: A Scotland that believes in itself can be what it wants

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIn April 1992, I was begrudgingly departing my beloved Glasgow for an enforced three-month-long sojourn in The Big London. The BBC, my then employer, had ordained it thus. But I had absolutely no desire whatsoever to leave Scotland. Why would I? Why leave the best city in the best country in the world?/p

Album: Luis Gasca, Collage (BGP)

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFirst time on CD for a 1976 Fantasy recording by cult trumpeter Gasca, who also played with Carlos Santana and Van Morrison (on Tupelo Honey)./p

Anichebe rescues a point for Everton

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 8:13pm EST

pEverton substitute Victor Anichebe enjoyed another good day in the West Midlands by rescuing a point for his side in the Barclays Premier League clash with Aston Villa. /p

Scholes scores in comfortable Man United win

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 8:11pm EST

pPaul Scholes' first Old Trafford goal for almost two years set Manchester United up for a valuable Premier League win over Bolton./p

Liverpool held to goalless draw by stubborn Stoke

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 8:09pm EST

pLiverpool manager Kenny Dalglish failed to come up with the winning formula at Anfield as his side were held to a goalless draw against Stoke. /p

Blackburn claw their way out relegation zone

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 8:06pm EST

pTen-man Blackburn brilliantly clawed their way out of the Barclays Premier League relegation zone for the first time in four months. /p

Chelsea survive second-half scare to overcome Sunderland

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 8:04pm EST

pFrank Lampard proved the master of being in the right place at the right time once again today as Chelsea survived a second-half scare to beat Sunderland in the Barclays Premier League. /p

Spurs held to disappointing draw against Wolves

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 8:02pm EST

pTottenham blew their chance to claim a share of the Barclays Premier League's top spot as they were held to a disappointing draw against Wolves. /p

West Brom crash to third straight league defeat

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 8:00pm EST

pWest Brom crashed to their third straight Barclays Premier League defeat as Steve Morison's header sealed victory for Norwich at The Hawthorns./p

London Philharmonic Orchestra / Vedernikov, Royal Festival Hall, London

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 1:34pm EST

pThe London Philharmonic Orchestra’s intriguing new Prokofiev series is entitled “Man of the People?” and the enigma is all in the question mark. /p

Quality of teachers 'was an issue' admits Blair

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 12:29pm EST

pTony Blair has admitted that he could have "gone further" as prime minister to ensure that teachers were up to the job./p

Taiwan ruling party claims presidential victory

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 12:25pm EST

pTaiwan's ruling party has claimed victory in the island's presidential election. /p

Bomb kills 30 Shi'ite pilgrims in southern Iraq

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 10:37am EST

pA bomb killed at least 30 Shi'ite pilgrims near the southern port city of Basra today, Iraqi officials said. It was the latest in a series of attacks during Shi'ite religious commemorations that threaten to further increase sectarian tensions just weeks after the US withdrawal. /p

Talent Scout: Ahmed Musa, CSKA Moscow

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 10:13am EST

pFrom Rashidi Yekini to Finidi George, Jay-Jay Okocha to Nwankwo Kanu, Nigeria has always been able to call upon a production line of exciting talent. Yet as the 2012 African Cup of Nations gets underway next week, the Super Eagles' omission from the continent's football showpiece represents a product of the disorganisation that threatens to ruin a whole generation of Nigerian players./p

VCJD blood test used in UK

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 9:27am EST

pA blood test for the human form of mad cow disease is being used in the UK for the first time, it has been revealed./p

Royal Navy captures Somali pirates

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 9:22am EST

pThe Royal Navy has captured 13 Somali pirates on a boat in the Indian Ocean./p

Thieves tunnel under cash machine

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 9:20am EST

p align="left"Thieves went to extreme lengths to get their hands on some money when they dug a 100ft tunnel under a building to get to a cash machine./p

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Tunnel thieves 'only got £6,000'

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 9:20am EST

p align="left"A gang of thieves who spent six months digging a 100ft tunnel under a car park in a bid to raid a shop's cash machine may have only escaped with around £6,000, sources claimed today./p

At least three dead as cruise ship runs aground

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 9:04am EST

pA luxury cruise ship ran aground off the coast of Tuscany, gashing open the hull and forcing some 4,200 people aboard to evacuate aboard lifeboats. Three people have been confirmed dead./p

Three dead after cruise ship runs aground

Posted: January 14th, 2012, 9:04am EST

pDozens of Britons were safely rescued after a luxury cruise liner ran aground and later keeled over off the Italian coast, it was reported. /p

Andy Murray: The route to the Australian Open final

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:01am EST

pAndy Murray has been handed an extremely tough draw if he is to go one better than his past two years at the Australian Open over the next two weeks. The Scot reached the final in the last two years but has lost to Roger Federer in 2010 and then the magnificent Novak Djokovic in 2011. /p

Sunderland: Potential January transfer targets

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:01am EST

pSunderland's decision to do away with Steve Bruce and replace him with Martin O'Neill has already reaped rewards with results on the pitch./p

The Business Matrix: Saturday 14 January 2012

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTed Baker's sales rise across board/p

Traveller's Guide: Northern Lights

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNature's neon is even better than the man-made thing. The same sub-atomic electrical excitement that gives Las Vegas its surreal sheen produces, in more extreme latitudes, the greatest show above earth. On a cold, clear and dark winter's night, the horizon can quickly fill with colour, from intense greens and blues to soft pinks and silvers, in contorted bands that dance in time with surges from the sun and illuminate the frozen landscape. You don't see that in Vegas (yet)./p

American Football: Harbaugh must weather Brees storm

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe New Orleans Saints, looking for their second Super Bowl appearance in three seasons, take on the San Francisco 49ers in today's divisional round play-off./p

My Secret Life: Paulo Coelho, 64, author

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongMy parents were... /strongso desperate that I wanted to be a writer that they locked me in a mental institution three times. Thirty-five years later I wrote a book based on this experience [Veronika Decides to Die]./p

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How to be happy: Gretchen Rubin’s guide to everyday contentment

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pGretchen Rubin suggests it's best to call her in New York at 6.15am her time. She'll have been up and about for a while by then. It might be hard to believe, but this early-rising, being-on-form-before-it's-even-light is one of the things that enables Rubin to have a better day. Keep reading: she hasn't always been like this – and the recent decision to shave off an hour's sleep a night didn't exactly come naturally. No, she says, it's a very deliberate strategic plan, with one goal in mind: happiness. It's part of her Happiness Project, which began as something very personal, and has grown into a much more public phenomenon./p

Gevork Vartanian: Spy who helped foil Churchill death plot

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pGevork Vartanian worked for Soviet, and briefly Russian, intelligence for the best part of half a century. But his most celebrated work as a spy came at the tender age of 19, when he helped thwart a Nazi plot to assassinate Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill on the occasion of the first meeting of the "Big Three" allied leaders at the Teheran conference of November 1943./p

Samba future unclear after he calls in sick

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe future of the Blackburn Rovers captain, Chris Samba, looked uncertain last night after the player did not show up yesterday for training or for a meeting designed to clear the air with his manager Steve Kean./p

England regain ruthless streak

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEngland are in good order. They are not pitch perfect by any means but they are in tune and appear to be singing from the same song sheet. Those who have seen England as a cacophonous rabble who do not know their arias from their elbows at this stage of some tours will recognise the difference./p

David Lister: When will David Cameron make a song and dance about song and dance?

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhether or not you agree with what David Cameron said about the film industry this week, whether or not you think it insufficiently mainstream (as he does) or too mainstream, at least the Prime Minister was engaging with the arts./p

G4S chief walks after takeover collapse

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe chairman of G4S fell on his sword yesterday as he paid the price for the global security firm's abandoned £5.3bn takeover of Danish cleaning firm ISS./p

Chris McGrath: The ragged edge between death and glory

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHurtling between the craggy jaws of the Hundschopf, suddenly they are spat into the void, the valley spreading below./p

Michael Fassbender: Wanted man

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pInterviewed in Maclean's magazine about his new film, A Dangerous Method, the director David Cronenberg confessed to being puzzled by the behaviour of one of his actors./p

The Diary: What's the difference between an objective and a target?

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAndrew Lansley, the Health Secretary, has drawn much flack for his highly contentious proposed reforms of the NHS. But let us not overlook what he is doing to reform the English language./p

The best medicine: The power of laughter

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTell a Pygmy a good joke and the probability is that he or she will drop to the floor and roll on the ground in side-slapping, uproarious laughter. The Dobuans of New Guinea, on the other hand, revile laughter and enjoy misery. Feuding Greenland Inuits resolve disputes by publicly humiliating themselves to see who gets laughed at the most and lower-caste Tamil men giggle when addressing someone from the upper caste to express humility./p

Chris Bryant: My laser eye surgery helped me see things more clearly. This was one of them...

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPeggy Ashcroft had a lump on her face./p

Villas-Boas hits back at Hansen after latest attack against Luiz

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAndre Villas-Boas, the Chelsea manager, has renewed his attack on Alan Hansen after the television pundit criticised the performances of David Luiz and Jose Bosingwa in Chelsea's recent match at Wolves. Meanwhile Gary Cahill's protracted transfer from Bolton is expected to go through before today's home game with Sunderland./p

Dive in factory gate prices lifts hopes

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFactory gate prices fell for the first time in 18 months in December, bolstering Bank of England hopes that the painful squeeze on living standards from inflation will ease sharply this year./p

Market Report: Unlucky 13th for Footsie as Europe rating fears grow

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt was all too good to be true./p

Veggie might: Mark Hix explores a brave new world of delicious vegetables

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAt this time of year, if we're honest, we're getting a bit bored of root vegetables and cabbage. But stay open-minded; there are lots of other interesting vegetables on the market that are as delicious as they are healthy. Beware of appearances, though. Some of the prettiest exotic and imported fruit and veg are best left on the shelf – you'll find they're disappointingly lacking in flavour. Others, though, have a fantastic taste yet for some reason aren't grown in the UK – they deserve a place in our kitchens./p

Martinez issues red-card call

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Wigan Athletic manager, Roberto Martinez, has entered the row over Vincent Kompany's controversial dismissal last week by insisting every two-footed tackle should lead to a red card./p

Warburton will gladly return Rees' armband

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSam Warburton says he would understand if Matthew Rees was reinstated as Wales captain for next month's Six Nations./p

Wiseman leaps on takeover talk

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRobert Wiseman has admitted it is in takeover talks with the German yogurt group Theo Müller after its shares jumped 8 per cent in early trade yesterday./p

While technocrats haggle, ordinary people feel the pain

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA new Greek tragedy is being written./p

The politics of positivity: Why is the Government measuring our happiness levels?

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAs every science fiction fan knows, the answer to the question of the meaning of life is '42'. This is the conclusion of the supercomputer, Deep Thought, in Douglas Adams's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Deep Thought took 7.5 million years to arrive at this answer, which later transpires to be a mistake./p

Why home advantage has become a thing of the past

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThere are few sweeter things in football than an away win. Anyone who has followed a team knows that they feel so much more thrilling, more daring, more rewarding, harder-earned, than almost any victory at home./p

Hamish McRae: Of course Scotland can stand on its own two feet. And here's how

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pScotland's voters will be asked to make a political decision in its referendum on independence, but it will be a decision coloured inevitably by economics – or at least economic perceptions, for the long-term economic impact of independence is far from clear. But such is the nature of politics that economic arguments will be used by both sides to support their case./p

Jaeger is hurt by high street downturn and end of Japanese deal

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe luxury fashion brand Jaeger's profits fell last year by nearly two-thirds after it was hit by the downturn on the UK high street and the end of a Japanese contract. /p

Brian Ashton: More common sense, less letter of the law from refs

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMost of the attention of rugby followers in recent days has been on Stuart Lancaster's initial selection decisions as interim England coach ahead of the Six Nations Championship and on the build-up to the decisive rounds of Heineken Cup pool games, the first batch of which take place this weekend. Both competitions are noted for the ferocity they generate, and it is a truism that in this kind of environment the mentally strong prevail./p

Cameron urges Saudis to turn on the oil taps

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDavid Cameron has called on the King of Saudi Arabia to step up his country's oil production in the face of Iranian threats to block off the sea corridor through which one sixth of the world's oil supplies pass./p

Anthony Hilton: Reckless policymakers killed our pubs: what will their next reform ruin?

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFor almost 30 years I have taken a perverse pride that a book of mine had the worst title of any business book ever published, but this week I ceded the crown at the launch party for Intervention in the Modern UK brewing Industry* written by an old friend, Simon Ward, and three like-minded colleagues./p

Flawless Walker takes maximum points

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAbu Dhabi Ocean Racing eased the pressure on skipper Ian Walker after two miserable legs in the Volvo Ocean Race by scoring a crushing victory on home waters yesterday./p

Five-minute memoir: DJ Taylor on a schoolboy error

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIn those days – October 1977 – we still had Saturday morning school. Strolling along the tiled corridor of School End House on my way back from ringing the bell for assembly, I bumped into a boy named Crispin Lambert, like me in the second year of the Norwich school sixth form and gearing up to take his A-levels the following summer. Whether Crispin was actively seeking me out, or what followed was a spontaneous gesture, I never discovered, but he shot me a confidential look, suggesting that great matters were in train, and demanded, "Are you doing anything in the next half hour?". Whatever I said must have been encouraging, as his next question was: "Would you like to come and meet the Prime Minister?"./p

Domino effect feared for Europe

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFrance's loss of its AAA rating could have serious consequences for the whole of the European Union. /p

Go with the flow: Charting a course through The Gambia

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pChildren rarely scream at the sight of me. My own offspring, faced with my anger, might quiver a bit. But I'm not often that cross. I therefore didn't understand the terrified wailing when I first saw it in The Gambia. I was in a small village called Tubakulam, just north of the river which gives the country its name. A local mechanic, Ousman Camara, had kindly offered to show me around./p

Muslim Brotherhood enters uncharted territory

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe balance of power which has been maintained in Egypt for more than half a century looks to have changed, with early election results suggesting that the Muslim Brotherhood won a colossal victory in the parliamentary elections./p

Harriet Walker: Why should puffed-up parents be granted more respect than teachers?

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe battle cry of the teaching unions resounds after Michael Gove announced yesterday that he would make it easier to "get rid" of bad teachers, and "move them on"./p

Andrew Grice: Osborne: the SNP's secret weapon

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p"Westminster Eton Toff will not decide our referendum," wrote Angus MacNeil, the Scottish National Party MP for the Western Isles, after David Cameron lit the touchpaper for a debate on Scotland's future which could end with the United Kingdom splitting apart./p

How did a giant diamond stolen in a daring London raid end up in a Hong Kong pawnshop?

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThey arrived at the London showroom of Graff diamonds in a chauffeur-driven Bentley, wearing the tailor-made suits, chunky watches and expensive suntans of two well-heeled shoppers looking to splash serious cash./p

Government ready for lobbyists verdict

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Government is to publish long-awaited plans to reform Britain's lobbying industry next week, The Independent has learnt./p

Stephen Foley: Google has a fight on its hands to preserve an open and accessible web

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongUS Outlook:/strong Google is being a bully. On our behalf./p

CSI Miami star's gushing praise for drug lord

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOne of Mexico's biggest television stars has sparked nationwide controversy after publicly informing the notorious drug baron, Joaquin "el Chapo" Guzman, that she finds him more trustworthy than her own government./p

Car cover costs must be cut, MPs demand

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHard-pressed motorists forced to cope with ever-increasing insurance premiums may soon get some good news. A cross-party MPs' committee this week challenged the insurance industry to reduce charges./p

Court rules Breivik must face new psychiatric tests

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA court in Oslo ordered a new psychiatric evaluation of the mass killer Anders Breivik yesterday, after an earlier report found him legally insane./p

Rescue group offers last hope for Darlington

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDarlington have been offered a glimmer of hope that they may yet be able to escape liquidation./p

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Shashank Joshi: A relationship with strategic – and business – motives

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMany have suggested that as revolutionary spells go, last year was more 1848 than 1989 – a period of short-lived popular uprisings, quashed by reactionary forces. If that's true, then Saudi Arabia is playing the role of Tsarist Russia./p

Widow defends suspect in Oxford death

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe widow of a leading Oxford academic, who died in mysterious circumstances, spoke last night in defence of the friend arrested after the death, insisting the whole matter must be a tragic accident./p

Divisions over leadership will kill Labour, says Kinnock

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNeil Kinnock has attacked Ed Miliband's Labour critics as "cowards" who risk killing off the party's prospects at the next general election./p

Stephen Foley: Volcker Rule is useless in tackling systemic risk

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pbUS Outlook:/b There are so many good reasons to hate the Volcker Rule, it is surprising that lobbyists against it have thrown up so many disingenuous objections, too./p

Crisis? Crash? Minutes of US Fed's 2006 meetings reveal little worry

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA blissful ignorance about oncoming financial catastrophe was not confined, in 2006, to members of the public who had never heard of Lehman Brothers. It extended all the way to the top of the Federal Reserve, the US central bank charged with steering the economy./p

Be prepared for disappointment on endowments

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAbout seven million people are due to get news in the next few weeks about one of their major investments. These are the individuals who still have with-profits endowment policies, despite all the controversy attaching to them over the last 15 years./p

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After 320 years, Paris theatre's stage hands demand égalité

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe most prestigious theatre company in France, the Comédie Française, has been thrown into confusion over a 332-year-old pay agreement./p

Five Questions About: Filing your tax return

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongDo I need to file a self-assessment tax return?/strong/p

Network Rail faces criminal prosecution over fatal crash

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNetwork Rail is to face criminal prosecution over the 2007 rail crash in Grayrigg, Cumbria, that killed one passenger and injured almost 90./p

Jailbreak pair face trial after grenade left on Dalglish's wall

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTwo alleged gang members who escaped from a prison van faced trial in their absence yesterday over a series of gun and grenade attacks. /p

Stephen Foley: Mini-stores may take a bite out of Apple's image

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pbUS Outlook:/b Target must be hoping for Beijing-style mob scenes when it opensmini-Apple stores inside its superstores soon, though maybe not quite the brawls and egg-throwing that marred the iPhone 4S launch in China yesterday./p

Chris McGrath: Waley-Cohen wisest in the long run

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOne day, perhaps, he might actually make a mistake on the horse./p

Why Newt Gingrich's sister says vote Obama

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAs we're sitting down to lunch at a restaurant in Washington DC, a smartly dressed man approaches Candace Gingrich-Jones. "I just wanted to say hello," he announces, cheerfully, "because I know your brother."/p

Gas and electricity charges start to fall at last

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFour of the big six energy firms announced cuts in charges this week. If the others haven't followed by the time you read this, they will surely do so early next week./p

The Bargain Hunter: Exotic choices in BA's winter sale

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBritish Airways launched its "Goodbye Winter" sale this month, with savings on flights and package holidays around the world. Return flights from Heathrow to New York JFK are available for £376, while flights and a seven-night stay at the three-star Coconut Court Beach Hotel in Barbados are now £549. The bargains extend to exotic locations such as Lusaka in Zambia and Bangalore in India, but also include city breaks in Barcelona, Rome and Bordeaux. Bookings need to be made before 24 January. Details: a href="http://bit.ly/xkNBpz_"http://bit.ly/xkNBpz/a./p

Arab League warns of Syria slide into civil war

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSyria may be sliding towards civil war, the head of the Arab League warned yesterday./p

Neil Warnock: My world has been turned upside down

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pI was feeling pretty good last Saturday night./p

Payday loans for alcohol

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe payday lender Cash Genie encouraged students to use expensive credit to pay for booze or nights out on its website./p

Robert Fisk: The 'invented people' stand little chance

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThank goodness we don't have to hear Newt Gingrich for a while./p

Briton fails in bid to halt extradition

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA retired businessman has vowed to fight on to end his "nightmare" after failing in a High Court bid to halt his extradition to the US on charges of conspiring to sell batteries for Iranian missiles./p

Ut De Sivola tests Triumph claims

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHaving hitherto been so weirdly indulged, the jumps schedule was finally menaced by frost overnight./p

Foster will stay a Saint after agreeing new deal

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pJamie Foster has signed a new two-year contract with St Helens./p

Guatemala's President wants wife back after political divorce

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe former president of Guatemala, Alvaro Colom, hopes to be reconciled with the wife he divorced in the run-up to last year's election./p

Questions Of Cash: Bank's double refund was cause of confusion

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongQ. Our daughter visited India last year to stay with the family of a friend. She enquired about travel insurance through several providers, including our bank, HSBC. Two days before she was to leave the UK we received the travel insurance details from HSBC and paid the premium. When we told our daughter, she explained that she had refused the quote from our bank and accepted a better alternative. We told HSBC that we felt misled, as it knew our daughter had not accepted its offer. HSBC refused to refund the premium until our daughter cancelled the insurance, which she did and the premium was refunded./strong/p

Mark Dampier: With gilt yields low, bond funds look like a good bet

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRecent statistics from the Investment Management Association show that investors were net sellers of funds over the past few months. This is hardly surprising given the global economic backdrop and constant flow of poor news, particularly from the eurozone. However, not all news has been negative. In America economic statistics have been improving, and without the eurozone problems I think markets would be higher./p

Glenn Moore: New owners always want their own man in charge, but change doesn't necessarily bring success

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOn reflection, Neil Warnock was never likely to see out this season at Loftus Road./p

Fourth supplier cuts its prices

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNpower became the latest energy supplier to cut prices when it announced a 5 per cent decrease in gas tariffs yesterday./p

Why January is the time to launch a pop career (it only takes 30,000 album sales to get to No 1)

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThere are few certainties in hit-making but one motto used to ring true – January is a dead month for music./p

Permalink for '_______Education_/2012/01/13/Travel_Agenda__Brusselicious_food_festival__Vancouver_PuSh_Festival__Utah_s_Sundance_Film_Festival__Las_Vegas_MOB_Museum'

Travel Agenda: Brusselicious food festival; Vancouver PuSh Festival; Utah's Sundance Film Festival; Las Vegas MOB Museum

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongToday: /strongWalk around the Dinner's Served exhibition, which is currently on display in Brussels at the Tour amp; Taxis centre. The event is part of the year-long Brusselicious food festival, which will see tastings, picnics and foodie films pop up throughout the Belgian capital. Look out for the "Tram Experience" too, which runs from 14 Feb. Guests will be able to take a two-hour tour of the city with a feast served on board the stylish carriage. Tickets, €75 (brusselicious.be)./p

Money Insider: Virgin Money kicks off as Branson plays to win

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Virgin marketing machine was super quick out of the blocks this year, announcing a two-season shirt sponsorship with Newcastle United Football Club before many of us had taken down the Christmas trimmings. The timing couldn't have been better too, as the deal was struck the day before a rousing 3-0 triumph over Manchester United./p

Donald MacInnes: Surely there's room in Australia even for a useless hack like me

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWe had lunch with friends last week. I can't say where because of that there slightly unsettling picture of me: if I name the gaff in question, every eaterie within the pulsing environs of the M25 is going to want a slice of my expense account. If I had one. Which I genuinely don't. No luncheon vouchers for me. I don't even get a luncheon break. And because of these time constraints, I'm having to write this week's scarlet letter on the bus, hence thefreqqunt spollin mstkes. Hold on while I give this passenger his change.../p

48 Hours: Las Palmas

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pemstrongClick here for the a href="http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/78169306?access_key=key-oyoskqws5uq79i4c0yh"48Hours/a In...Las Palmas map/strong/em/p

Barton backs old manager to get another crack at reaching the 'promised land'

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pJoey Barton, the Queen's Park Rangers captain, expects Neil Warnock to be offered an opportunity to return to football sooner rather than later, thanks to his track record of winning promotion./p

Get with the beasts: a big game hunter's guide to modern Britain

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pustrong1. Cougar/strong/u/ppWhen PC Chris Swallow, a Ministry of Defence dog handler, filmed a sleek, black, metre-long cat in Argyll, Scotland, in 2009, he was convinced it was a black panther. /p

Big-hitting Warner sets sights on a whitewash

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAustralia opener David Warner believes India are already a beaten team after his blazing century capped a wholly dominant opening day of the third Test in Perth./p

Simon Calder: How Brits can benefit from French subsidies

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA holiday in France is one of life's sweeter treats. Even better: a holiday in France subsidised by the French taxpayer. Any day this winter, you can hop aboard the bus at Nice airport for the two-hour climb from sea level to the ski resort of Isola 2000, for a pauper's fare of €4. (For comparison, the market fare for the much shorter transfer from Geneva airport to Morzine costs €28.)/p

EU targets payday loan sites that break rules

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPayday loan firms which flout European consumer rules will be shut down, the European Union said this week. Its investigations found that four out of five UK online credit companies failed to provide basic information required by law, such as the cost of borrowing./p

Derek Pain: Admiration for an old-timer which has served me well

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFamiliarity, it is said, breeds contempt, but I have nothing but admiration for the longest-serving member of the no pain, no gain portfolio. Hargreaves Services, the coal to transport group, and the portfolio have been together for almost five years, and during that time I don't think I have ever thought about giving the shares the old heave-ho./p

Pardew: Ben Arfa must work harder

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAlan Pardew has told Hatem Ben Arfa he must increase his work-rate to become a regular in his Newcastle side. Pardew hailed the Frenchman's goal against Blackburn in the FA Cup last week as the greatest he had ever seen live, but the praise was diluted yesterday as he laid out what else he now expects from the player./p

Peter Popham: Remarkable events that give hope for change after so long

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThere can no longer be any doubt that there is a group of people at the summit of power in Burma who are not merely toying with Aung San Suu Kyi and the West, not merely climbing through Washington-erected hoops in order to achieve short-term political and economic goals, but who have a vision of how their country should be run and where it should be heading that is radically at odds with the vision that has dictated policy for the past 20 years./p

Sold down the river?

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWith less than 200 days to go until the opening ceremony, the Olympics countdown is on. Organisers hope the opening shebang will kickstart a thrilling two months in the capital, but not everyone is feeling the spirit of the Games./p

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Away form sinks Barça but do they even care?

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEven the greatest teams in history sometimes have to prioritise./p

Christina Patterson: Madonna's got a long wait for her knight in shining armour

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pShe's one of the most powerful women in the world. She is, in fact, at least according to Time, which is very keen on lists, one of the 25 most powerful women of the last century. She looks a million dollars, and is worth several hundred million more. But there's one thing Madonna's millions can't buy her. Yup, you've guessed it: love./p

Slugs and snails munch their way back as top pests

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSlugs and snails have regained their crown as the most pesky pests to munch a destructive path through Britain's gardens. Having been toppled from their customary first place in 2010 by the viburnum beetle, they slithered back to the top of the list in 2011 as the pest gardeners most love to loathe./p

Fit-again imports can help Quins go from lean to mean

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pustrongHarlequins v Gloucester/strong/u/ppThis week's England selection hardly reflected the fact that Harlequins, front-runners in all directions since the start of the season, are in the middle of a sticky patch: four players in the Six Nations party, another five in the second-string squad... not since the early 1990s, when the age-old city slicker image still had some substance to it, have the Londoners played such a strong hand representatively. But they are going through a lean spell all the same, even if it is the kind of lean spell for which Newcastle or Wasps would happily kill./p

'It's bigger than Harry Potter': fans queue for Jerusalem's curtain call

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTheatre lovers have camped outside the Apollo theatre in London for up to 36 hours to secure the last tickets to the most acclaimed play in the West End./p

Baltacha on course to face title holder Clijsters after first hurdle

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTwelve months after losing here to Justine Henin in what proved to be the last victory of the former world No 1's career, Elena Baltacha is hoping to meet another Belgian in the second round of the Australian Open next week. The 28-year-old Briton, ranked No 53 in the world, has been drawn to play France's Stéphanie Foretz Gacon in the first round, with a match against Kim Clijsters the likely reward./p

Something to declare: Belize, not via the US; Gatwick Express; Brazil during Carnival; Air Asia X to exit UK

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongDestination of the week: Belize, not via the US/strong/p

Anthony Rose: 'Something is happening: it's called the tapas bar revolution'

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pI was propping up the bar at José's eponymous tapas bar in London's Bermondsey when before you can say Rozinante, the barman offered me two red wines to taste, a bobal and a mencia. Not rioja, please note, but two relatively obscure yet delicious Spanish reds each with their own distinctive personality. I couldn't resist a glass of Gramona, a cava that's so refreshing it almost single-handedly redefines Spanish sparkling wine./p

Simon Read: Don't let changing charges make you miss good deals

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pCharges have been dominating the news this week. Complaints about soaring car insurance costs have been mixed with cheers as home energy prices begin to slacken off a little./p

Every little helps: Tesco executive sold shares before profit warning

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA senior Tesco executive sold more than £200,000 of shares in the supermarket a week before its first profit warning in 20 years wiped nearly £5bn off its market value./p

Fillet of beef with cavolo nero

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThere are lots of winter leaves out there apart from our native cabbages and greens. Swiss chard is a great leaf, although it's often quite off-putting for the size of its stalks which shouldn't be thrown away, but just chopped and cooked separately from the leaves. It also comes in different colours and is sometimes sold as rainbow chard. Black cabbage or cavolo nero is another great winter leaf, but takes a fair bit of cooking./p

Seb Larsson: 'You should see O'Neill when we win. He is all hugs'

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pClever. Seb Larsson uses the adjective seven times to describe his new manager./p

The Hedonist: Las Vegas

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pCast out in the dry, dusty Nevada desert, Las Vegas is a bright, neon-lit force to be reckoned with. If ever a city was built with a hedonist in mind, this is it./p

The Delaunay, 55 Aldwych, London, WC2

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSimply walking into the Delaunay makes you feel you've found the perfect restaurant. Sited on the corner of Aldwych and Drury Lane, it hums with elegance. The rubicund doorman tips his top hat, a startlingly pretty Roedean-head-girl takes your coat and you enter a wide, welcoming, marble-floored space. To your right, a vast bar is lit up like a cathedral high altar; to your left is a line of tables for posers, chatterers, couples nursing cocktails. Riding on castors is a glass-topped trolley full of teatime cakes – millefeuille, Black Forest gâteau, sachertorte – in case someone fancies a sugar rush at 9pm. Beyond the grey pillars, you make out the dark, indefinably sexy interior where the serious eating goes on. Mein Gott, you think, das ist wunderbar./p

Wine: Something for the weekend

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongCouch potato/strong/p

Baked sweet potatoes with honey, chilli and rosemary

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAfter too many roast potatoes at Christmas you may well be up for something a little different – sweet potatoes are just the thing. They are great with grilled and roast meat or fish. Vegetarians will probably be happy to tuck into them just as they are./p

Ronaldo, the 40-goal striker who's whistled by his own fans

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWell placed to win his first Spanish league title and with 21 goals to his name leaving him on course to break last season's 40-goal haul, Cristiano Ronaldo should have plenty to smile about. He has even got the supporters singing his name...it's just a shame they're not Real Madrid supporters. /p

Back in snow business: Conditions are perfect on Schladming's championship pistes

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAustria cut off: that sums up the headlines this week, with thousands of skiers in leading resorts such as Ischgl and St Anton unable to escape following what was reported as a season's snowfall in a few days. By now the roads should be clear, the skiers home and the prospects fine for the rest of the winter./p

Something For The Weekend: Spurs, Thierry Henry and the quiz

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstronguIt's squeaky bum time for.../u/strong/ppemTottenham Hotspur/em/ppHarry Redknapp's side have been hogging the plaudits this week, moving level with Manchester United and three points behind leaders City – with the chance to close the gap should they beat Wolves today./p

What To Do, See Buy: Mark McGinnis; James Bond; Josef Koudelka; Herbie Flowers; Lucy Hutchings; Quo Vadis

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongNot for kids/strong/p

Roasted radicchio with bacon and pangritata

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRadicchio is one of those winter salad leaves that goes in and out of vogue but personally I'm a fan, especially when it's grilled or roasted. The flavour changes once cooked and it makes a perfect starter or side dish./p

Hartson targets Wales manager's job

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pJohn Hartson has confirmed his interest in taking over as Wales manager – and has changed his mind on the possibility of working with rival candidate Raymond Verheijen./p

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Rebecca Tyrrel: 'Meryl Sheep received rave reviews for her role in ‘The Taming of the Ewe’

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWho knew that there is a character in Sesame Street by the name of Meryl Sheep? This ovine has appeared sporadically as the US children's show resident acting coach since 1987, once memorably teaching the Meryl Sheep Method to an eager Susan Sarandon./p

Trail of the unexpected: Casanova's Venice

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSpring, 1745. Carnival fever grips Venice. Music and confetti fill the air; masked figures move mysteriously in the shadows; jovial couples in lavish costumes cross piazzas en route to glittering balls. But one couple has a date with history./p

Snooker: Trump eager to take over from fading stars

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pJudd Trump, winner of last year's UK Championship, is confident of proving that that success was not a one off and more a sign that snooker is experiencing a changing of the guard./p

Travel Challenge: A Californian fly-drive holiday

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEach week we invite three companies to offer us their best deal for a specific holiday. Today: a two-week road trip in California. Prices are per person, based on two people travelling together. Each includes car hire, room-only accommodation and flights from Heathrow on Monday 5 March./p

Leading article: A rare case of executive humility

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pGiven the Prime Minister's recent vehemence on the subject of executive pay, it is perhaps not surprising that Antonio Horta-Osorio is forgoing his £2m-plus bonus. After all, the Lloyds Banking Group chief executive has just had two months off because of stress-related sleep problems./p

Romanesco with taleggio and capers

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNow this is a weird-looking cauliflower, or is it a broccoli? No wonder romanesco's sometimes referred to as broccoflower. /p

Howard Jacobson: Put down that iPhone and act like a human

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOK. This is the week in which we get a few things straight. Regarding Diane Abbott. She who lives by the tweet shall die by the tweet. As for saying sorry, the word is now discredited. And as for the imputed racism... well, speaking for ourselves, we have been called far worse names than Diane Abbott called us./p

Letters: Fatcat salaries

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDespite the hype, there is little substance in David Cameron's promise to make shareholders' advisory vote on remuneration reports binding ("RBS chief prepares for huge bonus as Cameron vows to curb excessive pay", 9 January)./p

Boxing: Khan granted Peterson rematch

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe World Boxing Association has granted Amir Khan a rematch against Lamont Peterson./p

JPMorgan sets tone for Wall Street with pay cut

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAmerica's biggest bank, JPMorgan Chase, has announced a sharp fall in investment banking profits and a massive cut in its investment bankers' pay./p

Permalink for '_______Education_/2012/01/13/Errors__Omissions__The_long_and_the_short_of_it_%e2%80%93_and_the_unnecessary_syllables'

Errors Omissions: The long and the short of it – and the unnecessary syllables

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pbSeveral times this week/b we used "lengthy" as a lengthy version of "long"./p

Ferguson at odds with Morrison

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSir Alex Ferguson was at odds with his prodigious 18-year-old midfielder Ravel Morrison last night, after declaring that the club have made a contract offer to a player who now seems to be lost to Manchester United./p

Unions furious at Gove's plan to sack bad teachers

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Education Secretary, Michael Gove, was heading for a showdown with teachers' leaders yesterday over his plans to allow the faster dismissal of incompetent staff./p

Everton put an end to Gibson's United anguish

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p"What he doesn't need is comparisons with Roy Keane. Let him be his own man." Such was the counsel Sammy McIlroy imparted to The Independent about Darron Gibson a little over two years ago, and though the future looked a bright place then – the Irishman had just excelled in the Carling Cup against Wolves – his arrival yesterday at Everton, for £500,000 on a four-and-a-half-year deal, suggested McIlroy had been right to urge restraint./p

Black Friday for euro crisis

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe eurozone lurched further into chaos as France was downgraded by a top credit rating agency and talks on a crucial deal to restructure Greece's unsustainable public debt burden broke down./p

Wenger furious over fixtures 'conspiracy'

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pArsène Wenger has launched an astonishing attack on the Premier League's fixture scheduling, accusing clubs of asserting influence on television broadcasters to their own benefit./p

Masters of their domains

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt was one of Blackstone's more eye-catching purchases./p

Schools abandon GCSEs in favour of new exam

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pGrowing numbers of state schools are abandoning the GCSE exam in favour of its rival designed along the lines of the traditional O-level./p

Denise Darcel: Actress and singer who excelled both as vamp and comic foil

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDenise Darcel was a voluptuous actress and singer who appeared in several feature films in the early 1950s./p

Repeat of 'big spenders' jibe provokes City anger

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pManchester City are bemused and indignant that the Tottenham manager, Harry Redknapp, has chosen to renew his claim that they have bought their way to success in a way that his own club has not./p

Apple pulls iPhone from China shelves over riot fears

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAngry Chinese shoppers threw eggs at Apple's flagship store in Beijing and scuffled with police after being told the group's latest smartphone would not go on sale as promised over concerns that the crowd would riot. /p

Leading article: We play a risky political game in Saudi Arabia

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWith David Cameron in Saudi Arabia for his first visit since becoming Prime Minister, it is difficult to avoid the sense of the British Government once again holding its moral nose in the interests of our commercial and political influence./p

Anonymity at Leveson inquiry challenged

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAssociated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail, told the High Court its reputation could be damaged if journalists were allowed to give evidence to the Leveson Inquiry anonymously. /p

Boxing: The Meaning Of Ali

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe whole world will mourn Muhammad Ali when he goes, it will lament the once fierce light that has been extinguished, but for those who know him best, and have loved him most intensely, there will be along with the sadness a degree of relief that the most poignant assignment of their lives is finally over./p

RBS in the firing line as Lloyds boss waives his bonus

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe chief executive of taxpayer-backed Lloyds Banking Group will take no bonus for 2011, piling pressure on rival bankers including Royal Bank of Scotland's Stephen Hester to heed the Prime Minister's recent call for fat-cat pay restraint. /p

India addresses the balance of power

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIndian soldiers practiced myriad acrobatic stunts in Delhi yesterday in preparation for an elaborate military parade that will celebrate the nation's Republic Day later this month./p

Leading article: Time to rethink stop and search

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe newly appointed Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Bernard Hogan-Howe, says he wants to cut his officers' use of random stop-and-search powers by half. Rightly so. It can only be hoped that other police forces around the country will follow the Met's lead./p

Cheers and tears as political prisoners are freed

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pCelebrations erupted outside prison gates across Burma yesterday as the authorities took another step out of isolation and released scores of political prisoners, a move US President Barack Obama hailed as a "substantial" shift towards democracy./p

Can Barritt solve central issue?

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA question: who has the most difficult task in English rugby? Perhaps it is Stuart Lancaster, the caretaker Test coach, who has plenty on his mind as he attempts to restore the red-rose nation's credibility as a major force in the sport following the many and varied failings of the Martin Johnson regime./p

Invensys in a plunge on its profit warning

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pShares in the engineering giant Invensys slumped 20 per cent yesterday after it warned that its profits this year will fall well below City expectations. /p

Author Reginald Hill dies

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pReginald Hill, the author of the Dalziel and Pascoe detective books, which were turned into a popular television series, has died, aged 75./p

Pakistan's PM in 'panicky call to British envoy to help stop coup'

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPakistan's Prime Minister telephoned the British high commissioner this week expressing fears that the army might be about to stage a coup, a British official and an official in Islamabad said yesterday./p

Redknapp: my Spurs are better than the Gazza era

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHarry Redknapp believes that his current Tottenham Hotspur team would beat even the 1989-90 vintage, the last Spurs side to finish third in the league./p

Lebanese man held over 'plot to attack Bangkok'

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThai police are questioning a Lebanese man with alleged links to the Hezbollah militant group after the US embassy warned of a "real and credible" threat of a terrorist attack in Bangkok./p

Volex takes hit as Apple goes green

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA green push by consumer electronics giant Apple will end up costing the maker of its leads and cables up to $6m (£3.9m) this year./p

So, which is the fairest rose of them all?

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstronguYorkshire/u/strong/ppemChristopher Hirst/em/ppThere is much to be said for the Yorkshire Dales becoming bigger./p

War Of The Roses Part II

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pYou need to keep your eyes peeled to catch a glimpse of the signs bearing the red rose of the House of Lancaster on the winding road from the Lake District to the Yorkshire Dales./p

Charlie Pawsey: Rugby league player of legendary hardness

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pCharlie Pawsey, who has died at the age of 88, was a classic example of a familiar rugby paradox. Renowned as a thorough gentleman off the field, he was, once he stepped on to it, one of the toughest, most aggressive players ever to play the game./p

The quiet American making a big noise at Soho House

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSoho House, the international chain of private members' clubs adored by the liberal elites of London and New York, has been bought by a billionaire friend of the Clintons, it emerged yesterday./p

Murray is the perfect fit for me, says Lendl

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAs he sat back in a chair yesterday in the members' lounge at Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club, Ivan Lendl would have been forgiven for thinking back to the days when he ruled the world./p

i Editor's Letter: Better get used to being outraged

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p /p

Is Bhutan the happiest place in the world?

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWithin a stone's throw of Bhutan's legendary Tiger's Nest, with lungs burning and heart pounding, misery descends. Smug, grinning hikers are making their way along the narrow, vertiginous path as they return from the monastery set on the side of the cliff, but with vertigo having turned legs and spirit to mush, it appears I am going nowhere./p

Alice Jones: You can't buy Tequila Mockingbird on Amazon, can you?

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIn its relentless search for the next big thing, Hollywood has come to a rather surprising conclusion: old age is all the rage. I'm not talking about real old people – they're boring and unglamorous, as thousands of over-50 and out-of-work actors will attest. I'm talking about playing old. Forget tackling an underdog sports star or a concentration camp guard – this season, a faceful of rubber wrinkles is the fastest route to the Oscar shortlists./p

Tim Walker: A suitable case for treatment?

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSecreted in Monday's contrite statement of apology from Antony Worrall Thompson, for the repeated theft of cheap plonk and cheese from his local supermarket, was a mistakes-were-made disclaimer: the TV chef said he would "seek the treatment that is clearly needed". /p

Spotlight On: Skipton's fixed rate bonds

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongThe deal/strong/p

Open Jaw: Bhutan direct

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pI very much enjoyed Ben Ross's article on 17 December. However, I question your choice of route. Why put people through a transfer in India, with all its visa costs, when you can use Qatar Airways to Kathmandu via Doha? Much less hassle./p

The Saturday Quiz answers

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p1. L'Etranger (The Outsider)./p

24-hour room service: Ana Mandara Hue, Vietnam

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt was my first morning at the Ana Mandara, and I couldn't see a thing. I stepped gingerly towards the hiss of the South China Sea, first across fat, springy grass and then on to white, hot sand. A heavy morning mist was tumbling in from the ocean thick and fast, obscuring the view to no more than a few metres ahead. The bright sun still managed to infiltrate the fug, illuminating other figures in a surreal scene: a Vietnamese woman in a wedding dress posed for her photographer, while bewildered-looking guests made their own tentative journeys down to the sea./p

My life in travel: Lynda La Plante, novelist and screenwriter

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongFirst holiday memory?/strong/p

The Saturday Quiz

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p1. According to the title of this landmark 1942 French novel, who is Meursault?/p

Leicester are out, admits Cockerill after disaster

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLeicester must hate this place like poison./p

Grant goes to Serb champions Partizan Belgrade

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPartizan Belgrade have appointed former Chelsea, Portsmouth and West Ham United manager Avram Grant as their new coach./p

Boxing: 'Justice is done' as Khan earns a second shot

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAmir Khan last night looked forward to a rematch against Lamont Peterson, saying: “Justice has been done.” /p

Sold down the river? Boaters to be moved on during Olympics

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWith less than 200 days to go until the opening ceremony, the Olympics countdown is on. Organisers hope the opening shebang will kickstart a thrilling two months in the capital, but not everyone is feeling the spirit of the Games./p

Luke Blackall: Madonna still shows the way for modern stars to behave

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pI've never understood why people scream when they see famous people. If someone screamed at me, unless they were obviously under attack or in pain, I'd most likely run away. The celeb-spotter's shriek is repellent rather than a siren call, but it does, at least it, separate the rational fan from the manifestly unstable./p

Wallace and Gromit creators in leprosy row

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 10:11pm EST

pThe creators of Wallace and Gromit and Chicken Run are at the centre of an angry storm surrounding their latest film amid accusations of bad taste and disability discrimination. /p

The 50 Best baking essentials

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 10:00pm EST

pstrong1. Nuscup Adjustable Measuring Scoop/strong/ppA nifty scoop with an adjustable flap to measure up to nine tablespoons. Clever and simple to use./ppstrongWhere:/strong a href="http://www.gourmetkitchenware.co.uk/" target="_blank" title="gourmetkitchenware.co.uk"gourmetkitchenware.co.uk/a/ppstrongHow much:/strong £6.99/p

Student to face US trial over TVShack website

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 7:33pm EST

pA British student can be extradited to the US to face charges of copyright infringement over a website he ran offering links to pirated films online, a court ruled today./p

France 'to lose AAA credit rating'

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 7:15pm EST

pThe eurozone was braced for more pain today amid reports that France is set to be stripped of its gold-plated AAA credit rating./p

Acclaimed crime writer Reginald Hill dies

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 6:53pm EST

pReginald Hill, the author of the Dalziel and Pascoe crime novels, has died aged 75. /p

Saracens closing on Northampton wing Chris Ashton claims Brenden Venter

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 6:47pm EST

pSaracens' technical director Brenden Venter has revealed the club are close to signing England wing Chris Ashton from Northampton. /p

Pakistan government appeals for support

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 5:55pm EST

pPakistan's prime minister has appealed for support from parliament in a stand-off between his beleaguered government and the armed forces, saying MPs had to choose between "democracy and dictatorship"./p

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Ali Dizaei 'abused police powers'

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 5:37pm EST

pThe most senior Metropolitan police officer to be charged with corruption in 34 years went on trial today accused of abusing his office like a “bully” to arrest a man and falsely claim he was assaulted./p

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JP Morgan staff bill up to £18.9bn

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 5:00pm EST

pUS bank JP Morgan Chase today revealed a higher bill for staff pay and bonuses in 2011 of 29 billion US dollars (£18.9 billion) despite a turbulent finish to the year./p

Chelsea: Potential January transfer targets

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 4:55pm EST

pChelsea are in a fight with Arsenal and Liverpool for the final Champions League place having struggled throughout the first half of the season./p

Child benefit cut will go ahead, says Osborne

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 4:48pm EST

pChancellor George Osborne today insisted that he would go ahead with controversial plans to axe child benefit for higher rate taxpayers./p

Hague appeals for calm in Pakistan amid coup fears

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 4:41pm EST

pForeign Secretary William Hague today appealed for calm in Pakistan amid fears the army could be preparing to stage a military coup./p

Npower latest energy supplier to cut gas prices

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 4:36pm EST

pNpower became the latest energy supplier to cut prices when it announced a 5 per cent fall in gas tariffs today./p

The up and coming tennis stars to watch in 2012

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 4:29pm EST

pThe Australian Open starts on Monday and the first Slam of the year will provide a platform for emerging talents to put themselves on the radar for the season ahead./p

Alex Ferguson defends Paul Scholes comeback

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 4:19pm EST

pSir Alex Ferguson has rejected the suggestion that Paul Scholes' Manchester United return is a step backwards./p

John Lewis sees new year sales drop

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 4:17pm EST

pHigh street retailer John Lewis followed up its outstanding Christmas with a whimper rather than a bang as sales dropped during the first week of the year. /p

Man jailed for 20 years in 'buried alive' case

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 4:14pm EST

pA man who attempted to murder his girlfriend by burying her alive in a cardboard box was jailed for 20 years today./p

Football has 'sold it soul' to TV claims Arsene Wenger

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 3:36pm EST

pArsenal manager Arsene Wenger claims football has "sold it soul" to television, but maintains the Barclays Premier League has failed to take a strong enough stance against the broadcasters' demands over fixture changes./p

Boxing: Amir Khan granted rematch by WBA

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 3:27pm EST

pWorld Boxing Association vice president Gilberto Jesus Mendoza has confirmed they have granted Amir Khan a rematch against Lamont Peterson. /p

Inter Milan ready to resume Carlos Tevez transfer talks

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 3:26pm EST

pInter Milan are ready to reopen talks with Manchester City over Carlos Tevez after rivals AC Milan pulled out of negotiations for the Argentinian striker./p

Best Buy to start shutting stores

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 3:26pm EST

pBest Buy will start closing down its UK stores on Sunday after throwing in the towel in its battle to shake up the UK electronics market./p

John Hartson admits interest in Wales role

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 3:05pm EST

pJohn Hartson has confirmed his interest in taking over as Wales manager, but has ruled out the possibility of working with rival candidate Raymond Verheijen./p

Joey Barton impressed by new QPR manager Mark Hughes

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 3:03pm EST

pJoey Barton has broken his silence on Mark Hughes' appointment as QPR manager, urging his team-mates to "buy into" the new regime at Loftus Road./p

You Write the Caption - 13/01/12

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 2:58pm EST

pGo on, make us laugh. What might they be saying? Post your caption to this picture using the comment form below and our favourite will win a bottle of champagne./p

Construction growth sluggish, new figures show

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 2:35pm EST

pFears that the British economy shrank in the final quarter of last year were fuelled today by sluggish construction growth figures for November./p

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Ali Dizaei 'abused his powers'

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 2:27pm EST

pA Scotland Yard commander assaulted and falsely arrested a man in a "wholesale abuse" of his powers, a court heard today./p

League Two betting preview: Hit the jackpot with Accrington

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 2:27pm EST

pThere's something very familiar about what's happening at Accrington Stanley right now it could pay handsomely to side with a few variations along the theme about them handing out a hiding to lowly Barnet at the Crown Ground on Saturday./p

Championship betting preview: Drought at the New Den suits Birmingham

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 2:25pm EST

pIt's turning into a long old season for Millwall and the New Den faithful could be subjected to another afternoon of boredom in Bermondsey when Birmingham visit on Saturday. Take the 9/4 quote about the game producing under 1.5 goals./p

League One betting preview: Robinson in another jam with MK Dons

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 2:24pm EST

pIt's one of the quirks of being a punter that satisfaction can sometimes be found in being wrong and so it was that we felt a rush of vindication last weekend when MK Dons conceded an injury-time equaliser against ten-man QPR in the FA Cup./p

Premier League betting preview: Load up on a lull as Arsenal travel to Swansea

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 2:23pm EST

pThey say possession is nine tenths of the law and it's hard to imagine the ball being turned over too many times when Swansea entertain Arsenal at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday, so let's assume that gilt-edged opportunities will be few and far between and take a chance on no goalscorer at 10/1./p

US warns of Bangkok terror threat

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 2:20pm EST

pThai police were questioning a Lebanese man with alleged links to Hezbollah militants as the US Embassy and Israel warned Friday of a "real and credible" terrorist threat against Americans and Israelis in Bangkok./p

Ian Walker takes victory at home port in Volvo inshore race

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 2:18pm EST

pFor once the dream script came true as Britain’s Ian Walker took the Abu Dhabi entry in the Volvo round the world race to victory in the inshore race of his new home port./p

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Italy borrowing rates drop again in bond auction

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 2:17pm EST

pItaly saw its borrowing costs drop for a second day in a row today as it easily raised 4.75 billion euro in a bond auction that indicated improved investor confidence in the country's financial future and the 17 countries that use the euro. /p

Ian Hislop to give evidence to Leveson Inquiry

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 2:09pm EST

pPrivate Eye editor Ian Hislop will put forward his ideas for the future of press regulation when he gives evidence to the Leveson Inquiry next week./p

England win final warm-up match before Pakistan Test series

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 2:05pm EST

pEngland closed out a second successive warm-up victory today as they continue to fine-tune their preparations for the three-Test series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates. /p

Permalink for '_______Education_/2012/01/13/Alex%c2%a0Salmond%c2%a0makes_offer_on_referendum_talks'

Alex Salmond makes offer on referendum talks

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 2:03pm EST

pScotland's First Minister Alex Salmond has accused the UK Government of "bullying" Scottish voters over plans for an independence referendum but agreed to hold talks with David Cameron on the way forward. /p

Manchester United confirm Newcastle offer for Ravel Morrison

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 2:01pm EST

pSir Alex Ferguson has confirmed that Manchester United have turned down a bid from Newcastle for youngster Ravel Morrison./p

Tottenham reject offer for Steven Pienaar from QPR

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:58pm EST

pTottenham have rejected an offer from QPR for midfielder Steven Pienaar, Press Association Sport understands./p

MPs question Saudi arms deals

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:39pm EST

pDavid Cameron arrived for talks in Saudi Arabia today as an influential group of MPs raised questions over British arms deals with the country./p

Permalink for '_______Education_/2012/01/13/Oxford_don_held%c2%a0in_murder_inquiry_bailed'

Oxford don held in murder inquiry bailed

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:36pm EST

pAn Oxford University don held on suspicion of the murder of a professor with whom he co-authored a book has been released on police bail./p

Chris Huhne fights solar subsidies ruling

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:28pm EST

pThe Government has launched an urgent bid to overturn a High Court ruling that has hit its plans to cut subsidies for solar panels on homes./p

Network Rail to be prosecuted over Grayrigg crash

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:26pm EST

pNetwork Rail (NR) is to be prosecuted over the 2007 Grayrigg train crash in Cumbria in which one passenger died, it was announced today./p

Laura Robson and James Ward progress towards Australian Open

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 12:36pm EST

pLaura Robson and James Ward both progressed through the final round of Australian Open qualifying in Melbourne but fellow Brit Naomi Broady fell in the second round./p

Friday 13th and other superstitions

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 12:30pm EST

pThe first Friday 13th of 2012 will send shivers down the spines of triskaidekaphobics everywhere, but where does the superstition come from?/p

EDL to spread its far-right creed to new target towns

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 12:25pm EST

pThe English Defence League will target at least two new areas this year as it attempts to broaden its reach. The far-right group has announced its first six planned demonstrations, with the first taking place tomorrow./p

Simon Kelner: Man of the People? Give me my ivory tower any day

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 12:17pm EST

pIt was gratifying yesterday to open my copy of Britain’s favourite newspaper (“Just Say Aye” – or even i – a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/press/watch-the-new-i-tv-advert-6285749.html"as the adverts have it/a) and discover two letters from readers agreeing with my assessment of the film The Artist, which has been lauded by film critics, but left me strangely unmoved./p

Everton sign Manchester United midfielder Darron Gibson

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 12:16pm EST

pSome advice from Manchester United team-mate and former Toffees striker Wayne Rooney helped convince new Everton midfielder Darron Gibson to move to Goodison Park./p

Avram Grant takes charge at Partizan Belgrade

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 12:15pm EST

pPartizan Belgrade have named Avram Grant as their new coach after sacking Aleksandra Stanojevic over a dispute with the club's board./p

Boxing: WBA grant rematch claims Amir Khan promoter

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 12:08pm EST

pAmir Khan has been granted a rematch with Lamont Peterson by the World Boxing Association, according to his promoter./p

Lisa Markwell: New talent comes in more than one shape or size

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 12:08pm EST

p /p

Lewis Hamilton must avoid distractions to succeed says former driver John Watson

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 12:05pm EST

pJohn Watson is hoping Lewis Hamilton found a way to counterbalance his life during Formula One's winter break if he is to become world champion again this season./p

Scotland to challenge IRB ruling on Steven Shingler

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 12:02pm EST

pScotland are refusing to admit defeat in their efforts to include Steven Shingler in their RBS 6 Nations squad, despite the International Rugby Board advising that the player is only eligible to play for Wales./p

England must develop a ball-poaching flanker says coach Graham Rowntree

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 12:00pm EST

pEngland's forwards coach Graham Rowntree admits developing a genuine ball-poaching openside flanker is a key priority for the national team./p

Defending Australian Open champion Kim Clijsters plays down injury concerns

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:52am EST

pKim Clijsters today shrugged off any concerns over a hip injury and declared herself "ready to go" as she prepares to defend her Australian Open crown. /p

Draw for Australian Open presents test for Andy Murray

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:51am EST

pAndy Murray faces the prospect of having to beat world number one and defending champion Novak Djokovic if he is to reach a third successive Australian Open final./p

David Silva set for Manchester City return

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:49am EST

pManchester City assistant manager David Platt has confirmed he expects David Silva to be fit for Monday's trip to Wigan./p

Wolves owner says Mick McCarthy under pressure, but will be given time

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:47am EST

pWolves owner Steve Morgan admits manager Mick McCarthy is under pressure to improve results during the second half of the season but insists there will be "no knee-jerk reaction"./p

Robin van Persie hails Thierry Henry's 'brave' return to Arsenal

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:46am EST

pRobin van Persie believes Thierry Henry has shown great bravery by returning to Arsenal./p

Alex Ferguson hopes Manchester United will handle City threat as they did Chelsea

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:44am EST

pSir Alex Ferguson intends to follow the route that allowed Manchester United to end Chelsea's stranglehold over the Premier League to combat the threat posed by Manchester City./p

Andre Villas-Boas insists he has 'fantastic' relationship with Frank Lampard

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:42am EST

pChelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas yesterday claimed he and Frank Lampard enjoy a "fantastic" relationship and dismissed any suggestion otherwise./p

West Ham to sign Japan striker Ryoichi Maeda

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:40am EST

pJapan striker Ryoichi Maeda is poised to join to England's West Ham United after flying to London to train with the Championship club, it was reported today./p

Harry Redknapp proud of Tottenham achievements compared to Manchester City

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:38am EST

pTottenham manager Harry Redknapp has spoken of his pride at building a title-chasing team without matching Manchester City's spending./p

Fulham see bid for Catania striker Maxi Lopez rejected

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:35am EST

pCatania have rejected an offer for star striker Maxi Lopez from Fulham after it was deemed unacceptable./p

Steven Gerrard targets another Liverpool contract extension

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:33am EST

pLiverpool captain Steven Gerrard is targeting another contract at Anfield despite only just signing an extension./p

Man accused of selling missile parts loses extradition fight

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:26am EST

pA retired businessman has lost his High Court battle against extradition to the US where he faces charges of conspiring to sell parts for Iranian missiles./p

Stolen Graff diamond 'found in pawn shop'

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:17am EST

pA big diamond snatched in a London robbery has popped up in a Hong Kong pawn shop, said a jeweller who is suing in New York to try to get it back./p

Lanterns on the Lake, Cargo, London

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:12am EST

pLanterns on the Lake's first album, released earlier this year, was called emGracious Tide, Take Me Home/em. /p

Survivor, Barbican Theatre

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:10am EST

pWe all know what a Gormley looks like: gazing straight ahead with his arms limp by his sides, he’s been placed by his creator on bleak seashores, on the roofs of high buildings, and anywhere else you’d least expect to find him, so it was no surprise to be confronted by the back view of a Gormley who remained motionless at the front of the Barbican stage for so long that one was driven out of boredom to read the programme./p

Straw must account for MI6 role in 'rendition'

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pFormer ministers in Tony Blair's government are expected to be questioned by police over their alleged role in human rights abuse, in a new Scotland Yard investigation into how dissidents were sent to Libya to be imprisoned and tortured. The focus will be the involvement of MI6 in the arrest and rendition of two men./p

Tevez talks over move to Milan hit a new hitch

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pCarlos Tevez is still hopeful that his move to Milan can be resurrected after Manchester City's insistence yesterday that the Italian club pay a transfer fee in excess of €25m (£20.9m) led to the collapse of the latest round of negotiations./p

Government 'generates cash using fines for late tax returns'

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe Government is unlawfully using late-payment penalty fines against tens of thousands of small firms who do not file their tax returns on time as a "cash generating scheme" for the Exchequer./p

Satellites used to spot where pirate booty winds up

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pA modern-day treasure map of pirate strongholds in Somalia may hold the key to solving the maritime crisis off the Horn of Africa. Satellite images have traced the money trail from the multi-million-pound ransoms earned from captured ships./p

'Top Gear' in trot water again over its Indian special

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pIndian diplomats have complained to the BBC about a "disgusting" episode of Top Gear filmed in the country. The 90-minute India special showed Jeremy Clarkson talking to locals in his boxer shorts and included a car fitted with a toilet in the boot which he said was "perfect for India because everyone who comes here gets the trots"./p

Simon English: Home Retail chief needs a whiz to revitalise Argos

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe jibes from the City scribblers were fierce. Argos is little more than "a showroom for Amazon," quips Rahul Sharma of Neev Capital. "There's a growing chance of a "Woolworth-esque decline," jabs David Jeary at Investec./p

3,500 jobs to go as RBS chops its investment arm

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe state-owned Royal Bank of Scotland took an axe to its investment banking arm yesterday with up to 3,500 job cuts and a sell-off of loss-making businesses, moves hailed by the City as good news for the taxpayer./p

Tesco announces strategy change as it records worst UK sales in 20 years

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pNearly 16 per cent was wiped off the market capitalisation of Tesco yesterday after it stunned the City with an almost unprecedented profit warning and its worst UK sales for two decades. /p

Up, up and away with Romney's campaign

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe stairs to the Boeing jet are in place and we, the travelling press who have disembarked minutes earlier, are waiting to watch the candidate as he emerges smiling, ready to do battle in the next stage of the long procession of state-by-state primaries. Then there is a burst of activity to our left: the red carpet on the tarmac is half in a puddle. Get rid of it now./p

Buffett willing to show the money to tackle national debt

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pWarren Buffett is willing to put his money where his mouth is, if only congressional Republicans would join him. /p

Cheap as chips ship sets sail, but the only way is Essex

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pEurope's biggest holiday firm has launched a £100 austerity cruise for the peak summer season – with all meals and tips included. But hard-pressed customers who sign up for this recession getaway aboard a fully-fledged cruise ship will discover that the only way is Essex: the Thomson Spirit sails from South Shields to Harwich, taking only 16 hours and venturing no further than 30 miles from the English coast at Skegness./p

Robert Fisk: If we accept these lies about 'bad apples', we accept war

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pSo now it's snapshots of US Marines pissing on the Afghan dead. Better, I suppose, than the US soldiers pictured beside the innocent Afghan teenager they fragged back in March of last year. Or the female guard posing with the dead Iraqi prisoner at Abu Ghraib. Not to mention the murder videos taken by US troops in the field – the grenading of an old shepherd by an Iraqi highway comes to mind – or the massacre of refugees by US forces in Korea or the murder of Malayan villagers by British troops. Or the Bloody Sunday massacre in Derry. And please note, I have not even mentioned the name of Baha Mousa./p

Draghi's warning hints at likely cuts in interest rates

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe president of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, warned yesterday that the economic outlook for the eurozone remains "subject to high uncertainty and substantial downside risks", in an indication that further interest rate cuts by the Frankfurt-based lender of last resort are on the way./p

New scene for queen of pop

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pAmerican, twice divorced, scorned by the British establishment she married in to and living by the adage, "You can never be too rich or too thin." It's no wonder Madonna identifies with Wallis Simpson.However, there is one particular aspect of Mrs Simpson's story that has mesmerised Madonna – to the extent that she has poured three years of her life into researching, writing, producing and directing W.E., her account of the love story between Simpson and King Edward VIII./p

Steve Richards: Referendums can be very dangerous if you don't know the result

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pIn the UK, referendums are rarely held. Quite a few are offered at some distant point in the future, but governments only call them when they are confident they will win. This is what makes the drama over a referendum for Scottish independence so explosive. Referendums here are not about leaders discovering a sudden passion for direct forms of democracy. Usually they are about leaders seizing control of controversial policies./p

Corruption and greed on screen

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pIt is not often that film companies preparing movies need to set aside thousands of dollars for bribes and blood-diamonds in their budgets. This was what happened to Lars von Trier's Zentropa when the Danish outfit set to work on its feature documentary, The Ambassador, which premieres at the Sundance this month./p

Lisa Markwell: New talent comes in more than one shape or size

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pB reasts continue to be debated, frequently in an unhelpful way, most often by people who don't have them; photographs of women on holiday are making great sport for headlines about shifting weight for the New Year; and – although it's funny – the viral video doing the rounds for a fake beauty ad for an improving product called "Fotoshop, by Adobé" has a shifty undertone about a lady's supposed obsession with looking perfect./p

Hannibal hits the high notes in a classical collection

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pSir Anthony Hopkins is nothing if not versatile. From Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs to the repressed butler in The Remains of the Day, from Surviving Picasso to C S Lewis in Shadowlands, he has tackled a range of mesmerising characters. But now he has taken on perhaps his most startling incarnation to date: he has become a composer./p

Terence Blacker: Don't sneer if a Big Mac encourages reading

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pAt moments when they are about to deliver yet another item of miserable news, Government ministers tend to intone the now-familiar mantra that we are all facing "tough decisions". It has become a verbal tic, rather like the use of "Inshalla" in Arabic countries./p

Laurie Penny: Why bully people into jobs that don't exist?

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pN ever underestimate the power of middle-class umbrage. As the Coalition's programme of savage welfare cuts finally meets some resistance in Parliament, geology graduate Cait Reilly is suing the Government for forcing her to sweep floors and stack shelves in Poundland for no extra salary – or lose her benefits. There is nothing wrong with stacking shelves. There is everything wrong with stacking shelves for a wage that would amount, for a 22-year-old, to £1.33 an hour for an average working week, with no security, benefits or expectation of promotion: Ms Reilly was not even offered an interview after her placement./p

Megson: 'I'm better than some in Premier League'

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pWhen Gary Megson suggests that some managers are not viewed "in the same way" as others, it is hard to disagree. But when the Sheffield Wednesday manager maintains that this is simply because they are better at presenting themselves to the public and the press, it is more contentious./p

Are Spurs the team to beat?

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThis is a surprising time at Tottenham Hotspur. Now at the stage of the season when the remaining games are counted down, they are just one stride away from the lead in the Premier League. Their form, which has been exceptional since August, can no longer be marked off as a spurt or a run but rather the genuine level of a team good enough to win the title./p

Express group may still be using private detective

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe Express newspaper group admits it may still be using the services of convicted private detective, Steve Whittamore./p

Sympathy for referee in Johnson tackle row

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pAnother high-profile match between two of English football's most powerful clubs on Wednesday night and another tackle that has become the narrative of the game. Glen Johnson's challenge on Joleon Lescott at the end of Manchester City's 1-0 home defeat to Liverpool in the first leg of their Carling Cup semi-final has demonstrated, once again, the difficulty of implementing a law that is consistent on all occasions./p

Concerns raised about 'foetus parties' trend

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 10:54am EST

pA midwifery leader has expressed concern about the "commercialisation" of pregnancy and the growing trend for expectant mothers to hold "foetus parties"./p

David Cameron in first Saudi Arabia visit

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 10:52am EST

pDavid Cameron is today making his first visit to Saudi Arabia since becoming Prime Minister./p

Ex-independent candidate triumphs for Tories in Bradwell byelection

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 10:51am EST

pA candidate who stood and lost as an independent last May triumphed unopposed in a council by-election for the same ward after switching to Tories./p

Spain and Sri Lanka are cheapest breaks, shows survey

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 10:48am EST

pBritons looking for winter sun will find their spending money going considerably further in Spain and Sri Lanka than the Caribbean or Australia, a cost comparison survey showed today./p

Search underway for fisherman missing in Irish sea

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 9:38am EST

pA search and rescue operation was under way today after a crewman fell overboard from a fishing boat in the Irish Sea./p

Japanese premier Yoshihiko Noda reshuffles cabinet

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 9:03am EST

pJapanese prime minister Yoshihiko Noda replaced five members of his cabinet today in a bid to win more co-operation from the opposition to raise the sales tax and rein in the country's bulging fiscal deficit./p

Burma releases prominent prisoners

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 8:55am EST

pBurma freed some of its most famous political inmates today, sparking jubilation outside prison gates while signalling its readiness to comply with demands from the US and its allies for a lifting of economic sanctions./p

Hammersmith flyover to partially reopen

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 8:32am EST

pA busy west London flyover that closed before Christmas due to major structural problems will partially reopen before this morning's rush hour, transport chiefs have said./p

Teachers criticise 'one-term sack' plan

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 8:28am EST

pMinisters and union leaders were at loggerheads today over controversial plans to allow schools to sack under-performing teachers in just a term./p

Teachers 'in the firing line', says Michael Gove

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 8:28am EST

pTeachers have a responsibility to make sure pupils behave and succeed or they will find themselves "in the firing line", Michael Gove suggested today./p

The News Matrix: Friday 13 January 2012

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongProcessed meats raise cancer risk/strong /p

The Sports Matrix: Friday 13 January 2012

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongPlayers given amnesty following Westfield case/strong/p

i Editor's Letter: It isn't Waterstone's any longer

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p /p

The Business Matrix: Friday 13 January 2012

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongGuinness factory to brew Budweiser/strong/p

Gary Megson: 'I'm better than some in Premier League'

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhen Gary Megson suggests that some managers are not viewed "in the same way" as others, it is hard to disagree. But when the Sheffield Wednesday manager maintains that this is simply because they are better at presenting themselves to the public and the press, it is more contentious./p

Are Spurs the Premier League team to beat?

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThis is a surprsing time at Tottenham Hotspur. Now at the stage of the season when the remaining games are counted down, they are just one stride away from the lead in the Premier League. Their form, which has been exceptional since August, can no longer be marked off as a spurt or a run but rather the genuine level of a team good enough to win the title./p

Stephen Brenkley: England has cheats too. That's the lesson

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pUntil the dramatic turn of events at the Old Bailey yesterday, match-rigging was something that was perpetrated by people from other countries. Perception and reality changed as soon as Mervyn Westfield admitted in court to taking bribes to bowl badly./p

Cultural Life: Caro Emerald, musician

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongMusic:/strong I really love American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey, but she only has a couple of songs out so I can't wait for the release of her new album, 'Born to Die'. It's all about her voice. For me, it's always the most important ingredient. I've also discovered Selah Sue, a soul/funk fusion singer-songwriter from Belgium. I just love her voice./p

Laurie Penny: You can't bully people into non-jobs

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNever underestimate the power of middle-class umbrage. As the Coalition's programme of savage welfare cuts finally meets some resistance in Parliament, geology graduate Cait Reilly is suing the Government for forcing her to sweep floors and stack shelves in Poundland for no extra salary or lose her benefits. There is nothing wrong with stacking shelves. There is everything wrong with stacking shelves for a wage that would amount, for a 22-year-old, to £1.33 an hour for an average working week, with no security, benefits or expectation of promotion: Ms Reilly was not even offered an interview after her placement. /p

Adrian Hamilton: Assassination should never be a weapon of state

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, has denied in the most emphatic terms that America had anything to do with the assassination this week of an Iranian nuclear scientist in Tehran. As well she might. It was her husband, after all, who set in stone Jimmy Carter's legislation to forbid US security services from pursuing murder abroad./p

Album: Diagrams, Black Light (Full Time Hobby)

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDiagrams is the latest vehicle for Sam Genders, once co-frontman of electro-folkies Tunng, so it's not surprising to find clear echoes of his former band on Black Light, notably in his familiar, downbeat northern inflections, and the still-flickering interest in animist fable discernible in tracks like "Antelope" and "Animals". /p

Letters: Guantanamo, ugly stain on America

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pYou are absolutely right to brand Guantánamo Bay an "unmitigated disaster" (leading article, 11 January). If its aim was to help bring to justice the perpetrators of the 11 September atrocities, it has signally failed. Only one of the 779 detainees in the past 10 years has been put on trial in a federal court in the US. Indeed, only six have faced the prison's unfair and much-criticised "military commissions". /p

The Darkest Hour (12A)

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPass the ray-gun and set for eliminate. Despite Timur Bekmambetov (Night Watch) on board as producer, this sci-fi thriller goes from forgettable to barely forgivable in record time./p

RBS takes the axe to loss-making units and 3,500 more jobs

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe state-owned Royal Bank of Scotland took an axe to its investment banking arm yesterday with up to 3,500 job cuts and a sell-off of loss-making businesses, moves hailed by the City as good news for the taxpayer./p

Winston and amateur incur heavy bans for whip offences

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAfter a period of hibernation, the new whip rules resurfaced on the sport's emotional register yesterday when two jockeys, albeit at opposite extremes of the spectrum, picked up a staggering 74 days' suspension between them. One, Robert Cooper, was an amateur whose unfettered riding in a maiden hurdle at Uttoxeter on New Year's Day may be presumed to reflect his hunger for a first success in 12 years. But the other was Robert Winston, a senior professional whose 22-day ban at Southwell reopened wounds that had been responding to the healing efforts of riders and regulators over recent weeks./p

How is The Internet Changing the Way You Think? Edited, By John Brockman

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAsking 150 contemporary scientists, intellectuals and artists how the internet changes the way they think is a bit like giving the Large Hadron Collider an extra four notches on its speed-dial. You know they're going to use it to the max, smashing up ideas and generating spin-offs, though perhaps picking up a few radiation-burns along the way. Thus it proves with this book on "the net's impact on our minds and future" - regularly illuminating, but sometimes intriguingly conservative, in response to the crisply formulated question./p

Is it ever ok to eat foie gras?

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pJames Martinez imports ethical foie gras into the UK, supplying a number of speciality food stores around the country. From the age of eight he grew up in France, the home and the heart of the fatty goose or duck liver paté called foie gras, a luxury product that has very publicly fallen out of favour. It is outlawed in some US states and by a number of British councils, because of its cruel method of production. The force-feeding of ducks and geese is illegal more than 15 countries, including Britain, Germany and Italy, though importing and selling the product is permitted in most places./p

Anthony Hopkins - Hannibal hits the high notes with a classic performance

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSir Anthony Hopkins is nothing if not versatile. From Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs to the repressed butler in The Remains of the Day, from Surviving Picasso to C S Lewis in Shadowlands, he has tackled a range of mesmerising characters. But now he has taken on perhaps his most startling incarnation to date: he has become a composer./p

Shin Joong Hyun: A rock'n'roll revolutionary

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAn obscure outpost of psychedelia is about to get some exposure. Light in the Attic's latest discovery is South Korean visionary Shin Joong Hyun./p

Nicholas Faith: Denigrating big projects is our national sport

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt has taken M'lord Astor, with his accusation that northern Labour MPs welcome HS2 because it would destroy the lovely – and oh-so-Tory – Chiltern Hills, to confirm my long-held belief: that virtually all the opponents of HS2 are, shall we say, off the rails. For the objections, which have flooded in with renewed intensity since the Government gave the go-ahead earlier in the week, reveal an automatic negative attitude to any project, an attitude reminiscent of vice-president Spiro Agnew's infamous phrase "the nattering nabobs of negativism" who, in the case of the English, have made denigrating major projects a national sport./p

Album: Ani Difranco, Which Side Are You On? (Righteous Babe)

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAni DiFranco's first album in three years finds the self-proclaimed Righteous Babe in feisty, thoughtful form, her political ardour undimmed despite a discernibly increased interest in the effects of ageing, particularly the way it deepens and matures the once callow emotions of love and devotion./p

DVD: Doctor Who Christmas Special: The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe (PG)

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe best Doctor Who Christmas Special for some years is set during the Second World War where Claire Skinner's plucky Madge Arwell has just learnt their her bomber-pilot husband (Alexander Armstrong) has perished in his plane./p

Currency scandal broke my heart, says banker's wife

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pKashya Hildebrand, the wife of the former head of Switzerland's central bank has said her husband sudden departure from the bank broke her heart./p

Pryce signs again for hometown club Bradford

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAfter a five-year tour of the country, Karl Pryce has returned to his hometown club Bradford Bulls./p

Book Of A Lifetime: Clarissa, By Samuel Richardson

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNo one evokes the feeling of being trapped like an 18th-century author. The smallness of the city, the difficulties of transport and communication as compared to now, meant that one obsession, one place, could take over your life. They say that Henry Fielding's 'Tom Jones' created earthquakes on its publication in 1749 – if so, then 'Clarissa' should have inspired a volcano. It is a novel simmering with anger./p

Alex deal on hold as Cahill edges closer

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAs Gary Cahill's move to Chelsea inched closer yesterday, the departure from Stamford Bridge of another centre-half, Alex, remained on hold./p

Bacon roll a day linked to most lethal of cancers

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe most fatal of all cancers is linked today for the first time with the consumption of processed meat. /p

On The Menu: Koya; Evan Williams; Unearthed; Women's Institute; Waitrose

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongThis week I've been eating... cold udon noodles with hot broth/strong/p

The Word On... Given to the Wild, The Maccabees

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p /p

Oliver Wright: These cynical tactics undermine our faith in the fairness of the tax system

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEven if Britain was not in the middle of an economic slump, the target set by George Osborne for HM Revenue and Customs to raise an extra £7bn in tax revenues by 2015 would appear ambitious./p

Album: The Pimps of Joytime, Janxta Funk! (Wonderwheel)

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe new year has its first great party album: a no-nonsense distillation of the most infectious elements of party funk, with a welcoming approach that emphasises peaceful good times. /p

DVD: The Interrupters (E)

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOn a daily basis, governments and shady financiers present us with the very worst of humanity, Ameena Matthews, a former drug addict and gang member and the daughter of a Chicago gangster, Jeff Fort, gives us the best humanity has to offer in Steve James's absorbing documentary about members of CeaseFire, an anti-violence programme operating in the city./p

Shares in Tesco dive as profit alert stuns the City

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNearly 16 per cent was wiped off the market capitalisation of Tesco yesterday after it stunned the City with an almost unprecedented profit warning and its worst UK sales for two decades. /p

Gove cracks down on bad teachers

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pGovernment moves to crack down on poorly performing teachers to be unveiled today provoked a furious row with union leaders last night./p

Newcastle hope that Gold has the Midas touch

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNine points adrift at the foot of the Premiership and fast heading out of Europe having been roundly thumped by Toulon in their last Amlin Challenge Cup outing... someone needed to do something to address Newcastle's slide into irrelevance and yesterday, the owner Semore Kurdi decided to act./p

Russian space probe is falling to Earth

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA crippled Russian spacecraft is likely to crash to Earth sometime on Sunday at an unspecified location./p

Three Lives: A Biography of Stefan Zweig, By Oliver Matuschek, trans. Allan Blunden

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhat is the task of a biographer when his subject has already penned memoirs? Perhaps it lies in composing a counterpoint to what they have omitted from their carefully manicured versions. Where famous men of the 20th century are concerned, the autobiographies tend to concur on the importance of the professional over the private, even (unless the author happens to be a politician) over the political./p

Jol doubts Hughes' ambitious plan

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMark Hughes' idea of ambition at Queen's Park Rangers has been questioned by Martin Jol, the man who succeeded the Welshman at Fulham./p

Meet the real Neapolitan: How one Naples pizza chain is sticking firmly to tradition

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe dish that has been called "almost certainly the most widely eaten food on the planet" originated in Naples, though Neapolitans would be aghast at the pizza toppings such as chicken tikka, ham and pineapple, and chicken pesto that have taken root in this country. Back in the home of the pizza, people keep it simple. Most go for the Marinara, topped with tomatoes, garlic, oregano and olive oil (with the option of a few anchovy fillets) or the Margherita, topped with tomatoes, mozzarella, basil and olive oil./p

My Fantasy Band: Lisa Hannigan

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p /p

Kim Sengupta: Yard may shed light on Blair's role in Libya

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIn the same letter in which security chief Sir Mark Allen was recording MI6's contribution to the rendition of Abdul Hakim Belhaj and thanking his friend Moussa Koussa, the head of Libyan intelligence, for the "delicious dates and oranges", he also had to arrange a highly important diplomatic fixture: Tony Blair's first meeting with Muammar Gaddafi in the glare of the media. "No 10 are keen that the Prime Minister meet the Leader in the tent," wrote Sir Mark. "The plain fact is the journalists would love it."/p

Album: Tribes, Baby (Island)

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSomeone call social services, quick: these four young fellows have clearly been locked away in a darkened room for months with nothing but the first few Pixies albums for company. /p

Margin Call (15)

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA sort of low-key disaster movie, this focuses on a handful of Wall Street suits trying to save themselves on the eve of the 2008 financial crisis. /p

Great Works: Madonna of the Long Neck, 1535-40 (219cm x 135cm), Parmigianino

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThis late work is an unfinished painting. The very fact adds to its mystery, its interpretative possibilities. Had the baby been blessed with hair, for example, we might have thought of it slightly differently. Like Leonardo, Parmigianino found it quite difficult to finish a work, and especially in later life – such was his attention to detail, his level of perfectionism. There are umpteen drawings, staging posts (several of them highly worked) in the general direction of this work./p

Draghi holds rates, but further cuts expected

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe president of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, warned yesterday that the economic outlook for the eurozone remains "subject to high uncertainty and substantial downside risks", in an indication that further interest rate cuts by the Frankfurt-based lender of last resort are on the way./p

Middle-class parents could keep their child benefit after all

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Government's controversial decision to withdraw child benefit from people earning more than £43,000 may be softened in the March Budget./p

Cahill: Lendl and Murray are match made in heaven

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDarren Cahill, who guided the careers of Lleyton Hewitt and Andre Agassi, was long considered by many to be the ideal coach for Andy Murray, but the Australian yesterday gave his full backing to the world No 4's choice of Ivan Lendl./p

I I: The Natural Mystics, By Colin Grant

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p"Natural Mystics" may seem a fanciful term for Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailers, the Trenchtown hipsters turned reggae stars whose devotion to ganja became the "habit of a lifetime"./p

Wales urged to protect Speed's coaching legacy

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWales are yet to play the memorial match in honour of Gary Speed, but already the process of replacing him has become controversial, if not unseemly. Last night, Speed's right-hand man was quoted as all but rejecting the Football Association of Wales' first choice for the role./p

Wine styles of the rich and famous: The Wiltshire 'wine mine' that houses the finest vintages

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFive miles outside the town of Chippenham in the rolling Wiltshire countryside a precious treasure is stored in a very unlikely location. Buried deep under 100ft of clay and encased in millions of tons of limestone, nearly £1bn worth of fine wines sits safe from prying eyes and unwanted attention./p

Leading article: Britain's reputation is in the dock over rendition

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pCynics might suggest that there was no way that a member of the British security services was ever going to be brought to trial over allegations that the UK colluded in the mistreatment of terrorism suspects in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Libya. But there is more to it than simply a security establishment anxious to avoid lengthy and embarrassing court proceedings prying into institutions which prefer to operate in secrecy./p

Caught in the Net - Genesis and an artist's evolution

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe fourth record from the fast-rising electro artist Grimes, aka the young Montreal-dwelling Claire Boucher, will be released in February in North America and in March everywhere else./p

Hamish Macdonell: How would the division work? It's complicated...

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOne SNP figure was sure yesterday what Scottish independence would look like. "Palm trees," he said with a grin. "And sunshine, lots of sunshine. And milk and honey, of course, and manna from heaven."/p

DVD: The Scarlet Blade (PG)

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThis 1964 Hammer production is blessed with two hammy performances from Lionel Jeffries, as the sadistic Colonel Judd, and Oliver Reed, as the dissembling Captain Sylvester. /p

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Ofcom gives the green light to £5bn mobile airwaves sale

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOfcom has unveiled plans to increase mobile phone spectrum by 75 per cent in an auction that could raise £5bn in what is likely to be the Government's single biggest sale of state assets in this Parliament./p

Market mergers at risk

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAttention was beginning to shift to London, the hotly contested competition for its up for sale metal exchange, and perhaps even its stock exchange yesterday, as Deutsche Börse began a furious rearguard action to save its attempt to merge with the New York Stock Exchange./p

Sympathy for referee in tackle row

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAnother high-profile match between two of English football's most powerful clubs on Wednesday night and another tackle that has become the narrative of the game. Glen Johnson's challenge on Joleon Lescott at the end of Manchester City's 1-0 home defeat to Liverpool in the first leg of their Carling Cup semi-final has demonstrated, once again, the difficulty of implementing a law that is consistent on all occasions./p

Lucas recounts battle to get all-black war movie airborne

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pGiven the blockbuster status of Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and almost every prequel and sequel in his extensive back list, George Lucas blithely presumed that Hollywood's major studios would be falling over each other to produce his latest action movie./p

Art Photography Now, By Susan Bright

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThis expanded edition tackles art's most fashionable aspect on hazy taxonomic principles. The protean transformations of Cindy Sherman and Gillian Wearing appear as Portraits but the icy portraits of Kate Moss by Mert amp; Marcus are filed under Fashion. /p

Tevez move to Milan hits new hitch

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pCarlos Tevez is still hopeful that his move to Milan can be resurrected after Manchester City's insistence yesterday that the Italian club pay a transfer fee in excess of €25m (£21m) led to the collapse of the latest round of negotiations./p

Leading article: The Arab League must withdraw

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIf there was ever much hope that Bashar al-Assad might be willing to compromise, it has now been comprehensively dispelled. Far from moderating his position, the Syrian President's defiant speech this week makes clear that he is digging in. Alongside wearily familiar lines blaming foreign conspiracies for the rebellion that has claimed more than 5,000 civilian lives since March, he made alarming promises to crack down with an "iron fist" on the terrorists causing such upheavals./p

Movin' on up! Stars take to the skies

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe wheel/p

Oliver Wright: A future without Scotland could be distinctly uncomfortable

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe year is 2030. Sixty-four-year-old David Cameron has won his fifth election – though he is now Prime Minister only of England, Wales and Northern Ireland./p

Terence Blacker: Don't sneer if a Big Mac helps your children read

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAt moments when they are about to deliver yet another item of miserable news, government ministers tend to intone the now-familiar mantra that we are all facing "tough decisions". It has become a verbal tic, rather like the use of "Inshalla" in Arabic countries./p

Shame (18)

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLike his debut feature, Hunger, Steve McQueen's second film is about one man's incandescent urgency./p

Samsung joins queue for Olympus link-up

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSouth Korea's Samsung Electronics is open to an alliance with the Japanese camera maker Olympus, potentially joining other electronics firms in circling one of the biggest names in medical equipment./p

Spotlight On... Warren Buffett, founder, Berkshire Hathaway

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pbAh, the Oracle of Omaha/b/p

Amnesty for English cricketers to report any match-fixing

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEnglish cricketers were last night granted a three-month amnesty to report corruption in the game. The offer was made by the England and Wales Cricket Board after the former Essex fast bowler Mervyn Westfield pleaded guilty to accepting a bribe to bowl badly during a match in 2009./p

5,000 Canadian same-sex marriages 'not valid'

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAround 5,000 same-sex couples married in Canada over the past seven years may be told their nuptials were never legally valid. /p

All is Song, By Samantha Harvey

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAfter her first novel The Wilderness, an extraordinary exploration of Alzheimer's, was showered with critical acclaim, the subject Samantha Harvey would tackle next has been much anticipated. All is Song begins with Leonard Deppling returning to London after nursing his dying father in Edinburgh. In mourning and lonely, having split from his partner, Leonard stays with his brother William, his wife and three children. He hopes to rebuild intimacy with his only living relative, but one who was absent from either the care or funeral of his father. Despite his brother's eccentricities and his own frustration and resentment, Leonard wants to recreate "the island of understanding" that defined their relationship in the past. /p

Boxing: Pacquiao ready for Mayweather

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pManny Pacquiao has accepted a challenge to fight Floyd Mayweather, but the former's camp says there is no economic sense in setting up a bout with the American in Las Vegas on 5 May. The unbeaten Mayweather publicly challenged the Filipino champion to fight on that date via Twitter this week./p

Russia warns of Syrian no-fly zone claim

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRussia has claimed that Nato is preparing to impose a no-fly zone in Syria to protect rebel fighters, a move that would dramatically escalate the 10-month uprising./p

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A trip on a luxury cruise liner for just £100? There must be a catch...

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEurope's biggest holiday company has launched a £100 austerity cruise for the peak summer season – a price that includes all meals and tips./p

Leading article: Full marks to the Lib Dems in the Lords

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLiberal Democrat peers are proving a feisty lot. While their colleagues in Government keep struggles with Conservative bedfellows largely behind closed doors, the yellow benches of the House of Lords are a hotbed of rebellion./p

Ian Burrell: Desmond revels in his role as pantomime villain

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAfter his eccentric but mesmeric performance at the Leveson inquiry, Richard Desmond might be minded to give himself a presenting role on his Channel Five network or perhaps enrol as a housemate for the next series of Celebrity Big Brother./p

Tatsumi (15)

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEric Khoo's film pays tribute to the life and work of the Japanese comics artist Yoshihiro Tatsumi, who in the late 1950s shook up a child-friendly genre by introducing darker adult themes into his work. /p

New regulation 'will hinder lending'

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDelays and uncertainty over new financial regulations risk upending long-term investments such as new mining projects or international trade, the head of Barclays' investment bank has warned./p

Album: Anthony Hopkins, Composer (Classic FM)

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSir Anthony Hopkins' muse, judging by this debut selection of his compositions performed by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, is rooted in impressionism./p

Cabbie's snooker story is right on cue

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOn an unremarkable night in 2004, Middlesbrough taxi driver Ishy Din was listening to Radio 5 Live in his cab, when the station announced a competition to find short stories with a sporting theme. Having just bought his first computer, Din thought he'd give it a go and sent something in. To his amazement, that story, his first attempt at creative writing since his school days, was produced and aired./p

Afghan fury at video of abuse of Taliban dead

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA video that appears to show US Marines urinating on the corpses of Afghans has provoked widespread revulsion around the world./p

The Anatomy of a Moment, By Javier Cercas

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p"No Spaniard who'd reached the age of reason has forgotten his or her whereabouts" on 23 February 1981. Even the insular British will hazily recall the startling event shown on the cover when gun-toting Lieutenant Colonel Tejero led an abortive coup d'etat in the Spanish congress aimed at preventing the return of democracy. /p

The Strongman: Vladimir Putin and the Struggle for Russia, By Angus Roxburgh

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMost readers of The Strongman will start out with an opinion of Vladimir Putin. For a majority of Britons and Americans that opinion will probably be negative. The cover of Angus Roxburgh's book panders to that prejudice. Putin is depicted stern and in shades, every inch the Soviet KGB man. That highly critical image is reinforced by Roxburgh's introduction. We are talking cold eyes, a "glowering, piercing, highly unsettling look", and the initials KGB sprinkled around./p

Snooker: Ding Junhui back 'stronger'

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDing Junhui insists that he is a better player and a stronger character than the last time he faced Ronnie O'Sullivan at the Masters./p

Too close to call: French voters undecided about next President

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA hundred days before French voters go to the polls, the outcome of a tetchy presidential campaign, muddled by crisis, is defying all forecasts./p

West plans new hi-tech crackdown on Somali pirate gangs

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA modern-day treasure map of pirate strongholds in Somalia may hold the key to solving the maritime crisis off the Horn of Africa. Experts using satellite images of the main cities and ports in Somalia's most active pirate havens have traced the money trail from the multimillion-pound ransoms earned from captured ships./p

Reuse, recycle, reclaim: Interior scavengers are turning everyday items into chic homewares

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhen is a door not a door? When it is a table (or perhaps a bed headboard). And when are buckets not for putting things in? When they're lampshades. And can a falling-apart suitcase be anything but useless? Yes – when it's a shelf, a drawer, a coffee table with storage. This is not quite "upcycling", a now-familiar term where, say, an unloved old piece of furniture is given new knobs, stencilled or re-upholstered back to life. Indeed, many talented designers are building entire careers out of doing just that, brilliantly, which perhaps illustrates just how craft-friendly you'd have to be to try it at home. Or how much you should expect to pay someone else to have done the hard craft for you./p

Widow died after surgeon's error

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA widow died on the operating table when an experienced surgeon unintentionally tried to remove her liver instead of a kidney, an inquest heard./p

Cricketer guilty of taking bribes to fix matches

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA former Essex cricketer was warned that he faced jail yesterday after becoming the first English player to be convicted of involvement in betting scams./p

Kazakhstan strikes back with 'the real Borat story'

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pKazakhstan is striking back. Five years after Sacha Baron Cohen portrayed it as a place of slack-jawed, sister-marrying thugs, its film industry is producing what it styles "the real Borat story."/p

DVD: The Guard (18)

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p"I'm sick and tired of the people we have to deal with in this business," Mark Strong's drug-smuggling hood, Clive, moans. /p

Running in the Clouds: A tune with a view

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBring the Lake District into the concert hall! The challenge – issued by the BBC Philharmonic's general manager Richard Wigley to the composer Maurizio Malagnini – sounds startling at the very least. Its result, though, is a new concert suite, Running in the Clouds, commissioned by BBC Radio 3, and receiving its world premiere tomorrow./p

Home of Guinness to produce lager

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pJames Joyce will be spinning in his grave – Dublin's historic St James's Gate brewery, home of the author's famously beloved Guinness, is to start brewing fizzy foreign lagers like Budweiser and Carlsberg./p

Album: Jill Crossland, Jean-Philippe Rameau: Pieces for Keyboard (Signum Classics)

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRameau's keyboard music has a French flavour that sets him apart from contemporaries such as Bach and Handel, and some daring strategies, such as the improvisatory manner of the "Prelude" to his Premier Livre de Pièces de Clavecin, which spends the first two minutes in a hesitant dither, as if searching for a way in, before the notes come flooding out in a virtuoso torrent./p

US Army orders court martial for Manning

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe US soldier accused of passing documents to WikiLeaks in the biggest leak of classified information in US history should face a court martial, a senior US army officer has recommended./p

John Bright: Statesman, Orator, Agitator, By Bill Cash

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe radical activist and politican John Bright (1811-1889) was a valiant man; valiant against established power, the power of land, together with its working partners: dear food, a minimal franchise and a diplomatic service that was "outdoor relief for the upper classes". The word "crusade" is used too lightly, but the Anti-Corn Law League of Bright and Richard Cobden was one. Landowners, enriched by the Napoleonic wars, had become comfortable with blockade prices, extended after Waterloo and endured by working families, especially in the wool, cotton, steel and engineering towns of the North./p

Greek bondholders warn of obstacles to deal after talks

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe group representing private-sector holders of Greek bonds has warned that obstacles to a deal on a voluntary debt exchange remain unresolved and time is "running short". /p

Up up and away: A flight on Mitt Force 1

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe rolling stairs to the Boeing jet are in place and we, the travelling press who have disembarked minutes earlier from the rear, are waiting to watch the candidate as he emerges smiling, ready to do battle in the next stage of the long procession of state-by-state primaries. (If it's Wednesday, it's South Carolina.) Then there is a burst of activity to our left: the red carpet on the tarmac is half in a puddle. Get rid of it now./p

Oxford don found dead

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAn Oxford don who played a leading role in the creation of the world's largest radio telescope has been found dead in what police are treating as murder./p

Can you make a film about corruption in Africa and not be corrupted?

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt is not often that film companies preparing new movies need to set aside thousands of dollars in bribes, and for buying blood-diamonds, in their budgets. This was what happened to Lars von Trier's Zentropa when the Danish outfit set to work on its new feature documentary, The Ambassador (which premieres in Sundance this month)./p

War Horse (12A)

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pASteven Spielberg film about the enduring relationship between a boy and his horse, and the terrible war that sunders them, can be guaranteed to showcase this director's signature moves. It will come at an epic sweep, and length; it will be swaddled in dramatic colours and a surging John Williams score; it will exalt the human struggle to survive. And, collectively, it will lay siege to the audience's tear ducts. There will be blub. /p

Fares divide as North feels the pinch

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe bus and train operator FirstGroup warned it is seeing a growing North-South divide yesterday, with the economic downturn taking an uneven toll on would-be passengers in harder-hit regions./p

Album: Michael Nyman, Michael Nyman (MN)

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThis reissue of Michael Nyman's second album from 1981 – effectively his first with a Michael Nyman Band that included Alexander Balanescu and Roderick Skeaping – has aged well./p

London Eye: Cross-country trail runs through Woods

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe best-known member of Aldershot, Farnham and District Athletics Club – past or present – has been in the news this week. It was announced on Tuesday that Zola Budd is to run in the 56-mile Comrades Marathon in South Africa in June – the ultimate running challenge for the woman who famously tangled with Mary Decker in the 3,000m at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984./p

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Vote for independence if you want – but you'll lose the pound, says Osborne

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pGeorge Osborne last night fired the opening shots of the campaign against Scottish independence, warning that Scotland would risk a euro-style debt crisis if it left the United Kingdom./p

Transfer News: Keane hoping to do a 'Thierry Henry' at Villa

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRobbie Keane is hoping he can make the same impact at Aston Villa as Thierry Henry did on his return to Arsenal after joining the midlands club on loan from Los Angeles Galaxy./p

Madonna takes control of a new scene

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAmerican, twice divorced, scorned by the British establishment she married in to and living by the adage, "You can never be too rich or too thin." It's no wonder Madonna identifies with Wallis Simpson. It's one particular aspect of Mrs Simpson's story, however, that has mesmerised Madonna – to the extent that she has poured three years of her life into researching, writing, producing and directing W.E., her account of the love story between Simpson and King Edward VIII./p

The Diary: Tate Modern; Clint Eastwood; Michel Hazanavicius; Rhys Darby; Kevin Spacey

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongClose encounters/strong/p

Album: Casiokids, Aabenbaringen Over Aaskammen (Moshi Moshi)

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHailing from the same Bergen, Norway music scene that spawned The Whitest Boy Alive and Røyksopp, Casiokids deal primarily in a similar style of cool, clean electropop, with tracks such as "Det Haster!" and "London Zoo" employing airy, high-register vocals – not unreasonably in their native Norwegian – over nimble, ticking synthscapes./p

Giant panda at Edinburgh Zoo sick with colic

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe male giant panda at Edinburgh Zoo has been taken ill suffering from colic./p

Gerrard signs long-term deal to stay at Liverpool

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSteven Gerrard yesterday committed the rest of his career to Liverpool by signing a new long-term contract that will eventually see him become an ambassador for the club./p

Ed Sheeran battles female stars for top billing at the Brits

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHe is the acoustic troubadour who began his career strumming in the empty back rooms of pubs then bedding down on friends' sofas./p

The Sketch: Wily Salmond just loves to pick a good fight

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pScots' separateness is obvious. Scottish MPs sit in a purpose-built building at blonde pine deskettes. They call each other by their first names. They clap to show approval. Horrible but it's the logical end of modernisation. Odd for a country which thrills to the memory of Bannockburn 700 years ago (the last time they won at home to the hated English)./p

Gayle signs deal with Somerset

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSomerset have signed former West Indies captain Chris Gayle for this year's Friends Life t20 campaign. The powerful opener is one of the world's best batsmen in the shortest format, hitting the highest score in T20 internationals with his 117 against South Africa in 2007./p

My Life In Food: Stefan Bruderer, master chocolatier at Lindt

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pStefan Bruderer was born in sight of the Lindt factory in Switzerland and subsequently carried out a three- year apprenticeship as a confectioner in Zurich before joining the company as a product developer./p

Barry: 'We need mental strength'

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pGareth Barry acknowledged after his team's home defeat to Liverpool in the Carling Cup semi-final first leg on Wednesday that Manchester City will have to stand up to the psychological demands of leading the title race from the front./p

Panesar's heroics put selectors in a spin

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLast time Monty Panesar played a Test match for England, he walked off the ground a hero. Over 11 gripping overs, during which he faced 35 balls with a vigilance befitting a sentry at the gates of heaven, he kept Australia at bay./p

Tom Sutcliffe: Your action scene will leave shortly

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThere's a hypothesis that I think can't be true. It's that directors of an older generation, those who learned their trade long before YouTube and CGI and the internet, find it harder to match their rhythm to that of younger viewers. As I say, I don't think it really makes sense, but I've nevertheless found myself thinking something like it recently. Twice, in fact, and both times with very distinguished directors (directors moreover whose ability in the cutting room is a core part of their reputation)./p

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Angus Fraser: You think - '£10k to bowl a wide and I only get paid £30k a year'

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMiddlesex's cricketers were innocently preparing for the 2012 season at the Lord's Indoor Cricket School yesterday morning when news of Mervyn Westfield's admission at the Old Bailey began to filter through. The news was not greeted with shock or horror by the dozen or so cricketers keenly practising their skills, not for reasons of apathy or complacency, far from it, but because cricket has a pretty active grapevine and most were aware of what was alleged to have taken place./p

British Gas cuts prices by 5 per cent

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBritish Gas has cut bills for more than five million customers with an average 5 per cent drop in its standard electricity tariff./p

Preserved forever: Kim Jong-il will get the Lenin treatment

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNorth Korea announced yesterday that the body of its recently departed "dear leader", Kim Jong-il, would be embalmed and displayed forever./p

Steve Richards: Neither Cameron nor Salmond can control the ending of this drama

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIn the UK, referendums are rarely held. Quite a few are offered at some distant point in the future, but governments only call them when they are confident they will win. This is what makes the drama over a referendum for Scottish independence so explosive. Referendums here are not about leaders discovering a sudden passion for direct forms of democracy. Usually they are about leaders seizing control of highly charged controversial policies./p

The 10 Best Bottled Beers

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrong1. Pitfield 1850 London Porter/strong/p

The Child Who, By Simon Lelic

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMen fear death as children fear the dark, said Francis Bacon. In Simon Lelic's provocative (and contentious) The Child Who, children and death are chillingly combined in a juvenile dispenser of murder. A lengthy lineage of British writers has specialised in malevolent children: John Wyndham's The Midwich Cuckoos, for instance, renders the prepubescent killers alien and "other". To some degree (without relying on supernatural or science-fiction trappings) that is what Lelic does here./p

Complexity: A Guided Tour, By Melanie Mitchell

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p"Since Descartes and Newton... a chief goal of science has been a reductionist explanation of all phenomenon", says Mitchell in the introduction./p

A Useful Life (NC)

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThis black-and-white Uruguayan miniature would make a great double bill with Peter Bogdanovich's The Last Picture Show. /p

James Thompson: Story of tribulations is a sign of how tough things really are

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFor those who over indulged at Christmas, January is often the time when people vow to eat healthier, sign up to a gym or take a seat in the doctor's waiting room – if they have really overdone it. /p

Investment Column: Wherever you look at RBS it's politics that's the problem

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pbOur view:/b Avoid/p

Green Philosophy: How to Think Seriously About the Planet, By Roger Scruton

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWith the Tory leadership distancing itself from the environmental agenda it had courted so keenly before the last election, and the Coalition government dangerously divided over green policies, philosopher Roger Scruton's thoughtful study on environmentalism in the conservative tradition arrives at a timely moment. Acknowledging that the environment is the most urgent political problem of our age – an intellectual step that already takes him beyond most Conservatives – the author, who is both a conservative and a conservationist, seeks to reclaim it from the clutches of the left./p

The Duchess and her diplomatic difficulty

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, is facing charges of breaching Turkey's strict press laws – an offence which carries a possible jail sentence of up to 22 years./p

Iran agrees to visit by UN nuclear team

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA senior United Nations nuclear agency team will visit Tehran later this month, with Iran saying it is ready to discuss allegations that it was involved in secret nuclear weapons work./p

Bob Brookmeyer: Trombonist hailed as one of the finest in jazz

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt's hard to think of anyone who gave more to jazz than the valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer. He was the finest player of his instrument, and was regarded as one of the most imaginative of trombonists. A brilliant writer and orchestrator, he ran the venerated Gerry Mulligan Concert Jazz Band to such an extent that it was really his band rather than Mulligan's./p

Album: The Big Pink, Future This (4AD)

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNaming your band after one of the all-time great albums is quite a yoke to saddle yourself with, and The Big Pink are making heavy weather of it on Future This. /p

DVD: The Brigand of Kandahar (PG)

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p"He's reported to be slightly mad but wily as a fox," is how Lieutenant Case (Ronald Lewis) describes Oliver Reed's tribal leader, Ali Khan, and ripe language, rousing music and dodgy politics/accents abound in this Hammer production from 1965. /p

Last Night's Viewing: My Daughter the Teenage Nudist, Channel 4

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe perfect body is one you're happy with, said Daryl in My Daughter the Teenage Nudist. Daryl is a cheerful proselytiser for the virtues of naturism or rather (since that term doesn't seem to market well with a younger demographic) "nakidity", a word that I sincerely hope will remain a Daryl exclusive. And, as nudists tend to, he was prone to make the case that nobody should be ashamed of what nature had given them. "We are all just human beings at the end of the day," he said, staring the camera straight in the eyes. This would have been a slightly more persuasive argument if Daryl hadn't been on his hands and knees at the time, with a beautician busy down the back end ripping hairs from his crack. Is he not happy with his God-given buttock hair? And if so, doesn't that slightly undermine his argument?/p

Brahms piano work found in visitors' book 160 years on

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAn unknown work by the composer Johannes Brahms has come to light after almost 160 years following its chance discovery in a visitor's book, and will be played for the first time next week./p

GDP grew 1 per cent in 2011, think-tank says

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBritain's economic growth slowed in the three months ending in December, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research said yesterday, boosting the case for the Bank of England to take further measures to support the economy./p

Simon English: Home Retail chief Duddy needs a whiz to rescue him from the aggro at Argos

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pbOutlook/b The jibes from the City scribblers were fierce. Argos is little more than "a showroom for Amazon," quips Rahul Sharma of NeevCapital. "There's a growing chance of a "Woolworth-esque decline," jabs David Jeary at Investec./p

Market Report: Traders shrug off broker's warning on Pru break-up

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThose who have been hankering for a break-up of the Pru may want to think again. Some may argue a series of disposals is the way forward for Prudential, while its boss, Tidjane Thiam, is believed to be supportive of the idea if it can increase value for shareholders, but Nomura warned yesterday that going down this path would be a big mistake./p

What It Means to be Human, By Joanna Bourke

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTake Emmanuel Levinas's encounters with a dog called Bobby in the 1940s, in a camp near Hanover. Here the philosopher, a Lithuanian-born Jew, was one of 70 cruelly overworked slaves. But every morning and evening Bobby bounded forward to greet him delightedly. "Wasn't it remarkable that, at a time when millions of Homo sapiens were being classified as sub-human or even non-human," Jews, gypsies, homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, "Bobby 'had no doubt that we were men'." But as Joanna Bourke relates, Levinas, when writing up this experiences 30 years later, found himself in difficulties. Recognition of the Other was for him the key to ethics, to which nothing was more important than the face-to-face encounter. But how to place his and Bobby's? Surely the dog couldn't "universalise from basic principles", and did he actually have a face?/p

Anthony Hopkins: Hannibal hits the high notes with a classic performance

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSir Anthony Hopkins is nothing if not versatile. From Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs to the repressed butler in The Remains of the Day, from Surviving Picasso to C S Lewis in Shadowlands, he has tackled a range of mesmerising characters. But now he has taken on perhaps his most startling incarnation to date: he has become a composer./p

Exposed: Taxman's 'illegal' war against Britain's small businesses

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Government is unlawfully using late-payment penalty fines against tens of thousands of small firms who do not file their tax returns on time as a "cash-generating scheme" for the Exchequer./p

Ricardo Legorreta: Architect whose work included the Fashion and Textile Museum

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBlending modernism with vernacular influences, textures and vibrant colours from his native Mexico, Ricardo Legorreta helped put Mexican architecture on the world map. His works brightened up his nation's often smog-grey capital, Mexico City, as well as towns and cities in the south-western US states that were part of Mexico until the mid-19th Century – California, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona./p

End in sight for Burma's 63-year old insurgency

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNegotiators from the Burmese government and an ethnic guerrilla force have hammered out a ceasefire agreement to bring an end to what may be the world's longest-running conflict – an insurgency that has raged for 63 years./p

Jewell denies sexist remark

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPaul Jewell has vehemently denied that his criticism of assistant referee Amy Fearn following Ipswich's defeat to Birmingham on Wednesday night contained a sexist remark./p

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The Barometer: Rick Ross; Of Montreal; Leonard Cohen; The War on Drugs; La Sera; King Khan and the Shrines; oFF Love; Kindness; My Best Fiend

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongRick Ross/strong/p

Album: Boy Bear, Moonfire (V2)

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe nu-folk-rock boom has now, it seems, gone global, spreading beyond its Anglo-American bases to Australia, where Boy amp; Bear's Moonfire has been a runaway success. /p

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Daily Mail editor's pay falls over £1m

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Daily Mail's editor-in-chief Paul Dacre saw his pay and perks package fall more than £1m to £1.73m last year./p

Simon English: Going may be bumpier yet for the Tesco wagon

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pbOutlook/b In the old days, when Tesco showed slight signs of wobbling, it would always quickly correct itself./p

Diary: Can Cameron tolerate the latest bout of Clarkson crassness?

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThere may come a time when Jeremy Clarkson is such an embarrassment that David Cameron will have to stop being matey with him. Clarkson's suggestion that public-sector workers should be lined up and shot for going on strike did not quite do it, because Cameron could point out that he was joking. But the Top Gear presenter has now succeeded in embroiling the Prime Minister in a diplomatic contretemps with India, one of the world's fastest-growing markets./p

Robert Fisk: This is not about 'bad apples'. This is the horror of war

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSo now it's snapshots of US Marines pissing on the Afghan dead. Better, I suppose, than the US soldiers pictured beside the innocent Afghan teenager they fragged back in March of last year. Or the female guard posing with the dead Iraqi prisoner at Abu Ghraib. Not to mention Haditha or the murder videos taken by US troops in the field – the grenading of an old shepherd by an Iraqi highway comes to mind – or My Lai or the massacre of refugees by US forces in Korea or the murder of Malayan villagers by British troops. Or the Bloody Sunday massacre of 14 Catholics by British troops in Derry in 1972. And please note, I have not even mentioned the name of Baha Mousa./p

Jack London: Member of a noted boxing dynasty

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAs the eldest son of a legendary British and Commonwealth boxing champion, it was perhaps inevitable that Jack London would follow his father into the fight game. While he was undoubtedly a gifted exponent of the noble art, he is as well known for his contribution to the explosive events in Porthcawl more than 50 years ago that not only made world headlines but remain entrenched in sporting folklore./p

Dubai trip fuels Zardari rumours

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPakistan's president left the troubled country yesterday for what was described as a one-day private visit to Dubai, officials said, in the midst of a deepening crisis between the government and the powerful military./p

Stevenage boss Westley agrees to Deepdale move

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pGraham Westley, the Stevenage manager, is on the verge of taking over at Preston after agreeing terms at Deepdale. The two League One clubs are now in the process of sorting out compensation./p

Cheap land deals are benefiting Barratt

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBarratt Developments unveiled a surge in first-half profits and sales yesterday, continuing its recovery despite little help from the state of the housing market overall./p

Simon English: Five key questions for Barclays' Diamond

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pbOutlook/b The banker is huddled in the corner of Jamies Wine Bar, just off Ludgate Hill, and looking shifty./p

Government report on pub laws was written by lobbyists

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA Coalition report rejecting tougher controls on pub companies was partly written by a powerful industry group, it has emerged./p

Salt-baked beetroot with goats' cheese

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p500g mixed beets (try to use a striped variety like candy, a yellow one like golden and a standard beet)br /350g coarse sea saltbr /150g caster sugarbr /50g freshly grated horseradishbr /1 teaspoon thyme leavesbr /Zest of an unwaxed orangebr /2 egg whitesbr /A bunch of watercressbr /200g Childwickbury goats' cheese or other soft goats' cheese or goats' curdbr /1 tablespoon salted capers, rinsed/p

Swansea manager Rodgers gives Games blessing

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pManager Brendan Rodgers says he would be happy for any of his Swansea players shortlisted for Olympic selection to take part in the Games later this year./p

The Emperor of Lies, By Steve Sem-Sandberg

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAny writer – let alone one from neutral Sweden – who sets out to place another brick in the vast wall of Holocaust fiction must be deluded or inspired. Astonishing to report: Sem-Sandberg belongs in the tiny second band. /p

Newcastle go back in for Morrison

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNewcastle United are ready to return with an improved offer for Manchester United's talented but troubled 18-year-old midfielder Ravel Morrison, who is out of contract at the end of the season./p

Iranian newspaper urges fight back against Israel

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA hard-line Iranian newspaper with links to the country's top authority called on the clerical establishment yesterday to fight back against Israel for the killing of a nuclear scientist in Tehran. /p

'Express' used private eye after conviction

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Express newspaper group yesterday admitted they may still be using the services of the convicted private detective, Steve Whittamore./p

The Art of Fielding, By Chad Harbach

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIf Chad Harbach's much-vaunted debut novel is too well-mannered, too readily digestible, to be called the Moby-Dick of baseball, Melville's whale certainly lurks beneath, and quite frequently breaches, its surface. On the strength of his sublime natural gifts as a "shortstop" –the pivotal infielder positioned between second and third base – Henry Skrimshander, an unassuming South Dakotan 17-year-old, secures a place at Westish College, a small, "slightly decrepit" liberal arts school "in the crook of the thumb of the baseball glove that is Wisconsin". As an undergraduate at Westish some 40 years earlier, its current President, Guert Affenlight, had unearthed a document that proved Melville gave a lecture there in 1880. That furnishes Affenlight with a lifelong enthusiasm, the Small Quad with a statue of Melville, and Harbach with the sound narrative rationale for loading his book with enough Melville references to sink a Nantucket whaleship./p

Duke Ellington's America, By Harvey G Cohen

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThis book starts with a conundrum. Why has the man that many regard as the greatest musician of the 20th century never been the subject of a Hollywood biopic? The answer can be found in a 1974 exchange between a journalist and Ellington's long-term collaborator Billy Strayhorn, about a projected film. Journalist: "I think the story is probably a racial theme, I mean, that's the theme. The accomplishment." Strayhorn: "Well, no, I don't think it should be racial. He's not racial. He is an individual and he has set himself up."/p

Boyd Tonkin: Put the hatchet in the other hand

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNot only do I sometimes enjoy reading hatchet-job reviews; I have written plenty of them. First, let's try to be clear about definitions. A negative review, even a strongly adverse judgment, does not by itself count as an axe-in-the-head affair. One can, courteously and calmly, tear a book to shreds without leaving a trace of blood on the floor. The defining characteristic of the hatchet-job is not that it aims to scold errors, challenge opinions or castigate artistic flaws. It seeks to wound, to wreck, to do lasting mischief to the reputation of either a work or else a whole career./p

Preserved forever: Kim Jong-il will get the Lenin treatment

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNorth Korea announced yesterday that the body of its recently departed "dear leader", Kim Jong-il, would be embalmed and displayed forever./p

Screen Talk: Demon seed

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNo one ever said actresses trying to make it in Los Angeles live in the real world./p

Police to question Jack Straw over torture in Libya

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFormer ministers in Tony Blair's government are expected to be questioned by police over their alleged role in human rights abuses, in a new Scotland Yard investigation into how dissidents were sent to Libya to be imprisoned and tortured by Muammar Gaddafi's regime. The focus of the inquiry will be the involvement of MI6 in the arrest and rendition of two men./p

Ed Sheeran leads nominations for Brit Awards

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 7:08pm EST

pSinger-songwriter Ed Sheeran heads the field for this year's Brit Awards with four nominations./p

Wales blow as Lloyd Burns set miss Six Nations

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 7:01pm EST

pWales forward Lloyd Burns will miss the entire RBS 6 Nations Championship after being ruled out for three months with a neck injury. /p

Gallery: The most controversial award ceremony moments

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 6:50pm EST

pBruce Willis, Hugh Hefner, the Sex and the City girls and a 'certain famous scientologist' were all in the firing line. It seemed no member of Hollywood's elite was safe from the cutting gags of Ricky Gervais at last year's Golden Globe Awards./p

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Leveson Inquiry: My newspapers were 'scapegoated' over Madeleine, says Richard Desmond

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 6:44pm EST

pThe owner of the Daily Express and Daily Star said today that his newspapers were "scapegoated" for their coverage of Madeleine McCann's disappearance./p

Police stop and search orders slashed

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 6:31pm EST

pControversial stop and searches are set to plunge as Britain's biggest police force bids to improve relations with the black community. /p

Hamid Karzai condemns 'urinating marines'

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 6:07pm EST

pUS Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has condemned as "utterly deplorable" a video that purports to depict four US Marines urinating on the corpses of Taliban fighters. /p

US Defence Secretary condemns 'urinating marines'

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 6:07pm EST

pUS Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has condemned as "utterly deplorable" a video that purports to depict four US Marines urinating on the corpses of Taliban fighters./p

Picture preview: The indiscipline of painting

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 5:56pm EST

pAn exhibition celebration painting for its lack of restraint, indiscipline and whimsy opens at the Mead Gallery, Warwick Arts Centre on Saturday. Conservative ideas of painting, where restrictions of form, perspective and accuracy are king, should be abandoned at the door. This show is a celebration of abstraction, featuring 49 artists and covering off the last six decades, from the daubs and dots of Pop Art to irreverent pieces from the Noughties./p

BBC 'value for money,' says executive

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 5:41pm EST

pA BBC executive said the corporation was "delivering value for money" on the day it published expenses claims showing senior staff claimed thousands of pounds for taxi journeys and entertaining. /p

Steven Gerrard signs new Liverpool deal

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 5:29pm EST

pLiverpool captain Steven Gerrard's new contract extension means he will almost certainly end his career at Anfield but the midfielder hopes to enjoy more success before that happens./p

Aston Villa: Potential January transfer targets

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 5:22pm EST

pLanguishing in mid-table and looking over the shoulders at the relegation zone, it's clear that Alex McLeish's side could do with some investment over the next month./p

Swansea reach agreement on Josh McEachran loan from Chelsea

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 5:02pm EST

pSwansea have reached an agreement to loan Josh McEachran from Chelsea but will have to wait before the midfielder can complete the move to south Wales./p

Serial rapist Michael Roberts given four life sentences

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 5:00pm EST

pA brutal rapist who terrorised elderly women in a suburb for more than a decade was told today he will live out his days behind bars./p

Carlos Tevez future thrown into confusion

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 4:57pm EST

pThe future of Carlos Tevez has been thrown into more confusion this afternoon after talks between AC Milan and Manchester City officials broke up without reaching agreement just hours after Inter Milan withdrew from the race to sign the South American./p

Rail signal staff plan more strikes

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 4:51pm EST

pRailway signal workers in Scotland are to stage two further strikes in a dispute over career progression, union leaders announced today. /p

More students graduating with top honours

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 4:33pm EST

pThousands more students are graduating with a first-class degree than five years ago, with one in six now gaining top honours, official figures show./p

Briton faces bomb charge in Kenya

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 4:31pm EST

pA British man and two Kenyans have been charged with handling explosive materials by a court in Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa. /p

Nigeria oil union threats shutdown amid nationwide strike‎

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 4:21pm EST

pA union representing 20,000 oil and gas workers in Nigeria has threatened to shut down all production starting on Sunday as part of a crippling nationwide strike over spiralling fuel prices./p

Hamid Karzai condemns 'urinating marines' video

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 4:20pm EST

pAfghan President Hamid Karzai today condemned as "completely inhumane" a video that purports to depict four US Marines urinating on the corpses of Taliban fighters. Pentagon officials said commanders believe they have identified the men's unit and that it is back in the United States./p

Rafael van der Vaart talks up Tottenham's title ambitions

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 4:18pm EST

pRafael van der Vaart claims Tottenham must now be taken seriously as Barclays Premier League title contenders - and they will show leaders Manchester City just why at the Etihad Stadium the weekend after next./p

Chelsea close in on Gary Cahill transfer

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 4:16pm EST

pChelsea were today confident of completing the signing of Gary Cahill in time for Saturday's Barclays Premier League game at Sunderland./p

Kenny Dalglish happy with Andy Carroll work-rate

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 4:14pm EST

pLiverpool manager Kenny Dalglish maintains he is happy with Andy Carroll's application and believes the striker is proving his commitment to the team ethos./p

Barclays to axe over 400 jobs

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 4:04pm EST

pThe finance sector suffered a fresh jobs blow today when Barclays announced plans to axe over 400 posts under "essential changes" to its technology and infrastructure division. /p

'Complicity at highest levels', claims Binyam Mohamed

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 3:27pm EST

pFormer Guantanamo Bay detainee Binyam Mohamed, who claims an MI5 officer colluded in his torture, said there had been a "pattern of massive complicity" in criminality at the "highest levels" as it emerged no agents would face charges over his ill-treatment./p

'Life means life' for serial rapist Michael Roberts

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 3:00pm EST

pA brutal rapist who terrorised elderly women in a suburb for more than a decade was told today he will live out his days behind bars./p

Alex Salmond resists referendum calls

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 2:56pm EST

pAlex Salmond has dismissed fresh attempts at the Scottish Parliament to force an early referendum on independence./p

When sports stars turn to politics

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 2:55pm EST

pWhen Eric Cantona announced earlier this week that he was gathering signatures to run for President of France, the world braced itself for a potential clash between incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy and the Manchester United legend./p

Paul Jewell defends himself against sexism claim

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 2:45pm EST

pPaul Jewell has vehemently denied that his criticism of assistant referee Amy Fearn following Ipswich's defeat to Birmingham last night contained a sexist remark./p

Family's tribute to murdered Birmingham couple

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 2:14pm EST

pThe son and daughter of a couple murdered at their home begged for help in finding their parents' killers today, saying the light had been "switched out" in their lives and their hearts were "broken forever"./p

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Asil Nadir denies £33 million theft

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 2:04pm EST

p Turkish business tycoon Asil Nadir today denied the theft of £33.1 million from the firm Polly Peck in the 1980s. /p

Police investigate assault on dwarf

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 2:02pm EST

p A dwarf who was picked up and dropped on the floor while celebrating his birthday during the Rugby World Cup was told he will have to use a wheelchair as a result of his injuries. /p

Chelsea confirm receiving offer for defender Alex

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 2:01pm EST

pChelsea have received an offer from a rival Barclays Premier League club for defender Alex, manager Andre Villas-Boas confirmed today./p

Blackburn make offer for Fulham's Andrew Johnson

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:59pm EST

pBlackburn have made a bid for Fulham striker Andrew Johnson, but the Cottagers consider the offer is too low for the former England player, Press Association Sport understands./p

Gun killer's taxi vandalised

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:54pm EST

p A taxi belonging to Peterlee killer Michael Atherton has been vandalised outside the home where he murdered three people then shot himself. /p

Fulham submit planning application to increase Craven Cottage capacity

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:53pm EST

pFulham today submitted a planning application to increase Craven Cottage's capacity to 30,000 from 25,700./p

Indian diplomats complain about Top Gear

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:53pm EST

p Indian diplomats have complained to the BBC about a "disgusting" episode of Top Gear filmed in the country. /p

UK spies won't face torture charges

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:41pm EST

p No British spies will be charged over their alleged complicity in the torture of two terror suspects but a new investigation will be held into allegations of rendition in Libya, the top prosecutor in England and Wales said today. /p

Police launch probe over torture allegations in Libya

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:41pm EST

pBritish spies accused of helping in the rendition and torture of two Libyan rebels will be investigated by police, officials said today./p

Rio Ferdinand sparks fitness scare at Manchester United

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:38pm EST

pManchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has sparked a fitness scare ahead of the Red Devils' Premier League encounter with Bolton on Saturday by hinting he has been struck down by a stomach virus./p

Bank holds rates at record low

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 1:05pm EST

pThe Bank of England held fire on further emergency measures for the UK economy today, despite another dose of worrying news from the manufacturing sector./p

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Leveson Inquiry: Express used convicted detective

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 12:57pm EST

pExpress Newspapers continued using a private detective for more than five years after he was convicted of illegally accessing personal data, the Leveson Inquiry heard today./p

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Youssef Boutros-Ghali - From fêted statesman to a fugitive from justice

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 12:55pm EST

pA senior figure in the regime of Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak and a key International Monetary Fund adviser, Youssef Boutros-Ghali had grown used to being welcomed in some of Britain's most respected think-tanks and academic institutions, dispensing his views on economic and political reform to an array of opinion former/p

Simon Kelner: Olympic Breakfast may explain Little Chef's decline

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 12:54pm EST

pWhat do you think an Olympic breakfast would comprise? A high-energy smoothie, perhaps, followed by fresh fruit and yogurt? Some granola and a fruit compote? You couldn't be more wrong./p

Woman who killed son is jailed for life

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 12:53pm EST

pA woman who murdered her toddler son and concealed his body was today jailed for life and told she must serve a minimum of 15 years./p

Why customer relationship management is finally realistic

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 12:47pm EST

pThe words 'Customer Relationship Management' (or CRM) have been on the tip of techie tongues since the 1980s, but it's only very recently that the CRM ideal has been rendered realistic due to the advent of cloud-technology and the introduction of advanced a href="http://www.workbooks.com/crm-software/crm-software"CRM software/a./p

Successful debt auctions give boost to Spain and Italy

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 12:44pm EST

pSpain and Italy gave financial markets a boost as they successfully raised nearly €22 billion ($27.98 billion) in two keenly watched debt auctions that showed renewed investor confidence in the countries' attempts to get a grip on their debt problems./p

The ultimate spa break

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 12:44pm EST

pWith many citizens of the world working hard, perhaps a little too hard, it’s fair to say that some recuperation is much needed and much deserved. The rising popularity of a href="http://www.visitsweden.com/sweden/relaxingskane/spas-and-relaxation-holidays/"spa breaks/a as an affordable luxury has seen a huge increase in the number of facilities offering treatments and beauty services. But with so much choice, where is the best place to take your ultimate spa holiday?/p

More power firms cut energy tariffs

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 12:25pm EST

pBritish Gas cut bills for more than five million customers today by announcing an average 5% drop in its standard electricity tariff./p

Tottenham and QPR target Chris Samba reveals he wants to quit Blackburn

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 12:14pm EST

pBlackburn manager Steve Kean has confirmed the club have rejected two bids for Christopher Samba and reiterated that the player is not for sale./p

Lamont Peterson camp hit back in Amir Khan row

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 12:10pm EST

pAmir Khan has blamed "everyone and everything" for his controversial defeat by Lamont Peterson last month, according to the new champion's trainer and manager Barry Hunter./p

Controversial London 2012 Olympics sponsor plays down links to chemical disaster

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 12:08pm EST

pOne of the heads of Dow Chemical, the company at the centre of a row over their London 2012 sponsorship, has labelled attempts to link the firm to the 1984 Bhopal disaster as "misinformed, misguided and misdirected". /p

James Ward remains in contention for Australian Open after comeback

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 12:06pm EST

pGreat Britain's James Ward came back from a set down to go forward to the second round of Australian Open qualifying./p

British trio progress in Australian Open qualifying

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 12:06pm EST

pBritish trio James Ward, Laura Robson and Naomi Broady have progressed through to round two of Australian Open qualifying in Melbourne./p

India must handle Australia sledging better says Dhoni

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 12:05pm EST

pIndia captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has labelled Australian fans as "aggressive" with their taunts but says his players have to be smarter when reacting to such provocations. /p

Ex-cricketer Mervyn Westfield admits corruption

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 12:04pm EST

pA former Essex county cricketer admitted a corruption charge linked to a NatWest Pro 40 match today./p

Monty Panesar stakes claim for England Test return

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 12:03pm EST

pMonty Panesar made the most gains as England reduced the Pakistan Cricket Board XI to a lunchtime 111 for seven on day two of their final warm-up match at the CGA ground./p

Gary Gold becomes rugby director at Newcastle

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 11:59am EST

pNewcastle have appointed South African Gary Gold as their rugby director for the rest of this season./p

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Simon Munnery: Hats Off To The 101ers, And Other Material, Soho Theatre, London

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 11:58am EST

p“The arch of limited triumph” says the mild-mannered Simon Munnery in the direction of a concertinaed piece of metal on stage. /p

One Direction, Hammersmith Apollo

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 11:47am EST

pAs the adage goes, you know you're getting old when police start getting younger, but this applies to boy bands, too. /p

Michael Carrick content with emergency cover role at Manchester United

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 11:47am EST

pMichael Carrick did not have a problem turning into a makeshift central defender even though he is happy Manchester United's injury crisis is starting to ease./p

Premier League leading racism battle says Richard Scudamore

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 11:45am EST

pPremier League chief executive Richard Scudamore has declared that English football will continue to lead the fight against racism./p

Asamoah Gyan included in Ghana squad for the African Cup of Nations

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 11:42am EST

pAsamoah Gyan was included in Ghana's squad for the African Nations Cup finals after coach Goran Stevanovic decided his hamstring injury had recovered enough to be included, the country's football association announced today./p

The Art of Concealment, Jermyn Street Theatre, London

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 11:41am EST

pJermyn Street Theatre, which has just deservedly won The Stage's Fringe Theatre of the Year Award, kicked off 2011 with Less Than Kind, a fascinating, hitherto unperformed draft of an early play by Terence Rattigan./p

The Table, Soho Theatre, London

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 11:36am EST

pThe latest show from puppet theatre company Blind Summit goes from puppet stand-up to blockbuster movie effects in doodled form. Performed with deadpan precision, The Table is ambitious, unexpected and funny, a lovely opening for the London International Mime Festival./p

Katy Perry leads People's choice winners

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 11:36am EST

pKaty Perry has won the most People's Choice Awards at the 38th annual fan-favourite extravaganza, but viewers would not have known it from watching the ceremony./p

Winning first-leg against Manchester City was hardest part says Pepe Reina

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 11:35am EST

pLiverpool goalkeeper Jose Reina believes winning at Manchester City was the most difficult part of their Carling Cup semi-final but admits the second leg will still be tough./p

PLG Young Artists, Purcell Room (4/5, 3/5)

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 11:34am EST

pWhere would we be without the Park Lane Group’s annual platform for budding musical talent?/p

Aaron Ramsey defends views on Wales manager search

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 11:34am EST

pCaptain Aaron Ramsey has moved to clarify his comments over the search for the new Wales manager after receiving criticism for expressing his disappointment that the players had not been consulted./p

Robbie Keane completes Aston Villa loan switch

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 11:28am EST

pRobbie Keane has ended his 13-year wait to become an Aston Villa player after joining the midlands club on loan from Los Angeles Galaxy./p

Wonga slammed over student loan information

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 11:27am EST

pOnline payday loan firm Wonga was forced to remove an article from its website yesterday after it caused outrage by suggesting that students should take out loans that cost up to 4,000 per cent rather than using government-backed Student Loans, which charge around 5 per cent./p

Gary Cahill in contention to face Manchester United for Bolton

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 11:25am EST

pBolton manager Owen Coyle has confirmed Gary Cahill will be in contention to face Manchester United if the defender's move to Chelsea has not been completed by the weekend./p

British Gas cuts electricity prices

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 11:20am EST

pThe UK's biggest energy supplier, British Gas, today cut electricity prices by an average of 5% in a move that will reduce the bills of 5.3 million customers./p

Ulster Bank axes 950 jobs

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 11:18am EST

pUlster Bank confirmed today it is to cut its workforce by 950, with 600 redundancies in the Republic of Ireland and 350 in Northern Ireland./p

James Lawton: Dalglish steps into light after darkness of race row

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pHere for the first time in a considerable while we had the acceptable face of Liverpool Football Club. Here was a club taking a large stride out of what many would say was a tribal kraal of its own making. They went to the place where English football power is supposed to be relentlessly brokered and not only did they win, they looked eminently at home slugging it out for one of the game's prizes that had looked so remote for some years now./p

Gerrard's penalty leaves City with a mountain to climb

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pBefore Sunday, Manchester City had not lost at home in a year. By last night, they had lost twice in four days and, already out of the FA Cup, they now face the prospect of this Carling Cup semi-final slipping away./p

Parties unite over deal to stop Scots independence vote causing a crisis

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pA deal to head off a constitutional crisis over plans for a referendum on Scottish independence was emerging last night as the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats joined forces to oppose the break-up of the United Kingdom./p

Changing of the guard as Lancaster dumps flops

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pIt has been obvious for weeks – pretty much since a badly behaved and wholly discredited England party returned to these shores following the World Cup trauma in New Zealand – that there would be some very heavy fallers on the personnel front ahead of the Six Nations Championship, but there was still one hell of a thud when they finally hit the ground yesterday. If Mark Cueto, Nick Easter, Shontayne Hape and the pantomime villain Mike Tindall already knew their international futures were behind them, they must have been wounded all over again by the formal confirmation. As for Delon Armitage, who did not foresee his omission... he may well leave the country because of it./p

ESPN to continue its pitch-side punditry despite Keown's whack

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pMartin Keown's head may still be ringing, but ESPN is not prepared to do away with pitch-side punditry quite yet. The former Arsenal defender, working as a summariser, was hit by a well-struck football before Monday's game between Arsenal and Leeds United at the Emirates Stadium but the TV channel insists it will continue "to bring fans as close as we can to the game"./p

Cahill set to accept 'low' Chelsea wages

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pChelsea are hopeful of completing the deal for Bolton Wanderers' Gary Cahill today following delays over the buying club's insistence that new financial fair play regulations (FFP) mean they are prepared to pay him a relatively low – by their standards – £50,000 a week./p

Internet games cause the same effects as drugs

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pInternet addiction has for the first time been linked with changes in the brain similar to those seen in people addicted to alcohol, cocaine and cannabis./p

Doomsday moves a little closer

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pFor those who followed the natural disasters, nuclear meltdown and financial collapses of last year, it may not come as much of a surprise that the apocalypse is now one minute closer according to the Doomsday Clock, a symbolic measure which counts down to Armageddon./p

UK film industry critical of how PM defines success

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pDirectors, actors and critics hit back at David Cameron's call for film funding to focus on "commercially successful" pictures, arguing it would "dilute the quality of the product and mean "we won't move forward culturally"./p

Up to 600 jobs to go as Little Chef shuts 67 branches

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pRoadside restaurant chain Little Chef is to close 67 of its 161 sites in a move expected to lead to the loss of between 500 and 600 jobs./p

EDF shows 'Big Six' the way with price cuts

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pEDF Energy is to cut gas prices by 5 per cent from 7 February, the first major energy supplier to respond to a 10 per cent drop in underlying wholesale costs due to mild weather and declining economic activity. /p

Alex Salmond: If we Scots choose independence, prosperity will come with it

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe infamous "parcel o' rogues" immortalised in verse by Robert Burns were the members of the then independent Scottish Parliament who were seen to sell their nation's sovereignty for financial reward. That of course was in the early 18th century, long before any concept of true democracy or a popular mandate emanating from a free and fair election./p

Hedge funds delay Greek debt restructuring deal

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pConfidence in financial markets plunged yesterday as hedge funds held up a crucial deal to restructure Greece's €350bn (£290bn) debt pile. /p

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From fêted statesman to a fugitive from justice

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pA senior figure in the regime of Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak and a key International Monetary Fund adviser, Youssef Boutros-Ghali had grown used to being welcomed in some of Britain's most respected think-tanks and academic institutions, dispensing his views on economic and political reform to an array of opinion formers./p

Amol Rajan: How to turn a long dark winter into a new dawn

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pIn late 1983, the mercurial advertising executive Hal Riney began thinking about Ronald Reagan's re-election campaign the following year. American presidents only serve for two terms, and Reagan had been elected four years earlier on a wave of disillusionment with Jimmy Carter, the Democrat incumbent. /p

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RBS job cuts anger unions as boss set for £10m bonus

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pRoyal Bank of Scotland is set for a showdown with unions as it prepares to unveil thousands of job cuts at a time when the body charged with overseeing the taxpayers' stake is in crisis. /p

Skyscrapers may point to economic decline

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pYou might think a boom in skyscraper construction signals all is well with the economy – but you would be wrong. Patterns of tall-building construction do appear to be a reliable barometer of what's in store for the economy. But the crowning of a new skyscraper king typically heralds a recession./p

Deborah Ross: Get the Thatcher look: snatch some milk

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pIf you ask me, which is always a mistake – darlings, what I don't know may well be the only stuff worth knowing; I'm not entirely without self-awareness – I would still like to help you achieve "The Thatcher look" which, in the light of the film The Iron Lady, is being promoted here, there and everywhere./p

Lack of space leaves Heathrow on shaky ground

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe boss of Heathrow owner BAA has warned that Britain is "handing over on a plate the UK's historic trade advantages to European competitors" due to a lack of airport capacity. BAA's chief executive, Colin Matthews, said 21 emerging-market countries had daily flights from Europe that Heathrow did not cover, because the airport is full. Paris and Frankfurt have 1,000 more flights to China's three biggest cities each year than the London airport. BAA issued the warning as it said Heathrow's passenger numbers in December rose 2.8 per cent to a record 5.5 million. Stripping out the effects of British Airways strikes, the Icelandic volcanoes and snow in 2010, passenger traffic across BAA's UK airports rose 0.9 per cent last year./p

The revolution will be televised

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThis is one revolution that must be televised. Extraordinary changes in our viewing habits will occur this year as the biggest names in the global technology and broadcasting sectors compete to redefine the way that we watch our favourite shows./p

John Walsh: Hatchet jobs need witand learning

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pSing a song of critics/ pockets full of lye/ four and twenty critics/ hope that you will die,/ hope that you will peter out, / hope that you will fail..." wrote a fuming Ernest Hemingway to a Mr Lee Wilson Dodd who'd given his story collection Men Without Women a bad review./p

Pin-up who is hard to pin down

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pAn arch-villain who blows raspberries, has "Stayin' Alive" as his ringtone and introduces himself to his enemy with the words: "Is that a British Army Browning L9A1 in your pocket – or are you just pleased to see me?" It's not quite what you'd expect from Moriarty, the man that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle described as "the Napoleon of Crime, the greatest schemer of all time, the organiser of every devilry, the controlling brain of the underworld, a brain which might have made or marred the destiny of nations". But then little about the BBC's zesty reimagining of Sherlock Holmes for the 21st century is predictable. And Jim Moriarty, as played by Andrew Scott, is one of the least predictable and most thrilling elements of all./p

Burma signs ceasefire with rebels

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 10:48am EST

pThe Burmese government has signed a ceasefire agreement with ethnic Karen rebels, taking a major step towards ending one of the world's longest-running insurgencies./p

Pakistan president goes to Dubai as split with military widens

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 10:17am EST

pPakistan's president left the country for what was described as a one-day private visit to Dubai, amid a deepening crisis between the government and the powerful military, officials said. br //p

500,000 children in Britain 'unhappy', says new study

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 10:09am EST

pHalf a million school children in Britain are unhappy with their lives, according to a new study published today./p

Man found shot dead in car in Northern Ireland

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 10:05am EST

pA man found shot dead in a car in Northern Ireland may have been the victim of a fall-out among criminals, it emerged today./p

Argos reports sharp drop in sales

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 10:01am EST

pThe owner of Argos blamed the weak consumer electronics market today for another sharp drop in sales at the catalogue retailer./p

Thorntons reports drop in sales

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 9:58am EST

pChocolatier Thorntons today said it had suffered at the hands of tough competition in the run-up to Christmas as cost-conscious consumers hunted for the best deals./p

Thorntons sees drop in sales

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 9:58am EST

pChocolatier Thorntons today said it had suffered at the hands of tough competition in the run-up to Christmas as cost-conscious consumers hunted for the best deals./p

'Urinating marines' video investigated

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 9:15am EST

pThe US Marine Corps said it is investigating a video depicting what appears to be four Marines urinating on the corpses of Taliban fighters./p

Labour urges welfare reform rethink

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 9:02am EST

pThe Government is being urged by Labour to abandon contentious welfare reforms after a series of defeats in the Lords./p

Mothercare reports 3% sales decline

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 8:56am EST

pUnder-pressure retailer Mothercare today announced another drop in UK sales as it continues to flounder at home but flourish abroad./p

Mothercare reports 3 per cent sales decline

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 8:56am EST

pUnder-pressure retailer Mothercare today announced another drop in UK sales as it continues to flounder at home but flourish abroad./p

Tesco suffers Christmas sales drop

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 8:43am EST

pTesco, the UK's biggest supermarket, today revealed a worse-than-expected drop in sales in the run-up to Christmas as it admitted its Big Price Drop had failed to pull in enough customers./p

Poor Christmas hits Tesco shares

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 8:43am EST

pTesco saw billions of pounds wiped from its shares today after the supermarket admitted it messed up its pricing strategy in a "disappointing" Christmas./p

RBS axes 3,500 jobs at investment arm

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 8:32am EST

pAround 3,500 jobs will be cut at Royal Bank of Scotland over the next three years under plans to shrink its investment banking arm, the taxpayer-backed lender said today. /p

'Wikiplay' tells Assange's story up to the most recent chapter

Posted: January 12th, 2012, 6:30am EST

pIn September 2011, Julian Assange's unofficial autobiography was published. It told of his nomadic childhood in Australia, his account of the events leading up to the sexual assault allegations that he faces in Sweden, and his struggle to launch the whistle-blowing website, WikiLeaks. He says he spent months going to board meetings with an attendance of one (himself), in a "hot poky flat in Paris", unshaven and unkempt apart from, "wearing exactly the right sort of jacket"./p

The Sports Matrix: Thursday 12 January 2012

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongGerrard spot kick hands Liverpool victory at City/strong/p

The Business Matrix: Thursday 12 January 2012

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongOnline financial products soaring/strong/p

i Editor's Letter: A belated happy 2012

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p /p

Will DNA tests solve the mystery of Gloucestershire big cat sightings?

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt began with dark mutterings in the local pub, that a strange beast might be stalking the woods around the little village of Woodchester, savaging the local wildlife and frightening local dog walkers./p

Chalk Talk: It's best to check your spelling before making war on failing schools

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA word in your ear, Education Secretary Michael Gove. You might like to get your speech-writer to check whether his or her spellchecker is functioning properly./p

IVF study gives fresh hope to older women

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTwo embryos are better than one for maximising the chances of an IVF baby, according to one of the largest studies of success rates at fertility clinics./p

O'Neill full of praise for Kilgallon

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Sunderland manager, Martin O'Neill, has praised defender Matt Kilgallon for taking his chance in the first team when it came along. /p

Upmarket foodies boost Sainsbury's festive sales

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSainsbury's has hailed a "record" Christmas after the grocer delivered third-quarter sales ahead of City expectations, driven by a surge in customer transactions and hard-pressed customers treating themselves to champagne and premium turkeys. /p

How do I: Make my way through a crowd?

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe seasoned commuter is most likely a pro at it and with 57,000 people weaving through London's most crowded concourse at Waterloo station every rush hour, that's hardly a surprise. But navigating your way through throngs of people doesn't have to leave you sweating and wanting to punch the dawdling pedestrian in front of you./p

Another bad break for Kubica

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRobert Kubica has suffered a setback in his attempt to return to Formula One after breaking his right leg in an accident at his Italian home. It is the same leg he broke in a high-speed rally crash almost a year ago. /p

Wall Street bankers await the bonus axe

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe world's biggest financial firms have announced more than 100,000 job cuts since the summer, so banking has already got leaner. Now it is about to get meaner. It's bonus season on Wall Street, and bankers are bracing for disappointment, after a sharp downturn in activity and profits that could lead to cuts of one-third or more to their take-home pay./p

Mail on Sunday paid private investigator after his arrest

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Mail on Sunday continued to pay for the potentially illegal services of a private investigator after he was arrested and charged with illegally trading in people's personal information./p

Frank Cook: Plain-speaking MP who championed the armed forces

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFrank Cook was most emphatically not a smooth politician. He was spiky and irascible – but always blunt. I liked and respected him. In the eyes of the press gallery some of his Commons speeches may have been verging on the incoherent. But his meaning was perfectly clear. Cook said what he meant and meant what he said. He cared deeply about the armed forces and was a champion of the welfare of squaddies. He was enormously proud that his son had joined the Royal Marines, and he was an honorary captain for his work in the Parliamentary Armed Forces Trust, which took him to suffer the hardships of training in the Norwegian winter./p

Rival: Bought votes let Blatter win

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe man beaten to the Fifa presidency by Sepp Blatter in 1998 believes his election hopes may have been damaged by vote-buying./p

Deborah Ross: Snatch a bit of milk and you too can get the Thatcher look

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIf you ask me, which is always a mistake – darlings, what I don't know may well be the only stuff worth knowing; I'm not entirely without self-awareness – I would still like to help you achieve "the Thatcher look" which, in the light of the film The Iron Lady, is being promoted here, there and everywhere./p

SuperGroup says 'product wins the day' as sales jump

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe fashion retailer SuperGroup has shown its UK fashion rivals a clean pair of heels by delivering almost a 10 per cent leap in underlying sales over the festive period. /p

Hamish McRae: Think big and look to 2050 and our outlook is not bad

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBehind all the angst about Britain's place in Europe is surely a wider concern about Britain's place in the world. It is partly a political issue, of course, but it is primarily an economic one. A strong and sizeable economy gives political clout should a country choose to deploy it, while a weak economy inevitably reduces political influence./p

Two-way fight to sponsor top flight

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe uncertainty over the new title sponsor for Super League could drag on until two days before the new season. /p

US poaches Tate Modern curator

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe woman in charge of filling the Tate Modern's turbine hall has been poached by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York./p

Addicted! Scientists show how internet dependency alters the human brain

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pInternet addiction has for the first time been linked with changes in the brain similar to those seen in people addicted to alcohol, cocaine and cannabis. In a groundbreaking study, researchers used MRI scanners to reveal abnormalities in the brains of adolescents who spent many hours on the internet, to the detriment of their social and personal lives. The finding could throw light on other behavioural problems and lead to the development of new approaches to treatment, researchers said./p

Helen Frankenthaler: Innovative painter who took abstract art in a new direction

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIn 1952, at the age of 23, Helen Frankenthaler painted the picture that would launch her career and free American abstraction from the heavy hand of Jackson Pollock. Pollock had already pioneered the technique known as "soak stain" painting, in which pigment is applied directly to the unprimed canvas. But where Pollock's paints were flicked on in splats or left to clot in scabby pools, the soak stains in Frankenthaler's Mountains and Sea were washed thinly over the canvas in colours and forms that seemed vaguely floral. Seen in reproduction, Mountains and Sea looks like a work on paper, probably around A4 in size and done in watercolour. Actually, it is 7ft wide by 10ft high, and the method of its making, nailed to a wall in Frankenthaler's studio, was every bit as heroic as Pollock's./p

Oxford striker sacked for TV tweet

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNon-league side Oxford City yesterday sacked one of their strikers after he posted a homophobic message on Twitter while watching the TV programme Celebrity Big Brother. Lee Steele wrote of the former Wales rugby star Gareth Thomas: "I wouldn't fancy the bed next to Gareth Thomas. #padlock my arse." Thomas came out as gay in 2009./p

Children only at Ajax's 'attack' replay

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAjax will be forced to play their Dutch Cup replay against AZ Alkmaar in front of a crowd of children after the original game was abandoned following an attack on the AZ goalkeeper Esteban Alvarado by an Ajax fan./p

Rhodri Marsden: This is as absurd as an addiction to electricity

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt's strange how certain cultural activities are seen as worthwhile but others are seen as harmful. No one will ever criticise you for having your nose permanently buried in a book, but stare at a laptop screen for too long and you'll be accused of being an addict. /p

John Walsh: A hatchet job is not the real thing unless it's done with wit and learning

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSing a song of critics/ pockets full of lye/ four and twenty critics/ hope that you will die,/ hope that you will peter out, / hope that you will fail..." wrote a fuming Ernest Hemingway to a Mr Lee Wilson Dodd who'd given his story collection Men Without Women a bad review./p

Virgin says upgrade will double broadband speeds

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pVirgin Media shares jumped more than 5 per cent after it said it was doubling broadband speeds for most of its four million customers./p

Video raises fear of abuse by US military

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe US military is to probe an online video purportedly showing soldiers urinating on the corpses of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan./p

Andreas Whittam Smith: The candidate who can elicit hope is the winner

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p"It's not what you say, it's what people hear." This excellent rule comes from American politics and was first stated by Frank Luntz, a leading Republican practitioner in the art of winning elections. He is a man of ready wit who gave an entertaining interview to this newspaper earlier this month. He said of Jon Huntsman, one of the Republican contenders to take on Barack Obama in the 2012 presidential election, that he was so invisible that "even his own family doesn't recognise him when he comes home"./p

Private clinic refuses free breast implant removal

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe blame game in the breast implant scandal intensified yesterday as one of Britain's largest private surgery clinics defied the Government by declaring it would not replace the defective implants free of charge./p

Lives Remembered: Allen Saddler

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAllen Saddler, novelist, playwright, critic and lifelong campaigner, died in Totnes, Devon, on 2 December aged 88. Born in London as Ronald Richards, on 15 April 1923, he left school at 14 and educated himself at the public library and by watching plays and variety shows. He devoured the works of Shaw, later attending the left-wing Unity Theatre productions of Sean O'Casey and others, and acquiring a taste for progressive jazz./p

Bafta Rising Star award snubs women

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTwo Eton-educated actors and a director from Hackney are among the stars battling it out for the Bafta Rising Star award, which celebrates the brightest talents making their way in the film industry./p

EDF is first big supplier to drop gas prices

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEDF Energy is to cut gas prices by 5 per cent from 7 February, the first major energy supplier to respond to a 10 per cent drop in underlying wholesale costs due to mild weather and declining economic activity. /p

Khan accused of 'foul tactics'

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLamont Peterson's trainer and manager, Barry Hunter, has accused Amir Khan of using “foul tactics and false accusations” to discredit the new champion after last month's controversial fight between the pair, while denying that mystery man Mustafa Ameen had anything to do with Peterson./p

Diary: Ed and David put us on fast track to boredom

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPrime Ministers' Questions yesterday featured an unenlightening argument between Ed Miliband and David Cameron about who allowed the rail companies to put up fares by 11 per cent. Cameron alleged they were given that freedom by the Labour government. Miliband claimed, on the contrary, that Labour removed that freedom but the Coalition gave it back. /p

Shadows on the horizon: The rise and rise of skyscrapers

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pYou might think a boom in skyscraper construction signals that all is well with the economy – especially if spearheaded by the next "world's tallest building". But you would be wrong. Patterns of tall-building construction do indeed appear to be a reliable barometer of what's in store for the economy. But it seems that what the crowning of a new skyscraper king actually heralds is, typically, a recession./p

Clegg recruits big business to fight culture of unpaid interns

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMore than 100 big companies have pledged to pay young people on internships wages or expenses in the Government's drive to boost social mobility./p

BBC wins right to film prisoner

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA terror suspect who has been held without trial for seven years, pending deportation to the US, can give a filmed interview to the BBC, the High Court has ruled./p

The Week In Radio: PMQs prove that Victoria's the true voice of the people

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pVictoria Derbyshire or Jeremy Vine? It's a bit like asking whether you're a cat or a dog person. If you are disposed to radio phone-in shows then chances are you have a preference. Personally, I'm with Derbyshire. This isn't through any great admiration for her broadcasting style, but more a reflection of my intense allergy to Vine, whose smug, sing-song voice is like kryptonite to my soul. I'd do anything to avoid listening to him goading callers into bellowing about how the country has gone to the dogs and that prison is too good for 'em. When I clock him on the radio in shops or cafés I have been known lunge at the offending equipment, sending small children and old ladies tumbling in my wake./p

Greggs aims for 90 more stores

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pKen McMeikan, the chief executive of the bakery chain Greggs, yesterday unveiled plans to open another 90 stores this year./p

Simon English: One in the eye for Utley as Battle of Hastings threatens to turn really nasty

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pbOutlook/b Grateful recipients of Neil Utley's family Christmas card were charmed as usual. Here's a picture of the insurance tycoon with his family. Here's one of him on a yacht. Here's one one of him outside a mansion. Here's one of him with his lovely wife. Here's one of his three sports cars. Seasonal salutations! Look at how rich I am!/p

Market Report: Arm shares dip as Intel enters smartphone battle

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe battle between Arm Holdings and Intel looks like it is heating up. Normally used to taking market share from its rivals, Arm was left deep in the red last night by the news that Intel is about to give the chipmaker a taste of its own medicine and take it on in the burgeoning smartphone market. /p

Cycling: Lawyers' fury at Contador case

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLawyers working to prove that Alberto Contador was doped at the 2010 Tour de France came "very close" to walking out at his hearing before the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which will soon rule on his fate, after they were upset by the silencing of testimony and the conduct of judges, including one with connections to Contador's home country of Spain. /p

Changing of the red-rose guard

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt has been obvious for weeks – pretty much since a badly behaved and wholly discredited England party returned to these shores following the World Cup trauma in New Zealand – that there would be some very heavy fallers on the personnel front ahead of the Six Nations Championship, but there was still one hell of a thud when they finally hit the ground yesterday. If Mark Cueto, Nick Easter, Shontayne Hape and the pantomime villain Mike Tindall already knew their international futures were behind them, they must have been wounded all over again by the formal confirmation. As for Delon Armitage, who did not foresee his omission... he may well leave the country because of it./p

Film world hits back over PM's call to focus on blockbusters

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFilm-makers, actors and critics hit back yesterday at David Cameron's call for film funding to focus on "commercially successful" pictures, arguing it would "dilute the quality of the product and mean we don't move forward culturally"./p

Charlotte O'Sullivan: We need more than just blockbusters

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDavid Cameron has plans for the currently vibrant British film industry. Big plans. As he explained yesterday, he supports the findings of a review that wants lottery funding targeted more carefully. Building on the "incredible success of recent years", cash should only go to those independent projects with mainstream potential./p

Porsche Panamera Diesel

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongPrice: /strong£62,134br /strongEngine capacity: /strong3 litre turbo diesel (250hp)br /strongTop speed (mph):/strong 150br /strong0-62 mph (seconds): /strong6.8br /strongFuel economy (mpg):/strong 43.5br /strongCO2 emissions (g/km):/strong 172/p

MI5 and MI6 expected to be cleared over 'torture'

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMI5 and MI6 are expected to be cleared today of allegations that their agents were complicit in the torture of terror suspects./p

Flight logjam 'hits UK'

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe chief executive of Heathrow's owner, BAA, has warned that Britain is "handing over on a plate the UK's historic trade advantages to European competitors" due to a lack of airport capacity. /p

Simon English: The City has its doubts about King Justin

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pbOutlook/b Justin King is a brilliant retailer. Just ask him, he'll tell you./p

Don't panic over batters, says Gooch

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPerhaps it will be all right on the day. Perhaps when the real business begins next Tuesday, the world's best Test team will turn up as though they have never been away./p

Gyan given until the last minute to prove fitness

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIvory Coast have included Didier Drogba and Kolo and Yaya Touré in their final squad for the African Cup of Nations, while their title rivals Ghana were last night waiting on the fitness of star striker Asamoah Gyan before revealing their line-up./p

Germany: Accused kills prosecutor

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA prosecutor was shot dead in a courtroom in Bavaria yesterday. /p

ESPN to continue its touchline analysis despite Keown's whack

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMartin Keown's head may still be ringing, but ESPN is not prepared to do away with pitch-side punditry quite yet. The former Arsenal defender, working as a summariser, was hit by a well-struck football before Monday night's game between Arsenal and Leeds at the Emirates but the TV channel insists it will continue "to bring fans as close as we can to the game"./p

The revolution will be televised: Apple's plan to reinvent the box

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThis is one revolution that must be televised. Extraordinary changes in our viewing habits will occur this year as the biggest names in the global technology and broadcasting sectors compete to redefine the way that we watch our favourite shows./p

Alex Salmond: False claims won't deny us our place in the family of nations

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe infamous "parcel o' rogues" immortalised in verse by Robert Burns were the members of the then independent Scottish Parliament who were seen to sell their nation's sovereignty for financial reward. That of course was in the early 18th century, long before any concept of true democracy or a popular mandate emanating from a free and fair election./p

Donald Macintyre: Inhabitants of 'Area C' have been neglected

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIf nothing else the EU report is a sign that the international community has woken up to the problems of Area C – including what it describes bluntly as the "forced transfer" of Palestinians from their land./p

Sri Lankans are skittled for just 43

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSri Lanka crumbled to a humiliating 258-run defeat against South Africa in the first one-day international at Paarl yesterday./p

Michael Page is feeling the chill

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA crisis in corporate confidence thanks to the eurozone and wider economic turmoil hit fees at the recruitment specialist Michael Page in the final three months of 2011. /p

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Simon English: Britain – best of a bad bunch for lenders?

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pbOutlook/b "Investors pay to lend money to the UK," said the headline./p

Cahill set to accept 'low' Chelsea pay

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pChelsea are hopeful of completing the deal for Bolton Wanderers' Gary Cahill today following delays over the buying club's insistence that new financial fair play regulations (FFP) mean they are prepared to pay him a relatively low – by their standards – £50,000 a week./p

Private school entry exam is outdated, say headteachers

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFor more than a century, the Common Entrance exam has determined the fate of thousands of children seeking places at leading private schools. Now, it seems it might have failed its own test: that of keeping pace with modern life. /p

Museum gets hot under the collar as French lingerie chain's forbidden video goes viral

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pScantily clad women may be popular on the walls of art galleries but are apparently unwelcome among the visitors. The Musée d'Orsay is threatening legal action after a publicity stunt by the clothing chain Etam saw models in underwear running through the gallery's Impressionist collection./p

Romney flies into dogfight with third victory in sights

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLimbering up for what is likely to be the most bruising phase yet in his bid for the Republican nomination Mitt Romney last night fired a fusillade at his foes from both parties who would paint him as a corporate raider because of his former role as CEO of the venture capital firm Bain Capital./p

James Lawton: Dalglish's men finally show the acceptable side of Liverpool FC

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHere for the first time in a considerable while we had the acceptable face of Liverpool Football Club. Here were a club taking a large stride out of what many would say was a tribal kraal of their own making. They went to a place where English football power is supposed to be relentlessly brokered and not only won, but looked eminently at home slugging it out for one of the game's prizes that had looked so remote for some years now./p

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Nature Studies by Michael McCarthy: We all know it has been mild recently – but butterflies think it's spring

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHere's a remarkable butterfly story. When you first become interested in butterflies, you naturally enjoy their vivid colours and concentrate on recognising them, but as you become more involved, you start to look at subtler things./p

Madonna reveals the 'sign' that kept her filming

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMadonna almost abandoned plans for her film about King Edward VIII's affair with Wallis Simpson, but changed her mind after being given "a sign" on a removal van./p

The Ideas Factory: Take a right where the singing streets have no name

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pReworking maps is an old game by now especially using musicians and songs. Remember journalist Dorian Lynskey's brilliant musical Tube map that charted the connections between musicians and musical styles as represented by different artists and lines? (If you don't you can see it here: ind.pn/tubemusmap)./p

The Sketch: Weary Miliband shows us all why nobody is taking him seriously

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIf Cameron fails in his "passionate" determination to preserve the Union, he gets a consolation prize: a generation of Tory governments in England. Ed Miliband's consensual commitment to the Union has a little self-interest in it: a swag of Scottish Labour MPs./p

I didn't mean to injure Kayal, says McCulloch

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRangers midfielder Lee McCulloch yesterday insisted there was no malice in the tackle that ended Old Firm rival Beram Kayal's season./p

ECB to cut County Championship season

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pCounties will play just 14 four-day matches a season from 2014 if, as expected, recommendations contained in a review of the domestic game are approved by the ECB Management Board at Lord's today. /p

Public go to internet for insurance

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pConsumers are flocking online to take out insurance and other financial products, according to Moneysupermarket.com, which yesterday said it expected a 20 per cent surge in annual revenues to £178m./p

NHS mergers 'solve nothing'

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHospital mergers do not benefit patients and are unlikely to be the most effective way to deal with financial problems, a government report says. /p

Simon English: Mothercare gets short shrift from trader Steve

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pbOutlook/b Ring, ring. Trader Steve's on the phone and he's clearly in some confusion about the sort of services we offer around here. /p

Did Suarez really say 'negro' seven times?

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Football Association's Independent Regulatory Commission report on Luis Suarez was the most detailed of its kind, yet the unsparing detail of its 115 pages has left an unresolved and slightly unsettling issue. It is the hugely significant question of how many times the Liverpool player really did direct the word "negro" or "negros" at Manchester United's Patrice Evra at Anfield./p

Police linked to Sarkozy 'smeared' leftist colleagues

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLeading French police officers close to President Nicolas Sarkozy were accused yesterday of smearing senior colleagues suspected of left-wing sympathies./p

Pardon? Governor sparks outcry by letting off 200 criminals

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDuring his time in office, Haley Barbour, the conservative Governor of Mississippi, signed off the execution of nine residents on the state's Death Row./p

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Rupert Cornwell: Europe-bashing by the Republicans is nothing new – just ask George W Bush

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIf Mitt Romney does become President, the first thing he might have to do is mend fences with Europe. The Old Continent may be a regular butt of criticism in the US – but rarely criticism as virulent and continuous as that dished out on the campaign trail by the 2012 Republican front-runner./p

Manchester City v Liverpool: Man for man marking

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongManchester City/strong/p

Lords throw out plans for welfare reform

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Government suffered three defeats in the House of Lords over its controversial Welfare Reform Bill./p

Rooney: There's always conflict between us

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWayne Rooney has admitted that he was "tense" after being fined by Sir Alex Ferguson over his performance in training following his night out on Boxing Day and that it affected his performance on the pitch. The Manchester United striker added that he has fallen out with Ferguson in the past, but that the Old Trafford manager was "the greatest present life has given me"./p

Hedge funds blamed as Greek debt deal falters

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pConfidence in financial markets lurched downwards yesterday as hedge funds held up a crucial deal to restructure Greece's €350bn (£290bn) debt pile. /p

Little Chef hits the hard shoulder

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLittle Chef is to close 67 of its 161 outlets in a move expected to lead to between 500 and 600 job cuts./p

Wanted: one school, must be prepared to travel

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhen David Cole and Louise McKillop travelled to the Thai border and visited schools set up for the children of Burmese refugees, they were not entirely sure what they would encounter. They had read about the cramped conditions and lack of resources, but what they could not prepare themselves for was the emotional impact. As McKillop later explained, they rapidly found themselves becoming attached to the children and the schools./p

Skrtel is Liverpool's rock but Balotelli left floundering again

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe stage management was all planned out, with the lights dimmed and a silvery moon rising in the corner of the stadium as it does on the big Manchester City occasions, but this looked what it was. Staged./p

Letters: Skills crisis in NHS chemotherapy

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThis Government has frequently denied planning to privatise the NHS (letters, 5 January). There are many examples that disprove their view, including the arrangements for the provision of chemotherapy. /p

Farrell can fill Jonny's boots

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOwen Farrell plays some of his club rugby at outside-half, some of it at outside centre and the remainder of it as a de facto inside centre, performing the first receiver's role whenever called upon to do so. He also kicks goals by the gross, hence Stuart Lancaster's eagerness to fast-track him into England's Six Nations squad without further ado. The coach did not quite say so yesterday, but of all the uncapped players in the party – and there are no fewer than nine of them – the 20-year-old Saracens midfielder was the nearest thing to a no-brainer on the selection front./p

Britain wins key concession over euro stability pact

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBritain appears to have won a key concession from European leaders drawing up the new economic stability pact for the eurozone./p

Italy and Germany want transaction tax to be for whole of EU

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe leaders of Italy and Germany dealt a blow to France's hopes for a financial transaction tax yesterday, indicating they could only support it if it applied to the whole European Union and not just the eurozone./p

Nasuwt: 'We can win the hearts and minds of parents'

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAll the headlines on 30 November last year were about how the one-day public service strike over pensions was closing the majority of the country's schools. However, a potentially more significant dispute in education started the following day, when members of the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teacher s (Nasuwt) started a national work-to-contract over conditions in schools./p

Mancini goes to war over Johnson tackle

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRoberto Mancini, the Manchester City manager, was involved in another war of words last night after his indignation about a two-footed challenge by Liverpool's Glen Johnson caused a heated tunnel exchange with Steven Gerrard./p

'Dull' computer classes to be ditched

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe days of teachers standing in front of a class delivering lessons could be over within a decade, Education Secretary Michael Gove said yesterday./p

Pain on the way for EU powerhouse

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe main engine of European growth crunched into reverse inthe final quarter of last year as Germany's economy shrank by 0.25 per cent, official figures show./p

Andrew Scott: A pin-up who is hard to pin down

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAn arch-villain who blows raspberries, has "Stayin' Alive" as his ringtone and introduces himself to his enemy with the wheedling words: "Is that a British Army Browning L9A1 in your pocket – or are you just pleased to see me?" It's not quite what you'd expect from Moriarty, the man that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle described as "the Napoleon of Crime, the greatest schemer of all time, the organiser of every devilry, the controlling brain of the underworld, a brain which might have made or marred the destiny of nations". But then little about the BBC's zesty reimagining of Sherlock Holmes for the 21st century is predictable. And, Jim Moriarty, as played by Andrew Scott, is one of the least predictable and most thrilling elements of all./p

Iran blames Israel after nuclear scientist is killed by car bomb

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAn Iranian nuclear scientist was assassinated yesterday in Tehran by a magnetic bomb fixed to his car in an attack the authorities have blamed on Israel and which will deepen the confrontation over Iran's nuclear programme./p

Cameron runs into a new critic of high-speed rail: his father-in-law

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDavid Cameron is facing opposition to the Government's contentious high-speed rail plans from within his own family, with his father-in-law attacking the scheme in print./p

Zigic puts on another City late show

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNikola Zigic scrambled his second goal of the night at the start of stoppage time to lift Birmingham to within two points of the Championship play-off zone, at the same time condemning Ipswich to a fourth successive defeat and piling the pressure on manager Paul Jewell./p

The 10 Best Fitness Gadgets

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrong1. Salter Glass Body Fat Analyser/strong/p

Cameraman killed in Homs as press come under fire

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA French TV cameraman became the first Western journalist to die in the 10-month-old Syrian uprising, killed by grenade fire during a government trip to the restive city of Homs./p

Sammy Ameobi out 'for months'

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNewcastle's England Under-21 midfielder Sammy Ameobi could be sidelined for several months by an injury suffered on reserve-team duty./p

US resumes drone attacks along Afghan border

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAn American drone attack has killed four Islamist militants in Pakistan in the first such assault since errant US air strikes killed two dozen Pakistani troops in November. /p

Romney flies into dogfight with third victory in his sights

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLimbering up for what is likely to be the most bruising phase yet in his bid for the Republican nomination Mitt Romney last night fired a fusillade at his foes from both parties who would paint him as a corporate raider because of his former role as CEO of the venture capital firm Bain Capital./p

Liverpool generation inspired by Wembley dream

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe stage management was all planned out, with the lights dimmed and a silvery moon rising in the corner of the stadium as it does on the big Manchester City occasions. Yet this looked what it was: staged./p

Jewell risks trouble with 'man' rant

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPaul Jewell, under renewed pressure after Ipswich's fourth successive Championship defeat, vented his wrath on referee's assistant Amy Fearn after his side were denied “a stonewall penalty” before Nikola Zigic's stoppage-time winner left Birmingham two points off the play-off zone with a game in hand./p

Police officer discovers his parents murdered

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA possible revenge motive is being considered in a murder investigation after a police officer found his parents dead at their home in Birmingham. /p

Spurs keep title dream alive

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt was Benoît Assou-Ekotto who provided the ammunition for Tottenham's continuing title challenge last night. This defeat of Everton moved them level on points with Manchester United, and they owed much of it to their buccaneering and popular left-back./p

Leading article: Mr Miliband is yet to answer all his doubters

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThat Ed Miliband has suffered a torrid start to 2012 is not especially surprising. Questions about his leadership were surfacing at the end of the last year and there was no reason why the Christmas break should have changed the dynamic. This week, the Labour leader tried to answer those questions. He was only partially successful./p

Teen held over family deaths in fire

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAn 18-year-old has been arrested on suspicion of murder following a house fire at the weekend in which four siblings died./p

Last Night's Viewing: Freddie Flintoff: Hidden Side of Sport, BBC1br /The Fabulous Baker Brothers, Channel 4

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe idea that sport is in any way a morally improving activity should really be insupportable by now, after years of match-fixing, dope scandals and football-star spit-roasts. But the notion that it is character-building still stubbornly clings on. Competition, from Dr Arnold onwards, has been believed to anneal the soul and tutor the spirit. If Freddie Flintoff: Hidden Side of Sport is to be believed, though, we should be protecting our children from exposure to school games, just in case they're unlucky enough to show some talent at them. Flintoff – both a darling and a monster of the red-top back pages – was exploring the subject of depression in sport, partly because of his own experience of a slump in form and morale, and partly because of what happened to his friend Steve Harmison. And the telling thing was that it didn't look as if he'd had trouble at all finding representative cases. Even Vinnie Jones pitched up to confess that he'd thought seriously about walking into the woods with a shotgun./p

Gerrard gives City mountain to climb

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBefore Sunday, Manchester City had not lost at home in the space of a year. By last night they had lost twice there in the space of four days. The storm has not arrived at Roberto Mancini's door just yet but he can hear it rumbling in the distance./p

Exclusive: Parties unite to fight Scots independence

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA deal to head off a constitutional crisis over plans for a referendum on Scottish independence was emerging last night as the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats joined forces to oppose the break-up of the United Kingdom. The Government may allow Alex Salmond, the First Minister and leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), to hold a referendum on independence at his preferred time of autumn 2014 in exchange for a straight Yes or No question on the ballot paper./p

Blackburn fans' 24-hour protest at Ewood

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBlackburn Rovers fans have called off their truce with the struggling club's owners and are planning a 24-hour demonstration outside Ewood Park from tomorrow. /p

Workers threaten mass suicide at company that supplies Apple

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pChinese workers are flexing their muscles as rising prices make their daily grind impossible to manage – and the focus is again on the factories that churn out many of the world's most popular gadgets, with aggrieved workers at Foxconn protesting by threatening mass suicides. /p

Leading article: A welcome shot of IT creativity

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOff-putting, demotivating, dull. The Education Secretary's stinging assessment of IT teaching in Britain's schools is, sadly, no exaggeration. It is not simply that lessons are boring; they are fundamentally missing the point. Modern IT skills are not about how to use Word or Excel; they are about building the next world-beating phone app, programming the graphics for Pixar, or developing a search algorithm to rival Google. That the explosive creative potential of computers is not reflected in our classrooms is both an educational opportunity appallingly missed and a threat to economic competitiveness. /p

Trade gap hits UK hope of export-led recovery

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Bank of England's hopes of an export-led recovery were dealt a blow yesterday as the UK's goods trade gap with the rest of the world hit £8.6bn./p

Is that the time? End of world draws nigher still

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFor those who followed the natural disasters, nuclear meltdown and financial collapses of last year, it may not come as much of a surprise that the apocalypse is now one minute closer according to the Doomsday Clock, a symbolic measure which counts down to armageddon./p

Porn actors may have to use condoms

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA by-law requiring porn actors to wear condoms during film shoots has been tentatively approved by Los Angeles councillors. /p

EU on verge of abandoning hope for a viable Palestinian state

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Palestinian presence in the largest part of the occupied West Bank – has been, "continuously undermined" by Israel in ways that are "closing the window" on a two-state solution, according to an internal EU report seen by emThe Independent/em./p

Hughes: I will not repeat the errors made with City owners

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMark Hughes started work at Queen's Park Rangers yesterday and revealed he intends to use his experience under Manchester City's owners to help his relationship with Tony Fernandes./p

Pakistan on edge as army threatens government

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe dispute between Pakistan's civilian administration and the military has erupted again after the army warned of "grievous consequences" for the country and the Prime Minister sacked the Defence Secretary./p

Leading article: The worrying implications of London's Shard

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pGiven our reliance on China and India for much-needed economic growth, the "unhealthy correlation" researchers have identified between the building of skyscrapers and imminent financial collapse is far from encouraging. /p

Cyber Culture: How Zuckerberg's plans for a sharing society could help us (and make him richer)

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pYou may find this hard to believe if you feel inundated by web links to unamusing videos and spittle-flecked blog posts, but apparently we're not sharing enough stuff online./p

More RBS sackings to spark union showdown

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRoyal Bank of Scotland is set for a showdown with unions as it prepares to unveil thousands of job cuts at a time when the body charged with overseeing the taxpayers' stake is in crisis. /p

Rainbow may reach for stars with gold (and Kauto) at end

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWith 64 days to go, the countdown to the Gold Cup can officially start. The entries were made yesterday, 34 of them, and all the names that should be there are there, with no ghastly errors of omission. Kauto Star, already the first horse to regain the Cheltenham crown, can go for a unique three in five years; his great rival Long Run can try to redeem his reputation as the future of this particular branch of the sport./p

Gehry's plan for memorial to Eisenhower upsets family

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLike any great military and political leader, Dwight Eisenhower had every right to expect that his likeness would one day be immortalised in bronze or marble and installed prominently in his nation's capital. But that was before Frank Gehry came along./p

'I'm not some kind of angry black woman' says Michelle Obama

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p"A trouble-maker, me? An "angry black woman" who dislikes living in the White House, who's constantly interfering in her husband's official business, and who hates going out on the campaign trail with him? Not me, no way, Michelle Obama declared yesterday. But the very fact the questions were posed is testament to her influence./p

Newcastle play down speculation on Carroll

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNewcastle United are refusing to become involved in the saga surrounding the future of Liverpool striker Andy Carroll. Newcastle faced headlines yesterday suggesting they could make a cut-price £10m bid to end the 23-year-old's miserable year on Merseyside./p

Insurance companies cashing in on crash victims

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMPs have demanded that car insurers end "sharp practices" which have pushed up the cost of motor cover. /p

Parties unite to fight Scots independence

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA deal to head off a constitutional crisis over plans for a referendum on Scottish independence was emerging last night as the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats joined forces to oppose the break-up of the United Kingdom. The Government may allow Alex Salmond, the First Minister and leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), to hold a referendum on independence at his preferred time of autumn 2014 in exchange for a straight Yes or No question on the ballot paper./p

Redknapp puts heat on City

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWith 18 games left, only goal different separates Tottenham Hotspur from second-placed Manchester United. Only three more points separates them from the lead. These are remarkable facts, given the nature of the Premier League. But, with every victory – last night they beat a good Everton side without ever looking like they might not – the authenticity, the reality of their title challenge becomes more obvious./p

Manchester City v Liverpool player ratings

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLiverpool will take a 1-0 advantage into the second leg at Anfield after Steven Gerrard's penalty was enough to consign Manchester City to their second home defeat in four days./p

Harry's boys at the double to see off Everton

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 10:55pm EST

pTottenham moved within striking distance of Premier League leaders Manchester City after coasting to victory over Everton tonight thanks to goals from Aaron Lennon and Benoit Assou-Ekotto. /p

Gerrard penalty makes it advantage Reds in Carling Cup semi-final

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 10:54pm EST

pManchester City slumped to their second home defeat in four days as Steven Gerrard's early penalty moved Liverpool to within 90 minutes of their first Wembley appearance since 1996. /p

Glenn Whelan signs new Stoke deal

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 7:02pm EST

pStoke midfielder Glenn Whelan has agreed a new three-and-a-half-year contract, the club have confirmed./p

PM and Miliband clash on rail fares

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 6:57pm EST

pPrime Minister David Cameron and Labour leader Ed Miliband traded accusations today over who was responsible for rail fare hikes of up to 11 per cent. /p

George Osborne tells banks to cut bonuses

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 6:52pm EST

pChancellor George Osborne today issued a sharp warning to the banks against making big bonus payouts./p

'Progress' on watering down EU pact

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 6:45pm EST

pThe Government today claimed "real progress" in watering down a new EU economic accord which the UK said threatened the single market. /p

French cameraman killed in Syria

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 6:30pm EST

pA French cameraman was killed today in Syria during a government-authorized trip to the restive city of Homs, the first Western journalist to be slain since the country's uprising began 10 months ago, officials said. /p

Osborne tells banks to cut bonuses

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 6:24pm EST

pChancellor George Osborne today issued a sharp warning to the banks against making big bonus payouts. /p

Prime minister David Cameron reveals interest in movie gossip

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 6:11pm EST

pDavid Cameron revealed his interest in movie star gossip on a visit to Britain's most famous film studios today. /p

Prosecutor shot dead during German trial

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 6:03pm EST

pGerman police say a 54-year-old defendant shot and killed a prosecutor during his trial in the Munich area./p

North Korea keeps door open for food-nuke deal with US

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 6:01pm EST

pNorth Korea signaled today that it remains open to suspending uranium enrichment in exchange for US food aid, a deal that appeared imminent before leader Kim Jong Il died last month. /p

Fortune favours the bold

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 5:41pm EST

pWhereas in the past, the 'corporate career' may have been the norm for many bright graduates, with fewer graduate jobs available in blue-chip firms and the growing popular disillusionment with the City, now is the perfect time to start your own business. Starting a venture while you are young and have fewer commitments is ideal; you probably don’t have a family to support, a mortgage to pay and can adjust to the often frugal life of an entrepreneur – with little or no money when you’re starting up. /p

Policeman finds parents murdered in Birmingham

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 5:24pm EST

pPolice investigating the murder of a married couple have pledged to work "around the clock" to catch those responsible for the "horrendous crime". /p

Policeman finds parents murdered

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 5:24pm EST

pPolice investigating the murder of a married couple have pledged to work "around the clock" to catch those responsible for the "horrendous crime". /p

Culled: Where it went wrong for the players dropped by England

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 5:23pm EST

pThe 2011 Six Nations squad which was announced today saw a number of high profile omissions./p

French journalist killed in Syria

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 5:06pm EST

pFrench television channel France 2 says one of its journalists has been killed in unknown circumstances in Homs, Syria. /p

Computing experts welcome ICT shake-up

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 4:50pm EST

pComputing and videogame experts have welcomed the proposed shake-up in the way computing is taught in UK schools./p

Mark Hughes looking to the long term with QPR

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 4:45pm EST

pMark Hughes insists QPR's ambition means he is looking to remain at Loftus Road for the long term./p

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EU threatens legal action against Hungary

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 4:43pm EST

pThe European Union stepped up the pressure today against Hungary, saying its fiscal policies were unsustainable and threatening legal action over a new constitution that some fear could push the country back into authoritarianism. /p

Vincent Kompany predicts 'wave' of red cards in Facebook riposte

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 4:37pm EST

pManchester City skipper Vincent Kompany has predicted an "unprecedented wave" of red cards in the wake of his dismissal against Manchester United on Sunday./p

Newcastle ignore speculation Andy Carroll could return from Liverpool

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 4:29pm EST

pNewcastle were today refusing to become involved in the soap opera surrounding the future of Liverpool striker Andy Carroll./p

Tony Pulis offers to manager Wales for memorial match

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 4:28pm EST

pStoke boss Tony Pulis has admitted he would happily take over as Wales manager - but only for one game./p

Pakistan PM sacks defence secretary

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 4:14pm EST

pPakistan's prime minister has sacked the defence secretary, his office said today, in a move likely to ratchet up tension with the powerful military and raise fears of instability in a country vital to efforts to bring peace to Afghanistan./p

Permalink for '_______Education_/2012/01/11/_Doomsday%c2%a0Clock__moves_one_minute_closer_to_midnight%c2%a0'

'Doomsday Clock' moves one minute closer to midnight

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 3:42pm EST

pA group of scientists that tracks the likelihood of a global cataclysm says the world is moving closer to doomsday. /p

MI5 named as gay-friendly employer

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 3:27pm EST

pThe Security Service MI5 has been named on a list of Britain's most gay-friendly employers for the first time./p

Permalink for '_______Education_/2012/01/11/Leveson%c2%a0Inquiry__Mail_on_Sunday__ran_risk__by_hiring_detective'

Leveson Inquiry: Mail on Sunday 'ran risk' by hiring detective

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 3:19pm EST

pThe Mail on Sunday continued using a private detective for 18 months after he was raided in an investigation into the illegal trade of personal information, the Leveson Inquiry heard today./p

Syrian monitors' mission 'a farce'

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 3:14pm EST

pArab League observers in Syria have come under fresh scrutiny after a former monitor called their mission a "farce."/p

Newcastle United: Potential January transfer targets

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 3:03pm EST

pAfter a superb start to the season, aspirations have been lifted at the Sports Direct Arena and investment into the team will be welcomed by supporters hoping for European football into 2012./p

Implants bill for NHS 'is unfair', says Andrew Lansley

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 3:03pm EST

pHealth Secretary Andrew Lansley said today he did not think it was fair to the taxpayer for the NHS "to foot the bill" for patients who had private PIP breast implant operations./p

Harley Medical Group refuses free implant removal

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 3:00pm EST

pThe Harley Medical Group, which fitted PIP breast implants to almost 14,000 British women, has said it will not replace them free of charge./p

Michael Gove brands ICT curriculum 'a mess'

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 2:58pm EST

pICT in England's schools is a "mess" and must be radically revamped to prepare pupils for the future, Michael Gove has said./p

Starbucks customers react angrily to loyalty scheme changes

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 2:51pm EST

pStarbucks has come under fire from its customers after changing the terms of its loyalty scheme./p

Former Fifa president hopeful alleges vote-buying

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 2:50pm EST

pThe man beaten by Sepp Blatter for the FIFA presidency in 1998 believes his election hopes may have been damaged by vote-buying./p

Newcastle youngster Sammy Ameobi suffers injury blow

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 2:49pm EST

pNewcastle midfielder Sammy Ameobi could be sidelined for several months by an injury suffered on reserve team duty./p

German economy feared to have stalled

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 2:43pm EST

pGermany's economy slipped into reverse in the last quarter of 2011 in spite of showing strong overall growth for the year of 3 per cent, the country's Federal Statistics Office said today./p

Alastair Cook impresses in England's final warm up match

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 2:38pm EST

pAlastair Cook played a near lone and highly-skilled hand to defy the Pakistan Cricket Board XI's pace and spin on day one of England's final warm-up match at the GCA ground. /p

James Ward faces struggle to qualify for Australian Open

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 2:35pm EST

pBritish number two James Ward went one set down against Spain's Inigo Cervantes-Huegun in the first round of Australian Open qualifying before rain in Melbourne forced play to be suspended./p

New era begins as Stuart Lancaster announces much changed England squad

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 2:05pm EST

pStuart Lancaster launched England's new era today when he announced an elite squad featuring nine uncapped players and 13 changes from the failed World Cup campaign. /p

David Cameron and Ed Miliband unite to back union

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:45pm EST

pThe leaders of the two main Westminster parties joined together in the House of Commons today in pledging to fight for Scotland to remain part of the United Kingdom./p

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain denies reports he wants to leave Arsenal

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:27pm EST

pAlex Oxlade-Chamberlain has denied reports that he wants to leave Arsenal./p

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Asia skyscraper building boom may be sign of impending economic collapse, warn experts

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:22pm EST

pA skyscraper building boom in China and India may be a sign of an impending economic collapse, according to financial experts./p

Anarchy warning over Nigeria fuel strike

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:09pm EST

pA national strike paralysing Nigeria risks "anarchy", the government has warned as demonstrations over spiralling fuel prices entered their third day today./p

4.4% rise in air passengers for BAA

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:05pm EST

pA snow-free end to 2011 helped BAA record a 4.4% increase in passengers at its six UK airports last year./p

All-male shortlist announced for Bafta Rising Star award

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 1:04pm EST

pBafta have announced the shortlist of five actors nominated for the Orange Wednesdays Rising Star award, including four from the UK./p

Bomb kills key Iranian scientist Mostafa Ahmadi Roshanan

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 12:43pm EST

pAn Iranian nuclear scientist was killed by a bomb in his car in what appears to be the latest covert assassination to hinder the country's nuclear programme./p

Ex-MP Frank Cook dies aged 76

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 12:26pm EST

pFormer Labour MP Frank Cook, who spent 27 years in the House of Commons, has died at the age of 76./p

Simon Kelner: What made Worrall Thompson go wild in the aisles?

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 12:26pm EST

pNo matter how hard the press tries to be decent, sober and responsible – and, my goodness, there are plenty of incentives to do so these days – there are some news stories that it finds difficult to take seriously./p

Little Chef to close 67 outlets

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 12:25pm EST

pRoadside restaurant chain Little Chef is to close 67 of its 161 sites in a move expected to lead to the loss of between 500 and 600 jobs, it announced today./p

Exorcising the Fear: British Sculpture from the 50s 60s

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 12:25pm EST

pTaking the 60th anniversary year of the XXVI Venice Biennale of 1952 as its starting point, a new exhibition, Exorcising the Fear, will explore a pivotal point in the history of British sculpture. /p

Harriet Walker: Of course we still need feminism

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 12:12pm EST

pAnd 2012 is supposed to be the year that we all come to terms with feminism being nothing for men or women to be scared of. So how did we kick things off? With a naked lady, of course./p

Newcastle issue denial that Liverpool striker Andy Carroll is set for return

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 12:09pm EST

pNewcastle have played down rumours that striker Andy Carroll could make a cut-price return to Tyneside./p

Blackburn fans plan fresh protests

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 12:08pm EST

pOrganisers of protests against Blackburn's owners Venky's have called off their truce and have announced a 24-hour demonstration to take place outside Ewood Park from Friday./p

Video: S Korean army train half naked in snow

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 11:56am EST

pSoldiers in the South Korean army brave snow and icy waters to train naked in arctic conditions./p

Video: South Korean army train half-naked in snow

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 11:56am EST

pSoldiers in the South Korean army brave snow and icy waters to train naked in arctic conditions./p

Video: South Korean army train half naked in snow

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 11:56am EST

pSoldiers in the South Korean army brave snow and icy waters to train naked in arctic conditions./p

Boxing: Amir Khan 'Hatman' not an IBF official

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 11:53am EST

pThe 'mystery man' accused by Amir Khan of interfering with judges' scorecards in his world title defeat by Lamont Peterson helps the International Boxing Federation (IBF) assist financially needy boxers, the organisation said yesterday./p

Confidence returning for Australian batsman Ricky Ponting

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 11:49am EST

pRicky Ponting warned India his confidence has returned following his first century in two years in Australia's victory in the second Test in Sydney and claimed there were more to come. /p

Alastair Cook leads recovery after shaky start by England

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 11:48am EST

pAlastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen's unbroken stand of 82 ensured an England recovery from 14 for two on the first morning of their final warm-up match against the Pakistan Cricket Board. /p

Margaret Court embroiled in same-sex row that threatens to spill over into Australian Open

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 11:45am EST

pTennis great Margaret Court told Reuters today she was sad her religious views were being used as fuel for a planned protest at next week's Australian Open, but said she remained staunchly opposed to same-sex marriage./p

Romeo and Juliet, Royal Opera House, London

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 11:41am EST

pRunning down from her balcony, Tamara Rojo’s shy Juliet can’t quite meet her Romeo’s eye. So, taking a gulping breath, she catches his hand and presses it to her heart. /p

Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny sorry for 'rapist' Tweet

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 11:38am EST

pArsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has issued an apology for saying in a Twitter message team-mate Aaron Ramsey looked "like a rapist"./p

Javier Hernandez vows to overcome tough spell at Manchester United

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 11:37am EST

pJavier Hernandez is not beating himself up about the 'second-season syndrome' he is enduring at Manchester United./p

London Symphony Orchestra/ Pappano, Barbican Hall

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 11:36am EST

pIt was almost as if the London Symphony Orchestra had enjoyed advance notice of Antonio Pappano’s well-deserved Knighthood in the New Year’s Honours list./p

Shay Given sees benefits of Robbie Keane loan

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 11:33am EST

pFit again keeper Shay Given believes Aston Villa will reap the benefits if they sign his Republic of Ireland team-mate Robbie Keane for a loan spell from Los Angeles Galaxy./p

Ani DiFranco, Union Chapel, London

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 11:31am EST

p“I feel very hopeful for 2012, so thank you to the Occupiers,” maintains Ani DiFranco. “All working people are Occupiers, too… occupying this planet,” she adds./p

Mark Hughes aiming high says QPR owner Tony Fernandes

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 11:30am EST

pMark Hughes will use his new job at QPR to prove he's "one of the best in the world", according to chairman Tony Fernandes./p

Ani DiFranco, Union Chapel, London

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 11:29am EST

p“I feel very hopeful for 2012, so thank you to the Occupiers,” maintains Ani DiFranco. “All working people are Occupiers, too… occupying this planet,” she adds. /p

EDF announce plans to cut gas bills by 5%

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 11:23am EST

pOne of the UK's major energy suppliers offered a glimmer of hope for cash-strapped households today by announcing a cut in tariffs./p

RBS and Lloyds using taxpayers' cash to lobby MPs

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pBritain's two state-owned banks have hired eight separate lobbying and public affairs companies at a cost of hundreds of thousands of pounds a year, i has learnt./p

I have no friends in Manchester, claims frustrated Balotelli

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pA lonely young man, exasperated by the English press, who wants to become more involved in Italian social issues. That was the picture Mario Balotelli drew of himself in an extensive interview published yesterday./p

Minister staves off Tory rebellion with key revisions to high-speed train plans

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pHigh-speed trains will now run in tunnels and cuttings for more than half of the distance between London and Birmingham, the Transport Secretary announced yesterday as she gave the final go-ahead for the £32.7bn HS2 scheme after months of delay./p

Skrtel out to banish the ghosts of past City horror shows

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe Manchester City turf has been an inauspicious place for Liverpool's Martin Skrtel. He was carried from it on a stretcher, three years ago, clutching an oxygen mask as he contended with the agony of posterior cruciate ligament damage in his right knee. The damage inflicted on him by Sergio Aguero as his side fell to a 3-0 Premier League defeat on the same ground last Tuesday was briefer but no less brutal./p

The man who put Madonna right about Edward VIII

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pA patriotic extra has revealed how he set Madonna straight on UK royal history during the filming of her Wallis Simpson biopic, WE./p

Cantona takes a dummy run at French presidency

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe man who created sardine philosophy yesterday invented cod politics. Or, to put it another way, Eric the ex-Red served up a giant red herring in a good cause./p

James Moore: Bolland's bacon saved as MS counts the cost of Christmas flop

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pIf Marks amp; Spencer's Christmas figures are anything to go by, the pixie dust Marc Bolland sprinkled on Morrisons to make it fly has been in short supply. Yesterday's trading statement was no Christmas cracker and the shares would have taken a beating had it not been for a bravura performance by the retailer's food halls. That saved Mr Bolland's bacon, at least for now. /p

Game Group shares plunge 44% after poor sales

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pGame Group's share price sank by 43.7 per cent to an all-time low of just 3.8p after it issued another profits warning yesterday and admitted it was likely to breach banking covenant tests next month. /p

Matthew Norman: Ed Miliband's big problem

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pOther, cleverer people incessantly tell me how supernaturally useless Little Ed is in every way, and why. They dismiss the defence, by way of praising his agenda-dominating boldness (knifing Murdoch) and prescience (good capitalism vs horrid capitalism), with a withering curl of the lips. Yet despite the brutal consensus that the guy is a fatally risible hyper-nerd, the only serious flaw I can find in Ed Miliband – and even this feels too trivial to mention – is that he happens to be Ed Miliband./p

Costs control plan to offset more MS price-cutting

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pMarks amp; Spencer warned of no let-up in the fierce discounting on the high street yesterday after it posted disappointing general merchandise sales over Christmas and industry data showed shop price inflation tumbling to a 16-month low. /p

Harriet Walker: Of course we still need feminism... we always did

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pAnd 2012 is supposed to be the year that we all come to terms with feminism being nothing for men or women to be scared of. So how did we kick things off? With a naked lady, of course. Actor Lara Pulver triggered complaints after she appeared naked if carefully draped before the watershed as Irene Adler in the BBC's Sherlock. Since the brouhaha over her bralessness, she said she felt the stunt was "empowering". Call me old-fashioned, but it strikes me that any instance of a woman using her body to get what she wants – whether fictionally or not – is proof enough that we still need feminism. Holmes, after all, doesn't need to get his kit off to make us take him seriously. He just does that infuriating thing where he works out what colour pants you're wearing from the way you rest your chin on your hand. Women have laboured too long under the illusion that being overtly sexual, not to mention angry about sex, is a form of empowerment. Being naked in front of an adversary isn't empowering; having sex with someone you despise doesn't give you the upper hand. And who propagates this myth? Male writers. From Steven Moffat's Irene Adler to Martin Amis's Nicola Six, retrograde, two-dimensional women who play their sexuality for power end up losing out. Don't worry, though, there are plenty of other "strong women" proposed as role models for us this year. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo features Stieg Larsson's tough-as-old-Doc Martens private investigator Lisbeth Salander, hailed as a woman who doesn't take any nonsense. But Salander is, in fact, a deeply troubled rape victim, whose monomania for finding and punishing men who kill women verges on a revenge malady as heartily theatrical as any such Jacobean obsession. This is not a role model so much as a cartoon character – and one who needs some counselling, at that. /p

Debenhams bucks festive sales trend

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pDebenhams staked its claim to be one of the Christmas winners in the retail sector by posting a 6.5 per cent leap in underlying festive sales. /p

Real-life 'Minority Report' stops crime before it happens

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pSergeant John Gomperz slows his black-and-white patrol vehicle to a crawl as he enters the parking lot of one of the shopping malls that litter the northern suburbs of Los Angeles. For the next 15 minutes, he drives up and down, past McDonald's, Taco Bell and a row of other fast-food outlets. Then he pauses at the entrance of the electronics store Best Buy and scans the horizon. We're looking for people he considers "suspicious". These include lone, predatory males, youths cruising around on bicycles and anyone who happens to be sporting gangland tattoos. "I'm trying to be highly visible," he explains. "Just because we don't see them doesn't mean that they can't see us."/p

Simon Kelner: What made Worrall Thompson go wild in the aisles?

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pNo matter how hard the press tries to be decent, sober and responsible – and, my goodness, there are plenty of incentives to do so these days – there are some news stories that it finds difficult to take seriously. So when the TV chef Antony Worrall Thompson (not everyone's cup of cappuccino in the first place) was found to have shoplifted some cheese and wine worth £70 from a supermarket, headline-writers at the nation's biggest-selling tabloid went into overdrive. "Ready Steady Crook" was The Sun's opening gambit, and it followed this up, in the light of Worrall Thompson's subsequent apology, with "I've been Edam fool, but I'll be Gouda from now on". Not surprisingly, as news broke of the incident at Tesco in Henley-on-Thames, the Twittersphere was no more sympathetic. "Worrall Thompson arrested for shoplifting," said one post. "A full list of the ingredients he stole is available on the BBC website." Someone else tweeted: "Dear Antony, sorry I can't make your cheese and wine party. But I guess neither can you." You get the idea. Twitter, as a barometer of public opinion, is as unforgiving as the most robust tabloids. /p

Fewer temp jobs as market feels effect of euro crisis

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe number of temporary job placements fell in December for the first time since the recession, according to a survey of recruitment consultants. /p

Spectre of Thatcher still looms large over the UK

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pShe was divisive in Downing Street, divisive at the polling booth and now, somewhat inevitably, she's proving divisive at the UK box office./p

Mark Steel: Let's hand out medals to big business

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pI love the Olympics. During the Games in Beijing, I watched for nine hours without a break until the commentator said: "And you have to say, that's a CRITICAL moment in the history of Algerian judo." David Cameron is another fan, who explained how excited he was about the London Games. His reason, he said, was, "The eyes of the world will be on Britain," providing "a chance for companies from across the globe to interact and do business in the UK". He might as well have added: "So thank Christ for that, because all the running and stuff bores me senseless."/p

'I grew up with stories about war'

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pSteven Spielberg is talking about the best piece of advice he ever got. It came from François Truffaut, the nouvelle vague director Spielberg cast in his 1977 sci-fi classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind. He'd seen him perform in his own 1970 film, The Wild Child, and wrote the role of the French government scientist with him in mind. "He even called me a 'wild child'," he says, a smile stretching across his instantly recognisable bespectacled face. "He told me, 'You're a kid. You must work with children. I loved the experience myself. I'd recommend it to you. You must go off and make a movie with kids.' And I never forgot that advice."/p

Skill to trump size in Lancaster's Six Nations squad

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pEngland did precisely as well at last year's World Cup as those in touch with reality had anticipated, but only half as well as hoped by the vast multitudes who made the fundamental error of assuming Martin Johnson's stellar playing career automatically qualified him for the very different role of national manager. Fitting, then, at the dawning of a new red-rose age, that only around half of the lot that messed up then are likely to make the squad for next month's start of the Six Nations Championship./p

Hughes will relish being in control

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pIf there is a starting point for Mark Hughes' reign at Queen's Park Rangers, it is in the level of control that he will be afforded. Hughes is back in management because he has the chance to mould a football club in his image./p

Effects of migrant labour 'only last for short-term'

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pImmigration from outside Europe is linked to short-term job losses among British workers, but the recent influx of EU nationals has made no difference to unemployment levels, the Government's expert advisers said yesterday./p

James Lawton: A last hurrah for Henry... but when is it right to bow out?

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThere is no more terrible beauty in sport than when one of its great stars reaches into the past to find again that singular quality that first dazzled the world./p

Little Chef to cut around 600 staff

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 10:10am EST

pRoadside restaurant chain Little Chef is reportedly closing 70 of its restaurants, cutting around 600 staff./p

Gove announces overhaul of technology in schools

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 10:02am EST

pMichael Gove today will today announce an overhaul of technology in schools amid a warning that pupils are currently “bored out of their minds” by the subject./p

Sainsbury's pledges to extend price matching scheme

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 9:52am EST

pSupermarket giant Sainsbury's pledged to extend its price matching scheme today as it revealed better-than-expected sales in the run-up to Christmas./p

Cameron: We need more mainstream films

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 9:18am EST

pDavid Cameron urged the British film industry to concentrate on making more mainstream movies today./p

Scottish referendum row fuels UK tensions

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 9:13am EST

pThe UK and Scottish governments were on a constitutional collision course today over proposals for a referendum on independence./p

Scottish referendum is legal says Salmond

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 9:13am EST

pAlex Salmond has insisted his plans for an independence vote in the autumn of 2014 are legal - despite Westminster saying his Scottish Government does not have the power to stage such a ballot./p

Romney the clear front-runner after sweeping to victory in New Hampshire

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 8:05am EST

pMitt Romney, trying for a second time around to make it all the way to his party’s presidential nod and thereafter to the White House, swept to victory in the New Hampshire primary yesterday; a win that makes him the clear front-runner going into the next nominating contests./p

The Sports Matrix: Wednesday 11 January 2012

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongHughes joins Hoops with clear mission - to avoid relegation/strong/p

The News Matrix: Wednesday 11 January 2012

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongRevenue warns of phoney email scam /strong/p

i Editor's Letter: Eccentric views of history

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p /p

The Business Matrix: Wednesday 11 January 2012

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongWe're still scoring at fives, says Goals /strong/p

Rupert Cornwell: Relaxed rules for wealthy backers has led to a new low in negative campaigning

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMoney has always played a vital role in US elections. The rules were tightened after the 1972 election, in response to such abuses as Nixon's sinister slush fund CREEP, used among other things to pay off the Watergate burglars, by imposing limits on individual donations and introducing voluntary federal funding for campaigns. Further restrictions came in 2002, with bipartisan legislation limiting contributions of so-called "soft money", not directly linked to a candidate's specific campaign./p

Was New Hampshire a dirty fight? Romney ain't seen nothing yet

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMitt Romney declared himself the winner of last night's New Hampshire primary within moments of the last polling stations closing after TV stations projected a win that would make him the prohibitive front-runner going into the next nominating contests./p

Leveson: tinkering around the edges will not be enough

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe exact details of Lord Justice Leveson's plans for press regulation will not become clear for months, but yesterday – with plenty of mulling still ahead of him – he gave a firm indication that he has sweeping change rather than fine-tuning in mind./p

Guy Adams: Camp shows hollowness of Obama's rhetoric

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIn his first State of the Union address, President Barack Obama signalled a brave new direction in the campaign his predecessor had so cleverly dubbed the War on Terror. "To overcome extremism, we must also be vigilant in upholding the values that our troops defend," Obama announced. /p

Former bodyguard for Madonna is jailed for 10 years for gun smuggling

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA former US marine who once worked as a bodyguard for Madonna was given a jail sentence of 10 years yesterday for smuggling guns into the UK on commercial flights./p

Four million complained to Big Six

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHome energy users may be missing out on millions of pounds of unclaimed compensation every year. /p

Ready to depart: But will the HS2 express be derailed before it arrives?

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHigh-speed trains will now run in tunnels and cuttings for more than half of the distance between London and Birmingham, the Transport Secretary announced yesterday as she gave the final go-ahead for the £32.7bn HS2 project after months of delay and opposition./p

Venus plans to return in February

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pVenus Williams has withdrawn from the Australian Open, prolonging her absence from the tennis tour because of an autoimmune disease that can cause fatigue and joint pain./p

Box office feels force of North's loathing of the Iron Lady

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pShe was divisive in Downing Street, divisive at the polling booth and now, somewhat inevitably, she's proving divisive at the box office./p

Mark Steel: Let's hand out gold medals to big business

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pI love the Olympics. During the Games in Beijing, I watched for nine hours without a break until the commentator said, "And you have to say, that's a CRITICAL moment in the history of Algerian judo." David Cameron is another fan, who explained how excited he was about the London Games. His reason, he said, was, "the eyes of the world will be on Britain", providing "a chance for companies from across the globe to interact and do business in the UK." He might as well have added, "So thank Christ for that because all the running and stuff bores me senseless."/p

Ian Burrell: 'Son of PCC' may not be enough to clean up Fleet Street

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSo how effective might it be, this new press watchdog, this "Son of PCC" as William Lewis, the former editor of The Daily Telegraph, was anxious to name it?/p

Last night's viewing - The Mystery of Edwin Drood, BBC2; Arena: Dickens on Film BBC4

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAccording to bArena: Dickens on Film/b, one source of the author's appeal to film-makers was his "constellation of unforgettable grotesques". They are, the narrator continued, "characters every actor wants to play, characters impossible to overact". To which one might reply that while the first clause might be true, the second certainly isn't, and that grotesquery can be one of Dickens' besetting problems on screen. Adaptations of his work often run into trouble with the Dickensian, that caricature view of the writing that you can see in the original illustrations (which, like film or television, necessarily favour the concrete facts of the prose over its flavour). bThe Mystery of Edwin Drood/b has one big advantage in this respect, which is that it isn't terribly well known. When he plays John Jasper, Matthew Rhys isn't taking on a distinguished line of predecessors (as anybody playing Micawber would be) and very few of us at home will be waiting to see whether a beloved scene is correctly done. /p

Temporary jobs fall for first time in two years

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe number of temporary job placements fell in December for the first time since the recession, according to a survey of recruitment consultants. /p

MPs' racism inquiry to call on Liverpool

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSenior figures from Liverpool are expected to be summoned to give evidence to a parliamentary inquiry into racism in sport that has been announced following the Luis Suarez case and racist allegations against John Terry. /p

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Robert Fisk: Assad faces his people's hatred – but as their anger grows, his excuses are still just the same

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt was the Assad Speech of the Year. There was an international conspiracy against Syria. True. Arab states opposed to Syria were under "outside pressure". True, up to a point. Nobody could deny the seriousness of these plots. True. After all, the Syrian government itself registers 2,000 dead soldiers, while the UN estimates civilian dead at 5,000. And when Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan warned that the violence in Syria was "heading towards a sectarian, religious war", there were few supporters of President Assad who would disagree with him./p

Tony Blankley: Colourful adviser to Newt Gingrich

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pUnless you're the White House spokesman, opining daily on matters of war and peace, a press secretary normally doesn't become a public figure in a button-downed place like Washington, drenched in political correctness. The exception was Tony Blankley. For seven momentous years in the 1990s he was spokesman for Newt Gingrich, as the Georgia Congressman led the "Republican Revolution" that in 1994 gave the party control of the House of Representatives for the first time in 40 years. The turbulent and swaggering Speaker-to-be and his somewhat rotund, heavy-smoking aide with a British accent, a gift for soundbites and an unashamed taste for the good things of life, were made for each other./p

Stewart Lansley: Enrichment at the top is deepening the recession

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSpurred on by public outrage and political pressure, the Government is finally to take measures to rein in runaway executive pay. This is an important step. For years, indeed longer, too many bosses have been running their companies in their own rather than their firm's interest, while successive governments have watched idly from the sidelines. /p

Michael McCarthy: No sensible person would want this destruction. Yet it's worth it, to give rail a future

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe lack of MAMBA – that's the main problem with building the new High Speed Rail Line northwards from London. You can find MAMBA in the USA, and you can find it in France, but there's not a lot of it in Britain, as the acronym stands for Miles and Miles of Bugger All, meaning emptiness. Vast plains. /p

MS price cuts fail to stop festive sales fall

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMarks amp; Spencer warned of no let-up in the fierce discounting on the high street yesterday after it posted disappointing general merchandise sales over Christmas and industry data showed shop price inflation tumbling to a 16-month low. /p

Steve Bunce on Boxing: Could Chisora be the man to end Klitschko era?

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNearly 60,000 people will watch three world heavyweight title fights in Germany during a 13-day period starting next month and there will not be one American fighter involved./p

Richard Hopkins: Producer of 'Big Brother' and 'Strictly Come Dancing'

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRichard Hopkins embraced the age of reality television. He steered Big Brother to both fame and infamy before launching Strictly Come Dancing, then took that format to the US and more than 30 other countries as Dancing with the Stars. The idea of teaming celebrities with professional ballroom dancers to impress judges and viewers caught on quickly after the BBC first screened Strictly Come Dancing in 2004./p

Hamish McRae: Who would dare make confident predictions for 2012?

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSince economists got things so wrong last year, what notice should we take of their predictions this year? Of course, economics is not just about forecasting, but that is its public face, and last year was a bit of a catastrophe. Look at the UK. We don't have final figures yet (and the figures are invariably revised) but it does look as though growth last year will turn out at or below 1 per cent, while inflation looks like being 4.7 per cent. I can't find a single mainstream forecaster that came in below 1 per cent, nor any that expected inflation at more than 4.5 per cent. /p

More women break into top boardrooms

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWomen have a long way to go before being properly represented in the boardroom, but research has shown progress is being made. /p

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Have your own genome decoded – for just £650

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA desktop machine not much bigger than a microwave cooker that can in one day decode the entire three billion "letters" of the human genome for just $1,000 (£650) has been built, an American biotechnology company has announced./p

Cycling: Armitstead - no grudge with Cooke

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLizzie Armitstead insists her public spat with Great Britain team-mate Nicole Cooke has been put to bed and promised there will be no "grudge match" as the fight to lead Great Britain's road-race team at the Olympic Games intensifies./p

LAPD's sci-fi solution to real crime

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSergeant John Gomperz slows his black-and-white patrol vehicle to a crawl as he enters the parking lot of one of the shopping malls that litter the Los Angeles northern suburbs. For the next 15 minutes, he drives up and down, past McDonald's, Taco Bell, and a row of fast-food outlets. Then he pauses at the entrance of the electronics store Best Buy, and scans the horizon./p

Malam Bacai Sanha: President of the troubled state of Guinea-Bissau

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMalam Bacai Sanha was president of the tiny, impoverished West African state of Guinea-Bissau, who came to power following the assassination of the country's previous leader. Although he took over promising to clean up the troubled country's drug trafficking, crime and corruption, little was done./p

Ben Chu: It was lobbyists' influence that fostered this crisis

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhat on earth did the banks need the services of firms such as Bell Pottinger, Finsbury and Lansons for? Britain's massive financial institutions surely have more than enough access and influence without the need to hire lobbying and public affairs firms to smooth the way./p

Profit warning hits Flybe founder in the pocket

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pJim French, Flybe's founder and chief executive, was nursing losses of more than £550,000 yesterday as the regional airline's second profit warning in three months sent the shares to a record low./p

Spotlight On... Lewis Booth, chief financial officer, Ford

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pbThe numbers guy?/b/p

Have you really had your greens? New test to tell doctors what we're eating

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA simple test to check whether patients are eating their recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables a day could be introduced in Britain within five years./p

Diary: Why Plod will monitor the pews at tabloid star's funeral

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt will be interesting to study the crowd when Sue Carroll, the chain-smoking, hard-living tabloid journalist who died from cancer on Christmas Day, is buried today in Richmond. A shop assistant's daughter from Newcastle Upon Tyne, she worked at the Sun, the News of the World, and latterly at the Daily Mirror, so her funeral will inevitably draw a galaxy of famous names from the tabloid press, past and present./p

Sir Richard Branson: 'Bankers were greedy, they're discredited. With me, people can see who's accountable'

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe room is bright and white, there are plush red velvet sofas to lounge on and newspapers to read, a grand piano that plays by itself, fresh flowers, free coffee and pastries and spaces to work on your laptop. And then there are the loos, sparkling clean and snazzy, with expensive soap and hand-creams./p

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Newcastle in for £7m Erding

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNewcastle will try to sign Paris-St Germain's Turkey striker Mevlut Erding in this transfer window./p

Hays feels pinch as banks cut back

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pJob cuts in the banking sector was how the finance boss of recruitment giant Hays yesterday explained the 7 per cent decline in UK business during the last quarter of 2011./p

'Shoot first... ask questions later,' ordered Marine

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA US Marine ordered his men to "shoot first and ask questions later" during a dawn raid of Iraqi homes, resulting in the deaths of 24 civilians in what remains one of the most controversial episodes of the war, a military court has heard./p

The Ten Best new luggage

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrong1. John Lewis Value Hard Side/strong/pp£75, johnlewis.com/ppThe store's first foray into home-brand luggage has bag-handler-proof sides made of sturdy ABS plastic yet it's light to handle./p

Taxpayers foot the bill for loss-making banks' lobbying

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBritain's two state-owned banks have hired eight separate lobbying and public affairs companies at a cost of hundreds of thousands of pounds a year, emThe Independent/em has learnt./p

Game warns on profits again

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pGame Group's shares nearly halved to an all-time low yesterday after the chain posted another profit warning and admitted it is likely to breach banking covenant tests next month. /p

Steve Jobs' successor is promised a $376 million bite of Apple

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe man who took over from Steve Jobs at the helm of Apple has been promised a $376m (£243m) pay bonanza, in an attempt to tie him to the company for the next decade./p

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Arsenal face a battle for Saints' £4m teen

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pArsenal face intense competition to sign the Southampton left-back Luke Shaw, with Chelsea and Manchester City both now in the race for the 16-year-old who is rated as one of the best prospects in English football./p

Polish suicide-bid officer 'faced death threats'

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA military prosecutor who shot himself in the head at the end of a press conference said yesterday that he tried to kill himself to protect the honour of his profession after being hounded by accusations and threats. /p

Saddle up and see the world

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhat's the attraction?/p

The Sketch: What cowboy builders will Ed use to hard-wire fairness in society?

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe press conference to relaunch Ed Miliband's leadership started so late it felt like a delaunch. Then it started and became a prelaunch. "Is he testing the mic?" someone said. Then it was pre-lunch and everyone had to go./p

Trader sues RBS over alleged lending-rate fixing claim

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRoyal Bank of Scotland, the taxpayer-owned bank planning to cull as many as 5,000 investment banking jobs this week, is being sued for millions of dollars by a Singapore trader who claims he was accused of trying to fix inter-bank lending rates./p

Emphasis on skill as Lancaster unveils his England

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEngland did precisely as well at last year's World Cup as those in touch with rugby reality anticipated, but only half as well as hoped by the vast multitudes who made the fundamental error of assuming Martin Johnson's stellar playing career automatically qualified him for the very different role of national manager. There is, therefore, a striking sense of symmetry in the air at the dawning of a new red-rose age, for a mere 50 per cent of those responsible for messing things up so royally during the autumn can be completely confident of staying in the squad for next month's start of the Six Nations Championship./p

1,000-piece puzzle may unlock secrets to the Roman conquest of Britain

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHistorians and archaeologists are trying to solve an ancient mystery that is already shedding remarkable new light on the Roman conquest of Britain./p

Redmond Snr ready to inspire Games again

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTwenty years after helping his injured son cross the finish line in Barcelona, Jim Redmond was selected yesterday to carry the Olympic flame during the torch relay for the London Games./p

Time is running out for Greece to avoid default

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pChancellor Angela Merkel met the International Monetary Fund's managing director Christine Lagarde in Berlin yesterday for talks dominated by the worsening Greek debt crisis and Athens's race against time to avoid a disorderly default in little over two months time/p

Travel blogs: A one-way ticket to smugsville?

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pYou've finally booked that trip of your dreams and you're about to embark on an exciting new adventure. How better to let friends and family know you're safe – as well as making them just a teeny bit jealous – than by sharing your exploits via a travel blog? From the gap-year student who wants to appease her worried parents while she's backpacking around Vietnam to the enterprising ex-cubicle dweller who uses his money-spinning blog to fund his never-ending globe-trotting, there are thousands of travel blogs to discover online./p

Skiing in the slow lane

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIsn't that just cross-country?" asked a friend when I told her I was going "slow skiing" in Cervinia, northern Italy. But the latest fad to hit the slopes over the past year has more in common with lasagne than langlauf. Appearing at resorts as far afield as Canada and Switzerland, downhill "slow zones" may have been introduced as a way of discouraging on-piste collisions, but they've since developed into a whole slow-food inspired philosophy. Why ski downhill at breakneck speed, the thinking goes, if you can amble instead – taking in the scenery, spotting wildlife, stopping for a locally sourced lunch and maybe even pausing on a picnic bench to rest your ski boot-addled legs along the way?/p

Furore at the festival: Another chapter opens in the epic saga of Rushdie vs Islam

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe controversy over Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses, written more than two decades ago, has again bubbled to the surface after senior Muslim clerics in India demanded that the writer be prevented from entering the country to attend a literary festival./p

Reviving Rangers: Five challenges for Hughes to address

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrong1. Improve the squad/strong/p

Leading article: Ten years on, the shame of Guantanamo remains

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pExactly four months ago, America and the world commemorated the 10th anniversary of the deadliest and most spectacular terrorist attack in history. Today marks a related and, in some respects, no less sombre 10th anniversary – that of the entry into business of the now infamous prison for terrorist suspects at Guantanamo Bay./p

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Hoberman raises £6m

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLastminute.com's founder Brent Hoberman was celebrating yesterday after his latest start-up – the online furniture sales firm Made.com – raised £6m in a second round of funding./p

QPR's new man will relish being in control of the club

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIf there is a starting point for Mark Hughes' reign at Queen's Park Rangers, it is in the level of control that he will be afforded. Lower the eyebrows at a return to management for a relegation fight, forget QPR's recent history of upheaval and under-achievement. Mark Hughes is back in management because he has the chance to mould a football club in his image; an old-fashioned ideology perhaps, but one that was too good to turn down./p

Austria: 1,000 Britons trapped by Alpine snow

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNearly 1,000 British tourists are trapped in a ski resort after parts of the Austrian Alps were cut off by unprecedented snowfall. /p

Colombia, Grenoble, Med cruise

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongNow... Big adventure/strong/ppTravel the Unknown has reduced its 14-day "Southern Colombia Explorer" trip for 21 January. It includes visits to Bogotá, the "Salt Cathedral" of Zipaquira and the colonial town of Villa De Leyva. Accommodation with most meals is included for £2,095 per person, land only; £2,795 with Iberia flights. Traveltheunknown.com/tours/p

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Moyes reunited with his refereeing bêtes noires

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDavid Moyes could be forgiven a wry smile at the refereeing appointments for his Everton side's two fixtures this week, with fate – or at least the refereeing body the Professional Game Match Officials Limited – providing him with successive reunions with his two bêtes noires./p

Leading article: Show a little restraint, Mr Gove

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Government's goal of raising standards in failing schools is a laudable one. So, too, is the localism agenda to put ordinary people in charge of the public services which affect them. But what happens when two sensible aims collide? /p

ICC delays inquiry into Gaddafi's son

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe International Criminal Court yesterday granted Libyan authorities more time to answer questions about Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, who is wanted by the court but being held in Libya./p

Smiths pins the blame on tablets for slump in book sales

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPrint book sales were lower than expected at Christmas and the soaring popularity of tablet devices could be to blame, the distributor Smiths News warned yesterday./p

James Moore: Food saves Bolland's bacon as MS counts the cost of a Christmas flop

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pbOutlook/b If Marks amp; Spencer's Christmas figures are anything to go by, the pixie dust Marc Bolland sprinkled on Morrisons to make it fly has been in short supply. Yesterday's trading statement was no Christmas cracker and the shares would have taken a beating had it not been for a bravura performance from the retailer's food offering. That saved Mr Bolland's bacon. At least for now. /p

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Redknapp: Spurs are sitting pretty – but we'd like Cahill

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAlthough Harry Redknapp insists that he is "not desperate" for any additions to his squad this month, the Tottenham manager is interested in Bolton's Gary Cahill, the Blackburn pair Christopher Samba and Junior Hoilett and the Marseilles forward Loïc Rémy./p

EU to shut down 'misleading' loan websites

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe EU is cracking down on loan websites after an investigation revealed that 70 per cent are operating outside the law by misleading borrowers about credit deals. /p

Kenya travel warning, plus the lowdown on redundancy cover for holidays

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pQ. We have booked to go to Mombasa in July for a week's safari and a week's beach holiday. How concerned should I be at the new security alert? Should I cancel? emMarc Grant, Ilford/em/p

Moyes admits envy at pace of Spurs' progress

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEverton manager David Moyes admits it is "sad" his club have not been able to keep pace with the progress made by Tottenham Hotspur./p

Leading article: Adding to the confusion on immigration

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAnother day, another apparently contradictory report on immigration. First came a study from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research that found no evidence that migrants fill roles that would otherwise go to British people. Then, just a day later, the Migration Advisory Committee produced estimates that for every 100 non-European migrants working in Britain, some 23 fewer native people are employed. /p

Fifa: cheats may target England

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFifa's security chief has warned that not even the Premier League is immune to match-fixing. Football's world governing body will open a hotline for whistleblowers next month and has promised an amnesty to players or officials who offer evidence of fixing./p

Fatal stampede as students enrol at University of Johannesburg

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOne person was killed and about 20 injured in a stampede by students trying to register at the University of Johannesburg yesterday, showing desperate demand for higher education among the poor in Africa's largest economy./p

Letters: Cameron's hypocrisy over Scotland

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe hypocrisy of the Coalition government knows no bounds and the latest interference in Scottish affairs is a prime example. The London government is laying down the law to Scotland, dictating when it should hold a referendum on separation and at the same time reneging on promises to the English for a referendum on leaving the European Union./p

Failed tycoon Quinn loses court case over bankruptcy

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSean Quinn, the failed property tycoon who was once Ireland's richest man, is likely to be barred from relaunching his business career after a British court ruled that his bankruptcy must be judged in the tougher jurisdiction of Ireland. /p

PM's 'happiness plan' could lift Ed's spirits, says Campbell

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAlastair Campbell has praised David Cameron for adopting "happiness" as a goal of government policy and urged Labour to embrace rather than deride it./p

James Moore: Osborne's got it right over North Sea oil tax

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pbOutlook/b According to the oil industry George Osborne was effectively shutting the North Sea down when he hiked the supplementary charge on producers to 32 per cent from 20 per cent. /p

Mancini breaks ranks to criticise Liverpool over Suarez race case

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pManchester City manager Roberto Mancini said yesterday that Liverpool should have apologised immediately for Luis Suarez's use of the word "negro" and admitted a mistake, rather than defend him by wearing T-shirts bearing his name./p

Market Report: Chinese whispers revive bid speculation for Aviva

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWill a bid for Aviva finally emerge this year? Never far from the takeover spotlight, the insurer was again getting market gossips excited yesterday amid revived speculation that an approach could materialise from the Far East./p

King Eric takes a wild shot at the French presidency

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe man who created sardine philosophy yesterday invented cod politics. Or, to put it another way, Eric the ex-Red served up a giant red herring in a good cause./p

Deals of the week: Berlin, Sharm el Sheikh, Cape Verde

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongLess than £200... Berlin call/strong/ppNow the season of corporeal indulgence is over, serve your cultural appetite with a city break in the German capital. A three-night stay at the centrally placed Angleterre Hotel with easyJet Holidays costs £179 per person, which includes breakfast and flights from Gatwick on 28 February. The hotel is located on the same street as Checkpoint Charlie, the crossing point that once linked East and West Berlin. Holidays.easyjet.com/p

Henry: 'Of course, I can play alongside Robin. I am just here to help'

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pYou would not expect him to play second fiddle to anyone after his dramatic comeback goal for Arsenal against Leeds on Monday night, but Thierry Henry allayed fans' fears by saying that he could thrive alongside leading goalscorer Robin van Persie./p

I have no friends in England, claims frustrated Balotelli

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA lonely young man, exasperated by the English press, who wants to become more involved in Italian social issues was the picture Mario Balotelli drew of himself in an extensive interview published yesterday./p

Surge in liabilities as Bank buys government bonds

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPension liabilities among British businesses swelled to a record £255.2bn in December as the Bank of England waded into the market to buy government bonds, the latest figures from the Pension Protection Fund revealed yesterday./p

Miliband: Rich might suffer under Labour

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLabour may fight the next election on a pledge to bring in a "wealth tax" on owners of high-value properties, it emerged yesterday./p

James Ashton: Time to take risks to make sure women have a real presence in the boardroom

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAppointing a woman to a boardroom job used to be seen as a risk in the male-dominated business world. What a turnaround we have seen in the past 12 months. Now, failing to pick a woman when a vacancy arises is the risk that blue-chip chairmen are faced with./p

Children's books to replace toys in Happy Meals

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pChildren who are regular visitors to McDonald's are used to finding a cheap, plastic toy in their Happy Meals. From today, they will uncover something rather more high-brow: a Michael Morpurgo novel./p

Gymnastics: Purvis perfect as GB men seize Olympic berth

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFour months later than anticipated, Great Britain's immensely promising men's gymnastics team have qualified for this year's Olympic Games./p

On Flying Objects, By Emil Hakl

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe past few weeks have seen the deaths of two leading Czech writers whose work steered offbeat and ironic paths through the monstrous follies of Stalinist dictatorship: Vaclav Havel, the playwright-president, and Josef Skvorecky, the dissident novelist and publisher. Of their post-revolution heirs, we hear too little in this country. Born in 1958, a cult figure in Prague, Emil Hakl deserves a wider readership abroad – although these bleakly comic, achingly melancholic short stories might do little for the Czech tourist trade./p

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Watchdog fiddles with €25m lifeline as Colosseum crumbles

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPlans to restore Rome's crumbling Colosseum have hit another snag, after Italy's anti-trust watchdog declared that a €25m lifeline thrown by a luxury goods company breaks competition laws./p

Steven Spielberg: 'I grew up with stories about war'

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSteven Spielberg is talking about the best piece of advice he ever got. It came from François Truffaut, the nouvelle vague director Spielberg cast in his 1977 sci-fi classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind. He'd seen him perform in his own 1970 film, The Wild Child, and wrote the role of the French government scientist with him in mind. "He even called me a 'wild child'," he says, a smile stretching across his instantly recognisable bespectacled face. "He told me, 'You're a kid. You must work with children. I loved the experience myself. I'd recommend it to you. You must go off and make a movie with kids.' And I never forgot that advice."/p

Israel passes draconian law on illegal immigrants

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIsrael's parliament approved harsh new penalties on illegal immigrants yesterday in an effort to stop mainly sub-Saharan Africans seeking refuge from conflict and poverty. /p

Europe set to block New York Stock exchange merger

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe odds of a merger between the stock exchanges of New York and Europe dramatically lengthened last night after it emerged the European Commission competition regulator has recommended blocking the deal./p

Government admits EU migrants do not hurt British jobs market

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pImmigration from outside Europe is linked to short-term job losses among British workers, but the recent influx of EU nationals has made no difference to unemployment levels, the Government's expert advisers said yesterday./p

Wars of words: when critics throw the book at authors

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p"A bad review is even less important than whether it is raining in Patagonia," author Iris Murdoch once declared of her books' critics./p

Freedman full of praise as Palace beat illness crisis

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pCrystal Palace's patient resurgence continued last night, leaving the club one step from Wembley and the Carling Cup final. They will take a slender lead to Cardiff for the second leg of their semi-final the week after next, after edging a tight, awkward contest at Selhurst Park./p

Ainslie defends Oracle cup role

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBen Ainslie yesterday insisted that America's Cup commitments will not jeopardise his quest for a fourth Olympic gold this summer./p

All schools face snap checks

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAll schools will face inspections without notice from this autumn, the new Ofsted chief says./p

Matthew Norman: If politics is like sex, Ed will never find the national G-spot

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOther, cleverer people incessantly tell me how supernaturally useless Little Ed is in every way, and why. They dismiss the defence, by way of praising his agenda-dominating boldness (knifing Murdoch) and prescience (good capitalism vs horrid capitalism), with a withering curl of the lip. Yet, despite the brutal consensus that the guy is a fatally risible hypernerd, the only serious flaw I can find in Ed Miliband – and even this feels too trivial to mention – is that he happens to be Ed Miliband./p

Gardner header puts Palace in the driving seat

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pCrystal Palace edged towards their first Wembley cup final for 22 years last night, with a tight 1-0 win over Cardiff City in the Carling Cup semi-final first leg. Anthony Gardner's battering ram of a far-post header two minutes before the interval was the only difference between the sides./p

Israeli veterans wounded by 'offensive' play

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pVeterans of Lehi, the most extreme of the Jewish underground groups during the 1940s has launched an angry protest at a play it says depicts the group as having brutally persecuted Jewish women who had sexual relationships with British soldiers./p

Government drops plan to regulate ex-ministers

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Government has shelved plans to make it an offence for former ministers and officials to break rules designed to stop them trading on their former positions for personal gain./p

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Frankel is a world beater – it's official

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTo aficionados of the Flat, reluctant to interrupt their hibernation even for Kauto Star, midwinter reliably offers one comforting ritual. And while the publication yesterday of the International Classification as usual prompted debate, not to mention dissent, unanimity was by no means confined to the identity of the most accomplished horse on the planet in 2011. For whatever different people may make of his present rating, the fact that Frankel will be around to strive for a new peak in 2012 guarantees a treat for them all./p

Pakistan: Playing it straight

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNine times he was asked and nine times Misbah-ul-Haq avoided the question. The Pakistan captain wanted to forget the past yesterday, not airbrush it from history exactly, but to move on as rapidly as possible from the disturbing issues it raised./p

If the surgeons young or old, put the operation on hold

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPatients looking for the safest care should hope for a surgeon aged between 35 and 50, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal today./p

RAF a leader in lesbian recruits

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Royal Air Force has been nominated as one of the country's top recruiters for lesbians. The service has been voted for by readers of g3 – a magazine aimed primarily at gay and bisexual women./p

Harriet Walker: A strong woman should be able to keep her clothes on

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAnd 2012 is supposed to be the year that we all come to terms with feminism: with the fact that we still need it and that it's nothing for either men or women to be scared of./p

Skrtel out to banish ghosts of past City horror shows

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Manchester City turf has been an inauspicious place for Liverpool's Martin Skrtel. He was carried from it on a stretcher, three years ago, clutching an oxygen mask as he contended with the agony of posterior cruciate ligament damage in his right knee. The damage inflected on him by Sergio Aguero as his side fell to a 3-0 Premier League defeat on the same ground last Tuesday was briefer but no less brutal./p

Four men jailed for 'barbaric' badger baiting

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFour men were jailed yesterday for badger baiting in a case described by the judge as "barbaric" and "abhorrent"./p

Swann an injury doubt but Onions relishes return

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEngland were waiting anxiously last night for news of Graeme Swann's tight quadriceps. The world's leading off-spinner was bouncing around as ever like the Easter Bunny, if only metaphorically. He seemed blissfully unconcerned about the extent of the injury which forced him to miss most of the last day of the first practice match on Monday./p

Class war: parents say no to Gove's forced academy

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMore than 600 parents and teachers have embarked on a "David v Goliath" battle to prevent the Government from forcing their school to become an academy. Downhills Primary School in Haringey, north London, is one of 200 singled out by Education Secretary Michael Gove to be turned into academies because of "under performance" in tests for 11-year-olds./p

Rossi could quit after 2014

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe seven-time MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi says he is thinking about retiring after the 2014 season but remains keen to bring success to his Ducati team before then. /p

James Lawton: A last hurrah for Henry... but when is it right to bow out?

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThere is no more terrible beauty in sport than when one of its great stars reaches into the past to find again that singular quality which first dazzled the world./p

Pakistani PM told to act against President

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPakistan's Supreme Court said yesterday it could dismiss the Prime Minister unless he begins corruption proceedings against the President./p

Film extra tells Madonna the real history of Wallis Simpson

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA patriotic film extra decided to set his director straight over her revisionist take on royal history, despite the fact it was Madonna in charge./p

Natalie Haynes: They're up in arms in the Chilterns. So why not where I live?

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe thing is that I am genuinely surprised that HS2, the high-speed rail link between London and Birmingham, has been given the go-ahead. I honestly believed that the vast numbers of Tories who live in the Chilterns would see it off like an errant rambler./p

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'Death penalty for gays' – five accused over leaflet campaign

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA group of Muslim men handed out leaflets after Friday prayers at a Derby mosque demanding the death penalty for homosexuality, a court as heard./p

More jobs for this year's graduates

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMore than 1,000 extra graduate jobs will be available for the "class of 2012" leaving university this summer. A survey by a graduate careers researcher shows that even a public sector beset by spending squeezes will recruit 500 extra graduates, an increase of 20 per cent on last year./p

Defiant Salmond to hold independence vote in 2014

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAlex Salmond last night fired the starting gun for a "battle for Britain" as he announced plans to hold a referendum on Scottish independence in the autumn of 2014./p

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Guantanamo is 10 years old – and the last British prisoner is 'falling apart'

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe last Briton held in Guantanamo is "falling apart at the seams" and could die without ever being charged with an offence or meeting his youngest son, his lawyer has said./p

North Korea pardon convicts to boost new leader's image

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNorth Korea issued special pardons for convicts yesterday in a rare move that appeared to be aimed at boosting the popularity of its young new leader Kim Jong-un as he attempts to fill his late father's shoes./p

Leveson: tinkering around edges will not be enough

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLord Justice Leveson has suggested that a new system of independent press regulation not involving any direct state or government intervention could be the outcome of his judicial review./p

Reviving Rangers: Five challenges for Hughes to address

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrong1. Improve the squad/strong/p

Gardner goal leaves Palace dreaming of Carling Cup final

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 11:07pm EST

pAnthony Gardner put Crystal Palace on course for their first major Wembley final since 1990 with the only goal in tonight's Carling Cup semi-final first leg against Cardiff./p

Woman wins legal judgement forbidding anyone from sharing her photos online

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 6:47pm EST

pA woman who had sexually explicit self-portraits uploaded onto the internet after her mobile phone was stolen has won a landmark legal judgement forbidding anyone from sharing the photos online. /p

Liverpool play Manchester City with clean slate insists Kenny Dalglish

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 6:37pm EST

pLiverpool manager Kenny Dalglish does not think last week's defeat to Manchester City will have any bearing on their two-legged Carling Cup semi-final./p

Thierry Henry plays down expectations after dream return

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 6:33pm EST

pThierry Henry has warned Arsenal fans not to expect him to win every game he plays single-handedly after making a dream return to his old club./p

MPs to investigate racism in sport

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 5:00pm EST

pRacism in sport will be investigated by an influential parliamentary committee, it was announced today./p

Shock as horse mutilated and killed

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 4:36pm EST

pAnimal lovers have reacted with horror after a stallion was mutilated and killed in what police called a "sickening" attack, the second on a horse in the space of a week./p

William Hague warns against Falklands intimidation

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 4:27pm EST

pThe Falkland Islanders must not be intimidated through economic pressure, Foreign Secretary William Hague said today as he increased the pressure on the South American countries which have continued their economic blockade against the islands./p

Vincent Kompany red card appeal rejected by FA

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 4:23pm EST

pManchester City skipper Vincent Kompany will serve a four-match ban after having his appeal against the red card he was shown in Sunday's FA Cup tie with Manchester United rejected by the Football Association./p

MPs to hold inquiry into racism in sport

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 4:18pm EST

pA committee of MPs is to hold an inquiry into racism in sport following the Luis Suarez case and allegations against John Terry./p

Co-op buys David Sands convenience store chain

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 4:15pm EST

pA 200-year-old family-owned store chain has been snapped up by the Co-op as part of the latest expansion at the UK's fifth biggest grocer./p

Threat to 350 TV Licensing jobs

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 3:56pm EST

pHundreds of TV Licensing jobs are at risk of redundancy under plans to relocate work, it was announced today./p

Tottenham: Potential January transfer targets

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 3:41pm EST

pTottenham have emerged as genuine title contenders this season but Harry Redknapp's squad lacks depth compared to their rivals, which could be telling as the season takes its toll./p

US student found dead in Barcelona

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 3:18pm EST

pSpanish police are investigating the death of a US student in Barcelona but say so far do not suspect foul play. /p

Ex-Guantanamo detainee recalls custody ordeal

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 2:43pm EST

pA former Guantanamo Bay detainee today described being stripped, punched, humiliated, held at gunpoint and forced to watch two people being beaten to death while in American custody./p

Mark Hughes appointed as manager at QPR

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 2:27pm EST

pMark Hughes left little doubt QPR's ambitions matched his own today after signing a two-and-a-half-year contract to manage the west London club./p

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Tony McCoy hails retiring Grand National winner Don’t Push It

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 2:25pm EST

pTony McCoy has hailed his Grand National winning horse Don’t Push It after the 12-year-old gelding was retired from racing. /p

Francis Coquelin signs new 'long-term' contract with Arsenal

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 2:20pm EST

pArsenal midfielder Francis Coquelin has signed a new "long-term" contract, the club announced today./p

Steve Kean agent questions Blackburn Rovers fans

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 2:18pm EST

pAgent Jerome Anderson today questioned whether the Blackburn fans who have abused manager Steve Kean are true supporters./p

Unilever workers stage pension protest

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 2:03pm EST

pIndustrial action could be taken in protest at "attacks" on pensions in private firms and the public sector under moves to link a series of disputes, it was revealed today./p

Burma opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to run for office

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 2:02pm EST

pBurma's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has confirmed she will run for a parliamentary seat in April by-elections./p

23 in hospital after chemical spill

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:45pm EST

pMore than 23 people have been taken to hospital following a chemical spill at a warehouse./p

Labour 'can't pledge cuts reversal'

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:39pm EST

pLabour can make no promises to reverse Government spending cuts if it is to win the political battle on the economy, shadow chancellor Ed Balls warned today./p

25 killed in Pakistan bomb attack

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:22pm EST

pTwenty-five people were killed when a bomb targeting a militia opposed to the Pakistani Taliban exploded in a market close to the Afghan border today - the deadliest blast in the country in several months, officials said./p

West Brom sign Dundee United winger Scott Allan

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:22pm EST

pWest Brom have completed the signing of Dundee United winger Scott Allan for an undisclosed fee, the Barclays Premier League club have confirmed./p

Assad warns crackdown will continue

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:21pm EST

pSyria's president Bashar Assad has said he will respond to threats against him with an "iron hand" and refused to step down, despite the 10-month-old uprising against him./p

Oldham praise Liverpool over response to racism incident

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:20pm EST

pOldham have praised Liverpool and Merseyside Police for their handling of the alleged incident of racist abuse directed at Tom Adeyemi during Friday's FA Cup tie at Anfield./p

Leveson Inquiry: Hacking scandal a 'wake-up call'

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:19pm EST

p The phone-hacking scandal was a "wake-up call" that made British newspaper executives realise they must change how the industry is regulated, the Financial Times's editor said today. /p

Leveson Inquiry: Hacking scandal a 'wake-up call'

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:19pm EST

pThe phone-hacking scandal was a "wake-up call" that made British newspaper executives realise they must change how the industry is regulated, the Financial Times's editor said today./p

Leveson Inquiry: MPs' expenses story 'laced with risk'

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:19pm EST

pThe editor who broke the MPs' expenses scandal said today the story was "laced with risk" but he felt a duty to make it public./p

Picture preview: Young Russian artist Denis Patrakeev in London

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:17pm EST

pAn exhibition by one of Russia’s youngest emerging artists opens in London on Friday. Denis Patrakeev, 24, produces bleak visions of children’s playgrounds in chilly colours and an unusual blunting of perspective./p

Schools face no-notice inspections

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:15pm EST

pAll schools will face no-notice inspections from this autumn, the new Ofsted chief announced today./p

Criticism is 'noises off', says Ed Miliband

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:10pm EST

pEd Miliband brushed off criticism of his leadership of the Labour Party today as "noises off"./p

Scotland referendum document almost ready

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 12:33pm EST

pThe Scottish Government will put the "final touches" to the consultation document for its independence referendum later today, First Minister Alex Salmond has said./p

Game issues bank covenant warning

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 12:31pm EST

pVideo games retailer Game warned today that it is set to breach a banking agreement after a dismal Christmas capped an "incredibly tough" year for the industry./p

Britain's Ben Ainslie to launch America's Cup team

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 12:31pm EST

pBritain’s triple Olympic gold medallist Ben Ainslie will be helping the Americans to defend the America’s Cup next year in a strange hybrid deal announced today at London’s Festival Hall./p

One hot favourite for the Oscars that left me cold

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 12:29pm EST

pThere are times when I feel so out of kilter with public opinion that it makes me wonder whether I have critical appreciation, emotional intelligence, or even a soul. This happened last weekend when I went to see The Artist, the new film that is a homage to the silent movie era of Hollywood, and is itself a silent film./p

Chris Tremlett and Graeme Swann are doubts for England

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 12:26pm EST

pChris Tremlett and Graeme Swann's fitness remains in doubt for England's final warm-up match against a Pakistan Cricket Board XI tomorrow./p

MCC wants life bans from cricket for corruption

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 12:25pm EST

pThe MCC world cricket committee have called for life bans to be introduced as a top-end punishment for corruption in cricket. /p

Retail warning despite festive boom

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 12:24pm EST

pEarly discounting helped retailers enjoy their best trading for nearly a year in December but they were warned today that more pain lies ahead./p

Mixed Christmas fortunes for retail

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 12:24pm EST

pChristmas has emerged as a divisive season for the retail sector, with some players turning in a better-than-expected performance - while others moved closer to the edge./p

Venus Williams withdraws from Australian Open

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 12:22pm EST

pVenus Williams has withdrawn from the Australian Open, prolonging her absence from the tennis tour because of an autoimmune disease that can cause fatigue and joint pain./p

Millennium Stadium could host 2015 World Cup matches

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 12:18pm EST

pThe International Rugby Board have hinted that they may allow Wales to play some of their 2015 World Cup matches at the Millennium Stadium./p

Swansea of verge of signing Josh McEachran on loan from Chelsea

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 12:12pm EST

pSwansea boss Brendan Rodgers today confirmed he hoped to complete the loan signing of Chelsea midfielder Josh McEachran "in the next 24-48 hours"./p

Harry Redknapp offers Steven Pienaar reassurance over Tottenham future

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 12:09pm EST

pHarry Redknapp has reassured Steven Pienaar and the rest of his fringe players that they can break into the Tottenham first-team in the second half of the season./p

Huis Clos, Trafalgar Studio 2, London

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 12:00pm EST

pI intend it as a compliment (I think) to suggest that the subterranean confines of Trafalgar Studio 2 provide an ideal venue if you want to create the sense of a stifling claustrophobic hell./p

Dodgy, Boogaloo, London

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 11:56am EST

pOn Dodgy’s first tour twenty years ago, their fans had to call promoters and venues to find out where they were playing. /p

Kenny Dalglish defends Liverpool support of Luis Suarez

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 11:54am EST

pLiverpool manager Kenny Dalglish insists the team's show of support for banned striker Luis Suarez had been "wrongly interpreted" as he defended the club's record on race relations./p

QPR expect to announce new manager today

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 11:53am EST

pQPR chairman Tony Fernandes expects to appoint a new manager today as Mark Hughes moves closer to taking over at Loftus Road./p

Wales captain Aaron Ramsey not consulted in manager search

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 11:51am EST

pWales captain Aaron Ramsey today claimed he had not been consulted by the Football Association of Wales over their search for a new manager./p

Wolves rubbish Steven Fletcher transfer talk

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 11:50am EST

pMick McCarthy insists there is "not a chance" Wolves will sell top scorer Steven Fletcher during the January transfer window and expects him to be fit for the weekend clash at Tottenham./p

Nick Barmby becomes permanent manager at Hull

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 11:49am EST

pHull have appointed Nick Barmby as their manager on a permanent basis./p

Inter Milan confirm interest in Carlos Tevez

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 11:48am EST

pInter Milan president Massimo Moratti has confirmed the club are keen to sign Carlos Tevez./p

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Migrants 'reduce jobs for Britons', say Government's immigration advisers

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 11:45am EST

pThere are 23 fewer jobs for British workers for every 100 migrants from outside the EU, the Government's immigration advisers said today./p

Mario Balotelli insists he is happy in Manchester amid AC Milan rumours

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 11:44am EST

pMario Balotelli insists he is happy at Manchester City amid reports linking him with a move to AC Milan./p

Sometimes I Laugh Like My Sister, Finborough Theatre, London

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 11:43am EST

pRebecca Peyton describes the moment she knew her sister had died with this unholy, guttural noise from the back of her throat. /p

Vincent Kompany sent off 'for nothing' says Roberto Mancini

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 11:43am EST

pManchester City manager Roberto Mancini remains convinced it would be a travesty of justice if Vincent Kompany failed to win his appeal against the red card he received in Sunday's FA Cup defeat to Manchester United./p

Rival probe call after sale of Blacks Leisure

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 11:19am EST

pSports Direct said today it was disappointed by the sale of Blacks Leisure to its rival JD Sports Fashion and accused suppliers of obstructing its own pursuit of the outdoor clothing retailer./p

HS2 high-speed rail project given green light

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 11:00am EST

p The Government signalled the go-ahead today for the £32 billion HS2 high-speed rail project that will drastically reduce journey times between major UK cities. /p

£32bn high-speed rail project given green light

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe Government today gave the go-ahead for the HS2 high-speed rail scheme, saying the £32.7 billion project would benefit the whole country./p

Amol Rajan: 'Iron Lady' shows pain of memories

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 10:56am EST

pNever before have I seen a film so at odds with the reviews of it I read in advance. Thousands of words have been written about The Iron Lady, but those that I have read have universally treated it as a rumination on Thatcherism. In fact, it is a portrayal of Margaret Thatcher (in old age). The two are very different, but few critics seem to have noticed./p

Assad blames Syria unrest on 'foreign conspiracy'

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 10:46am EST

pSyria's president Bashar Assad has insisted he will not quit despite a 10-month-old uprising against him./p

Five die in government building attack in Afghanistan

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 9:29am EST

pAt least five people were killed in a fire fight after a group of insurgents tried to storm a government building in eastern Afghanistan today, police said./p

Marks Spencer to cut prices after weak Christmas

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 9:27am EST

pHigh street giant Marks amp; Spencer said today that it would roll out more discounts in a bid to pull in customers after weak homewares sales dragged on its Christmas performance./p

Romney favourite to win in New Hampshire

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 9:26am EST

pDespite some last-minute gaffes, Mitt Romney remained the overwhelming favourite to win the New Hampshire presidential primary today, but the margin of victory could determine whether he quickly clinches the Republican nomination or faces a gruelling battle./p

Mitt Romney favourite to win in New Hampshire

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 9:26am EST

pDespite some last-minute gaffes, Mitt Romney remained the overwhelming favourite to win the New Hampshire presidential primary today, but the margin of victory could determine whether he quickly clinches the Republican nomination or faces a gruelling battle./p

HS2 high-speed rail project to be given green light

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 8:13am EST

pThe controversial £32 billion HS2 high-speed rail project will be given the green light by the Government today./p

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Wanted: new chief of staff to run the White House – and get on with Obama

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 2:44am EST

pOn the cusp of what promises to be a tough re-election year, Barack Obama yesterday confirmed his most senior aide, White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley, is stepping down early after a relatively brief, but often scratchy, 12 month in the post. /p

Furore at LSE as Mubarak-era minister turns up at lecture

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 2:29am EST

pA former Egyptian government minister wanted by Interpol and on the run from a 30-year prison sentence in his homeland caused uproar when he was spotted at a lecture at the London School of Economics last night./p

Clegg risks new rift with call for EU to bypass Cameron's veto

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 2:28am EST

pNick Clegg defied David Cameron by calling for the pact on fiscal union planned by other European Union countries to be "absorbed" into the EU's governing treaties./p

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NHS pays out £1m to manager in race case

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 2:27am EST

pA former NHS manager has won £1m in compensation after a head nurse subjected him to such racial discrimination that he considered suicide after being dismissed unfairly./p

Aspirin a day may not be so good for heart

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 2:27am EST

pTaking aspirin every day may not be worth the risk for those with no history of heart problems, a major study has concluded./p

Nicotine patch claims up in smoke

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 2:26am EST

pNicotine patches are no better than willpower alone in helping smokers quit their habit, a study has found./p

Swiss central banker quits over wife's currency trade

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 2:23am EST

pThe head of the Swiss central bank resigned yesterday in an attempt to end the foreign currency trading scandal that has shaken the institution./p

Morrisons expects tough year after flat festive season

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 2:21am EST

pMorrisons laid bare the extent of subdued trading in the grocery sector yesterday, unveiling festive sales growth below expectations as it warned of another "tough year" ahead. The supermarket boasted of "outperforming" the sector as recently as November, but yesterday said that sales growth was only "in line with the market"./p

Microsoft may follow Apple's lead and skip Las Vegas gadget show

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 2:21am EST

pMicrosoft's chief executive, Steve Ballmer, will open the annual festival of gadgetry which is the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas tonight, but it will be for the last time./p

James Moore: Novelty could soon wear off for gadgets as HMV tries to change its tune

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 2:19am EST

pRemember when Simon Fox was the hottest thing in retail and was being linked to just about every high-profile job going? HMV's chief executive really should have jumped when (if) he had the chance a couple of years ago. Then his company was the last man standing among high street entertainment chains and appeared to be defying gravity. Now it is falling to earth so quickly he might not have time to open the parachute./p

Curtain rises on Netflix in the UK

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 2:18am EST

pThe battle for online movies and TV on demand just got interesting. Netflix, the leading player in the US with 24 million subscribers, yesterday launched its new, £5.99-a-month streaming service for the UK and Ireland. Subscribers will get access to a raft of content, thanks to deals with Hollywood studios such as MGM, Miramax and Momentum as well as British TV providers such as the BBC, ITV and Channel 4. So viewers will be able to watch almost anything from Pirates of the Caribbean to The Inbetweeners./p

Sarkozy says France will lead way with 'Tobin tax'

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 2:16am EST

pNicolas Sarkozy fanned the flames of a lingering cross-Channel row with David Cameron yesterday as he said a new "Tobin tax" on financial transactions was "exactly what was needed"./p

JD Sports set to grab Blacks' assets and brands

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 2:15am EST

pThe sportswear retailer JD Sports Fashion yesterday acquired the trading assets of Blacks Leisure for £20m out of pre-packaged administration and vowed to return the troubled outdoor specialist to profitability./p

Black cab maker falls into loss after Azerbaijan delays

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 2:14am EST

pManganese Bronze, the company that makes London black cabs, yesterday said an order from Azerbaijan had been delayed due to financing problems./p

Pilkington picks longevity swap

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 2:14am EST

pThe glass maker Pilkington has agreed a £0.8bn pension longevity swap with Legal amp; General. It brings the total number of swaps completed last year to five with a total value of liabilities covered to £7bn./p

Christmas disappointment for troubled HMV

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 2:13am EST

pSimon Fox, the chief executive of HMV, has said the group still has to "convince" the City it has a future after it posted another slump in underlying sales over the Christmas trading period./p

Rise in houses on market

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 2:12am EST

pThe number of sellers putting their house on the market rose for the third successive month during December, but vendors may need to cut their prices to do a deal, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. Its latest monthly survey, published today, suggests sellers returned in time for the new year, with London leading the way./p

Kuwait firm picks up troubled La Senza

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 2:11am EST

pThe struggling lingerie chain La Senza's UK arm fell into Kuwaiti hands last night after the international franchise operator Alshaya struck a deal with administrators KPMG, safeguarding 1,100 jobs./p

Investment: Looking to the bottom line pays off for builder in a difficult market

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 2:10am EST

pPersimmon: OUR VIEW: Buy/p pSHARE PRICE: 506.5P (+25.5P)/p

Market Report: Risk-averse clients glad of a guide on stocks to avoid

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 2:08am EST

pHow about this for a sign of the times: while many brokers have already released their top buy recommendations for 2012, Panmure Gordon decided yesterday to do something a little different and publish a list of its least-favourite stocks. A rather unusual move, the firm's "top sells" list for the year came in the wake of increased demand from clients who wanted to know what they should avoid amid the current market uncertainty./p

Neil Warnock: If more people at QPR knew the game, I'd still be there

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 1:46am EST

pGetting the sack is a fact of life in football management and I should know. I've now been fired by Burton Albion, Notts County, Plymouth Argyle, Oldham Athletic and Queen's Park Rangers. They say it is a results business. It is, but only up to a point. At three of those clubs, including QPR, I'd won promotion./p

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Deborah Ross: In April, you will meet a tall dark stranger – in overalls

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 1:39am EST

pIf you ask me, it's time for my annual horoscope predictions, which I will continue to produce as long as there is money in it and a premium phone line, which, if nothing else, proves I saw you coming. These are good predictions and sound predictions, as I am exceptionally skilled in the ancient art of waffling vaguely when not stating the blindingly obvious. Here, judge for yourselves./p

FA attempts to take heat out of Cup tie at Anfield

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 1:33am EST

pThe Football Association will write to Liverpool and Manchester United ahead of their potentially incendiary FA Cup fourth-round tie, reminding the clubs of their responsibilities not to inflame the rivalry of fans./p

Fernandes wants Hughes in place before Newcastle game

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 1:29am EST

pMark Hughes is on the brink of taking over at Queen's Park Rangers today, filling the vacancy created by Sunday's sacking of Neil Warnock./p

Messi celebrates another hat-trick

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 1:25am EST

pSir Alex Ferguson paid tribute to Lionel Messi after the Barcelona star was awarded the FIFA Ballon d'Or for the third successive year./p

Safety first: Why Foy was within rights to show red

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 1:24am EST

pVincent Kompany's contentious sending-off in the Manchester derby on Sunday did not so much spoil the third-round FA Cup tie as define it. From there, in the 13th minute, Manchester United for a period resembled champions, before Manchester City found admirable resilience./p

Kompany to learn fate today

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 1:23am EST

pManchester City will today learn the outcome of their appeal against captain Vincent Kompany's controversial dismissal during the FA Cup tie with Manchester United, though last night all the signs were pointing to it failing./p

Kompany to learn fate today

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 1:23am EST

pManchester City will today learn the outcome of their appeal against captain Vincent Kompany's controversial dismissal during the FA Cup tie with Manchester United, though last night all the signs were pointing to it failing./p

Jack Pitt-Brooke: Not just a goal, more a plot device in a dream scenario

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 1:13am EST

pHow else could it possibly have gone? Arsenal's recent years have been a tale of frustrations, disappointments and love-sickness but last night they were reunited with their king and their script./p

The 10 Best bed linen

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 1:01am EST

pstrong1. TU/strong/ppFrom £30, sainsburys.co.uk/ppNo need to hunt for matching accessories with this "bed in a bag", that has a duvet cover, pillowcases, cushion and cover and runner./p

The Sports Matrix: Tuesday 10 January 2012

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongI hope this will be the first of many, says happy Henry/strong/p

The News Matrix: Tuesday 10 January 2012

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongSister tells 'witch' trial of torture/strong/p

The Business Matrix: Tuesday 10 January 2012

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongRange Rover wins 'best truck' award/strong/p

i Editor's Letter: The Chance To Be Chancellor

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p /p

Permalink for '_______Education_/2012/01/09/Susie_Rushton__You_can_track_down_every_old_flame_%e2%80%93_but_that_doesn_t_mean_you_should'

Susie Rushton: You can track down every old flame – but that doesn't mean you should

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:49am EST

pIt ended just as most of us suspected it might. Last week, the holiday romance between a pretty and otherwise sane-looking 33-year-old PR consultant and the man she only knew as "Martin" became a testimony to the power of social networking./p

Seconds out: bid to alter the world's time

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:47am EST

pTime will never be the same again if the international organisation responsible for setting the world's clocks votes later this month in favour of a controversial plan to abolish the "leap" second – the extra second added to the time signal once every few years./p

Terence Blacker: We're not world class at many things, but looking after animals is one

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:46am EST

pThe Danes, as they never tire of telling us, are famously happy. Whenever there's a global wellbeing survey, Denmark sits smugly at its summit while Britain skulks in the gloomy foothills between Estonia and South Korea. There is, though, one area of human behaviour in which we are considerably more evolved than the cheerful Danes, and it is an important one. When it comes to the welfare of the animals which provide food for humans, British farms are incomparably better run than their counterparts on the Continent, and specifically in Denmark./p

Steve Richards: In turbulent times, can the PM go with the flow?

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:43am EST

pWho's up and who's down? Who can make the best jokes? Who looks good on TV? These are questions that are great fun to ask and even more fun to answer. They matter, too: politics is partly an art form. But they are nowhere near as important as the great currents shaping events around bewildered leaders, whether they look good or not./p

Leading article: It used to be just how much to drink. Now, it's when

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:41am EST

pSo now they want us to abstain from drink two days a week. Those of us whose memories are not shot to pieces will recall that it was not long ago that we were being urged to drink a little every day, for the good of our health. The argument of the Alcohol Health Alliance has a queasy circularity about it: in Britain today, we have 1.5 million "dependent" drinkers./p

Joan Smith: Is Mrs Obama related to Miriam Clegg?

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:40am EST

pI've never given much thought to Lady Macbeth's political views, but it's probably safe to say she wasn't overly concerned with her husband's plans for healthcare. In our more enlightened times, everyone knows women have their own opinions and tensions are likely to surface in a political marriage. That's why some simple rules have been devised to help clever women negotiate the minefield: bake cookies, support your man, attend fund-raisers, support your man. Are you listening, Michelle Obama?/p

Leading article: Only a register of lobbyists will do

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:39am EST

pThe Augean stables will not clean themselves. That David Cameron's former director of policy has taken a job at the lobbying company Portland, apparently without the proper clearances, is just the latest evidence that the rules supposedly governing the revolving door between the political establishment and the lucrative world of lobbying are simply not working./p

Dominic Lawson: Let the public punish 'fat cats' if they really care

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:37am EST

pThe most familiar war cry of the massed battalions of the press resounds throughout the land: something must be done! The "something" in this case is executive pay – or "fat cats", in the argot of the tabloids. The proximate cause of the outcry is recent research showing that last year the median pay of FTSE 100 chief executives rose by 14 per cent, while the figure for the wage-earning population as a whole rose by only a tenth of that./p

Leading article: Playing a risky game on Scottish independence

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:36am EST

pAt first glance, the Prime Minister's efforts to seize the initiative on Scottish independence appear to be a clever piece of manoeuvring. On closer examination, however, they look worryingly like another instance of government by short-term tactics, of a desire for boldness that does not take account of the full spectrum of consequences./p

Boxing: I've nothing to hide, says Hatman

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:33am EST

pThe "mystery man" at the centre of the latest controversy surrounding Amir Khan's defeat by Lamont Peterson has revealed he will attend a hearing into the fight later this month and insists he has "nothing to hide"./p

Maria Sharapova: The granny of tennis, age 24

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:33am EST

pWhen Caroline Wozniacki, world No 1 at the age of just 21, is repeatedly asked why she has not yet won a Grand Slam title, it is no wonder that Maria Sharapova is regarded by some as a veteran. After all, it is four years since the Russian last won a major title and eight since she stunned the tennis world by winning Wimbledon. Petra Kvitova, the current Wimbledon champion and the world No 2, is another 21-year-old, while Victoria Azarenka, the only other player above Sharapova in the world rankings, is also 21./p

Murray named fourth seed for Melbourne

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:31am EST

pAndy Murray is the fourth seed for this month's Australian Open. The Scotsman, fresh from victory in Brisbane over the weekend, follows Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in the seedings, which mirror the ATP world rankings./p

American Football: New outbreak of 'Tebowing' as quarterback puts Broncos on track for Super Bowl

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:30am EST

pIf it ever went away, Tebow-mania is back in the NFL. For much of the regular season, Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow made himself a national cult – hurling winning, last-minute touchdown passes and then kneeling on the touchline to give thanks to the Almighty for his deliverance, in a gesture that spawned its own word, "Tebowing". But in the last few games the magic had deserted him, and the Broncos barely made the play-offs./p

James Lawton: With Aguero flying high all City's dreams can come true

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:28am EST

pSergio Aguero has done some remarkable things since he arrived in Manchester as a £40m antidote to the surly self-absorption of Carlos Tevez./p

Football in Brief: Westley to take Deepdale reins; Malouda not happy on bench

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:27am EST

pStevenage's back-to-back promotion-winning manager Graham Westley is set to be named the new Preston North End manager on a two-and-a-half year deal at the League One club./p

Dallaglio: Wood is man to tackle captaincy

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:26am EST

pEngland must make a prompt improvement if they are to put themselves in a good place from which to mount a challenge for the next Rugby World Cup, which they will host, according to Lawrence Dallaglio./p

Messi celebrates another hat-trick

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:25am EST

pBarcelona's Argentinian forward Lionel Messi received the Ballon d'Or from Uefa president Michel Platini and former Brazilian player Ronaldo during a ceremony in Zurich yesterday./p

Virus throws Palace Cup plan into chaos

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:24am EST

pDougie Freedman expected to endure a sleepless night last night in anticipation of the phone call this morning that could determine the prospects of his Crystal Palace side against Cardiff City in the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final tonight./p

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Keane to Villa but it's no Götze for Arsenal

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:23am EST

pRobbie Keane trained with Aston Villa yesterday with a view to sealing a two-month loan move from Los Angeles Galaxy. The Irishman is under contract at the American club and can only move for the duration of Major League Soccer's off-season./p

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Prescott joins Saints after being given six months to live – six years ago

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:21am EST

pSteve Prescott has joined the coaching staff at his old club, St Helens, six years after being given six months to live with a rare form of stomach cancer./p

GB's Olympic gymnastic dream in the balance

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:20am EST

pIt was not the Christmas that had been envisaged by Britain's male gymnasts but a festive season spent in full training will be the least of their lost days should events take a tumble for the worse at the 02 today. A poor performance and they will become Britain's sporting lost boys, the most promising generation this country has produced consigned to sit and watch the London Olympics./p

Hosts backed to rule Olympic waves

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:19am EST

pBritain, who topped the sailing medal table four years ago, will be in contention for a podium place in all 10 categories at London 2012, according to the man charged with ensuring the home nation rule their own waves./p

Date set for BOA drugs ruling

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:18am EST

pSport's highest court has scheduled a hearing for 12 March to rule on the British Olympic Association's lifetime ban for doping cheats./p

Darlan dazzles, Lights dazes

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:17am EST

pOn the face of it, only one of the novice hurdle winners at Taunton yesterday could be described as breathtaking. The first, after all, was returned at 200-1; and the second, sent off at odds-on, won by only half a length. But the manner of Darlan's success was such that he stole the show even from the eye-watering starting price of Lights Of Broadway./p

Bresnan out of Pakistan series as England win

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:16am EST

pAt no time over three days did England look like the best Test team on the planet. But when push came to shove and the chips were down, if chips are ever down in such congenial circumstances, they won their opening match against the ICC Combined Associate and Affiliates XI by three wickets yesterday./p

1-0 to Arsenal: Henry caps return with goal

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:14am EST

pThierry Henry scored his 227th goal for Arsenal last night and said afterwards that he hoped "it won't be the last one"./p

Wenger: Henry return is like a dream for me

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:14am EST

pArsène Wenger said last night that Thierry Henry's dramatic winning goal for Arsenal on his return to the team in their 1-0 FA Cup third-round win over Leeds United was like a "dream"./p

Not just a goal, more a plot device in a dream scenario

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:13am EST

pHow else could it possibly have gone? Arsenal's recent years have been a tale of frustrations, disappointments and love-sickness but last night they were reunited with their king and their script./p

Henry has Arsenal in height of happiness

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:12am EST

pHis statue outside the Emirates is very nice and all that, but when it comes to honouring Thierry Henry at Arsenal there really is no substitute for the real thing./p

Diary: Chin up, Ed. Nobody likes you, but your job looks safe

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:04am EST

pEd Miliband has not had a good start to the year. There has been a run of unhelpful stories, and now an opinion poll which suggests that the only opposition leaders for a generation whose popular standing was worse than his were Michael Foot and Iain Duncan Smith. The latest survey by YouGov, for The Sunday Times, showed that 20 per cent think Miliband is doing well, but 66 per cent say he is doing badly. That is a score of minus 46./p

Jessica Duchen: This institution represents the Big Apple's cultural core

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:02am EST

pIt is a sorry state of affairs when an opera company resorts to locking out its own performers – and the once vibrant and innovative New York City Opera (NYCO) is looking like barely a rump of its former self./p

Tweet is no Mickey Mouse ordeal for Egypt mogul

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:01am EST

pLike many posts on Twitter, at the time it probably seemed like a harmless joke. In June last year, the high-profile Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris – the country's richest man - posted a picture of Mickey and Minnie Mouse dressed as conservative Muslims, provoking a storm of protest from critics accusing him of denigrating Islam./p

Sexism and the state of Israel

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:59pm EST

pAs dusk falls in Mea Shearim, Jerusalem's most pious neighbourhood, black-clad and hatted Jewish men hurry home along the narrow streets lined by medieval-style houses where lights burn dimly in darkened windows./p

Bahraini protesters' death sentences overturned

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:58pm EST

pA civilian court in Bahrain has overturned death sentences for two protesters convicted of murdering two policemen during a wave of anti-government demonstrations last year./p

Ex-US envoy: 'I was framed over memo'

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:57pm EST

pPakistan's former ambassador to the US has denied involvement in drafting a memo that accused the army of plotting a coup. He suggested on the first day of a judicial commission that he was being framed./p

Law granting Saleh and his aides immunity angers the opposition

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:56pm EST

pYemen's cabinet has approved a draft law granting immunity to President Ali Abdullah Saleh and his aides against prosecution for crimes committed during his 33 year-long rule in the impoverished Arabian state./p

David Usborne: Capitalist credentials will decide contest

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:55pm EST

pDemocrats who believe that Mitt Romney will be the Republican nominee this year calculate that one word may end up deciding his match-up with Barack Obama. It is Bain./p

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'I like being able to fire people' – now it's Romney's turn to slip up

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:54pm EST

pAs voters weighed their choices ahead of today's presidential primary in New Hampshire, the front-runner Mitt Romney came under fire yesterday as a "corporate raider" who, as chief executive of the venture-capital firm Bain Capital, "looted" companies and robbed workers of their jobs./p

Mass protest over hike in Nigerian fuel prices leaves three dead

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:53pm EST

pA national strike paralysed much of Nigeria yesterday, with more than 10,000 demonstrators taking to the streets in the commercial capital to protest against soaring fuel prices and decades of government corruption in the oil-rich country./p

Pay dispute threatens to lower the curtain on opera company

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:51pm EST

pThe future of one of New York's premier cultural organisations, the New York City Opera (NYCO), is looking as bleak as a Wagnerian plotline amid an escalating dispute that pitches its musical divas against the money men./p

Zimbabwe minister gets his knickers in a twist over undergarment imports

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:50pm EST

pZimbabwe has banned the import and sale of second-hand underwear after the Finance Minister said women should not suffer the indignity of wearing hand-me-down lingerie./p

Malaysian opposition leader cleared of 'politically motivated' sodomy charges

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:49pm EST

pMalaysia's charismatic opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim vowed yesterday to topple the government at elections expected later this year after being acquitted of sodomy charges following a trial widely criticised as politically motivated./p

Sports bodies offered funds to attract youth

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:46pm EST

pThe Government is to adopt a carrot-and-stick approach to encourage sporting bodies to raise participation numbers and ensure the Olympics help inspire more young people into sport./p

'Witch' boy was killed over a pair of pants, sister tells court

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:44pm EST

pThe sister of a teenager who was allegedly beaten to death because relatives thought he was a witch sobbed yesterday as she described how she and her siblings were forced to pray for days on end before being beaten and tortured./p

Worst areas for child poverty are in London

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:43pm EST

pA "child poverty map" exposes the UK's most stricken areas today, as campaigners warn that cuts targeted at families will lead to an "economic and a social disaster"./p

Council workers' union rejects final pension offer

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:42pm EST

pThe Government's hopes of resolving the bitter dispute over public sector pensions received a fresh blow yesterday when leaders of thousands of council workers rejected a final offer./p

Yorkshire's rhubarb crop crumbles in mild winter

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:41pm EST

pThe heat is on growers of Yorkshire's world famous rhubarb as the mild winter threatens a crisis in the crop./p

Henry cements legend with winner over Leeds

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:35pm EST

pThierry Henry came off the bench to enhance his Arsenal legend as the veteran French striker fired the Gunners into the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 1-0 win over Leeds at the Emirates Stadium./p

Clarkson doubles Top Gear income

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:32pm EST

pThe Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson doubled his pay to more than £2m through his work with the BBC last year, accounts have shown./p

To Birmingham and beyond: Glasgow high speed 'by 2026'

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:31pm EST

pTrains travelling at more than 200mph will connect London to Manchester and Glasgow by 2026, the Transport Secretary will promise today as she gives the green light to first phase of the controversial HS2 rail scheme./p

Philip Hodson: Teenage antics have all the hallmarks of a cry for help

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:29pm EST

pThe first thought, when someone is apprehended doing something of this fashion, is a straightforward and practical one. Is the person hard up? Sometimes people can't even admit to themselves that the bank balance is very low. Remember Occam's Razor – let's go for the simplest explanation to fit the facts./p

What's eating Antony Worrall Thompson?

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:28pm EST

pEvery little helps, so the supermarket chain says, but that doesn't mean helping oneself. Staff at Tesco in Henley-on-Thames called police after catching celebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson apparently acting out his own festive recipe for Porridge – shoplifting cheese and wine no fewer than five times over the Christmas period./p

'Extinct' tortoise found living in the Galapagos

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:25pm EST

pA species of giant tortoise that disappeared after being heavily hunted in the Galapagos more than a century ago may still be living on an island 200 miles away, a study has found./p

Cameron aide broke rules by joining lobbying firm

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:24pm EST

pOne of David Cameron's senior Downing Street advisers has broken rules meant to stop former government officials from trading on their inside knowledge of Whitehall and access to ministers, The Independent has learnt./p

Jonathan Portes: The pressure group playing fast and loose with evidence

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:23pm EST

pJust yesterday, MigrationWatch published a report highlighting the "remarkable coincidence between the rise in youth unemployment and the huge surge in immigration from Eastern Europe over the last eight years"./p

'I have never brought shame on Poland. Now I need a five-minute break' Then he shot himself

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:21pm EST

pA Polish military prosecutor linked to an investigation into the 2010 air crash that killed President Lech Kaczynski shot himself in the head yesterday after abruptly cutting short a news conference where he had been defending the work of his office./p

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Letters: HS2 is good for Britain’s future

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:21pm EST

pAs a regular rail-user, it was a pity to see your headline “Full steam ahead for high-speed rail” (7 January) ruined by the negative leading article, “Too easily seduced by the glamour of highspeed rail”. You ought to be givingthe green light to investing in Britain’s dated rail infrastructure, with only a pathetic 70 miles of dedicated high-speed rail track./p

We're a powerful force for good, Sun editor insists

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:20pm EST

pThe editor of The Sun yesterday said he had learnt from his mistakes as he sought to distance his regime from the "anything goes" practices of the tabloid's past. Dominic Mohan, who has had to deal with the recent arrest of one of his senior reporters on suspicion of paying police and the arrest of the tabloid's former beauty editor on suspicion of attempting to pervert the course of justice, warned the Leveson Inquiry that statutory regulation of the press would be "open to abuse"./p

Ian Burrell: No theatrics, just some careful stage management

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:19pm EST

pWe may have expected theatre, but Dominic Mohan had no intention of providing any. At the Leveson Inquiry, the editor of The Sun cut an understated figure in a funereal dark suit and tie, as if in respect for the News of the World, the sister paper killed off in a press scandal that still threatens to infect his own title./p

'False' savings from legal aid cuts

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:17pm EST

pRadical proposals to curtail legal aid are based on false economy and should be halted until all the unintended consequences are properly calculated, a new report by King's College London (KCL) warns./p

Simon Carr: Day that The Sun disappeared behind a politically correct cloud

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:16pm EST

pSomething awful happened at Leveson yesterday. The editor of The Sun – the fifth most senior commoner in the land – abased himself before the Inquiry. He's supposed to be a Chaucerian figure from the belly of British culture but we got something lamentably modernised./p

She's Never Coming Back, By Hans Koppel

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:15pm EST

p /p

Spirit of Bannockburn thrives north of the border

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:15pm EST

pSix hundred and ninety eight years ago at Bannockburn, nestling in the lee of the snow-capped Ochil Hills, Robert the Bruce masterminded the Scottish nation's most famous, against-the-odds victory, smashing the invading army of Edward II into the nearby burn./p

Snapshots of the changing face of fame

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:14pm EST

pLike many teenagers in Sydney in the 1980s, Richard Simpkin began waiting outside training grounds and stadiums to win the autographs of his favourite sports stars. Soon, he upgraded to record signings and famous musicians. But when a fellow autograph-hunter showed him a picture of her father posing with the late John Lennon, he decided that this might be a more fulfilling pursuit./p

Immigration does not cause unemployment

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:13pm EST

pThere is no link between rising immigration and rising unemployment, independent economists have found – contradicting persistent claims from anti-immigration activists and politicians that an influx of foreign nationals into the UK in recent years has led to more British-born workers on the dole./p

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'Project Ed' to be relaunched –with a dose of economic reality

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:12pm EST

pEd Miliband will today warn Labour that "the party is over" and that if it regains power it will have to cut rather than boost public spending./p

Edwin Drood: The mysterious appeal of Dickens' darkest tale

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:10pm EST

pThe Mystery of Edwin Drood, the tale of an opium-addicted choirmaster with an erotic obsession with his nephew's teenage fiancée, is one of Charles Dickens' darkest and most modern novels./p

Coalition divided over Cameron's plans on Scottish independence

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:09pm EST

pCoalition tensions surfaced yesterday as the Liberal Democrats blocked David Cameron's attempt to impose an 18-month deadline for a referendum on Scottish independence./p

Last night's viewing - Storyville Survivors: Despicable Dick BBC4

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:08pm EST

p /p

Virginia Ironside's Dilemmas

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:07pm EST

pDear Virginia. I feel very low because all my friends were asked to New Year's Eve parties except me. I could have gone to a bar with some people, but they're not really my type and I didn't want to get completely drunk. The result was I stayed at home alone feeling sorry for myself. It was the same at Christmas. Everyone said they had a great time, but although I had an OK time with my family, it wasn't very exciting. Why is it with me that the party always seems to be in the next room? Best wishes, Angie/p

Starting to get a middle-aged brain? Then give it a good workout

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:04pm EST

pAnyone befuddled by the true value of the discount offers in their supermarket, or struggling for a word that stays defiantly beyond the tip of their tongue, will be unsurprised by research last week showing cognitive decline starts in the 40s./p

Alcohol: keep a clear head

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:03pm EST

pIs red wine good for you? This seemingly straightforward question has become perhaps one of the most hotly contested health issues of a generation, fuelled by endless studies and conflicting newspaper and magazine articles. Confusion reigns when it comes to alcohol, amid daily revelations about the dangers and benefits of drinking too much, too little or not at all./p

Rhodri Marsden: A leaky window... and lifestyle tips from Going Live's Emma Forbes

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:00pm EST

pAs a torrential downpour lashed against the knackered windows of my flat and I mopped up rainwater from the sill using a sodden tea towel, my friend Jenny looked up from her laptop and advised me of some breaking news: former Going Live presenter Emma Forbes was currently flaunting her curves on the beach in Barbados. The website offered an open invitation to debate this issue live on its message boards, but I had trouble forming a coherent opinion. It was the same with the Higgs-Boson particle. Besides, I had a tea towel to wring out./p

Work out and bare your soles

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 10:59pm EST

pIn case the term "barefoot" is unfamiliar to you in the context of exercise, and you're suffering visions of losing all the skin on the soles of your feet to uneven pavements, let me enlighten you: for a number of years now, and for decades in elite athlete circles, the concept of running "barefoot" – either without shoes or wearing shoes that mimic going barefoot as far as possible – has been gaining credence as the best way to train and compete./p

Knowing me, knowing you: Rebecca Peyton and Angela Peyton

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 10:59pm EST

pRebecca Peyton, 39, is an actress whose one-woman show, Sometimes I Laugh Like My Sister, is based on her experiences after her elder sister, Kate, a journalist and producer, was murdered in Somalia while posted there for the BBC in 2005./p

The Ten Best: bed linen

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 10:55pm EST

pstrong1. TU/strong/ppFrom £30, sainsburys.co.uk/ppNo need to hunt for matching accessories with this "bed in a bag", that has a duvet cover, pillowcases, cushion and cover and runner. /p

Memoirs of a Psychiatric Orderly: Behind locked doors

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 10:42pm EST

pIn 2000, Dennis O'Donnell was working as an orderly in a geriatrics ward of a large hospital in Scotland when he was approached by the charge nurse of the intensive psychiatric care unit (IPCU), which treated people with depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. A member of staff had proved unsatisfactory and he needed someone to join his team. A man, specifically. He wanted O'Donnell. /p

Sir Robert Horton: Dynamic and combative head of BP and Railtrack

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 10:35pm EST

pSir Robert Horton had a forceful, dynamic management style which in 1990 propelled him to the top of British Petroleum, then the world's third-largest oil company. It was assumed he would develop into a titan of the industry. But his trademark vigour was accompanied by another trademark, that of imperious arrogance, which despite his undoubted talents led to his removal as chairman and chief executive within two years./p

Bob Weston: Early '70s guitarist with Fleetwood Mac

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 10:33pm EST

pOriginally a British blues boom band led by Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer, Fleetwood Mac were at something of a crossroads by September 1972. The founder-member and drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie – the rhythm section the group was named after – had added McVie's wife, the keyboard-player and singer Christine McVie, formerly of Chicken Shack, and Bob Welch, an American vocalist and guitarist, but felt they needed a pedigree soloist able to recreate the contrasting guitar styles of his predecessors, particularly the slide playing of Spencer, for concert engagements./p

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Leopold Hawelka: Proprietor whose café played its part in the Cold War

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 10:31pm EST

pLeopold Hawelka, owner of the legendary Viennese café that bore his name, was born the son of a Bohemian shoemaker in the village of Kautendorf in Austria's wine region. Moving with his family to Vienna in 1925, he was lucky to get an apprenticeship as a waiter, a respected profession, at one of the capital's best restaurants. In 1936 he married Josefine Danzberger, a butcher's daughter, who was also employed in the catering trade. Determined to succeed in business, they leased the modest Café Alt Wien./p

Susie Rushton: You can track down every old flame – but that doesn't mean you should

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 10:26pm EST

pIt ended just as most of us suspected it might. Last week, the holiday romance between a pretty and otherwise sane-looking 33-year-old PR consultant and the man she only knew as "Martin" became a testimony to the power of social networking. Julia Cross had met him at Space in Ibiza last September. She remembered Martin as "considerate" and also "tall with quite a posh accent"; they shared a kiss under Mediterranean stars and she gave him her number. He never called./p

1,300 jobs lost as La Senza folds

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 7:00pm EST

pLingerie chain La Senza collapsed into administration today triggering 1,300 redundancies and the closure of more than 100 outlets./p

Date set for Olympic drugs ban hearing

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 6:55pm EST

pThe British Olympic Association bylaw which enforces a lifetime Olympic ban on drugs cheats will face legal scrutiny by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on March 12. /p

Sky TV to enable customers to use iPhones and iPads as remote controls

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 6:41pm EST

pSky television customers who own iPhones and iPads will soon be able to use their Apple devices as a remote control./p

Two car bombings hit Baghdad

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 6:36pm EST

pTwo car bombs apparently targeted at the Shiite community have killed at least 14 people and wounded dozens in Baghdad./p

Swiss bank chief Philipp Hildebrand quits after row

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 6:31pm EST

pThe head of Switzerland's central bank Philipp Hildebrand has quit in the wake of a public uproar over his private currency deals./p

Syrian troops ignore observers

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 6:26pm EST

pSyrian troops have fired on protesters in the city of Homs as Arab League observers toured the area to see whether the regime is keeping its pledge to halt the crackdown on dissent./p

Jose Mourinho defends Cristiano Ronaldo following criticism from Real Madrid fans

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 6:15pm EST

pJose Mourinho has defended Cristiano Ronaldo for not celebrating after scoring a goal at the weekend, a move which drew unusually strong criticism from the pro-Real Madrid media./p

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JD Sports seals £20m Blacks deal

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 6:14pm EST

pSportswear firm JD Sports Fashion has bought all of Blacks Leisure's 290 stores out of administration for £20 million./p

Making a comeback: Is returning to one's old stomping ground a good idea?

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 5:23pm EST

pOf all the surprises that this weekend's FA Cup Third Round threw up, seeing the name "Paul Scholes" on Manchester United's substitutes bench was by far the most unexpected./p

Clubs 'dragging feet' over racism claim politicians

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 4:41pm EST

pPoliticians have called for an inquiry into racism in football today, claiming the Football Association and individual clubs are "dragging their feet" over the issue./p

Mark Hughes arrives at QPR for talks over vacant position

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 4:40pm EST

pMark Hughes stands on the brink of becoming the next manager of QPR after today arriving at Loftus Road to discuss the vacancy./p

Gary Johnson returns to Yeovil for second spell as manager

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 4:01pm EST

pGary Johnson has made a surprise return to Yeovil for a second spell as manager./p

Manchester City lodge appeal over Vincent Kompany dismissal

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 3:59pm EST

pManchester City will learn tomorrow if their appeal against captain Vincent Kompany's dismissal against Manchester United has been successful./p

Robbie Keane on verge of Aston Villa switch

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 3:56pm EST

pRobbie Keane trained with Aston Villa today ahead of his expected loan move from Los Angeles Galaxy./p

Volkswagen records 2011 sales increase

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 3:46pm EST

pGerman car giant Volkswagen said today that it saw sales of more than eight million vehicles last year, putting it ahead of Japan's Toyota./p

130 jobs go in SeaFrance collapse

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 3:37pm EST

pAlmost 130 jobs are to be lost in the UK after French ferry operator SeaFrance went into liquidation today./p

Rangers shares suspended from trading

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 2:50pm EST

pRangers have seen their shares suspended from trading on the stock exchange after submitting unaudited accounts./p

Celebrity-hunter turned photographer launches star-filled exhibition

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 2:44pm EST

pA man whose childhood obsession with celebrities turned into a life-long photography project, taking him all over the world, will have excerpts from his collection of over 1000 celebrity snapshots displayed in a gallery this week in an exhibition curated by the Magnum photographer Martin Parr./p

Tim Bresnan ruled out of series with Pakistan due to elbow injury

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 2:43pm EST

pEngland seamer Tim Bresnan has been ruled out of the forthcoming series against Pakistan with injury./p

Alshaya poised for La Senza deal

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 2:33pm EST

pAn Arabian retail group is poised to buy part of high street lingerie chain La Senza, its owner said today./p

Travelodge to create 1,000 new jobs

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 2:24pm EST

pBudget hotel chain Travelodge is to create 1,000 new jobs at 41 new hotels across the UK this year./p

Antony Worrall Thompson 'sorry' for shoplifting

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 2:21pm EST

pCelebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson apologised today for his "stupid and irresponsible actions" after he was arrested for shoplifting cheese and wine at a supermarket./p

Antony Worrall Thompson cautioned over shoplifting

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 2:21pm EST

pCelebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson has been arrested for shoplifting cheese and wine at a supermarket, police said today./p

Sailing pair selected for GB Olympic squad

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 2:12pm EST

pA silver medal at their world championship in Fremantle last month has secured the Olympic berth in Weymouth this year for Luke Patience and Stuart Bithell in the 470 dinghy. It also made Patience the first Scotsman to be selected for Britain’s Olympic squad./p

Sarkozy and Merkel 'aiming for growth'

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 1:53pm EST

pFrance and Germany have said boosting economic growth across Europe was a priority in their efforts to stem the debt crisis that is showing signs of spreading across the 17 euro currency countries./p

Heather Watson knocked out in Hobart International first round

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 1:51pm EST

pBritish teenager Heather Watson was knocked out of the Moorilla Hobart International in the first round today by Bulgaria's Tsvetana Pironkova. /p

Snooker: China to stage the World Open

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 1:44pm EST

pThe World Open will be held in the Chinese city of Haikou for the next five years, World Snooker has announced. /p

Iran sentences ex-US marine Amir Mirzaei Hekmati to death

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 1:40pm EST

pAn American has been sentenced to death by an Iranian court which convicted him of being a CIA spy, adding to the growing tension between the countries./p

Lloyds boss Antonio Horta-Osorio returns after absence

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 1:28pm EST

pLloyds Banking Group boss Antonio Horta-Osorio was back at his desk today after a leave of absence due to serious sleeping problems./p

Nigerians strike over fuel hike

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 1:09pm EST

pNormally bustling streets were empty as trade unions began a paralysing national strike in oil-rich Nigeria today, angered by soaring fuel prices and decades of government corruption./p

Permalink for '_______Education_/2012/01/09/Malaysia_s_opposition_leader%c2%a0Anwar%c2%a0Ibrahim_cleared_of_sex_charge'

Malaysia's opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim cleared of sex charge

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 1:04pm EST

pMalaysia's opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was acquitted by the country's High Court today of a sex offence against a former aide, citing unreliable DNA evidence./p

Remand prisoner dies in cell

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:44pm EST

pA prisoner has died after being found hanging in his cell./p

Report highlights 'knock-on costs' of legal aid cuts

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:43pm EST

pThe Government's planned cuts to legal aid in clinical negligence cases could cost the NHS almost three times more than is saved by the Ministry of Justice, a report said today./p

50 per cent off family tickets to Apassionata

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:42pm EST

pReturning to The O2 for the second year running, witness an enchanting story showcasing the magical connection between humans and horses./p

Uncertainly 'harming Scotland's economy'

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:29pm EST

pUncertainty about Scotland's future in the United Kingdom is having a damaging effect on its economy, David Cameron has warned./p

Uncertainty 'harming Scotland's economy'

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:29pm EST

pUncertainty about Scotland's future in the United Kingdom is having a damaging effect on its economy, David Cameron has warned./p

Dominic Mohan appears at Leveson Inquiry

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:25pm EST

pDominic Mohan, the current editor of The Sun, told the Leveson Inquiry today that the paper could be a "powerful force for good" through its campaigns, support for charities and efforts to explain complicated stories in a clear way./p

'Transform' refuse to offer women implant replacements

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:17pm EST

pA leading cosmetic surgery firm is refusing to offer women with PIP breast implants free removal and replacement./p

Milly Dowler review 'won't halt inquiry'

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:13pm EST

pLord Justice Leveson insisted today that his inquiry into press standards will continue whatever the outcome of inquiries into how Milly Dowler's voicemails came to be deleted./p

Wayne Rooney rejects Roberto Mancini red card claim

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:10pm EST

pManchester United striker Wayne Rooney has dismissed Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini's claim that he influenced the sending off of Vincent Kompany yesterday./p

England made to work for victory in UAE

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:05pm EST

pEngland kept their cool to complete an awkward run chase and prevail by three wickets against an ICC Combined XI in the first warm-up match of their tour of the United Arab Emirates. /p

Resolution!, The Place, London

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:04pm EST

pThe Place’s Resolution! season is older than many of the artists appearing in it./p

Twelfth Night, New Diorama, London

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:03pm EST

pFaction Theatre's account of Twelfth Night is terrifically fresh in its stripped-back - not to say, at one point, half-naked - inventiveness. /p

Novak Djokovic and Caroline Wozniacki lead Australian Open seeds

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:03pm EST

pThe seedings for this month's Australian Open have been released, with Novak Djokovic and Caroline Wozniacki receiving top billing./p

Florestan Trio, Wigmore Hall

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:02pm EST

pIn 2004 Susan Tomes published a memoir entitled ‘Beyond the Notes’./p

Christian Blackshaw, Wigmore Hall

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 12:00pm EST

pHorses for courses: the question of which keyboard instruments suit which composers’ music is as pertinent now as it was when the harpsichord and fortepiano were competing for dominance in the 18 century. /p

Arsenal and Manchester United 'target' Mario Gotze happy to stay in Germany

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:49am EST

pGermany midfielder Mario Gotze can see himself extending his contract at Borussia Dortmund beyond 2014./p

Liverpool apologise to Tom Adeyemi following abuse at Anfield

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:45am EST

pLiverpool last night issued an apology to Oldham defender Tom Adeyemi, who claims he was racially abused by a Reds supporter during Friday night's FA Cup tie between the sides./p

Tottenham hit with Ledley King injury news

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:40am EST

pTottenham's injury worries deepened ahead of Wednesday's crucial game against Everton with the news that Ledley King is facing yet another spell on the sidelines due to a suspected hamstring tear./p

Roberto Martinez takes positives from Wigan's FA Cup exit

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:38am EST

pWigan manager Roberto Martinez was keen to take the positives from Saturday despite his side being on the wrong end of the biggest FA Cup upset of the day./p

Ministers 'dithering' over HS2 rail project

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:36am EST

pMinisters have been “dithering” over the the HS2 high-speed rail project, the former transport secretary who first announced the scheme said today./p

Nicky Butt hails Alex Ferguson decision to re-sign Paul Scholes

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:31am EST

pNicky Butt believes Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson pulled off a psychological masterstroke by confirming Paul Scholes was coming out of retirement just before yesterday's Manchester derby./p

Swansea defender Neil Taylor plays down Arsenal speculation

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:29am EST

pSwansea defender Neil Taylor has dismissed speculation linking him with a move to Arsenal during the transfer window./p

Politicians should be wary of the dangers of Twitter

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:18am EST

pI would like to start the second week of the new year with a challenge. Can anyone find me a sentient human being, a person of sound mind and body, of any race, colour or creed, someone who's capable of making an argument using a sentence of more than 140 characters, who truly feels offended, insulted or threatened by Diane Abbott's "racist" tweet?/p

Arsenal: Potential January transfer targets

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pArsenal have already been active this month as club icon Thierry Henry has returned to provide cover for Africa Cup of Nations bound duo Gervinho and Marouane Chamakh in a loan move from New York Red Bulls./p

Steve Bunce: How the Hatman ended up ringside for Khan fight

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe man in the hat at ringside last month when Amir Khan lost his two world titles to Lamont Peterson in Washington DC is no longer a mystery but he remains a disturbing, enigmatic figure, whose presence has still not been fully explained./p

Sam Wallace: Impoverished hosts don't need the wonga cup

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThree years before it was selected as a co-host for this year's African Cup of Nations, Equatorial Guinea was the prospective scene of the "Wonga Coup", the laughably inept attempt by a gang of mercenaries, including ex-SAS man Simon Mann, to seize control, install a new president and get rich. They got as far as Zimbabwe, were arrested and extradited, and Mann spent two years in the infamous Black Beach prison./p

Di Canio's passion fires Swindon to unlikely berth in fourth round

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pPaolo Di Canio won just as many friends as enemies in a playing career full of contradictions. Anyone at the County Ground who saw him mastermind taking the FA Cup scalp of Wigan will see he remains that animated human firecracker ever ready to explode. Management has yet to mellow the 43-year-old. But perhaps there is more than meets the eye with the mercurial Italian./p

James Lawton: It will take more than sporadic brilliance to save relationship with boss

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pNo one ever said that Wayne Rooney was likely to leave Manchester United any time soon because he is no longer a magnificently gifted football player./p

RBS chief prepares for huge bonus as Cameron vows to curb excessive pay

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe chief executive of the state-owned Royal Bank of Scotland is set to pocket another multimillion-pound bonus in an award which will open David Cameron to charges of hypocrisy after he vowed to go on the offensive against excessive executive pay./p

Hughes favourite for QPR job after draw earns Warnock sack

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pBy Glenn Moore/p

French ferry firm floundering amid allegations of fraud and political meddling

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pBarring the unforeseen, there will be a shipwreck in the English Channel today. The Sealink ferry empire, which once dominated cross-Channel travel, will slide below the waves amid allegations of fraud, union bloody-mindedness and threats of violence./p

Maldives or Vienna? You're better off in Birmingham, says New York Times

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pHow do you fancy strolling around Vienna, sunning yourself in the Maldives or taking a rocket trip into space? You'd be better off visiting a curry house in Birmingham, according to The New York Times, which has named Britain's second city as one of its top 20 holiday destinations thanks to its dining scene./p

Ian Burrell: Is Murdoch's Twitter conversion just a flight of old-age fancy?

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pWhen Rupert Murdoch radically changed his Twitter photograph last week it was a signal of how seriously he was taking his social networking. Gone was the amateur shot that appeared to have been taken on his phone, showing him craggy-faced, chewing his lip and wearing a sweater. In its place was a professional portrait of a switched-on businessman in a shirt and tie./p

Mandela missing as disunity marks ANC's centenary party

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe African National Congress stumbled into its second century yesterday with little rejoicing, amid a clampdown on speeches and after international dignitaries stayed away from a chaotic series of commemorative events./p

HMRC checks the bill at tax-cheat fast-food outlets

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe food might not be up to much but at least they know how to cook the books. But Britain's fast-food restaurants have been put on notice: the taxman is after them./p

Permalink for '_______Education_/2012/01/09/The_Big_Society_is_here_at_last_%e2%80%93_as_a_musical'

The Big Society is here at last – as a musical

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pYou have heard the soundbite and listened to the speech – now enjoy the musical parody. For anyone still grappling with David Cameron's notion of the big society, help is at hand./p

Fancy a well-paid City job? Sorry, there aren't any

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pOut-of-work bankers trying to get back in the game or young graduates hoping for a start in finance are facing a harsh reality: hardly any new jobs are being created in the City. Only 1,490 jobs became available in December, nearly half the number that were created a year ago./p

Cameron digs in over French Tobin tax plan

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pTo some, it is the solution to many of the world's financial woes, raising billions from the financiers seen as responsible for the crises. /p

Mary Ann Sieghart: With role models like these, we are our own worst enemies

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pAcute little naked baby is grinning at the camera. "Is this the happiest she'll ever be about her appearance?" asks the slogan on the billboard. The ad was for a campaign last year to save future generations of women and girls from hating their bodies. For the explosion in cosmetic surgery – and the explosion of breast implants inside women's bodies – is just a symptom of a corrosive unhappiness that begins only a few years after birth./p

Chinese super-rich drive Rolls-Royce to record sales

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pA record number of Rolls-Royces were sold in the UK, China, the US and worldwide last year, the latest indicator that the super-rich remain insulated from global economic strife. /p

Stephen Glover: A late-night drink or two is vital for democracy

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pWhen she was parliamentary commissioner more than a decade ago, Elizabeth Filkin was a heroine of mine. So rigorous was she in her investigations of MPs, that she was apparently pushed out. She exhibited Cromwellian zeal. That zeal, so apt when she was pursuing politicians such as Keith Vaz and John Reid, has served her much less well in her report on relations between the media and police./p

The children finding peace in the beauty of music in war-torn Gaza

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pIt's late afternoon and in a room darkening due to an all-too-familiar power cut, Shaden Shabwan, 10, plays a Czech folk tune on a Yamaha piano as her teacher wills her to avoid mistakes./p

Simon Kelner: Politicians should be wary of the dangers of Twitter

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pIwould like to start the second week of the new year with a challenge. Can anyone find me a sentient human being, a person of sound mind and body, of any race, colour or creed, someone who's capable of making an argument using a sentence of more than 140 characters, who truly feels offended, insulted or threatened by Diane Abbott's "racist" tweet? /p

Permalink for '_______Education_/2012/01/09/_Love_rat_of_the_year__%e2%80%93_who_became_scourge_of_adulterers'

'Love rat of the year' – who became scourge of adulterers

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pJohn Hemming is definitely a cat man. At one time he lived with 16 of them, although today there are only two: Patch, a scratchy kitten, and Twinkle, brother of the infamous Beauty, missing since the MP's estranged wife was caught on camera stealing the creature from the house Hemming shares with his girlfriend./p

David Thomas: Why the Americans are right to have fallen in love with Birmingham

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe New York Times has just published its list of "The 45 Places to Go in 2012". London is fourth on the list, thanks to the 2012 Olympics and Diamond Jubilee. But 19th on the list is another English city: Birmingham. Let me repeat that... Birmingham. Hard to believe, isn't it? Birmingham is more likely to appear on a list of "The 45 Places to Avoid at All Costs" in any British publication. It's not just that it can't compete with the capital: it can't compete with other provincial cities. Manchester and Liverpool are the epitomes of tough, rainy northern cool. Newcastle is a Geordie kingdom. But poor old Birmingham – even its Brummie accent is an object of derision./p

Tottenham sees its own drama on stage

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pIf the people can't – or won't – go to the theatre, the theatres will take their shows to them. Such is the case of the Tricycle's latest verbatim play, The Riots, which is going to Tottenham, where last summer's disturbances began. Here, in stark contrast to the audiences at the Tricycle's Kilburn venue, the audience at Tottenham's Bernie Grant Arts Centre (BGAC) is the very community the play depicts./p

Crazy spirit of the age

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pIf you want to escape the blustery winds of winter or thoughts of recession, you could do a lot worse than to take yourself to Leeds to see the new Henry Moore Institute exhibition of British sculpture from the 1960s and 1970s. It is fun, often witty and nearly always refreshing. It is everything, in fact, that the much-criticised Royal Academy show of modern British sculpture last year should have been but wasn't./p

Rebecca Armstrong: January blues replaced by retail rage

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 10:35am EST

pAfter the enforced shopping marathon that was last month, I now seem unable to venture into anywhere that sells anything without becoming enraged./p

Britain 'on track' to secure lasting 2012 legacy says PM

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 9:34am EST

pDavid Cameron today hailed the London 2012 legacy as ministers gathered at the Olympic Park 200 days before the Games' opening ceremony./p

HMV upbeat despite Christmas sales slump

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 9:30am EST

pEntertainment group HMV insisted today that it still has a future - despite reporting a further drop in sales in the run-up to Christmas./p

Morrisons reports Christmas run-up sales slowdown

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 9:28am EST

pMorrisons has reported a slowdown in sales in the run-up to Christmas, underlining the fierce competition in the supermarket sector over the crucial period. /p

Gunman kills US soldier on Afghan army base

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 8:20am EST

pA man in an Afghan uniform opened fire on a group of Americans at a base in the south of the country, killing a US soldier and wounding another./p

Drinkers should have two alcohol-free days a week

Posted: January 9th, 2012, 8:18am EST

pDrinkers should give themselves two alcohol-free days a week, a committee of MPs said today./p

The News Matrix: Monday 9 January 2012

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 2:31am EST

pstrongPM apologises over Tourette's comment/strong/p

The Business Matrix: Monday 9 January 2012

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 2:11am EST

pstrongPanmure seeks sale to Cenkos/strong/p

i Editor's Letter: New i advertisement

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:18am EST

p /p

Permalink for '_______Education_/2012/01/08/Beyonc%c3%a9_s_bundle_of_Blue_Ivy'

Beyoncé's bundle of Blue Ivy

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pShe may weigh only a few pounds but Blue Ivy Carter, born this weekend to Beyoncé Knowles, is shaping up to seize Suri Cruise's crown as the most-followed celebrity child./p

American Football: Brees blows flying Saints to a ninth straight win

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDrew Brees was at his imperious best on Saturday night as he threw three touchdown passes to lead his New Orleans Saints to a 45-28 victory over the Detroit Lions in the NFL wild-card match which sets up a meeting with the San Francisco 49ers next weekend./p

Hughes favourite for QPR after Warnock's sacking

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNeil Warnock was unexpectedly fired last night as manager of Queen's Park Rangers. Owner Tony Fernandes, who only bought the club in August, sacked Warnock a day after watching Rangers snatch a late draw at the League One side MK Dons in the FA Cup third round./p

Race against clock to fix vital transport artery for Olympics

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLondon faces a race against time to repair a crucial flyover which will carry traffic into the capital for this summer's Olympics, according to one of Britain's leading structural engineers./p

Hay delighted with notable scalps as Kiprop starts well

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pJonny Hay will be back at his studies as a first-year chemistry undergraduate at Birmingham University this morning. The 19-year-old will still be trying to work out the equation of how he managed to finish on the second step of the podium on Saturday in a race at the start of London Olympic year featuring three gold medal winners and one silver medallist from the 2008 Games./p

Cooke to decide on role at Doncaster

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFormer Hull and Hull KR favourite Paul Cooke will today tell Doncaster if he wants to join them in a joint role as player and community development officer./p

Dominic Prince: The horse lover's view: this film is a dead cert

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWar Horse is surely set to become one of Steven Spielberg's most popular films in history. The director has played to his strengths with a great action feature, but the power in the story will lie in the relationship between man and horse, a bond that has endured for centuries./p

A riots drama that goes back to the scene of the crime

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIf the people can't – or won't – go to the theatre, some theatres are taking their shows to the people, in the case of the Tricycle's latest verbatim play, The Riots, to Tottenham, where last year's riots began./p

MPs divided over calling on Brooks to clarify Clifford payout evidence

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA meeting between members of the parliamentary inquiry investigating phone hacking at Rupert Murdoch's News International will take place this week amid mounting tensions over its future direction./p

Oosthuizen edges out compatriot Van der Walt to win Africa Open

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe defending champion, Louis Oosthuizen, won the Africa Open yesterday, finishing two shots ahead of his fellow South African Tjaart van der Walt in East London./p

Murray and Lendl off to Melbourne on a high

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFor the third Grand Slam tournament in succession, Andy Murray heads for Melbourne next week as the man in form. Just as he went into Wimbledon and the US Open last year on the back of tournament victories, so the 24-year-old Scot will start the Australian Open with renewed confidence after winning his final warm-up event, thanks to a 6-1, 6-3 victory yesterday over the Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov in the Brisbane International./p

Something From The Weekend: Murray's year to shine? Rovers struggle to cope; Crazy Di Canio

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pbThe Good: Murray's year to shine?/b/p

Iran ratchets up tension with nuclear boast

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIran has already begun enriching uranium at a new underground site heavily protected from possible air strikes, according to a newspaper identified with the country's clerical leadership. /p

Leading article: At 100, the ANC has lost its way

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNelson Mandela was the African National Congress's first "volunteer in chief". The 27 years he spent incarcerated in prisons stand as an emblem to our human capacity for self-sacrifice in the pursuit of fairness and equality. Mandela's gift to the South African people was to allow the nation to become the "beacon of hope" that David Cameron described in his congratulatory message to the ANC on its 100th anniversary yesterday. /p

The crazy spirit of the age

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIf you want to escape the blustery winds of winter or thoughts of recession, you could do a lot worse than to take yourself to Leeds to see the new Henry Moore Institute exhibition of British sculpture from the 1960s and 1970s./p

Australian bosses face questions over bulging injury list

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAustralia's embattled cricket board has defended its player management practices from withering criticism, following a raft of injuries that have gutted the team's bowling unit. /p

'Knives are out' as Tait ponders Falcons future

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Newcastle head coach, Alan Tait, will mull over his future with the club over the next few days after the Falcons went down 16-10 at home to Exeter to remain firmly rooted at the bottom of the Premiership table./p

Cameron apologises for Tourette's jibe

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDavid Cameron said he was "very sorry" if he offended anyone by describing Commons heckling by Ed Balls like "having someone with Tourette's sitting opposite you"./p

Boxing: How Hatman ended up ringside for Khan fight

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe man in the hat at ringside last month when Amir Khan lost his two world titles to Lamont Peterson in Washington DC is no longer a mystery but he remains a disturbing, enigmatic figure, whose presence has still not been fully explained./p

Ian Burrell: If Rupert Murdoch's on Twitter, then what's the point of his online paywall?

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhen Rupert Murdoch radically changed his Twitter photograph last week it was a signal of how seriously he was taking his new experiment on the social networking platform. Gone was the amateur shot that appeared to have been taken on his phone, showing him craggy faced, chewing his lip and wearing a sweater. In its place was a professionally taken portrait of a switched-on businessman in a shirt and tie./p

Stephen Glover: A spot of late-night carousing between police and press is vital for democracy

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhen she was parliamentary commissioner more than a decade ago, Elizabeth Filkin was a heroine of mine. So rigorous was she in her investigations of MPs, that she was apparently pushed out. She exhibited Cromwellian zeal. That zeal, so apt when she was pursuing politicians such as Keith Vaz and John Reid, has served her much less well in her report on relations between the media and police./p

Handball: British men's world qualifying campaign ends with heavy loss

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pGreat Britain's men finished their world championship qualification campaign with a heavy 40-24 defeat by Austria./p

Britain rules the Channel waves as French ferry firm is sunk by allegations of fraud

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBarring the unforeseen, there will be a shipwreck in the English Channel today./p

TV news anchor joins the political fray

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOne of Israel's most popular television personalities quit the news business yesterday to start his own political party, a move that could shake up the Israeli political system by energising opposition to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu./p

Leading article: No strings attached to this War Horse

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSteven Spielberg's interest in the sentimental is well documented. The man could buy the rights to a trigonometry text book and find a way to wring a tear from its pages on the silver screen. /p

Reports of Downing arrest add to Liverpool's troubles

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe England midfielder Stewart Downing has reportedly been arrested on suspicion of assault. Reports yesterday said the Liverpool player was arrested after allegedly hitting his ex-girlfriend in a nightclub fight. When asked about the story, Cleveland Police would say only that "a 27-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of assault". Downing is 27./p

Hassan has lucky escape after collision with fence

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPicket fences at cricket grounds have much to answer for in these days of the committed fielder. /p

Twelvetrees impresses in No 10 role

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Leicester head coach, Richard Cockerill, heaped praise on Billy Twelvetrees after the stand-in fly-half scored all his team's points in a 29-11 win over Wasps at Welford Road. Twelvetrees scored two tries, which he converted, and five penalties as Tigers overcame a slow start to overwhelm a doughty Wasps side./p

John Hemming: Self-styled 'love rat of the year' who became scourge of adulterers

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pJohn Hemming is definitely a cat man. At one time he lived with 16 of them, although today there are only two: Patch, a scratchy kitten, and Twinkle, brother of the infamous Beauty, missing since the MP's estranged wife was caught on camera stealing the creature from the house Hemming shares with his girlfriend./p

Mancini accuses Rooney of getting Kompany sent off

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Manchester City manager, Roberto Mancini, last night accused Wayne Rooney of attempting to influence referee Chris Foy's decision to dismiss City's captain, Vincent Kompany – the pivotal moment as Manchester United knocked out the FA Cup holders and progressed to a potentially inflammatory fourth-round encounter at Liverpool./p

Arab League hits out at Syrian violence

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Arab League repeated its call for the Syrian government to stop all violence and allow more monitors into the country, as activists said at least 10 civilians, including two teenagers, had been killed by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad./p

David Thomas: Birmingham's a great place for romance

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe New York Times has just published its list of "The 45 Places to Go in 2012". London comes fourth on the list, thanks to the Olympics and the Diamond Jubilee. But at 19th on the list comes another English city: Birmingham. Let me repeat that... Birmingham. Hard to believe, isn't it? Birmingham is more likely to appear on a list of "The 45 Places to Avoid at All Costs" in any British publication. It's not just that it can't compete with the capital: it can't compete with other provincial cities, either. Manchester and Liverpool are the epitomes of tough, rainy northern cool. Newcastle is an entire Geordie kingdom unto itself. But poor old Birmingham – even its Brummie accent is an object of derision./p

Security fears as hackers target military chiefs

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHackers have posted the email addresses and encrypted passwords of thousands of British defence, intelligence, police officials and politicians on the internet./p

Robin Scott-Elliot: Don't mention the fixing or the absentees

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAndrew Strauss has entered the lair of the toothless tiger. Next week England will play their first Test since becoming the best in the world according to the official rankings. Their opponents are Pakistan, the venue the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, which stands not far from the offices of the International Cricket Council, the organisers of those rankings and the target of the England captain's considered reproach./p

Armitage ponders move after Irish squeak home

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA tenacious battle between two clubs bubbling just under the Premiership's play-off places ended with recriminations against the referee and intrigue over the future of London Irish's England full-back, Delon Armitage./p

What the Sunday Papers said...

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pbThe Independent on Sunday: Business leaders expect economy to worsen/b/p

Worst draw for FA as Liverpool land United

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLiverpool's determination to seek peace talks with Manchester United strengthened last night after the clubs were paired in an FA Cup fourth round draw which also pitted QPR against Chelsea – the match-up which embroiled England captain John Terry in his own racism row with Anton Ferdinand./p

Las Vegas casino tycoon gambles $5m on backing for Newt Gingrich

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNewt Gingrich, who is fighting to slow the momentum of Mitt Romney towards securing the Republican presidential nomination, received a big boost at the weekend as a Las Vegas casino tycoon pledged $5m (£3.2m) towards an independent group that is supporting his run./p

Mary Ann Sieghart: What women see in the mirror is self-hatred

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA cute little naked baby is grinning at the camera. "Is this the happiest she'll ever be about her appearance?" asks the slogan on the billboard. The ad was for a campaign last year to save future generations of women and girls from hating their bodies. For the explosion in cosmetic surgery – and explosion of breast implants inside women's bodies – is just a symptom of a corrosive unhappiness that begins only a few years after birth./p

Body found on Queen's estate is missing 17-year-old

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA young woman found murdered on the Queen's Sandringham estate had been missing for four months./p

Worcester need to keep young talents, says Goode

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhen the dust had settled on Andy Goode's try direct from a scrum inside the Gloucester 22, and Marcel Garvey's thrilling run-in from his own 22, the Worcester hierarchy attempted to make sense of the Catch-22 afflicting a club in its first season back in the Premiership. "We need to get our recruitment right," Goode proclaimed. "I think the whole backline who started, barring [fly-half] Joe [Carlisle] are out of contract for next season and hopefully the club can re-sign as many as possible."/p

Fancy a well-paid City job? Bad luck, there are none

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOut-of-work bankers trying to get back in the game or young graduates hoping for a start in finance are facing a harsh reality: hardly any new jobs are being created in the City./p

'Let's cut the pious baloney': rivals rain rage on Romney

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Mitt Romney flying machine at last took some flak last night in the final debate in the Republican presidential race before tomorrow's key primary election in New Hampshire. His rivals, chafing to bring him down, branded him "timid", "pious" and dishonest in how he had conducted his campaign./p

Ready To Wear: Is this brand protection or control freakery?

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNew year; new fashion spat. And it's a big one. /p

Yasmin Alibhai-Brown: We will repeat the past if we don't remember it

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pI think Diane Abbott was wrong to malign all white people. They can't be blamed for all the bad things that happen to black folk or for our own bad behaviour. I wish though, that fire and fury hadn't burnt away the debates we could have had after her misguided tweet. Divide and rule was indeed the unofficial policy of the European empire, and the British were masters of that strategy. Post-colonial leaders learnt and used the same tactics. The gruesome Rwandan genocide happened because Belgian colonialists had institutionalised and encouraged tribal rivalries and Hutu leaders exploited the divisions. /p

Hail Kim, genius of all military geniuses

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe country's new leader, Kim Jong-un, was hailed as a "genius of geniuses in military knowledge" in a documentary released to mark his birthday. /p

London 2012 chief calls on public to wake up and seize the Games

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBusinesses and the public must wake up to the "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" afforded by hosting the Olympics, the head of London's 2012 organising committee says./p

Hospital deaths suspect released on police bail

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA 46-year-old male nurse suspected of murdering three hospital patients was released on police bail last night./p

Cooking the books: Fast food faces taxman probe

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe food might not be up to much but at least they know how to cook the books. But Britain's fast-food restaurants have been put on notice: the taxman is after them./p

Borthwick benefits as Bath curse their luck

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEnd of season play-offs being what they are – that is to say, a continuing assault on the integrity of a 22-match league campaign, designed partly to satisfy those clubs who victimise themselves by developing good young players to international standard but largely to give sponsors and broadcasters a high-profile grand final "event" in front of 82,000 supporters at Twickenham – it does not much matter that teams from either side of the river Thames are fighting between themselves for top spot in the Aviva Premiership. Come late spring, the destination of the title could have a lot more to do with the East Midlands than it does with the capital./p

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I owe it all to my father – Hawking marks milestone of 70th birthday

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHe was there in spirit, but sadly not in person. Stephen Hawking missed his own 70th birthday party yesterday at Cambridge University on doctor's advice – he was recovering at home from an infection that had put him in hospital for a few days last week./p

Ex-footballer 'worked for kidnappers'

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe former Mexican international goalkeeper Omar Ortiz has been arrested on suspicion of working for a gang of kidnappers./p

The Fashion Audit: Net-a-porter, dung bags, the new Aesop and David Beckham

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstronguWe love: The net-a-porter sale/u/strong/ppThe Audit is a devoted fan of online luxury boutique net-a-porter.com, and never more so than when the word sale is thrown into the mix. With new reductions and added items there's a treasure trove of bargains to snap up./ppemnet-a-porter.com/em/p

Businesses tell the PM he's wrong about 'fat cat' pay

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDavid Cameron faced a backlash from business leaders last night after he promised to give shareholders new powers to veto lavish payouts to failed executives./p

Scion of Gandhis takes on the Dalit Queen in battle for India's biggest state

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAcross Uttar Pradesh a fierce battle is under way for the domination of India's largest and most politically important state./p

Cyclists plan blockade of deadly junction

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pProtesters plan to block one of London's busiest junctions today to highlight their anger at a 60 per cent rise in cycling deaths in the capital in two years./p

RBS chief in line to pick up more bonus millions

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe chief executive of Royal Bank of Scotland is set to pocket another multimillion-pound bonus for a year's work that has seen the share price more than halve./p

President's cancer diagnosis wrong

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSupporters celebrate at the news that Argentinian President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner did not have cancer despite being diagnosed with the disease. /p

O'Neill's impact obvious as Sunderland shine

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMartin O'Neill's transformation of Sunderland's fortunes will face far stronger tests than that provided by Peterborough United, but the calmness, efficiency and confidence with which the Black Cats progressed into the fourth round of the FA Cup spoke volumes./p

Scots offered vote on breakaway next year

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDavid Cameron is to take the high-risk gamble of offering to hold a referendum on Scottish independence next year. He aims to call Alex Salmond's bluff by challenging him to stage a vote on Scotland's place in the UK within 18 months. /p

Tibetans set fire to themselves in China

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA former Tibetan monk has died and another is seriously injured after setting themselves on fire in south-west China. /p

Spring comes early this year

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe first signs of spring are emerging weeks early in the countryside and in gardens as a result of the mild winter, experts said yesterday./p

The Weekend's Viewing: New Girl, Fri, Ch4 Stella, Fri, Sky1 Borgen, Sat, BBC4

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNew Girl, Channel 4's big new buy-in, is one of those programmes that should ideally be preceded by an allergy test./p

Retail insolvencies soar 25 per cent as the slowdown bites

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRetail administrations soared by more than a quarter in the final three months of last year, laying bare how the brutal consumer slowdown is hitting the high street's weakest players, according to a survey by Deloitte. /p

Stamp tribute to the fantastic Mr Dahl

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA set of Royal Mail stamps celebrating the stories of Roald Dahl goes on sale at Post Offices from tomorrow. The stamps feature some of Dahl's greatest works, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Twits. PA/p

US expels Venezuelan envoy

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Obama administration is expelling Venezuela's consul-general in Miami over claims she discussed possible cyber-attacks on US soil while at her country's embassy in Mexico. /p

Di Canio's passion stirs up Swindon

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPaolo Di Canio won just as many friends as enemies in a playing career full of contradictions. It appears the boom-or-bust managerial appointment of Di Canio, albeit with upwardly-mobile League Two club Swindon Town, is moving along a similar path./p

First night: War Horse, Odeon Leicester Square, London

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe work comes to our screens having lost its main star from the stage. The wooden puppet that wowed theatre audiences has been abandoned as Steven Spielberg adds realism but loses some of the magic in his adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's novel./p

Disunity marks ANC centenary celebrations

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe African National Congress stumbled into its second century yesterday with little rejoicing, amid a clampdown on speeches and after international dignitaries stayed away from a chaotic series of commemorative events./p

Bad news Britain: We are as depressed as the Mexicans about our finances

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBritons are in a slough of despond over their personal finances, with only one in four rating their current financial situation as strong, according to a poll./p

Simon English: We need a bold move on pay, not just tough talking

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThere's been a clampdown on runaway executive pay coming any day since at least 1980. It is not obvious that David Cameron's moves finally to get some action will be any more successful./p

Mullins and Meade add to Ireland's March quest

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEven in its quieter reaches, the unfolding themes of the season grow steadily more apparent. What had looked one of its least instructive weekends ultimately reiterated not only that the best novice hurdlers in Britain appear to be divided between Nicky Henderson and Philip Hobbs, but also that the Irish may have still better ones./p

Four siblings die in Lancashire blaze

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFour siblings have been killed in a house fire after becoming trapped inside their home in Lancashire./p

Smartphone fear as China holds precious metals key

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe biggest threat to businesses isn't the eurozone crisis or the onset of a new credit crunch – it's the short supply of the precious metals needed to make everything from smartphones to plasma TVs to wind turbines./p

Watson stands alone for Britain

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHeather Watson was attempting last night to become the only British woman to win a main-draw match in the final week before the start of the Australian Open next Monday./p

Small Talk: Small firm, big bonuses and little explained

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIn an era of mounting concern about executive excess, it isn't only large companies that stand accused of overpaying their directors. Take Conygar, the Alternative Investment Market-listed property company, which a group of small shareholders complains is "a good example of how directors can exploit the opportunities implicit in the present system"./p

Invading cannibal ladybirds take over Britain's homes

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt started with the squirrels – Britain's native reds being ousted by their ruthless grey American cousins. Now another battle is unfolding, one which could be even more catastrophic for an iconic species. Ladybird wars have broken out in the UK – and this time humans are caught in the crossfire./p

Pardew: I've never seen a goal Arfa's good

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAlan Pardew hailed Hatem Ben Arfa's goal as "the greatest I have ever seen" after the midfielder's equaliser reinvigorated Newcastle to beat Blackburn 2-1 on Saturday./p

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Slump – what slump? Rolls sales rocket as super-rich drive in style

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA record number of Rolls-Royces was sold worldwide last year, the latest indicator that the super-rich remain insulated from global economic strife. /p

The Week Ahead: Sainsbury's likely to be festive season's winner

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhile it is the high street stores that have grabbed the attention concerning the problems facing the retail sector, the supermarkets are by no means escaping unscathed. Of the three Footsie names, the last to release figures was Tesco, and it was not good news. With shoppers cutting back on their spending, the UK's largest supermarket admitted that for the fourth quarter in a row its underlying sales had dropped, while industry figures have shown it is losing market share./p

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Blair's company paid just £315,000 tax on income of more than £12m

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhen you have already spent half a million pounds on rent, £300,000 on furniture and £2.3m paying your staff, an extra £8m on unexplained "administrative expenses" might seem to be stretching credulity, but that is what Tony Blair has told Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, which as a consequence has received a rather smaller cheque from the former Prime Minister than it might have expected./p

Rooney obscures United flaws in Mancunian epic

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThere will be plenty who hark back to yesterday's extraordinary events in east Manchester and burble on about the magic of the FA Cup but they are missing the point. This was about more than the FA Cup; this was about what has become the most compelling current rivalry in English football. This was a battle to the very end, when, with hands on one another's throats, the two great teams of Manchester had all but forgotten what competition they were playing in./p

I'll block Tobin tax on City, PM vows

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTo some, it is the solution to many of the world's financial woes, raising billions from the financiers seen as responsible for the crises in the first place./p

Wenger wants Cup, but only as a bonus

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAnother Arsenal FA Cup campaign begins tonight, at home against Leeds United, and while the supporters are desperate to reclaim the trophy they last won in 2005, it does not hold the same place in Arsène Wenger's priorities. The Arsenal manager is unambiguously clear: requalifying for the Champions League is his priority./p

Love it or loathe it, the cardigan is back

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstronguFor/u/strong/ppemRebecca Gonsalves/em/ppLast year may have been the year of the jumper after Sarah Lund's Faroese woolly pullie had everyone in the UK in raptures – whether they watched The Killing or not./p

New Yorkers beat a path to Birmingham (B1, not Alabama)

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHow do you fancy strolling around Vienna, sunning yourself in the Maldives or taking a rocket trip into space? You'd be better off visiting a curry house in Birmingham, according to The New York Times, which has named Britain's second city as one of its top 20 holiday destinations thanks to its dining scene./p

Tony Fell: Forward-thinking music publisher

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWe generally think we know the people who shape the musical world around us: the singers we like, the instrumentalists whose work we admire. /p

Leading article: Just talking about 'fat cat' pay is not enough

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFairness is said to be at the heart of the Coalition's economic recovery strategy. So it is only fair to acknowledge that David Cameron put his finger on the right issue when he proclaimed yesterday that things are unfair at the top. The growing disparity between the top 10 per cent and those at the bottom of British society makes a mockery of Chancellor George Osborne's suggestions that "we are all in this together"./p

Four goals flattered us, admits Di Matteo

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pChelsea progressed rather than impressed against Portsmouth last night, despite recording a 4-0 win to reach the FA Cup fourth round./p

Stephen King: Hard times... Prepare yourself for the worst, our debt is here to stay

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWe are not where we were supposed to be. The financial crisis led both to economic collapse and to an absence of healthy recovery thereafter. Levels of economic activity are much lower than expected. It's a struggle to make the budgetary arithmetic add up – whether for households or, increasingly nowadays, for governments. And we haven't yet come to terms with this new – and painful – economic reality./p

Sam Wallace: A poverty-stricken people don't need the wonga cup

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThree years before it was selected as a co-host for this year's African Cup of Nations, Equatorial Guinea was the prospective scene of the "Wonga Coup", the laughably inept attempt by a gang of mercenaries, including the ex-SAS man Simon Mann, to seize control, install a new president and get rich. They got as far as Zimbabwe, were arrested and extradited, and Mann spent two years in the infamous Black Beach prison./p

The Ten Best Men's footcare

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongu1. Reinventing the heel/u/strong/ppem£20, origins.co.uk/em/ppThis intense moisturising cream works wonders on even the most dry and cracked heels. It's simple, effective and luxurious./p

The Gaza Music School: A composition in defiance and harmony

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt is late afternoon and in a room darkening by the minute because of an all-too-familiar power cut, Shaden Shabwan, just 10 and a study in concentration, plays a Czech folk tune on an upright Yamaha piano as her teacher wills her to avoid mistakes. It is test day for piano students at the Gaza Music School, where Shaden is in her second year. Across the corridor, her classmate Abdel Aziz Sharek, also 10, is just as focused. Accompanied on ouds and tabla, he dexterously picks out a mesmerising classical longa on the qanun, the zither-like instrument that has been central to Arab music for a millennium or more. Abdel Aziz takes his regular studies as seriously as he evidently does the music. "I want to be a doctor," he explains. "But I will keep playing. I will be in a band at the same time."/p

Harry Fowler: Prolific screen actor known for his 'cheerful cockney' characters

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe archetypal "cheerful cockney" on screen, Harry Fowler was also the quintessential character actor./p

Will Hawkes: Upsets may be thin on ground but punditry can still be pretty shocking

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p"On third-round weekend," declared Matt Smith at the beginning of ITV's FA Cup round-up on Saturday evening, "the footballing stories come thick and fast." And if you thought that a slightly meaningless remark, a montage (people peering out of their bedroom windows into tiny non-league grounds, excited fans, mascots goofing about) quickly made it clear what he was driving at: the third round is all about upsets, about the little guys getting one over on the big boys. Except, of course, that it isn't./p

Megson gets second dividend from O'Grady deal

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt says something for the way Sheffield Wednesday have progressed that Gary Megson's most uncomfortable moment yesterday came when he was asked for an interview with the radio station that had announced his death in a road accident. Eventually he told Talksport, who had mistaken him for the late boxer Gary Mason, that given the history of Sheffield Wednesday he did not consider himself a giant-killer./p

Students fall victim to fake landlord scam in hunt for digs

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pStudents looking for digs have been warned about a scam in which they are fleeced before they see a property./p

Gym-class heroes

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe last verse of “Auld Lang Syne” has barely trailed off to an incomprehensible whimper and the bubbly in your glass still fizzes away, but already the pressure has begun to mount. New year, new you./p

Kiro Gligorov: President of Macedonia throughout the Nineties

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhile Yugoslavia was descending into chaos in the early 1990s, fate smiled upon its most obscure breakaway republic, the Republic of Macedonia./p

Matthew Norman on Monday: Cameron may be on to something with his Tourette's analogy

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIn the matter of Ed Balls and Tourette's, David Cameron clearly spoke without thinking. I refer not to his description of frontbench life as being "like having someone with Tourette's permanently sitting opposite you", but to yesterday's hurried apology. Exhaustive research, conducted over almost two minutes, suggests the PM may have been right. According to Luc de Nil, a speech defect academic at Toronto University, there may be a link between Tourette's and stammering of the sort Mr Balls eventually mastered, with possibly one in three sufferers also stuttering in childhood./p

Binge-drinking policy is too soft on drinks firms, says MPs' report

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Department of Health's strategy for promoting responsible drinking is flawed because it relies on the drinks industry to put public health before profit, MPs will say today./p

James Lawton: It will take more than sporadic brilliance to save this relationship

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNo one ever said that Wayne Rooney was likely to leave Manchester United any time soon because he is no longer a magnificently gifted football player./p

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The Big Society emerges at last – as a musical

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pYou've heard the soundbite, you've listened to the speech – now enjoy the musical parody. For anyone still grappling with David Cameron's notion of the Big Society, help is at hand. The Prime Minister's idea has been given the Good Old Days treatment and is due to be performed in Edwardian music hall-style./p

Only Cook delivers as planning goes awry

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAmong the outstanding aspects of England's stupendous rise has been meticulous planning. The "i" has not been written that has gone undotted, the "t" never imagined without a cross, the opponents' weaknesses in any conceivable position rarely calculated to fewer than three decimal places./p

Mancini given new reason to splash out

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe sound and the fury was beginning to abate and Roberto Mancini had just fielded his last question – from Gazzetta dello Sport, wanting to know about his transfer market plans – when he revealed a preoccupation undiminished by his side's fighting FA Cup recovery./p

Holloway leads a love-in at friendly Fylde derby

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFleetwood Town supporters, the self-proclaimed "Cod Army", were teased into submission by their Blackpool neighbours during this damp squib of a Fylde Coast derby. Fans of the Championship side joked that "You were all at Wembley" and "Half of you are tangerine" – making reference to the fact that football lovers on the Fylde Coast take a keen interest in both clubs./p

Letters: IT skills

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pChris Webster (letters, 4 January) mistakenly treats all IT employers as if they were homogenous. Many businesses have an IT department to support their digital infrastructure, but some of the UK's most dynamic companies, such as those in my own industry, video games, create digital technologies and valuable intellectual property. /p

Victim of trying to buy quality without cash

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe QPR chairman, Tony Fernandes, a keen user of new media, pleaded on Twitter last night for fans critical of his decision to fire Neil Warnock to "be patient" and to "give us time". These are not concepts he allowed his manager./p

Stoke can compete on three fronts, insists bullish Jerome

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLeague Two clubs cannot afford to be choosey about an FA Cup draw: any Premier League club at home is good but, if they could select their own opponent, few would choose Stoke City. Despite being the 2011 runners-up, Stoke are not glamorous enough to attract the financial windfall of live TV coverage but nor are they vulnerable to a giant-killing./p

Oil spill disaster threatens New Zealand as stranded container ship splits in two

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNew Zealand braced for a new oil spill last night after a storm broke up a cargo ship that has caused the country's worst maritime environmental disaster./p

Emergency landing after pilots fall sick

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA British Airways plane made an emergency landing at Heathrow after both pilots became "unwell" at the controls./p

World Rallying Championship in trouble after plug is pulled on promoter

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRallying's governing body was last night in urgent talks to try to secure the future of the World Championship after cancelling its contract with promoters North One Sport (NOS) just 10 days before the Monte Carlo season-opener. /p

Oil spill disaster threatens New Zealand

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNew Zealand braced for a new oil spill last night after a storm broke up a cargo ship that has caused the country's worst maritime environmental disaster./p

Hawking misses birthday event through ill-health

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 7:20pm EST

pRenowned physicist Stephen Hawking was not well enough to attend a conference in honor of his 70th birthday, a University of Cambridge official said Sunday./p

Last-gasp Wednesday winner defeats West Ham

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 7:14pm EST

pA brilliant performance from goalkeeper Nicky Weaver and an 88th-minute winner from Chris O'Grady helped npower League One Sheffield Wednesday dump Championship high-fliers West Ham out of the FA Cup at Hillsborough./p

Chelsea's flurry of late goals sink Portsmouth

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 7:11pm EST

pChelsea's flurry of late goals secured a comfortable FA Cup third-round victory against Portsmouth today./p

Sunderland's O'Neill renaissance continues with win

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 7:09pm EST

pSunderland's renaissance under Martin O'Neill continued at London Road where they eased past npower Championship side Peterborough to make it through to the fourth round of the FA Cup./p

United hang on to win lively Manchester derby

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 4:20pm EST

pWayne Rooney scored twice and Manchester United held off a dramatic fightback from 10-man Manchester City to win a pulsating FA Cup derby at the Etihad Stadium this afternoon./p

Iran 'enriches uranium at new site'

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 12:41pm EST

pIran has begun uranium enrichment at a new underground site protected from possible airstrikes, a leading hardline newspaper reported today. /p

Thousands gather for ANC celebration rally

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 12:37pm EST

pTens of thousands of chanting and dancing revelers in South Africa are waving the green and gold of the African National Congress as Africa's oldest liberation movement celebrates its 100th anniversary. /p

Police given more time to question male nurse

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 11:44am EST

pPolice were today given more time to question a 46-year-old male nurse suspected of murdering three hospital patients./p

Cameron vows to block EU transaction tax

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 11:41am EST

pBritain will veto any attempt to introduce an EU-wide financial transaction tax, Prime Minister David Cameron said today./p

Bank of England urged to expand quantitative easing

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 11:15am EST

pThe Bank of England was today urged not to waste time in issuing another dose of emergency medicine to help the ailing British economy. /p

Four die in bungalow blaze

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 11:10am EST

pA man and three children have died after a blaze in a bungalow, police said./p

Rivals attack Romney in New Hampshire debate

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 10:16am EST

pMitt Romney's rivals attacked the Republican presidential front-runner from the opening moments of a campaign debate, dismissing him as a mere business manager rather than a leader and a man whose investment company actually cost workers jobs. /p

Grounded cargo ship breaks up off the coast of New Zealand

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 10:12am EST

pA cargo ship grounded off the New Zealand coast since October has split in two, spilling sea containers and debris and sparking fears of a fresh oil spill, maritime officials said today. /p

Pensioners 'will work into 70s'

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 10:02am EST

pMany of tomorrow's pensioners will become self-employed consultants, online traders or run odd-job businesses to make ends meet in retirement, according to research./p

Travellers warned of attack plans in Nairobi

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 10:00am EST

pUK anti-terrorism police have been working with the Kenyan authorities following the arrest of a British national in the country, it has emerged./p

Pedestrian dies after police crash

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 9:56am EST

pA pedestrian has died after being struck by a police vehicle. /p

Pension fears 'put divorce on hold'

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 9:53am EST

pThousands of couples are putting divorce proceedings on hold because of uncertainty over public sector pensions sparked by the Government's controversial reforms, it was revealed today. /p

Andy Murray secures Brisbane title

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 9:52am EST

pTop seed Andy Murray secured his first title of 2012 in clinical fashion at the ATP Brisbane International with victory over Ukraine's Alexandr Dolgopolov. /p

Stephen Hawking a 'genius of Nobel Prize calibre'

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 9:40am EST

pStephen Hawking is a "genius of Nobel Prize calibre" who has done more to popularise physics than anybody else, Professor Brian Cox said. /p

Three arrested in LA police sting on arms smugglers

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThree Philippine nationals have been arrested for attempting to sell military-grade weapons, including grenade and mortar launchers, to undercover US police officers. /p

The Book of Books: The Radical Impact of the King James Bible 1611-2011, By Melvyn Bragg

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe translation of the Bible into the English vernacular was, Melvyn Bragg argues, a pivotal moment in history./p

How To Be Beautiful: Winter hair repair

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSo, one week in; how's detox-and-diet season going? Whether or not you've signed up for the annual asceticism championships, January is a mean month. In beauty terms, it's a time for retreating to the bathroom for some seasonal damage reparation – a reasonable way of killing a long, dark evening when more sociable activities are off the cards due to self-denial (whether your own or others')./p

Can do attitude: Too cold to go out shopping? Time to reach for the tins, says Bill Granger

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTin cans have been with us for just over 200 years – although at first you needed heavy-duty tools to open them because they were so thick. They remain one of the great ways to preserve food and it makes sense to turn to them in the depths of winter./p

A Clockwork Orange at 40

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe word has been bled dry, but few films have been so genuinely iconic as A Clockwork Orange. Its imagery was sufficiently powerful to take on a life of its own, even to eclipse the movie. I was too young to see it in 1972, but I read about it, read Anthony Burgess's novel, pored over the abundant stills. When I finally saw the film on its re-release in 1990, it was more like revisiting it (but I was disappointed to see how crudely sitcom-like much of the humour was)./p

The Insider: How to dry laundry indoors

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pI'm tumble-dryer-free (and amid such insane electricity prices, we're probably all tumbling less) and have no utility room nor large bathroom – which means a kitchen clogged with drying clothes. There must be a better way.../p

Matthew Bell: The IoS Diary (08/01/12)

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAlex Garland captured the zeitgeist with his first novel, The Beach, which became a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Now his stepbrother, Gabriel Roth, is poised to follow suit, having had his first novel snapped up by Little, Brown, with plans for publication on both sides of the Atlantic in 2013. While Alex is the son of the Telegraph's ex-political cartoonist, Nicholas Garland, by his first wife, Caroline, Gabriel is his stepson, after Garland senior, 76, married his mother, Priscilla Roth. And while Alex drew on his experiences of backpacking around Thailand for The Beach, Gabriel tells me that The Unknowns is "broadly, a coming-of-age novel", based on his time as a computer programmer in San Francisco. But he plays down the family connection: "I don't think there are any similarities," says Roth (who is unrelated to the US novelist Philip). "I enjoy and admire [Alex Garland]'s work very much. But there aren't many parallels."/p

Returning hero Pulis has last laugh

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTony Pulis could not have enjoyed a more satisfying return to Priestfield Stadium yesterday. Three goals in 16 minutes either side of the break gave Stoke City an ultimately smooth passage into the FA Cup fourth round, and Pulis himself received a hero's welcome from a full house./p

Forget networking. Get ready for sweatworking!

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pInto the glossary of business buzz phrases – "greed is good", "lunch is for wimps" and the ubiquitous "thinking outside the box" – have come some lean new contenders. Consider the horrors of a "spin-spin situation" or, worse, "earn while you burn". The new corporate lingo has been adopted by dealmakers of the future who prefer, literally, to sweat over the details of a contract./p

Benson sets off new Di Canio celebration

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThere was no celebratory touchline charge from Paolo Di Canio, but with arms held aloft as he punched the air, this time the colourful Swindon manager had every right to milk the applause./p

Conservatives rally behind Santorum

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBeyond the town-by-town, topsy-turvy of primary campaigning in New Hampshire this weekend, conservative Republicans nationally are agonising over whether they still have time to unite behind one of their own, to stop moderate Mitt Romney from bulldozing his way to the party's presidential nomination./p

Transfer window: Who's chasing who in the Premier League

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pbArsenal/b Aly Cissokho (Lyon) def; Neil Taylor (Swansea) def; Kieran Richardson (Sunderland) mf; Nick Powell (Crewe) fwd; Lukas Podolski (Cologne) fwd; Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Schalke) fwd; Moussa Sow (Lille) fwd; Matias Suarez (Anderlecht) fwd/p

Memory Wall, By Anthony Doerr

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p"You have to begin to lose your memory, if only in bits and pieces, to realize that memory is what makes our lives." Luis Buñuel's words make for a fitting epigraph to Anthony Doerr's brilliant collection of stories, which explores both the power and the fragility of memory./p

Outside Edge: Awesome oarsmen in deep trouble

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongEverybody's doing tests of endurance these days. Am I being left behind?/strong/p

Filling in the blancs: Indian wine is young, but maturing nicely

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pGrapefruit with a twist of lime – not bad. I took another sip of Sula Sauvignon Blanc and was almost certain of a discreet hint of mango too./p

Jim Broadbent: Dementia, even among the famous, shouldn't be a taboo

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pJim Broadbent is bemused. The controversy surrounding The Iron Lady, which opened last week and in which he plays Denis Thatcher, is simply beyond him. Meryl Streep's portrayal of Margaret Thatcher, stricken by dementia and caught in a world where her – deceased – husband is still her companion, has been criticised by David Cameron, who suggested a film biography should have been held back until after her death. The former foreign secretary Lord Hurd described it as "ghoulish"./p

DJ Taylor: All woes lead to the hapless Mr Lansley

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt was a notably bad week for the idea of a free society – "free society" being defined as a social organism minimally policed by the legislators whose controlling force is its citizens' sense of personal responsibility. To list only a few impediments to this lofty ideal, the Government discovered that it could not determine the full extent of the breast implant scandal because no one in this "Wild West" industry has kept a record of the ruptures. Simultaneously, its efforts to fling back the oncoming tide of obesity by enlisting the help of celebrity chefs to "educate" the public were ridiculed by health professionals, who insisted that a much better solution would be to limit sales of low-cost, high-calorie junk food./p

Phillips nets three as Cods are battered

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMatt Phillips may have netted his second hat-trick in a fortnight, but Blackpool manager Ian Holloway insists he can keep hold of his star man when the Premier League vultures start circling later this month./p

Beyond Belief, Radio 4, Monday Between the Ears: Obituary Notice, Radio 3, Saturday

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pGood lord, this veil thing's confusing./p

Portfolio: Ian Teh

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pUntil the 1980s, Linfena city in Shanxi province, eastern China, was the centre of a flourishing farming hinterland, famous for its fruit and flower plantations and high-yield harvests. But, like other great swathes of China's rural interior over the past 25 years, the once-blooming countryside has been ravaged by the state's rapid march of industrialisation, and Linfen is now one of the most polluted cities in the world./p

Briton and crew sail round the world in 45 days

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBritish sailor Brian Thompson was celebrating with his crew yesterday morning after breaking the world record for sailing non-stop around the globe./p

Noises Off, Old Vic, London Pippin, Menier Chocolate Factory, London Fog, Finborough, London

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAll's quiet at the start of Michael Frayn's classic farce Noises Off./p

Everton spot on but cannot take Lambs to slaughter

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThere was no giant-killing at Goodison, but nor was there the anticipated slaughter of the Lambs as Tamworth of the Blue Square Premier gave a thoroughly good account of themselves. They were beaten by an early header and a late penalty. In between they matched their illustrious opponents and were not infrequently the more threatening side./p

When I Am Playing with My Cat, How Do I Know She is Not Playing with Me? By Saul Frampton

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIn 1570, shaken by the death of his father, the French statesman Montaigne retired from public life and began to write. Over the next few decades, his Essais (or "attempts") grew into one of the great works of the Renaissance; a philosophical text that, in its thoroughgoing scepticism, sounded a strikingly modern note./p

The sporting week ahead (08/01/12)

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pbToday/b/p

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Stephen Bayley: Surly service and silly spa – it must be a design hotel

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pI am interested in design and I enjoy hotels./p

Style shrinks: Our experts analyse Kim Kardashian's 'I'm over my 72-day marriage' look

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongThe hair/strong/p

Owen Farrell: All set to be the next big noise after Jonny

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIf the world had worked out the way of his pre-teen dreams, Owen Farrell would be pulling on the red and white hoops of Wigan next weekend, for a Super League pre-season friendly at Hull KR. Instead his father Andy's switch of codes a few years ago changed the path the son was on, and now in the family home in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, the 20-year-old Owen proudly displays the Saracens shirt he wore in the club's first winning Premiership final last May, while a collection of white jerseys with the red rose of his England age-group appearances in union - Under-16s, 18s and 20s – hangs in his wardrobe. The signs are that the next piece of memorabilia will be a senior England shirt from the Six Nations' Championship opener against Scotland./p

Soldier of fortune: Tom Hiddleston is set to become 2012's hottest new star

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTwelve months ago, only fans of the BBC show Wallander or maybe those who saw him in Joanna Hogg's film Unrelated would've picked Tom Hiddleston out of a crowd. The past year has rather changed matters. Rarely, if ever, has a British actor made such an impression so swiftly – working back-to-back with Kenneth Branagh, Woody Allen, Terence Davies and now Steven Spielberg, he has not so much made a breakthrough as smashed his way into the public consciousness with all the force of a wrecking ball./p

Next stop, the Olympics: Urban farmers are digging for eco-victory

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThink of farming, and the rolling fields of the countryside spring to mind. But across Britain's towns and cities, veggie growers, cheese-makers and honey producers are becoming established. Not since the Second World War, when people were urged to Dig for Victory, has urban farming been so popular./p

Eleven killed in New Zealand hot-air balloon disaster

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA small New Zealand farming community was in mourning yesterday after a hot-air balloon clipped power lines and burst into flames, killing all 11 people on board. The accident at Carterton, north of the capital, Wellington, was witnessed by horrified locals and some family members, including two sisters who had bought the sunrise flight for their parents as a Christmas present./p

Rosi Hunter: An online fasting club for women dying to be skinny

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe other day, I logged into my Facebook account and found ads, supposedly targeted at me because of my age, gender and interests, informing me that Cheryl Cole lost 16kg on a simple new diet plan. Obviously she needed to. In January, magazine covers, TV adverts and even office talk is all about the best diet to be on. And why not? Everyone's on a diet in January, right?/p

Spurs clear Cheltenham hurdle in gentle stroll

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSir Alex Ferguson believes that Tottenham are playing the best football in the Premier League at the moment – but nothing like their finest was needed to see off Cheltenham./p

The life and devious times of Lib Dems' serial fraudster

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe convicted fraudster who conned millions from wealthy individuals and used some of it to become the biggest ever donor to the Liberal Democrats has been arrested in the Dominican Republic after three years on the run. Although the country has no extradition treaty with Britain, City of London Police and the Foreign Office will be keen to bring him back to London to begin serving the seven-year sentence he was given for fraud in 2008./p

Meet Britain's Chinese Tiger Mums, BBC2, Thursday Stella, Sky 1, Friday New Girl, Channel 4, Friday

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhen Amy Chua's book about Chinese child-rearing methods, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, was published a year ago, it seemed to jab at a raw nerve in the middle classes./p

Liverpool 'must take a stand' over abuse

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe head of European football's anti-racism group, Piara Powar, believes Liverpool should have been more proactive over the latest issue to affect the club./p

Resolution! The Place, London

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pGetting started as a choreographer is a conundrum akin to high-board diving. To acquire the skills, you must put yourself through it, but to do that, and not to fall flat on your face, requires skill./p

Leicester agree fee for Sharp

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDoncaster Rovers announced last night they have agreed a fee to sell striker Billy Sharp to Championship rivals Leicester City./p

Memories of Milligan, By Norma Farnes

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p"He left an indelible blank on my mind," Spike Milligan once quipped of an underwhelming stand-up./p

Dazzled by Morocco's desert city

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstronguWhy visit?/u/strong/ppThere's a monkey tugging at my shoulder and someone's trying to drape a snake around my neck./p

IoS Appeal: Hope in ruins - Haiti two years after the quake

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFor a country that this week will mark two years since it was ripped apart by an earthquake of magnitude 7.0, Haiti has all the hallmarks of a place in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. More than half a million people are still living in squalid camps, vulnerable to attack and disease; around 200 people are diagnosed with cholera ever day and, according to the UN, half of the rubble left from destroyed buildings has yet to be cleared./p

Stephen Twigg: It may be Opposition, but Ed is shaping the political lexicon

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p Opposition is never easy. It’s frustrating when you see people experiencing tough times up and down the country. /p

Dom Joly: If I'm munched by a mokele mbembe, farewell, dear readers

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pI'm off to the Congo for two weeks. I'm still travelling the world looking for reputed monsters to put in my new book, Scary Monsters and Super Creeps. This time I'm going after the mokele mbembe, a dinosaur-type creature that is supposed to inhabit Lake Tele in the far north of "good" Congo. /p

IoS letters, emails online postings (8 January 2012)

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pI applaud and support iThe IoS/i appeal for the Merlin hospital in Southern Sudan ("The civil war has ended – now the war on disease has begun", 1 January). However, when a country's president is indicted by the International Criminal Court on charges of genocide, with over two million civilians slaughtered, it is wrong to portray the situation as a civil war... /p

Police 'stand-off' threatens to break Osborne's pay cap

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDowning Street fears a stand-off with police when a report on pay is handed to ministers early this week. There is mounting concern that the report will support awards that threaten to wreck George Osborne's tough stance on public sector wages./p

Heads Up: David Shrigley: Brain Activity

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstronguWhat are we talking about?/u/strong/ppThe first major UK show of artist David Shrigley's work, displayed over the upper floors of the Hayward Gallery./p

West Ham move in jeopardy

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Olympic Stadium will not be occupied by West Ham after the 2012 Games unless retractable seating is installed, according to the club's co-owner David Gold./p

Britain's Lost Cricket Grounds, by Chris Arnot

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p"For the field is full of shades as I near a shadowy coast," wrote Francis Thompson in his poem At Lord's. /p

Strike gold in northern California

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pYou can famously "get your kicks" on Route 66, or even try some "California Dreamin' " as you cruise down Highway 1./p

Stay The Night: The Lancaster, Paris

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pJust after Christmas, this most discreet Parisian hotel reopened fully after a lengthy and much-needed refurbishment./p

Half of business leaders think economy will get worse in 2012

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe crisis-hit eurozone, Britain's enormous budget deficit and spiralling unemployment will see the British economy worsen this year, according to a new survey of business leaders. More than half of Britain's top business people (56 per cent) expect the economy to get worse over the next 12 months. Less than 10 per cent believe there will be some improvement, according to the Captains of Industry survey, conducted by pollsters Ipsos Mori./p

Arthur Potts Dawson: 'I love fudge, but my teeth are wrecked because of it'

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongMy earliest food memory... /strongMaking vanilla fudge with fresh cream from the cows on my friend's farm. Going over to his was a bit like The Good Life. They had geese as their security and crazy dogs and rams you had to battle at the front door. I still love fudge, but my teeth are wrecked because of it./p

Chickpea, potato and chorizo soup

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhile chorizo has probably had its time as the ingredient du jour, the classic combination of spiced preserved meats and beans creates perfect winter comfort food. The chorizo really shines in this soup./p

Brown claims Lockerbie victory

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pGordon Brown has claimed victory in his battle to persuade Britain's top civil servant that he did not help to secure the release of the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing./p

Shareholders will get veto on boardroom pay

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDavid Cameron has pledged to give shareholders the right to veto boardroom pay rises to try and put the brake on the "merry-go-round" that has seen executive salaries and bonuses continue to soar amid the recession./p

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Wines of the week: Bodegas Tomas Cusine Vilosell 2008; Cordillera Reserva Privada; Cuvée Extreme, Côtes Du Roussillon 2009

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongSunday lunch/strong/p

Promise of an Indian spring for investors

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIf there is such a thing as a sure bet in life, surely investing in India is it./p

Leading article: A nation divided by more than race

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIn many respects, Britain in 2012 is a far better country than it was in 1993, when Stephen Lawrence was murdered. At least as far as race is concerned, non-white people get a fairer deal from the education system; it has become less acceptable to express racist views in public – including on the football pitch – and there are more non-white people on television and in Parliament. Apparently contrary statements can both be true: that Britain, always a relatively open-minded country, became more tolerant over the past 19 years; and that racial prejudice is still a serious problem./p

Sarah Sands: The Tudors are the seasoned beams of British history

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe historian Niall Ferguson once complained that schoolchildren are taught only about Henry VIII and the world wars. Yes, but let's face it, these are the blockbusters of British history. /p

Aviva Premiership round-up: Tait says 'knives are out' as Mieres sinks Falcons deeper in the mire

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPoor old Newcastle are looking a little more doomed this morning – if doomed-ness is measurable by degrees – after a 16-10 home defeat by Exeter./p

Goon, Michael Dowse, 90 mins (15) Mother And Child, Rodrigo Garcia, 122 mins (15)

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe standard-issue comedy hero in these post-Judd Apatow days is a wise-cracking wimp, someone who slouches on the couch playing video games all day, but who can fire off a barrage of ingenious insults with the speed of a seasoned improv comic./p

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EMI pension in £200m talks with Citi

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe US bank Citi has started talks with EMI's pension trustees to put cash into the scheme, which could cost it up to £200m. /p

Countess's acceptance of Bahraini jewels criticised

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Countess of Wessex's acceptance of jewels from Bahrain's royal family has been criticised amid reports of human rights abuses in the Gulf kingdom. /p

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Graham Sutherland: An Unfinished World, Modern Art, Oxford The Mystery of Appearance: Conversations Between Ten British Post-war Painters, Haunch of Venison, London

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFor as long as I can remember, Modern British art – roughly, the kind made between 1920 and 1960 – has been out of fashion, consigned to distant galleries run by people in tweeds. Now it is back, and in spades./p

Hereford Road, 3 Hereford Road, London W2

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pI saw Fergus Henderson walking in my direction in Farringdon the other day. The champion of British nose-to-tail eating, dressed in trademark navy pin-stripe, was ambling in his usual wonderful way, true to Orwell's description of "that bobbing gait of the Indian who never straightens his knee". He doesn't know me from Adam, of course, but what with so many of my heroes having died in the festive period (Vaclav Havel, Christopher Hitchens, Kim Jong Il) I wanted to introduce myself, thank him for his remarkable service to our cuisine and stoicism in facing Parkinson's disease, and pay him as high a compliment as I could muster. Of course, being an idiot, I did none of these things, and bobbed my own bent knees into the horizon./p

Eurosceptic MPs to win out in Cameron reshuffle

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDavid Cameron is planning a wide-ranging government reshuffle in March to "buy off" Eurosceptic Tory MPs ahead of a possible new rebellion over an EU referendum./p

The thaw in loan market will not benefit everyone

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPersonal loan rates have now fallen to levels not seen since before the credit crunch according to financial information service Moneyfacts./p

Energy companies are too concerned with profits, say British consumers

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBritons feel that energy companies are working against their interests and have no understanding of the financial difficulties people face, a survey from Energyhelpline.com suggests. /p

Triskaidekaphobic? Don't walk under a ladder this Friday

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSome people will refuse to leave their homes; a few will not even venture out of bed. They are among the millions of people who believe Friday the 13th is unlucky. As many as one in four are believed to subscribe to the superstition, according to research./p

Outside the Box: Future is still black and white for 150-year-old Notts County

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe dawn of 2012 is more significant to Notts County than any other team as they become the first League club to celebrate a 150th anniversary. /p

Grounds for concern over these dates in the desert

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThis is a strange tour and no mistake. Given that the main contestants are England and Pakistan there is plenty of scope for it to become stranger yet./p

Twelvetrees puts England case by swatting Wasps

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFor England's interim coaching team, this weekend is about dotting the i's and crossing the t's before confirming their elite squad on Wednesday. For Leicester, it was about sustaining their place in the top four ofthe Aviva Premiership and wondering to what heights the 23-year-old Billy Twelvetrees may yet rise./p

Fears of a widening trade gap dent hopes of recovery

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA worsening trade deficit is set to dampen hopes of an export-led recovery and end the recent run of upbeat news on the UK economy, City experts fear. /p

Exploitation of Arctic resources under scrutiny

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAn MPs' inquiry into protecting the Arctic from exploitation through oil and gas drilling has been launched. /p

Murray shows no mercy in rush to Brisbane final

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAndy Murray subjected theAustralian Bernard Tomic to a 6-3 6-2 defeat to deflate local fans and setup an intriguing final today with Alexandr Dolgopolov at the Brisbane International./p

Being Modern: Living statues

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pYou can just imagine the conversation on a blind date. "What do you do, then?" "Me? Oh, I stand up." "No, I meant for a living." "Yes, for a living. I stand up." "Hmm, are you a Beefeater? Do you stand guard over the Crown Jewels? Or are you in retail, standing behind a counter all day? Gosh, I know what that's like. Dull-o-rama, eh? But at least you get to serve people. You must have had some interesting conversations." "No, no. I just stand there. I'm not allowed to talk." "You're not allowed to talk?" "No." "Must be why this is going so thrillingly, then."/p

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Hold On – it's still too soon to jump to conclusions

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhen a horse can win any steeplechase despite, rather than because of, the way he jumped the fences, let alone a valuable Saturday contest at a Grade 1 track, you have to wonder what on earth he will do once he gets his technique together. In the case of Hold On Julio, who routed his rivals by nine lengths in yesterday's three-mile handicap at Sandown, that may be revealed at Cheltenham in March./p

Sport on TV: Little Master is stuck on 99 and looking a bit flaky

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pCome on Aussies, play the game. As if it wasn't bad enough that the old cricketing enemy seem to be in the process of becoming a half-decent team again, they are also refusing to let Sachin Tendulkar get his 100th international century. /p

Green light for high-speed rail stalls car lobby

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Government is to end the truce in the "war on the motorist", as Justine Greening, the Secretary of State for Transport, prepares to clear the way for Britain's first new mainline railway for more than a century./p

No cash in the attic? Perhaps there is some in a spare room

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pCash-strapped homeowners can potentially earn thousands of pounds a year by turning their spare room into a one-room hotel playing host to travellers from around the world./p

Small investors hit by rising fund supermarket fees

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhen on your weekly shop at the local supermarket, you like to think there will be a wide range of goods in stock at low prices, in order to find the best deal. In the same vein, you'd hope fund supermarkets have a similar proposition when it comes to shopping for investments./p

Inside Lines: Ringside Khan-spiracy theory that simply doesn't add up

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFirst Watergate, now Khangate. Was what went on in Washington DC last month when Amir Khan lost his two light-welterweight world titles on a bitterly disputed split decision to home-town challenger Lamont Peterson a cock-up or a conspiracy?/p

Joan Smith: The difference between write and wrong

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pI once emerged from an Underground station to find central London in the midst of a torrential storm. I sent a text to my publisher, telling him I'd be late for a meeting while I waited for the rain to stop, and received a perplexing reply. Was I ill? Should he come and get me? I stared at my mobile, wondering what on earth he was talking about, until I re-read my own message. Predictive texting had changed "rain" to "pain". /p

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Rothschild stokes £1.5bn coal struggle

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNat Rothschild has gained the upper hand in his power struggle with the Indonesian Bakrie family, after side-lining their top adviser at Bumi Resources, the £1.5bn-valued coal-mining concern that they co-own./p

Mayoral race is joined by 'Mum for London'

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA high-flying civil servant who was on track to become one of Whitehall's youngest mandarins will launch her campaign next week to beat Boris Johnson and Ken Livingstone to become London's next Mayor./p

It Chooses You, By Miranda July

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMiranda July is a true polymath. Her output has included short stories, records and Caméra D'or-winning films (2005's Me and You and Everyone We Know). Now, with this slim collection of affecting real-life portraits, she elevates procrastination into an art form./p

James Delingpole: Never apologise, never explain. And you have 109 characters left...

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWe can all sympathise, I am sure, with the predicament of Diane Abbott MP last week. "White people love playing 'divide amp; rule'. We should not play their game," she tweeted. Put under pressure to clarify this, she hastily explained: "Tweet taken out of context. Refers to nature of 19th- century European colonialism. Bit much to get into 140 characters."/p

EU breast implant rules will create dilemma for No 10

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSenior figures in Brussels are drawing up new Europe-wide regulations to protect women against faulty breast implants in a move that could theoretically force David Cameron to hold a referendum, emThe Independent on Sunday/em has learnt./p

The Child Inside, By Suzanne Bugler

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Child Inside gives us a well-worn plot: a married woman risks everything when she embarks on an affair with an old flame./p

Agenda: The Cowshed Spa; Ollie Dabbous; The Stew House; Scissor Sisters; Margin Call

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongFashion: Oil for one, one for oil/strong/p

Fine dining discovers its 'Fight Club' side

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA French-speaking officer assures me: "You are safe now," as I bemoan being pinned against a bullet-shattered window, quizzed about my political allegiances, and forced into a dark and dirty underground sewage system, all in the search for good food. As he finally guides me beyond a thin red cloth, separating Secret Restaurant from the outside world, he says simply: "Enjoy your meal."/p

John Rentoul: Didn't do our prep, did we, Mr Cameron?

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pI won't labour the point, and I will one day entertain you with my long list of things that Tony Blair did wrong, I promise, but he was a successful prime minister who learned on the job. More than that, he wrote a lot of it down in a book so that others could spend less time on false starts than he did. Even more than that, David Cameron and many of his people have read the book, by the man they called, when they first arrived in Downing Street, "The Master". /p

Take a nice long soak: Pieces that will make your bathroom an inviting place

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrong1. Bird loo roll holder/strong/p

Courtney Sullivan: My family, and other social animals

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pShortly after Courtney Sullivan published her debut novel, Commencement, in 2010, she embarked on a book tour of the US./p

Rupert Cornwell: The last post looms for the US mail service

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhen did you last get an old fashioned letter? Not one of those tiresome newsletters-plus-family photo that increasingly pass for Christmas cards here (and which, maddeningly, won't even stand up on the mantelpiece) but a real letter, from a friend, relative or lover, with a stamp, a postmark and – unlike email – with privacy guaranteed?/p

FA Cup round-up: Wheater saves Coyle's blushes as Stevenage and Crawley prosper

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWeakened teams and dwindling crowds might be taking the gloss off the FA Cup at some grounds, but not in the third-round ties at Moss Rose and Broadfield Stadium, nor for the travelling supporters of Stevenage Borough, Notts County and Blue Square Premier leaders Wrexham. /p

Future brighter for Thomas Cook as debt prices rise

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDebt prices in beleaguered tour operator Thomas Cook have started to increase following a series of changes in recent weeks, including the resignations of three non-executive directors./p

Mark Leftly: Rio Tinto grabs a slice of Canada's uranium riches

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe battle won, now it's time to prepare for the war./p

Broad fires but England stopped in their tracks

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEngland hit the ground running yesterday. Indeed they began at an unbridled gallop, all high fives, slapped backs and a touch of swing. As the first official day of their tour went on, however, they were reduced to a necessary trot./p

Ride-on lawnmower pioneer dies in Florida

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe man who turned mowing the grass into a multimillion-dollar enterprise has died at the age of 87. /p

Twenty years of Brahms Liszt: Meet the Classic FM DJs who have made fugues funky

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMargherita Taylor was in a cab the other day. After a few minutes of chitchat, the driver suddenly recognised her voice. "He told me he listened to the station all the time," she says. "His name was Stan; he was a huge Brahms fan."/p

Shall we dance? Just try stopping us!

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOn stage, a dozen of the world's most talented dancers are performing pirouettes and pliés. Their costumes sparkle, but over them are draped adidas tracksuit tops and sweaters. Beneath crystal-sequinned skirts are multi-coloured stripy woollen leggings./p

Paul Vallely: Hating chavs is also a form of prejudice

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhen I was at university in Leeds in the early Seventies, two policemen were put on trial over the death of a black man called David Oluwale who had been for several years the butt of racist attacks. The homeless rough-sleeper, who had a history of mental illness which began after the first police beatings, was routinely sought out and hit, kicked, urinated upon and mocked as a "lame darkie" by a police sergeant and an inspector. On the charge sheet, when they arrested him, they wrote "Nationality: Wog". After Oluwale, who was known to locals as Smiling David, was found dead in the river Aire, the two officers were charged with manslaughter, and though that charge was dismissed, they were found guilty of assault and jailed./p

Charlton floored by Dempsey's knockout hat-trick

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEven after their Europa League trauma, Fulham could still have the thrill of a cup run this season. They started their FA Cup campaign with an authoritative, if slightly flattering, victory. Clint Dempsey scored a hat-trick, and Damien Duff the fourth, in a game that demonstrated a serious commitment to the competition./p

Accounting watchdog consultation closes

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe business department's consultation into the future of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) closes for comments on Tuesday./p

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Ben Chu: Draghi's plan backfires as eurozone banks still run for cover – and the crisis rolls on

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMario Draghi's big bazooka has backfired./p

Ferguson insists that Cup has lost its magic

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pManchester United travel to holders Manchester City this afternoon in a crucial FA Cup third-round tie but the United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, says the 140-year-old competition has lost some of its sparkle./p

How We Met: Matthew Cain Will Young

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongMatthew Cain, 35/strong/p

Network Rail board to discuss chairman shortlist

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe shortlist for the next chairman of Network Rail has been drawn up./p

Album: Various artists, East of Underground: Hell Below (Now Again)

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMore historical curiosity than essential listening, EOU gathers four acts (East of Underground, Soap, The Black Seeds, and the Sound Trek) made up of US draftees stationed in Germany as the Vietnam War fizzled to an end./p

DVD: Troll Hunter, For retail rental (Momentum)

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThis hit Norwegian monster movie is presented as a "found footage" documentary in the Blair Witch/ Cloverfield tradition, but it has enough dry comedy to bear comparison with This is Spinal Tap, too./p

Album: Ifetayo, Black Truth Rhythm Band (Soundway)

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt's the muted ring of steel drums that gives the game away that this 1976 re-release is of Caribbean rather than African provenance./p

Album: Tino Contreras, El Jazz Mexicano de Tino Contreras (Jazzman)

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPre-Columbian jazz? The Mexican drummer and bandleader Tino Contreras pioneered the fusion of groovy, "Take Five"-like 1960s modernism with elements based on Aztec ritual and symbolism./p

Permalink for '_______Education_/2012/01/07/Die_Meistersinger_von_N%c3%bcrnberg__Royal_Opera_House__London_Hansel_and_Gretel__King_s_Head_Theatre__London'

Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Royal Opera House, London Hansel and Gretel, King's Head Theatre, London

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pElaine Kidd's revival of Graham Vick's 1993 production of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg brings a touch of midsummer madness to the blustery midwinter. /p

Album: Copland / Hillborg / Lutoslawski etc, Dances to a Black Pipe (BIS)

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDance is the dominant theme in clarinettist Martin Fröst's eclectic recital with the Australian Chamber Orchestra./p

Rogue traders could be foiled by inspection plan

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pChartered surveyor e.surv has launched a property inspection service aimed at elderly or vulnerable homeowners who may be in danger of failing prey to cowboy builders and workmen./p

From Dictatorship to Democracy, By Gene Sharp

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe American academic Gene Sharp's seminal essay "From Dictatorship to Democracy" could be subtitled "the essential guide to peaceful resistance"./p

Wealth Check: 'Debt is blocking the next rung on the property ladder'

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstronguThe Patient/u/strong/ppAlex Bell from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, is keen to move into a new house, but needs to get her finances back on track before she and her husband can move to a new-build house./p

Permalink for '_______Education_/2012/01/07/The_Third_Reich__By_Roberto_Bola%c3%b1o__trs_Natasha_Wimmer_'

The Third Reich, By Roberto Bolaño (trs Natasha Wimmer)

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe longest time that Roberto Bolaño (1953-2003) lived in any one place was in Blanes, the last town travelling north from Barcelona before the Costa Brava./p

Between The Covers: New Year detox, The maths of The Simpsons, and the year ahead

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p*If you're struggling already with the New Year detox, don't worry, you're in good literary company, says the new book Calories and Corsets: A History of Dieting over 2,000 Years, by Louise Foxcroft (Profile, £14.99). /p

Credit unions to come in from the cold

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThere is probably one within walking distance of your home. Your friends and relatives could have money deposited with one. But it's one of the financial services industries best kept secrets. What is it? The local credit union./p

Photography: Power and Movement: Portraits of Britain's Paralympic Athletes, By Richard Booth

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSomehow evoking movement and stillness at the same time, the commercial photographer Richard Booth's graceful monochrome portraits of Britain's confirmed and hopeful 2012 paralympians also seek, as he says in his introduction, to "redefine traditional perceptions of disability, fitness and power"./p

Invisible Ink: No 105 - George Langelaan

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAlthough he was born in Paris in 1908, George Langelaan was British, and lived a life far stranger than almost any of his fictions. By my reckoning, he didn't get published until he was approaching 50 – so what was he doing in the intervening years?/p

Mosaic marks birthday of pensioner Davie Bowie

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDavid Bowie officially becomes a pensioner today as he turns 65, and one of Britain's leading mosaic artists has created a piece to mark the musician and actor's milestone. /p

The Last Holiday: A Memoir, By Gil Scott-Heron

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIn the latter half of his life, Gil Scott-Heron was in bad shape./p

The Blagger's Guide To...James Joyce

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p*Copyright protection of the works of James Joyce officially ended at the start of 2012, meaning that they can now be read in public, or excerpts from them used, without the express permission of the writer's estate. /p

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Tips and deals of the week: Bangkok, Val d'Isère and India

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstronguThe temperature/u/strong/p

Baked risotto with tomatoes

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAn onion, a tin of tomatoes, rice and you have dinner. In this recipe there's just one fresh ingredient in the onion, although the dish does benefit from the use of some fresh herbs./p

Mancini won't shout the odds but United are clear underdogs

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt could be considered a kind of karma. In the 12 seasons since Manchester United, under pressure from the Football Association and the government, took part in the World Clubs' Cup in Brazil rather than the FA Cup, the third-round draw has thrown them up against Premier League opposition no fewer than eight times. For three successive years now it has been particularly spiteful, finding from 63 possible opponents needle matches against Leeds United (who brought off a giant-killing at Old Trafford), Liverpool and now Manchester City./p

One Direction, National Indoor Arena, Birmingham Janet Devlin / The Risk, Forum, Hatfield

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe pop industry's most fiendishly lucrative masterstroke, after The Jacksons and The Osmonds, was realising that boy bands don't need to be family-based, so there's no imperative to accommodate members who are too old, too ugly or too talentless./p

Married Love, By Tessa Hadley

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe short stories of the novelist Tessa Hadley, of which this is her second collection, are often like movie clips of lives in transit, their small shifts of focus yielding up flashes of psychological insight./p

Forget your resolutions, it's a busy year of gourmet events

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe global foodie calendar has no truck with post-festive self denial./p

Salmon fish cakes

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pI find a traditional fish cake a little bland. I like to inject mine with fresh ginger and herbs, and a little green chilli./p

Mullins aiming to cash in on Chelsea uncertainty

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pChelsea entertain Portsmouth today in a repeat of the 2010 FA Cup final, when only a single goal separated the teams on the Wembley pitch. Off the field, the chasm between the two clubs – then and since – has been as wide as Portsmouth Harbour./p

Album: The Lemonheads, Hotel Sessions (Hall Of Records)

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEvan Dando says he'd always wanted to make an album for $53 ($50 Walkman, $3 tape), and one Sunday night in 1992 or 1993 – he can't remember which – in a hotel room in Bondi, Australia, he did it./p

Me Before You, By Jojo Moyes

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLouisa Clark is forlorn when she loses her beloved café job; not even her marathon-mad boyfriend can cheer her up. /p

Great Getaways: Costa Rica, Egypt and North America

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstronguCosta Rica/u/strong/ppBales Worldwide has cut the price of its 10-day "Natural Wonders of Costa Rica" tour to £1,995 per person for the 8 and 22 February departures./p

Mogul ensures Posh are going up in world

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThey are a somewhat unlikely couple. Darragh MacAnthony, owner and chairman of Peterborough United, is the young, fast-talking Dubliner who made a fortune in property and time-share and now commutes to the East Midlands from Florida, occasionally via Asia. Darren Ferguson is the less excitable Scot forever burdened by being the son of the country's most successful practitioner of the profession in which he is attempting to make his own way. Fortunately for The Posh, who have a lucrative televised FA Cup tie at home to Martin O'Neill's Sunderland this afternoon, they share an identical vision of football, both on and off the pitch./p

Album: Lazarus and the Plane Crash, Horseplay (Antique Beat)

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLazarus and the Plane Crash is a project fronted by Joe Coles of defunct berserkers The Guillotines and Stephen Coates, aka the Real Tuesday Weld aka The Clerkenwell Kid./p

Ruck and Maul: Care-less England take care to forge links with junior clubs

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe closest the Harlequins scrum-half Danny Care will get to England's pre-Six Nations Championship training camp will be through the shirt he wore for his country against France in 2009, which is framed on the clubhouse wall at West Park Leeds RUFC./p

Toyota GT 86

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongPrice:/strong From £25,000 (on sale June)br /strongEngine: /strong1,998cc, flat-four cylinders, 16 valves, 200bhpbr /strongTransmission:/strong Six-speed gearbox (six-speed auto optional), rear-wheel drivebr /strongPerformance: /strong143mph, 0-62 in under 7 seconds, 42mpg official average, CO2 under 160g/km/p

Villa overwhelm Rovers but have to survive wobble

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p"Goodnight Irene", the odd choice of anthem for Bristol Rovers, rang out at regular intervals from a crowd of more than 10,000 here yesterday evening but in the end and to no great surprise it was goodnight to the home side./p

Album: The Maccabees, Given to the Wild (Fiction)

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt's a challenge for even the mildest-mannered Class Warrior to remember to review The Maccabees' music, not their names: Orlando, Hugo, Felix, Rupert (and Sam), but our privately schooled heroes' third album is their best yet. /p

David Flatman: When push comes to shove over the scrum, all we need is to lose the hit

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSo the International Rugby Board are looking into what has become of the scrummage. Without wishing to appear too cynical, history suggests that the outcome will be the legal equivalent of a glass of warm water. Maybe they will deem us all naughty boys and instruct our invigilators to bring back the cane. Maybe they will leave it as it is, just for fun. Or maybe they will ask us props to perform some sort of hand jive before impact. After all, the spectacle must go on./p

Ani DiFranco: 'Feminism is not only for women'

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongWhen I first started writing songs and being very explicit, it was hard /strongBut one of the main things people respond to in my writing is that "just say it" attitude of my songs. There really is nothing personal or private, it's all universal, if you can just find the courage to be open about your life./p

Dons are denied as Helguson atones to bring late relief for Warnock

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pQueens Park Rangers limped to an undistinguished FA Cup third-round replay against MK Dons yesterday and created an unwanted slice of history. It was their 16th consecutive match in the competition without a win, equalling the dire sequence of Leeds United set between 1952 and 1963./p

Album: Southside Johnny the Asbury Jukes, I Don't Want to Go Home / This Time it's For Real (T-Bird)

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBack then, the acronym Ramp;B included within its scope white New Jersey boys playing the jukebox hits of black 1950s/1960s America, plus songs by their best mate (B Springsteen)./p

Member of MPs' expenses watchdog urged to quit over Congo mining deal

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAn MP has called for one of the board members of Parliament's expenses watchdog to stand down over his involvement in a mining deal in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Eric Joyce, the Labour MP for Falkirk and one of the highest claimants of House of Commons allowances, used parliamentary privilege to claim it was "absolutely astonishing" that Ken Olisa, a leading City figure, was a member of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA), created after the MPs' expenses scandal./p

Sir Clive Woodward: 'I would have done things differently to Johnson'

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHaving cold-shouldered Twickenham's unseemly scrum, Sir Clive Woodward looks forward to a winter of content, breathing some clean mountain air this week by taking charge of his first team since his glory days as England's rugby overlord, a role he has steadfastly declined to resume amid intense speculation about a return of the messiah./p

A lost leader? No, Ed's better than Thatcher

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEd Miliband is outperforming Margaret Thatcher as a political leader, a senior Labour frontbencher boldly claims today, as the party prepares a fresh offensive to start a "crucial year" for his beleaguered leadership./p

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Sergei Prokofiev: Beyond 'Peter and the Wolf' – the rehabilitation of Stalin's composer

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSoviet photographers did little to soften the image of Sergei Prokofiev. The composer's oval face always appears aloof, his gaze fixed high above the cares of comrade workers./p

Album: The Little Willies, For the Good Times (Parlophone)

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA second album of country covers. And while it may be that Norah Jones does not sing country like a coalminer's daughter, that doesn't mean she can't make country sing./p

Potter works his magic on indy cinema chain

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe leading independent cinema chain, Apollo, saw turnover soar 19.5 per cent in the year to 31 March, after box office hits such as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. /p

Werritty met Miliband official

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAdam Werritty, Liam Fox's former adviser whose activities led to the Defence Secretary's resignation, held official talks with a senior civil servant at the Foreign Office when Labour was in power, it emerged last night./p

Can Lloyds' minutiae man assure the City he's still in charge?

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFor his own sake, Antonio Horta-Osorio must return to the helm of Lloyds Banking Group a reformed man./p

The Last Word: Rooney is spitting image of problem

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhen Arthur Hop-craft published his marvellous portrait of the round-ball game in 1968 it was entirely appropriate that he called it The Football Man./p

Harriet Walker: 'My foot's as swollen as a bloated cadaver'

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p You'd be amazed by the amount of non-prescription tat it's possible to buy when you have a broken leg. I don't just mean the potential hazards of being shut in a flat alone all day with your credit card and your laptop equidistant from your itchingly underused hands, and the omnipresent sartorial problem of having one leg that won't fit in your drainpipe jeans./p

Glaxo adds to gloom at RBS

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPharmaceuticals blue-chip GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has replaced Hoare Govett as one of its brokers, putting more pressure on the Royal Bank of Scotland's corporate broking arm. /p

Cameron tells MPs to stop making laws

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDavid Cameron's has ordered his Cabinet to carry out a "U-turn test" of all new policies, as No 10 fears that the Prime Minister is gaining a reputation for mishandling key reforms./p

The Hacker: At last I have found a partner for my date with destiny

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAfter a series of embarrassing refusals I have at last discovered someone willing to play with me in the winter league – which is just as well because it starts this morning./p

Marchers demand ETA prisoner amnesty

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThousands of pro-independence Basque citizens marched through Bilbao yesterday, calling for a general amnesty on more than 700 prisoners belonging to the militant separatist group ETA. /p

The life and legacy of Stephen Lawrence

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAbout an hour after the jury delivered its verdict in Old Bailey court No 16 last Tuesday afternoon, Neville and Doreen Lawrence stepped into the windy street outside to give their responses before a swarm of reporters, photographers and cameramen./p

Cambodia's lost temple, reclaimed from the jungle after 800 years

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe haunting monastic complex is so entwined in jungle vines and mystery that it could be the set of an Indiana Jones film. But it is not. It is one of the great historic treasures of south-east Asia, and is slowly awakening after eight centuries of isolated slumber./p

MS to post weak Christmas clothes sales

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRetail giant Marks amp; Spencer is set to add to the high-street gloom on Tuesday by posting weak clothing sales over the Christmas period. /p

MP complains to Cameron over Jordan jibe

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe outspoken Conservative MP Louise Mensch has lodged a furious complaint with David Cameron after the wife of one of the Prime Minister's most loyal ministers compared her to the surgically enhanced model Jordan./p

Ian Holloway: We are role models so we must not let fans think it is OK to be racist

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOne of the most depressing moments of my life was reading about the student in Salford who lost his life over Christmas. He was allegedly asked what the time was, then shot in the head./p

US banks set to slash bonuses

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe US bank results season, which kicks off with JP Morgan Chase's full-year figures on Friday, could see bonuses slashed by up to a quarter after poor trading late last year. /p

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Blair's firm at centre of £8m tax puzzle

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTony Blair's perpetually fascinating finances re-entered the limelight last night after a report in The Sunday Telegraph claimed that, at their heart, was what the paper called an "£8m tax mystery"./p

Worcester look Goode enough to avoid drop

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAndy Goode's name has not been tossed around in any recent debate over England players – even though with 64 to be named in the senior and Saxons squads next Wednesday, there may be props and hookers in pub teams crossing their fingers – but the requirements of a bottom-half-of-the-table Premiership match can be very different to those at Test level. When the experienced Worcester fly-half, who has been understudying Joe Carlisle since October, trotted on for the second half he had a clear vision of the business he needed to do – and he did it./p

Shakespeare on film: He that plays the king... and director

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe actor Ralph Fiennes makes his film-directing debut this month, with an adaptation of Shakespeare's Coriolanus. And he takes the title role, too. A brave move, you might think, but Fiennes is in august company. Since the birth of cinema, Shakespeare has proved an irresistible draw for actors. Whether it's a desire to immortalise their on-stage creations or to bring Shakespeare to "the people", to offer a grand new cinematic vision for a classic play or just the ultimate ego trip, it seems actors can't wait to tackle the Bard, in front of and behind the camera. Here, we look at the plays of Shakespeare that the world's greatest – and occasionally ill-advised – thespians have committed to celluloid./p

The business week in review: Toolstation, Yahoo, Next and Michael Woodford

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstronguIn profit.../u/strong/ppMark Goddard-Watts found himself £24m richer when he sold his remaining stake in Toolstation to Travis Perkins, which runs the country's biggest network of builders' merchants./p

Kiprop strides to victory as Bekele suffers

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pKenenisa Bekele arrived in Edinburgh on Friday insisting he was not afraid of Mo Farah as he looked ahead to the defence of his Olympic 5,000m and 10,000m crowns against the dominant new British force of global distance running. By the end of the feature race in the Bupa Great Edinburgh Cross Country meeting yesterday, the man Farah calls "the Usain Bolt of distance running" was reduced to the role of an also-ran, trailing home 11th in the shadow of Arthur's Seat./p

Editor-At-Large: Bin those useless self-help books and tuck in to a pie

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pJanuary is traditionally the month of deep self-loathing. Big bills and big bellies inevitably lead to thoughts of new beginnings, a chance to mend our ways, and start afresh. Turn on the television, open any newspaper or magazine and you can't ignore exercise DVDs and diet books. Davina McCall (slender mother of three) reigns supreme at the top of the bestsellers (again), and even the comical Towie mob is flogging a keep-fit routine, complete with extras such as "what to wear to work out in Essex". Ignore them. Here's how to deal with windy and grim January: eat the same food as in December. I've enjoyed macaroni cheese, fish and chips and fruit cake, done the same amount of walking, played the same amount of tennis. When appearing in public, I wear a pair of buttock-clenching pants. /p

30 things to do by the time you are 30

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrong1. Bungee-jumped in a Third World country/strong/p

Patrick Cockburn: The day the checkpoint goons thought I was an American spy

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pCheckpoints are common to every country in the Middle East and beyond. They play a central role in the daily lives of people from Tripoli in Libya to Peshawar in Pakistan and from the mountains of south-east Turkey to the marshes of southern Sudan. Nobody knows their number, although it must be in the tens of thousands, and they vary between being a minor inconvenience, a reassuring sign of security, and a place of terror and/or execution./p

Village life: Designer Jonathan Adler's Manhattan apartment is anything but boring

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pI've always believed colour is the most accessible anti-depressive available." So declares interior designer Jonathan Adler, boldly – and anyone familiar with his equally bold home furnishings won't doubt the earnest nature of that pronouncement. Adler adores colour, and it shows in his own living space./p

One for the Road: An off-roader that's good for the school run

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAdam Hinton wants to tow his large horsebox. He does 50 miles a day on the school run for his three children, shopping and his commute, and has up to £4,000 to spend./p

The Iron Lady, Phyllida Lloyd, 105 mins (12A)

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt might not be strictly inevitable, if you fictionalise a famous person’s life on film, that you end up making a hagiography. But it seems probable that if you go to the trouble and expense of recreating history, and casting a lead as prestigious as Meryl Streep, then your subject is likely to emerge, if not glorified, then at least somewhat ennobled by the gaze of the lens./p

DVD: Project Nim, For retail rental (Icon)

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAnother better-than-fiction documentary from James Marsh (Man on Wire), Project Nim looks back at a 1970s experiment to turn a baby chimp into a hairy human being./p

Race in Britain 2012: Has life changed for ethnic minorities?

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLast week, as Gary Dobson and David Norris's 19-year escape from justice finally came to an end, the distraught parents of another young ethnic minority man visited the scene of their son's death./p

Album: Brad Mehldau Trio, The Art of the Trio, Recordings: 1996-2001 (Nonesuch)

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThis box-set collects pianist Mehldau's five albums with Larry Grenadier on bass and Jorge Rossy on drums, plus five unreleased Village Vanguard tracks./p

Swindon shock Wigan in FA Cup

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 7:40pm EST

pSwindon caused the biggest upset of the day as the npower League Two side came from behind to beat Wigan 2-1 in their FA Cup third round tie at the County Ground./p

Four for Fulham in comfortable win against Charlton

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 7:34pm EST

pClint Dempsey's hat-trick helped Fulham avoid a potential upset against Charlton in the FA Cup third round today./p

Everton grind out win against Tamworth

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 7:31pm EST

pTamworth's FA Cup run came to an end in the third round at Goodison Park as Everton ground out a win against the Blue Square Premier League side./p

Wrexham earn deserved replay against Brighton

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 7:29pm EST

pAdrian Cieslewicz secured a deserved FA Cup third-round replay for non-league Wrexham against depleted Brighton./p

Pulis victorious on return to Gillingham

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 7:27pm EST

pTony Pulis enjoyed a victorious return to the Priestfield Stadium as Stoke hit back from a goal down to open their FA Cup campaign with a comfortable win against Gillingham./p

Phillips hits hat-trick to help smash Fleetwood dreams

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 7:24pm EST

pMatty Phillips struck his second hat-trick in four games to shatter Blue Square Premier Fleetwood's hopes of pulling off an FA Cup upset over near neighbours Blackpool at windy Highbury Stadium./p

Gutierrez brilliance fires Magpies into fourth round

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 7:23pm EST

pJonas Gutierrez produced a last-gasp moment of brilliance to fire Newcastle into the FA Cup fourth round at Blackburn's expense./p

National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain / Daniel, Barbican Hall, London

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 2:29pm EST

pYou’d expect the teenagers of the National Youth Orchestra to have some good moves but the opening and closing items of their winter concert took us all the way to the club floor and back again./p

Man dies after doorstep attack

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 12:53pm EST

pA man has died after being attacked by two men in his home./p

Warning of heightened terror threat in Kenya

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 12:42pm EST

pThe Foreign Office is urging Britons in Kenya to be extra vigilant, warning that terrorists there may be "in the final stages of planning attacks." /p

Boy held over 'attack' on teachers

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 12:36pm EST

p align="left"A 10-year-old boy has been arrested over an alleged attack on two women teachers./p

Family's plea after cottage murder

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 12:35pm EST

pThe family of a retired teacher who was murdered at her isolated riverside cottage have appealed for information to help catch her killer./p

Two pilgrims killed in Iraq blast

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 10:45am EST

pA roadside bomb has killed two Shiite pilgrims and wounded eight south of Baghdad, Iraqi officials said./p

Police given more time to question male nurse

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 9:39am EST

pPolice have been given more time to question a male nurse arrested on suspicion of tampering with medical records at Stepping Hill Hospital./p

Murray sees off teen Tomic

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 9:36am EST

pTop seed Andy Murray saw off the spirited challenge of Australian teenager Bernard Tomic to reach the final of the ATP Brisbane International./p

Palestinian Sesame Street ails without US funds

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 9:27am EST

pIt's quiet time on Palestinian Sesame Street. The iconic children's program, known as "Sharaa Simsim" in Arabic, has been put on hold for the 2012 season because of a funding freeze by the US Congress. /p

French team knocks two days off round-the-world record

Posted: January 7th, 2012, 9:18am EST

pBritish yachtsman Brian Thompson was at the heart of a new French record-setting dash round the world which on Friday night broke the 46-day barrier and clipped over two days off the old record. Banque Populaire, a 132-foot trimaran, is skippered by Loick Peyron, who sailed round the world doublehanded earlier this year to win, with Jean-Pierre Dick, the Barcelona Race./p

Trita Parsi: Reckless talk of war with Iran makes confrontation a probability

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 5:37am EST

p /p

48 Hours: San Diego

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p i bClick here for the a href="http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/77408431?access_key=key-274pttei5ysitw1noemm"48Hours/a In...San Diego map/b/i/p

i Editor's Letter: The Twelfth Night

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p /p

The News Matrix: Saturday 7 January 2012

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRebekah Brooks' PA becomes arrest No 17/p

The Business Matrix: Saturday 7 January 2012

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLoveFilm signs up for TV dramas/p

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Nobody is bigger than the boss – not even Rooney

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFrom Paul McGrath and Norman Whiteside in the early days, then, as his authority was cemented, to Paul Ince, David Beckham, Jaap Stam, Roy Keane and Carlos Tevez, Sir Alex Ferguson has always been prepared to move on good players, even great ones, who challenge him either directly or through the way they live. Wayne Rooney, it appears, may be about to find that he is as dispensable as the others./p

Ferguson willing to sell Rooney during transfer window

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Christmas bust-up between Wayne Rooney and Sir Alex Ferguson has run so deep that it could lead to the player's departure as early as the current transfer window./p

Liverpool hit by more race controversy

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe spectre of racism and the Luis Suarez T-shirts once more overshadowed Liverpool as a fan sporting the top worn to support the banned striker confronted Oldham's young defender Tom Adeyemi and reduced him to tears./p

Britain 2012 how everybody can enjoy the games

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAnyone left frustrated by the latest glitch in the ticket sales system for this year's London Olympics can instead look forward to seeing some of the world's top athletes appearing at a leisure centre or swimming pool near them in the run- up to the Games./p

Something For The Weekend: 07/01/2012

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstronguIt's squeaky bum time for.../u/strong/ppemIan Holloway/em/ppThe neighbourhood dispute 60 miles down the road in Manchester may be grabbing all the headlines on FA Cup third-round weekend but there is one tie that will be even more fiercely contested taking place on the north-west coast./p

Ex-army chief held over 'coup' in Turkey

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe former head of Turkey's armed forces was in custody yesterday on charges of trying to overthrow the government, as the judiciary moved against a military that was once the ultimate power in the land./p

Spring into action: Banish those January blues with bright jackets and florals

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pModel: Emma at Union/p

Simon Calder: How Tunisair put a spanner in the works

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLesson one, I imagine, in the airline maintenance engineers' course, goes something like "It's much easier to fix a fault in the cabin when the passengers aren't on board"./p

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Fund legend Bolton chalks up £1m loss backing himself

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe legendary fund manager Anthony Bolton lost £1m of his own fortune last year by backing his struggling Fidelity China Special Situations trust, according to the broker Collins Stewart. /p

Valencia threat to end grand prix

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe future of the European Grand Prix in Valencia is in doubt after the city's council indicated that it wants to renegotiate its race fee./p

Everyone a winner, or loser, in Iowa miscounts

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNobody showed any interest in recounts after the photo-finish end to the Iowa caucuses last Tuesday when a final tally showed Mitt Romney beating Rick Santorum by just eight votes of the 122,000 cast./p

Children 'must be capable of reading Harry Potter by 11'

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEvery child should be able to read a Harry Potter novel by the time they leave primary school, the Government declared yesterday./p

Suicide bomber kills 25 in Syria

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAn explosion ripped through a busy junction in the Syrian capital, Damascus, yesterday, hitting a police bus and killing up to 25 people in what Syrian authorities said was the second suicide attack in as many weeks./p

Something To Declare: Maldives; Montenegro; Thistle; South Coast railway line

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongWarning of the week: Maldives/strong/p

Independent Appeal: Paul Vallely: The end of our appeal. But not the end of your donations, we hope

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pToday is the final day of our 2011 Christmas Appeal./p

James Lawton: With Rooney gone, Fergie will rebuild on the run

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pManchester United yesterday officially relegated the Wayne Rooney affair to the status of a piece of passing discipline, something earned by their best and most rewarded player and swiftly delivered by the club./p

Wins over United give us the edge: Mancini

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe noise, if there still is any, has abated to a hum, like an errant fly on a sun-kissed beach./p

Pace axes its head of procurement

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPace's chairman Allan Leighton yesterday continued his shake-up of the troubled TV set-top boxes maker as another board director abruptly exited the company./p

Report claims Santorum used Senate contacts to earn $1m

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe heat in winter in New Hampshire is set to rise sharply for the front-runners in the race for the Republican presidential nomination with Rick Santorum facing charges that he has used Capitol Hill contacts to turn himself into a millionaire and Mitt Romney bracing for a barrage of attacks in two television debates today and tomorrow./p

Iran increases hold in Iraq as Shia militia enters politics

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAn anti-American Shia militia in Iraq backed by Iran that once killed US soldiers has agreed to give up its weapons and join the political process in a move likely to fuel US paranoia about growing Iranian influence in the country./p

My Life In Travel: Alistair McGowan, actor, comic and impressionist

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongFirst holiday memory?/strong/p

Bob Holness: Broadcaster and actor treasured for his role as the avuncular host of 'Blockbusters'

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe television game show Blockbusters gave Bob Holness a cult following amongst younger generations after he had already clocked up almost 30 years in broadcasting./p

David Owen: Thatcher's disciples do her no favours by covering up her illness

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFor the first time, the British public can see in graphic detail on cinema screens throughout the country why the woman they elected three times as Prime Minister was unceremoniously bundled out of office by her fellow Conservative MPs./p

Shearer: What I miss is the 90-minute rush

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAlan Shearer is warming to a theme; the failings at boardroom level of his former club./p

Howard Jacobson: We'll miss the sensuous pleasure of a real book

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThere's a scene in Pride and Prejudice in which the imperious Lady Catherine de Bourgh expresses amazement that Elizabeth Bennet grew up without a governess. "Then who taught you?" she wants to know. "We were always encouraged to read," Elizabeth answers, "and had all the masters that were necessary."/p

Terry baffled by Di Matteo's talk of knee trouble and eager to face Portsmouth

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Chelsea captain, John Terry, has dismissed fears that he has a troublesome knee injury and is determined to face Portsmouth in the FA Cup third round tomorrow./p

Film-makers 'knew details on Bin Laden raid'

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAn investigation is under way into claims made by a Republican Senator in America that classified information about the killing of Osama Bin Laden was passed to a film-maker working on a project telling the story of the raid by US armed forces last year./p

My Secret Life: Goldie, 46, musician

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongMy parents were... /strongnot the best./p

JD Sports set to snap up ailing Blacks after it goes into administration

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pJD Sports Fashion is expected to buy the troubled outdoor retailer Blacks Leisure on Monday after it enters administration./p

Open Jaw: Your views on the polar plane route

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p"Airlines cleared to use Santa's short-cut": on Christmas Eve, The Independent revealed new rules that open up the world to fuel-efficient twin-jets, promising faster, cleaner and cheaper flights./p

Josef Skvorecky: Writer who championed dissident Czech authors

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pJosef Skvorecky, one of Czechoslovakia's leading novelists, gave voice to that country's sardonic optimism, wryly surveying the horrors and compromises that attend life under totalitarianism, whether of the left or the right./p

The Bargain Hunter: Restaurants offer cheaper eating

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWith Christmas and New Year making a dent in bank balances nationwide, anyone who likes to eat out but is also looking to save money may be interested to discover that several major restaurants are running offers over the next few weeks. While Yo Sushi is offering 40 per cent off all food from "the belt" from Sunday to Friday, Carluccios will be running a two mains for the price of one discount and Clos Maggiore is introducing two or three-course set menus starting at £15.50 per person./p

'No answers' on Warner TV claim

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFifa have failed to provide adequate answers to former vice-president Jack Warner's claims that he was provided with World Cup television rights for as a little as a dollar as a reward for supporting Sepp Blatter, according to a reformer. /p

Viv Groskop: The truth about the Tiger Mother? She's as powerless as the rest of us

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhen did it become normal to assume you have a great deal of influence over how your child turns out? Which is not to suggest that parents can behave however the hell they want without any consequences./p

Glenn Moore: The FA Cup - Where to get your third-round shocks as journeymen hope for their day in the spotlight

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe revelation that the BBC is likely to drop its Saturday-night coverage of the Football League in order to preserve its dwindling sports budget for Match of the Day's pundits was another blow for players in the vibrant, but increasingly sidelined world beyond the Premier League./p

O'Neill set for a tilt at his final frontier

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMartin O'Neill, the Sunderland manager, will do all he can to address the one glaring absence on his CV as he heads into his latest FA Cup campaign./p

Parents of student pray where son was murdered

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIn the chill of a Salford morning, the parents of the murdered Indian student Anuj Bidve said prayers yesterday for their son at the spot where he was shot dead on Boxing Day./p

US family aghast as teen is deported to Colombia

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLike many a teenage runaway, Jakadrien Turner wasn't exactly forthcoming when police in Houston arrested her for shoplifting in early April. /p

Diary: Taxi for Abbott! Cabbies call on MP to quit in Twitter row

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pYou wonder whether Labour MP Diane Abbott will use Twitter again./p

A very honourable defeat: Ex-Olympus boss walks away

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Olympus boss turned whistleblower Michael Woodford has launched a blistering attack on the "closed shop" in Japanese big business after abandoning his campaign to be reinstated as chief executive./p

Simon Calder: A rethink on the HS2 route would be wise

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAustralian railway engineers celebrated the new century by building 900 miles of new track across the Northern Territory in two years flat. In crowded, complicated Britain there is nothing high-speed about building a 21st-century high-speed line. /p

Five Questions About: Becoming self-employed

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongI want to work for myself in 2012 but what do I need to do to become self-employed?/strong/p

No end in sight to tensions over Suarez

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe simmering tension between Liverpool and Manchester United looks unlikely to be resolved before the two teams play each other next month./p

Leading article: Too easily seduced by the glamour of high-speed rail

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIn a climate of economic austerity and seemingly endless spending cuts, plans to build a high-speed rail link between London and Birmingham look more attractive than ever./p

Neil Warnock: My lifelong love for the Cup has always gone unrequited

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pI fell in love with the FA Cup as a boy, but the competition has not been kind to me./p

Harriet Walker: Relax if you feel left out or deformed: the super-boob is officially over

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIf dross like Celebrity Big Brother is any indication of social mores and cultural trends – and believe me, it is – then the edict from the tastemakers is this: boobs are over. You heard me./p

Murray ups the pace to reach Brisbane semi-finals

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTop seed Andy Murray showed no mercy to doubles partner Marcos Baghdatis as he cruised to a 6-2, 6-2 victory in the quarter-finals of the Brisbane International yesterday./p

Long gone are the bricklayers, giant-killing is a full-time job

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe last time a top-flight side were knocked out of the FA Cup by non-League opposition, it was a bricklayer who scored the winning goal. /p

Police called to Peterlee killer's house four times

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPolice were called to the home of the Peterlee killer Michael Atherton four times in two years over domestic violence incidents./p

Michael Caines: One-armed banquet

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt's fair to say that there probably aren't many one-armed, adopted, Anglo-Caribbean men from Devon who hold both an MBE and a Europe-wide reputation for catering brilliance./p

Avalanche of insurance scandal claims

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRecord numbers of consumers are predicted this year to have problems claiming on payment protection policies (PPI), with the result that many will make a formal complaint and even take their case to the Financial Ombudsman Service./p

Donald MacInnes: Scotching those canny tartan stereotypes can be a bit of a shock

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFollowing last week's myth-debunking revelation that we Scots are no better or worse with money than any other demographic in this kingdom of disparate races, your hands may have flown to your mouth in shock; your eyes as wide as digestive biscuits; your palace of accepted wisdom a pile of bricks./p

Henry: Don't expect me to be the player I was

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAmid all the emotion, both Thierry Henry and Arsène Wenger admitted last night that Arsenal's leading goal-scorer would not be the same player in his second spell at the club./p

Leading article: The not-so-brief history of Hawking

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWe are all living longer; but a 70th birthday is still a cause for celebration. Even more so, when the party is for one of the world's greatest physicists, a scientist who has dominated his field for nearly 40 years./p

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David Usborne: A democracy where money doesn't always talk – but the press is kept on its knees

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRick Santorum, not my favourite politician, congratulated a group of voters in the Rising Sun Cafe in Polk City, Iowa, early last Monday for a job well done putting all the candidates for the party's presidential nomination through their paces and then some over the previous weeks./p

England call for mighty Finn to set the pace

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA year ago today, England completed an epic victory against Australia and a nation rejoiced./p

'Witch murder' couple had 'attacked before'

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA couple on trial for murdering a 15-year-old because they thought he was a sorcerer had previously accused a young woman of practising witchcraft, the Old Bailey heard yesterday./p

Five-minute memoir: Alone in Paris

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pI had never understood the real meaning of loneliness until I lived in Paris. Or, more accurately, until I attempted to live in Paris. I had also never experienced quite such a clanging disjunction between fantasy and reality./p

The Big Six: Balinese beach retreats

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongJiva Puri, Cemagi/strong/p

The Lonely Planet Journey: Argentina's Patagonian Highway

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pKnown officially as Ruta Nacional 40 (RN40), the Patagonian Highway runs nearly the length of Argentina, a distance of more than 5,000km. In the north of the country, it begins just south of the Bolivian border and continues almost to Tierra del Fuego in the south./p

Traveller's Guide: Festive Spain

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBritain has rather more than usual to celebrate over the coming year, with the London Olympic Games and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in the offing. However, with the festive season now comfortably behind us, it's worth remembering that one particular part of Europe knows how to party better than most – and that's Spain./p

Spotlight On: Virgin Money savings accounts

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongThe deal/strong/p

Online payday loan firms may be guilty of mis-selling, says lawyer

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOnline payday loans could end up being the next mis-selling scandal, a former lawyer at the Financial Ombudsman Service has warned./p

Lescott: 'Mancini ordered restraint after our 6-1 victory'

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pJoleon Lescott has disclosed that Roberto Mancini ordered calm in the Manchester City dressing room in the immediate aftermath of their historic 6-1 victory at Old Trafford in October./p

Ai Weiwei tax ruling reviewed

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Chinese artist Ai Weiwei says the authorities have agreed to review their ruling that he pay a £1.5m fine for alleged tax evasion./p

Leading article: Hungary retreats from democracy

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Italian physicist Enrico Fermi once asked: Given the likelihood of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, why haven't they made contact? "They are already among us," came the reply, "but they call themselves Hungarians."/p

The A list: Every gardener knows about making a plant list - the tricky thing is what to put on it

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pChoosing plants for the garden is not always the well-regulated affair that it ought to be. The received wisdom is clear. Bearing in mind the site, the soil, the different aspects of the garden, the presence or absence of wind and frost, you draw up a list. On the list will be trees and shrubs carefully selected to give as long a period of interest as possible./p

US Navy rescues Iranian fishing boat from pirates

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAmerican military officials said yesterday that their Navy had rescued an Iranian fishing boat commandeered by suspected Somali pirates more than 40 days ago./p

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What to do, see buy: L'Atalante; Vicki Murdoch; Seydou Keïta; Yayoi Kusama; Jess Mills

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongVa-va voom/strong/p

Tunisia one year on: Simon Calder explores the source of the Arab Spring

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIce-cream and fine wine: the bosses of the Swiss conglomerate, Mövenpick, may be wishing they had stuck to those profitable lines rather than expanding into hotels in North Africa. On New Year's Day, the chic lobby of the Tunis Mövenpick hotel was, like the rooms, mostly empty. Perfectly attired and mannered staff wished the handful of guests bonne année – a greeting that was returned with feeling./p

Mark Dampier: Mines a rich seam as gold looks set to keep its glow

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLast year was a volatile one for the gold price. It reached a high of more than $1,900 per ounce in September but fell back to less than $1,600. Over the course of the year it was up 8 per cent. The recent falls seem to be caused by concerns about eurozone debt returning to the fore. You would think the eurozone crisis would be positive for gold as it is often regarded as a safe haven in times of market turmoil. Furthermore, I believe it will lead to quantitative easing in Europe, essentially the printing of new money which serves to devalue the currency. This should increase demand for gold as a store of value which cannot be debased by governments and central banks./p

Simon Read: Rogue payday lenders must be closed down to protect the hard-up

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHardships are continuing for families this year. Housing charity Shelter reckons some seven million vulnerable folk have turned to expensive credit just to pay their rent or mortgages./p

Redknapp relishes title fight

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTottenham Hotspur have their best ever chance to win the Premier League, according to manager Harry Redknapp. Spurs play Cheltenham Town in the FA Cup this afternoon, but it is their position at the halfway point of the League which has so obviously thrilled Redknapp./p

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Andrew Grice: Balls may be right – but the voters just don't care

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p"I've been waiting to do that response for a year," Ed Balls said after the Chancellor George Osborne confirmed his growth and borrowing targets were way off track in his Autumn Statement in November. "To have a moment when George Osborne had to stand up and say it had gone so wrong, and to have a chance to explain why, was very important for me," Mr Balls told Fabian Review./p

Rebel without a state: Evgeny Lebedev meets Ismail Haniyeh, Prime Minister of Gaza

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFrom Jerusalem, the drive to Gaza passes tidy fields and shops selling locally-produced honey. For the final stretch, conifers line one side of the road. When they part, you catch sight of the wall that marks Gaza's northern perimeter, its concrete sides topped by observation posts and coils of barbed wire./p

The Pipe Glass Inn, West End, South Dalton, Beverley, East Yorkshire

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe flotilla of nightlights on the tables outside the Pipe amp; Glass – a welcome sight after much peering at the map and several U-turns on dark, narrow lanes – formed an infinitesimal reflection of the glittering constellations arching over rural East Yorkshire. Coincidentally, many of the customers, who pretty much filled the car park on a wintry Tuesday night, were lured by a single star of a distinctly non-celestial nature, being bestowed by a tyre company based in Clermont-Ferrand. Less than four years after taking over a "tired and unloved" pub in the village of South Dalton, local boy James Mackenzie was awarded his county's first and only Michelin star in 2010. This glory was further burnished when the Pipe amp; Glass was named Michelin's Pub of the Year for 2012./p

Questions Of Cash: Failed online credit check has left me out of pocket

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongQ. I applied online to obtain my credit status, using quickcreditscore.co.uk. But nothing has happened – the report would not load. I have not received confirmation of registration and my account has been debited twice. I have logged a complaint, requested the payment instruction be cancelled and asked for a refund, but the replies have not addressed my complaint.em AP, by email./em/strong/p

Jagielka out for up to six weeks

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEverton's Phil Jagielka faces up to six weeks out with a knee injury sustained in Wednesday's 2-1 defeat by Bolton, according to manager David Moyes./p

Government plans 800 new Traveller sites across Britain

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMoves to create some 800 permanent sites across England for Traveller families will be announced today in an effort to defuse community tensions with settled residents./p

Rebecca Tyrrel: 'It is easy to picture Nick Clegg sobbing at his desk, listening to a requiem'

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWho knew that no gift Nick Clegg could receive today for his 44th birthday could delight him as much as the one Charles Kennedy gave him five years ago? On Clegg's 39th birthday, Kennedy quit as Liberal Democrat leader after receiving a letter demanding his resignation signed by 25 of his colleagues, a certain future Deputy Prime Minister among them. Then, Sir Menzies Campbell having been quickly tidied away a year and bit later, Clegg took over himself. /p

Brian Viner's Christmas Quiz Answers

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe winner of Brian Viner's Christmas Quiz is ustrongAndy Parlett of Cheam in Surrey,/strong/u who will be receiving a year's supply of Spitfire Ale from master brewers Shepherd Neame./p

The scientists who solved Hawking's greatest puzzle: love

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAn interview Stephen Hawking gave to the New Scientist magazine this week might have focused on the physicist's work, but it was his response to the question "What do you think most about during the day?" that intrigued most observers. "Women," said Hawking. "They are a complete mystery." Hawking's two divorces have attracted much public attention, but when it comes to love and the laboratory, his life is far from the most intriguing./p

Keira Knightley: 'Sometimes I just sit on the bathroom floor and burst into tears'

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt's a cold winter morning and Keira Knightley is sitting alone in the library of a central London hotel. She is close to the end of shooting her new film Anna Karenina, in which she stars opposite Aaron Johnson's Vronsky and Jude Law's Karenin. No, she confides, she hasn't shot the suicide sequence in the train station yet. That is a treat waiting in store for the final day of filming, just before Christmas./p

Calls for 'Scottish Stephen Lawrence' case to be reopened

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOne of Britain's most notorious unsolved murders – the fatal stabbing of an Asian man by a group of white men – should be re-investigated, according to the senior police officer who led the case./p

Anthony Rose: Will 2012 be a good year for wine?

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pImagine it's a year from now. The turbulent events of 2012 seem so obvious with the benefit of a rear-view mirror. True, we'd already seen wine sales starting to spiral downwards, but isolation from Europe coupled with yet another above-inflation tax hike brought gloom if not quite doom to what was left of the high street. The new Oddbins and Wine Racks clung on. George Osborne riffled greedily through our pocket but failed to spot the gaping hole in it./p

Money Insider: Get back to basics if you want to sort out your finances

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMany people will have made a new year resolution to sort out their money matters – it's probably among the top three 2012 promises, alongside losing a weight and doing a bit more exercise./p

Cucumber and prawn salad

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThis is a lovely, fresh and simple dish that you could serve as a starter or as part of a buffet. Those small ridge or baby cucumbers are perfect for this as you can just slice them all the way through without trimming them./p

Harry's heading to Jamaica, but grandma is not welcome

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA visit by Prince Harry to Jamaica this summer has suddenly become political, after the country's new Prime Minister, Portia Simpson Miller, used her swearing in speech to announce her intention to remove the Queen as head of state and make the Caribbean island country a republic./p

Can you guess whose daughter this is?

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pShe has been called cooler than Ellie Goulding and shares a record label with Florence and the Machine and Jessie J but while she stands on the cusp of similar success, her biggest fan at a gig in north London next week could be her mother, aka Tessa Jowell./p

Clarke sets sights on series win after Sachin scalp

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Australia captain, Michael Clarke, urged his team-mates to celebrate their resounding victory over India in the second Test – but insisted they will not be satisfied until they clinch the four-match series./p

Leicester need Twelvetrees to ease Flood pain

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstronguLeicester v Wasps/u/strong/ppThere will be no Toby Flood at Welford Road this afternoon, just as there will be no Toby Flood at Murrayfield on Calcutta Cup day if Leicester's latest information is correct. /p

UK leads the world in private security industry

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSomalian pirates, earthquakes, Arab uprisings, fresh rumblings from the eurozone crisis. They all trigger the same effect in the corporate world: a phone call to a private security firm to plot a plan./p

Nasa probes Apollo 13 commander's right to sell flight checklist

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNasa is investigating whether the Apollo 13 commander, James Lovell, has the right to sell a checklist from the flight that includes his handwritten calculations crucial in guiding the damaged spacecraft back to Earth./p

Which H was the second man to play Bond?

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBob Holness, the avuncular host of the cult television quiz show Blockbusters, has died after a broadcasting career that spanned six decades and saw him become only the second person to play James Bond./p

Prawn stars: Mark Hix's delicious and easy dishes

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pConsidering that they are scavenging sea insects, prawns and their relatives are wonderful things. Firstly, they have a fantastic flavour and secondly they invariably yield two meals; one using the actual meat itself, and the other in the form of a soup made from the shells, whether it be a velvety bisque or a clear consommé-like soup. Prawns freeze well and it's always handy to keep a packet in the freezer for those moments when you need a last-minute supper./p

American Football: Yates breaks fresh territory for Texans

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt is a little bit of history that has been a decade in the making. Tonight at the Reliant Stadium, the Houston Texans will entertain the Cincinnati Bengals and finally experience a belated first taste of post-season in the opening fixture of the NFL play-offs./p

Travel Challenge: A diving holiday in Egypt

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEach week, we invite three companies to offer us their best deal for a specific holiday. Today: a week-long diving holiday in the Red Sea resorts of Egypt in early February. Prices are per person, based on two sharing, and include flights from London and all-inclusive accommodation./p

Soup, made from prawns, langoustines or crayfish

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe shells from prawns, langoustines or crayfish form the base for a truly great soup, especially those from langoustines. It's really worth saving them, as langoustines especially cost such a lot in the first place, and it's a shame if the shells end up in the bin. /p

Tinker, tailor, soldier, prize? Why it's Smiley vs Monroe at the Baftas

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTinker Tailor Soldier Spy has shaken off the disappointment of being snubbed by the Golden Globes, after the British film academy named it in 16 categories, putting it toe-to-toe with a biopic about Marilyn Monroe./p

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QPR's £5m Samba bid kicks off sales

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNeil Warnock has put the wheels in motion as he looks to add two central defenders and one striker in the January sales by making a £5m bid for the Blackburn Rovers defender Christopher Samba./p

Full steam ahead for high-speed rail

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA £32bn high-speed rail link between London and Birmingham that would cut through some of Britain's most prized countryside and infuriate Conservative MPs is set to be approved by the Transport Secretary./p

Paulson Europe bonus bonanza

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe four partners at Paulson Europe, the UK-based arm of John Paulson's hedge fund firm, have shared a £27m annual bonus pool, even though profits fell 17 per cent in the year to end-March./p

James Moore: Blacks was let down by past management

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pbOutlook:/b Another day goes by, another retailer goes pop. This time it is Black's Leisure, and perhaps the only surprise is the fact that it's been able to limp along for as long as it has. /p

Chris McGrath: Squadron can enjoy victory parade

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe January blues are not hard to explain./p

Cycling: World gold for Kenny as Bauge loses title after drugs ban

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOlympic gold medallist Jason Kenny has gained his first ever senior World Championships title after Frenchman Grégory Baugé had his results annulled for anti-doping rule violations./p

Errors Omissions: Two sentences can sometimes be better than one

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pbDashed long:/b On Monday we inflicted a 49-word sentence on readers in our report that Gordon Brown's emails were "hacked" when he was Chancellor./p

House prices slide again in year of gloom

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBritain's virtually moribund housing market ended 2011 on a low after prices fell 0.9 per cent in December, the lender Halifax said yesterday./p

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Market Report: Man trips again – and falls to its lowest for 10 years

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p"Man down!" was the cry from the Square Mile last night./p

Fly takes wing in racecourse gallop

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThey say the man on top of the horse seldom has a reliable opinion of its chances./p

Snooker: O'Sullivan pulls plug on Twitter

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRonnie O'Sullivan and Mark Williams are both in trouble with snooker's governing body after four-letter outbursts on Twitter./p

Travel Agenda: The Harbin Ice Festival; The Active Travel Show; Miami's International Art Fair; Art Rotterdam

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongToday: /strongIn China, The Harbin Ice Festival is under way in the capital of Heilongjiang province. The annual winter event sees artists and engineers chisel elaborate sculptures, towers and temples from the frozen waters of the Songhua River. The event continues until the end of February (cnto.org)./p

James Lawton: In Ferguson's hour of need Rooney has let him down

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pManchester United yesterday officially relegated the Wayne Rooney affair to the status of a piece of passing discipline, something earned by their best and most rewarded player and swiftly delivered by the club./p

Robert Fisk: The shocking truth that killing can be so casual

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMore horror arrives in the mail./p

Eleven die after hot air balloon hits power lines and bursts into flames

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEleven people were killed last night when a hot air balloon on a pleasure flight burst into flames and plunged 500ft to the ground in New Zealand./p

Terry rejects Di Matteo's talk of knee problems

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Chelsea captain, John Terry, has dismissed fears that he has a troublesome knee injury and is determined to face Portsmouth in the FA Cup third round tomorrow./p

Travellers will be offered sites to avoid repeat of Dale Farm

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMoves to create some 800 permanent sites across England for Traveller families will be announced today in an effort to defuse community tensions with settled residents./p

Personal assistant to Rebekah Brooks arrested over 'deleted emails'

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe longstanding secretary to the former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks has become the 17th person to be arrested by police investigating phone hacking at the News of the World./p

Kean open to bids for Hoilett

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSteve Kean, the Blackburn manager, has admitted the club will now have to consider any bids for winger Junior Hoilett, who is out of contract in the summer./p

How love can be torn apart

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe emotional gulf between Neville and Doreen Lawrence outside the Old Bailey was agonisingly wide./p

Tymoshenko's husband flees amid claims of persecution

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe husband of former Ukraine prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko was given political asylum in the Czech Republic yesterday after arguing he was being persecuted as part of a government vendetta against his wife./p

Thousands massacred as two tribes go to war in South Sudan

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMore than 3,000 people have been reported killed in South Sudan during a week of clashes between two tribes in the world's newest state./p

Letters: Winston Churchill

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pGallup Polls showed at least 78 per cent support for Churchill during the war, even at its worst (letters 31 December, 3, 5 January). In 1945, he was the first choice for PM of 48 per cent of the population; the highest-scoring Labour politician was Attlee with 13 per cent./p

How Roberto fell in love with Manchester

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSome of Roberto Mancini's memories of the 6-1 demolition of Manchester United are indelible – he recalls especially how tired Sir Alex Ferguson looked when they encountered each other afterwards – but Manchester City's manager will also tell you that the experience of bringing the gladiators from across town crashing down to earth was not an entirely unique one for him./p

In the heart of Seoul: The South Korean capital has plenty of surprises for urban adventurers

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p"I want to show you something," said my guide. "It's very Korean, and a little bit strange. You'll probably think it's silly." We were walking, on an autumn evening that turned crisp after dusk fell on a bright and balmy day, down Isadong-gil. This is a crowded, traffic-free street in the centre of Seoul – or so you assume, until a rogue scooter or van shoots across your path. It leads through a retail gauntlet of high-quality and mostly affordable craft shops to Tapgol Park. Here, 15th-century stone pagodas commemorate the kings of the Joseon dynasty, who united the Korean peninsula after 1392 – which has plenty of resonances in 2012./p

David Lister: Ageing British rock bands never die. They just end up performing in the Kremlin

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt was New Year at the Kremlin./p

Big fall in US jobless boosts Obama's re-election hopes

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pUS President Barack Obama's hopes of a winning a second term this year gained a major boost yesterday as upbeat jobs figures revealed the biggest fall in unemployment for nearly three years./p

Brian Smith: My side of the World Cup story

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe moment Martin Johnson announced his resignation as England manager in mid-November, the attack coach Brian Smith decided he had no option but to do likewise. "It was Martin who had appointed me, so I felt my position was untenable," he says quietly, reflecting on that supremely difficult moment./p

Mirko Tremaglia: Fiercely nationalist Italian politician

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMirko Tremaglia was the last remaining human link between Italy's present-day political world and the Fascist regime of Benito Mussolini./p

Another top Tesco executive heads for the exit

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTesco has suffered the loss of another senior executive, dealing a blow to the grocery giant that is expected to post a further decline in its underlying UK sales next week. /p

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Rethink on £26,000 benefits cap

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pUnemployed families living in expensive accommodation may be spared the full force of the Government's proposed £26,000 a year cap, as ministers try to head off a Liberal Democrat rebellion./p

James Moore: Metal exchange will not be able to resist the pot of gold

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongOutlook:/strong The London Metal Exchange is the City's belle of the ball, with just about anyone with any interest in exchanges falling over each other to offer gold-plated dowries. /p

Boxing: Can Khan regain belts over Hat-gate?

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAmir Khan could get a late Christmas present of his world title belts back if the role of a mystery man in a hat sat at ringside during his defeat to Lamont Peterson last month is not satisfactorily explained./p

Convicted Lib Dem fraudster is arrested in Dominican Republic

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe convicted fraudster who gave the Liberal Democrats their biggest ever donation has been arrested in the Caribbean after more than three years on the run./p

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Holiday costs set to soar – even if you've already paid

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBritain's biggest holiday company yesterday trumpeted "another year of record profit growth" but research by The Independent reveals that the same tour operator is surcharging some customers who have already paid for adventure trips and ski holidays – including a demand for £13 per child for school trips./p

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100 not out – but is the ANC ailing?

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe paint fumes hit your nostrils./p

Teachers' union rejects pension deal

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTeachers' leaders have refused to sign up to the Government's final offer on pensions, dealing another blow to hopes that the bitter dispute could soon be resolved./p

Sales of new vehicles at lowest for decade

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHard-up households steered clear of splashing out on new cars last year, prompting a 14 per cent slide in private sales, according to industry figures revealed yesterday./p

PM scrubs up well

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDavid Cameron sought to pass a health check while visiting Salford Royal Hospital in Greater Manchester. /p

James Moore: Where will whistleblower turn up next?

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pbOutlook:/b If Michael Woodford follows through with his threat to write a book on the events leading up to his dismissal by Olympus it promises to be a real humdinger, maybe even along the lines of Too Big To Fail or Barbarians at the Gate. /p

Derek Pain: All change at RSH as it prepares for the switch to AIM

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDramatic changes could be afoot at Rivington Street Holdings (RSH) the financial and software conglomerate which is arranging to switch its shares from the fringe Plus trading facility to AIM, the Stock Exchange junior market./p

The Saturday Quiz answers

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p1. The Battle of the River Plate./p

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Bekele the legend does not fear Farah – or anyone else

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pKenenisa Bekele, the little Ethiopian with the big claim to being the greatest distance runner of all time, has been venturing to these shores for 10 years now, ever since he emerged victorious from the mud of Newcastle's Exhibition Park in the Great North Cross-country race in December 2001./p

The Saturday Quiz

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p1. Which Second World War battle was the subject of a 1956 film by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger?/p

Clinics told to pay for removal of substandard breast implants

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPrivate clinics were ordered yesterday to pay for the removal of sub-standard breast implants from women worried about the risk of their rupturing./p

Wine: Something for the weekend?

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongCouch potato/strong/p

Fried egg with leeks and prawns

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThis is a great dish to serve for a celebratory breakfast or brunch – or you could also present it as a simple and delicious dinner-party starter. You can use ducks' or hens' eggs for this, or even a double egg as a light main dish./p

Five-spice duck livers with Dublin Bay prawns

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThis is a little Asian surf'n'turf number and I've added frozen podded edamame to create extra colour and texture. Don't go mad with the five-spice, or it will overpower the dish. You can buy the edamame in good Asian supermarkets./p

Brian Ashton: It's a win-win situation for new England set-up

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt is with keen anticipation – keener than usual following Martin Johnson's resignation as England manager and a clear-out of the coaching staff – that the rugby public await next week's announcement of the new Elite Player Squad ahead of the Six Nations Championship./p

IRB to have the final say on Shingler

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe International Rugby Board will review the eligibility of Steven Shingler in the wake of the dispute that has broken out over his inclusion in Scotland's squad for the Six Nations./p

Snow patrol: Lois Hechenblaikner's photographs reveal the seamier side of the Alps

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEvery year, the Tyrol region of Austria is transformed into the ultimate ski resort: snow guaranteed, party-times promised, a wonderland for tourists to descend upon in their droves. And come they certainly do – over 41 million people visited last year./p

Chhokar case must be re-examined, says former top policeman

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAdvances in forensic science could reinvigorate the inquiry into the death of Surjit Singh Chhokar who was stabbed to death by a white gang./p

Mind over matter: How Stephen Hawking defied Motor Neurone Disease for 50 years

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe cream of Britain's scientific establishment will gather in Cambridge tomorrow to celebrate the 70th birthday of the world's best known theoretical physicist. Lord Rees, the Astronomer Royal, will lead the tributes to Stephen Hawking, who for nearly four decades has dominated a field of research that extends from the beginnings of the universe to the end of time./p

Apprentice winner accuses partner of running off with $1m prize money

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhat do a female plumber from Somerset, an Arab property magnate with a fondness for buying English football clubs and an eco-friendly Los Angeles architect have in common? The answer is they all feature in an intriguing legal battle over just who gets a share of the $1m dollar prize money from a Middle Eastern version of The Apprentice./p

Chris McGrath: Why can't Clarke win Aussie affections?

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIf he discovered a cure for cancer in the morning, sorted out global warming in the afternoon, and paid off the national deficit before going to bed, someone would still mutter something about Michael Clarke just showing off./p

Foden fires to cut Quins down to size

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHarlequins, masters of all they surveyed until mid-December, have now lost three of their last five games./p

Independent Appeal: Teenage runaway on a mission to change young people's lives

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSitting in the lounge of his apartment in one of central Manchester's more prestigious mill developments, Carl Hillier could be just another of the city's army of smart young professionals./p

Short trip gives Britannia a spot of bother

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Royal Yacht Britannia steamed 1,087,623 miles and weathered almost every sea condition imaginable during the 44 years the Queen sailed in her. But she was almost undone yesterday on a journey just a few hundred yards long./p

Luke Blackall: Lapping up the boos as Ice judge villain

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAs this year's Dancing on Ice contestants were squeezed into their outfits, told to grin and pushed in front of the camera this week, it reminded me of my own brush with skating celebrities./p

Confessions of a Traffic Warden

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe caring traffic warden? Now there's a rare epithet for such an unloved member of urban society. Yet that was the label granted to Hakim Berkani after an employment tribunal this week, when he claimed he was sacked for refusing to bow to pressure to "extract as much cash as possible, via both fair means and foul, from the motoring public" while working in the London borough of Kensington and Chelsea./p

Tim Walker: Why must Ed make a Tweet of himself?

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThanks to changes in the parliamentary rules, tech-forward MPs are now permitted to tweet from within the Commons. Many have been spotted doing so while their colleagues address the house. I do wish they'd stop. Not because they're disrupting the democratic process, but because MPs are the most insipid social networkers in the galaxy. Honourable mention must go to the likes of Louise Mensch and Tom Watson, who know how to be interesting in 140 characters. But most MPs' attempts to engage with voters via Twitter are crushingly dull. A browse through some backbenchers' accounts yields such underwhelming information as the sandwich they're eating on the Leeds to Liverpool train, the "great" meeting they just had with the local chamber of commerce, and links to their latest on-message blog post. Sometimes, to demonstrate a hint of humanity, they might inform their followers which dad-rock LP they're listening to in the car./p

How Thatcher's election win launched secret war on CND

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAn army intelligence unit was used to infiltrate civil rights groups and protest organisations after Margaret Thatcher came to power. Former soldiers claim that they were ordered to undertake the spying missions by a senior officer in the Ministry of Defence./p

Alice Jones: There really is no place for sex in politics

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pImagine being in a work appraisal and, discussing your potential for promotion, a colleague says this about you. "She says she can't understand why she's not been given a job, and neither can I. This woman is intelligent, she's successful in her own right, she's strong-willed, she's determined and dogged". So far, so good. "She's sexy, she has everything." Hang on. That can't be right, can it? And yet, that is exactly what Tom Watson, Labour MP said about his fellow MP and Murdoch interrogator on the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, Louise Mensch this week. He was not in a work appraisal as such; in fact, he was speaking in the rather more public forum of the London radio station LBC, but still – since when was it appropriate for male politicians to call their female counterparts "sexy"?/p

Curtain comes down on liberal Hungary

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIn the centre of Budapest yesterday, the number 26 stood picked out in big red letters above the magnificent blue and gold Art Nouveau facade of the city's renowned New Theatre, where Schiller's Don Carlos is on its final run./p

Insurance may not cover wild weather damage

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHouseholders' claims for storm damage could be turned down if they don't have the right cover, insurers said this week. The warning came after firms were hit by record numbers of claims for weather damage following the extreme winds and rain across the country./p

Labour seeks to trump Cameron with curbs on excessive pay

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLabour outflanked the Government last night by announcing sweeping plans to curb excessive pay in the City of London and Britain's boardrooms./p

The 50 Best spas

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 10:00pm EST

pustrongThis week's panel:/strong/u/ppstrongAnna McGrail/strong is the managing editor of The Good Spa Guide, a href="http://goodspaguide.co.uk/" target="_blank" title="goodspaguide.co.uk"goodspaguide.co.uk/a;/ppstrongEmma Smith/strong is the beauty director at ELLE UK;/ppstrongKatie Reich-Storer/strong is editor of Spa Secrets magazine, a href="http://spasecretsmagazine.com/" target="_blank" title="spasecretsmagazine.com"spasecretsmagazine.com/a;/ppstrongTamara Heber-Percy/strong is the founder of boutique hotel guide Mr amp; Mrs Smith, a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/" target="_blank" title="mrandmrssmith.com"mrandmrssmith.com/a/p

Spaghetti Western Orchestra, Queen Elizabeth Hall, London

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 7:41pm EST

pSuccessful tribute acts must look the part as much as sound familiar and while the Spaghetti Western Orchestra pay attention to detail, their look is strangely distinctive./p

Fog, Finborough Theatre, London

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 7:39pm EST

pThe soldier who returns to find that he's a stranger in the country he fought for is a familiar figure in drama (one thinks of Simon Stephens' recent Motortown), as is the absconding father who is finally forced to confront the consequences of his neglect. /p

Totem, Royal Albert Hall, London

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 7:31pm EST

pCirque du Soleil has a highly successful formula that surrounds strong, polished circus acts with bombastic glitter and vaguely uplifting sentiment./p

US Navy rescues Iranian fishing boat from pirates

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 6:18pm EST

pUS military officials say the Navy has rescued an Iranian fishing boat that had been commandeered by suspected Somali pirates. br //p

Government to pay for removal of NHS implants

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 6:13pm EST

pThere is no evidence to recommend the routine removal of PIP implants from about 40,000 women in the UK, the Government said today./p

So what are the Canary Islands really like?

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 6:05pm EST

pHere is a short video explaining the many and varied delights on offer to visitors to the Canary Islands. /p

Ratings agency downgrades Hungary to junk status

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 6:00pm EST

pFitch downgraded Hungary's credit rating to junk status on Friday, citing a standoff between the government and international lenders like the IMF and the European Union over possible rescue loans. /p

US unemployment rate drops to 8.5 per cent

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 5:57pm EST

pThe US unemployment rate has fallen to its lowest level in nearly three years, giving the economy a boost at the end of 2011. /p

Cycling: Great Britain's Jason Kenny awarded gold after Gregory Bauge is stripped of title

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 5:56pm EST

pGreat Britain's Jason Kenny has been confirmed as world champion after cycling's world governing body announced France's Gregory Bauge has been stripped of his title for an anti-doping infringement. /p

Fulham reject offer from QPR for Andy Johnson

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 5:54pm EST

pFulham have rejected an offer from QPR for Andrew Johnson, Press Association Sport understands./p

Gillingham FA Cup tie with Stoke in doubt

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 5:52pm EST

pGillingham's FA Cup third-round match with Stoke tomorrow could be postponed on police advice, according to Medway Council./p

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Damage from riots could hit £1m

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 5:51pm EST

pStores which bore the brunt of rampaging mobs during the summer riots face another two years before they resume trading at previous levels. /p

Fifa dismiss claims by Jack Warner

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 5:49pm EST

pFIFA have failed to provide adequate answers to former vice-president Jack Warner's claims that he was provided with World Cup television rights for as a little as a dollar as a reward for supporting Sepp Blatter, according to a leading reformer./p

Teachers reject final Government pension offer

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 5:35pm EST

pThe Government remained embroiled in a row over public sector pensions tonight after failing to win the endorsement of its final offer from the country's biggest teaching unions. /p

William Hague 'encouraged' by Burma reforms

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 5:21pm EST

pThe international community must maintain pressure on Burma's government to make further "bold steps" towards reform, Foreign Secretary William Hague said today as he completed a historic visit to the south-east Asian country. /p

Up to 25 killed in Damascus blast, says Syria

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 5:03pm EST

pAn explosion ripped through a busy intersection in the Syrian capital today, hitting a bus carrying police and killing up to 25 people in what Syrian authorities said was the second suicide attack in as many weeks. /p

London 2012 re-sale process suspended amid website crash

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 4:33pm EST

pLondon 2012 organisers have been forced to suspend their ticket re-sale process for this summer's Olympics after website problems./p

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Ed Miliband in 'Blackbusters' blunder

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 4:24pm EST

pLabour's Twitter woes continued today as Ed Miliband led tributes to television host Bob Holness - but mistakenly called him the presenter of "Blackbusters"./p

Minister Nick Gibb defends academies scheme

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 4:21pm EST

pThe Schools Minister today backed Education Secretary Michael Gove's robust language about local authorities who resist Government plans to deal with the 200 worst performing primary schools in England as he offered a strong defence of the academies programme./p

You Write the Caption - 06/01/12

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 4:20pm EST

pGo on, make us laugh. What might they be saying? Post your caption to this picture using the comment form below and our favourite will win a bottle of champagne./p

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IMF chief Christine Lagarde: Some EU countries in technical recession

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 4:17pm EST

pThe International Monetary Fund chief said today that some European countries may be technically in a recession but that does not necessarily apply to the 17-nation eurozone or the European Union. /p

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Bomb plotter Nezar Hindawi loses parole bid

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 4:13pm EST

pBomb plotter Nezar Hindawi, who was jailed for 45 years over his bid to blow up an Israeli airliner, has lost his bid to be released on parole, sources said today./p

South clinch series victory over Sri Lanka

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 3:37pm EST

pSouth Africa completed a series victory over Sri Lanka with a 10-wicket win in the decisive third Test in Cape Town. /p

Manchester City v Manchester United: The greatest meetings

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 3:28pm EST

pManchester City and Manchester United come together this Sunday in the stand-out tie of the FA Cup Third Round./p

Tottenham cannot compete in transfer market says Harry Redknapp

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 3:07pm EST

pTottenham may be performing better than Chelsea in the league this season, but manager Harry Redknapp admits there is no chance of the north London club being able to compete with the Blues in the transfer market./p

Everton blow as Phil Jagielka ruled out for six weeks

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 3:06pm EST

pEverton defender Phil Jagielka could be out of action for up to six weeks with a knee injury./p

Woman died after ambulance wait

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 3:02pm EST

p An elderly woman died after waiting nearly an hour-and-a-half for an ambulance when she fell over. /p

Pair 'accused girl of witchcraft'

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 2:58pm EST

pA couple on trial for murdering a 15-year-old because they thought he was a sorcerer previously accused a young woman of practising witchcraft, the Old Bailey heard today./p

Man killed in helicopter crash

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 2:55pm EST

pA man has died after the helicopter he was flying in crashed into a field./p

New Jamaican PM vows to drop Queen as head of state

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 2:49pm EST

pJamaica's new Prime Minister has vowed to abandon the Queen as head of state weeks after it was announced Prince Harry will make a Diamond Jubilee visit to the country. /p

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Quiz host Bob Holness dies

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 2:43pm EST

pBob Holness, best known as the genial host of hit quiz Blockbusters, died today aged 83. /p

Low-key 30th birthday for Kate

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 2:42pm EST

p The Duchess of Cambridge is to celebrate her 30th birthday with a "low-key and private" event. /p

Low-key 30th birthday for Duchess of Cambridge

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 2:42pm EST

pThe Duchess of Cambridge is to celebrate her 30th birthday with a "low-key and private" event./p

Nurse held in hospital probe named

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 2:25pm EST

pA male nurse arrested by detectives investigating the Stepping Hill Hospital poisonings was named by sources today as Victorino Chua./p

FC Twente ambition persuaded Steve McClaren to return

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 2:17pm EST

pFormer England boss Steve McClaren has revealed FC Twente's ambition persuaded him to re-launch his career back in Holland./p

Summit to tackle satnav wrong turns

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 2:03pm EST

pThe problems that satnavs can cause are to be thrashed out at a Government summit./p

Liverpool: potential January transfer targets

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 2:02pm EST

pLiverpool are suffering from a lack of a clinical edge, and with the eight-match suspension of Luis Suarez, their problems in front of goal are only likely to deepen./p

Lloyds boss Antonio Horta-Osorio returns to work

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:58pm EST

pLloyds Banking Group boss Antonio Horta-Osorio will return to work on Monday after extreme fatigue forced him to take a two-month leave of absence./p

Shut Hammersmith flyover causes 'traffic hell'

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:38pm EST

pA flyover which takes traffic to and from the UK's biggest airport will remain closed for at least another week due to structural problems, it was announced today./p

Thierry Henry completes return to Arsenal on loan

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:31pm EST

pArsene Wenger believes Thierry Henry could deepen his legendary status at Arsenal after returning on a short-term loan deal from New York Red Bulls./p

William Hague meets Aung San Suu Kyi to discuss sanctions

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:21pm EST

pForeign Secretary William Hague and Burma's pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, set out similar conditions for the lifting of sanctions imposed on the country under the previous military regime at an historic meeting today./p

QPR make bid for Blackburn defender Chris Samba

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:13pm EST

pQPR manager Neil Warnock is working hard to bring in new faces and has made a £5million bid for Blackburn's Christopher Samba, Press Association Sport understands./p

Alex Ferguson expects Yaya Toure to play for Manchester City

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:10pm EST

pManchester United are preparing for Roberto Mancini to pull a fast one by naming Yaya Toure in his starting line-up for Sunday's FA Cup third round tie at the Etihad Stadium./p

Watch the new i TV advert

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:08pm EST

pFeaturing reader Ruya Niazi, comedian and i columnist Mark Steel and comedian and actress Ronni Ancona./p

Syria says at least 11 killed in Damascus blast

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:03pm EST

p An explosion ripped through a busy intersection in the Syrian capital today, hitting a police bus and killing at least 11 people and possibly many more in an attack that left pools of blood in the streets and marked the second deadly attack in the capital in as many weeks, Syrian authorities said. /p

Simon Kelner: The offside rule, and other male-female stereotypes

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 12:32pm EST

p /p

Anuj Bidve's family visit Salford murder scene

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 12:19pm EST

pThe parents of an Indian engineering student who was shot dead on Boxing Day re-traced the final moments of their son's life today./p

One last mystery for Stephen Hawking: women

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 12:15pm EST

pHe may be one of the world's most eminent scientists but one thing remains a mystery to Professor Stephen Hawking - women./p

Toby Flood set to miss England Six Nations opener

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 12:14pm EST

pLeicester have confirmed that England fly-half Toby Flood is expected to miss the start of the RBS 6 Nations championship with a knee injury. /p

Rio de Janeiro on maximum alert as towns flood

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 12:06pm EST

pBrazil's Rio de Janeiro state placed emergency teams on maximum alert yesterday as heavy rains that have displaced 35,000 residents were forecast to continue, reviving fears of mudslides and flooding that killed about 900 people last year./p

Gary Cahill switch to Chelsea expected to go through

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 11:59am EST

pGary Cahill could be a Chelsea player by Sunday, according to Bolton boss Owen Coyle./p

Sunderland play down Kieran Richardson link to Arsenal

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 11:57am EST

pSunderland boss Martin O'Neill has insisted he has had no contact from Arsenal over versatile midfielder Kieran Richardson./p

Tottenham hit by injury blows to William Gallas and Sandro

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 11:56am EST

pTottenham's William Gallas and Sandro have both been sidelined by calf tears suffered during Tuesday's Barclays Premier League victory over West Brom./p

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Lisa Markwell: What to expect when she’s expecting

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 11:52am EST

p /p

Video: One Direction in car crash

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 11:47am EST

pThe One Direction boys were involved in a car crash after their gig in Birmingham./p

Alex Ferguson questions necessity of Liverpool peace talks

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 11:27am EST

pSir Alex Ferguson has questioned the need for peace talks ahead of Manchester United's Barclays Premier League encounter with Liverpool at Old Trafford on February 11./p

Iron Lady film made too soon, says David Cameron

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 11:25am EST

pDavid Cameron today stepped in to the row over the Iron Lady, claiming the film should have been made "another day"./p

New car sales fall 4.4%

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 11:22am EST

pNew car sales fell 4.4% in 2011 compared with 2010, official figures today showed./p

Kenny Dalglish happy to be back at Liverpool despite eventful year

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 11:09am EST

pKenny Dalglish has had an eventful year as Liverpool manager, but would not change anything about the last 12 months./p

Fifa confirm Switzerland will not be sanctions following Sion punishment

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 11:07am EST

pFIFA today confirmed the Swiss Football Association will not be suspended, ending any lingering chance of Manchester United being reinstated into the Champions League./p

Shay Given close to Aston Villa return

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 11:05am EST

pAston Villa goalkeeper Shay Given is close to returning after being sidelined for a month with a hamstring injury./p

Inter Milan deny holding talks with Manchester City over Wesley Sneijder

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 11:03am EST

pInter Milan have confirmed they have held talks with Manchester City but not regarding the possible sale of Wesley Sneijder./p

Press gangs of New York prepare to greet old foe

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe smell of blood was in the nostrils of the New York media pack even before Colin Myler had stepped off his flight from London yesterday on his return to the Big Apple. "Let the New York Newspaper Wars Begin," wrote blogger Kristina Chew, as Myler, the final editor of the defunct News of the World, prepared to start his new job on Tuesday at the helm of the New York Daily News. Only five years ago, he was producing the paper's deadly rival, the Rupert Murdoch-owned New York Post. His former Post colleagues opened hostilities yesterday by describing his appointment as "a new round of turmoil" for the paper they deride as the "Snooze"./p

Portrait too blue to be true

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThere is one very good reason to see The Iron Lady, perhaps good enough to neutralise the reasons to feel annoyed by it. Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher gives a performance of uncanny exactitude and command that overleaps the bounds of mimicry: despite a face encrusted with prosthetics and make-up, Streep somehow conveys through outward presentation (clothes, hair, voice) the inward drive of her personality. Strictly as an impersonation it will be seen as definitive for years to come./p

Abbott forced into embarrassing apology after Twitter race row

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe Labour frontbencher Diane Abbott was forced into an embarrassing apology yesterday after being accused of racism for claiming "white people love playing divide and rule"./p

James Moore: Swiss banking's veil of secrecy gets a welcome tug

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pPhilipp Hildebrand is apparently a very good swimmer. Perhaps that's why he feels he can push on against what looks like an overwhelming tide flowing against him. The head of the Swiss National Bank (SNB) is facing calls to resign over currency transactions made by his wife Kashya. /p

Drastic defence cuts 'turn the page on decade of war'

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe mighty American military machine that has secured the country's status as the world's only superpower for so long will have to be drastically reduced, Barack Obama, pictured, warned yesterday, as he set out a radical but more modest set of priorities for the Pentagon over the next decade./p

Salisbury's discards and veterans plot to enjoy their day in the sun

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe FA Cup comes to Salisbury City this morning. Its two accompanying, bodyguards will watch nervously as the players, staff and supporters of the lowest-ranked club left in the competition take excited turns to handle the trophy and have their picture taken with that iconic piece of silverware./p

Blue Inc's purchase of 21 D2 stores could save 200 jobs

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pBlue Inc, the young fashion chain backed by Sir Stuart Rose, is poised to buy 21 stores of the jeans retailer D2 out of administration, which could save about 200 high street jobs. /p

Lib Dems have lost three quarters of supporters

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pOnly one in four people who voted Liberal Democrat at the last election still supports the party now, according to new research./p

Beleaguered Kean loses another No 2

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe Blackburn Rovers manager, Steve Kean, has suffered the indignity of losing his second assistant in four months and there will be no money for a replacement after the departure of Paul Clement to Paris St-Germain./p

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ENRC pays £800m to settle row with First Quantum over Congo assets

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe controversial mining group ENRC has settled the legal battle with a rival over ownership of a copper mine in the Congo by handing over $1.25bn (£808m) in a deal that could go some way towards cleaning up its battered reputation./p

Zuckerberg gets away from it all, with staff aplenty

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThey call him El Genio de Facebook, and they are overjoyed at the news that a man as rich, famous and influential as Mark Zuckerberg has foregone more fashionable destinations to enjoy the golden sands of their country's Atlantic coast./p

The pest aiming to sting Reds and boyhood hero Dalglish

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pIt was not a day for queuing. The rain was incessant, the Pennines were blocked out by the midwinter grey and two of those hemmed in around Boundary Park, the highest and often the coldest football ground in England, collapsed while waiting for an FA Cup ticket and were treated for hypothermia./p

Israeli diamond dealer who built fortune from Africa

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pAt the centre of the battle for the Kolwezi copper mine is the secretive character of Dan Gertler, an Israeli diamond trader who has befriended some of the most powerful men in Africa./p

From Radio 1 to your high street: how Bruno took the shops by storm

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThat Immedia plc should have lost the Lloyds Pharmacy radio services contract is not the sort of thing that sends shockwaves through the stock market. But the forlorn words of the firm's chief executive raised one or two eyebrows among market watchers of a certain demographic. "Naturally we are disappointed to stop broadcasting Lloyds Pharmacy Live after nine years," said Bruno Brookes./p

High-flying Pardew fights to keep famous five on Tyneside

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pAlan Pardew was asked if he could give his players assurances about his own future yesterday – that he would not be tempted to take the England position when Fabio Capello leaves at the end of the European Championship. He thought it was a joke./p

John Kampfner: As Diane Abbott has found, tweets are not the place for nuance

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pCalm down dears, as David Cameron might have said. The row yesterday over Diane Abbott's remarks about "white people" shines a light on not just British attitudes to race, but also on our ability to absorb and deal with controversy in the era of instant communication. The wisdom – or lack of it – shown by the MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, aka "leftwing" or "firebrand", has already been discussed enough. The only tuppenceworth I will add on that score is that she seems stuck in a time warp of 1980s clichés and lazy assumptions. If she had said what she had said in the pub, or more likely at a north London dinner party table, her interlocutors might have agreed with her, challenged her or castigated her. Then they would have poured themselves a glass of chardonnay and moved on./p

Shell scraps its final salary pension scheme

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe oil giant Shell came under attack yesterday after announcing it is closing its final salary pension scheme to new workers./p

United's problems are too numerous to be dismissed

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pUnusually for a club so closely associated with winning, Manchester United's current season has been as much defined by their defeats: five of them in all, including Wednesday's loss to Newcastle United, but every one quite an event in its own right./p

Lisa Markwell: What to expect when she's expecting

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe news that Peaches Geldof is expecting her first baby has been greeted with the usual array of positive and encouraging commentary./p

Harriet Walker: Guess what? Women don't want it all

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThere's something about January that brings out my inner housewife. Not that I have a sudden urge to iron pillowcases, you understand; simply that I'd rather not have to get up and go to work. I can only imagine how this malaise really starts to pinch when going to work also entails leaving behind small people who dote on you and want to hold your hand all day and going to work is an irritating eight hours away from a home that takes 24 hours to maintain./p

Australia thump India to win second Test

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 10:58am EST

pAustralia secured a 2-0 series lead over India by completing an emphatic innings-and-68-run victory midway through the final session on day four of the second Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground./p

Andy Murray storms into Brisbane International semi-finals

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 10:57am EST

pTop seed Andy Murray showed no mercy to doubles partner Marcos Baghdatis today as he cruised to a 6-2 6-2 victory in the quarter-finals of the ATP Brisbane International./p

Boxing: Amir Khan claims ringside interference

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 10:53am EST

pAmir Khan last night accused an unidentified man of "interfering" with the judges at ringside during his defeat to Lamont Peterson./p

David Cameron makes pledge over EU institutions

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 10:32am EST

pDavid Cameron today pledged to do "everything possible" to stop signatories of a new treaty from using the EU's institutions to do their business behind the UK's back./p

Shell closes final salary scheme

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 10:31am EST

pThe last company in the FTSE 100 Index to offer gold-plated pensions to new recruits has called time on the perk, it emerged today./p

David Cameron targets patient care improvement

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 10:15am EST

pDavid Cameron visited NHS hospitals today to highlight a new plan to drive up care standards./p

UK's average house price falls by 1.3% in 2011

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 9:47am EST

pThe UK's average house price fell by 1.3% in 2011 after a monthly decline of 0.9% between November and December, lender Halifax said today./p

Rebekah Brooks' former PA arrested by phone hack police

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 9:45am EST

pA former personal assistant for Rebekah Brooks was arrested today by detectives investigating phone hacking at the News of the World./p

Police face new questions over approach to protest groups

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 9:39am EST

pThe City of London Police was facing fresh questions over its approach to protest groups last night after it emerged that it regularly included them in communiques warning businesses in the City about extremist activity./p

Gunmen kill six in Nigeria church attack

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 8:42am EST

pGunmen opened fire on a church service in Nigeria yesterday, killing six people and wounding 10, the church's pastor said, the latest in a string of attacks that has raised fears of sectarian conflict in Africa's most populous nation./p

Blacks to go into administration

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 8:33am EST

pStricken retailer Blacks Leisure confirmed today it will go into administration but said it still hopes most of the business will be salvaged by buyers./p

The Business Matrix: Friday 6 January 2012

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongMerry Christmas at the box office/strong/p

The Sports Matrix: Friday 6 January 2012

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongMancini bemoans 'problem' of spending freeze/strong/p

i Editor's Letter: An ill wind

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p /p

The News Matrix: Friday 6 January 2012

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongLib Dems lose three in four of voters/strong/p

None of our candidates can beat Obama, admits Republican pollster

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAs the runners for the Republican nomination brace themselves for the rush of primary elections, starting with New Hampshire, one of the party's most respected pollsters and strategists has said none of the hopefuls might be impressive enough to beat Barack Obama./p

A Philosophy of Sport, By Steven Connor

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTo note that a particular coach has a philosophy of football is a staple of sports reporting. Suggesting something grander than a mere approach and less technocratic than a theory, a philosophy of sport hints at meanings beyond the winning and losing of games. Touchline philosophy it may be, but our sporting conversation is preoccupied with question of rightness and wrongness, of beauty and ugliness - the core concerns of ethics and aesthetics. For the Ancient Greeks, the relationship between sport and philosophy was obvious. The basis of a classical education was the alphabet plus swimming. The habits and discipline of preparing the mind and body were parallel and complementary. Plato, his name derived from platon or broad-shouldered, was an accomplished wrestler. Aristotle, an avid fan of the beauty of the pentathlete, taught at the Lyceum – itself a gymnasium./p

A home office that's smart and casual: How to make a house into a great workspace

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThank goodness it's a new year because, let's face it, last year wasn't all that great. Unemployment soared to 2.62 million and, according to some reports, around 1,589 people were made redundant every day. Just as well we can start again, then./p

My life in food: Tom Kerridge

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTom Kerridge is the chef/patron of The Hand and Flowers in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, Britain's only two Michelin-starred pub./p

Harriet Walker: A truth that has rarely been uttered before - women don't want it all

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThere's something about January that brings out my inner housewife. Not that I have a sudden urge to start ironing pillowcases, you understand; simply that I'd rather not have to get up and go to work. I can only imagine how this malaise really starts to pinch when going to work also entails leaving behind small people who dote on you and want to hold your hand all day, when going to work is an irritating eight-hour chunk away from a home that takes 24 hours to maintain./p

Peter Popham: All the big challenges remain to be confronted

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe new year began in Burma not with a bang but a whimper: a prisoner amnesty in which very few political prisoners were set free. Many of the hundreds who remain have been in jail for years. I am thinking of the family I met in a poor suburb of Rangoon two years ago: the father had served more than 10 years for handing out fliers for the NLD; now his son was serving 40 years for trying to organise opposition political activity./p

My Fantasy Band: Foe

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongGuitar - Stef Ketteringham /strongbr /On guitar I've got a guy named Stef Ketteringham, from a band called Shield Your Eyes./p

Male nurse held in poison probe at hospital after notes 'changed'

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDetectives investigating a spate of deliberate poisonings at a hospital have arrested a male nurse after it was discovered that medical records had allegedly been tampered with./p

Letters: Hirst is no 'great', nor a craftsman

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMichael Petry misses the point when he counters David Hockney's criticism of Damien Hirst by citing other artists who used assistants to help create their works ("Assistants were always used by the greats", 3 January). /p

Tullett Prebon axes 80 traders in London and New York

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAround 80 traders at money broker Tullett Prebon have lost their jobs in the City and on Wall Street as austerity bites. /p

Government war over incompetent teachers 'too difficult'

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA government war to rid classrooms of incompetent teachers would be too time-consuming and pointless, one of its advisers said yesterday. /p

Ashton must prove he is a Saint at heart

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt is the time of year when even the biggest Premiership games are seen through the prism of a Six Nations Championship lurking just around the corner, so the hot news ahead of tonight's set-to between third-placed Northampton and table-topping Harlequins surrounds an England wing fresh back from suspension./p

Album: Andreas Scholl, Bach Cantatas, Decca

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIn his liner note to this refined anthology, countertenor Andreas Scholl stresses how, when preparing to perform the Bach cantatas, he pays particular attention tothe meaning of the lyric and its religious context./p

Back to La Source: Opera National de Paris breathes new life into a forgotten hit

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIn these straitened times a new full-length classical ballet is a rarity, so the Opera National de Paris deserves praise for breathing new life into a forgotten hit from the 19th-century. With music by Delibes and Minkus, and costumes by Christian Lacroix, La Source – the spring – is a version of the Rusalka legend set in what is now Chechnya. When it premiered in 1866, its exotic locale was part of its appeal./p

California serial killer stabs to death three homeless men

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA serial killer is believed to be responsible for stabbing to death three homeless men in Southern California./p

The Psychopath Test, By Jon Ronson

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pContinuing in his quirky vein of Gonzo journalism, Ronson exchanges the study of US military probes into the paranormal (The Men Who Stare at Goats) for a study of psychopathy which interrogates not just what it means to be a psychopath but also the psychiatric professionals who measure the term and the sliding scale of psychopathy in society. /p

The 10 Best Mixing bowls

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrong1. Sebastian Conran/strong/p

On The Menu: Big Apple hotdogs; Lakeland; Lidl champagne; Odeon "Lounge"; Prestat

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongThis week I've been eating... Big Apple hotdogs/strong/p

John Kampfner: Abbott's law - you must not overreact to Twitter

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pCalm down dears, as David Cameron might have said. The row yesterday over Diane Abbott's remarks about "white people" shines a light on not just British attitudes to race, but also on our ability to absorb and deal with controversy in the era of instant communication. The wisdom – or lack of it – shown by the MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, aka "leftwing" or "firebrand", has already been discussed enough. The only tuppenceworth I will add on that score is that she seems stuck in a time warp of 1980s clichés and lazy assumptions. If she had said what she had said in the pub, or more likely at a north London dinner party table, her interlocutors might have agreed with her, challenged her or castigated her. Then they would have poured themselves a glass of chardonnay and moved on./p

Hague calls on Burma to free more prisoners during historic visit

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWilliam Hague marked a milestone visit to Burma yesterday and a meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi by promising the regime that further democratic reform, and in particular the release of political prisoners, could transform Rangoon's relationship with the West./p

Cussons buys Fudge hair care brand

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Imperial Leather soap owner PZ Cussons has ramped up the expansion of its beauty division by splashing out £25.5m on the Australian-owned Fudge Hair Care brand./p

Jim Moore: Row over currency trading wife could help chip away Swiss banking secrecy

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pbOutlook/b Philipp Hildebrand is apparently a very good swimmer. Perhaps that's why he feels he can push on against what looks like an overwhelming tide flowing against him. The head of the Swiss National Bank (SNB) is facing calls to resign over currency transactions made by his wife Kashya. She used the proceeds of a property sale to buy dollars, an astute move given that shortly afterwards Mr Hildebrand imposed a cap on the value of the Swiss franc that caused its value to fall sharply against the greenback./p

London Eye: Dibaba back on track to retain Olympic titles

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe headline in the Daily Nation spelt it out in black and white on Monday morning. "Kenyans beware: Tiru's back," it trumpeted. Sadly, "Tiru" – Tirunesh Dibaba – has never received the global recognition she deserves as a sporting phenomenon of the 21st century./p

Big question gets the wrong answer

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pCouples love to smooch for the Mistletoe Cam at basketball games but when it came to a proposal of marriage at one recent UCLA game, it went badly wrong. /p

Liverpool plea to United fans: please don't abuse Suarez

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLiverpool are considering seeking talks with Manchester United to reduce the prospect of Luis Suarez facing some of the worst abuse visited on an opposing player at Old Trafford when the two clubs meet in the Premier League on 16 February./p

The Science Delusion: Freeing the Spirit of Enquiry, By Rupert Sheldrake

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pScience is wonderful and necessary - one of the great creations of humankind. Most importantly, it is helping us to see just how extraordinary life and the universe really are, far exceeding the unaided imagination even of the greatest poets. At its best, too, science lives up to its own mythology: a disinterested, self-effacing search after truth, carried out by people of humility in true generosity of spirit. As a fairly considerable bonus it has led us to create a wide range of "high" (science-based) technologies that have improved the lives of a great many people, and have the potential to help all humankind and our fellow creatures too./p

Want to know who's to blame for all those shop radio stations? Try Bruno Brookes

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThat Immedia Plc should have lost the Lloyds Pharmacy radio services contract is not the sort of thing that sends shock waves through the stock market these days. But the forlorn words of the firm's chief executive raised one or two eyebrows among market watchers of a certain demographic. "Naturally we are disappointed to stop broadcasting Lloyds Pharmacy Live after nine years," Bruno Brookes said./p

The ultimate winter warmer? It's as easy as pie

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt has spent years out in the cold, but the warm, hearty pie is making a comeback. "Pies are trendy again," says Tristan Hogg, chef and co-founder of the Bristol-based pie company Pieminister. I am sitting in Tristan's cosy kitchen, where he and fellow founder Jon Simon are about to give me a masterclass in the art of pie making./p

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Giant tuna sells for £470,000 at Tokyo auction

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA bluefin tuna, caught off northern Japan, has fetched a record 56.49 million yen (£473,000) in the first auction of the year at Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market./p

Menzies rises on profits boost

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pJohn Menzies, which runs check-in, baggage handling and ticket desks for 300 airlines around the world, said yesterday that its annual pre-tax profit would be more than 20 per cent higher than last year./p

The Diary: Keira Knightley; Absolutely Fabulous; Tony Blair; Ben Kingsley; Hatchet Job of the Year Award

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongKeira aura/strong/p

Jim Moore: Why big business doesn't deserve much sympathy

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pbOutlook/b Forget hugging hoodies, Britons should go out and cuddle a chief exec./p

Pardew fights to keep his famous five on the Tyne

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAlan Pardew was asked if he could give his Newcastle players assurances about his own future yesterday – that he would not be tempted to take the England position when Fabio Capello leaves at the end of the European Championship. He thought it was a joke./p

Dictator term ban from Chilean books

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOpponents have accused the right-wing Chilean government of attempting to "whitewash history" by deciding that General Augusto Pinochet should no longer be referred to as a "dictator" in school textbooks. /p

Second assistant quits on Kean

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Blackburn Rovers manager, Steve Kean, has suffered the indignity of losing his second assistant in four months and there will be no money for a replacement after the departure of Paul Clement to Paris St-Germain./p

The Train, By Georges Simenon

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pGeorges Simenon is probably best known for three things: creating Commissaire Maigret of the Paris police; penning over 400 novels; and apparently sleeping with 10,000 women. Le Train, first published in 1961 (later translated by Robert Baldick), is considered to be one of the most accomplished of the author's roman durs. /p

From Afghanistan to the ambulance: the warzone drug that will save hundreds of lives

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA drug used to treat wounded soldiers in Afghanistan is to be fast-tracked for use in the NHS to help the victims of road traffic accidents and violent crime./p

Gunmen seize British aid worker

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPolice in Pakistan were last night hunting for a British aid worker who was abducted by armed gunmen in the south-western city of Quetta./p

Album: The Little Willies, For the Good Times (Parlophone)

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Little Willies are a vehicle for Norah Jones and a few of her friends to express their love of old country music, mostly through covers of songs by the likes of Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Lefty Frizzell and Loretta Lynn./p

DVD: Troll Hunter (12)

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p"Too many trolls are out and about," says Hans (the comedian Otto Jespersen) to three wide-eyed Norwegian students keen on filming reported bear sightings in the mountains. /p

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Guitar hero Clapton takes home £4m

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEric Clapton proved himself no slow hand in the moneymaking stakes again last year as he took a salary of nearly £4m out of his music business./p

Jim Moore: Has the Government given up on pensions?

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pbOutlook/b John Ralfe tweaked the Government's nose yesterday, having crunched some numbers on the effect of its planned reforms to public sector pensions./p

Mancini eager to hit January sales to keep title race lead

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRoberto Mancini, the Manchester City manager, has expressed concern at the spending limitations being placed on him this month and declared that his club need to buy again now if they are to drive home their ascendancy over Manchester United./p

Woman accused over art attack

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA 36-year-old woman was accused of causing $10,000 worth of damage to a painting valued at between $30m and $40m by punching it, scratching it, and sliding her bare buttocks against it while urinating./p

To a Mountain in Tibet, By Colin Thubron

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe keenest-eyed, least self-absorbed, of literary travellers, Colin Thubron writes with a pin-point elegance and economy that directs your gaze to a place and its people, rather than to the author's foibles. /p

Zuckerberg gets away from it all with his girlfriend (and two chefs, four guards...)

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThey call him "El Genio de Facebook" and they are overjoyed that a man as rich, famous and influential as Mark Zuckerberg has foregone trendier destinations to enjoy the golden sands of their country's Atlantic coast./p

Album: Lazarus and the Plane Crash, Horseplay (Antique Beat)

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIn their determination to go out on any limb, regardless of taste or safety, Lazarus and the Plane Crash – a collaboration between Guillotines singer Joe Coles and Stephen Coates, grey eminence behind The Real Tuesday Weld – display the kind of risk-taking absent from The Maccabees' album./p

Goon (15)

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBlokes punching each other hard and almost continuously for 90 minutes. /p

Balfour Beatty wins power deal

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe builder Balfour Beatty has won a five-year contract worth up to £750m to upgrade Britain's electricity network./p

Investment Column: Cineworld still in the picture despite the slowdown

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pbCineworld/b/p

The London Train, By Tessa Hadley

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTessa Hadley is a writer whose antennae are almost indecently attuned to the interior static of private lives. Her latest novel is built around two early-middle aged lovers, Paul and Cora, whose narratives occupy different parts of the book, but cross tracks in the second half. /p

All about Eve: photographer blazed a bold, beautiful trail with pictures

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe celebrated photographer Eve Arnold, who was equally comfortable shooting Hollywood stars and poverty-stricken migrant workers, has died just months before her hundredth birthday./p

Press gangs of New York

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe smell of blood was in the nostrils of the New York media pack even before Colin Myler had stepped off his flight from London yesterday on his return to the Big Apple. "Let the New York Newspaper Wars Begin," wrote blogger Kristina Chew, as Myler, the final editor of the defunct News of the World, prepared to start his new job on Tuesday at the helm of the 93-year-old New York Daily News. Only five years ago, he was producing the paper's deadly rival, the Rupert Murdoch-owned New York Post. His former Post colleagues opened hostilities yesterday by describing his appointment as "a new round of turmoil" for the paper they deride as the "Snooze"./p

Macheda wants to catch Ferguson's eye at QPR

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFederico Macheda admits his loan spell at Queen's Park Rangers could be his last chance to convince Sir Alex Ferguson that he is worth keeping on at Manchester United. Macheda is at Loftus Road until the end of the season, after which he is likely to decide whether he needs to give up on his ambition of becoming a United regular./p

Album: Kathleen Edwards, Voyageur (Rounder)

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFor her fourth album, Canadian singer-songwriter Kathleen Edwards has drafted in Bon Iver's Justin Vernon as co-producer, along with guest singers and musicians including Norah Jones and S Carey./p

The Iron Lady (12A)

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThere is one very good reason to see The Iron Lady, perhaps good enough to neutralise the reasons to feel annoyed by it. Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher gives a performance of uncanny exactitude and command that overleap the bounds of mimickry: despite a face encrusted with prosthetics and make-up, Streep somehow conveys through outward presentation (clothes, hair, voice) the inward drive of her personality. Strictly as an impersonation it will be seen as definitive for years to come. /p

Wales fury as Scots pick Shingler

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWith Chris Paterson and Nathan Hines on the international retirement list, and a new World Cup cycle in motion, there was always likely to be a surprise name in the Scotland squad for the Six Nations Championship. Not that anyone was expecting quite the kind of bombshell caused by Steve Shingler's inclusion on the 36-man list./p

Ryanair's passenger numbers fall 5 per cent after it cuts routes

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRyanair carried 4.8 million passengers in December, 5 per cent down on a year ago, Europe's largest budget airline said yesterday after it grounded 80 aircraft to avoid flying routes made unprofitable by high fuel prices. /p

Market Report: Sage eases up despite fears of difficult year

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhile the Footsie closed deep in the red last night, Sage was kept afloat on hopes that the business software group will avoid the woes of its peers. The consensus in the City may be that the sector is facing a difficult year ahead as firms cut spending on IT, but Sage was picked out yesterday by Bank of America Merrill Lynch as one of the names still worth buying./p

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Godfather of rap's last words: Exclusive extract from Gil Scott-Heron’s posthumous memoir

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pI always doubt detailed recollections authors write about their childhoods. Maybe I am jealous that they retain such clarity of their long-agos while my own past seems only long gone. What helped me to retain some order was that by the age of 10 I was interested in writing. I wrote short stories. The problem was that I didn't know much about anything. And I didn't take photos or collect mementos. There were things I valued, but I thought they would always be there. And that I would./p

Obama: the US can no longer fight the world's battles

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe mighty American military machine that has for so long secured the country's status as the world's only superpower will have to be drastically reduced, Barack Obama warned yesterday as he set out a radical but more modest new set of priorities for the Pentagon over the next decade./p

Warnock attacks FA for 'farcical' Barton ban

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNeil Warnock, the Queen's Park Rangers manager, has launched a withering attack on the "three invisible people" on the Football Association's disciplinary commission who on Wednesday decided to uphold Joey Barton's three-match ban./p

Album: Hyperpotamus, Delta (El Molino Music)

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHyperpotamus is Spanish musician Jorge Ramírez-Escudero, who brings a new rigour to the notion of solo performance: all the pieces on Delta are structured from his own looped and layered vocal tracks, painstakingly built into exotic sonic edifices without using any actual instruments./p

Mother and Child (15)

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFor the first hour or so, Rodrigo Garcia's drama of dysfunction features some of the most compellingly brittle behaviour – and some of the best acting – since The Kids Are All Right./p

Shell to close final-salary pension scheme

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe oil giant Shell came under attack yesterday after announcing it is closing its final-salary pension scheme to new workers./p

Last Night's Viewing: Eternal Law, ITV1br /Meet Britain's Chinese Tiger Mums: a Wonderland Film, BBC2

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSorry. Forgot to tell you about the bumpy landing," said Zak, at the beginning of Eternal Law, Ashley Pharoah and Matthew Graham's otherworldly new drama, after he and a rookie colleague had plummeted to Earth in a Yorkshire cornfield. Tom, the new boy, had gone all Fotherington-Thomas for a spell, gazing fondly at the stars and stroking corn stalks and frogs. "This is beautiful! This isn't a world in trouble, it can't be," he said. Which is one of the things that screen angels are supposed to do, after all – to remind us that heaven can be found on Earth if we only know how to look properly. It's what Clarence did in It's a Wonderful Life, and what countless other cinematic angels have done since./p

Britain's best chef? His name is Michael Caines...

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIn the 25 years since he won student of the year at Exeter Catering College, Michael Caines has quietly collected two Michelin stars, an MBE and numerous other plaudits. Greater public recognition surely awaits now, after his Devon restaurant was named the best in the country for the second year in a row./p

Brunt sidelined by broken ankle

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe West Bromwich Albion captain, Chris Brunt, will be out of action for up to 10 weeks after scans confirmed that he broke his ankle during the Premier League defeat to Everton on New Year's Day. /p

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The Barometer: Bon Iver; Frank Ocean; Gang Colours; Sleigh Bells; Ital; Hectic Zeniths; A$AP Rocky; The Minutes; Sbtrkt

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongBon Iver/strong/p

Album: East of Underground, Hell Below (Now Again)

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThose who remember the Monty Python skit about the "groovy" Royal Navy recruitment campaign will be left jaw-dropped by Hell Below, an archival release featuring participants in actual US Army "Battle of the Bands" contests from the late 1960s./p

DVD: Boardwalk Empire (18)

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThere's been a wee bit of low-level griping about this immaculate HBO production – created by Terence Winter (writer on The Sopranos) and produced by Martin Scorsese – but this savage, funny and saucy look at the follies of Twenties Prohibition-era America is thoroughly intoxicating./p

Farah to race in Birmingham

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBritain's Mo Farah will race over two miles at the Birmingham Grand Prix on 18 February as part of his preparations for the London Olympics./p

Huddersfield face early injury worries

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHuddersfield face a shortage of props for the new Super League season following a training ground injury to Larne Patrick./p

Teacher 'pays' troublemakers to stay away

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTroublemaking pupils are being offered £100 bribes to skip school during inspections, according to a survey of teachers./p

Lib Dems lose three out of four of their voters

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOnly one in four people who voted Liberal Democrat at the last election still supports the party, according to new research./p

Iraq: Briton's body 'to be released'

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Iraqi militia that kidnapped five Britons in 2007 has offered to hand over the body of the last missing man amid claims he was "killed in a clash". /p

Eve Arnold: Photojournalist famed for her intimate portraits of Monroe and Malcolm X

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMy photographs," wrote Eve Arnold in 1978, "are, of necessity, subjective – filtered through my background and education, my prejudices, and the limitations imposed by chance and the time in which I lived."/p

Sophie Grigson's onion, chive and garlic tart

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p225g plain flourbr /A pinch of saltbr /100g chilled butter, dicedbr /1 egg yolk, beatenbr /Iced waterbr /1 head of garlic, separated into cloves and peeledbr /225ml single creambr /200ml milkbr /2 egg yolksbr /1 eggbr /2 red onions, slicedbr /2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oilbr /2 tablespoons snipped fresh Chinese chivesbr /75g taleggio or dolcelatte cheese, cut into cubesbr /Salt and freshly ground black pepper/p

Leading article: An issue of dignity that can no longer be avoided

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAssisted suicide is a peculiarly divisive issue, one that raises profound and difficult questions about everything from medical ethics, to family dynamics, to the ultimate expression of individual choice. But the complexity of the subject must not be used as an excuse to avoid addressing the concerns of those who are ill./p

The real sound of 2012

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p /p

John Walsh: Like the music they played, life after radio for the ex-DJs is a tale of hits and misses...

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt's no joke being a Radio 1 DJ. After storming the airwaves in your 20s as a silver-tongued cavalier, astounding the kids with your edgy repartee, thrilling the laydeez with your saucy banter, making a fortune talking motor-mouth piffle for three hours a day and hosting "roadshows" for listless radio fans in muddy Berkshire fields on Saturday afternoons, the only way is down./p

Album: Babybird, The Pleasures Of Self Destruction (Unison)

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe "self destruction" of the title is a sleight of phrase, referring not to the dangers of reckless indulgence but to the delighted self-denial of devotion, destroying one's self to become part of something bigger./p

Attenberg (18)

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p"Seeing genitals in your sleep is a bad omen," Bella informs Marina. Seeing Attenberg, any time, is a nightmare for lovers of plot or drama./p

The Descendants, By Kaui Hart Hemmings

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMatt King, a Honolulu attorney, finds himself in deep water after his fun-loving wife, Joanie, falls into a coma following a boating accident. /p

A day in the sun for plain old Salisbury

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe FA Cup comes to Salisbury City this morning. Its two accompanying, lantern-jawed bodyguards will watch nervously as the players, staff and supporters of the lowest-ranked club left in the competition take excited turns to handle the trophy and have their picture taken with one of sport's most iconic pieces of silverware./p

Life ends at 45... Study reveals when our mental powers start to diminish

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHone those chess skills, pick up that crossword and solve the sudoku – a major study has found that our brains start deteriorating at the age of 45 – more than a decade earlier than had been thought./p

Diary: David Cameron, health and safety, and that old chestnut

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p"Talk of health and safety can too often sound farcical or marginal. People think of children being given goggles to play conkers," David Cameron said yesterday, explaining that 2012 will be the year when he wages "war on the excessive health and safety culture"./p

Bomb attacks leave 70 dead across Iraq as Shia are targeted

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBomb attacks in mainly Shia Muslim areas of Iraq killed more than 70 people and wounded scores yesterday, police and hospital sources said, demonstrating increased sectarian strife across the country./p

Ralph MacDonald: Grammy-winning writer and percussionist

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe American percussionist and songwriter Ralph MacDonald enjoyed a lengthy career that encompassed stints as an accompanist with Harry Belafonte and Jimmy Buffett and hundreds of recording sessions with some of jazz and pop's biggest names, including George Benson, David Bowie, Billy Joel, Quincy Jones, Bette Midler, Paul Simon, Steely Dan and James Taylor./p

Leading article: Alarming escalation over Iran

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe dispute over Iran's nuclear programme has been around for so long that it seems part of the background music of international diplomacy. But over the past few weeks, Tehran and the West have moved perilously close to an endgame that could set the Middle East ablaze and have disastrous consequences for the already feeble world economy./p

Kim Sengupta: Changes mark shift in US strategy and emphasis

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe cuts announced in Washington will still leave the US as the predominant military power in the world, but they do point towards a reshaping of military doctrine, which will have deep international reverberations./p

Caught in the Net: New magic to follow the Voodoo

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEach new year seems to begin with a vague suggestion/vain hope that D'Angelo will finally follow-up his 2000 masterpiece album Voodoo./p

Album: The Maccabees, Given to the Wild (Fiction)

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt's hard not to feel somewhat let down by The Maccabees' follow-up to 2009's Wall of Arms./p

DVD: Bluebeard (15)

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFrench provocateur Catherine Breillat delivers a typically idiosyncratic take on Charles Perrault's fairy tale about a serial-killing aristocrat in 17th-century France./p

Boxing: Khan outlines fight 'interfering'

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAmir Khan has reopened the debate over his world title defeat to Lamont Peterson in Washington last month by accusing an unidentified man of "interfering" with the judges at ringside. /p

The Dirty Life, By Kristin Kimball

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIf the grey skies of January are closing in and resolutions are fading fast, then a copy of Kristin Kimball's memoir of a life changing decision might help lift the spirits. Until a few years ago Kimball was living the life of a New York singleton, dating, partying and storing her winter wardrobe in the oven. But then she hit her thirties and unexpectedly found herself tearing-up at the word "home". /p

Ceramic art: a potted history

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA master potter who famously started potting aged five, took adult education pottery classes from the age of 12, and who five years later became apprenticed to Geoffrey Whiting, disciple of the famous studio potter Bernard Leach (on whom the apprentice would later write a biography), Edmund de Waal, 47, is in his south London studio to discuss with me his latest work, The Pot Book./p

Buemi named as Red Bull reserve

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRed Bull have sprung a surprise by naming Sebastien Buemi, who was dropped from feeder team Toro Rosso, as the reserve driver for their senior team./p

An end to bad heir days: The posthumous power of the literary estate

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOn the last day of 2011, the 70th anniversary year of his death, James Joyce's work finally passed out of copyright. It was the dawn of a new age for Joyce scholars, publishers and biographers who are now free to quote or publish him without the permission of the ferociously prohibitive Joyce estate./p

Sam Wallace: Manchester United are dogged by too many problems

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pUnusually for a club so closely associated with winning, Manchester United's current season has been as much defined by their defeats: five of them in all, including Wednesday's loss to Newcastle United, but every one quite an event in its own right./p

The Word On: Let's Go Eat The Factory, Guided by Voices

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p"They may never hit upon a run as good as they did 15 years back – few bands have – but "Factory" is a better, weirder shot at it than anybody could've possibly expected." bpitchfork.com/b/p

Jack Holmes and His Friend, By Edmund White

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhen I interviewed Edmund White for a newspaper profile, that supremely gifted photographer Jane Bown came along to take the pictures. In a swift stroke of impromptu genius,she turned the straggly greenery behind a London hotel patio into an antique bower, with White as a sprite – half-Puck, half-Pan – grinning out from between the leaves. If mayhem and upheaval often follow in his spirit's wake, then their passage will leave, beyond the heartbreak and bewilderment, happiness and even some hilarity behind./p

One Minute With: Ben Kane, historical novelist

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongWhere are you now and what can you see?/strong/p

Mary Dejevsky: Success for Ed Miliband could be a turn to the right

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNowhere in the world are politicians and their friends in the media quite so quick to pounce on vulnerability as in Britain. And in so doing, they compound it. The latest victim is the Labour leader, Ed Mili-band, who has had a wretched start to the year, not because of anything he might have said or done – indeed the perception that he has not said or done anything features prominently among the charges – but chiefly because he has fallen below David Cameron in the opinion polls. And this has happened at a time when the Coalition is pursuing what the Labour mainstream sees as highly unpopular policies./p

Great Works: The Groom or The Bellboy, 1925-6 (98cm x 80cm), Chaim Soutine

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhat's in a title? So Much. Or so little. Some painters love playing with them. Others call all their works "untitled", which is singularly unhelpful to the critic, whose job it is to identify, describe, and then sort one work from another. You have to forgive them though, those who opt not to opt for one. It requires a certain imaginative reach to find a good title, one that will both resonate with the work, and somehow extend our understanding of it in interestingly serendipitous ways. Some artists opt for the baldest of descriptions: "Gillian, with a Lemon", for example, or "Jeune Fille Lisante". Others can go to amazing lengths of obscurantism. You can understand why though, given our fallen state. Artists desperately want to associate themselves with great thoughts and great thinkers. Other people's, that is. If you can hitch your rackety wagon to a star that is eternally blazing in the firmament – try Nietzsche or Kierkegaard on for size today, sir – you rise all the higher in your own and other people's estimation – provided that the work you are striving to talk up is not too much of an embarrassment. Then you risk looking an idiot. And who chooses the title in the first place anyway, and when exactly does it get chosen? Gillian Ayres often lets her friends do the choosing, after the painting is made. Other works die untitled, and then find a posthumous identity thanks to a thoughtful curator or A.N. Other./p

Book Of A Lifetime: Microscripts, By Robert Walser

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWednesday afternoons in Primary 3 were given over to Free Writing. I remember this only because of one particular class. While the rest of us struggled to compose our stories, a boy whose name I forget was scribbling at such a rate he broke his pencil. He was given a new one, and he continued with furious concentration, even after the teacher had ended the session. What had possessed this otherwise unremarkable boy? What was his story? He had not been writing a story at all, we later discovered, but the same word over and over again./p

Make a booking with the literary lions at The Independent Bath Literature Festival

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWilliam Boyd makes his first literary appearance this year at The Independent Bath Literature Festival to discuss his new novel. Waiting for Sunrise is about a young English actor, whose destructive love affair begins in a psychiatrist's waiting room./p

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Independent Appeal: Working with terminally ill children is Lucy's dream job – but it takes its toll

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIn the past year alone three of the children with whom Lucy Poole has worked have died. Even for someone whose job is working with children with life-threatening illnesses the strain has been enormous. Lucy is a family support worker with the Rainbow Trust Children's Charity, offering emotional and practical support to families with children who are very sick. Over the last three years eight of the children she has helped to care for have died. But the past 12 months have been particularly traumatic for her./p

Test round-up: Steyn and Philander close in on series win for South Africa

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSouth Africa were on the brink of a series-clinching win over Sri Lanka after taking 12 wickets on a one-sided third day of the decisive third Test at Newlands in Cape Town yesterday./p

Unite rejects pensions offer to health workers

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBritain's biggest union rejected last night the Government's final offer to health service workers in the public sector pensions dispute, raising the prospect of fresh industrial action./p

England announce pre-Euro 2012 friendlies

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 6:49pm EST

pEngland will face Norway and Belgium in their final two friendlies before Euro 2012./p

Taliban commander killed in strike

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 6:44pm EST

pA senior Taliban commander has been killed in a strike by British attack helicopters, the Army said. /p

Lenders cut personal loan rates

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 6:43pm EST

pCompetition in the personal loans market has intensified over the new year, with one deal to borrow £10,000 offering the lowest rate in four years, Moneyfacts has found. /p

Obama unveils strategy for slimmed-down military

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 6:37pm EST

pPresident Barack Obama put his personal stamp on a re-jiggered Pentagon strategy for absorbing hundreds of billions of dollars in defense budget cuts, marking a turning point in US security policy after a decade of war./p

Sunderland midfielder Jack Colback signs new deal

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 5:57pm EST

pSunderland midfielder Jack Colback has been rewarded for his early-season form with a two-year contract extension./p

Implant firm 'also made testicles'

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 5:52pm EST

pThe firm at the centre of the breast implant scandal also made male chest and testicle implants filled with the same silicone gel, it was reported today./p

Health workers reject final Government pension offer

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 5:46pm EST

pLeaders of 100,000 health service workers today rejected the Government's final offer on pensions, dealing a blow to hopes that the bitter dispute could soon be resolved./p

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Stephen Lawrence sentences to be reviewed by Attorney General

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 5:10pm EST

pBritain's top law officer is reviewing whether the jail terms handed out to Stephen Lawrence's killers are "unduly lenient". /p

Selling to the toughest consumer

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 5:07pm EST

pJust over five years ago I sold my first pouch of baby food. It was actually the first pouch of baby food in the world - an innovation that launched the Ella’s Kitchen brand and started a revolution by creating a new category of premium baby food. /p

Diane Abbott says sorry for race tweet

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 5:04pm EST

pLabour frontbencher Diane Abbott apologised today after claiming "white people love playing 'divide amp; rule"'./p

Activists accuse Syria of 'torture chambers'

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 5:00pm EST

pAn activist group accused the Syrian regime today of torturing hundreds of people to death in overcrowded prisons, jails and illegal detention centers across the country since an uprising began in March. /p

Male nurse held in tamper probe

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 5:00pm EST

pA 46-year-old male nurse has been arrested by police investigating the poisoning of patients at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport./p

UK aid worker seized in Pakistan

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 5:00pm EST

pArmed men kidnapped a British Red Cross worker from the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta today, police and the Red Cross said, highlighting the fragile security situation in the country. /p

Daniele de Rossi English lessons fuel Manchester City transfer speculation

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 5:00pm EST

pRoma’s hopes of hanging onto Daniele de Rossi have been dealt a blow with the revelation that the midfielder has been learning English./p

European football's anti-racism head calls for action against Liverpool

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 4:50pm EST

pThe head of European football's anti-racism group has urged the Football Association to charge Liverpool with bringing the game into disrepute over their response to Luis Suarez's eight-match ban./p

David Cameron: I will kill off safety culture

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 4:40pm EST

pPrime Minister David Cameron today said that his new year's resolution was to "kill off the health and safety culture for good"./p

Euro falls to new low against pound

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 4:33pm EST

pThe euro fell to a 15-month low against the pound today as pressure in the eurozone intensified. /p

UK ready for Burma progress, says Hague

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 4:33pm EST

pBritain stands ready to "respond positively" to improvements in human rights and political freedoms in Burma, Foreign Secretary William Hague told the south-east Asian country's leaders during a historic visit today./p

Titus Bramble faces third sex charge

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 4:28pm EST

pFootballer Titus Bramble faces a third charge of sexual assault./p

Kenny Dalglish wants Liverpool to find clinical edge

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 4:15pm EST

pLiverpool manager Kenny Dalglish accepts his side need to sharpen up in front of goal to stand any chance of success this season./p

Steve McClaren returns to FC Twente

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 4:07pm EST

pSteve McClaren has been appointed FC Twente coach for a second time. /p

Teenager 'murdered for practising witchcraft', court hears

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 4:07pm EST

pA British Congolese couple tortured a teenage boy to death on Christmas Day because they believed he was practising witchcraft in a “staggering act of depravity and cruelty”, a court heard today. /p

Body of British hostage 'to be returned'

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 4:04pm EST

pThe body of a British hostage who was kidnapped in Iraq five years ago could be returned to the UK, according to reports./p

Nicklas Bendtner arrested after hotel brawl

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 3:40pm EST

pSunderland striker Nicklas Bendtner was arrested following an early morning brawl at a hotel, it emerged today./p

Scotland boss Andy Robinson names Six Nations squad

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 3:31pm EST

pScotland head coach Andy Robinson has named a 36-man squad for the forthcoming RBS 6 Nations, featuring six uncapped players. /p

Tim Bresnan a doubt for England

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 3:27pm EST

pSteven Finn is hoping a month spent in New Zealand can prove time well spent, on his arrival in the United Arab Emirates. /p

Petr Cech expects to sign new deal at Chelsea

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 3:01pm EST

pPetr Cech expects to sign a new extended contract with Chelsea soon - but refuses to rule out the prospect of leaving the club one day./p

Mikel Arteta reveals he considered England option

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 3:00pm EST

pArsenal's Spanish midfielder Mikel Arteta today revealed he feels so English he once considered playing for the national side./p

Detox your home for the New Year

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 2:59pm EST

p /p

Goal scoring goalies: Keepers who found the net

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 2:52pm EST

pA wind swept Goodison Park and a freak bounce colluded to make Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard the fourth goalkeeper to score in the history of the Premier League./p

David Cameron warns large companies over tax

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 2:30pm EST

pPrime Minister David Cameron called today for a tougher approach to large companies who use "fancy corporate lawyers" to "endlessly reduce" their tax bills./p

Shot student Anuj Bidve's father urges justice

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 2:26pm EST

pThe father of an Indian engineering student shot and killed on Boxing Day said he sent his son to England because he wanted the best for him./p

Yaya and Kolo Toure unavailable for Manchester City FA Cup tie with United

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 2:12pm EST

pManchester City's hopes of having Yaya and Kolo Toure available for Sunday's FA Cup tie with Manchester United have been dashed./p

Neil Warnock furious over 'scandalous' Joey Barton red card

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 2:11pm EST

pQPR manager Neil Warnock today launched a scathing attack on the Football Association's disciplinary commission branding the decision to uphold Joey Barton's red card "farcical" and "scandalous"./p

Woman, 98, suffers sexual assault

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:20pm EST

pA pensioner was sexually assaulted on New Year's Day, police have said./p

Surprise growth in service sector

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:18pm EST

pStronger-than-expected growth in the powerhouse services sector last month is likely to have saved the economy from contraction in the final quarter of 2011, a survey claimed today./p

Liverpool plan tribute to Gary Ablett before FA Cup tie with Oldham

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:00pm EST

pLiverpool will pay tribute to former defender Gary Ablett with a minute's applause before tomorrow's FA Cup third-round tie at home to Oldham./p

Whooping cough cases double

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 12:25pm EST

p Cases of whooping cough have more than doubled in the last year - although peaks of this kind are normal, according to the Health Protection Agency (HPA). /p

Singing Adams, Lexington, London

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 12:02pm EST

pModest to a fault, Steven Adams explains while tuning up that his band’s performances start awkwardly, only relaxing at the end, so everyone feels short changed./p

Strictly Gershwin, London Coliseum, London

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 12:00pm EST

pFor the end of their London Christmas season, English National Ballet dive into emStrictly Gershwin /emwith a will. Derek Deane’s production blends ballet and ballroom, with a dollop of tap dancing and a fair bit of padding. The dancers do it all with care and attention. At the back of the emAmerican in Paris /emcrowd scenes, you can spot corps dancers giving their steps a flirtatious edge./p

Red Bull name Sebastien Buemi as test and reserve driver

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 11:44am EST

pRed Bull Racing have thrown a Formula One lifeline to Switzerland's Sebastien Buemi by appointing him as their test and reserve driver after he was discarded by sister team Toro Rosso./p

Manu Tuilagi to miss start of Six Nations with injury

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 11:42am EST

pCentre Manu Tuilagi looks set to miss England's RBS 6 Nations opener against Scotland due to a hamstring injury./p

Michael Clarke makes history as Australia take complete charge against India

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 11:40am EST

pAustralia captain Michael Clarke made history at the SCG to leave India fighting to avoid defeat in the second Test./p

Alan Pardew hails Demba Ba after devastating performance

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 11:36am EST

pNewcastle boss Alan Pardew hailed Demba Ba as one of the Barclays Premier League's top strikers after watching him tear champions Manchester United apart./p

Roberto Mancini open to January arrivals at Manchester City

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 11:34am EST

pManchester City boss Roberto Mancini may consider making new signings this month, but only if there are significant departures first./p

Aston Villa optimistic of Robbie Keane loan deal

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 11:31am EST

pAston Villa manager Alex McLeish has confirmed his interest in signing LA Galaxy striker Robbie Keane on loan./p

Kick It Out chairman slams Liverpool over Luis Suarez response

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 11:29am EST

pKick It Out chairman Lord Ouseley has branded Liverpool as "hypocritical" over their handling of Luis Suarez's eight-match ban for racially abusing Patrice Evra and called the striker's apology "lamentable"./p

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New leads for Stephen Lawrence police investigation

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 11:19am EST

pPolice are assessing new information they have received in the wake of the conviction and sentencing of two of Stephen Lawrence's killers./p

Simon English: Did these CEOs want to drive off their customers?

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pFor a cautious, perhaps even somewhat shy man, Simon Wolfson was unusually forthright. Certain in fact. George Osborne's deficit reduction programme was vital. It would "improve business and consumer confidence" said a letter to the Daily Telegraph, signed by Lord Wolfson and 34 other business leaders back in October 2010./p

Yahoo names former eBay executive as new chief

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe struggling internet firm Yahoo has recruited Scott Thompson, a senior executive from the online auction firm eBay, to be its new chief executive./p

Judge urges Met to bring other killers to justice

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe head of Scotland Yard yesterday warned that the investigation into the murder of Stephen Lawrence was far from over and vowed that the Metropolitan Police would do what it could to bring others to justice./p

Discs still a major player in entertainment market

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pSales of DVDs and Blu-rays confounded the doom-mongers by rising a total of 8 per cent to £474m in December against a year earlier, despite the rise of online formats and the threat of piracy./p

Let terminally ill choose assisted death, says review

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pAnyone with a terminal illness who is likely to die within 12 months, is of sound mind and has a settled intention to die should have the choice of an assisted death, a landmark report says today./p

England's new brooms pledge to restore pride and old values

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pSix Nations tournaments always begin in the dark depths of winter, but as far as England are concerned, spring is already in the air. Stuart Lancaster and Graham Rowntree, part of the caretaker coaching team charged with guiding the side through the competition following the collapse of Martin Johnson's ill-conceived management regime, spoke yesterday of "fresh starts" and "new brooms" and could barely contain their enthusiasm./p

It will be a difficult year, say Next and John Lewis

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pNext and John Lewis have warned of another tough year for the high street that is likely to lead to more retail casualties, despite booming online sales which have helped both chains to deliver robust festive trading. /p

James Franco signs first-novel deal with Amazon

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pWho needs publishers? Not James Franco, the artsy Hollywood star who has just signed a deal to write his first novel; and not Amazon, the vast online retailer which beat the traditional giants of the industry to secure the high-profile author./p

Internazionale throw their hat in the ring for Tevez

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pManchester City's attempts to get Carlos Tevez off their books this month have been boosted by a move from Internazionale, while discussions also resumed yesterday between the player's representatives and Milan./p

Microsoft sues Comet over 'counterfeit CDs'

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe software giant Microsoft is suing the embattled electrical goods chain Comet over its alleged creation and sale of counterfeit Windows and Vista recovery CDs for computers. /p

Twins? There's one born every five years

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pJody and Simon Blake have spent the past couple of months showing off their twins, Reuben and Floren, to friends – and delighting in the looks of bemusement that greet them. Because while Reuben went back to school yesterday, his sister, Floren, will have to wait until 2017. The children were born five years apart, but technically they are twins because they were born from the same batch of embryos./p

How O'Neill became an instant hit on Wearside

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pMartin O'Neill's insistence during his unveiling as Sunderland manager that he had not mentioned a possible January transfer budget with Ellis Short, the club owner and chairman, before accepting the position, surprised many. It appeared either brave or naïve; Sunderland, after all, had won one of their previous eight games before Steve Bruce's dismissal. There were calls for further investment. Relegation was becoming a real issue./p

Britons with assault rifles held in Kabul

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pTwo British men and their Afghan driver and interpreter, all of whom work for a private security firm, have been arrested in Kabul for carrying illegal weapons, officials said yesterday./p

James Lawton: This whole sorry mess will bring new levels of vigilance

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pLiverpool still don't get it, not completely, but they have offered a degree of apology – and so has their player Luis Suarez. Given all that has gone before, all the churning self-interest displayed by one of the great clubs of Europe, the deadening sense that the issue was something less than fundamental to the good name of English football, we probably should be grateful for the concession./p

Steve Richards: The Big Society is still alive, but is it really that big a deal?

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe relationship between political leaders and big ideas is similar to that in a film noir when the hero falls for the femme fatale. The hero needs her, even though she will lure him into danger. Leaders also need big ideas and yet often they are scared of them./p

Sadly, Rooney will never be Cantona

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pIt is getting on for 16 years since Eric Cantona broke a city's hearts, emerging on a bitter Tyneside night to strike the goal that defeated Newcastle, on the evening, and ultimately in the Premier League title race. Cantona bore the Talismanic role with such distinction that at times it felt it was his mission to swat another pretender, that it was personal task to keep Manchester United aloof and out of the reach of any would be contender. He would stay a bit late at training, helping to define the culture of a football club./p

Amol Rajan: Coalition is presiding over the fissuring of England

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pIt is customary halfway through a parliament for modern British governments to express concern about the issue disguised by that terrible cliché, "the North-South divide", a phrase fit to be updated given that North and South England will soon have as much in common as Venus and Pluto. Shocking figures in yesterday's Financial Times revealed not just that the problem is getting worse, but that in the aftermath of financial crisis and recession, it is getting worse at an accelerating rate. We are now in the realm of national catastrophe./p

Natalie Haynes: Why water-cooler television still counts

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pA large chunk of the internet is not that important to most people, it seems. This week we were told that CD sales are still falling fast, while digital album sales are increasing – all of which you might expect. But the actual figures are more surprising: 26.6 million albums were sold digitally in the UK in 2011. Meanwhile, 86.2 million actual shiny silver discs were shifted in the same year./p

The media mogul, a daily diet of D-listers and the truth about Celebrity Big Brother

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pSally Bercow is bidding to become MP for Brighton. Kerry Katona has a new job as a celebrity wedding planner. Amy Childs is running the beauty salon of her dreams. If these developments had passed you by, it could be because the D-list personalities and their daily exploits are the sole property of Richard Desmond and a burgeoning media empire, which is raising cross-promotion to a new art./p

Owen Jones: Race hateis still walking our streets

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThat two of the racist thugs who murdered Stephen Lawrence have been locked up is, finally, some justice. But this is no moment of catharsis; nor can we say this is the long-awaited righting of an extreme injustice which we can put behind us. The Lawrence family have still been robbed of their son, and some of the other racist gangsters who murdered him nearly two decades ago remain at large./p

Sarko's battle with the Right for St Joan

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pAlmost six centuries after she was burnt by the English, President Nicolas Sarkozy will lead a commando operation tomorrow to free Joan of Arc from captivity – not from the clutches of the English, but from her status as the foreigner-bashing heroine of the French far right./p

They all fall down

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pWhen Glencairn Tower, in Motherwell, Lanarkshire, went down in November, 64 charges – 100kg of the latest explosives placed with scientific precision – brought all 17 storeys down in just five seconds./p

There is nothing like a Dane

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pWho, just 12 months ago, would have predicted that some of us would have become so familiar with Denmark's pool of top actors? That's not to patronise Denmark – but for obvious linguistic reasons, we haven't as a nation been terribly conversant with the Danish acting community. However, the first two series of The Killing have introduced us to many of their leading lights – not only, of course, to Sofie Grabol, who is now an unlikely household name in Britain (well, in the 500,000 households that tune in to the Copenhagen-set thriller), but also to a wide range of new faces who had hitherto been the preserve of Danish viewers or those with a special interest in Scandinavian film and television./p

Owen Jones: Race hate is still walking our streets

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThat two of the racist thugs who murdered Stephen Lawrence have been locked up is, finally, some justice. But this is no moment of catharsis; nor can we say this is the long-awaited righting of an extreme injustice which we can put behind us. The Lawrence family have still been robbed of their son, and some of the other racist gangsters who murdered him nearly two decades ago remain at large./p

Two injured as gales return to lash UK

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 10:57am EST

pA woman and a 10-year-old boy were taken to hospital today after a tree crashed on to their car as strong winds returned./p

Simon Kelner: Quest for self-improvement has a lot to do with school

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 10:54am EST

pIn one newspaper, Paul McKenna offers to turn you into a genius. In another, a personal trainer encourages you to go running. Everywhere, there are diets to make you thin, to help you conquer stress and to make you a better person./p

Kodak shares hit by bankruptcy fear

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 10:51am EST

pShares in photography company Eastman Kodak tumbled to a new all-time low following a report that the ailing company is getting ready to seek bankruptcy court protection./p

300-member House of Lords is 'too small', says committee

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 10:47am EST

pThe House of Lords should not be reduced to as few as 300 peers under proposed reforms, a committee examining a draft Bill says./p

Ikea alert over faulty high chairs

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 10:45am EST

pParents who bought a certain batch of high chairs from Ikea are being urged to get in touch after several children were injured due to a faulty belt./p

Amol Rajan: Coalition is presiding over the fissuring of England

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 10:43am EST

pIt is customary halfway through a parliament for modern British governments to express concern about the issue disguised by that terrible cliché, "the North-South divide", a phrase fit to be updated given that North and South England will soon have as much in common as Venus and Pluto. Shocking figures in yesterday's Financial Times revealed not just that the problem is getting worse, but that in the aftermath of financial crisis and recession, it is getting worse at an accelerating rate. We are now in the realm of national catastrophe./p

Ehud Olmert faces new corruption charges

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 10:41am EST

pFormer Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert has been indicted on new corruption charges./p

Pakistan militants kill 15 police captives

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 10:39am EST

pPakistani militants today killed 15 security force members they kidnapped last month close to the Afghan border, showing that not all insurgent factions are interested in reported peace talks with the government./p

Dozens killed in Philippines landslide

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 10:20am EST

pA landslide tore through a small gold mining site in the southern Philippines today, killing at least 25 people and burying dozens more./p

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Win a big old 3D TV and a Blu-ray home cinema system worth nearly £1,500

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 10:18am EST

pAre you sad to be back at work? Are you still hungover from a week ago? Are your trousers a little more snug than you remember?/p

Win a big old 3D TV and a Blu-ray home cinema system worth nearly £1,500

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 10:18am EST

pAre you sad to be back at work? Are you still hungover from a week ago? Are your trousers a little more snug than you remember?/p

Stop firms abusing tax rules, says Nick Clegg

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 10:17am EST

pThe Government should impose rules on big business to stop firms abusing the system to avoid tax, Nick Clegg said today./p

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Duchess of Cambridge's first patronages announced

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 10:12am EST

pThe Duchess of Cambridge's life as a member of the Royal Family entered a new phase today with the announcement she has become patron of four organisations./p

Video: John Terry anger over cigarette packet photo

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 10:01am EST

pJohn Terry is considering taking legal action after an image resembling the England captain appeared on cigarette packets in India./p

Death toll rises after Baghdad blasts

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 9:20am EST

pA wave of explosions struck two Shiite neighbourhoods in Baghdad today, killing at least 23 people and intensifying fears that insurgents are stepping up attacks after the US troop withdrawal last month./p

MPs want conditions on foreign aid

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 9:19am EST

pFragile and war-torn countries should lose British aid if their governments flout agreements made with the UK, a committee of MPs will say today./p

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31 inmates killed in Mexico prison fight

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 8:36am EST

pA vicious fight among inmates armed with makeshift knives, clubs and even stones left 31 people dead in a prison in a drug cartel-plagued state in northern Mexico, authorities said. /p

Colin Myler to head New York Daily News

Posted: January 5th, 2012, 8:28am EST

pThe former editor of the now-defunct News of the World has been made editor-in-chief of The New York Daily News./p

i Editor's Letter: Eagle-eyed readers

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

p /p

The Sports Matrix: Thursday 5 January 2012

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongMagpies in Toon to consign Ferguson to successive defeats/strong/p

The News Matrix: Thursday 5 January 2012

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongHigher tax plans for the very rich/strong/p

The Business Matrix: Thursday 5 January 2012

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongWessex wins right to study Channel/strong/p

Cahill finds fair wind for Coyle following Howard's freak goal

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIf this was to be Gary Cahill's farewell, he left Bolton a precious parting gift. Part of his attraction is that he is a defender who scores goals and, with one elegant swing of his right foot, he drove home a shot that took Bolton to within a point of safety./p

'We are more determined and patient,' says Kaboul

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pYounes Kaboul believes Tottenham are showing grit and determination not previously seen at White Hart Lane./p

The 10 Best Digital radios

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrong1. Q2 Wi-fi Internet/strong/p

Barton loses red card appeal

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pQueen's Park Rangers have failed with their appeal to have Joey Barton's red card for violent conduct in Monday's Premier League match against Norwich overturned. /p

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Leading article: An unhealthy – and corrupt – nexus of interests

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pElizabeth Filkin's inquiry into relations between the police and the press followed claims that the phone-hacking scandal would have been exposed sooner, had it not been for the relationship between Rupert Murdoch's News International and the Metropolitan Police. Sure enough, she found that that relationship compromised – or corrupted, as she put it yesterday – the capacity of both police and press to hold one another to account, as democracy properly requires./p

Volkswagen Up

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongPrice: /strong£7,995 br /strongEngine capacity: /strong1.0 litre (60ps) br /strongTop speed (mph):/strong 99 br /strong0-62 mph (seconds): /strong14.4 br /strongFuel economy (mpg): /strong62.8 br /strongCO2 emissions (g/km): /strong105/p

WSJ Europe cleared in cut-price row

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Wall Street Journal Europe has been cleared of wrongdoing in the circulation row over cut-price copies that cost the paper's European publisher his job last year. /p

United hit double trouble as Ba rockets upwards

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIf defeat to Blackburn Rovers on Saturday could be dismissed as an anomaly for Manchester United, then what to say about the latest aberration from Sir Alex Ferguson's team last night? What started as an embarrassment is beginning to look like a slump./p

Internazionale enter the race for Tevez

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pManchester City's attempts to get Carlos Tevez off their books this month have been boosted by a move by emInternazionale/em, while discussions also resumed yesterday between the player's representatives and Milan./p

'How we started a new school from scratch'

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt was some time after the opening of her new school that headteacher Jane Sculpher was being confronted by a journalist."I don't get it," he said. "All I can see here is a rather good primary school." He was obviously expecting something radical to leap out from the classrooms when he visited one of Education Secretary Michael Gove's first tranche of free schools./p

John Chamberlain: Sculptor who gave new life to scrap-heap cars

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pJohn Chamberlain was a sculptor who experimented with many techniques and materials over his half-century career as an artist. But his signature pieces remain the numerous sculptures made of metal from old cars. With titles such as Glove-Box Collision, Spark Plug Staccato and Fly Wheel Sonata, these colourful and imposing works give a new and enduring life to material from vehicles which have been consigned to the scrap-heap./p

Truce ends on Kean protests

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOrganised protests against the current Blackburn hierarchy are to resume with "increased intensity", it has been announced./p

'Caring' traffic warden sacked

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA parking warden who says he was sacked for refusing to issue large numbers of tickets is claiming unfair dismissal./p

Troubled Thomas Cook in a shake-up at top

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA boardroom clearout was unveiled at Thomas Cook yesterday, the next stage of the embattled travel group's battle to save itself from doom./p

Ferguson: We won't panic but it must be advantage City now

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSir Alex Ferguson assessed the potential wreckage of the new year period and conceded it is now advantage Manchester City in the race for the Premier League title./p

Nothing like a Dane: New thriller Borgen centres on a trailblazing female politician

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWho, just12 months ago, would have predicted that some of us would have become so familiar with Denmark's pool of top actors? That's not to patronise Denmark in any way – it's just that for obvious linguistic reasons, we haven't as a nation been terribly conversant with the Danish acting community. However, the first two series of The Killing have introduced us to many of their leading lights – not only, of course, to Sofie Grabol, who is now an unlikely household name in Britain (well, in the 500,000 households that regularly tune in to the Copenhagen-set thriller), but also to a wide range of new faces who had hitherto been the preserve of Danish viewers or those with a special interest in Scandinavian film and television./p

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Diary: Yes, she's got the look – but she's certainly no Iron Lady

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLouise Mensch, the Tory MP formerly known as the chick-lit novelist Louise Bagshawe, has had an avalanche of publicity, both good and bad, since agreeing to be interviewed for GQ magazine. In that interview, she cast herself as the new Margaret Thatcher and, in a piece illustrated by posed photographs,complained about how women MPs are judged on their looks./p

Sultan Khan: Indian vocalist and doyen of the sarangi

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSultan Khan was a hereditary sarangiya – a sarangi player – and one of the preeminent Hindustani or Northern Indian classical soloists of our age. He played one of the most brutish-looking instruments humanity has ever devised. Yet the voices that he coaxed from this squat, bowed, stringed instrument were divine. The instrument's name derives from two words meaning "100 colours", but Sultan Khan proved that the sarangi hid many more than that. Many hold it to be the instrument able to capture the nuances and tonal range of the human voice the most faithfully. Many – Mickey Hart, the Grateful Dead drummer-turned-Smithsonian Folkwayswallah who recorded him included – hold sarangi to be the greatest melody instrument ever devised. And without question, Khan was one of sarangi's all-time virtuosi./p

Liverpool's problem? Dalglish was left to walk alone

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pKenny Dalglish is no stranger to contending with claims of racism. He was the manager, after all, who made John Barnes Liverpool's first black signing in 1987 and who railed against the notion that there might be a problem. "He's not a black player; he's a player," Dalglish insisted back then, though some of the dressing-room testimony from that time suggests that the club he managed was not an entirely wholesome place. The entertainment at the players' Christmas party one year involved the "comedian" walking up to where Howard Gayle, a local and the club's first black player, was sitting and tipping a bowl of flour over his head. "Now try walking into fucking Toxteth," said the funny man./p

Atlantic rowers adrift after they run out of oars

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTwo men trying to row across the Atlantic for charity are adrift in the middle of the ocean after all their oars broke in rough seas. /p

Bolt returns to action in 400m

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe trouble for Usain Bolt in 2011 was getting out of his starting blocks too quickly – prompting his disqualification from the World Championship 100 metres final in Daegu, South Korea. In one sense at least, the world's fastest man does not intend to play a waiting game in 2012. His first race of London Olympic year will come next month./p

Stuart Lancaster Graham Rowntree: England's new brooms pledge to restore old values

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSix Nations tournaments always begin in the dark depths of winter, but as far as England are concerned spring is already in the air. Stuart Lancaster and Graham Rowntree, two-thirds of the caretaker coaching team charged with guiding the national side through Europe's premier competition following the collapse of Martin Johnson's ill-conceived management regime, spoke yesterday of "fresh starts" and "new brooms" and could barely contain their enthusiasm./p

Permalink for '_______Education_/2012/01/04/Now_solve_these..._Two_of_Stephen_Lawrence_s_killers_are_behind_bars._But_for_other_families__the_wait_for_justice_goes_on'

Now solve these... Two of Stephen Lawrence's killers are behind bars. But for other families, the wait for justice goes on

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThey are the forgotten victims of racism in Britain. A Pakistani beaten to death in the immediate aftermath of the July 7 bombings as his attackers cried "Taliban!" An Asian man stabbed through the heart in Scotland. A Ghanaian found hanging from a tree after a racist gang threatened to kill him. A Sikh whose body was found in the Thames hours after he was attacked by another mob./p

Jim Sherwood: Core member of Frank Zappa's The Mothers of Invention

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pJim Sherwood's ever-shifting role with The Mothers of Invention was emblematic of the unconventional and iconoclastic approach favoured by Frank Zappa, the group's maverick leader, guitarist and composer. Credited with "noises" on Freak Out!, the landmark debut on which Zappa and his cohorts waged a "low-key war against apathy" in 1966, Sherwood was promoted from "equipment handler" to full membership of The Mothers on their first European visit in 1967./p

University applications down despite late surge

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA late surge in applications has still left universities with 23,000 fewer UK applicants than at this time last year./p

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Switzerland's top banker – and his wife – in insider trading row

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe president of Switzerland's central bank was under pressure to resign last night after allegations that he had used insider information to reap huge profits from foreign exchange transactions before the Swiss franc was devalued and pegged to the euro last year./p

Hague flies into a row over how much Burma has really changed

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWilliam Hague arrives in Burma this morning for the first visit by a British Foreign Secretary in more than half a century. The trip is to reward reforms by the country's government, he said./p

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Steve Richards: PM's big idea is still alive – but is it really that big?

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe relationship between political leaders and big ideas is similar to that in a film noir when the hero falls for the femme fatale. The hero needs her, even though she will lure him into danger. Leaders also need big ideas and yet often they are scared of them./p

Italy gears up for an all-out war on the tax dodgers

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Italian government's new year push to curb the country's ruinous levels of tax evasion appears to have already divided opinion. One strategy in the all-out war on tax cheats is to probe deeper into people's bank accounts with the authorities' new powerful computer system, Serpico./p

New 'Iron Lady' orders Cameron to win back powers from Brussels

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEurosceptic Conservative MPs are to demand that David Cameron overrules Nick Clegg and ensures the Government grabs back some powers from Brussels before the next election./p

Natalie Haynes: Water-cooler television still counts

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA large chunk of the internet is not that important to most people, it seems. This week saw headlines that CD sales are still falling fast, while digital album sales increase – all of which you might expect. But the actual figures are more surprising: 26.6 million albums were sold digitally in the UK in 2011. Meanwhile, 86.2 million actual shiny silver discs were shifted in the same year./p

Takeover deal close for Pompey

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPortsmouth are close to announcing new owners, according to administrator Andrew Andronikou./p

Pay wages or else, Hearts are warned

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHearts were yesterday given a week to pay outstanding monies to their players by the Scottish Premier League./p

The Week In Radio: The stylus gurus know how to spin a good yarn

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBeing a radio DJ is a cinch nowadays. Where once upon a time a DJ had to haul crates of records into work, now they can simply take in their iPod, set it to shuffle and then lie down for an executive nap./p

Cycling: Cavendish feels at home with Sky

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMark Cavendish says "coming home" to Team Sky is the perfect end to the most prolific year of his life. The Manxman won last year's Tour de France green jersey and world road race title and was recently recruited by Team Sky from HTC-Highroad./p

Italy and Spain see debt default cover soaring

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pJittery debt markets turned the screw on Italy and Spain yesterday amid fresh signs of economic gloom for the struggling eurozone duo and more warnings of recession./p

Rich should pay more tax, says leading Lib Dem

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Government plans to force the very rich to pay higher taxes in an attempt to allay public fears that its spending cuts are hurting people on low and middle incomes the most./p

Owen Jones: Beware the assumptions the Lawrence verdict gives rise to

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThat two of the racist thugs who murdered Stephen Lawrence have been locked up is, finally, some justice. But this is no moment of catharsis; nor can we say this is the long-awaited righting of an extreme injustice which we can put behind us. That's certainly true with the Lawrence family: they have still been robbed of their son, and will grieve for the rest of their lives. Some of the other racist gangsters who murdered him nearly two decades ago remain at large./p

Insight: Jolyon Myers, video game designer

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLos Angeles-based British video games designer Jolyon Myers, inset, was a key programmer on the wildly successful Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. MW3 beat all sales records at the end of last year, earning $400m in its first day of sales and reaching $1bn in 16 days. Here he explains how he designed two of the virtual cities featured in the game – Paris and London./p

John Walsh: The 24 OMs who show that even in Britain there's a place for meritocracy

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThere's something about the word "honour" that provokes dishonourably furious responses. In France, they're currently enragé because the Legion d'Honneur has been given to Selma Hayek. The Mexican-born actress is best known for her not-unerotic snake dance in the film From Dusk Till Dawn, during which she pours tequila down her leg and into the mouth of Quentin Tarantino, but the French government claim to have given the award for her work as "director, producer and active member of charitable foundations for 23 years". /p

Doctors overturn Breivik insane ruling

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPsychiatrists who are monitoring Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik say that he is not psychotic, contradicting an earlier diagnosis by experts./p

Risk from breast implants cannot be judged

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe safety of breast implants inserted into tens of thousands of British women is impossible to judge, the body responsible for regulating them has admitted, because an accurate record of the number of procedures has not been kept. /p

Adrian Hamilton: The more we talk of war with Iran, the more likely it becomes

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAll winter long the drums of war have been beating. At first it was reports, taken seriously by even hardened observers of the Middle East scene, that Israel was planning to use the Christmas holiday period to launch an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. Then Iran in its turn ratcheted up the tensions as the New Year approached with a threat to close the Straits of Hormuz to oil shipping in the event of further sanctions from the US and Europe./p

How do I: Protect my phone from wi-fi fraud?

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSmartphone owners who use wi-fi on the go are increasingly vulnerable to fraudsters./p

Microsoft sues Comet over sales of 'counterfeit CDs'

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe software giant Microsoft is suing Comet, the embattled UK electricals chain, over its alleged creation and sale of counterfeit Windows and Vista recovery CDs. /p

Cosmopolitan caravan rolls into Dubai for Carnival time

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThese midwinter weeks, albeit proving rather milder than last year, to the significant benefit of the Levy, are invariably the bleakest in the Turf calendar. Many Cheltenham contenders are taking a break, leaving a suitably dim, half-lit quality to the January programme. It is with corresponding envy, then, that those jockeys shivering at Wolverhampton today will look up to the monitors in the weighing room and see various colleagues riding at the opening meeting of the 2012 Dubai Carnival./p

Independent Appeal: After being treated for cancer, Hanna needed help to be a teenager again

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pYour teenage years are hard enough, even when everything is going right. Being a teenager recovering from cancer is another thing entirely./p

Assisted dying review selects those who could end their life

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA person suffering from a terminal illness who is likely to die within 12 months, is of sound mind and has a settled intention to die should have the choice of an assisted death, a landmark report says today./p

Libya's leader warns of civil war after Tripoli gun battles

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe head of Libya's interim government warned yesterday that the country could descend into civil war after rival militias fought gun battles in the centre of the capital, Tripoli, leaving a trail of dead and injured./p

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The Ideas Factory: Can a credit card-sized, £20 computer change the world?

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt's not quite the season for raspberry pie but a small technological charity hopes it might be the time for Raspberry Pi./p

O'Neill puts open-door selection policy in place

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe new Northern Ireland manager, Michael O'Neill, has vowed to give every eligible player a fresh start in his quest to turn around the country's footballing fortunes. O'Neill, who starts his two-year tenure on 1 February, was unveiled at the Irish Football Association's headquarters at Windsor Avenue yesterday and immediately set about making his intentions clear./p

Bell resigned to relegation but dreams of climbing back to No 3

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIan Bell is quietly preparing himself for another drop down England's batting order this winter, but he admits that his long-term ambition remains to make the No 3 position his own. That will never be an easy task, of course, while the current International Cricket Council player of the year Jonathan Trott is in the frame./p

High street slowdown hits Next and John Lewis

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNext and John Lewis have warned of another tough year for the high street that is likely to lead to more retail casualties, despite booming online sales helping both chains to deliver robust festive trading. /p

Argentina's President undergoes cancer surgery

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSupporters of Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner waited anxiously outside her hospital yesterday for word on the results of surgery to remove a cancerous thyroid gland./p

Pippa Mann: 'The big thing in a crash is to relax'

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIn the fraction of a second before she became embroiled in the 15-car pile-up that was to end with the death of her fellow Briton Dan Wheldon, Pippa Mann shut her eyes. "I said to myself 'This is probably going to hurt'," she says. "I made a conscious decision. I knew it was going to be a big one and what I was going to see was not going to be helpful to any future recovery. So I closed my eyes."/p

The sky's the limit: You don't have to swagger like an Apprentice to succeed in business

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhat's the attitude you should adopt if you want to succeed in business in 2012? The swaggering arrogance of an Apprentice candidate? The cynical ability to screw your customers for every penny?/p

Yahoo names former eBay executive as new chief

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe struggling internet firm Yahoo has recruited Scott Thompson, a senior executive from the online auction firm eBay, to be its new chief executive./p

Ponting fires again... but is that good for Australia?

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEven in his most hangdog moments, Ricky Ponting does not inspire pity. The former Australia captain has been too good a player for that but only the fiercest of English cricket fans could have failed to have felt something for him these past two years. The diminutive Tasmanian's characteristic tenacity and courage were still there, but the dominance at the wicket that had taken him to the top of the Test game seemed a thing of the past./p

Ecuador: Chevron loses $18bn appeal

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAn Ecuadorean court of appeal has upheld a ruling that Chevron should pay $18bn (£11.5bn) in damages to plaintiffs who accused Texaco, bought by the company in 2001, of polluting the Amazon jungle and damaging their health. /p

How O'Neill became an instant hit on Wearside

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMartin O'Neill's insistence during his unveiling as Sunderland manager that he had not mentioned a possible January transfer budget with Ellis Short, the club owner and chairman, before accepting the position, surprised many. It appeared either brave or naïve; Sunderland, after all, had won one of their previous eight games before Steve Bruce's dismissal. There were calls for further investment. Relegation was becoming a real issue./p

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Singapore PM takes pay cut – but his £1.1m is still eight times as much as Cameron

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRemember, we are all in this together. In these times of austerity and cuts, Lee Hsien Loong, the prime minister of Singapore, has agreed to a cut in his salary by more than 36 per cent. However, he will still earn £1.1m – more than any other comparable world leader./p

Sales of gilts soar thanks to Britain's status as a safe haven

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBritain's safe-haven status triggered the sharpest spike in gilt purchases by foreign buyers since the Lehman Brothers collapse, Bank of England figures showed. /p

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Where's the smart money? Private sector urged to run universities – and turn Nobels into cash

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA private American college paid for by a billionaire businessman was cited yesterday by a Government minister as the model for a new type of British university specialising in science and technology./p

Simon English: Why did these chief executives call for their own customers to be impoverished?

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pbOutlook/b For a cautious, perhaps even somewhat shy man, Simon Wolfson was unusually forthright. Certain in fact. George Osborne's deficit reduction programme was vital. It would "improve business and consumer confidence" said a letter to The Daily Telegraph, signed by Wolfson and 34 other business leaders back in October 2010./p

Murray battles on after another sluggish start

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIf Andy Murray carries on like this, his supporters will be nervous wrecks before the first month of the season is over. For the second match in succession, the 24-year-old Scot lost the opening set in his first tournament of the year before beating Luxembourg's Gilles Muller 4-6, 7-6, 6-0 to claim his place in the quarter-finals of the Brisbane International./p

Mexican Warlock spells end for Obama

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAntonio Vazquez, Mexico's self-styled "Grand Warlock", has made his annual new year forecasts, including the prediction that the US President Barack Obama will fail to regain the White House./p

Extra tickets for London 2012 after seats error

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThousands of people have been offered tickets to alternative events at the London Olympics after organisers admitted an error led to 10,000 too many tickets being sold for synchronised swimming sessions. /p

Leading article: And the winner in Iowa was... Barack Obama

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThere are dangers in over-interpreting the results of the Iowa caucuses. As the first vote of a US primary season that begins earlier and earlier, it cannot be regarded in any way as representative or predictive of what is to come. The particular character of Iowa, rural and conservative, is always likely to favour candidates of a similar stamp, while placing others at a corresponding disadvantage. The very different character of New Hampshire, whose primary takes place next week, and still more of South Carolina, a further 11 days away, makes for a more complete picture of the nomination fight./p

Two Britons held in Kabul carrying 30 assault rifles

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTwo British men and their Afghan driver and interpreter – all of whom work for a private security company – have been arrested in Kabul for carrying illegal weapons. /p

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Vivek Chaudhary: I lived in South America – there's no doubt 'negro' is racist

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIf, like me, you are addicted to football then South America is the place to be. During my two years of living and working in Argentina and travelling extensively around the region, the passion and frenzied enthusiasm for the beautiful game was almost infectious./p

RBS in new investment bank disposals

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRoyal Bank of Scotland took another step in the pruning of its once-proud investment banking empire yesterday after appointing Lazard to sell off chunks of the operation./p

Labour adviser: It's time Miliband toughened up

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAn adviser to Ed Miliband today urges him to show stronger, more courageous leadership and admits that Labour is failing to win the economic argument./p

Simon English: Sweden's scourge of the boardroom: is his job done?

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pbOutlook/b Bo Lerenius is clearly an anti-capitalist campaigner, a scourge of modern business bent on bringing down the system. Cunningly disguised as an experienced non-executive, he stalks boardrooms, unleashing chaos all around him./p

Care out in the cold after 'errors of judgement'

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIf injury cost Danny Care the chance to enjoy the full World Cup experience with England – excessive boozing, dwarf throwing, ball switching, harbour diving, losing to France in the quarter-finals, that kind of thing – he has been making up for it ever since. Before Christmas, the Harlequins scrum-half was arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, given a fixed penalty fine and told by all and sundry to reflect on the error of his ways. Did he do so? Apparently not. In the early hours of New Year's Day he tested positive for driving over the limit and will now appear in court on 16 January./p

Newcomer believes he has God on his side, but he will need a miracle to beat Obama

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAt 53, Rick Santorum is a comparative political stripling. After his surge from nowhere to the brink of victory in Iowa, he is being promoted by his conservative supporters as the fresh-faced Great New Hope of the Republican party./p

Five's star treatment: The return of Celebrity Big Brother

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSally Bercow is bidding to become MP for Brighton. Kerry Katona has a new job as a celebrity wedding planner. Amy Childs is running the beauty salon of her dreams. If these developments had passed you by then it could be because the D-list personalities and their daily exploits are the sole property of Richard Desmond and a burgeoning media empire, which is raising cross-promotion to a new art./p

Builders subdued as they battle spending jitters

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBuilders fared better than manufacturers in December but nerves over possible spending cuts are still to the fore, an industry survey revealed yesterday./p

Last Night's Viewing: Timeshift: The Smoking Years BBC4br /How to Cook Like Heston Channel 4

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pI went to see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo the other day and was a little startled by how much smoking there was in it. Then I remembered that it was an 18 certificate movie and therefore licensed for the display of transgressive behaviour, whether that took the form of a violent rectal assault on an abusive therapist or the oral inhalation of burning tobacco. As it happens, films in which people smoke don't yet automatically receive an 18 certificate, though after watching Timeshift: The Smoking Years you wouldn't bet against it happening one day because, among other things, Borja Cantera's film was a study of how quickly the universally acceptable can flip into the untolerated. Presented as the evolutionary history of the smoker, it began with the democratisation of the fag with the invention of the first cigarette-rolling machine in 1880 and closed with a hideous vista of extinguished stub-ends, smouldering gently like a post-apocalyptic landscape./p

Simon English: Executive pay is likely to ratchet up even further

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pbOutlook/b By my reckoning, at least once a month for the past 10 years, newspapers have been writing the following story or some variant thereof: Clampdown on runaway executive pay imminent./p

Suarez sorry at last as Anfield admit errors

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLuis Suarez last night issued a public apology for using the word "negro" during his side's match against Manchester United, as Liverpool provided the first indication that they might have better handled a case which has left the club's reputation badly tarnished./p

Santorum's surge makes it a hollow victory for Romney

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRick Santorum cast doubt on Mitt Romney's chances of quickly sewing up the Republican presidential nomination after coming from the back of the field to tie the Iowa caucus vote, raising the prospect of a long and painful race./p

The 600-year struggle for the soul of Joan of Arc

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAlmost six centuries after she was burnt by the English, President Nicolas Sarkozy will lead a commando operation tomorrow to free Joan of Arc from captivity./p

Pursue the other killers, judge demands

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAn Old Bailey judge piled pressure on the police to atone for their first bungled inquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence by demanding they bring more of his killers to justice./p

UniCredit in rights issue

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Italian banking giant UniCredit has tapped shareholders for €7.5bn (£6.2bn) with a cut-price rights issue to plug a gaping hole in its balance sheet./p

Ben Chu: Europe needs to wake up to Greece's unsustainable debt

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDid Europe's leaders imagine that they had put the Greek patient into the recovery ward in 2011? They certainly performed a lot of surgery. In October they granted the country a hefty debt forgiveness package, imposing a 50 per cent haircut on Greek bondholders. They agreed to increase the size of the official bailout for Athens to around €170bn (£140.73bn). They also successfully averted the threat of a national referendum on the austerity measures and saw a reasonable technocrat, Lucas Papademos, installed in the prime minister's office. "Job done" did they think to themselves?/p

Market Report: Go-Ahead moves into fast lane for takeover gossips

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDespite high hopes at the start of the year, takeover activity in the Square Mile ended up being rather subdued during 2011. However, punters praying the next 12 months may prove to be different will have been cheered yesterday by the revival of takeover talk around a number of stocks. One of them was Go-Ahead, the transport group which has been frequently suggested as a possible target. Vague rumours of a potential approach were doing the rounds last November, and yesterday it was back in the spotlight thanks to Liberum Capital./p

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Pepsi admits drink is bad for your body – if you're a mouse

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pToo much fizzy drink will rot your teeth, but if you are a small rodent, and if the drink happens to be called Mountain Dew, then it's actually capable of dissolving your entire body. /p

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Chalk Talk: How to stop exam cheats – keep examiners and teachers apart

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA new word appears to have entered the world of education jargon – webalogue./p

Permalink for '_______Education_/2012/01/04/James_Lawton__This_whole_sorry_mess_%e2%80%93_apology_or_not_%e2%80%93_will_at_least_bring_new_levels_of_vigilance'

James Lawton: This whole sorry mess – apology or not – will at least bring new levels of vigilance

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLiverpool still don't get it, not completely, but they have offered a degree of apology – and so has their player Luis Suarez. Given all that has gone before, all the churning self-interest displayed by one of the great clubs of Europe, the deadening sense that the issue was something less than fundamental to the good name of English football, we probably should be grateful for the concession./p

Two decades have passed, but the hate goes on in Eltham

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEdmond Cole shuddered as he leant down to place flowers on the granite plaque that marks the spot in Eltham where Stephen Lawrence fell terrified and mortally wounded nearly 19 years ago. The 52-year-old, who was a family friend of the Lawrences and knew Stephen as a young boy, said: "I've been coming here for years. I wanted to say happy New Year to Stephen today and tell him the good news, tell him that two of the guys that did him are finally paying for what they did./p

Letters: How the new-look NHS should work

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pI cannot agree with Anthony Rodriguez (letter, 31 December) about an end to a free NHS. It is accepted that the present level of activity in the NHS is unaffordable, and that an acceptable standard of health care (still free at the point of delivery) can be provided by working in different ways. /p

Films boost DVD and Blu-Ray sales

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSales of DVDs and Blu-Rays confounded the doom-mongers by rising a total of 8 per cent to £474m in December against a year earlier, despite the rise of online formats and the threat of piracy./p

As celebrities choose Amazon, is this the end for publishers?

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWho needs publishers? Not James Franco, the artsy Hollywood star, who has just signed a deal to write his first novel; and not Amazon, the vast online retailer which beat the traditional giants of the industry to secure the high-profile author./p

The art of demolition: Bringing down a multi-storey structure is a process as scientific as it is creative

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhen Glencairn Tower went down in November, 64 charges – 100kg of the latest explosives placed with scientific precision – brought all 17 storeys down in just five seconds./p

Leading article: Justice has no place for a lynch mob

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe jailing of Gary Dobson and David Norris for the slaying of Stephen Lawrence should not mark the end of the police investigation into the stabbing of the 18-year-old south Londoner almost two decades ago. But neither must it prompt the formation of a lynch mob setting off in pursuit of the several others thought to have been involved./p

Killers may have to move prisons for their own safety

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:00am EST

pGary Dobson and David Norris may be moved to a different prison because of their vulnerability to attack following their sentencing yesterday to a combined total of 29 years' imprisonment for the murder of Stephen Lawrence./p

Maldives calls off resort spa ban

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 2:39pm EST

pThe president of the Maldives has ordered the country's resorts to reopen their spas pending a court decision, just days after they were shut under pressure from an Islamic opposition party./p

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Stephen Lawrence murder: Neville Lawrence urges Dobson and Norris to name other attackers

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 2:31pm EST

pStephen Lawrence's father Neville today called on the two men imprisoned for his son's murder to turn in the other people involved in the racist attack./p

Blackburn Rovers fans to step up protests

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 2:30pm EST

pOrganised protests against the current Blackburn hierarchy are to resume with "increased intensity", it has been announced./p

SPL order Hearts to pay players wages

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 2:26pm EST

pHearts have been ordered to pay outstanding monies to their players within seven days, the Scottish Premier League announced today./p

Violence erupts in Nigeria over petrol prices

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 2:14pm EST

pProtesters furious over spiralling petrol prices started fires on a motorway and at least one person was killed in the unrest after Nigeria's government scrapped a subsidy that had kept fuel costs down for more than 20 years./p

Bali bombing suspect's wife jailed

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 2:07pm EST

pThe wife of the main suspect in the 2002 Bali bombings has been jailed for 27 months by an Indonesian court for immigration violations./p

Andy Murray fights back to progress at the Brisbane International

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:49pm EST

pAndy Murray continued to do it the hard way as he reached the last eight of the Brisbane International with a three-set win over Gilles Muller today. /p

Lily Allen names baby Ethel Mary

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:44pm EST

p Lily Allen has named her baby Ethel Mary. /p

Kate Moss' 72-hour New Year's party

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:43pm EST

p Kate Moss saw the New Year with a party 72-hour party in Jamaica. /p

Nicola Roberts: 'Therapy is too expensive'

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:42pm EST

p Nicola Roberts says therapy is "too expensive". /p

Kardashians to launch magazine

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:41pm EST

p The Kardashians are reportedly planning to publish their own magazine. /p

Sinead O'Connor reunites with husband

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:40pm EST

p Sinead O'Connor has reunited with her husband, a week after they split. /p

Greek PM Lucas Papademos in talks with unions

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:32pm EST

pGreece's prime minister is due to hold talks with labour unions and trade federations ahead of a crucial visit by the country's debt inspectors while Athens negotiates the terms of a second multimillion-euro international bailout./p

Iraq bombs kills two children

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:29pm EST

pA series of bombs targeting the homes of Iraqi police on has killed two children and wounded nine other people./p

Gary Dobson and David Norris sentenced

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:15pm EST

pTwo men were finally jailed today for the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence nearly 19 years ago./p

Bernard Hogan-Howe's warning to 'other' killers

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 1:10pm EST

pBritain's top police officer said today "the other people involved in the murder of Stephen Lawrence should not rest easily in their beds"./p

Britons' killer in Antigua prison stabbing

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 12:58pm EST

pA man who was jailed for life after murdering a British couple on their honeymoon has stabbed another inmate in prison, police said./p

Fan dies at White Hart Lane from heart attack

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 12:57pm EST

pTottenham have confirmed that an 81-year-old fan died after suffering a heart attack at last night's match with West Brom./p

2011 proves record-breaking year for Nissan plant

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 12:52pm EST

pA UK car plant had a record-breaking year in 2011, it was announced today./p

Ben Morgan chooses England over Wales

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 12:35pm EST

pScarlets number eight Ben Morgan has declared his international allegiance to England. /p

Police warned on press 'flirting'

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 12:27pm EST

pPolice officers were today ordered to avoid "flirting" and accepting alcohol from journalists./p

Surprise rise in mortgage approvals

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 12:00pm EST

pThe number of approvals for new house purchases has defied expectations by rising to its highest point in almost two years, but economists warned of deals becoming more restricted as banks tighten lending conditions./p

Construction growth continues

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:59am EST

pConstruction activity in the UK grew last month, according to a closely-watched survey, but experts warned the wider economy was still likely to have stagnated at the end of last year./p

Cycling: Mark Cavendish heads Team Sky squad

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:54am EST

pTour de France green jersey winner Mark Cavendish heads a 10-strong British contingent in the Team Sky squad for 2012. /p

Antonio Meneses/Maria Joao Pires, Wigmore Hall

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:53am EST

pGreat pianists often gravitate to chamber music in their maturity, as though the satisfactions of communal music-making finally outweigh the thrills of solo achievement. /p

Ricky Ponting's first century for two years sees Australia take control against India

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:52am EST

pA career-high double century from skipper Michael Clarke and a drought-breaking ton for Ricky Ponting left Australia in complete control against India at stumps on day two of the second Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground./p

Wolves midfielder Nenad Milijas frustrated by ban

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:46am EST

pWolves midfielder Nenad Milijas has revealed his frustration at the three-match ban which has ruined his New Year./p

Real Madrid make stunning comeback to against Malaga

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:45am EST

pHolders Real Madrid scored three times in 10 minutes at the Bernabeu last night to beat Malaga 3-2 in their King's Cup last 16 first leg, sparked by a furious dressing down from Jose Mourinho./p

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini ready for 'crucial' month

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:43am EST

pManchester City manager Roberto Mancini believes if his side are top of the Barclays Premier League this time next month they stand a good chance of winning the title./p

Arsenal 'need' Thierry Henry says Wojciech Szczesny

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:41am EST

pWojciech Szczesny admits Arsenal "need" record goalscorer Thierry Henry back at the club./p

Zat Knight backs David Ngog to hit Bolton goal trail

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:38am EST

pDefender Zat Knight is confident from what he has seen in training that striker David Ngog will soon come good for Bolton./p

Danny Care dropped from England squad after second drink related offence

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:37am EST

pDanny Care will be excluded from England's Six Nations squad after being arrested for drink driving, the Rugby Football Union have confirmed./p

Fulham make bid for Catania striker Maxi Lopez

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:35am EST

pFulham have made an offer for Catania striker Maxi Lopez, according to the Italian club./p

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Top five Christmas films we’d love to see as videogames

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:33am EST

pProbably not, no, but here are five films that we think deserve a videogame remake./p

Aston Villa signing Enda Stevens eager to learn

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:32am EST

pNew Aston Villa signing Enda Stevens is aiming to learn from fellow left-back Stephen Warnock after completing his move from Shamrock Rovers./p

Portsmouth takeover close say administrators

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:30am EST

pPortsmouth are close to announcing new owners, according to administrator Andrew Andronikou./p

John Lewis reports 'outstanding' Christmas

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:30am EST

pStrong sales of clothes and electrical items helped department store John Lewis take more than half a billion pounds in an “outstanding” Christmas./p

Stock markets mixed ahead of Greece talks

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:06am EST

pWorld stock markets were mixed today, as encouraging signs about the US economy were tempered by investors' fears that time was running out for Greece to fix its debt crisis./p

Ronald Searle, creator of St Trinians, dies at 91

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe man who gave the world St Trinian's and St Custard's, who depicted the anarchy that lay beneath the English school system, and whose satirical pen skewered a throng of national stereotypes is no more./p

Moyes plans latest spring turnaround

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe new year at Everton brings a familiar feel. Yet again, David Moyes' side cross the halfway point of the Premier League season having generated some momentum. Yet again, a difficult autumn, following the departures of key players, is slowly brightening into a run of results. And this, so far, in a harder financial climate than ever for the club./p

Brian Cathcart: What Stephen Lawrence now means

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pEven after 18 years, the question of who killed Stephen Lawrence matters. It matters because murderers should always be called to account. It matters because the Metropolitan Police, although they can never put right what went wrong in 1993, need and want to atone. It matters because the Lawrences, who have endured so much, deserve to see justice done./p

Cash-strapped Britons tempted by risky credit

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pAbout seven million people are turning to high-interest credit to keep a roof over their heads, research published today reveals./p

Ferguson ready to keep faith with under fire De Gea

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pSir Alex Ferguson has insisted that he will retain goalkeeper David de Gea for tonight's match at Newcastle despite the 21-year-old's indecision against Blackburn which allowed Steve Kean's side to claim their 3-2 victory at Old Trafford on New Year's Eve./p

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Archie Bland: We love a political thriller – if it doesn't need subtitles

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pIt's an election that ought to be a blockbuster. It stars an ailing incumbent with a beautiful wife, swept into office by a wave of popular enthusiasm but now brought low by economic crisis despite his foreign policy victories. Even though his weakness presents a vast political opportunity, circumstance and skulduggery have forced the opposition to lurch between preferred candidates, none of them quite ticking all the boxes in a way that would bring them decisively to power. And so, as the race really begins in earnest, it's simply too close to call./p

James Lawton: Liverpool back away but with self-serving scorn

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pIt would have been infinitely more honourable if Liverpool had said to hell with the Football Association and their version of justice and appealed the Suarez verdict./p

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Mark Steel: Do OAPs need a £14m bonus as well as pudding?

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pAlmost everyone connected to the elderly or care homes has insisted the Government addresses the issue of the lack of care homes. So the Government has agreed to look into it. One possible cause it might find, if it investigates thoroughly and consults enough people, analysing everything with great care, is that it has cut the number of care homes. Obviously, the Government couldn't know in advance that reducing the number of something might result in there being fewer of them. But as it is now setting up a group to look into this matter, I suggest that the person put in charge is Tina Taylor from Bolton./p

After Iowa, it's still a long road to the nomination

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe circus that is the Republican nomination contest will already have decamped from Iowa by dawn this morning sending candidates, variously bruised and boosted by last night's caucus results, to prepare for the next rounds of battle first in New Hampshire next Tuesday and then 10 days later in South Carolina./p

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Rupert Cornwell: What counts now is cash – and Romney is winning

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pTo paraphrase Winston Churchill's words about the battle of El Alamein and its place in the Second World War, this month of January does not signify the end of the race for the Republican presidential nomination, nor even necessarily the beginning of the end. But it is very much the end of the beginning./p

A place where all the young punks can play to win

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pNever mind a burning candle, there are camp fires still blazing in memory of Joe Strummer, almost a decade after he died. The legacy of The Clash figurehead is most obvious at a single-storey building by the Westway, the thundering, concrete thoroughfare in west London that he sang about in "London's Burning"./p

Mary Dejevsky: Remove the implants, but not at our expense

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pIt's going to happen; just a question of when. I give it a week. Breast implants (or rather the removal thereof) will stop being an issue, and become a feminist issue. We'll hear about the inalienable right of every woman not just to improve herself in whatever way she sees fit, but to have the enhancement undone and the "procedure" underwritten by you, me, patients everywhere deprived of the latest drugs because the budget has run out, and the housebound forced to wait for new hips because the operating theatres are clogged. /p

'I do try really hard to be normal'

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pEvery now and then actors come along who are the television equivalent of Marmite: those who love them do so with a passion; those who hate them are equally vocal – and the two sides will never agree. Zooey Deschanel is one such actress./p

Sales of luxury Bentleys soar, even in Britain

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pBentley's sales leapt last year, driven by strong demand from the US and China for the latest Continental model./p

Simon English: If the bankers are loathed, they are the ones to blame

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pA * old joke for a new year: why should you get immediately furious at your bank? Because it saves time later. People have been complaining about banks for as long as they have existed. It seems unlikely 2012 will be the year it stops. Of all the institutions created by man, banks seem the hardest to control, the least answerable to any kind of democratic process. Even bankers find this to be so./p

Governments need to tap markets for $8trn this year

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe world's sovereign bond markets face a monumental test in 2012 as the largest economies attempt to roll over a combined total of $7.6 trillion (£4.9trn) in debt./p

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Families 'left £1,250 a year poorer by austerity drive'

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pA couple with two children will be £1,250 a year worse off by 2015 as families "shoulder the burden of austerity", a report suggests./p

She shook. He wept. And their 19-year wait for a guilty verdict was finally over

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pDoreen Lawrence shed a single tear when, almost 19 years after her eldest son was knifed to death by a racist gang, the foreman of a jury handed her some measure of justice./p

Factory slowdown leads Britain into recession

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pManufacturers are dragging the economy back into recession after the biggest blow to the sector since 2009, an industry survey has warned./p

Two dead after gales wreak havoc across Britain in stormiest winter for 30 years

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pFierce storms battered Britain yesterday with heavy rain and winds of over 100mph as millions of people returned to work after the holidays./p

Szczesny furious at 'childish' Arsenal

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pArsenal's late collapse at Craven Cottage on Monday evening was "childish", according to goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny. Arsenal were leading 1-0 with 12 minutes remaining before Johan Djourou was sent off: Steve Sidwell and Bobby Zamora scored in the 85th and 93rd minutes respectively, condemning Arsenal to defeat./p

Murder suspected after woman's body found on Queen's estate

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pPolice have launched a murder inquiry after a young woman's body was discovered in woodland just a mile from the entrance to Sandringham House in Norfolk, where the Queen and Prince Philip are staying./p

I'll smile more when I play regularly, says Lampard

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:00am EST

pFrank Lampard has done little to dispel the tension in his relationship with manager Andre Villas-Boas by making a resounding plea not to be left out of the Chelsea team again having scored the winning goal against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday./p

Breast implant data from some clinics is 'poor'

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 10:40am EST

pSome private clinics have provided poor quality data to a review into the risks of rupture posed by a breast implant, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has warned./p

Cornish devolution campaign revived by show of pan-Celtic political unity

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 9:29am EST

pA campaign aiming for devolution for Cornwall as a “historic Celtic nation” within the United Kingdom has been revived, with fresh support from Welsh politicians./p

Britain gets 'brief respite' from high winds

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 9:23am EST

pBritain can look forward to a “brief respite” today from winds that battered the UK, but forecasters expect gusts of up to 75mph tonight./p

Britain gets 'brief respite' before new storm

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 9:23am EST

pBritain can look forward to a “brief respite” today from winds that battered the UK, but forecasters expect gusts of up to 75mph tonight./p

'Next' admits pre-Christmas sales were 'disappointing'

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 9:15am EST

p Retail bellwether Next offered a snapshot of Britain's austerity Christmas today after admitting to "disappointing" sales in November and December. /p

Political donations bound to cause Honours 'suspicion'

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 9:13am EST

pPolitical parties' reliance on large donations from individuals or trade unions means there is “bound to be suspicion” about honours and other favours, a public standards watchdog chief said today./p

Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum in Iowa caucuses virtual dead heat

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 7:48am EST

pAfter months of being ignored by the pundits and pollsters, Rick Santorum, the social conservative and former US Senator from Pennsylvania, leaped to the head of the Iowa caucus vote essentially sharing victory for the night with the former Massachusetts Governor, Mitt Romney./p

Mitt Romney beats Rick Santorum in Iowa caucus by just eight votes

Posted: January 4th, 2012, 7:48am EST

pAfter months of being ignored by the pundits and pollsters, Rick Santorum, the social conservative and former US Senator from Pennsylvania, leaped to the head of the Iowa caucus vote essentially sharing victory for the night with the former Massachusetts Governor, Mitt Romney./p

Sales of luxury Bentleys soar, even in Britain

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 2:47am EST

pBentley's sales leapt last year, driven by strong demand from the US and China for the latest Continental model./p

Quote of the day: Bill Gross

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 2:41am EST

p /p

i Editor's Letter: Guard against prejudice and complacency

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

p /p

The News Matrix: Wednesday 4 January 2012

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongOne million turn to loan sharks for help/strong/p

The Sports Matrix: Wednesday 4 January 2012

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongSuarez-less Liverpool no match for 10-man City/strong/p

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Archie Bland: We love a political thriller – if it doesn't need subtitles

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt's an election that ought to be a blockbuster. It stars an ailing incumbent with a beautiful wife, swept into office by a wave of popular enthusiasm but now brought low by economic crisis despite his foreign policy victories./p

Simon Kelner: Never mind the intermission, when's the menopause?

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMuch of the nation returned to work yesterday, reunited themselves with colleagues, and, I'd hazard a guess, had very similar conversations. /p

The Business Matrix: Wednesday 4 January 2012

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongSelfridges takes £1.3m in an hour/strong/p

Guardiola undecided on future

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola still hasn't decided whether to extend his stay at the Catalan club./p

Carillion wins motorway job

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Government has awarded Carillion a £105m contract to manage part of the M6 motorway./p

Jim Armitage: Goldman has its own reasons for gushing about the price of oil

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pGeneral rule of thumb in the City: if Goldman Sachs tells you to buy buy buy, sell like hell. The reason, investors will tell you, is simple. Chances are that Goldman, somewhere along the line, is taking the opposite bet, or at least facilitating someone else to. Either that, or it'll be making money out of that suggested punt in other ways./p

Last night's viewing - Public Enemies, BBC1; Accused: the 74 Stone Babysitter, Channel 4

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pCredibility is both the subject of strongPublic Enemies/strong, Tony Marchant's new drama about a troubled probation officer, and one of its problems. /p

Man held over 50 arson attacks in LA

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA German man is being held without bail over dozens of suspected arson attacks in Los Angeles last weekend that destroyed parked cars and damaged buildings across the city./p

Lobbying company tried to wipe out 'wife beater' beer references

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAn international lobbying company tried to remove references to a client's brand of lager as the "wife beater" from the online encyclopedia Wikipedia./p

McClaren back on Twente radar

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFC Twente have insisted Steve McClaren is not certain to return to the club after they sacked head coach Co Adriaanse yesterday./p

Buyers worldwide fire up Bentley sales

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe luxury car maker Bentley saw sales leap last year, driven by strong demand for its latest Continental model from America and China./p

Moyes plans latest spring turnaround

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe new year at Everton brings a familiar feel. Yet again, David Moyes' side cross the halfway point of the Premier League season having generated some momentum. Yet again, a difficult autumn, following the departures of key players, is slowly brightening into a run of results. And this, so far, in a harder financial climate than ever for the club./p

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Soprano finds her voice – as a teen-lit novelist

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA former opera singer believes she has finally found her voice as a writer after winning the Costa Children's Book Award for her first novel./p

City stroll past lame Liverpool in absence of Suarez

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIf it was a siege mentality that Kenny Dalglish hoped to engender in his team by his club's steadfast refusal to accept any blame over the Luis Suarez affair then unfortunately for Liverpool this was one of the shortest sieges in living memory./p

Letters: IT 'skills shortage' is largely a myth

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTerry Lloyd (letters, 16 December) calls for more computer science in schools to provide recruits to "an industry in which the UK already excels" and to nurture polymaths and well-rounded IT professionals. /p

SSE reaches one gigawatt milestone for its onshore wind farms

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAs storms battered the country, the energy giant SSE yesterday said it had more than one gigawatt of onshore wind-farm capacity in operation for the first time, enough to power 800,000 homes for a year./p

Pattinson's dream start gathers pace

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe one element missing from James Pattinson's man-of-the-match performance in Australia's heartening first Test victory over India was the prize wicket of Sachin Tendulkar. Australia's bright young thing put that right on the first day of the second Test in Sydney, albeit with just about his worst delivery of another memorable day for the 21-year-old and his side./p

Market Report: British investors told to look abroad for gains

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt may have been a storming start to 2012 for the blue-chip index, but the City was hardly worry-free yesterday. Despite the Footsie gaining nearly 130 points to continue a rally that has seen it add almost 6 per cent in the last six sessions, investors were still being told to look outside Blighty for major gains. /p

Szczesny furious at 'childish' Arsenal

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pArsenal's late collapse at Craven Cottage on Monday evening was "childish", according to goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny. Arsenal were leading 1-0 with 12 minutes remaining before Johan Djourou was sent off: Steve Sidwell and Bobby Zamora scored in the 85th and 93rd minutes respectively, condemning Arsenal to defeat./p

Leaking defence and isolated Carroll add to Dalglish woes

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA bad night for the Liverpool defence in every conceivable way. As if the club's proud reputation has not been battered enough by the gaping holes in the Luis Suarez case, there was the club's response of an ill-conceived statement before kick- off, and then the sight of Kenny Dalglish's ragged back four providing gifts to Manchester City./p

TalkTalk to push mobile business

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe broadband and phone operator TalkTalk has poached a senior executive from O2 to boost its expansion into mobile phones./p

Ferguson to back De Gea despite his indecision

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSir Alex Ferguson has insisted that he will retain goalkeeper David de Gea for tonight's match at Newcastle United, despite the 21-year-old's indecision against Blackburn Rovers which allowed Steve Kean's side – the youngest ever starting line-up in the Premier League – to claim their extraordinary 3-2 victory at Old Trafford on New Year's Eve./p

Gardner keeps the Sunderland revival on track

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThere were three clubs who achieved big wins as the old year turned into the new. It says something for Martin O'Neill's remodelled Sunderland that they won their next fixture while Blackburn and Aston Villa, the conquerors of Manchester United and Chelsea, lost theirs./p

World's governments seek to raise $7.6 trillion in 2012

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe world's sovereign bond markets face a monumental test in 2012 as the largest economies attempt to roll over a combined total of $7.6 trillion (£4.9 trillion) in debt./p

A million using payday loans to keep homes

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAround seven million people are turning to credit to try to keep a roof over their heads, research by housing charity Shelter reveals. /p

Oakley ponders HMV Live bid

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPeter Dubens' Oakley Capital is among the private equity firms and trade players considering a bid for the live music business of HMV, the troubled entertainment retailer. /p

Liverpool accuse FA of bias in amazing attack

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLiverpool last night claimed the Football Association was guilty of systematic bias and suggested sections of evidence had been deliberately withheld, as they begrudgingly accepted Luis Suarez's eight-match ban for the abuse of the Manchester United defender Patrice Evra./p

Simon English: There's a wealth of fury in the US, too

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pbOutlook/b Johnson County in Kansas is one of the wealthiest suburbs in all of America. Everything always works, everyone always smiles and it is nearly always sunny, even if it is freezing cold. You'd like it./p

Alex Wheatle: A hope I feel in spite of so many wrongs

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pStephen Lawrence's family have had to wait almost 20 years for justice. With the conviction of Gary Dobson and David Norris for his murder, I pray that they can find solace and closure for their deep-felt loss. I also hope that they can open their eyes once their tears are dry and dare to believe in a British judiciary and police force viewed at best with suspicion and at worst as outright racist by many ethnic minorities living here./p

Strummerville: A place where all the young punks can play to win

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNever mind a burning candle, there are camp fires still blazing in memory of Joe Strummer, almost a decade after he died. The legacy of The Clash figurehead is most obvious at a single-storey building by the Westway, the thundering, concrete thoroughfare in west London that he sang about in "London's Burning"./p

Panel to examine new law against drug-driving

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAn expert panel is to advise the Government on introducing a new offence of drug-driving, ministers confirmed yesterday. /p

Rush on New Year's Eve boosts West End

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRetail sales in the West End of London broke the £100m barrier in the week to New Year's Eve, as shops benefited from a late surge of bargain hunters./p

Midfielder Bendiksen completes Tromso deal

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThomas Kind Bendiksen has completed his move from Rangers to Tromso. Rangers manager Ally McCoist revealed that the Norwegian midfielder was heading home, and Tromso yesterday announced that he had signed a three-year contract./p

'Concealed' drug trial data putting lives at risk

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPatients' lives are being put at risk and public money wasted on ineffective medicines because researchers are concealing the results of clinical trials amid a "culture of haphazard publication and incomplete data disclosure". /p

Ben Chu: If we want to get tough on banks, Europe should set a better example

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhen it comes to bankers, the Europeans are hard and the British are soft. That, at least, has been one of the assumptions of recent years. The Europeans are commonly thought to be robust on the financial services because they want to impose a "Robin Hood" transactions tax on speculative activities. Our own Government, like the Sheriff of Nottingham, thinks Robin Hood ought to be executed. And David Cameron's wielding of the UK's veto in Brussels, in a futile attempt to secure special protection for the City from new European regulation, has cemented the perception that the British government is basically a mouthpiece for the banking lobby./p

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Lawrence family: A son killed, a marriage destroyed – but they never gave up

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pStephen Lawrence was ambitious, loved art and excelled at sport – but had a rebellious streak. He wanted to become an architect and was steadfastly working towards that goal. The tragedy for his family is that he was not able to realise his dreams, but has instead become a byword for racial intolerance and violence in Britain./p

Spurs' application thrills Redknapp but injuries mount

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThere is more to title credentials than thrilling football. Beautiful, fluid, confident play has certainly helped to carry Tottenham Hotspur to third place in the Premier League but it will not take them all the way. Patience, application, and beating stubborn opposition – skills which evaded some of Spurs' rivals over the Christmas period – are required, too. Tottenham displayed all of those necessary virtues last night in seeing off a disciplined West Bromwich Albion./p

Beckham turns down PSG to keep his family in Los Angeles

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDavid Beckham has decided not to join Paris St-Germain because it would be too difficult to uproot his family from Los Angeles, the French club's president, Nasser al-Khelaifi, said yesterday./p

Leading article: Justice at last - but this chapter in our history is not closed

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAlmost two decades passed between the killing of Stephen Lawrence on 22 April 1993 and the conviction of Gary Dobson and David Norris on 3 January 2012. That those years were also marked by profound changes in British society, in police practice and in judicial procedure is a measure of the significance that this one case came to acquire. The Stephen Lawrence of 1993 was a promising 18-year-old A-level pupil and a much-loved son, who was set upon at a bus stop in south-east London. The Stephen Lawrence of 2012 remains all that, but also an emblem for much of what was – and to an extent still is – wrong with Britain./p

Murder inquiry launched over woman's body on royal estate

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPolice have launched a murder inquiry after a woman's body was discovered in woodland just a mile from the entrance to Sandringham House in Norfolk, where the Queen and Prince Philip are staying. Detectives are examining cold case files nationally in an effort to identify her./p

Plotting a route to London 2012

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongJanuary: Gymnastics at 02 and six months to go/strong/p

The moment Doreen Lawrence's 19-year wait for justice ended

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIn the taut silence of an Old Bailey courtroom yesterday, Doreen Lawrence shed a single tear. Almost 19 years after her eldest son was knifed to death by a racist gang, the foreman of a jury had handed her – at last – some measure of justice./p

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Italy's MPs have a fight on their hands to keep €16,000-a-month salaries

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pItaly's widely-reviled politicians are the best paid in Europe, according to a study that will increase the pressure on MPs in Rome to accept substantial pay cuts. A Europe-wide survey by a parliamentary committee has found that average monthly gross pay for Italy's MPs, including expenses, is more than €16,000 and for some may exceed €18,000./p

Britain battered as 100mph winds bring trees down on roads and railway lines

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTwo people were killed in fierce storms that battered Britain yesterday, with heavy rain and winds gusting over 100mph as millions of people returned to work after the Christmas and new year holidays./p

When the drugs deny real winners their golden moment

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFor Sebastian Coe, it was rather different. The future peer of the realm and head of the London 2012 organising committee was able to fully savour his golden moments as a winner of the men's Olympic 1500m title twice-over – sinking to his knees and kissing the Lenin Stadium track in Moscow in 1980 after avenging his 800m defeat against Steve Ovett, and turning to the media tribune in Los Angeles four years later and wagging a finger of admonishment at those who had dared to write him off./p

Spate of racist stabbings in Eltham had gone unpunished

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOne alleged victim of the Acourt gang, who was lucky to survive after being stabbed in the stomach, said he was "overjoyed" that two of its members now face jail./p

Reflections on Islamic Art, Edited by Ahdaf Soueif

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOn one of the occasions Kingsley Amis stayed with Philip Larkin in Hull, Larkin went to the trouble to procure some new furniture for his guest. When Amis later thanked Larkin for the hospitality – and the drink and talk – a peeved Larkin wondered why Amis hadn't mentioned the furniture. It is far too easy, as Ahdaf Soueif points out in her introduction to Reflections on Islamic Art, to overlook the commonplace, the domestic; the "rugs and lamps and books and pots and pens and all the things we now know as objects of 'Islamic Art'"./p

Second newspaper accuses German President of making threats

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe scandal surrounding the German President deepened yesterday after Die Welt disclosed that last summer Christian Wulff had threatened one of its journalists with "unpleasant consequences" if the newspaper published a potentially compromising article about his family. /p

Family safaris: Look children, a zebra crossing

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongWhat's the attraction?/strong/ppChildren love animals, particularly the awe-inspiring varieties you find in Africa. Yet taking your brood on safari can still raise eyebrows. Won't they get charged, munched, or trampled? In fact, safaris make a great family holiday and tour operators are at last wising up to the family market. At the top end, your family can have an entire camp to itself. The more budget-conscious can tailor-make their self-drive itinerary. Parents may need to tweak their personal agenda to cater for younger attention spans. But keep game drives short, pack in hands-on activities, and you'll have the family adventure of a lifetime./p

From the caves of Tora Bora to an office in Qatar: is the Taliban going mainstream?

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Afghan Taliban announced yesterday that it had reached a landmark deal to open a political office in Qatar in what could be its first concrete step to sue for peace after a decade of insurgency warfare./p

Mubarak deserves humiliation and indignity, court told

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe ousted leader Hosni Mubarak has been accused of tyranny and corruption, in the harshest assessment of his rule heard in an Egyptian courtroom. /p

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Police seized guns from triple murderer – then gave them back

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPolice confiscated a taxi driver's guns when he allegedly threatened to shoot himself three years ago but then gave his weapons back after assessing him as fit to continue to hold them./p

Polished Diamond happy to shoulder the burden at Sale

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt cannot be long now before Steve Diamond fishes his boots out of the bottom drawer and resumes his place in the middle of the Sale front row. Why not? He's doing everything else./p

A mob steeped in violence with extensive links to underworld

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThey called themselves the Krays and had the ambition to match. Led by the swaggering Acourt brothers, Neil and Jamie, and David Norris, the gang was steeped in violence and the price for entry to their club was a stabbing. A litany of violent incidents in and around the predominantly white estate where they lived was attributed to members of their gang and their associates./p

Brian Cathcart: The killing of Stephen Lawrence ended Britain's denial about racism

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEven after 18 years, the question of who killed Stephen Lawrence matters. It matters because murderers should always be called to account. It matters because the Metropolitan Police, although they can never put right what went wrong in 1993, need and want to atone. It matters because the Lawrences, who have endured so much, deserve to see justice done./p

Murray shrugs off laboured opener

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAndy Murray's ring-rustiness was clear as he laboured to a 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Mikhail Kukushkin in his first match of the year yesterday, but the world No 4 admitted afterwards: "I'm hoping I'm not going to play my best tennis this week."/p

Owen called to Tigers hearing

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pCastleford's full-back, Richard Owen, faces an internal disciplinary hearing today after an alleged drunken incident over Christmas. The 21-year-old was arrested for assault in Pontefract on Christmas Day. /p

Belgian appointed to European Central Bank's key economics job

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPeter Praet was yesterday appointed to the chief economic role on the European Central Bank's (ECB) executive board. /p

The Ten Best: Thermals

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrong1. Trespass Exempto Unisex Long Base Layer/strong/pp£11.86, a href="http://trespass.co.uk/"trespass.co.uk/a/ppThe Exempto base is good for chaps and women. It's quick drying and breathable with an anti-bacterial finish./p

Palestinian and Israeli mediators restart security talks

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIsraeli and Palestinian peace negotiators yesterday held their first face-to-face meeting in more than a year, searching for a formula to restart long-stalled negotiations./p

Dominican Republic, Sicily, Marrakech

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongNow... Dominican delight/strong/ppThe Dominican Republic offers a host of natural wonders including the Caribbean's highest peak at Pico Duarte, and its largest lake at Lake Enriquillo. Fly out on 25 January from Manchester for a 14-night stay at ClubHotel Riu Mambo in Bahia Maimon on the north coast for £935 per person, all inclusive, with Thomas Cook. Thomascook.com/p

Chinese manufacturing delivers new year bounce

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBetter than expected data from a survey of Chinese manufacturers delivered a boost to world stock markets yesterday. /p

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How the press ignored the Lawrence story – then used it to change Britain

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt is no exaggeration to say the media's coverage of the Stephen Lawrence murder was transformational, forcing an unprecedented examination of the issue of race in British society./p

Lampard: I'll smile more when I play regularly

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFrank Lampard has done little to dispel the tension in his relationship with manager Andre Villas-Boas by making a resounding plea not to be left out of the Chelsea team again having scored the winning goal against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday./p

Key Macpherson report figure says Met is still racist

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Metropolitan Police remains "institutionally racist", a member of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry panel told emThe Independent/em, and has wasted the opportunity to carry out major reforms./p

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Mark Steel: Do the elderly need a £14m bonus as well as pudding?

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAlmost everyone connected to the elderly or care homes has insisted the Government addresses the issue of the lack of care homes. So the Government has agreed to look into it. One possible cause they might find, if they investigate thoroughly and consult enough people, analysing everything with great care, is that they've cut the number of care homes./p

Independent Appeal: A lesson in understanding - the former runaway bringing two worlds together

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe first time James addressed a conference of care professionals, he was just 18. He had spent the previous six months training for the moment. "It was daunting," he says, looking back. "There were 25 or 30 people; it's like, 'Who's this teenager telling us how to do our job?'" Now 23, he recalls that start with a confidence, a sense of assurance, well beyond his years./p

Deals of the week: BA sale, New York, Andalucia

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongLess than £200... BA sale/strong/ppIf the post-Christmas blues have already kicked in, then it's probably time to plan a winter escape. British Airways has a sale on at the moment, with discounts on flights and holidays for those booking before 24 January. European city break destinations on offer include Venice, where two nights cost from £129 per person, with flights and room-only accommodation; or the Catalan capital of Barcelona, on the same basis, from £159 per person. BA.com/p

Indian tiger fights to regain its bite

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNot so long ago, India looked like it might even outdo China. Indian companies, led by the Tata Group, were swashbuckling their way around the world, buying up established Western brands such as Jaguar Land-Rover and the Corus steel maker, while the country had bounced back nicely from the financial crisis, recording a 10.1 per cent jump in gross domestic product in 2010./p

James Lawton: Liverpool do not retreat with honour but self-serving scorn

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt would have been infinitely more honourable if Liverpool had said to hell with the Football Association and their version of justice and appealed the Suarez verdict./p

Spotlight On... Paul Walsh, chief executive, Diageo

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pbWhat's this I hear about the drinks boss Paul Walsh quitting?/b/p

Arab League to discuss fate of Syria mission

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Arab League is to convene an emergency meeting in Cairo this weekend to discuss the fate of its observer mission to Syria, amid mounting criticism of the international monitors' reluctance to catalogue abuses by the Assad regime against civilian protesters./p

Ronald Searle: Illustrator and cartoonist who created the anarchic world of St Trinian's

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt is tempting to make a casual connection between the horrors that Ronald Searle suffered as a prisoner of the Japanese during the Second World War and the black humour of his most famous cartoon creation, the gothic girls' school St Trinian's./p

Draw away to create a home victory

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAs much as we like to shoot away with our digital cameras while on holiday, the classic travel snap, locked away in a photograph album or, more likely these days, on a laptop, is rarely appreciated as it could or should be./p

Military fitness: sun, sea and sweat

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSunrise over the black-sand cove at Las Playitas, on the south-east coast of Fuerteventura, is an odd experience. Sandwiched between the Atlantic and the island's volcanic hills sits one of Europe's largest fitness resorts. From the balcony of my room, I stared down at the different tribes dotted around. In one corner, the Wham! fans were leaping about to the chirpy encouragement of their aerobics instructor. Nearby, the Speedo brigade was slicing up and down the Olympic-sized pool while future Roger Federers grunted it out on the tennis court. The spinning class was sweating on stationary bikes, while human centipedes of runners were wending their way upwards across the surrounding slopes. One of my fellow travellers summed it up when he said it felt like we had been dropped into a human eugenics project of Amazonian Danes, sinewy Germans and fresh-faced Dutch, all devotedly pursuing their particular sporting passion./p

Barton hints he could sue referee over sending off

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pQPR captain Joey Barton yesterday claimed he could sue over the red card he received against Norwich City./p

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Joan Smith: Marriage is worthwhile – but not at any price

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pI had dinner the other night with one of the most successful couples I know. They've been together most of their adult lives, clearly adore each other and recently celebrated their 30th anniversary with a trip to Paris. The only problem is that they're not actually married – being gay, they've had to make do with a civil partnership. And their model relationship doesn't get a look-in when the great and the good start agonising (again) over family breakdown and the parlous state of marriage./p

Nicholls throws novice Al Ferof in at deep end

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIn his 20 years at Ditcheat, Paul Nicholls reckons he has never known a tempest to compare with the one that prompted him to abandon third lot yesterday. At the home of the Derby, meanwhile, staff had been evacuated after roofing and insulation was ripped off Epsom's new grandstand. And racing at Ayr was abandoned, despite somehow surviving an initial inspection – by mid-morning it turned out that broken and hanging branches on a nearby tree would prevent the RaceTech lorry taking its position, and thereby the provision of television, commentary and PA services./p

Senegal's soul king sets sights on the presidency

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pYoussou N'Dour, the Senegalese singer whose rich, soulful voice – "a voice so extraordinary that it seems to have the entire history of Africa locked inside it," Rolling Stone magazine famously said – carried him to international stardom, is now flexing his political voice with a bid to run for president of Senegal./p

Vasily Starodubtsev: Politician who tried to topple Gorbachev in 1991

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAs head of the Collective Farms Council – and not a disaffected general or security chief – Vasily Starodubtsev made an unlikely putschist. Yet there he sat at the Foreign Ministry Press Centre on the afternoon of 19 August 1991, one of the eight members of the "State Committee for Emergency Situations" as that clumsily named body tried to explain the short-lived coup to topple President Mikhail Gorbachev while he was on holiday by the Black Sea./p

The ideal resort for a June honeymoon, and advice on currency for a trip to Dubai

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pQ. We are tying the knot on 9 June and are thinking of going to the Riviera Maya in Mexico. We have looked at numerous all-inclusive hotels but have so far been unable to find a suitable resort. We're looking for one that is exclusive to adults and has 24-hour room service, ideally with a fantastic pool and some nightlife. emChrissie and Shaun, Lymington, Hampshire/em/p

Zooey Deschanel: 'I do try really hard to be normal'

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEvery now and then actors come along who are the television equivalent of Marmite: those who love them do so with unabashed passion; those who hate them are equally vocal – and the two sides will never agree. Zooey Deschanel is one such actress./p

Upbeat Pardew looking to take on United

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAlan Pardew tackled the elements out on Newcastle's training ground yesterday, but the manager, his coaching staff and his players never stood a chance in the face of North-east gales so severe that he was forced to call Sir Alex Ferguson and cancel a reserve-team fixture between the two Uniteds./p

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Mary Dejevsky: Removing faulty breast implants is imperative – but not at our expense

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt's going to happen; just a question of when. I give it a week. Breast implants (or rather the removal thereof) will stop being an issue, and become a feminist issue. We'll hear about the inalienable right of every woman not just to improve herself in whatever way she sees fit, but to have the enhancement undone and the "procedure" underwritten by you, me, patients everywhere deprived of the latest drugs because the budget has run out, and the housebound forced to wait for new hips because the operating theatres are clogged. /p

Church of England seeks user ratings for christenings and funerals

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Church of England is asking its followers to give feedback on funerals and christenings in a drive to make services more popular. /p

Permalink for '_______Education_/2012/01/03/Founder_of_Toolstation_sells_stakefor_%c2%a324m'

Founder of Toolstation sells stakefor £24m

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMark Goddard-Watts has pocketed £24m after he sold the remainder of the hardware supplier business he founded just eight years ago to Travis Perkins, the owner of the DIY retailer Wickes. /p

Rupert Cornwell: As the first battle ends, which of these Republicans can win over the nation?

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTo paraphrase Winston Churchill's words about the battle of El Alamein and its place in the Second World War, this month does not signify the end of the race for the Republican presidential nomination, nor even necessarily the beginning of the end. But it is very much the end of the beginning./p

Diary: Starkey learns the perils of echoing Enoch

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDavid Starkey provoked a storm of well-earned criticism for the comment he made on Newsnight after the August riots that "the problem is that the whites have become black". But some people with long memories did not think that was the most offensive thing he said in that discussion. Worse was his opening comment: "I've been rereading Enoch Powell, his 'rivers of blood' speech – his prophecy was absolutely right..."/p

Master of St Trinian's: The death of Ronald Searle

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe man who gave the world St Trinian's and St Custard's, who depicted the anarchy beneath the English school system, and whose scratchy, satirical pen skewered a throng of national stereotypes that included egomaniacal teachers, spindly aesthetes, clueless debutantes, droopy-moustached colonels, black-stockinged schoolgirls and ink-stained scholars, is no more. Ronald Searle, perhaps the greatest British graphic artist of the last 100 years, died on 30 December, aged 91./p

Pilkington buoyed by lion-hearted Canaries

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAnthony Pilkington is putting his trust in Norwich's team spirit to see them safely to Premier League survival. The Canaries came from behind to beat 10-man Queen's Park Rangers 2-1 at Loftus Road on Monday, where the home side's captain Joey Barton scored after just 11 minutes and was then sent off for an apparent headbutt on Bradley Johnson./p

Dog bite judge will not face action

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA Crown Court judge who stormed out of court after being convicted of failing to control her dangerous dog will not face disciplinary action./p

Figures threaten return to recession

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pManufacturers are dragging the economy back into recession after the biggest blow to the sector since 2009, an industry survey has warned./p

Simon Read: A youthful nation that looks a good long-term bet

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe opening up of the Indian equity market to foreign investors is not aimed at ordinary folk. The Indian government hopes to attract the small coterie of very wealthy global investors. Even then they will have to navigate ribbons of red tape to become qualified foreign investors./p

Even frontrunners know Republican nomination struggle is set to be long and tough

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe circus that is the Republican nomination contest will already have decamped from Iowa by dawn this morning sending candidates, variously bruised and boosted by last night's caucus results, to prepare for the next rounds of battle, first in New Hampshire next Tuesday and then 10 days later in South Carolina./p

Conflict at the heart of Scientology is exposed in bitter email outburst

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA simmering conflict at the Church of Scientology has been made spectacularly public after a former member of the organisation's clergy circulated a letter raising severe criticisms of both the management style and financial policies of its current leader, David Miscavige./p

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France's Coué in critical condition

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA French motorcyclist is in critical condition after being found unconscious in remote sand dunes during the Dakar Rally in western Argentina. /p

Aretha Franklin to wed long-time friend

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe "Queen of Soul" Aretha Franklin has announced her engagement to her long-time friend William "Willie" Wilkerson, whom she is to marry this summer on a beach in Miami. /p

The lawyer taking on Guatemala's criminal gangs

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLast year, Francisco Dall'Anese came into possession of a series of photographs. They were purportedly taken at El Pavon Prison, just outside Guatemala City, on 25 September, 2006, and appeared to show, in sometimes graphic detail, what happened when 3,000 police and soldiers tried to seize back control of the compound from inmates who had mounted an uprising against their guards./p

Pulis hails 'unplayable' Crouch after latest double

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Stoke manager Tony Pulis has praised Peter Crouch for his impact on and off the pitch after the striker scored both goals in Monday's 2-1 victory at Blackburn./p

Darlington enter administration

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBlue Square Bet Premier side Darlington have been placed into administration for the third time in nine years./p

Ashley closes in on Black Leisure

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe sportswear giant Sports Direct is among four trader buyers piecing together final-round bids for Blacks Leisure, the embattled outdoor retail specialist. /p

Simon English: Will this be the year the bankers finally clean up their act? Don't bet on it

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pbOutlook/b An old joke for a new year: why should you get immediately furious at your bank? Because it saves time later. People have been complaining about banks for as long as they have existed. It seems unlikely 2012 will be the year it stops./p

City given easy ride as they go three-points clear

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 11:09pm EST

pNormal service was resumed for 10-man Manchester City as they once again put daylight between themselves and rivals Manchester United at the top of the Premier League table with victory over Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium. /p

Spurs close on United with win over stubborn Baggies

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 10:50pm EST

pTottenham moved to within three points of second-placed Manchester United after Jermain Defoe finally broke through West Brom's stubborn resistance with a second-half winner at White Hart Lane./p

O'Neill's golden start continues against woeful Wigan

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 10:50pm EST

pInjury-hit Sunderland earned their first Premier League victory at the DW Stadium to ensure Martin O'Neill's golden start to life at the Black Cats continued. /p

Liverpool will not appeal Luis Suarez eight-match ban

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 7:37pm EST

pLiverpool will not appeal against Luis Suarez's eight-match ban for racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra, the club announced tonight./p

Police chief 'pleased' for Stephen Lawrence family

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 7:14pm EST

pThe police chief leading the Stephen Lawrence murder inquiry praised the victim's parents for bringing major changes "in society as a whole"./p

Stephen Lawrence trial: Survivor happy with guilty verdict

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 7:11pm EST

pThe convictions of two of Stephen Lawrence's killers should inspire the police to bring other suspects to justice, his best friend who survived the attack said today./p

Breaking curfew - footballers punished for staying out late

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 6:39pm EST

pWayne Rooney and Manchester United team-mates Darron Gibson and Jonny Evans were punished by Sir Alex Ferguson after staying out later than permitted ahead of their match with Blackburn Rovers./p

The science that helped convict Gary Dobson

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 5:58pm EST

pThe key piece of evidence that convicted Gary Dobson was a microscopic spot of blood soaked into the fabric of his distinctive jacket discovered during an exhaustive £3.8m scientific review of the case./p

Stephen Lawrence verdicts 'not end of road'

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 5:40pm EST

pTop ranking officers at Scotland Yard said the force would continue working to bring the rest of Stephen Lawrence's killers to justice./p

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Doreen Lawrence: Police investigation 'failed miserably'

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 5:36pm EST

pDoreen Lawrence today attacked the original police investigation into her son's murder, saying that detectives "failed miserably" to find his killers back in 1993./p

Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea relaxed about mistakes

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 5:27pm EST

pManchester United goalkeeper David de Gea has no intention of letting his mistakes bother him./p

Timeline of the Stephen Lawrence case

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 5:22pm EST

pstrong:: April 22, 1993:/strong Stephen Lawrence is stabbed to death in an unprovoked racist attack by a gang of white youths as he waits at a bus stop in Eltham, south east London, with his best friend Duwayne Brooks./p

QPR launch appeal over Joey Barton red card

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 5:20pm EST

pQPR captain Joey Barton today claimed he could sue over the red card he received against Norwich./p

David Norris lived in the shadow of crime

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 5:18pm EST

pDavid Norris looked pale and gaunt as he repeatedly protested his innocence during the Old Bailey trial./p

'Huge relief' for Stephen Lawrence campaign

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 5:07pm EST

pStephen Lawrence justice campaigners described "a sense of huge relief" today as they celebrated the end of the 18-year ordeal./p

Heineken Hub competition terms and conditions

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 4:57pm EST

p1. All entries must be submitted before midnight (BST) on 31 January 2012./p

France says Syrian regime is committing massacres

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 4:53pm EST

p French President Nicolas Sarkozy accused Syrian leader Bashar Assad of "barbarous repression" today and demanded that he step down, saying the regime is massacring its own people. /p

A shrunken family: The first journalist to interview the Lawrences recalls the scene

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 4:47pm EST

pThe phone rang unusually early on a weekday morning in April 1993. It was Neville Lawrence, a tall, quiet, man who, a few years earlier, had spent a week or two plastering in our home in Greenwich, London./p

Stephen Lawrence's murder left a 'shrunken, shattered family'

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 4:47pm EST

pThe phone rang unusually early on a weekday morning in April 1993. It was Neville Lawrence, a tall, quiet man who, a few years earlier, had spent a week or two plastering our home in Greenwich, south-east London./p

Aston Villa sign left-back Enda Stevens

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 4:43pm EST

pAston Villa boss Alex McLeish is hoping left-back Enda Stevens can quickly adjust to the demands of the Barclays Premier League after completing his move from Shamrock Rovers./p

Phil Jones relishing Manchester United title push

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 4:26pm EST

pPhil Jones may have been critical of Manchester United's performance against Blackburn on New Year's Eve but he is still loving life at the Barclays Premier League summit./p

Tiny forensic details prove key in Stephen Lawrence case

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 4:19pm EST

pSuccess in cold cases including the death of Damilola Taylor sparked a new review which uncovered key forensic evidence in the Stephen Lawrence investigation./p

Gary Dobson bragged about knife threat

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 4:16pm EST

pGary Dobson was seen swaggering around his flat bare-chested and holding a knife in police surveillance footage./p

Chelsea team has 'dropped standards' admits Frank Lampard

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 4:13pm EST

pGoal hero Frank Lampard admits Chelsea can only blame themselves for slipping out of the Barclays Premier League title race after claiming they have "dropped their standards" in recent weeks./p

John Arne Riise rubbishes Arsene Wenger claims of red card plan

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 4:11pm EST

pJohn Arne Riise has denied Fulham players deliberately tried to get Arsenal defender Johan Djourou sent off yesterday./p

Stephen Lawrence: How the case breakthrough came

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 4:01pm EST

pDCI Clive Driscoll was in church to mark the 15th anniversary of the death of Stephen Lawrence when the breakthrough finally came./p

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Gary Dobson and David Norris found guilty of the murder of Stephen Lawrence

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 3:54pm EST

pStephen Lawrence's parents today expressed joy and relief as two men were convicted of his murder nearly 19 years after he was stabbed to death./p

Paul Klee: Polyphonies, Cite de la musique, Paris

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 3:32pm EST

pA composition – ‘putting together’ – can be paint on paper, or notes in a piece of music./p

Darlington enter administration for third time

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 3:19pm EST

pBlue Square Bet Premier side Darlington have been placed into administration for the third time in nine years./p

Death fire fiance jailed for life

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 2:40pm EST

pA woman has been jailed for a minimum of 23 years after she murdered her fiance by locking him in a storeroom at his workplace and setting fire to the building./p

Windfall for Toolstation founder as Travis Perkins secures full control

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 2:38pm EST

pThe founder of hardware supplier Toolstation has secured a £24 million windfall after Wickes owner Travis Perkins took full control of the company./p

Winning start to 2012 for Andy Murray

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 2:35pm EST

pAndy Murray survived a scare before battling back to see off Kazakhstan's Mikhail Kukushkin in his first match of 2012 at the Brisbane International today. /p

Four expected to bid for Blacks

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 2:34pm EST

pFour interested buyers are expected to table final bids for struggling outdoor clothing retailer Blacks Leisure within the next two days./p

Cartoonist Ronald Searle dies at 91

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 2:20pm EST

pSt Trinian's cartoonist Ronald Searle has died aged 91, his family said today./p

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Singer Youssou Ndour bids for Senegal presidency

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 2:04pm EST

pWorld music star Youssou Ndour has announced that he is running for the presidency in his home country of Senegal./p

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Unlikely results turn £5 into thousands for lucky gambler

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 2:00pm EST

pA fan who staked just £5 on three of the most unlikely Premier League results of the season last weekend won £7,590 when they all proved correct. /p

Sandringham body sparks review of cold cases

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 2:00pm EST

pDetectives investigating the discovery of a woman's body on the Queen's estate are examining links to cold cases nationwide./p

Nigeria garages blockaded in fuel hike row

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:59pm EST

pAngry mobs of protesters stopped garage owners from selling fuel today while others lit a bonfire on a major highway in an attempt to thwart the Nigerian government's removal of a cherished consumer subsidy which had kept petrol affordable for more than two decades./p

Lady Gaga left 'blood' in hotel bath

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:56pm EST

p Lady Gaga allegedly left "large amounts of blood" in a hotel bath. /p

Taliban strike deal on Qatar office

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:54pm EST

pThe Afghan Taliban say they have reached a preliminary deal with the Gulf state of Qatar to open a liaison office there that could have a key role in peace talks to end more than a decade of war./p

Katy Perry supported by Rihanna

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:52pm EST

p Katy Perry is being supported by Rihanna following the breakdown of her marriage. /p

Sarah Harding claims injury after fight with boyfriend

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:47pm EST

p Sarah Harding has claimed she was injured in a holiday bust-up with her new boyfriend. /p

Man crushed to death as winds batter Britain

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:47pm EST

p A man was killed by a falling tree today as winds of more than 100 mph battered the UK. /p

Legionnaire's found at Hong Kong's government headquarters

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:35pm EST

pBacteria which cause Legionnaire's disease have been found throughout Hong Kong's brand new, £432 million government headquarters./p

Aretha Franklin joins list of stars getting engaged

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:32pm EST

p'Queen of Soul' singer Aretha Franklin has become the latest celebrity to announce an engagement over the holidays, joining a list including Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler and basketball superstar LeBron James./p

John Terry considers legal action after image appears on cigarette packets in India

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:24pm EST

pJohn Terry is considering taking legal action after an image resembling the Chelsea and England captain appeared on cigarette packets in India./p

PSG declare interest in David Beckham is 'over'

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:22pm EST

pDavid Beckham is in discussions with the Los Angeles Galaxy over a two-year contract extension that could be signed within the next few days, Press Association Sport understands./p

German arrested over LA arson attacks

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:15pm EST

pA man suspected of carrying out dozens of New Year arson attacks across America's second-largest city that destroyed parked cars and scorched buildings was in custody today./p

Sandringham body sparks murder hunt

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 1:07pm EST

pPolice are treating the discovery of a woman's body on the Queen's Sandringham Estate as murder./p

50 Cent slams record label

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 12:25pm EST

p50 Cent is "disgusted" with the music industry. /p

Bentley reports soaring sales

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 12:23pm EST

pLuxury car company Bentley today reported soaring sales for 2011, with a big increase in purchases in China./p

Co-operative Bank halts agreed overdraft charges

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 12:14pm EST

pThe Co-operative Bank is scrapping interest charges on agreed overdrafts for the next three months, in a move which it said would help customers struggling after Christmas and shake up competition./p

Simon Calder: We may suffer from the most expensive train tickets in Europe, but we also enjoy the cheapest

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 12:00pm EST

pA train ticket or an on-the-spot fine? From this morning, some rail passengers would be forgiven for confusing a “walk-up” ticket for the 100-minute Virgin Trains hop from London Euston to Macclesfield with a fixed penalty notice. The fare has risen to £145 – almost a pound a mile for the privilege of exchanging NW1 for east Cheshire./p

La traviata, Royal Opera House

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 11:46am EST

pThree years ago the Albanian soprano Ermonela Jaho was virtually unknown in Britain. /p

Australia take charge against India in second Test

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 11:36am EST

pAn unbeaten 79-run stand between Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting left Australia in a strong position after their in-form pace attack skittled India for 191 on a dramatic opening day at the SCG./p

Emmanuel Adebayor calls on Tottenham fans to back side

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 11:32am EST

pEmmanuel Adebayor has called on the Tottenham fans to roar their team on to victory in tonight's clash against West Brom at White Hart Lane./p

Liverpool can match Manchester City insists Jordan Henderson

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 11:31am EST

pMidfielder Jordan Henderson believes Liverpool can be more than a match for Barclays Premier League leaders Manchester City tonight./p

Joey Barton appeal unlikely says Neil Warnock

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 11:30am EST

pQPR manager Neil Warnock holds little faith an appeal would overturn Joey Barton's red card in the 2-1 defeat to Norwich./p

Sam Ricketts talks up Gary Cahill ability

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 11:28am EST

pBolton defender Sam Ricketts believes Chelsea will be signing a gem if they do manage to complete a deal for centre-back Gary Cahill./p

Aston Villa interested in Robbie Keane loan deal

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 11:26am EST

pAston Villa are interested in signing Los Angeles Galaxy striker Robbie Keane on a two month loan, Press Association Sport understands./p

Steve McClaren linked with return to FC Twente

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 11:25am EST

pFC Twente today insisted Steve McClaren is not certain to return to the club as the successor to sacked head coach Co Adriaanse./p

Manufacturing sector suffers worst quarter for three years

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 11:19am EST

pThe manufacturing sector suffered its worst quarter for nearly three years despite an “encouraging” performance in December, figures showed today./p

Does Britain have any hope of finding the web's next big thing?

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 11:00am EST

pIn the fast-moving world of technology, 2012 has seemed like a long time coming. There is one reason for that: this is the year Facebook is finally expected to make it onto the stock market. The new wave of hot internet stocks to brave the public gaze – LinkedIn, Zynga and Groupon – have merely been the warm-up acts. Now that the social media giant is limbering up to sell shares to the outside world, there are two questions to ponder./p

HMRC accused of harassing small businesses

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 11:00am EST

pTax officials were last night accused of double standards over plans to target thousands of small businesses for spot checks on their paperwork – despite letting big companies like Goldman Sachs off millions of pounds in tax./p

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BAA to pay £240m windfall to foreign shareholders

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe owner of Heathrow and Stansted has been accused of "profiteering" after setting out plans to pay its foreign shareholders a £240m dividend this year./p

Britons don't know how to count calories

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 11:00am EST

pMost Britons have a "troubling" lack of understanding about the calorie content of everyday foods, a health charity has warned./p

Rolling in the downloads, but music sales fall

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 11:00am EST

pSales of downloaded music albums jumped by a quarter last year and Adele's chart-topping 21 sold 3.8 million copies, more than any other album in Britain in a single calendar year – but neither phenomenon was enough to halt another overall decline in music sales. Revenues from CDs, vinyl and downloaded albums fell by 5.6 per cent to £113.2m during 2011, the British Recorded Music Industry said. The record-breaking performance by Adele (pictured) was matched by buoyant US sales. Other big sellers in the UK included Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto and Jessie J's Who You Are./p

Hockney attacks Hirst for 'insulting' use of assistants

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 11:00am EST

pA row is threatening to break out between two of Britain's most celebrated artists after David Hockney criticised Damien Hirst for the "insulting" use of assistants to create his works./p

Recession is on the cards, say finance chiefs

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 11:00am EST

pMore than half of the finance chiefs of Britain's biggest companies expect the UK to fall back into recession this year, after seeing credit availability deteriorate at the fastest rate since the failure of Lehman Brothers in 2008./p

Republicans braced for the Iowa judgement

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 11:00am EST

pAcross a wind-whipped Iowa, the runners in the Republican nomination race reached out for support one last time yesterday, amid signs of continuing skittishness among voters who will gather in caucus meetings tonight to pick their favourite to take on Barack Obama in November./p

Eurozone crisis puts squeeze on AIM listings

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe eurozone crisis has heaped pressure on the junior AIM stock market, with 24 companies quitting and just 16 joining in the final quarter of 2011. That compares with 22 departures and 26 arrivals in the third quarter, according to UHY Hacker Young./p

"You'd be really beautiful if you were white"

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 11:00am EST

pIn June last year, Oprah Winfrey, one of the world's best known women, travelled to Paris. Like many well-to-do tourists, she made for Fauborg Saint-Honoré, a street famed for its exclusive designer stores. Winfrey stopped at a designer store, just after it had closed its doors at 6.30pm. The star is reported to have asked the door staff whether she could quickly pop in to make a purchase. The answer was a resounding no./p

Vinyl destination

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 11:00am EST

pIt is a Saturday afternoon in west London, and £5 has purchased entry into the Olympia record fair. The untrained eye sees perhaps as many as 200 stalls, each groaning under the weight of an awful lot of old vinyl and CDs, and in front of which gather men (and they are mostly men) in winter coats on the prowl for a stone-cold, ultra-rare collectable./p

The world's first portrait gallery gets a facelift

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 11:00am EST

pThe doctors, smeared with blood, gaze at you with a naked ambiguity in their eyes. They hover between life and death, hope and doubt, as ghostly and mysterious as X-rays./p

Amol Rajan: Forget that veto, Europe is still Cameron's nightmare

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 11:00am EST

pBy using Britain's veto in the EU shortly before the Christmas break, David Cameron showed courage and great statesmanship in defending the national interest. His poll ratings justifiably soared, his strained relationship with Tory backbenchers was permanently improved, and his emotional contract with the British people, unsettled since the May 2010 election, was fulfilled the mutual benefit of both./p

Strauss keen to move on from spot-fixing scandal

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 11:00am EST

pEngland left for unknown territory yesterday in an unfamiliar role. In the next few weeks, in the United Arab Emirates of all places, they will play Pakistan in a three-match Test series as the world's top side./p

John Rentoul: How can Labour win power? 2012 may provide the answer

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 11:00am EST

pIt may have been a good thing that Ed Miliband won the Labour leadership. If his elder brother had won, he would have fought on the centre ground, wanting to cut public spending and to be tough on crime. He would have held his own in the Commons and looked like an alternative prime minister. But I suspect that the Labour Party would have been divided more bitterly than it is now. What I call the Brownite-Sweden wing of the party would have felt cheated, and would be using its machine-politics skills to organise the "alternative to capitalism" idealists against the leadership./p

James Lawton: Rooney's most unforgivable betrayal is of his own talent

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 11:00am EST

pYou never know, one day Wayne Rooney might just wake up and wonder if he has anything or anybody left to betray. But who would bet on it? The increasingly uncomfortable truth, if there could be any bleaker speculation on the future of a sumptuously gifted 26-year-old footballer, is that if it was ever going to happen it would probably have done so by now./p

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Susie Rushton: Next stop – cities we want to live in, not commute to

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 11:00am EST

pIs this the beginning of the end for mass commuting by rail? This week the put-upon passenger standing on the 7.38am from Sevenoaks to Cannon Street is looking at a 5.82 per cent hike in the price of an annual ticket (up to £2,980). That figure is a round average, but there are commuters who are even worse off, some finding that the New Year has brought a giant 10 per cent escalation in travelling costs. /p

Liverpool pays tribute to 'true scouser' Ablett

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 11:00am EST

pLiverpool greats Kenny Dalglish, Alan Hansen and Ian Rush led the tributes to Gary Ablett, the former Liverpool and Everton defender who died on New Year's Day at the age of 46 after a 16-month battle with cancer./p

Suarez will play as Reds weigh up their options

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 11:00am EST

pLuis Suarez will return to the Liverpool line-up tonight for the first of three meetings this month between his side and Manchester City, but whether the Uruguayan striker will be free to play in the next two remains to be seen as the club has still to decide whether to appeal against his eight-game ban for racially abusing Patrice Evra./p

Stepdaughter escapes from window as New Year gunman shoots family

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 11:00am EST

pA taxi driver who murdered his partner, her sister and her sister's daughter before shooting himself at the family home on New Year's Day held licences for six weapons and was known to police from three years earlier after threatening to harm himself./p

Wenger fury at referee over red card

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 11:00am EST

pArsène Wenger was furious with referee Lee Probert last night as Arsenal lost 2-1 to Fulham and dropped to fifth in the Premier League. Arsenal had been 1-0 up at Craven Cottage before Johan Djourou was sent off, and their manager criticised both of Djourou's bookings, claiming that Probert "got it all wrong and all on the same side," and calling him "naïve"./p

£160m bank compensation payouts last year

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 10:49am EST

pBanks paid more than £160 million in compensation to customers last year after a crackdown by the financial regulator./p

Syria gas pipeline hit by explosion

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 10:47am EST

pA gas pipeline in central Syria was hit by an explosion today in an attack the government blamed on terrorists, the state-run news agency said./p

Travel chaos as high winds batter Britain

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 10:17am EST

pFierce storms battered Britain today with heavy rain and winds gusting over 100mph./p

BP sues cement firm over spill costs

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 9:52am EST

pOil giant BP has fired the latest shots in a legal battle over the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe, claiming contractor Halliburton should pay all of its billions of pounds of costs./p

BP sues cement firm Halliburton over spill costs

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 9:52am EST

pOil giant BP has fired the latest shots in a legal battle over the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe, claiming contractor Halliburton should pay all of its billions of pounds of costs./p

'Failing' care system putting elderly at risk

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 8:25am EST

pThe Government and the Labour Party are being urged to overhaul England's “failing” social care system, which experts say is leaving 800,000 elderly people “lonely, isolated and at risk”./p

Commuters urged to show anger over fares

Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 8:21am EST

pProtesters are aiming to pile pressure on the Chancellor George Osborne over fare rises being faced by commuters today, warning rail fare increases will be one of the key battlegrounds on which both the London Mayoral Election and the next General Election will be fought unless price hikes are brought under control./p

Woman found stabbed to death

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 2:12am EST

pThe body of a woman apparently stabbed to death shortly after being kidnapped from her home yesterday morning has been found in an abandoned car in Hackney, east London./p

Woman found stabbed to death in Hackney

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 2:12am EST

pThe body of a woman apparently stabbed to death shortly after being kidnapped from her home yesterday morning has been found in an abandoned car in Hackney, east London./p

Profile: Lewis Hamilton

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:56am EST

pstrongIs he getting back together with Nicole?/strong/p

Rolling in the downloads, but music sales fall

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSales of downloaded music albums jumped by a quarter last year and Adele's chart-topping 21 sold 3.8 million copies, more than any other album in Britain in a single calendar year – but neither phenomenon was enough to halt another overall decline in music sales./p

i Editor's Letter: Thank goodness that's over

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

p /p

Quote of the day: David Cameron

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

p /p

The Sports Matrix: Tuesday 03 January 2012

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongWenger furious with referee after defeat at Fulham/strong/p

The News Matrix: Tuesday 03 January 2012

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongSmall businesses' anger at spot checks/strong/p

Amol Rajan: Forget that veto, Europe is still Cameron's nightmare

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBy using Britain's veto in the EU shortly before the Christmas break, David Cameron showed courage and great statesmanship in defending the national interest. His poll ratings justifiably soared, his strained relationship with Tory backbenchers was permanently improved, and his emotional contract with the British people, unsettled since the May 2010 election, was fulfilled to the mutual benefit of both./p

John Rentoul: No one to replace Ed Miliband? Try Yvette Cooper

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt may have been a good thing that Ed Miliband won the Labour leadership. If his elder brother had won, he would have fought on the centre ground, wanting to cut public spending and to be tough on crime. He would have held his own in the Commons and looked like an alternative prime minister. But I suspect that the Labour Party would have been divided more bitterly than it is now. What I call the Brownite-Sweden wing of the party would have felt cheated, and would be using its machine-politics skills to organise the "alternative to capitalism" idealists against the leadership./p

Susie Rushton: The answer to rail-fare hikes is to make cities more liveable

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIs this the beginning of the end for mass commuting by rail? This week the put-upon passenger standing on the 7.38am from Sevenoaks to Cannon Street is looking at a 5.82 per cent hike in the price of an annual ticket (up to £2,980). That figure is around average, but there are commuters who are even worse off, some finding that the New Year has brought a giant 10 per cent escalation in travelling costs./p

Woods pain-free and playing for fun

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTiger Woods said yesterday he has fully recovered from the leg injuries that ruined much of last season for him, and that he hopes his recent win at the Chevron World Challenge will be "the start of another great run"./p

Lampard seizes his chance to make point

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFrank Lampard spent so long celebrating with the Chelsea fans in the Steve Bull stand at the end of the match yesterday that Andre Villas-Boas gave up waiting for him on the pitch and walked down the tunnel with the rest of his victorious team, leaving his match-winner to come back in his own time./p

Suarez to face City as Reds weigh options

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLuis Suarez will return to the Liverpool line-up tonight for the first of three meetings this month between his side and Manchester City, but whether the Uruguayan striker will be free to play in the next two remains to be seen as the club are still to decide whether to appeal against his eight-game ban for racially abusing Patrice Evra./p

Pastures new for England

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEngland left for unknown territory yesterday in an unfamiliar role. In the next few weeks in the United Arab Emirates of all places they will play Pakistan in a three-match Test series as the world's top side./p

James Lawton: Rooney's unforgivable betrayal is of his talent

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pYou never know, one day Wayne Rooney might just wake up and wonder if he has anything or anybody left to betray. But who would bet on it? The increasingly uncomfortable truth, if there could be any bleaker speculation on the future of a sumptuously gifted 26-year-old footballer, is that if it was ever going to happen it would probably have done so by now./p

Furious Wenger hits out at 'naive' referee

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pArsène Wenger last night launched a scathing attack on the referee Lee Probert after Arsenal lost 2-1 to Fulham at Craven Cottage to drop to fifth in the Premier League./p

The world's first portrait gallery gets a facelift

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe doctors, smeared with blood, gaze at you with a naked ambiguity in their eyes. They hover between life and death, hope and doubt, as ghostly and mysterious as X-rays. The Oncologists, a big and challenging painting by Ken Currie, skewers the mind and emotions. It hangs in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery – the world's first, in 1889 – which has just reopened after a £17.6m transformation that has given it 60 per cent more gallery space./p

South Africa recall bowler Philander

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFit-again fast bowler Vernon Philander and opener Alviro Petersen have been recalled to the South Africa team for the third Test against Sri Lanka at Newlands starting today. Philander replaces Marchant de Lange, who took eight wickets on his debut in the second Test. Petersen replaces Ashwell Prince, who has been dropped./p

What's the most racist thing that's ever happened to you?

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBack in 2005, Oprah Winfrey, one of the world's best-known celebrities, travelled to Paris. Like many well-to-do tourists, she made for Fauborg Saint-Honoré, a street famed for its exclusive stores. Winfrey stopped at a designer store just after it had closed its doors at 6.30pm. The star is reported to have asked the door staff whether she could pop in to make a purchase. The answer was a resounding no./p

Alesha waltzes off to sign for Cowell

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pStrictly Come Dancing's Alesha Dixon is leaving the BBC show to join the judging panel of ITV's hit Britain's Got Talent. Dixon said she will be joining Simon Cowell when he returns to the talent show's judging panel this year./p

Adele tops chart, but CD sales fall

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMusic sales have continued to fall in the UK despite Adele's 21 becoming the highest-selling album of the 21st century, according to figures released by the BPI today./p

Darts: 'Self-belief' fires Lewis to second world title

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAdrian Lewis retained his PDC World Darts Championships title with victory at Alexandra Palace last night. The 26-year-old saw off fellow Stoke thrower Andy Hamilton 7-3 to land the £200,000 first prize and trophy./p

Vinyl destination

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt is a Saturday afternoon in west London, and five pounds has purchased entry into the Olympia record fair. The untrained eye sees perhaps as many as 200 stalls, each groaning under the weight of an awful lot of old vinyl and CDs, and in front of which gather men (and they are mostly men) in winter coats on the prowl for a stone-cold, ultra-rare collectable. When they fail in locating one – and they mostly do, stone-cold, ultra-rare collectables being hard to come by – they invariably settle for an obscure bargain in the hope that one day it too shall attain collectable status./p

Eurozone crisis gets blame as AIM companies head for the exit

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Eurozone crisis has heaped pressure on the junior AIM stock market, with 24 companies quitting and just 16 joining in the final quarter of 2011. That compares to 22 departures and 26 arrivals in the third quarter, said accountants UHY Hacker Young./p

Reasons to be cheerful

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongThe economy: Ben Chu/strong/p

High radiation puts child X-ray patients at risk

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPatients are being exposed to unnecessarily high doses of radiation during common X-rays and scans because some hospitals have out-of-date equipment and inadequately trained staff./p

New year, a new obesity plan from Westminster

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLike daffodils in spring, you can tell it's January when a state-sponsored celebrity chef arrives to publicise the Government's current attempt to rein in the nation's expanding waistlines. Yesterday the Department of Health announced Ainsley Harriott, of Ready Steady Cook fame, has joined Jamie Oliver and Lloyd Grossman by producing a cookbook of healthy "supermeals", none costing more than £5 to make, to prove that it is possible to eat both well and cheaply./p

O'Neill leaves it late to make decision on Brown fitness

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Sunderland manager, Martin O'Neill, will make a late decision on Wes Brown ahead of tonight's Premier League trip to Wigan with his injury problems showing little sign of abating./p

Too many exams are 'ruining children's enjoyment of learning'

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pToo much testing is robbing school pupils of their childhood and the opportunity to enjoy learning, according to the former director of the national curriculum./p

Zamora's late show ensures dramatic riposte for Fulham

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTwelfth Night football continues in the Premier League. After dramatic defeats for Manchester United and Chelsea on the seventh day of Christmas, and Manchester City on the eighth, it was the turn of Arsenal to have the natural order inverted on top of them last night, toppled by the dismissal of Johan Djourou and a fine Fulham comeback./p

Dieting: Battle of the bulge

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWant to shift some pounds this January? You could scrupulously avoid sugar, starches, beer and butter. Leave off champagne, puddings and pastries. Or you could run every morning, followed by a good scrub down and a meal of something filling but fat-free. Because as night follows day, so the season of festive feasting must be followed by a diet or detox to get rid of the paunches and fleshbelts we had so much fun putting on./p

Terence Blacker: Match-fixing is a curse the UK invited in

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOne of the enduring wonders of modern life is the inability of policymakers to understand that actions tend to have obvious consequences. Allow bars and pubs to open longer and alcoholism will increase. Encourage supermarkets to expand and local high streets will soon become dead zones. Anyone with half a brain could anticipate these consequences, yet to politicians they seem to come as a terrible shock./p

Leading article: Science comes a step closer to Spider-Man

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBulletproof skin, super-fine netting strong enough to bring down a fighter jet, artificial tendons that are even tougher and more flexible than the real thing. The potential uses of spider silk might be nothing out of the ordinary to Peter Parker, but scientists in the real world have struggled in vain for decades trying to work out ways to produce enough of the stuff to be useful. Not for much longer, perhaps. /p

Leagues 1 2: Green's late show boosts Charlton

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pCharlton moved five points clear at the top of League One after a 2-0 win over Brentford at The Valley. A power cut delayed kick-off but that did not deter Michael Morrison, who fired the hosts ahead after 31 minutes. However, the three points were not secured until Danny Green's last-minute strike./p

The Ten Best Juices

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrong1. Cherrygood Premium Cherry/strong/pp£2.29, a href="http://cherygood.com/"cherrygood.com/a/ppEach glass contains 200 cherries and nothing else. Perfect after your New Year's Eve party./p

Dominic Lawson: We're in trouble if we let the calendar dictate our decisions

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pYou don't have to be a follower of the Austrian economist Friedrich von Hayek to recognise the truth of the Nobel-prize winner's pithy encapsulation of his view that the business cycle is inherently ungovernable: he remarked that there do not seem to be many people who have made money by acting on economic forecasts, but a very large number who have made fortunes by selling them./p

Miller in title talk after Cardiff blitz Reading

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pKenny Miller claimed Cardiff City can win the Championship, and his team-mates backed up his words with immediate actions in a first-half blitz to sink Reading and move closer to the top of the division./p

Rhodri Marsden: In which Rhodri is moved by an ancestral tape recording

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pI don't sound Welsh enough for my liking. My name might suggest a sonorous voice suited to performing at the Eisteddfod or auctioning cattle in Abergavenny, but I've got a nondescript southern accent that could come from anywhere within a 70-mile radius of London. It actually comes from within a seven-mile radius of Luton: the dialectological equivalent of magnolia paint. I suppose I could affect a Welsh accent, but that would make me look even more desperate for attention that I already do, and I'd probably sound like Nick Clegg doing a bad impression of Gandhi./p

Gun laws in spotlight as man kills family with licensed arms

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA taxi driver who murdered his partner, her sister and her sister's daughter before shooting himself in a New Year's Day killing spree at the family home held licences for six weapons and had been known to police for three years after he threatened to harm himself./p

Gary Ablett: Footballer who won the FA Cup with both Liverpool and Everton

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pGary Ablett was a polished and imperturbable utility defender who helped Liverpool to win two League titles and the FA Cup between 1988 and 1990, then became the only man to lift the trophy with both the Reds and their Merseyside rivals, Everton. Gaunt and gangly of appearance, the personable Liverpudlian was wirily resilient, an excellent timer of challenges both aerial and on the ground, a safe and sensible passer of the ball with his favoured left foot, and an intelligent breaker-up of attacks through shrewd positional play and decisive interception. He preferred to operate in the centre of the rearguard, but was equally effective at full-back, his versatility proving a boon to his managers. Though marginally short of true international class – he played once each for England's B side and the under-21s – Ablett never looked out of his depth at the top club level, holding his own for several seasons in the last Liverpool side to claim the domestic game's principal prize./p

Leading article: The Republicans must prove their seriousness

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIf they had their way, Republican elders would surely never have chosen Iowa as the starting point of the process to determine the party's presidential nominee. Small and overwhelmingly white, with a Republican electorate heavily dominated by social conservatives, the Midwestern and heavily agricultural state is distinctly unrepresentative of early 21st century America./p

Crackdown on small firms, a blind eye for big business

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe tax office faced accusations of double standards last night over plans to target thousands of small businesses with spot checks on their paperwork – despite letting big companies such as Goldman Sachs off millions of pounds in tax. Officials from HM Revenue and Customs with powers to fine small businesses intend to inspect up to 20,000 firms to see if they have adequate proof of expenses and income dating back years in a new drive set to begin in April./p

Round-up: Hammers close the gap as 10-man Saints slip up

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWest Ham United moved up to second in the Championship after a Kevin Nolan goal midway through the second half was enough to beat relegation-threatened Coventry City 1-0 at Upton Park yesterday. The former Newcastle midfielder headed home from close range to give Sam Allardyce's side only their second win in six games. /p

Michael Petry: Assistants were always used by the greats

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMost artists neither grind their own pigments nor make the canvas they use. The notion of the studio and assistants goes back hundreds of years./p

Feast of Freud goes under hammer

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA collection of 45 works by the late Lucian Freud created over a 25-year period and said to be the most complete array of his prints ever to be auctioned is to be sold by Christie's next month. /p

Well, it worked for Peter Parker: genetic scientists unleash power of the spider web

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pScientists have created genetically-modified silkworms that can spin the much stronger silken threads of spiders in a technological breakthrough that promises to revolutionise the production and use of new materials made with spider silk./p

Lennon praise for Celtic spirit

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNeil Lennon's remarkable transformation of Celtic's fortunes continued with a 10th straight win via a run-of-the-mill victory over Dunfermline. It maintains their two-point advantage over Rangers at the top of the Scottish Premier League./p

Hockney vs Hirst: the Queen's chosen one puts king of the YBAs on the spot

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA row is threatening to break out between two of Britain's most celebrated artists after David Hockney criticised Damien Hirst for the "insulting" use of assistants to create his works./p

Yoshimitsu Morita: Director best known for 'The Family Game'

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFor Yoshimitsu Morita, who has died of acute liver failure, arguments around his career as a film-maker have long centred around his film, The Family Game (1983), which centred on a dysfunctional family in 1980s Japan. This was not his only No 1 film in the annual Kinema Junpo poll, and was by no means his highest-grossing film. But it was the film his critics, and often his public, compared him to, when judging his later work. Had he become, as the critic Mark Schilling bemoaned in the 1990s, just a purveyor of "date movies"? Were not some of his later films also multi-layered, postmodernist critiques of contemporary life? Or did his success, in having a continuous career in the film industry, derive from delivering accessible, commercial films for audiences he knew?/p

Leading article: Dodging the issue on obesity

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAnother week, another Government-backed healthy-eating initiative. Just after Christmas, it was cut-price school meals to tempt children away from the chip shop. Now it is a celebrity- chef recipe mailshot and low-price deals on healthy ingredients at three big supermarkets./p

Student shooting suspect: 'Call me Psycho'

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA man accused of shooting dead a postgraduate Indian student on Boxing Day gave his name as "Psycho Stapleton" when he appeared in court yesterday./p

Oliver Wright: Struggling entrepreneurs feel betrayed by HMRC's heavy-handed crackdown

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhen George Osborne announced plans in his 2010 spending review to give Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs an extra £900m over four years to "address the tax gap and tackle tax avoidance and evasion" the move was widely welcomed./p

January make or break time for Spurs, says Defoe

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pJermain Defoe says that this month will determine whether Tottenham Hotspur are genuine Premier League title contenders. At the halfway point of the season, Harry Redknapp's third-placed side lie just six points behind Manchester rivals, City and United, but with a game in hand on both./p

Traces Remain: Essays and Explorations, By Charles Nicholl

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFrom his treks in the wake of Walter Raleigh, Christopher Marlowe and Arthur Rimbaud to his recent forays into the hidden lives of Leonardo and Shakespeare, Charles Nicholl has rightly won a reputation as a peerless historical sleuth. At once a biographer, an explorer and an investigator, he captures the past and its people in lightning-flashes of illumination./p

Italy's tax dodgers face Monti's supercomputer

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pYesterday marked "D-Day" in the Italian premier Mario Monti's battle against tax-evaders with officials clicking the switch on a powerful new computer system that will rummage around people's bank accounts, in a major push to claw back the country's mission billions./p

British voice behind a call to arms for Somalia's Islamic terrorists

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA militant Islamist group in Somalia that has declared its allegiance to al-Qa'ida is using a young British man to file video propaganda from the front lines of the country's civil war to try to draw English-speaking Muslims to the Horn of Africa for jihad, The Independent can reveal./p

Tehran turns up the pressure with more missile tests

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIran successfully test-fired what it described as two long-range missiles yesterday, flexing its military muscle in the face of mounting Western pressure over its nuclear programme. /p

Permalink for '_______Education_/2012/01/02/BAA_s_investors_to_share_%c2%a3240m_windfall_from_London_airports'

BAA's investors to share £240m windfall from London airports

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe owner of Heathrow and Stansted has been accused of "profiteering" after setting out plans to pay its foreign shareholders a £240m dividend this year./p

Dr Nay Win Maung: Activist who attempted to accelerate the pace of reform in Burma

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe death from a heart attack of Dr Nay Win Maung has robbed Burma of an intellectual and public policy analyst of great integrity. It is a particular loss given that Burma's politics are beginning to show positive signs, and the main protagonists – the military leaders and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi – are both adopting the more conciliatory approach which Nay Win Maung had advocated. The pace of reform is accelerating, and the US-led economic sanctions which he opposed are gradually being unwound./p

Deborah Ross: Not sleeping with George Clooney... one of many resolutions I'll be sure to keep

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIf you ask me, I am delighted to report that, unlike in previous years, I am doing extremely well with my resolutions for 2012 and have shown very little sign of veering off, cheating or sabotaging myself. My resolutions include:/p

Faulty breast implants contain toxic chemicals, scientists warn

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe defective breast implants at the centre of a health scare involving more than 40,000 British women have been found to contain a range of potentially harmful chemicals, including a fuel additive, by scientists in France./p

Tim Lang: Will this new anti-obesity wheeze work? Fat chance

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pToday's initiative is another example of a very soft Government approach to food policy. Most of us who study this area know that while on the surface these little initiatives sound good, they are hopeless when confronted with the enormity of change required./p

MP calls on police to reinforce email hacking investigation

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA leading MP yesterday called for the Metropolitan Police to expand its investigation into computer hacking on behalf of newspapers following the revelation by The Independent that Gordon Brown's emails were targeted while he was Chancellor of the Exchequer./p

Bunce on Boxing: Time behind bars will raise profile of Mayweather fight

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOn Friday Floyd Mayweather, boxing's best and richest fighter, will go to prison for 90 days following a deal he did with prosecutors in Las Vegas last month./p

Kumbeshwar chases Festival pot

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTwo winners from two runners at Plumpton yesterday meant only a slight delay to Alan King's happy new year. And there may be more to celebrate, with a valuable bonus at the Cheltenham Festival available for one of the victors, Kumbeshwar. The promising five-year-old jumped like an old hand and quickened readily away from his well-regarded rival Criqtonic to take the novice chase./p

Swans are up and running on the road against Villa

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSwansea City's previous win outside of Wales, against Reading at Wembley last May, swept them into the Premier League. Their first away victory this season underlined what a credit they are to the so-called best league in the world. Aston Villa's manager, Alex McLeish called the result "a kick in the teeth" following his team's triumph at Chelsea on New Year's Eve./p

Mystery over dead herring

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSeveral tons of dead herring washed up on a beach in Nordreisa, northern Norway, at the weekend, puzzling locals and marine scientists./p

Independent Appeal: 'Doing this job makes you realise how much we all take for granted'

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAt a table in Cafe Nero a bearded young man named Ben is poring over his diary. It is written entirely in pencil because so much of what he enters into it has to to be erased, amended or shifted from one date to another./p

Women to be allowed to work in lingerie shops

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWomen in Saudi Arabia have won the right to work in underwear shops. Some female campaigners had questioned the logic of women in the Islamic country having to buy intimate clothing from male sellers. But religious hardliners who opposed the idea of women working in any retail outlet had blocked the change. So starting on Thursday women will be allowed lingerie sales jobs. /p

Finance chiefs expect Britain to return to recession

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMore than half of the finance chiefs of Britain's biggest companies expect the UK to fall back into recession this year, after seeing credit availability deteriorate at the fastest rate since the failure of Lehman Brothers./p

Santorum reflects on change in fortunes as his momentum builds

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAcross a wind-whipped Iowa, the runners in the Republican nomination race reached out for support one last time yesterday amid signs of continuing skittishness among voters who will gather in caucus meetings tonight to pick their favourite to take on Barack Obama in November's presidential election./p

More than 900 police officers in Britain have criminal records

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMore than 900 serving police officers and community-support officers have a criminal record, official figures show./p

Letters: A new year, but the old order is back

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAstonished, I find myself in complete agreement with Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, now that she has departed from her usual subject of the problems of Muslim women and turned her talented pen to the eternal subject of the British class system (Comment, 2 January). I will be 70 this year. What depresses me is how little the basic fabric of this UK has changed in my lifetime. The same people still own and run the country now as did in the 1940s, the gap between the classes is still as wide, there is still a great underclass of the desperate poor./p

Nadal's pre-season hit by switch to heavy racket

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe world No 2 Rafael Nadal said yesterday that his preparations for the new season had not been ideal as he adjusted to using a heavier racket. The Spaniard, who plays Germany's Philip Kohlschreiber in the first round of the Qatar Open today, believes his game may suffer in the short term after making the switch but would improve in the months ahead./p

War veteran found dead after park manhunt

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe body of an Iraq war veteran suspected of shooting a park ranger is believed to have been found last night. Twenty-four-year-old Benjamin Colton Barnes apparently died after trudging into chest-deep snow in the Washington state park while trying to elude SWAT team members and other police who were on his trail./p

Crouch double brings Kean's season of goodwill to an end

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe season of goodwill towards Steve Kean looks to be over, thanks to two pieces of clinical finishing from Peter Crouch yesterday. With an unlikely point from Liverpool and an inconceivable three from Manchester United, even the most vehement of the Blackburn manager's critics were in indulgent mood./p

Pressure builds on German President for trying to suppress loan scandal article

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe increasingly tarnished reputation of Germany's President, Christian Wulff suffered a new setback yesterday with disclosures that the 52-year-old head of state threatened to sue a leading tabloid newspaper to prevent publication of a damaging article about a questionable six-figure private loan./p

The Acton princess leading the fight for Saudi freedom

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHer Royal Highness Princess Basma Bint Saud Bin Abdul Aziz is one of the more unlikely critics of the élite that runs Saudi Arabia. The oil state boasts a 15,000-strong royal family but it is rare for a voice from within its ranks to become part of the growing clamour for reform in the desert kingdom./p

Arab League calls for end to Syria shooting

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSyria's regime has withdrawn heavy weapons from cities and freed about 3,500 prisoners, but protesters are still being shot, according to the head of the Arab League. /p

Next big things on the internet?

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIn the fast-moving world of technology, 2012 has seemed like a long time coming. There is one reason for that: this is the year Facebook is finally expected to make it onto the stock market. The new wave of hot internet stocks to brave the public gaze – LinkedIn, Zynga and Groupon – have merely been the warm-up acts. Now that the social media giant is limbering up to sell shares to the outside world, there are two questions to ponder./p

Virginia Ironside's Dilemmas

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongMy friend suffers from depression and I feel very sorry for her. But recently I have got to the end of my tether. I arrange to meet her and then, at the last minute, she cancels, either making excuses or saying she's being pursued by the "black dog". Over the last six months we've made five plans to meet and on three occasions she's cried off. Last night was the worst as I'd asked other people around to meet her specially, then got a text saying "something's come up". I feel so sorry for her but get fed up being so often disappointed. All best, Hattie/strong/p

Man tries to sell whale's remains

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPolice are investigating claims that a man tried to sell the bones and teeth of a whale found dead on a beach./p

Permalink for '_______Education_/2012/01/02/Coastguard_puts_US_on_alert_%e2%80%93_over_bulging_waistlines'

Coastguard puts US on alert – over bulging waistlines

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLife on the ocean waves has become a lot less healthy, according to the US Coast Guard, which believes that America's ever-expanding waistline threatens the safe running of every passenger vessel in the country. /p

Funding scandal from Sarkozy's past returns to haunt him

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA two-decades-old financial scandal threatens to engulf the former French prime minister Edouard Balladur – to the deep embarrassment of his former lieutenant, Nicolas Sarkozy./p

Inside Obama's Chicago machine

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt is in the Prudential Building in downtown Chicago, but we are not allowed to say on what floor exactly. We can tell you it is bright, with views to the lake and Millennium Park, and, because of all the brain power assembled, it's the sort of place you'd like your son or daughter to work. Never mind that it has only one product that might prove to be beyond its sell-by date and that whatever happens everyone involved will be out of a job within a year./p

Gaza PM stirs tension by boarding blockade ship

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIsmail Haniyeh, the Hamas prime minister of Gaza, has toured the Mavi Marmara, the Turkish ship boarded in a deadly raid by Israeli commandos in 2010, in a show of solidarity with the pro-Palestinian activists who attempted to break Israel's blockade./p

Peace broken in Kashmir as forces fire on protesters

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe fragile peace in India's disputed state of Jammu and Kashmir was broken yesterday when security forces opened fire on demonstrators protesting against electricity power shortages, killing a 25-year old man and injuring two others./p

Protests and strike threats as petrol price doubles

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPetrol prices soared yesterday after the Nigerian government removed a fuel subsidy, sparking outrage from consumers and unions. Queues grew at petrol stations in Lagos as motorists tried to beat the rise. /p

Johnson 'cheated' to get Barton dismissed

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIf one of Joey Barton's new year's resolutions as a new dad was to deal with his anger management issues, it did not last long. January's football actually began rather well with his firm strike to give Queen's Park Rangers an early lead but by half-time he had been sent off for sticking his head in an opponent's face. It was a costly loss of composure, for within a few minutes Norwich City had equalised and in the second half their superior numbers eventually wore down the home side's resistance, Steve Morison scoring seven minutes from time to secure Norwich a second away win of the season and a place in the top half of the table./p

The Week Ahead: Next is first in line to give measure of festive season

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhile there has been no shortage of estimates and predictions already over how the retailers have fared during the festive period, the beleaguered high street will be eager to get hold of some solid trading numbers. Therefore all eyes will be on Next tomorrow as the first major name in the sector to release a trading statement post-Christmas, with the clothing chain not only announcing figures up to 24 December but also expected to comment on how the sales period has been going./p

Two Koreas are at a turning point, says South's leader

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe death of Kim Jong-il could pave the way for a sea change in relations on the tense peninsula and could bring about a breakthrough in nuclear negotiations with the North, the South Korean leader said yesterday./p

Chinese police destroy villagers' new mosque

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pResidents of a Taoshan village in north-western China were left shocked after a violent clash with armed police who came with water cannon and tear gas then demolished a newly refurbished mosque before arresting scores of people last week. /p

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Snow storms, gales, rain – welcome back to work

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMillions of Britons face a miserable return to work this morning with fierce snow storms, gale-force winds and heavy rain expected to cause transport chaos./p

Last night's viewing - Endeavour, ITV1; Armando's Tale of Charles Dickens, BBC2

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHe hasn't got a Jag, he doesn't drink and he's merely a lowly detective constable, but there's still something familiar about the young policeman in strongEndeavour/strong. Well, some familiar appurtenances, anyway. As he painstakingly taps out a resignation letter, Puccini is playing on the gramophone and a pile of newspapers folded to the crossword sits on the desk. A minute more and we've established that, while not exactly grumpily misanthropic yet, he doesn't seem to be big on social niceties. This is Morse, and he appears to be a whisker away from never making Inspector his first name./p

Return of the Iron Lady: Mensch unleashes her inner Thatcher

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWith her forthright tweeting on the "greatness" of Margaret Thatcher and eager defence of the former prime minister's legacy, suspicion was already strong that Louise Mensch sees a little of the Iron Lady in herself. Now, it seems, the Conservative MP is also not averse to looking a bit like her./p

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Stephen King: The Seventies were just dire – let's resolve to put them firmly behind us

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOne of my more remarkable experiences last year was a visit to the Edinburgh Fringe where a comedian decided – in all seriousness, I believe – to compare our current lamentable economic circumstances with the halcyon days of yore. Specifically, she was referring to the glory days of the Seventies. I was amazed./p

David Hockney vs Damien Hirst: the Queen's chosen one puts king of the YBAs on the spot

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA row is threatening to break out between two of Britain's most celebrated artists after David Hockney criticised Damien Hirst for the "insulting" use of assistants to create his works./p

The Acton princess calling for reform in Saudi Arabia

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHer Royal Highness Princess Basma Bint Saud Bin Abdul Aziz is one of the more unlikely critics of the élite that runs Saudi Arabia. The oil state boasts a 15,000-strong royal family but it is rare for a voice from within its ranks to become part of the growing clamour for reform in the desert kingdom./p

Alesha waltzes off Strictly to sign for Cowell

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:00am EST

pStrictly Come Dancing's Alesha Dixon is leaving the BBC show to join the judging panel of ITV's hit Britain's Got Talent. Dixon said she will be joining Simon Cowell when he returns to the talent show's judging panel this year./p

Human remains found on royal estate

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 11:58pm EST

pHuman remains have been found in woodland on the Royal Family's Sandringham Estate by a member of the public./p

Britain's young Optimists head New Zealand way

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 11:03pm EST

pA Maori war canoe led them out of the haven that is Napier Sailing Club to their appointed battleground. The training was over. The drenching opening ceremony in a memorial to yet another of the earthquakes on these southern Pacific islands could not dissolve the smiles./p

Darren Hayman at the Lexington, London

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 8:10pm EST

pDarren Hayman, who bears more than a passing resemblance to “McLovin” in emSuperbad/em, welcomed the New Year in with an intimate (approximately 70 people, some of whom even pointed out tiny discrepancies in Hayman's anecdotes), stripped-down, free and upsettingly stunted set, in which the singer-songwriter didn’t even perform on stage, but to the side of it./p

Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly, Windmill, London

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 8:09pm EST

pSam Duckworth moseying through a Brixton pub in baseball cap and outsize plastic chain is a sight that could alarm his fans. /p

Ed Harcourt, Bull Gate, London

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 7:54pm EST

pFor a while, real stardom seemed to beckon Ed Harcourt. His debut EP in 2000, Maplewood, introduced a Tom Waits-worshipping, 23-year-old prodigy. /p

Alesha Dixon quits Strictly Come Dancing for Britain's Got Talent

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 5:34pm EST

p Strictly Come Dancing's Alesha Dixon is leaving the show to join the judging panel of hit ITV show Britain's Got Talent, the singer announced today. /p

Eurozone crisis hits manufacturing

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:20pm EST

p The underlying problems in the eurozone - the UK's biggest trade partner - were underlined today by figures showing the fifth successive monthly decline in the manufacturing sector. /p

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New Iraq War inquiry set to open

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:18pm EST

p The Iraq War will continue to cast a shadow over Britain in 2012, with one major public inquiry into the conflict reporting its findings and another due to begin. /p

944 police officers 'have criminal record'

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:06pm EST

p More than 900 serving police officers and community support officers have a criminal record, official figures show. /p

Student murder accused gives name as 'Psycho Stapleton'

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 1:04pm EST

pThe man accused of gunning down Indian student Anuj Bidve on Boxing Day gave his name as "Psycho Stapleton" when he appeared in court today charged with murder./p

QPR swoop for Macheda

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 11:49am EST

pManchester United striker Federico Macheda has joined QPR on loan until the end of the season, the London club have announced./p

Four dead after 'firearms incident'

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 9:40am EST

p Four people have been found dead in a house following a suspected firearms incident, police said today. /p

Peterlee shooting man held gun licence

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 9:40am EST

pA man who shot himself after killing three women last night was a licensed holder of firearms, it emerged today./p

Peterlee gunman held firearms licence

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 9:40am EST

p A man who shot himself after killing three women on New Year's Day was a licensed holder of firearms, it has emerged. /p

Britain braced for gale force winds

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 9:35am EST

p Fierce storms are set to lash Britain tomorrow with gale-force winds of up to 80mph and heavy rain predicted to cause misery for millions of people returning to work. /p

Coldplay first to top 2012 singles chart

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 9:34am EST

p Coldplay have knocked the Military Wives choir off the top of the charts after their single Paradise became the first official number one of 2012. /p

The News Matrix: Monday 02 January 2012

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 3:22am EST

p /p

The Sports Matrix: Monday 02 January 2012

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 2:44am EST

p /p

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i Editor's Letter: There’s hope yet for the Olympics

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 2:09am EST

p /p

Another day, another killing

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTwo teenagers have been arrested after a man was fatally injured at a New Year's Eve party. The 42-year-old man was assaulted at a house in Hockwell Ring, Luton. /p

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Pompoms, ceremony – and rain on the New Year's parade

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPompoms and marching batons took centre stage in London as more than 8,000 performers took part in the annual New Year's Day Parade./p

The Weekend's Viewing: Hacks, Sun, Channel 4 Treasure Island, Sun, Sky1

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhen Guy Jenkin and Andy Hamilton satirised media values in their Nineties sitcom Drop The Dead Donkey they produced a perceptive but gentle chiding of failing newsroom standards and most journalists loved it. They won't have found Hacks so funny./p

Glenn Moore: Why the return of Henry could be exactly what Arsenal need to make their quality count

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhile the impending absence of Gervinho and Marouane Chamakh at the Cup of African Nations may have been the main consideration behind Arsène Wenger bringing Thierry Henry back to Arsenal on a two-month loan, it is no coincidence he made the decision after watching his team being held at home by Wolverhampton Wanderers./p

Calgary Bay rings in new for Knight

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMany were unmistakably of the view that a mere hair of the dog could scarcely suffice; still more formed enormous, sallow queues for carbohydrate relief. One way or another, resolutions of abstinence seemed largely to have been deferred among the large crowds here yesterday. In one, hugely popular case, however, the turning over of a new leaf represented the end, not of feasting, but of famine./p

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Priest takes his secrets – and Berlusconi's confessions – to the grave

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIn March 2010, on his 90th birthday, the priest, tycoon and hospital director Don Luigi Verze announced, in the presence of his old friend Silvio Berlusconi, the launch of a new biomedical research programme that would see people live to the age of 120./p

Palestinians and Israelis negotiators agree to meeting

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIsraeli and Palestinian negotiators will meet this week after more than a year of deadlock in peacemaking, officials said last night, but both sides played down prospects of any imminent resumption of talks. /p

500 hurt in 2012 parties in Philippines

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFirecrackers and gunfire injured nearly 500 people in the Philippines as revellers welcomed the new year in one of the world's most raucous and dangerous celebrations./p

Anichebe finds answer to lack of Everton ideas

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pVictor Anichebe, a peripheral figure at Goodison Park over the past two seasons, played his way back into the hearts and hymns of Everton's away-day army by plundering the late goal that took David Moyes' side above West Bromwich Albion into ninth place yesterday./p

Mary Ann Sieghart: If I can stick to a New Year resolution, so can anyone

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe other day, I stumbled on a diary I had started in my second term at university. On the first page, I wrote that I had resolved, for once, to keep a diary going for the whole year. In the second entry, I beat myself up about my prodigious talent for procrastination. The third entry chronicled the usual student shenanigans. And the fourth? Silly question, really. There was no fourth./p

Above-inflation rail fare rises kick in for commuters

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHigher rail and tube fares will welcome commuters on the return to work tomorrow as they rise by more than the rate of inflation. /p

Robin Scott-Elliot: Of boyhood heroes, herring and the bottom line in footballing excellence

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pFor a reason that escapes me, I listened to Kenny Dalglish score his record 30th goal for Scotland sitting in a cupboard. It was against Spain and my favourite Dalglish moment, a shimmy and shuffle in from the right and then a curling shot to cue that unchanging celebration, two arms thrust in the air and the waddle of a man who really should have gone before kick-off. As for the cupboard, all I can suggest was that it came during that difficult teenage phase of being a football fan where you believe that if you shift position when things aren't going well then it might bring an upturn in fortune. Or I'm agoraphobic and don't know it./p

The cybersnoops are always one step ahead of ministers

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMost people would assume – and certainly hope – that the emails of a serving Chancellor could not be read by a newspaper looking for a story./p

AA braced for breakdown barrage

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRoadside rescue companies are expecting more than 40,000 call-outs to non-starting vehicles tomorrow morning as the nation tries to get back to work./p

On a mission to help the hosts diminish the chances of bad luck

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Olympic Games have not always been without their troubles for Charles van Commenee. Indeed, the man from Amsterdam chuckles now at the memory of the 1992 Games in Barcelona. He travelled to the Catalan capital as the personal coach to a member of the Dutch team but was thrown out of the athletes' village after a disagreement with the Dutch chef de mission on the first day. He watched the rest of the Games at home on television./p

Nigerian President under fire for mishandling Islamic attacks

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has been accused of mishandling a spate of attacks by Islamic militants after he declared a piecemeal state of emergency in some parts of the country./p

Bird flu victim dies in Chinese hospital

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA bus driver in southern China's Guangdong province has died of bird flu, a week after being admitted to hospital with a fever./p

Wenger hangs 2012 hopes on keeping Van Persie

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pEven if 2011 was the hardest year of Arsène Wenger's reign at Arsenal, it ended with the promise of a brighter 2012. Robin van Persie's second-half goal was enough to beat Queens Park Rangers on Saturday, meaning that Arsenal saw in the new year, and the half-way point in the Premier League, in fourth place./p

Yasmin Alibhai-Brown: Honours that show the old order reasserting itself

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNext year it'll be 40 years since I landed here. London is my place, my home, and I feel a slow-growing attachment to England in particular and Britain too. I am coming to understand the nature of my country, its queer ways and deep conservatism. It changes yet never can change. Its past achievements and sense of high destiny in world matters make it special. But in modern times one finds lethargy, widespread fatalism, dull acceptance. After radical lurches towards a different and better society, Britain reverts to what it has always been – an immovably hierarchical, secretive, unequal, shady nation./p

Ban on subletting council homes

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pCouncil tenants who sublet their homes face prosecution and possible prison terms in a blitz on abuse of social housing. High earners could also be forced to pay the market rate for continuing to live in their council homes./p

Metal theft pilot scheme 'will cost jobs'

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMetal theft from churches hit a record high last year as scrapyards warned that pilot regulation threatens to put them out of business and push illegal activity elsewhere./p

Investors in US sue ex-Lloyds chiefs over HBOS deal

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe former bosses of Lloyds Banking Group face a new year being dragged through the American courts by shareholders angry at the bank's takeover of HBOS at the peak of the credit crisis./p

Catt gives Bath shove in the right direction

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThere was a time, not so very long ago, when Nathan Catt was the talk of the coaching community. "He will, without a shadow of a doubt, play for England," Rob Andrew predicted shortly after moving to Twickenham as director of elite rugby in 2006, when the loose-head prop was still in his teens and tripping the light fantastic with his ultra-modern all-court game. Since then... nothing much. Certainly not a cap. Over recent seasons, Catt has become a sporting yeti: often talked about, seldom seen./p

Karzai vows action over tortured girl

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPresident Hamid Karzai has said police will arrest members of a family accused of torturing and illegally detaining their son's teenage wife for the past six months while trying to force her into a life of crime. /p

Coyle still upbeat despite Cahill's impending exit

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBolton achieved something that has eluded them all season, but still finished the year in last place. Owen Coyle's side eked out their first draw since February but other results ensured that it is going to take vastly improved results – and especially vastly improved home form – to lift them out of the relegation zone./p

Cahal Milmo: Scale of email hacking is set to be this year's biggest story

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIf 2011 was the year when the words "Operation Weeting" entered the popular lexicon, 2012 is likely to see "Operation Tuleta" added to the list of game-changing police investigations everybody is talking about./p

Hussey wary of Tendulkar's prowess at SCG as he pursues 100th century

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSachin Tendulkar's incredible record at Sydney Cricket Ground makes Mike Hussey nervous but the Australian batsman and his team- mates will do everything to prolong the Indian great's agonising wait for his 100th international century when the second Test starts tomorrow./p

Flood ensures Leicester survive wobble

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLeicester secured their fourth Premiership victory in a row by seeing off Sale at Welford Road but it was far from convincing./p

Revival in air for insurers after a year of blows, says boss of Lloyd's

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe insurance industry can bounce back from the string of natural disasters that left it nursing its second-highest claims bill last year, according to the boss of the Lloyd's of London insurance market./p

Murray confident Lendl's steel will bring Slam success

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe British public rarely saw the best of Ivan Lendl. The Czech-born player reached two Wimbledon finals and made the semi-finals on five other occasions, but grass never brought the best out of him. Given that he was also a hard-nosed professional who rarely smiled at work, it was probably no surprise that the Wimbledon crowd never warmed to him./p

Karzai vows action over tortured girl

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPresident Hamid Karzai has said police will arrest members of a family accused of torturing and illegally detaining their son's teenage wife for the past six months while trying to force her into a life of crime. /p

Jol hails Frei's potential after Fulham let win slip

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pManagers are usually reluctant to compare promising young players to established stars. Making your way in top-level football is hard enough without being tagged "the new George Best" or "the next Ryan Giggs". But, on Saturday, Martin Jol refused to shy away from parallels between Kerim Frei, Fulham's 18-year-old Switzerland youth international winger, and Gareth Bale, whom Jol managed at Tottenham Hotspur./p

Jeremy Laurance: Clients come second to commercial interests

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWomen have sought to enhance their natural assets for more than a century. Paraffin injections, beeswax, ivory balls and silk have all been used to boost the bust. /p

Ospreys retain edge on unhappy return for Henson

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pGavin Henson was denied a happy return to the Liberty Stadium and Ospreys continued their home dominance over Cardiff, claiming victory in a scrappy RaboDirect Pro12 encounter yesterday./p

Demand soars for experts in stripping out costs

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDemand from banks for extra senior staff to help them sell off loan portfolios and non-core businesses is driving a surge in work for interim executives. /p

James Corrigan: Blatter quits, and other impossible things

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWe all know what's going to happen in 2012. Manchester United will win the League, Barcelona will win the Champions League, Manchester City will win the FA Cup and Liverpool will hold an open-topped bus parade for finishing fourth./p

David Candler: Press officer for Harold Wilson

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDavid Candler worked directly for Harold Wilson as a press officer during his days as Prime Minister at No 10, representing the Labour Party's interests as the government pushed policies which caused schisms among Party members./p

Watson rewards Wigan guile with 'crucial goal'

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAt the end of a season when the line between relegation and survival is drawn, every point and every goal appears critical. However, the decision by Wigan's manager, Roberto Martinez, to send on Ben Watson specifically to take an 87th-minute spot-kick appeared decisive at the time./p

Boyd Tonkin: A literary hero, and a cause we must fight

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pI first met Mohamed Hashem as, wreathed in smoke from his endless cigarettes, and holding a glass of red wine, he talked and joked among Cairo's writers and publishers at a party at the Nile Hilton – not much more than a stone's throw from Tahrir Square. Although only a few years back, it felt then as if Hashem – journalist and author turned fearless, pioneering publisher – still had a mountain to climb in his campaigns for freedom of thought and expression against Egypt's entwined establishments, religious and political alike./p

Burns fires final shot as young rivals duel in rain

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOwen Farrell and Freddie Burns shared the honours as their teams shared the points in a shocking downpour at Vicarage Road./p

Hot shots worth a thousand words

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWe celebrate the amazing work of award-winning photographer David Ashdown, who is leaving 'The Independent' for pastures new after more than 25 years of eye-catching work with the paper/p

Diana Constance: Artist who also wrote for 'The Independent'

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pDiana Constance brought her native New York combative spirit to bear on what became the defining focus of her life – saving the North London art school which gave her the lifeline she needed when she arrived here from Rome in 1965./p

Ian Burrell: Hail the philanthropists who have offered a future for serious journalism

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSome good news at last for the future of serious journalism. Signs are emerging that a new form of philanthropy-funded investigative reporting in the public interest is going to have a viable future./p

Injury-hit Wasps draw a blank in the wet

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWasps' injury worries deepened as they started the new year with a fifth successive Premiership defeat, their longest league losing streak in 10 years./p

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Rupert Murdoch expands media interests – with a Twitter account

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAt a time when many ponder turning a new leaf, just how could an octogenarian media mogul with a few corporate image problems shake things up a bit? The answer, if you are Rupert Murdoch, is to take to Twitter and impart your wisdom on issues from the scourge of youth unemployment to children's swimming games./p

Charles van Commenee: Van the man guiding home nation's hopes

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPerhaps it was unwise to mention the World Cup final that had been featured on Sky Sports 1 the night before. After all, like any fiftysomething Dutchman, for Charles van Commenee the pain of Munich and 1974 remains sharply vivid. Still, like Helmut Schön, the West German coach back then, Van Commenee is preparing to lead the host nation into a showpiece global sporting contest./p

Bert Schneider: Film producer at the epicentre of the 'New Hollywood'

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIn the 1970s a new generation arrived in Hollywood, making a series of films that questioned the status quo./p

Defeated Charlton appeal Hamer ban

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pCharlton confirmed yesterday that they had appealed against Ben Hamer's red card, which was brandished at the goalkeeper during the league leaders' surprising 1-0 loss at lowly Leyton Orient on Saturday./p

The icemen cometh

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Queen's Gallery at Buckingham Palace calls its latest exhibition of photographs of Antarctic exploration, The Heart of the Great Alone after a description, by Herbert Ponting, the photographer on Captain Scott's fateful expedition of 1910-12./p

Michael Glover: Hockney's is a talent that deserves a place in the limelight

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHe marches sturdily, stolidly on through his eighth decade, sipping at his Bovril as he goes. This month there will be a huge show of recent work in the main galleries of the Royal Academy, where, relatively recently, he hung the largest multi-part landscape painting to have ever almost overwhelmed its walls. Can Hockney, that will-o'-the-wisp of a talent that blazed so bright at the Royal College of Art in the early 1960s, still be going at it? Oh yes, and with no holds barred. /p

Gordon Brown's Downing Street emails 'hacked'

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pPolice investigating computer hacking by private investigators commissioned by national newspapers have uncovered evidence that emails sent and received by Gordon Brown during his time as Chancellor were illegally accessed./p

Rovers hope new faces can turn season around

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBristol Rovers yesterday reacted to the disappointment of losing three consecutive league games by making a double signing, bringing Brighton goalkeeper Michael Poke and Chesterfield defender Aaron Downes to the Memorial Stadium on one-month loan deals. /p

The old favourites who keep on riding their Luck

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTelevision these days is supposed to be about youth./p

Basketball: Bynum back with a bang for Lakers

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAndrew Bynum scored 29 points in his first game of the NBA season after serving a four-game suspension as the Los Angeles Lakers came from a five-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Denver Nuggets 92-89 on Saturday./p

Man charged with the murder of Indian student shot in Salford

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA 20-year-old man has been charged with the murder of an Indian student who was shot in Salford on Boxing Day./p

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How a cabbie plans to make rock history – with Stones tape that even Mick hasn't heard

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA Rolling Stones recording from 1964 that is so rare even Sir Mick Jagger has never heard it is the prized possession of an Essex mini-cab driver, who has kept the tapes locked away since his brush with the legendary rockers./p

2012: A year of hopes - and fears

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRarely has a new year begun with so many opportunities and threats facing the business world. For Britain, there is a double dose of good news with the London Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, which should boost the feelgood factor./p

Suarez: Liverpool told to apologise

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLiverpool were under mounting pressure last night to issue an apology for Luis Suarez's conduct towards Manchester United's Patrice Evra in the game which has brought him an eight-match ban – and to withdraw any plans to appeal against the decision of an independent regulatory commission which found the Uruguayan used the word "negro" or "negros" seven times in a two-minute period of the Anfield match in October. Liverpool maintained a steadfast silence on the commission's report yesterday and, 72 hours after the the exhaustive and apparently watertight reasoning was delivered to them, have not moved beyond a holding statement declaring their intent to digest the contents./p

Darts: Lewis semi-final delayed by draft row as Hamilton holds his nerve

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe second semi-final in the PDC World Championship was delayed amid farcical scenes last night when both players, reigning champion Adrian Lewis and James Wade protested about the breeze on stage at Alexandra Palace. /p

Last Night's TV: Sherlock, BBC 1

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhere does one start, frankly? With the fact that Moriarty uses "Staying Alive" as a ring tone, during a tense stand-off with his nemesis? With the brisk little flurry of jokes that make up the opening montage, in which Sherlock dismisses a series of clients on the grounds that their mysteries are too dull to command his attention? With his delicious indifference to ordinary social graces? (Two small girls are suspicious because they weren't allowed to see their grandad after his death. "Is that because he's gone to heaven?" they ask. "People don't go to heaven when they die," Sherlock replies impatiently. "They're taken to a special room and burned.") Or, and I promise I'll stop listing things soon, with the fact that that joke turns out to be knitted into the solution of a mystery that genuinely did give Sherlock a hard time?/p

Just like a scene from the movies . . .

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBlockbuster movies part-filmed in the UK are expected to boost "location vacation" tourism in 2012. Castle Combe, in Wiltshire, prominent in Steven Spielberg's War Horse, and Layer Marney Tower near Colchester, used in The Woman in Black, are two locations hoping for a boom in visitors./p

What the Sunday papers said...

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pbThe Independent on Sunday: Industry set to plumb the depths/b/p

City miss a great chance after Mancini's rotation

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pJi whizz indeed. Less than 24 hours after Blackburn Rovers pooped Sir Alex Ferguson's birthday party at Old Trafford, Ji Dong-won lobbed a counter spanner into the works of the two-horse Mancunian Premier League title race. The 6st 2in South Korean striker did so in stunning fashion, conjuring a 93rd-minute winner that had the Sunderland manager, Martin O'Neill, threatening to launch into orbit from pitchside – and that no doubt brought a measure of belated new year cheer to the Ferguson household./p

Hockney joins Britain's most exclusive club with Order of Merit

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Queen has welcomed the celebrated artist David Hockney into one of the most exclusive clubs in Britain, making him one of just 24 members of the Order of Merit./p

Not so happy new year: Cameron greets 2012 with a reality check

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA year ago in his New Year's message David Cameron predicted that 2011 could be the year that Britain got "back on its feet". But yesterday the Prime Minister struck an altogether less optimistic tone in his annual missive to the nation./p

Liverpool left diminished by mishandled case

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIt is a tale of two testimonies – one of them almost entirely consistent, one of them utterly chaotic. But the account of why Luis Suarez has been convicted of abusing Patrice Evra – laid out in such unsparing detail by an independent commission that we even know that a blue-and-yellow coin was spun for kick-off on the fateful October afternoon Liverpool met Manchester United at Anfield – is also one of two managers./p

Stephen Glover: Magazines that peddle celebrity gossip should also be scrutinised

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Leveson Inquiry has heard many discreditable stories about tabloid misbehaviour. We can't know whether all of them are true but it seems likely many are. Most allegations concern unwarranted intrusion, of which the News of the World's phone hacking is the most egregious example. Only occasionally has it been suggested that the tabloids regularly make things up. Richard Peppiatt told the inquiry how as a reporter on the Daily Star he invented a piece about the model Kelly Brook seeing a hypnotist, for which he was paid a bonus./p

Robertson warns of 2012 fixing threat

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe integrity of the London 2012 Olympics could be shattered by the "enormous" threat of illegal gambling rings trying to fix results, the Olympics minister said yesterday. /p

Giving up alcohol for January? Your liver may not thank you for it, say experts

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pHad too much to drink over the seasonal festivities? Thinking about giving up in January to clean out your system? Don't bother, warn medics, it's a waste of time./p

Letters: New Year Honours

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWhy are there no Lottery winners in the New Year Honours list? For over a decade these ordinary people have selflessly sacrificed their lifestyles at short notice to take on the oppressive burden of great wealth without protest or rancour./p

Permalink for '_______Education_/2012/01/01/Frugal_Lansley_adds_%c2%a3170m_to_home_help'

Frugal Lansley adds £170m to home help

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Government has found an extra £150m for patients to receive care at home rather than in hospital./p

Kean: Fans who want Rovers to lose to get me sacked are 'not true supporters'

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pBlackburn manager Steve Kean has raised the stakes in his battle to silence his vitriolic detractors by denouncing some of those Rovers fans gunning for his dismissal as "not true supporters"./p

Mitt Romney leads Iowa by less than a nose

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pMitt Romney was clinging to a perilously thin lead yesterday in Iowa, which kicks off the Republican nominating process with caucus voting tomorrow, but possibly only by virtue of the conservatives in the state dividing over which of his rivals they would rather see challenge President Barack Obama./p

Allardyce targets winning run after Hammers slump

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pWest Ham manager Sam Allardyce has set his team the target of winning "four games on the trot" after they fell to a narrow 2-1 loss at Derby on Saturday./p

Robertson warns of 2012 fixing threat

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe integrity of the London 2012 Olympics could be shattered by the "enormous" threat of illegal gambling rings trying to fix results, the Olympics minister said yesterday./p

Permalink for '_______Education_/2012/01/01/Silicone_secrets__Britain_s_%c2%a3100m_implants_industry'

Silicone secrets: Britain's £100m implants industry

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSurgeons yesterday called for a national register of breast implants with mandatory reporting of cases of rupture to identify faulty devices that could pose health risks to women. Patients should also be issued with an "implant passport" recording details of the operation and device used in case of problems later, they said./p

Arab League told to pull its monitors out of Syria

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAn advisory body to the Arab League yesterday demanded that the organisation withdraw its monitors from Syria, saying they are being used by the regime as a "cover" for continuing its abuses./p

Ready To Wear: Fashion gives the posh punk its stamp of approval

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThere's nothing fashion loves more than a posh punk, and with the pick of the world's most beautiful women at his bejewelled fingertips, Karl Lagerfeld has opted for Alice Dellal as the forthcoming face of the Chanel Boy bag./p

Mjallby urges Celtic to seize title chance after speeding past Rangers

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pCeltic's assistant manager, Johan Mjallby, has warned his league leaders against complacency ahead of the team's visit to Dunfermline today. Celtic's 1-0 triumph over rivals Rangers on Wednesday took them two points clear at the top of the table. Mjallby, though, is wary that on 5 November Rangers were 15 points ahead of Celtic, albeit Neil Lennon's team then had two games in hand./p

Verdasco spoils Hewitt's return

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLleyton Hewitt was beaten 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 by Fernando Verdasco on his return from a toe injury as Spain beat Australia 2-1 in the Hopman Cup in Perth yesterday. Jarmila Gajdosova beat Anabel Medina Garrigues but Spain won the mixed doubles. /p

Rooney sidelined for ignoring curfew before shock defeat

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pSir Alex Ferguson deemed Wayne Rooney unable to train when he arrived for training last Tuesday morning after a Boxing Day night out, which Manchester United yesterday confirmed resulted in him being disciplined./p

Police suspect monkey business in zoo theft

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA squirrel monkey known as Banana Sam was returned scared but safe to the San Francisco Zoo at the weekend, two days after thieves cut through a gate and some netting to steal the animal from the monkey enclosure. The animal was found at Stern Grove, a park about a mile from the zoo./p

A French paradox: multicultural celebrities are popular, but so is Le Pen

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pRacist? The French? Hardly, if a popular annual poll of the most admired celebrities in France is to be believed./p

How to make great strides

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pOne could be forgiven for thinking that the Swedes and the Japanese were the new kings of denim, given the hip technologies and esoteric collectors' items offered by labels of those origins at the moment./p

2012: A Westminster odyssey

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongGoing up/strong/p

Singer who spoke out against military dies at 86

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pYaffa Yarkoni, a singer who belted out wartime songs only to become a critic of the Israeli military late in life, died yesterday aged 86. She had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease for many years./p

Fugitive surrenders 17 years after Tokyo gas attack

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA member of the doomsday cult behind a deadly Tokyo subway gas attack and other crimes has turned himself in to police after 17 years on the run./p

Leading article: Growing strife in Nigeria that must not be ignored

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAt the start of 2012, after a year that saw the end of Osama bin Laden, the withdrawal of international forces from Iraq, and a surge of pop-ular uprisings across the Arab world, there had appeared to be some grounds for optimism. Even with all the inevitable caveats and qualifications, there was at least a glimmer of hope that an implacable "clash of civilisations" might not be quite so inescapable after all. With luck and good judgement, such may still be the case. But recent developments in Nigeria are a stark warning against complacency./p

Something From The Weekend: Twelfth Night comes early; Fulham continue to leak; Cook's wedding tractor

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongThe Good: /strongTwelfth Night comes early/p

Spurs stutter worries Van der Vaart

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTottenham Hotspur are not the first team to drop points at the Liberty Stadium and won't be the last, but Rafael van der Vaart knows this was a major missed opportunity nonetheless on a weekend of surprises./p

Three nights, 38 fires: arson attacks sweep Hollywood

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pResidents in Los Angeles were on alert once again last night amid a wave of arson attacks which have seen more than 38 vehicles set ablaze in incidents that began last Thursday evening and continued through Saturday night as most of the city celebrated New Year's Eve, with more innocent pyrotechnics./p

Mystery of Germany's 13bn missing Deutsche Marks

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pGerman mistrust of the euro was graphically illustrated by new figures published yesterday which revealed that over 13 billion worth of Deutsche Marks were still unaccounted for a decade after the introduction of the single currency/p

The Ten Best Detox products

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrongu1. Energising Body Scrub/u/strong/ppem£13, Liz Earle, uk.lizearle.com/em/ppThis is blended with energising essential oils such as patchouli and peppermint. Damask rose flower water freshens and ground olive stones remove dead skin./p

Independent Appeal: 'We're making a difference for millions of children'

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThese are hard times and you might expect the boss of one of Britain's biggest charities to be gloomy. But Justin Forsyth, the chief executive of Save the Children, is surprisingly upbeat. "The hidden story on global poverty is one of real progress," says the man who took over at the helm of Save the Children a year ago and has made it, in that short time, one of the most innovative and impressive overseas charities./p

Huge crowds call for trial of Saleh for protesters' deaths

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLarge crowds of Yemenis rallied in major cities yesterday, demanding that the outgoing President, Ali Abdullah Saleh, be put on trial for the deaths of protesters killed during the country's uprising./p

Icons of Tinseltown and Tibet celebrate Buddhist festival

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe Dalai Lama performed rituals on the first day of the Buddhist festival of Kalachakra in Bodh Gaya yesterday. The town, in the the eastern India state of Bihar, is believed to be the place where the Buddha attained enlightenment./p

Manager refuses to blame referee after players' lapse

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pTelevision replays might have shown that Sunderland's Ji Dong-won was standing in an offside position before plundering the 93rd-minute goal that beat Manchester City on Wearside yesterday but Roberto Mancini directed his post-match ire at his own players rather than the officials./p

Leading article: Time to take implants seriously

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pAt first glance, the Government's urgent attempts to clarify the risks of potentially faulty breast implants look like welcome progress. That such efforts look near impossible because of the woeful under-regulation of Britain's £2.3bn cosmetic surgery industry is more appalling even than the sale of cheap, inferior implants./p

James Lawton: Suarez row has made clear to all where line of decency is drawn

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNow that the Suarez decision has been explained with a force and a logic that should convince anyone inhabiting a set of values that owe more to decent grown-up behaviour than half-baked tribal loyalty, it can only be hoped that Liverpool Football Club and their iconic manager, Kenny Dalglish, have the wit to stop embarrassing themselves./p

Appeals soar after secret courts are opened to public

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe number of appeals against deprivation of liberty orders has surged in the aftermath of a controversial Court of Protection case championed by The Independent, new figures show./p

With enemies like these, does the President need friends?

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe experience was probably the same whether you were in the "spin-room" adjacent to the university auditorium in Michigan where the rivals were debating or watching on television. It was agonising. For myself, I just knew, even as Rick Perry started his sentence, that the tail-end of it was going to elude him./p

Surgeons admit failure to report scale of breast implant ruptures

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pThe scale of the breast implant scandal involving faulty silicone devices given to more than 40,000 British women cannot be determined because no one knows the true failure rate of the devices, leading surgeons admitted yesterday./p

Five asides: Loans system; rolling subs; League gap closing; Tough Championship; Chris Whelpdale

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pstrong1: Loans system is not ideal, but it does serve a purpose/strong/p

Villas-Boas needs strong defence to repel critics

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pApart from everyone associated with Aston Villa, the two people who must have enjoyed events here on Saturday most were Gary Cahill and his agent./p

Permalink for '_______Education_/2012/01/01/Sam_Wallace__A_year_to_recall_%e2%80%93_the_good__the_bad_and_the_Balotelli'

Sam Wallace: A year to recall – the good, the bad and the Balotelli

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pNo awards for the best of this or the worst of that. These are not necessarily even the most important moments of 2011. They just happen to be the bits that stuck in my mind./p

Leading article: Can we now have a Hockney portrait of the Queen?

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pLast time around, he turned it down. In 1990, David Hockney refused a knighthood on the grounds that he "does not care for a fuss". That the famously cantankerous pop art icon has now been appointed to the Order of Merit suggests he may be mellowing with age. /p

Iran tests the West's patience with show of might in missile launch

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pIran says it has successfully test-fired a medium-range missile close to the strategic Straits of Hormuz, a move that will test Western patience in the stand-off over its nuclear programme./p

Shot 'terrorists' may have been religious refugees

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 1:00am EST

pA group of seven alleged kidnappers killed by Chinese police in the troubled Xinjiang region last week were ethnic Uighurs trying to flee the province, a new report claims. It also says that women and children were caught in the crossfire./p

Security guards in critical condition after colliery blast

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 6:58pm EST

pTwo security guards are in a critical condition in hospital after they were seriously injured in an explosion at an ex-colliery. /p

Police in high-demand on busy New Year's Eve

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 6:53pm EST

pPolice and ambulance services across the country were in high demand on New Year's Eve dealing with a string of incidents as revellers saw in the start of the Olympic year. /p

Anichebe earns Everton victory against West Brom

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 6:34pm EST

pEverton substitute Victor Anichebe scored his first Barclays Premier League goal of the season to earn his side victory against West Brom at the Hawthorns. /p

Sunderland stun Man City with a last-gasp winner

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 6:31pm EST

pSubstitute Ji Dong-won blew the race for the Barclays Premier League title wide open once again as Manchester City wasted their chance to establish a three-point lead./p

Strong quake recorded south of Japan

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 12:21pm EST

pA strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.0 struck under the sea several hundred miles south of Japan today, shaking buildings in the capital, but officials said there was no danger of a tsunami./p

Iran tests medium-range missile

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 12:20pm EST

pIran's navy says it has test-fired a medium-range surface-to-air missile during a drill in international waters near the strategic Strait of Hormuz - the passageway for one-sixth of the world's oil supply. /p

Duke of Edinburgh joins Royals at church

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 12:18pm EST

pThe Duke of Edinburgh today joined the rest of the royal family for the New Year's Day church service. /p

Tax investigators 'focus on footballer perks'

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 11:11am EST

pPremier League footballers and their clubs are being investigated by the taxman over "secret perks" enjoyed by players and their families, according to reports. /p

Man dies in New Year party assault

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 10:20am EST

pA man died after he was assaulted at a New Year's Eve party, police said. /p

Teenager dies climbing England's highest mountain

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 10:05am EST

pA teenager has died while trying to climb England's highest mountain in Cumbria./p

Don't forget the young generation, says Archbishop

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 9:40am EST

pThe Archbishop of Canterbury has called on the public in his New Year message not to give up on the younger generation despite the "horrific" scenes during the summer riots. /p

British woman dies after garden cliff fall

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 9:37am EST

pThe family of a British woman who was killed after plunging from the top of a Caribbean clifftop on Christmas Day have described her death as "a terrible accident". /p

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