Barack Obama will accept the Democratic nomination tonight

Obama's dream for America

On anniversary of Martin Luther King's historic speech, the first black presidential candidate will set out his vision for America
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Diana and Actaeon and, Diana and Callisto, were both bought from Louis XVI, by the art collecting third Duke of Bridgewater

The £100m heirloom: Ancestor's eye for an art bargain pays off for Duke

Some 220 years ago, a shambolic English aristocrat with a fondness for smoking a labourer's clay pipe staged one of the great art-buying coups by acquiring 305 masterpieces from the collection of a close relative of the French king Louis XVI.

Brown given November deadline to save his job

Cabinet ministers will give Gordon Brown "one last chance" to save his premiership but will try to oust him by November if he fails to improve Labour's prospects.

John Rentoul: Brown will be ditched. But when?

Gunsmith's converted replicas used in 52 shootings

An underworld gunsmith who modified replica machine guns in a garden shed "factory" – weapons which were used in a surge of shootings and murders, including the killing of PC Sharon Beshenivsky in Bradford in 2005 – could be jailed for life after being found guilty of firearms offences.

Mystery of millionaire arson victim

Fears were growing last night for a businessman and his family who have been missing since their country home was burnt to the ground in a suspected arson attack.

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Jack Straw: Urged to scrap plans for three new jails

Prison reformers condemn new 'Titan' jails as a 'gigantic mistake'

Proposals to build three huge new jails would "squander" public money and leave Britain the prisons capital of Europe, a coalition of 34 penal reform groups and unions warn today.

Swiss finally clear the last 'witch' beheaded in Europe

Anna Goeldi was executed for being a witch more than 220 years ago, the last one beheaded in Europe.

Liverpool 1 Standard Liege 0: Gerrard injury overshadows extra-time escape

Steven Gerrard is a patriot, but his heart belongs to Liverpool. That was underlined last night as he put his club's European ambitions ahead of his country's World Cup hopes.

The Venice Film Festival: A very Italian affair

The Hollywood writers' strike has given home-grown films a chance to shine in Venice. Add the eclectic tastes of director Marco Mueller and this is an event like no other.

Extras seek $11m from Tom Cruise after accident

Write-offs push Taylor Wimpey to a massive £1.5bn loss

The collapse in the housing market has left Taylor Wimpey, the country's largest builder, £1.5bn in the red.

A real catch: The man who is bringing local fish to the capital's tables

Few Londoners know that cod, plaice, bass and even oysters can all be caught in the River Thames

James Daley: I finally got an apology from the police for losing my bike

Britain seeks to expand its empire with 77,000 square miles of Atlantic seabed

Britain has made a claim to extend its territorial boundary around Ascension Island in the South Atlantic to give it exclusive rights over any natural resources that may be found in the sea or on the seabed up to 350 miles from the island.

Protesters demand NHS kidney cancer treatment rethink

Dozens of kidney cancer sufferers and their families protested today over the refusal to allow patients treatments on the NHS.

Wareing outcooks 'stretched' Ramsay

For more than a decade, Marcus Wareing was Gordon Ramsay's publicity-shy "shadow", toiling over the stove for up to 18 hours a day to meet the exacting kitchen standards set by his boss.

Apple misled iPhone users over internet capability

Apple misled iPhone users over internet capability

The iPhone, the latest must-have gadget from Apple, fails to give users complete access to the internet, the Advertising Standards Authority rules.

UCAS Clearing Search 2008

This is the official UCAS clearing search where it's really easy to find the right course whether you're a home or international student. Search for universities and courses in all regions and levels.

Passed/Failed: An education in the life of Henry Blofeld, cricket commentator

Cambridge alumnae protest at plans to rename New Hall college

A bitter fight has broken out in Cambridge over the decision by one of the two remaining women's colleges to change its name.

Splash out without drowning in debt

Robert M Shrum: Democratic political consultant

Robert M Shrum: You Ask The Questions

Democratic political consultant answers your questions, such as do you think you bear responsibility for eight years of George Bush?

Sion Jenkins: A father betrayed?

Jack Hutton: Editor who led 'Melody Maker' from the jazz age to the Beatles era

Jack Hutton was the highly professional and dynamic editor of Melody Maker who ensured the music paper's transition from the jazz age into the Beatles era and beyond.

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