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Apple calls in the inspectors after admitting human rights problem

Thousands of Chinese factory workers will be given the chance to detail the punishing conditions on assembly lines producing Apple iPads and iPhones after the US company bowed to criticism and agreed to allow independent inspections of its supply chain.

Tevez risks doghouse return with Mancini dig

Carlos Tevez placed the prospects of a reconciliation with Roberto Mancini in jeopardy last night, declaring ahead of his return to England today that the Manchester City manager had treated him "like a dog" during their pitch-side dispute in Munich and questioning Mancini's sincerity in holding out the prospect of a first team return.

Quite a Toy Story: Vivid looks for offers of £80m

The owner of the toy developer Vivid Imaginations has hired advisers at KPMG to sell the company for up to £80m.

Why are a South Pacific island and a former Soviet state so cosy?

At first glance, Nauru and Abkhazia make an unlikely pairing on the world stage, with little in common other than their obscurity, and desperate need for new friends. Nauru, the world's smallest republic, is a destitute South Pacific island microstate of just 8.5 square miles, with about 10,000 inhabitants and a critical shortage of funds following the collapse of its only industry of note, mining phosphate deposits created by bird droppings.

Dominic Lawson: Spare me the sight of applause for needy actors

I realise none of us is compelled to watch the interminable displays of professional log-rolling and improbable frocks otherwise known as movie awards ceremonies; but somehow the obsession of the broadcasting media with these festivals of self-congratulation leaves us with no escape. Thus, at 7am yesterday, I – along with everyone else whose reluctant emergence into daily consciousness is punctuated by Radio 4's news bulletins – had to endure the sound of a hyper-ventilating Meryl Streep (pictured) telling an invited audience at the "Orange Baftas" that her performance in The Iron Lady "located something real".

Steve Richards: No one is above the law – and that includes journalists at 'The Sun'

The manner in which parts of the media condemn the various investigations into their conduct highlights how they got into trouble in the first place. In the past, some journalists behaved as if they were above the law. Some appear to expect now a higher threshold of leniency or tolerance compared with everyone else. At the very least they demand a generous sense of proportion that they do not apply when reporting on politicians or others.

Apple calls in the inspectors after admitting human rights problem

Apple admits it has a human rights problem

Thousands of Chinese factory workers will be given the chance to detail the punishing conditions on assembly lines producing Apple iPads and iPhones, after the US company bowed to criticism and agreed to allow independent inspections of its supply chain.

Radical cleric Abu Qatada freed but banned from preaching

The radical cleric Abu Qatada was released from prison last night as the Government was accused of being impotent and cavalier with national security.

James Lawton: Patience may not be a virtue this time, Roman – AVB looks all at sea

Oone day it might just dawn on the man who started off making plastic ducks in a Moscow apartment block. In some ways winning in football is not too dissimilar from becoming one of the richest men in the world. A lot of it has to do with timing, knowing when to hold the cards and when to toss them aside.

CWW shares rocket as Vodafone weighs up bid

Vodafone has said it is weighing up a bid for struggling Cable & Wireless Worldwide (CWW). The revelation of possible takeover interest sent shares in corporate telecoms firm CWW soaring 44 per cent. Under the takeover code, Vodafone, which is keen to expand its services for multinational companies, has until 12 March to make a firm offer or walk away.

Fun in the sunset years

Come and spend your autumn years in an Indian palace," a seductive voice beckons at the start of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. In the film, Judy Dench and Bill Nighy lead a veteran cast of characters going to Bangalore to try to spend their retirement in sunnier, cheaper climes.

'I feel guilty I'm the only one still alive'

The funeral of Alan McMenemy took place on a bitterly cold, rainy day at a parish church near Glasgow last week. His body was the final one of four British hostages in Iraq to be returned. The murdered security guard's distraught father, Dennis, has accused the British government of "deceit, lies and cover-ups" during the four years and seven months that his son had been missing.

Amol Rajan: Love really is all you need so, go on, buy those roses

Everybody knows that Valentine's Day is a giant orgy of commercial exploitation and a cynical distraction from our romantic failures over the rest of the year. It's traumatic for those people not in relationships, and hypocritical for those people in them, who pretend they fancy their partners when what they're really thinking about in bed is the company secretary.