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22 May ' 16:45
Court threat to Britain over illegal Libya renditions
Jack Straw and a former top spy could appear in court over allegations that Britain was involved in the illegal rendition of two families to Libya in a landmark legal action that will begin next month. The case could expose MI6 and MI5, the Attorney General, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Home Office to uncomfortable questions about who allegedly authorised the forced return of Libyan dissidents in 2004 which led to their torture and imprisonment. The claim against the Government centres on the rendition of Sami al-Saadi, then an outlawed opponent of the Gaddafi regime, along with his wife and four children, and Abdel Hakim Belhadj, also a leading member of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, and his wife, who was four months pregnant with the couple’s son. Mr Straw, who was Foreign Secretary at the time, and Mark Allen, then head of counter-terrorism at MI6, are accused of involvement in the families’ removal from Hong Kong and Malaysia respectively. The case raises the prospect that William Hague, other ministers and members of the security services could face similar legal action if they are found to have authorised operations that could later be deemed unlawful. The Government is already facing questions over whether Britain provides information to the United States to help with CIA drone strikes against suspected terrorist targets in Pakistan and Yemen which human rights groups have condemned as illeg
‘Heart of darkness’ garden wins top Chelsea prize
An English country garden with a heart of darkness won the Best in Show award at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show. Cleve West won the top prize for the second year in a row with the Brewin Dolphin garden, an orderly procession of topiary and paving with a jagged core of rough stone. The show garden’s focal point is a black hole bored into the back wall between two crudely-hewn slabs of rock, which is supposed to represent the prehistory of the English landscape. Further forward, a path leads through manicured yew hedges to a rusted wrought-iron gate mounted on two dry-stone pillars. Mr West said his garden, which cost £250,000, was intended to take the viewer back through the past of British gardening. Meanwhile a TV presenter who was dropped as anchorman of the BBC’s Chelsea Flower Show coverage so he could design his own garden at the event has see
Published 44 minutes agoIMF tells Osborne it’s time for Plan B
George Osborne was told yesterday to draw up a Plan B, as the world’s leading economic watchdog warned that the recession and eurozone crisis could crush Britain’s hopes of recovery. Christine Lagarde, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, told the Chancellor that he might have to slash VAT and national insurance if growth failed to take off in the coming months. She also called for an immediate interest rate cut, even though rates are at an all time low, and more electronic money printing, saying that Britain’s performance was worryingly weak. Labour claimed Ms Lagarde’s comments showed that the Government’s austerity drive had backfired. Ed Balls, the Shadow Chancellor, said that Britain would pay a “heavy long-term price” unless Mr Osborne eased the pace of the coalition’s spending cuts. Ms Lagarde opened the fund’s annual
Published 44 minutes ago- Prisoners get voting rights: Euro judges ruleGovernment has six months to comply
- Cannes: swearing quota ‘surreal’Ken Loach accuses British film censors of hypocrisy
- Eurovison row: Iran recalls amabassadorAzerbaijan denies Tehran’s gay march claim
- Bremner’s Blog: Merkel v HollandeOur Europe Editor on the euro battle royal in Brussels
- Iran hanging: faked passport emergesDoubt cast over execution of kick-boxer
- Facebook: billions off valueBankers blamed as ‘overpriced’ shares fall for third day in row
- Drogba: quits ChelseaStriker would have stayed if club had lost Champions League
Eureka young photo awards: shortlist revealed
You submitted some fantastic entries. Here are the best
Riots in LA, war in the Balkans, and cheers for Yeltsin
In pictures, the historic events of the Queen’s reign: 1992 - 1993
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Rendering Truth
While being a supportive ally of America, Britain must be open in countering allegations of rendition
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Egypt’s Election
The vote for a new president is an advance for liberty and a prerequisite of stability
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Space Invader
Elon Musk’s commercial mission into space has opened a new era in US spaceflight
SFO accused of “institutional failure” over Tchenguiz case
The Serious Fraud Office dramatically conceded “at the eleventh hour” it should review probe into tycoon Vincent Tchenguiz
GCSEs are unfit for 21st century, bosses say
Schools are failing to produce the confident, rounded young people that employers want because of make-or-break exams
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Heads of Client Services
Home Group - England
£50,000
The price of clean energy: £1,000 per year
Electricity bills set to double over 20 years after Government reveals plans to kick-start £110 billion of investment in low-carbon power generation
M&S decides less is more on the high street
Chief executive admits that plan to rejuvenate Marks & Spencer has been blown off course by the economy after revealing dip in profit
China’s top investor lashes out at Europe
Continent is wallowing in unending crisis while its leaders are wasting time with squabbles, piecemeal bailouts and appeals for illusory global aid
Vodafone to give customers Amazon experience
Vodafone’s chief executive throws down the gauntlet to his rivals with a promise to adopt the “flawless execution” of the online marketplace
Drogba: right time to go is now
The striker revealed that he would have stayed at least another season at Chelsea if the club had not won the Champions League
How Ennis grasped Sheffield baton from Coe
The heptathlete’s first coach was inspired by Sebastien Coe, says John Westerby. Now she hopes the next generation will follow her lead
Board rails at Pietersen’s dark view of Knight
The England batsman showed no concern about the possibility of being fined for criticism of the Sky Sports commentator on Twitter
Yemenis pay bloody price to drive out al-Qaeda militants
Beheadings, mutilation, scalping: the savage legacy of al-Qaeda retreat from town of Lawdar in southern Yemen
PayPal rocket opens up new frontier in space
Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, hopes to win a $1.6bn contract and become first commericial ‘taxi’ service to operate in space
Forged passport adds to doubts over Iran hanging
The showing on state TV of a shoddy fake has increased suspicions that a scapegoat was convicted of killing a nuclear scientist
Farm worker guilty of Terre’Blanche murder
A court has convicted a 29-year-old black farm worker of murdering the white supremacist leader Eugene Terre’Blanche
My film is violent - but so is eating meat, says Brad Pitt
Actor defends graphic screen violence in his new film Killing Them Softly, at the Cannes Film Festival
The Big Reissue: Ram by Paul & Linda McCartney
Bob Stanley reckons McCartney’s 1971 solo album Ram is a lost classic that was unfairly maligned - not least by John and Ringo
China set to rewrite Hollywood script
Developments at the Cannes Film Festival suggest that Chinese tastes — and money — will soon have more influence over the films we see
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22 May ' 06:07
Britain must do more to boost growth, warns IMF
Sam Fleming, Economics Editor, and Jenny BoothUpdated 47 minutes agoBritain urgently needs to introduce a big stimulus package to boost growth to avoid its economy stagnating, the head of the International Monetary Fund said today. Christine Lagarde praised the Coalition’s austerity measures, which she said had boosted the UK’s economic credibility. But in a joint press conference with George Osborne, the Chancellor, the IMF managing director said that it was time for stronger medicine to get the British economy moving again. That included the Bank of England handing more money to banks through its money printing programme and cutting rates further. “Growth is too slow and unemployment, including youth unemployment, is too high. Policies to bolster demand before low growth becomes entrenched are needed,” Ms Lagarde said. Her blueprint for Britain, outlined in the IMF’s Article IV report on the UK economy, was for more quantitative easing, a possible further interest rate cut from the historic low of 0.5 per cent and more measures to boost lending. Ms Lagarde said that without increasing the size of the Government’s overall budget, it could rejig its spending priorities to concentrate more on growth. This could include tax cuts for hard-pressed consumers and a heavier focus on capital infrastructure spending to boost employment. “The quality of fiscal adjustment can be improved to provide support for growth, and this includes budget-neutral shifts towards more infrastructure spe
VIDEO: A capsule is heading towards the International Space Station on a mission that could herald the dawn of a commercial space ageLift-off for billionaire’s space flight
Vandals deface ‘grotesque’ painting of Jacob Zuma
A controversial painting that depicts President Zuma with his genitals exposed was vandalised today at the Johannesburg gallery where it is on display. Two men, a white university professor and a 15-year-old black youth, were arrested after they were seen daubing paint over the artwork at the Goodman Gallery. “One man painted a red X across Zuma’s face, and the second covered the painting with black paint,” a gallery spokesman said. “Now it’s completely and utterly destroyed,” said Iman Rappetti, a television reporter with the eNews channel who was in the gallery at the time and tried to stop the vandalism. Footage of the vandalism shows the older man, wearing a suit, painting a red X over the president’s genital area and then his face. Next the teenager in a hoodie uses his hands to rub black paint over the president’s face and down the painting. Ms
Updated 11 minutes agoWoman ‘saw parents kill sister’
The younger sister of Shafilea Ahmed witnessed her parents suffocating the girl to death at their home, the jury at Chester Crown Court has been told. Alesha Ahmed, now 23, told police what she saw while being questioned as a suspect in a serious robbery at the family home in Warrington, Cheshire, seven years after her sister went missing. The prosecution allege that Iftikhar Ahmed, 52, and his wife Farzana, 49, murdered their 17-year-old daughter because they believed she had brought shame on the family for seeking a westernised lifestyle and refusing to enter into an arranged marriage. Miss Ahmed, who changed her name from Rukesh, told detectives that she had seen both her parents stuffing a carrier bag into Shafilea’s mouth and then blocking her airwaves so she could not breathe. Andrew Edis, QC, opening for the prosecution, said that she will describe
Last updated at 1:05PM, May 22 2012- M&S: announces fall in profitsCompany suffers first drop in three years
- Nuclear power: energy bills to riseNew plans for nuclear and renewables to be announced
- Waterstones: book chain signs Amazon dealKindle zones in stores with free wi-fi
- Girlfriend killer: man jailedParents tried to cover up murder
- Live chat: join Sarah McVittie of the online stylist Dressipi How to make your business last
- Political poll: Britain dividedCountry split down middle over austerity
- Diamond Jubilee: send us your memorabilia picturesAdd them to our Flickr page
Follow the Olympic flame from Taunton to Bristol
Our blog covers all 70 days of the flame’s UK-wide journey
NHS must offer IVF to over 40s
Women in their forties struggling to have a baby should be offered fertility treatment on the NHS, the health watchdog has proposed
Man whose parents covered up girlfriend murder jailed
Elliot Turner, 20, who killed Emily Longley, 17, in a jealous rage was told to forget “champagne, Bentleys and girls” as he was sentenced
M&S moves goalposts as profits slide
The retailer said it would not be able to meet growth targets as it announced its first fall in profits in three years
Live: FTSE up despite eurozone woes
Rolling coverage from our Business and Foreign staff around the world on the market turmoil and latest on the debt crisis
Eurozone turmoil forces Vodafone rethink
The mobile phone giant has slashed the book value of its operations in southern Europe by £4 billion due to the economy
F1 owner offloads stake for £1 billion
CVC Capital Partners sells 23 per cent of holding in sport to investors ahead of flotation
ECB confirms four-Test India series
England will open tour on November 15 in Ahmedabad with two Twenty20 matches and five one-day internationals to follow
Germany to reject Hollande’s remedy for eurozone ills
President Hollande is to propose ‘eurobonds’ at an informal EU summit, even though there is no agreement with Germany on the measure
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21 May ' 18:55
Offer IVF to women over 40, watchdog tells NHS
Laura DixonLast updated at 12:01AM, May 22 2012Women in their forties struggling to have a baby should be offered fertility treatment on the NHS, the health watchdog has proposed. The plan means that women up to the age of 42 who have been unable to conceive naturally would become eligible for at least one cycle of IVF treatment, at a cost of up to £3,000. Current guidelines suggest that women receive funded IVF treatment up to 39. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is also recommending for the first time that gay and lesbian couples would qualify for the treatment if they have tried unsuccessfully for a baby using artificial insemination at private clinics. The proposals, set out in draft guidance today, also recommends that women should be offered three cycles of IVF after just two years of trying for a baby, rather than three years. “Since the original recommendations on fertility were published in 2004, there have been many advances in both treatments and in the understanding of different techniques,” Dr Gill Leng, the deputy chief executive of NICE, said. “Infertility is a medical condition that can cause significant distress for those trying to have a baby. This distress can have a real impact on people’s lives, potentially leading to depression and the breakdown of relationships.” Despite evidence that older women often have difficult pregnancies, many in the medical world welcomed the move to increase the upper age limi
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The Queen looks around the show yesterdayLefteris Pitarakis/AP1 of 17 -
Chelsea Pensioners view Diarmuid Gavin's Westland Magical GardenSang Tan/AP2 of 17 -
Visitors at the showIan Jones3 of 17 - Soprano Laura Wright sings int he Arthritis Research UK GardenOli Scarff/Getty Images4 of 17
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The Grenada stand in the Great PavilionOli Scarff/Getty Images5 of 17
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Violinist Marciana Buta performs in the Great PavilionDominic Lipinski/PA6 of 17
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Auricula on display in the Great PavilionOli Scarff/Getty Images7 of 17
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Final preparations: plants are dustedCarl Court/AFP/Getty Images8 of 17
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Final touches: the National Trust Scotney GreenhouseOli Scarff/Getty Images9 of 17
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Geraldine Somerville launches a new variety of osteospermumPiero Cruciatti/Demotix10 of 17
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Roger Daltrey views the Teenage Cancer Trust gardenOli Scarff/Getty Images11 of 17
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Putting the finishing touches to the gardenOli Scarff/Getty Images12 of 17
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British fencers James Honeybone and Alex O'ConnellBryn Lennon/Getty Images13 of 17
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Ringo Starr and his wife Barbara Bach at the showLuke Macgregor/Reuters14 of 17
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Russian billionaire Evgeny Lebedev admires the flowerssOli Scarff/Getty Images15 of 17
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Dame Ellen MacArthur in the Renault GardenCarl Court/AFP/Getty Images16 of 17 -
Amanda Holden also had a look roundStuart Wilson/Getty Images17 of 17
Saying ‘Happy Jubilee’ with flowers
Military take control of airspace over Olympics
The Ministry of Defence will take control of London airspace for the first time since the Second World War in seven weeks’ time to thwart the threat of a terrorist attack during the Olympic Games. Military personnel will take charge of airspace over much of the South East, covering an area stretching from Brighton on the south coast to positions 15 miles north of Stansted and Luton airports to the north, the Thames estuary in the east and to the west of Reading. Civilian air traffic controllers will continue to guide jets carrying the extra 500,000 visitors expected during the Games into London airports. However, MoD controllers will take overall control of the airspace, including gaps in the controlled airspace normally operated around civilian airports. The MoD will set up a new zone of security airspace restricted by the military. They will work out
Last updated at 12:01AM, May 22 2012Poll: Britain divided over deficit cutting
Britain is completely divided over the scale and pace of the coalition’s deficit reduction plan, suggesting that Labour is failing to capitalise on the Government’s recent difficulties and the eurozone woes, according to a Populus poll for The Times. A total of 49 per cent of voters back the coalition’s so-called “Plan A”; that Britain must stick with eliminating its structural deficit by 2017, even if it means bigger spending cuts over the next four years. A total of 51 per cent believe the Government should slow the pace of cuts, rather than try to deal with the problem completely by 2017. This finding has been broadly consistent for the past 18 months, suggesting that the implementation of the cuts and the emergence of the eurozone crisis has done little to change the public’s mind. This month’s Populus poll found Labour on 41 per cent, down one point
Last updated at 12:01AM, May 22 2012- Afghanistan: will remain a terror threat al-Qaeda will take over lawless areas after 2014 pull-out, Cameron warned
- Everest: four die ‘traffic jam’ as weather window causes rush to summit
- Employment law: Sack-at-will proposalCameron ready to ignore plan, faces Tory revolt
- Rapist huntsman: jailed for four years attacked a drunken woman he gave a lift home after a hunt ball
- Olympic rebellion: official artist seeks getaway Neville Gabie tells of disillusionment
- Al-Megrahi: takes his secrets to the grave low-key funeral for the Lockerbie bomber
- Cycling: minicab boss may face prosecution urged drivers to illegally use bus lanes
Video: trailer shows 007 faces his biggest baddie yet
Be careful James, the Department for Energy awaits you in ‘Skyfall’
Mandela released, Kuwait invaded, Thatcher ousted
In pictures, the historic events of the Queen’s reign: 1990 - 1991
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Growth Pains
Reforming tax and labour laws will cause coalition strains. But unless the Government acts it will pay a higher price
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Thank You For The Music
The death of Robin Gibb reminds us of how much pop music shapes our lives
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Balkan Ghosts
Serb voters revive a nationalist cause that has served the region ill
The girl ‘killed for shaming her parents’
Iftikhar and Farzana Ahmed escaped justice for murdering daughter Shafilea until their younger child told police she saw killing
Blair and Brown were ‘too close’ to Rupert Murdoch
The former Business Secretary said that the amount of contact between the prime ministers and Mr Murdoch led to ‘adverse inference’
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Exclusive Hip Luxury Masseria Hotel
Spectacular private beach, fab spa. Children under 12 free. Southern Italy at its best!
Save up to £198/couple at Inghams Chalet Hotel Al Pigher. From £449 pp with no flight sup
Too little, too late – Bank is criticised over crisis review
Experts are to begin investigations into the Bank of England’s provision of liquidity to the banking sector and into its economic forecasts
Barclay ‘deleted text messages’ in hotel dispute
Paddy McKillen has accused Aidan Barclay, son of Sir David, of selectively deleting text messages relevant to the Maybourne court case
Billions wiped off Facebook after share slide
Shares in the social network fell below the price they were floated at on Friday as hype in the company began to die down
Hedge fund deal charts evolution from pigs to Man
A hedge fund executive from the Nomura training programme has emerged as the main architect of a takeover deal for Man Group
Abramovich prepared to place Di Matteo on trial
Chelsea owner will offer the Italian a 12-month contract after winning the Champions League
England expose fragile West Indies
England expects now, and Andrew Strauss’s team duly delivered, the victory coming at 2.35pm, the winning margin five wickets
Hazard warning lights for City over Belgian
Roberto Mancini’s interest in signing the Lille midfielder wanes after reports that he is seeking a £200,000-a-week deal
No stability for Afghans, admits Obama
President, echoing comments made by adviser to David Cameron, warns that there will be some “bad moments” in the next two years
Megrahi buried in a breezeblock grave
Libyan spy convicted of the Lockerbie bombing was treated as yesterday’s man, by a country that is attempting to move on
Treason charge for Heywood police chief
Wang Lijun, the former police chief of the southwestern metropolis of Chongqing, could face a maximum penalty of death
Germany to reject Hollande’s remedy
Berlin sets the scene for a clash over proposals to pool eurozone debt at an EU summit tomorrow that will attempt to calm the turmoil over the possible Greek exit from the single currency
Our man infiltrates the new Ken Loach film
Ken Loach needed real-life reporters for his new film about a whisky scam. Was Damian Whitworth ready for his close-up?
The soul of Robin Gibb, by Will Hodgkinson
The Times’s rock critic remembers the Bee Gee not just as one of the great songwriters, but as the spiritual man who helped out his father
TV review: Gok Cooks Chinese
As Gok Wan went from fashion to food, he was a gifted chef - even if the trippy production had a bit of the MSG about it
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20 May ' 14:51
Exclusive: Osborne was ‘aghast’ at swift coalition
Last updated at 9:40PM, May 20 2012George Osborne was “aghast” at David Cameron’s swift offer to Nick Clegg of a full coalition, a revised biography of the Prime Minister reveals. Mr Osborne harboured doubts about Mr Cameron’s “big, open and comprehensive offer” to the Liberal Democrats the day after polling day in 2010 before the Conservatives had nailed down the terms of such a deal. Mr Cameron’s landmark speech offering Mr Clegg seats in government went through at least five drafts, in part because Mr Osborne objected to the word “coalition” being used so many times. The details are disclosed in an updated version of Cameron: Practically a Conservative by Francis Elliott of The Times and James Hanning of The Independent on Sunday. Despite the “very high levels of trust” between Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne, it recounts a number of pivotal moments in the past few years when they have disagreed. The book also relates how Mr Osborne confessed to a friend that he was “hating every minute” of his role as Tory election co-ordinator in 2010. The campaign was “quarrelsome and dysfunctional”, in part because of competing demands made by Steve Hilton, Mr Cameron’s strategy guru, and Andy Coulson, his communications chief. It tells how Mr Cameron was “catatonic with depression”, according to a close ally, after he had flopped in the first televised leaders’ debate. And it reveals how shortly afterwards, with an outright Tory victory looking unlikely, senio
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Abdul Baset Ali al-Megrahi, the only person convicted of the atrocityCrown Office/PA1 of 2 -
The air disaster memorial garden at Dryfesdale cemetery in LockerbieTimes photographer, James Glossop2 of 2
Fresh calls for full truth on Lockerbie
Olympic bearers sell torches on eBay
It was designed as a golden souvenir of a momentous day. But for some of the runners carrying the Olympic flame around Britain, the torch is also a chance to make money. Some have profit as a motivation, others charity. Either way, they are aiming to sell the aluminium torches for thousands of pounds. Last night, two days into the 70-day national relay, at least 28 torches were listed on eBay, the online auction site, with prices ranging from £215 to £125,000. The 8,000 nominated torch-bearers are offered the chance to buy their torch after completing their leg, for £199 in advance or £258 if they pay on the day. They cost £495 each to make. Two of the Torch Relay sponsors, Coca-Cola and Samsung, are covering the cost and buying torches for their nominees. The third sponsor, Lloyds TSB, is not, although it will donate torches to selected schools. A spokesman for Coca-Cola, which is spons
Published 1 minute agoPakistan to spoil Nato summit
President Obama refused to talk to Pakistan’s leader at the Nato summit today after he persisted in demanding $5,000 for every truck taking supplies into Afghanistan across Pakistani borders as a quid pro quo for reopening the frontier gates for the alliance’s convoys. President Asif Ali Zardari had accepted an invitation to come to the summit in Chicago at the last minute, raising expectations that he would relent over what was described as his “extortionate” demands, and make an offer that Nato would find less easy to refuse. His presence at the summit was seen as an indication that the Pakistan government was finally ready to break the impasse over the border issue which had soured relations for six months. Pakistan closed the border gates, through which 40 per cent of Nato’s supply convoys had previously passed , in retaliation for the deaths of 24
Last updated at 4:52PM, May 20 2012- G8: scant progress on eurozoneMerkel holds out against UK and US during tetchy talks
- Blind dissident: Chen Guangcheng arrives in US Calls for fight against injustice to continue
- Italy: strong quake leaves 3 dead5.9-magnitude earthquake rocked a large swath of northern Italy
- Sri Lanka: Fonseka freed tomorrowFormer army chief is set to be released from prison
- East Timor: celebrates independenceNew president sworn in ahead of 10th anniversary
- Missing fishermen: hopes dashed sunken vessel found with liferaft still attached
- Suu Kyi: to address both Houses of ParliamentShe will speak to MPs and Lords
Torch Relay Day 2: whipping up the crowds in Devon
Support for blind torchbearer drowns out even the town crier
Tiananmen, the fall of Ceausescu, and climate change
In pictures, the historic events of the Queen’s reign: 1988 - 1989
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A Sorry Affair
The death of Abdul Baset Ali al-Megrahi brings a disgraceful episode to an end
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Personal Politics
The G8 meeting showed that personal chemistry is lacking among the leaders
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The Price of Competition
It is a shame to see Olympic torches turning up instantly on eBay
Comrades, Britain needs an eight-year plan
James Purnell
weekend secrets of the ‘chillaxing’ PM
Revealed: intimate portrait of Cameron in biography and the departure of No10 adviser frustrated at focus on power not policy
Suu Kyi to address both Houses of Parliament
Burmese leader will speak to both MPs and Lords in an unprecedented week-long UK visit starting on June 18
Underwriters reportedly stepped in to support the company’s shares in the first hour to prevent them falling below the IPO price, but the price has since stabilised
Di Matteo ‘in the mix’ for Chelsea job
Ron Gourlay says progress under the Italian has been “phenomenal” since he replaced Andre Villas-Boas
Cole ready to ride new wave at West Ham
Portuguese forward scores the crucial goal as as they rode their luck to return to the top flight at the first time of asking
Leinster prove to be in class of their own
Leinster 42 Ulster 14: Leinster secure a third Heineken Cup success in four seasons by running in five tries during the final at Twickenham
Zuckerberg status update: married
The Facebook co-founder caps off an extraordinary week with surprise wedding to his longtime girlfriend Priscilla Chan
Blind activist Chen arrives in NY
Chen Guangcheng landed in the US overnight and immediately called for the ‘fight against injustice’ to continue
Syrian regime denies ministers killed
The Military Council of the Free Syrian Army had said that a cook had posioned President Assad’s brother-in-law and other ministers
Hope and horror beneath the palms
The celebrities are in Cannes, but at least someone’s happy to pour cold water on their pink champagne, writes Kate Muir
TV review: The Bridge finale
Growing personalities met tidy plotting, as we learnt the fate of Saga, our flawed heroine, and Martin, our flawed hero
Book of the week: Behind the Beautiful Forevers
Katherine Boo’s unflinching look at the lives of India’s slum-dwellers who are still neglected by every section of the State
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18 May ' 20:10
Exclusive: Secrets of the ‘chillaxing’ PM
and Philip WebsterPublished at 12:01AM, May 19 2012David Cameron’s secrets of how to switch off from the pressures of work are revealed today: karaoke, snooker, tennis against a machine dubbed “the Clegger” and three or four glasses of wine at Sunday lunch. An intimate portrait of life at Chequers is revealed in an updated biography of the Prime Minister serialised in The Times. “If there was an Olympic gold medal for ‘chillaxing’, he would win it,” according to an ally. The book also discloses how a frustrated Steve Hilton left Downing Street this week believing that Mr Cameron had become too focused on power rather than forcing through radical change. It charts a loss of faith between Mr Cameron and his policy guru despite their 20-year friendship. With Britain in recession and the Conservatives slipping in the polls, the Prime Minister’s leisure habits have increasingly been used against him by both
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David Cameron, who has come under fire for “always relaxing” when he is out of the spotlight, has a tennis machine at Chequers that he calls the CleggerChris Radburn/AFP/Getty Images
Obama warns Merkel: back growth plans
President Barack Obama is stepping up pressure on Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany at the G8 meeting in Camp David this weekend to back a package of euro-zone measures to stimulate jobs and growth and to loosen austerity measures in Europe or risk plunging the global economy – and America - back into recession. The summit comes at a key time for the President six months before Americans decide whether to return the him to the White House in an election that will be decided largely on whether his handling of economy - with its emphasis on stimulus spending, not austerity - is seen to be working. Mr Obama yesterday made clear his determination not to allow Europe to drag him down, saying after a meeting today morning with the new French President Francois Hollande, another proponent of growth policies, that he wanted to persuade the euro-zone countries
Facebook shares get a bumpy ride
Looking excited, if overwhelmed by the occasion, Mark Zuckerberg, the 28-year-old chief executive and co-founder of Facebook, pressed a button yesterday morning at his company’s headquarters in Menlo Park, California. With that, he sounded the bell to open the Nasdaq stock exchange in New York as his company began trading its shares publicly. The move made him a multibillionaire and one of the world’s richest men. Thanks to the engineers who had “hacked” the button, a status update instantly appeared on his personal Facebook page. It read: “Mark Zuckerberg listed a company on NASDAQ.” The euphoria of the site’s creator, however, was not matched by investors. When Facebook shares began trading, its stock opened at about $42 (£26) a share, up about 10 per cent from its offer price of $38 a share. At that higher figure, the company was worth close to $115
- Santander: bank calls for calm British savers take out money after Spanish downgrade
- School places: ‘more should hold lotteries’ make admissions more diverse, says chief
- Jubilee dinner: ‘dine with a despot’or the greatest royal gathering of modern times?
- Dementia: patient seen by 106 carers in a yearwidow condemns undignified ‘conveyer belt’
- Smuggler kingpin: jailed for lifeChina’s ‘most corrupt man’ bribed hundreds of officials
- Foetus smuggling: British citizen arrested man held in Bangkok over six corpses found in raid
- Grooming: Baroness Warsi wades inDon’t tolerate sex abuse, UK’s most senior Muslim politicians tells imams
How economic turmoil turned the world upside down
The young Europeans now seeking work in Brazil, India and China
Cold War summit, Bhopal, Live Aid, and a hijacking
In pictures, the historic events of the Queen’s reign: 1984 - 1985
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The Second Elizabethan Age
Queen Elizabeth’s realm has changed almost beyond recognition since she took the throne, but it is still British
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Parental Guidance Suggested
Everybody knows how to raise other people’s children. Even the Government
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Feeling Blue
Surely, for just a couple of hours, you can support Chelsea
Santander calls for calm as savers digest downgrades
There was a rise in customers withdrawing money in the wake of the downgrading of the Spanish-owned bank’s credit rating
Councils are owed £465m in residential care fees
Charities say that the numbers highlight a growing crisis in social care, with many people struggling to meet rising costs
Time to stop the cameras rolling, say cinema chiefs
The heads of Vue, Cineworld and Odeon have complained that Britain has one of the lightest regimes in the world on film piracy
Pessimistic dove prepares to take flight from the Bank
The arch-dove will leave the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee to take the helm at a leading American think-tank
Stagecoach hopes to ride well trod route
Company has spent up to £99 million buying parts of the insolvent Coach America — the present name of a business it bought 13 years ago
Whitehall mandarin wins race for bank
Sir Suma Chakrabarti, who serves as the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, will lead the EBRD for the next four years
Di Matteo fearing the final verdict
Chelsea manager accepts not even Champions League triumph can secure him job next season
Strauss lets his bat do the talking
England captain managed to bat his way in and out of headlines at the same time with an imperious century at Lord’s against West Indies
Nolan puts Wembley hopes on his shoulders
Ninety minutes separate the West Ham United captain from proving something, or from knuckling down and starting again
China’s 300m microbloggers shake the system
Sina Weibo, a 140-character microblog rather like Twitter - is threatening Communist Party supremacy
Fear for future as disease wipes out wombats
Newly discovered condition blamed on non-native weeds causes marsupials to lose all their fur and starve to death
Afghanistan exit no reason to cut defence, Nato told
Nato members hoping to make cuts when the campaign ends are to be asked to safeguard military budgets for future shared operations
Life in jail for ‘most corrupt businessman’
Smuggling kingpin China described as country’s most corrupt man in 60 years of Communist rule has been jailed for bribing hundreds of officials
Harry Belafonte at 85: his amazing life
He sold millions of records and, as a civil rights activist, he bailed Martin Luther King out of jail. Now, the ‘Calypso King’ recalls his amazing life
How Ziggy Stardust changed my life
Forty years ago, David Bowie’s alter ego inspired a pop generation, not least Spandau Ballet’s Ivor Novello-winning Gary Kemp
Vicky McClure: TV’s brightest rising star
The star of This is England tells all about suffering for director Shane Meadows. And eating Madonna’s birthday cake
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17 May ' 04:30
Cameron: Germany must do more to save the euro
David Cameron lectured eurozone countries today to act urgently to safeguard the future of the single currency or risk a messy break-up that threatens livelihoods across the continent. The Prime Minister said that Germany in particular had to do more — and quickly — to stop the unravelling of the euro, which would have a severe impact on Britain. Mr Cameron conceded that eurozone countries would not take kindly to firmly-worded advice coming from outside its borders. However, he used a major speech on the economy to betray impatience with “the return of a crisis that never really went away”. He said that, two years after the coalition Government was formed in the UK in the midst of a eurozone debt crisis, “little has changed — that’s the backdrop against which we have to work. So it’s only right that we set out our views.” The Prime Minister said that Italy, Spain and Portugal needed to go further in cutting spending and making economic reforms. And, in an intervention that is sure to annoy Chancellor Angela Merkel, Mr Cameron said that German taxpayers needed to stump up money to defend the euro and Berlin had to water down the Bundesbank’s inflexible approach to central banking by being ready to print electronic money. The eurozone also had to overcome German intransigence and to pool fiscal sovereignty, allowing more tax and spending powers to be wielded centrally along with the eurozone’s interest rates, he
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James Anderson unsuccessfully appeals for the wicket of Adrian BarathGetty1 of 4 -
Anderson celebrates taking the wicket of Kieran PowellPA2 of 4 -
Powell was bowled out for fiveGetty3 of 4 -
England won the toss and decided to bowl first at Lord'sPA4 of 4
Live cricket: England face West Indies
Mladic trial suspended over prosecution ‘errors’
The genocide trial of Ratko Mladic was suspended indefinitely today due to the prosecution’s failure to hand over case files in good time to the defence at the Yugoslav tribunal in The Hague. Mladic had appealed for six more months to prepare his defence and the “significant errors” of the prosecution errors played into his hands when Judge Alphons Orie announced that he could not yet set a date for the evidence against him to start. The decision is expected to delay the trial by at least two months. “In light of the prosecution’s significant disclosure errors…the chamber informs the parties that it has decided to suspend the start of the presentation of evidence,” the judge ruled after the prosecution completed its two-day opening statement. “The chamber is still in the process of gathering information of the scope and full impact of this error. The
Updated 13 minutes agoWhite babies are now minority in US
It has been long predicted but is now official: white babies no longer outnumber non-white babies in the United States. Census Bureau data released today show that non-Hispanic whites accounted for 49.6 per cent of births between July 2010 and July 2011. The estimates highlight sweeping changes in the country’s racial make-up after more than two centuries of white domination. “This is an important tipping point,” William H. Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution told The New York Times, describing the shift as a “transformation from a mostly white baby boomer culture to the more globalized multiethnic country that we are becoming”. As a whole, the US’s minority population continues to rise, following a higher-than-expected Hispanic count in the 2010 census. Minorities increased 1.9 per cent to 114.1 million, or 36.6 per cent of the total p
Updated 31 minutes ago- Times website: shortlisted for best websiteNominated for a total of 15 awards in Online Media Awards
- Vauxhall: creates 700 new jobs at Ellesmere PortA further 2,100 jobs protected
- Statin drugs: ‘benefit all over-50s’Cholesterol cutter helps even the well, study shows
- Jubilee snub: Spanish queen cancels visit Pulls out of Windsor lunch as tensions mount over Gibraltar
- Nuclear waste: ‘storage facility’ planDistrict council residents asked for opinions
- Syria: US supporting rebelsCo-ordinating Qatari and Saudi efforts to arm fighters
- Whitehall stunned: senior civil servant resigns ‘Aggressive culture’ blamed
Racism, betrayal, favouritism and lies taint Miss World
Mixed-race teenage winner dumped by Fiji amid rigging row
Reagan, Walesa, Mt St Helens and a Royal wedding
In pictures, the historic events of the Queen’s reign: 1980 - 1981
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Devalue and reform
Greece must leave the euro - but a return to the drachma would be an opportunity, not a cure-all
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Justice and Deterrence
Subjecting war crimes to international courts is an important civilising advance
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Guns and Glory
The old HMS Victory went down with a story of very British plodding
Spain’s Queen Sofía snubs Queen over Gibraltar
Queen Sofía cancels lunch with the Queen after Count and Countess of Wessex announce plan to go to the Rock
District council mulls over cash for nuclear dump
Vast quantities of nuclear waste could be dumped in the southeast of England despite the safety risks, according to plans
GM saves UK factory after workers sign up to new deal
Vauxhall workers have approved a new pay-and-conditions deal that paves the way for major investment in Britain’s car industry
Bankia shares plunge as withdrawals soar
Shares in the troubled Spanish lender have fallen by more than 25 per cent today as customers race to pull out their savings
Fall in joblessness lightens the gloom in Whitehall
The number of people out of work fell by 45,000 to 2.63 million in the three months to March, the Office for National Statistics said
California likes Facebook - and the $2bn share tax windfall
Silicon Valley’s largest stock market float, due tomorrow, is likely to have its biggest impact in the state in which Facebook is based
Tévez says Ferguson is like ‘president’
Manchester City forward goes back on apology to launch attack on United manager
Strauss eager to find form before big summer challenge
England’s priority is to get back to winning ways and West Indies represent ideal opponents before summer series against South Africa
Ferdinand sure Terry row behind omission
Defender is convinced that he has become the principal victim of the allegations against John Terry, the former England captain
Gulf arms Syrian rebels amid US policy shift
Hopes of political solution fade as White House accepts likelihood of military confrontation, possibly involving Turkey
Sri Lanka army chief Fonseka ‘to be freed from jail’
Hopes were raised today that Sarath Fonseka, Sri Lanka’s former army chief and presidential candidate, is about to be released from jail
Hollande cuts ministerial salaries
The French President will cut ministerial pay in a move that should regain him some positive headlines after a difficult first day
Zoo’s escaped penguin spotted in Tokyo Bay
Two months after escaping from a marine zoo, the bird known only as Penguin No 337 has reappeared in the murky waters of Tokyo Bay
The QCs who work in the inquiry spotlight
Robert Jay has had more airtime in recent months than the Queen. So what is his job as counsel to the Leveson inquiry?
Rebekah Brooks: fair trials and publicity
The decision to charge will have implications for the other responses to phone-hacking and payments to public officials
Why one size will not fit all patents
Heavy-handed plans to harmonise European patents have created haunting echoes of how the euro was first launched
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16 May ' 07:39
Eurozone may be forced to break up, says Cameron
Eurozone nations have to act swiftly to solve their debt crisis or face up to a “potential break-up”, David Cameron said today. It was the Prime Minister’s most explicit warning yet on the problems facing the single currency and came just one day after George Osborne rebuked the German Chancellor Angela Merkel for destabilising financial markets by raising the spectre of a Greek euro exit. “The eurozone has to make a choice, “Mr Cameron told MPs at Prime Minister’s Questions. “If the eurozone wants to continue as it is, then it has got to build a proper firewall, it has got to take steps to secure the weakest members of the eurozone, or it’s going to have to work out it has to go in a different direction, “It either has to make up or it is looking at a potential break-up. That is the choice they have to make, and it is a choice they cannot long put off.” Mr Cameron was speaking after Greek authorities announced fresh elections on June 17 following the collapse of negotiations to form a unity government. Asked whether the PM was trying to send a signal to Greek voters about which way to vote next month, a spokesman said: “Who the Greeks elect as their government is completely a matter for them. I think the main political parties in Greece are all in favour of being in the euro.” Stock markets across Europe were again unsettled by the uncertainty over whether any new administration in Athens will be able to honour the
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The full England squad for Euro 20121 of 12 -
Hodgson said Ferdinand was dropped for footballing reasonsTimes photographer, Marc Aspland2 of 12 -
Hodgson said that the decision to drop Ferdinand was a footballing decisionMike Egerton/EMPICS3 of 12 -
Ferdinand, right, was excluded from the squad, but Terry is inTimes photographer, Marc Aspland4 of 12
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He sprang a surprise by selecting John RuddyTimes photographer, Marc Aspland5 of 12
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Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was the surprise call-up by HodgsonPaul Gilham/Getty Images6 of 12
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Gerrard, right, has been named captainMarc Aspland for The Times7 of 12
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Ferdinand, right, was excluded from the squad, but Terry is inTimes photographer, Marc Aspland8 of 12
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Defoe in picked despite few league starts this season for SpursTim Hales/AP9 of 12
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Downing has scored two goals this season but is selectedAndrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images10 of 12
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Roy Hodgson will explain his decision from 2pmTimes photographer,Marc Aspland11 of 12 -
Ruddy will be the third-choice goalkeeperMatthew Childs/Action Images12 of 12
Live: Rio ‘took omission gracefully’
Home Secretary booed and jeered by police
Theresa May endured jeers, boos and hecklers calling for her resignation today as she told rank-and-file police officers there was no turning back on wide-ranging reforms to their service. The Home Secretary endured an increasingly hostile two-hour session at the Police Federation conference in Bournemouth as delegates queued up to tell her that police reform proposals were “disgraceful”, “disgusting”, “shameful” and “dishonourable”. Simon Payne, a Warwickshire police officer, told her: “Home Secretary we no longer trust you in the police service - full stop, end of story.” She left the stage to boos and shouts of “You’re out of touch” and hundreds of delegates stood and held up banners stating “Enough is Enough”. The deeply felt anger in the police service - over pay an
Last updated at 2:36PM, May 16 2012Mladic makes throat-cut gesture
Ratko Mladic was warned to stop taunting the families of his victims after he made a throat-cutting gesture to them in court as his genocide trial began today. Now 70, the former Bosnian Serb army commander is accused of ordering the slaughter of 8,000 unarmed Bosnian Muslim men and boys from Srebrenica in July 1995, and the 1992-95 siege of Sarajevo in which 10,000 civilians were killed by his snipers and artillery. Dubbed the “Butcher of Bosnia”, he allegedly ordered his troops to drive out Croats, Muslims and other non-Serbs from Bosnian towns, with the aim of building an ethnically pure Greater Serbia. Mr Mladic caught the eye of members of the Mothers of Srebrenica in the public gallery and made his cutthroat sign towards the end of the first session of the morning. The court is taking breaks in deference to his ill health. He was responding direct
Last updated at 8:57AM, May 16 2012- Fire tragedy parents: donate son’s organsParents of child arson victims speak of ordeal
- Greece: calls election re-runDate set for June 17, amid fear of run on banks
- Welfare: PM considers £25bn cutsNick Clegg says he would reject move
- Video: Beckham is the butt of Obama jokePresident teases him about underwear
- Facebook blow: GM to stop advertisingBad news ahead of stock market floatation
- World Agenda: ‘insane’ to abandon Afghans nowRyan Crocker, US ambassador to Kabul, fires warning
What the Times cycle campaign has taught us so far
Who backs us, what we’ve achieved and our future hopes
PM considers £25bn welfare cuts
David Cameron is looking at plans that would see an extra £25 billion in welfare cuts, including a further crackdown on housing benefit
‘Don’t mess with Grandma,’ says William
The Duke of Cambridge says that there is one thing he definitely learnt from his childhood: not to mess with the Queen
Jobless rate falls by 45,000 despite recession
Unemployment fell at the fastest pace in nearly a year in the three months to March despite the economy tipping back into recession
Diamond’s pay was opposed from within
Alison Carnwath, chairman of Barclays’remuneration committee, argued that the chief executive did not deserve his £2.7 million bonus
Wet weather leaves Greggs’ sales soggy
The Newcastle-based baker said that sales had fallen by 1.8 per cent in the 19 weeks to May 12 on the back of miserable weather
Beckham to bring home Olympic flame
Former England captain will join Princess Anne in bringing the flame back to Britain on Friday
Kagawa admits to speaking to Ferguson
Borussia Dortmund midfielder spoke to Manchester United manager after German Cup victory but said he has not decided his next destination
First GB women to box at London 2012
Natasha Jonas and Nicola Adams reach the World Championships semi-finals in China to ensure their qualification for Games
Greece calls election rerun as fears grow
After nine days of failed coalition talks Greece has called a rerun election for June 17 amid fears that the economy is in danger of collapse
WikiLeaks cable ‘may have led Tehran to hang kick-boxer’
Majid Jamali Fashi, 24, had been convicted of killing Masoud ali Mohammadi, a particle physics professor at Tehran University
Video: Beckham is butt of Obama joke
President Obama teased David Beckham over his underwear line as he celebrated LA Galaxy’s Major League Soccer title
We asked Noel Gallagher, Slash, Plan B and many more to nominate the tracks they wish they’d written. Which would yours be?
Cannes snapshots: a potted history of the Film Festival
To celebrate the Cannes Film Festival, which kicks off today, a selection of its most memorable moments since it began
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15 May ' 22:30
Lagarde dares to talk of ‘messy’ Greek euro exit
Greece was served notice last night that the euro can survive without it as Athens prepared for another general election that could end the country’s membership of the single currency. Europe must prepare for Greece to return to the drachma if voters return a left-wing government bent on ripping up the terms of the country’s international bailout, politicians warned. Christine Lagarde, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, said that the eurozone needed to be “technically prepared for anything” while warning that a Greek exit could be “quite messy”. Ben Knapen, the Dutch Minister for Europe, said that the eurozone was ready to survive a Greek exit and that there was no scope to water down the country’s austerity plans. Their comments came as last-ditch coalition talks collapsed in Athens, paving the way for an election on June 10 or 17. If Greece reneges on the rescue terms, its lifeline from official creditors is likely to be severed, forcing it to dump the euro. Adding to the political drama, an aircraft carrying President Hollande of France to Berlin was forced to turn back after a lightning strike. Mr Hollande switched to another aircraft to make the journey to attend talks with Angela Merkel aimed at resetting France’s relationship with Germany. The euro slid to a four-month low against the dollar as figures showed that the eurozone narrowly avoided recession in the first quarter of the year.
Rio Ferdinand left out of Euro 2012 by Hodgson
Rio Ferdinand emerged last night as the big-name casualty of Roy Hodgson’s England squad for the European Championship finals. The new England manager telephoned Ferdinand yesterday to inform him that he is out of the squad, effectively signalling the end of the Manchester United defender’s international career. Hodgson will maintain when he announces his 23-man squad at 1pm today that the decision has been made purely for football reasons, citing the player’s age and injury problems, but Ferdinand, 33, is understood to believe that tensions between him and John Terry are a factor. When asked last night, after a United friendly against an Irish Premier League Select XI in Belfast, whether Hodgson had left him out of the squad, Ferdinand said: “Yes.” On a dramatic day, Hodgson also: • Held face-to-face discussions with the Chelsea players at the club’s
Last updated at 12:01AM, May 16 2012Trayvon killer ‘had broken nose’
George Zimmerman, the Florida Neighbourhood Watch captain accused of murdering Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager, was diagnosed with two black eyes, a fractured nose and cuts to the back of his head after he fatally shot the teen. Mr Zimmerman, who faces a second degree murder charge for the shooting after an altercation with the 17-year-old high school student in February, has claimed that he was acting in self defence after the black teenager attacked him. According to the ABC, medical records indicate that Mr Zimmerman was injured on the night of the attack although, according to PA, he declined hospitalisation at the time and did not go to a doctor until the next day. A neighbour told ABC News that the day after the shooting he saw Mr Zimmerman as he spoke to officers outside his home. He said he saw that Mr Zimmerman, who has been accused
Updated 16 minutes ago- Carlos Fuentes: dies aged 83Author was a leader of Mexico’s literary left
- meets MerkelPlane hit by lightning but new French leader makes it to Berlin
- Iran hanging: blamed on WikileaksDetails of man who killed scientist on leaked US cable
- Obama: poll blowUS President’s backing of gay marriage leaves him behind Romney
- Tidal energy: private cash neededSevern barrage could win government approval
- Syria: funeral killingsUN monitors attacked as Assad forces kill more than 20 mourners
- BSkyB questionsHunt and aide to be questioned under oath over leaks
Can a computer convincingly talk like a human?
Competition pits some artifical intelligence against Tom Whipple’s
Air chaos blamed on ‘wrong wind’
Immigration Minister says risk-based security checks are not necessarily the answer to delays at Britain’s busiest airport
‘Don’t waste taxpayer cash in sale of banks’
Investors warn the Government not to do a sweetheart deal with sovereign wealth fund to jump-start sale of taxpayers’ stakes in RBS and Lloyds
Councils take their cash out of Santander
Councils have been taking millions of pounds out of British Santander branches because of fears about the weakening Spanish economy
UK exporters look away from the eurozone
Share of British exports to the eurozone has slipped to its lowest level on record in the first quarter of 2012 but demand from China soars
Employers say ‘empty words are not enough’
Manufacturers deliver a withering judgment on the Government’s industrial policy, accusing the coalition of resorting to empty rhetoric
Dalglish future remains unclear
The Liverpool manager has been left in limbo after face-to-face talks with owners concluded without confirmation over his position
Murray defeats Nalbandian on comeback
The world No 4 returned to the court after sitting out last week’s Madrid Open to reach the third round of Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome
Wheelchair duel has grand slams aplenty
Former England rugby union international Alastair Hignell, who has multiple sclerosis, reports on the sport’s Paralympic relation
Defiant Mladic faces genocide charges
The 70-year-old former Bosnian Serb army chief will do his best to delay justice at the start of his landmark trial in the Hague tomorrow
Two dead in attack on former Colombia politician
Bomb attack left Fernando Londono, a hardline minister in the previous administration suffering minor shrapnel wounds
‘Saddam’s attacks on us must be called genocide’
A British endorsement would help gain international recognition that the suffering endured by Iraq’s Kurds was genocide
UN monitors caught in Syria funeral ‘massacre’
UN ceasefire monitors came under attack yesterday as they attended a funeral in which Syrian regime forces reportedly opened fire on mourners
Last night’s TV: Andrew Billen on Silk and Mad Men
There’s nothing much wrong with the legal drama Silk, which returned last night, but then you compare it to Mad Men...
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15 May ' 14:04
Brooks and husband condemn ‘witchhunt’
andDavid ByersLast updated at 6:20PM, May 15 2012Rebekah Brooks tonight condemned charges against her as biased and a waste of public money as she and her husband launched an attack on the police and Crown Prosecution Service. The former chief executive of News International said she was baffled by three charges of perverting the course of justice laid against her, and felt anger that some of her former colleagues had also been charged. Her husband Charlie, a racehorse trainer, claimed that it would be impossible for his wife ever to receive a fair trial. The pair made their joint defiant statement outside the offices of their lawyers after a dramatic day in which they became, along with four others, the first to be charged as a result of the phone hacking scandal. “Whilst I have always respected the criminal justice system I have to question today whether the judgement was made on a proper, impartia
Rebekah Brooks, a former News of The World Editor and chief executive of News International, said charges against her were biased and a waste of public moneyLagarde dares to talk of Greek euro exit
The powerful head of the International Monetary Fund warned Europe that it had to be “technically prepared” for the possibility of Greece leaving the eurozone and said that it could be “quite messy”. The comments from Christine Lagarde, the former French finance minister, came as talks to form a crisis government in Athens finally collapsed, propelling Greece towards elections likely to put its euro membership at risk. Asked in an interview on France 24 television whether Greece could leave the eurozone, Ms Lagarde replied: “We certainly don’t hope so, from the IMF point of view ... but we have to be technically prepared for anything”. On the possible fallout from a Greek exit, she said: “You have consequences on growth, you have consequences on trade and you have consequences on financial markets ... You can certainly assume it would be quite messy.” M
Wind blamed for Heathrow queues
We’ve had leaves on the line. We’ve had the wrong type of snow. Now, the Government is blaming another natural phenomenon for the long queues at Heathrow: the wind. Damian Green, the Immigration Minister, appeared before the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee today to argue that bringing in risk-based security checks would not necessarily be the answer to cutting queues at Britain’s busiest airport. He said that passengers travelling to Heathrow from New York may well have longer waits to clear security if their flight arrives ten minutes after one from Lagos, Nigeria, than if it arrives ten minutes earlier. “That will depend on the wind, over which, with the best will in the world, airlines and the Border Force don’t have the control,” he said. Mr Green said he was not against the introduction of risk-based controls but a scheme tested last year
- Hollande: austerity swearing-inNew President parades in a hybrid car
- Leveson: judge urges MPs to back offHunt should first appear before his inquiry
- Tevez: star ‘sorry’ for Ferguson posterPlayer waved ‘Fergie RIP’ banner in Manchester
- Dalai Lama: China furious after Cameron meetingWarns UK of ‘serious consequences’
- admits North Korea arms dealsPledge made to end sanction-breaking
- Ukraine: EU bluff called on TymoshenkoCourt hearing delayed
Superman, a super (test-tube) baby and a woman PM
Relive moments of history in the Queen’s reign: 1978-1979
‘Granny’s Chips’ are reunited at Buckingham Palace
Stones from largest rough diamond ever found go on display
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Starting Over
With fresh Greek elections now a certainty, Germany and France must work together. Both must change their positions
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Bums On Seats
The best way to fund more films is to sell more tickets
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Nice Car, Monsieur
But it was a bit of a shame about the cuirassiers
Ball guest ‘raped by hunt master after getting lift home’
The woman told a court that she was attacked by a married hunt master for 20 minutes before she was able to escape
Tougher jail terms for owners of dangerous dogs
Owners could face up to six months in jail if they allow their pets get out of control in a public place, even if no one is injured
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Logica Graduate Programme
Logica - England
£21,600 - £26,000
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Director Of the Leadership College
Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) - Coventry Based
c.£100k per annum
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Programme Manager
Skills Funding Agency - Coventry
£50,318 - £60,417
Markets live: Greece to hold new elections
Rolling coverage from our Business and Foreign staff around the world on the market turmoil and latest on the debt crisis
Eurozone narrowly avoids recession
Coty leaves Avon alone on the doorstep
Tesco managers to have bonuses trimmed
Philip Clarke, the chief executive of the chain, said that performance-related bonuses would be slashed because of missed targets
United accept apology over ‘R.I.P. Fergie’ placard
Club move to draw a line under the incident after striker and club issue an apology over controversial sign
Dalglish waits to learn his Liverpool fate
The manager has returned to Merseyside following talks with the club’s owner in Boston as Fenway Sports Group’s review process continues
Massa put on red alert by Ferrari
Brazilian must deliver an improved performance at the Monaco Grand Prix with the Italian team examining their options for a replacement
Greek talks fail and prompt elections
Last ditch meeting between Greece’s President and the leaders of five political parties was unable to come to any agreement
Hybrid Hollande in austerity handover
François Hollande pledged gravely to rule with simplicity and sobriety as he was sworn in as President of France today
Lady Gaga Indonesia gig axed after Islamists’ threat
Islamist groups in Indonesia threatened to break up ‘devil worshipper’ Lady Gaga’s concert in Jakarta
Songs we wish we’d written, by Noel, Rufus, Slash and more
The Ivor Novello songwriting awards are tomorrow. We asked musicians to nominate their ultimate pop tunes
Fassbender’s Shame competition
Kate Muir invites readers to write a one-sentence review of the film Shame for the chance of winning a copy on Blu-ray
Let’s cut to the must-reads, the best, the unforgettable!
Join The Times Book Club and post your reviews on our wall as well as discussing books with other readers and Times writers
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15 May ' 04:09
Latest: Brooks and husband to be charged
Jenny BoothUpdated 28 minutes agoA defiant Rebekah Brooks was today told she faces three charges of perverting the course of justice during the phone-hacking scandal. The former chief executive of News International and her husband Charlie, a racehorse trainer, were formally notified this morning that they both face court action. They will be charged when they answer bail at a police station later today. Four other suspects, including Mrs Brooks’s chauffeur, bodyguard and personal assistant, will also be charged today. Mr and Mrs Brooks immediately put out a statement revealing that they were now facing criminal charges, pre-empting the official announcement by the Crown Prosecution Service. “We deplore this weak and unjust decision,” they said. “After the further unprecedented posturing of the CPS we will respond later today after our return from the police station.” The company’s
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The couple are alleged to have tried to conceal material from the policeStefan Rousseau/PA1 of 4 -
Rebekah Brooks leaving the Leveson inquiry last weekSang Tan/AP2 of 4 -
She and her husband, Charlie, left, have been chargedReuters3 of 4 -
Mrs Brooks's former PA, Cheryl Carter, has also been chargedNews Group Newspapers Ltd4 of 4
Whitehall to work at home for Olympics
Civil servants have been told they can work from home for seven weeks during the Olympics, prompting incredulity from ministers, MPs and business leaders. Tens of thousands of civil servants based in Central London will be allowed to work from home from July 21 — six days before the opening ceremony. Flexible working arrangements will remain for the 15 days between the Olympic Games and the Paralympics, ending on September 9 after the second closing ceremony. Business groups expressed deep dismay at the plans. A spokesman for the Business Services Association, which represents Britain’s biggest outsourcing companies, said: “Seven weeks is a long time to have the heart of government working intermittently. “We would encourage ministers and Whitehall to apply themselves as energetically as the private sector is to driving the economy forward, Olympic Games
EU helicopters attack Somali pirate boats
Helicopter gunships from an EU task force hit Somali pirates on shore this morning, in the first sortie since ground attacks were authorised in March. A spokesman for the mission said “no boots” went ashore during the course of the operation but he said the helicopters destroyed several of the pirates’ fast attack boats which had been used to hijack commercial vessels for ransom, off the Horn of Africa. Rear Admiral Duncan Potts, the force commander, said the raid would “further increase the pressure on, and disrupt pirates’ efforts to get out to sea to attack merchant shipping and dhows”. The EU’s Operation Atlanta has deployed between five and ten warships off the Somali coast since 2008 in an attempt to thwart the pirate attacks against oil tankers and container ships which cost billions of pounds a year. Some member states were reluctant to deploy troo
- Greeks don’t believe EU threat‘They won’t kick us out’
- Burma: to comply with sanctions on N KoreaPresident tries to defuse arms suspicions
- Iran: hangs nuclear ‘assassin’Majid Jamali Fashi was convicted of killing scientist
- Special needs: parents get new rightsReforms to change balance of power
- Breast implants: doctors warned watchdog of rupturesInquiry finds reports
- Michael Atherton webchat: from noonLook ahead to the Test series against West Indies
Why does everyone want to meet
Chade-Meng Tan?
The Google guru on the new operating system to run human beings
Health chiefs were warned of breast implant danger
Surgeon warned the health regulator implants were so prone to rupturing that “countless” numbers of them had broken in his hands
‘£5bn scheme for jobless is open to fraud’
The Public Accounts Committee found that the scheme to get people off welfare and into jobs is at risk of abuse by prime contractors
German GDP robust but France stays flat
The quarterly GDP figure for the eurozone is forecast to show that it shrank by 0.2 per cent, putting it back into recession
Coty closes the door on bid for Avon
Last week the perfume company raised its offer, backed by Warren Buffett, but the deadline for a response passed yesterday
Cricket webchat, with Mike Atherton
Send your questions to our Chief Cricket Correspondent as he previews the West Indies series
Mancini: Balotelli staying at City 101%
City manager rejected reports he would cut his losses on the striker and sell him to AC Milan with Zlatan Ibrahimovic heading the other way
Embarrassing video adds to Kean woes
Blackburn manager left red-faced after footage emerges of him apparently disparaging his predecessor and predicting club’s success
Greeks: EU won’t dare to kick us out of euro
The new left-wing star of Greek politics is gambling that the European Union cannot afford to kick Greece out of the euro
Iran hangs man for nuclear scientist ‘assassination’
Majid Jamali Fashi, 24, had been convicted of killing Masoud ali Mohammadi, a particle physics professor at Tehran University
Burma to comply with sanctions on North Korea
President Thein Sein sought to reassure President Lee of South Korea that Burma would comply with UN sanctions targeting Pyongyang
Oscar’s esoteric French cousin has a new role: co-starring with Hollywood glamour
It’s less than three months since The Artist won five Academy Awards but the circus is about to resume where it all began: at Cannes
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