'Bedroom tax' forces huge leap in hardship handouts

Exclusive Extent of suffering inflicted by cut to the spare room subsidy revealed as figures show a 338% leap in the number of people applying for emergency handouts
Many of Education Secretary Michael Gove's reforms are 'not in the best interests of children', according to delegates at the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) conference in Birmingham

Headteachers pass vote of no confidence in Gove's reforms

LATEST Unions claim that Government policies are failing children
Pilots on flight deck

You thought Ryanair’s attendants had it bad? Wait ’til you hear about the pilots

Staff memo warns that signing letter airing safety fears would be ‘gross misconduct’

Five-year-old British girl dies in hotel pool in Sharm el-Sheikh

Chloe Johnson of Forest Hill, south London, died at a waterpark at the Egyptian resort
Wait problem: Customs and Border Protection officers in action at Miami airport

Welcome to the US: Now stand in line for three hours

Prepare for the longest ever immigration queues

British woman died 'after drinking poisoned gin' on holiday in Indonesia

France signs gay marriage into law

First gay marriage could be celebrated within weeks, despite months of nationwide protests and debate

Sixty injured in US train crash

Five people were critically injured after the trains, serving New York City, collided in Connecticut
Refillable olive oil bottles will be banned in restaurants as of 2014

EU bans refillable olive oil bottles from restaurants

Move aims to tackle widespread food fraud by restaurateurs

Woman who disappeared while swimming in sea after drinking found alive

Coastguard says the 23-year-old woman was found semi-conscious on a beach near Skegness
3 May 2013: British Prime Minister David Cameron speaks with scientists before opening the 'Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Information and Discovery' at Oxford University. The Conservatives suffered a number of losses at the local elections.

Cameron ally brands rebel Tory activists 'swivel-eyed loons'

Senior figure in party says grassroots Tories are forcing MPS to oppose gay marriage and Europe

Murder hunt launched after man's body found in Coventry grassland

Victim, thought to be in his 40s, found by a member of the public early this morning in Upper Spon Street, Coventry
Painful history: The North Sea fortress known as 'Sealand'

A week in the world’s smallest nation

Is Sealand an independent 'micronation' or an illegal fortress?
The image posted on Brek Shea's Instagram account

Stoke City launch investigation after 'pig head is found in player's locker'

Training ground 'prank' leads to furious reaction from Kenwyne Jones, with reports he threw a brick through Glenn Whelan's car windscreen in revenge
Kira Izzard (left) and Laura Cull (right) were refused permission to rent accommodation in Ramsay due to their sexual orientation

Gay residents reminded of a troubled past in the Isle of Man

With no Equality Act, the island still allows discrimination
The Lib-Lab coalition: Pleased to have given less ground than Cameron. The fact talks were held in his office will not harm Ed Miliband’s leadership credentials. He says the deal will protect ‘future victims’ of press intrusion, while Nick Clegg says it is ‘everything I had hoped for’.

Another coalition? Why Miliband may need Clegg's number

Former minister Peter Hain says Labour must start making overtures to the Lib Dems
Alexander Litvinenko: The former KGB agent died from polonium-210 poisoning in 2006

Widow of former KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko calls for public inquiry

Marina Litvinenko accuses coroner of abandoning 'search for the truth' of Russian responsibility for death
Anti-conscription demonstrators in New York, September 1941

'I realised that the war was wrong': The price of pacifism

Conscientious objectors are finally being respected for taking a stand

Liberte, Inegalite, Fraternite: Is French elitism holding the country back?

Educational bias blamed for country's economic black hole

Gawker launches crowdsourcing campaign to buy video 'showing Toronto Mayor smoking crack'

Online gossip site asks readers to fund purchase of footage as controversial politician describes claims as 'ridiculous'

First he hits back, then he hangs up: Farage ruffled after crowd turns on him

Ukip leader accused of 'losing the plot' for breaking off radio interview after describing Edinburgh crowds as 'fascist'

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Howard Jacobson "It’s official: Anti-Semitism is no more" (Top row) Akhtar Dogar, Anjum Dogar, Kamar Jamil; (Bottom row) Assad Hussain, Bassam Karrar, Mohammed Karrar and Zeeshan Ahmed Philip Hensher "Oxford is a tragedy of sexual culture, not race"

England v New Zealand 1st Test - LIVE!

Coverage of Day Three of the first Test between England and New Zealand here at Lord’s
Will Coldwell measures out all his ingredients

Not quite the real thing: Can the Coca-Cola flavour be recreated?

Since 1886, the formula has been the subject of fevered speculation
Benicio Del Toro at the 'Jimmy P: Psychotherapy Of A Plains Indian' photocall in Cannes

Del Toro's new film emerges as Palme d'Or front-runner

Cannes round-up: 'Jimmy P' stars Puerto Rican actor as a Native American war veteran suffering from trauma
David Beckham

'One of Premier League greats? Beckham is not even in top 1,000'

Ex-England player Chris Waddle counters retirement plaudits
Jason Isaacs (centre) as Lucius Malfoy in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 1

Jason Isaacs: Life after Harry Potter

Potter’s arch enemy talks stalkers, snogging Bond, and another stint of Case Histories
William Pryor in his warehouse

Bookbarn: How a barn full of old books became a web wonder

A descendant of Darwin explains why his online second-hand book business is booming
Shiny happy people: Thomas Bangalter (left) and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo of Daft Punk

Daft Punk on what it’s like to work on the year’s biggest album

Interview Collaborators on the huge new album tell all

Everything you need to know for the Eurovision Song Contest 2013

Gallery Get the lowdown on the 26 countries competing in Malmö
Interview with the vampire: Saoirse Ronan

Saoirse Ronan: Teenage star on growing up

Interview The 19-year-old star talks about playing a vampire
The Russians are strumming: a scene from Mike Lerner and Maxim Pozdorovkin’s ‘Pussy Riot – a Punk Prayer’

Pussy Riot: Punk rock, Putin-bashing and politics on film

A British documentary about the Russian dissidents is set to make waves next month

From romantic city boltholes to isolation in remote farmhouses

The 50 Best holiday cottages
'The Other Room' by Nicole which one the recent interpretation contest at the Museum of Bad Art

Nature calls at the Museum Of Bad Art

Gallery Latest exhibition to feature images of realistic wildlife realistic, imaginary (and unidentifiable)
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Revealed: Devastating impact of 'bedroom tax' sees huge leap in demand for emergency hardship handouts for tenants

Exclusive: Demand for emergency handouts increases by 338 per cent
Woman found alive after disappearing while swimming in sea off the Lincolnshire coast
Widow of former KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko says coroner 'abandoned search for truth' and calls for public inquiry into his death
Murder hunt launched after man's body found in Coventry grassland
Explosive device removed by Northern Ireland police investigating attempted murders
Philip Hammond breaks ranks on gay marriage
Notes from a small island: Is Sealand an independent 'micronation' or an illegal fortress?
David Cameron ally brands anti-Europe anti-gay marriage Tory activists as 'mad swivel-eyed loons'
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British woman died 'after drinking poisoned gin' on holiday in Indonesia

A British woman has died after reportedly drinking poisoned alcohol during a trek in the Indonesian jungle.

French president Francois Hollande signs gay marriage and same-sex adoption into law despite national protests
Five-year-old British girl who died in a pool at Coral Sea Waterworld Hotel in Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh resort named as Chloe Johnson
Unmasked at last: mother comes face to face with men accused of raping and killing her daughter in India
North Korea 'fires three missiles' as nuclear programme slows down, according to UN
New York commuter trains collide in Connecticut: Five people critically injured and 60 more in hospital
EU bans refillable olive oil bottles and dipping bowls, in bid to end food fraud
Investigation launched over German Green party's support for paedophiles in the 1980s
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Here is the perfect illustration of how a picture can change a book for you

Plus: TV's obsession with Gershwin and New York gives me the blues and there's been a nervous breakdown at Charlie's Chocolate factory
Arts funding is going, going – and if we don't think of alternatives, it will soon be gone
Tim Key: 'We couldn't call mountain rescue or justifiably perish, so we pressed on'
i Assistant Editor's Letter: The referendum we've all been waiting for...
If gay couples can have civil partnerships, so must straight couples
Editorial: €300,000 worth of jewellery swiped, so many explanations
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Arsène Wenger will become the longest-serving Premier League manager after Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement

Groundhog day looms for Arsène Wenger as Arsenal battle for a place in the Champions League on final day

Arsenal’s trophy cabinet has been barren for years but, with his future unclear, the French manager will not change his ways
James Anderson claims 300th wicket but England labour against New Zealand
'Luna Rossa' team boss sets out demands for new America's Cup rules following death of British sailor Andrew Simpson
One last swipe at Manchester City and then Sir Alex Ferguson was gone...
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Campaigners in China challenge authorities over environmental impact of planned petrochemical plant

Fears over proposed refinery in southern city of Kunming attracts thousands of protesters
What a pong! After a seven year wait, the world's smelliest 'flower' blooms in Cornwall
Nature Studies: Cross the Atlantic in a ship? The beautiful Monarch can do better than that
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The Conversation: Tracey Cox, sex expert

How does one become a 'sexpert'?
'It was mass hysteria': Jason Isaacs on groupies, theatre bores and snogging James Bond
Graham Norton: The go-to guy for anything from the Baftas to becoming 'the new Terry Wogan' and hosting the Eurovision Song Contest
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Dish of the Day: Short & Sweet

I know Dan Lepard nabbed it first for his wonderful book on baking but I’m eternally jealous, as it ...

Friday Book Design Blog: Blurb special

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Syria’s cannibal rebel defends himself

Much has been written this past week about a Syrian rebel named Khalid al-Hamad, who goes by the nom...

Enslaved to maize: Why we need to re-think Malawi’s agricultural future

Maize is a political crop that has essentially enslaved Malawi as a nation. Despite being the staple...

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Asteroid nine times the size of the QE2 liner to sail pass Earth

An asteroid nine times larger than the QE2 is due to sail past the Earth later this month.

Wanted: Polar bear spotter to protect Norwegian scientists - must be loud and good with guns
'Most exciting breakthrough in IVF treatment in 30 years' could triple number of births
Breakthrough in human cloning raises hopes for treatment of Parkinson's and heart disease
Ancient underground lake isolated from the rest of the world for 2.7 billion years discovered in Canadian mine - but does it contain life?
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Cannes weekend one round-up: Benicio del Toro's new film Jimmy P emerges as Palme d'Or front-runner as The Bling Ring proves as hollow as its title suggests

Story of Native American war veteran suffering from trauma has tough competition from Chinese drama A Touch of Sin
Bookbarn International: How a barn full of old books became a web wonder
The Saturday miscellany: Feminist classics; Anna Wintour; Clerkenwell Design Week; Curiosity: Art and the Pleasures of Knowing; Louis Vuitton
Five-minute memoir: Russ Litten recalls the day he saw his double in Prague
'It was mass hysteria': Jason Isaacs on groupies, theatre bores and snogging James Bond
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Anthony Hilton: Celebrating tradition

Arbuthnot Latham, one of the City’s oldest still independent banks, was founded by a Mr Arbuthnot and a Mr Latham in 1833 to trade and subsequently to finance trade with India.

Anthony Hilton: Cutting back too quickly on the cleaners makes a real mess of everything
Anthony Hilton: Google's new business Lending Club borrowing from the past
Jim Armitage: Doan Nguyen Duc, the Vietnamese Arsenal fan and the land grab claims
James Ashton: Shaken and stirred, Sir John Bond is ousted after digging himself into a hole at miner
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Leeds NHS hospital trust to replace chief executive Maggie Boyle following children's heart surgery row

An NHS trust at the centre of a row over children's heart surgery is to replace its chief executive, it said on Saturday.
Doctors in dispute: What exactly is normal human behaviour?
'Most exciting breakthrough in IVF treatment in 30 years' could triple number of births
'Death contracts' could give terminally ill the right to die
180,000 children work as unpaid carers for relatives
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The price of pacifism: Refusing to go to war is finally being recognised as a brave act

The price of pacifism

From the Second World War refusenik to the 19-year-old Israeli, Holly Williams talks to five people who risked shame and suffering to take a stand as conscientious objector.
'It was mass hysteria': Jason Isaacs on groupies, theatre bores and snogging James Bond

Jason Isaacs: Groupies, theatre bores and James Bond

To millions, Jason Isaacs is one of Harry Potter's arch enemies – but his wife prefers him as a Scottish TV detective.
Notes from a small island: Is Sealand an independent 'micronation' or an illegal fortress?

Sealand: 'Micronation' or illegal fortress?

Thomas Hodgkinson spent a week at the tiny platform off the Suffolk coast to find out.
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Mark Hix cooks with cutlets and ribs

If you ignore cutlets and ribs, you'll risk missing out on some delicious and easy meals, says our chef.
Sir James Dyson’s latest project: Cleaning up hospitals

Sir James Dyson’s latest project: Cleaning up hospitals

Doctors are hailing the revamp of a Bath neonatal unit, where babies sleep more and feed better, as the model for patient care
One man returns to Argentina's town that drowned

One man returns to Argentina's town that drowned

Epecuen was submerged under 10 metres of water in 1985. Now the floods have gone – and 83-year-old Pablo Novak has moved back in
The real thing? Historian publishes Coca Cola's 'secret formula'

The real thing?

Historian publishes Coca Cola's 'secret formula'
Gordon Ramsey's worst nightmare: A restaurant he cannot save

Gordon Ramsay's worst nightmare: A restaurant he cannot save

The pugnacious chef finally met a shambolic restaurant he couldn't save. John Walsh on when TV makover refuseniks fight back
Join Ryanair! See the world! But we're only paying you for nine months a year

Join Ryanair! See the world! But we're only paying you for nine months a year

Glamorous myth of the flight attendant lifestyle undermined by angry employee's claims of 'exploitation'
Braising saddles: Did the recent furore scupper sales of horse meat? Neigh, far from it!

Braising saddles: How to cook horse meat

Did the recent furore scupper sales of horse meat? Neigh, far from it! Will Coldwell hoofs it to the kitchen.
Why bitters are back on the bar: A few little drops pack a big punch in cocktails

Why bitters are back on the bar

A few little drops pack a big punch in cocktails. No wonder we're learning to love them again...
The 10 Best barbecues

The 10 Best barbecues

Whether you're cooking on gas or are a convert to charcoal we've got the perfect way to cook when the sun is out.
Style icon David Beckham calls time on his long retirement

Style icon calls time on his long retirement

David Beckham never disgraced himself but former England captain ceased to be a major player years ago. Remember him at his United peak
Steve Harper: My darkest times

Steve Harper: My darkest times

As the popular Newcastle goalkeeper bows out after 20 years at the club, he tells Martin Hardy about the private battle with depression that threatened his career
Sir Torquil Norman has designed a flat-pack OX truck for the developing world

The flat-pack truck with big ambitions

After making a fortune from Polly Pocket and a doll's house shaped like a teapot, the entrepreneur has turned his creativity to a transporter truck for the developing world. Simon Usborne meets him.