http://www.independent.co.uk/?service=Rss http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/dubai-exchange-nosedives-as-trading-resumes-1831407.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/dubai-exchange-nosedives-as-trading-resumes-1831407.html <p> Dubai's stock exchange suffered sharp falls today on the first day of trading since last week's revelations over its debt crisis. </p> Business News Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:30:50 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/sharewatch/lloyds-shares-hit-over-dubai-fears-1831429.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/sharewatch/lloyds-shares-hit-over-dubai-fears-1831429.html <p> The FTSE 100 Index opened lower today as fears over the impact of the Dubai debt crisis continued to weigh on heavyweight banking stocks. </p> Sharewatch Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:26:38 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/surge-in-prisoners-freed-early-in-error-1831415.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/surge-in-prisoners-freed-early-in-error-1831415.html <p> Almost 200 prisoners including murderers and sex offenders have been freed early by mistake over the past five years, according to official Government figures. </p> Crime Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:00:57 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/a-href-onclickoctopusmtopenflashwindow7ffe9b3ea26b408ebd253e14d0e2dc2cthis1f18ba4898bd48c1b14a9a08dff37addreturn-falsevideo-monkeys-get-a-thank-you-feasta-1831412.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/a-href-onclickoctopusmtopenflashwindow7ffe9b3ea26b408ebd253e14d0e2dc2cthis1f18ba4898bd48c1b14a9a08dff37addreturn-falsevideo-monkeys-get-a-thank-you-feasta-1831412.html Asia Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:46:48 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/nhs-watchdog-more-reliable-says-minister-1831410.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/nhs-watchdog-more-reliable-says-minister-1831410.html <p> The Government defended the NHS regulator today after a report found a raft of underperforming hospitals and consistently high death rates. </p> UK Politics Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:39:42 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/holidaymakers-shrugging-off-the-recession-1831409.html http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/holidaymakers-shrugging-off-the-recession-1831409.html <p> Travel giant Thomas Cook today said holidaymakers were determined to take their summer break despite the recession as the firm posted better than expected results. </p> News & Advice Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:38:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/temporary-station-opens-in-floodravaged-town-1831408.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/temporary-station-opens-in-floodravaged-town-1831408.html <p> A temporary railway station built in six days to help reunite a Cumbrian town devastated by the recent floods opened today. </p> Home News Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:35:06 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/online/news-firm-launches-paytoread-online-service-1831388.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/online/news-firm-launches-paytoread-online-service-1831388.html <p> One of the country's largest newspaper firms started limiting access to online content for several of its titles today in a groundbreaking trial. </p> Online Mon, 30 Nov 2009 07:26:26 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brown-step-closer-to-increasing-afghan-troops-1831387.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brown-step-closer-to-increasing-afghan-troops-1831387.html <p> Gordon Brown will confirm today that Britain is to send an extra 500 troops to Afghanistan after the conditions he placed on the reinforcement were met. </p> UK Politics Mon, 30 Nov 2009 07:21:43 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/jim-brown-director-of-radio-free-europe-during-the-cold-war-1831231.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/jim-brown-director-of-radio-free-europe-during-the-cold-war-1831231.html ]]> <p> Jim Brown played an important role in the Cold War through a long career with Radio Free Europe (RFE), ending as Director from 1978 to 1984, when he resigned because of disagreements with the Reagan administration. </p> Obituaries Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:43:20 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/paul-wendkos-director-who-made-his-name-as-a-pioneer-of-madefortelevision-films-1831230.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/paul-wendkos-director-who-made-his-name-as-a-pioneer-of-madefortelevision-films-1831230.html <p> Paul Wendkos, who has died aged 84, had the misfortune of seeing his first Hollywood film become a massive hit. Gidget (1959) starred Sandra Dee as the eponymous 16-year-old “girl midget”, a prototype “beach bunny” chasing fun and romance among California’s surfers. It marked the beginnings of the surf craze which encompassed pop music typified by the Beach Boys and a slew of movies, including two Gidget sequels which Wendkos also directed. Trapped at Columbia Studios, Wendkos never directed a major feature, or had another big hit, but became a mainstay of episodic television, and in the 1970s carved out a substantial career as one of the first, and best, directors of “made-for-television” movies. </p> Obituaries Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:40:55 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/transfers/arsenal-potential-transfer-targets-1829591.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/transfers/arsenal-potential-transfer-targets-1829591.html ]]> <p> At times, Arsenal have been unplayable this season, but nagging doubts over the side's durability remain. </p> Transfers Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:01:35 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/features/the-fashion-audit--301109-1831002.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/features/the-fashion-audit--301109-1831002.html ]]> <p> What we love, we're not sure about, we're buying and we can't wait for... </p> Features Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:53 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/house-and-home/interiors/the-ten-best-scented-candles-1829590.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/house-and-home/interiors/the-ten-best-scented-candles-1829590.html ]]> <p> Chosen by Sophie Morris </p> Interiors Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:32 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/healthy-living/virginia-ironside-next-weeks-dilemma-774154.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/healthy-living/virginia-ironside-next-weeks-dilemma-774154.html <p> <b>Dear Virginia, </b> </p> <p> <b>I have had a lot of trouble with my daughter and her husband. He's been out of work now for six months and makes no effort to get a job, and my daughter won't hear a word against him, even though she works all the hours God gave her. How the children survive I don't know. He even had the nerve to ask to borrow some money the other day. I feel extremely upset and want to change my will, to cut them out, but my wife is begging me not to. What do you think? </b> </p> <p> <b>Yours sincerely, </b> </p> <p> <b>Simon </b> </p> Healthy Living Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:11 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/four-police-officers-killed-in-coffee-shop-execution-1831050.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/four-police-officers-killed-in-coffee-shop-execution-1831050.html ]]> <p> Four police officers were shot and killed yesterday in what authorities called a targeted ambush at a coffee house in Washington state, a sheriff's official said. A gunman burst into a coffee shop outside Seattle and shot dead four police officers in what investigators described as an "execution". </p> Americas Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:10 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/the-best-by-miles-kingtons-satirical-classics-1830907.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/the-best-by-miles-kingtons-satirical-classics-1830907.html ]]> <p> <b><u>The History of King Tony: New Labour's lost, love</u></b> </p> <p> <b>Prologue</b> </p> <p> <i>The time is 1994, shortly after the death of army leader Lord John Smith. The scene is a restaurant in London called Granita. At a table sit two men, Prince Tony and Duke Gordon Brown.</i> </p> Features Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:09 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/troops-fear-defeat-at-home-1831087.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/troops-fear-defeat-at-home-1831087.html ]]> <p>Britain is at serious risk of losing its way in Afghanistan because rising defeatism at home is demoralising the troops on the front line, military commanders have warned.</p> Home News Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/britain-faces-return-to-victorian-levels-of-poverty-1831088.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/britain-faces-return-to-victorian-levels-of-poverty-1831088.html ]]> <p>Labour's strategy for tackling poverty has reached the end of the road and Britain risks a return to Victorian levels of inequality, according to a major two-year study seen by The Independent.</p> UK Politics Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/huge-ice-age-river-carved-the-english-channel-1831107.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/huge-ice-age-river-carved-the-english-channel-1831107.html ]]> <p>A giant "super river" that carved its way through the chalky white hills connecting southern England to northern France about 450,000 years ago created the English Channel and made Britain into the island that it is today, scientists have discovered.</p> Science Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/andreas-whittam-smith/andreas-whittam-smith-the-commons-has-lost-all-power-1831128.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/andreas-whittam-smith/andreas-whittam-smith-the-commons-has-lost-all-power-1831128.html <p>The Committee of MPs set up to examine the procedures of the House of Commons in the wake of the parliamentary expenses scandal has finally reported on something much worse, the emasculation of members. In its account, the Committee unconsciously describes this state of affairs almost as the dictionary has it. For emasculation can mean "rendering a male less of a man", or "making a male feel himself to be less of a man by subjecting him to humiliation". </p> Andreas Whittam Smith Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/switzerland-votes-to-ban-the-building-of-minarets-1831109.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/switzerland-votes-to-ban-the-building-of-minarets-1831109.html ]]> <p>The spectre of religious and racial intolerance was raised over Switzerland last night as a majority of voters backed a deeply controversial proposal to ban the building of minarets at mosques in a referendum which instilled fear among Muslims and shocked the Swiss government.</p> Europe Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/embattled-berlusconi-lashes-out-at-reports-linking-him-with-the-mafia-1831122.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/embattled-berlusconi-lashes-out-at-reports-linking-him-with-the-mafia-1831122.html ]]> <p>Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi has been forced to make a dramatic denial that he colluded with the Mafia after rumours that have swirled for days about his alleged links with Cosa Nostra chiefs in the early 1990s exploded on to the front pages of Italian newspapers.</p> Europe Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/former-soldier-suspected-of-train-bombing-1831118.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/former-soldier-suspected-of-train-bombing-1831118.html ]]> <p>Russian authorities suspect a former Russian soldier of being behind Friday's train derailment which killed at least 25 people and injured around 100. According to news reports yesterday, the Russian security services have marked Pavel Kosolapov, a Russian soldier turned Islamic militant, as one of the top suspects in the train derailment, which appears to have been caused by a bomb. </p> Europe Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/tim-walker-google-wave-is-how-email-would-look-if-it-were-invented-yesterday-1830908.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/tim-walker-google-wave-is-how-email-would-look-if-it-were-invented-yesterday-1830908.html <p>WTF is Google Wave? It's a question that's been troubling the web for months, and troubling me for a good few days. And it appears, finally, to have been answered. Sort of. </p> Features Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/features/heavy-metal-add-some-extra-hardware-to-your-wardrobe-1830910.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/features/heavy-metal-add-some-extra-hardware-to-your-wardrobe-1830910.html ]]> <p>Are you hard enough to embrace this season's studs, rivets and spikes? Not since punk's heyday have they been so prevalent. While it might not be every woman's idea of a good time to cover herself with the type of hardware that might customarily be found, well, at a hardware store, many designs are more subtle than that.</p> Features Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/features/caught-by-the-fuzz-moustaches-are-back-1830912.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/features/caught-by-the-fuzz-moustaches-are-back-1830912.html ]]> <p>There is simply no such thing as a neutral beard or moustache. Whatever the style, the hirsute male can always expect a reaction. Or, at least, nearly always. There are, in fact, a few of us left who still can't quite make up our minds.</p> Features Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/low-film-budgets-cost-money-1830914.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/low-film-budgets-cost-money-1830914.html <p> In theory, first-time filmmakers around the world should be celebrating. </p> Features Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/reviews/edward-bawden-bedford-gallery-bedford-1830916.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/reviews/edward-bawden-bedford-gallery-bedford-1830916.html ]]> <p> Like Dufy, Edward Bawden looks easy to imitate, until you try. Unlike the ebullient French painter of pleasure, however, Bawden could not have been more English – in the manner of his time. </p> Reviews Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/advertising/claire-beale-on-advertising-shop-on-oxford-street-ndash-without-leaving-home-1830971.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/advertising/claire-beale-on-advertising-shop-on-oxford-street-ndash-without-leaving-home-1830971.html ]]> <p>With only 25 shopping days left until Christmas, there are few more uncomfortable places to be at the moment than Oxford Street in London. So today's launch of a virtual version of the West End retail mecca couldn't have been timed better.</p> Advertising Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/opinion/stephen-glover/stephen-glover-telegraphs-new-hardman-finishes-barclay-revolution-1830970.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/opinion/stephen-glover/stephen-glover-telegraphs-new-hardman-finishes-barclay-revolution-1830970.html <p>The appointment of Tony Gallagher as editor of the Daily Telegraph confirms his dominance of the paper. It was he, rather than Will Lewis, the nominal editor, who largely oversaw the Telegraph's coverage of the MPs' expenses scandal. When Mr Lewis was recently absent on a three-month business course at Harvard, Mr Gallagher hardly needed to pick up the reins since they were already in his hand.</p> Stephen Glover Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/press/for-the-record-30112009-1830969.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/press/for-the-record-30112009-1830969.html <p> <b>Take That, Coulson </b> </p> <p> After previous inept attempts to win showbiz friends, the Tories are upping their game. </p> Press Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/advertising/taking-the-world-by-storm-the-modelling-agency-expanding-across-media-sectors-1830968.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/advertising/taking-the-world-by-storm-the-modelling-agency-expanding-across-media-sectors-1830968.html ]]> <p>Log on to the newly revamped Storm website, go to the section marked "special bookings" and you'll get an idea of the cross-media potential of this, the best-known of British modelling agencies.</p> Advertising Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/press/jason-cowley-im-beholden-to-no-party-ndash-and-certainly-not-the-labour-party-1830967.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/press/jason-cowley-im-beholden-to-no-party-ndash-and-certainly-not-the-labour-party-1830967.html ]]> <p> It must be a very lonely existence on the old left these days. Why, even the New Statesman, with deep socialist roots stretching back to its founders Sidney and Beatrice Webb, says it is moving away to a place where it can explore a more "plural" range of opinions, including those of the Tories. </p> Press Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/the-weekends-television-the-queen-sun-channel-4-1830919.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/the-weekends-television-the-queen-sun-channel-4-1830919.html <p> "The documentary elements are based on the best available resources", read a title card at the beginning of The Queen, "... the drama is imagined". </p> Reviews Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/the-leisure-society-st-giles-church-london-1830918.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/the-leisure-society-st-giles-church-london-1830918.html <p>This is the most nervous I've been in a church since my first communion," admits Nick Hemming, shaky but among friends for the Leisure Society's last, sold-out gig of the year, in the beautiful Soho chapel where John Wesley once preached and William Blake prayed. For once, the venue isn't an affectation, fitting their English chamber-country, with strings, flute and, tonight, a choir.</p> Reviews Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/la-clique-roundhouse-london-1830917.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/la-clique-roundhouse-london-1830917.html ]]> <p> I first saw this wonderfully funny comic-cabaret extravaganza when it had its "first" London premiere at the Hippodrome in 2008. </p> Reviews Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/its-a-dons-life-by-mary-beard-1830915.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/its-a-dons-life-by-mary-beard-1830915.html ]]> <p> If in need of a slogan, use Latin. So Mary Beard advises, arguing that it is "snappier and shorter and cleverer" than English vernacular. </p> Reviews Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/captain-doug-beattie-those-who-have-never-been-in-helmand-give-their-view-but-the-soldiers-are-silent-1831090.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/captain-doug-beattie-those-who-have-never-been-in-helmand-give-their-view-but-the-soldiers-are-silent-1831090.html <p>It is absolutely clear that the campaign in Afghanistan, and in particular Helmand province, isn't fully understood by the UK population. They are force-fed a diet of soldiers dying in a faraway country for a cause they don't understand or believe in, without clear aims or even proper equipment. </p> Commentators Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/mystery-of-tiger-woods-and-the-golf-club-rescue-1831089.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/mystery-of-tiger-woods-and-the-golf-club-rescue-1831089.html ]]> <p>"I'm asked why people don't often see me and Elin in gossip magazines or tabloids," Tiger Woods wrote on his Facebook page a few weeks ago. "I think we've avoided a lot of media attention because we're kind of boring."</p> Americas Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/frankel/ready-to-wear-society-holds-up-an-image-of-beauty-that-is-impossible-to-achieve-1831027.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/frankel/ready-to-wear-society-holds-up-an-image-of-beauty-that-is-impossible-to-achieve-1831027.html <p>Models – like children – should be seen and not heard. Most recently, proof came in the form of Kate Moss who, promoting her latest fragrance, agreed to a rare – indeed, very rare – interview with Women's Wear Daily. Her choice of a paper aimed at industry insiders was a careful one. It did not protect her from mainstream attention, however.</p> Frankel Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/opinion/matthew-norman/matthew-norman-this-strange-business-on-camerons-doorstep-1830972.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/opinion/matthew-norman/matthew-norman-this-strange-business-on-camerons-doorstep-1830972.html <p>When David Cameron opened his front door and snippily berated the Daily Mirror reporter requesting his comment on its splash about how much he and colleagues will benefit from Tory inheritance tax policy, did he say: "You should try working for an independent newspaper" or "... The Independent newspaper"?</p> Matthew Norman Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/new-york-dolls-anarchy-from-the-usa-1830913.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/new-york-dolls-anarchy-from-the-usa-1830913.html ]]> <p>Like many of us, the New York Dolls' frontman David Johansen knows the folly of not backing-up his laptop. His machine died on a recent promo trip to South America, and with it went drafts of lyrics for his group's latest album, Cause I Sez So. </p> Features Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/features/dress-code-amy-molyneaux-designer-1830911.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/features/dress-code-amy-molyneaux-designer-1830911.html <p> <b>What are you wearing right now?</b> </p> <p> A rose-print velour stretch dress from the new diffusion line, Peaches Loves PPQ at very.co.uk. </p> Features Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/healthy-living/virginia-ironsidersquos-dilemmas-my-exwife-makes-excuses-when-i-try-to-see-my-son-1830909.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/healthy-living/virginia-ironsidersquos-dilemmas-my-exwife-makes-excuses-when-i-try-to-see-my-son-1830909.html <p> <b>Dear Virginia,</b> </p> <p> <b>My wife and I went through a bitter divorce last year – I can't imagine ever speaking to her again, to be honest. But what upsets me is my access to my seven-year-old son. I'm meant to see him every weekend for a day, but nearly every time I go to pick him up she makes some excuse, so I barely see him once a month. I understand why she might want to punish me for my part in the break-up, but why punish my son as well? I'm thinking of going to court. I'm in bits about this. </b> </p> <p> <b>Yours sincerely, </b></p> <p> <b>Greg</b> </p> Healthy Living Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/108-feared-dead-in-ferry-disaster-1831115.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/108-feared-dead-in-ferry-disaster-1831115.html <p>A rescue ship righted a capsized ferry yesterday, easing the work of those searching the submerged cabins for scores believed trapped inside more than a day after the vessel sank in southern Bangladesh. </p> Asia Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/obiang-set-for-victory--in-guinea-election-1831114.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/obiang-set-for-victory--in-guinea-election-1831114.html <p>Malabo Elections in Equatorial Guinea yesterday looked certain to extend the 30-year rule of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, a man accused of draining his nation's oil wealth to enrich his family and cronies. </p> Africa Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/honduras-votes-but-zelaya-still-stuck-in-mission-1831113.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/honduras-votes-but-zelaya-still-stuck-in-mission-1831113.html <p> Hondurans voted for a new president yesterday in an election that could ease a crisis triggered by a coup, but it has also pitted the United States against some of the biggest countries in Latin America. </p> Americas Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/zardari-must-relinquish-powers-of-musharraf-1831112.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/zardari-must-relinquish-powers-of-musharraf-1831112.html ]]> <p>Pakistan's beleaguered President, Asif Ali Zardari, should immediately relinquish many of his powers, a prominent opposition politician said yesterday in the latest twist to a long-brewing crisis.</p> Asia Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/transsexual-who-went-back-to-being-a-man-is-found-dead-1831111.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/transsexual-who-went-back-to-being-a-man-is-found-dead-1831111.html <p>When Mike Penner, a 25-year veteran of the Los Angeles Times, typed the words "I am a transsexual sportswriter", it became the most celebrated coming-out of the internet era. </p> Americas Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/news/kentucky-beats-scotch-whisky-in-world-top-10-1831110.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/news/kentucky-beats-scotch-whisky-in-world-top-10-1831110.html ]]> <p>It was the liquor loved by thirsty cowboys and was immortalised by the Hollywood legend Humphrey Bogart in The Big Sleep. But Prohibition nearly killed off the taste of the frontier when America turned to the milder demands of bourbon.</p> News Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/defiant-iran-set-to-build-10-new-nuclear-plants-1831108.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/defiant-iran-set-to-build-10-new-nuclear-plants-1831108.html <p>The Iranian government approved a plan yesterday to build 10 new uranium enrichment facilities, a dramatic expansion, in defiance of UN demands that it halt the programme.</p> Middle East Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/independent-schools-refusing-to-sign-up-for-new-diplomas-1831106.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/independent-schools-refusing-to-sign-up-for-new-diplomas-1831106.html <p>The Government's flagship diploma qualifications have been almost universally shunned by independent schools, according to new figures seen by The Independent. </p> Education News Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/bnp-leader-griffin-will-attend-climate-summit-1831105.html http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/bnp-leader-griffin-will-attend-climate-summit-1831105.html <p> The leader of the British National Party (BNP), Nick Griffin, is to represent the European Parliament at the UN Climate Change conference in Copenhagen next week. </p> Climate Change Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/smallest-orchid-in-the-world-is-found-1831104.html http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/smallest-orchid-in-the-world-is-found-1831104.html ]]> <p>The smallest species of orchid in the world has been discovered hidden among the roots of a larger plant in a nature reserve in Ecuador.</p> Nature Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/british-yachtsmans-killers-get-25-years-1831103.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/british-yachtsmans-killers-get-25-years-1831103.html <p> The widow of a British yachtsman murdered by three Burmese fishermen off the coast of Thailand today welcomed prison sentences handed down to them. </p> Asia Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/1-in-4-primary-teachers-made-ill-through-stress-1831102.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/1-in-4-primary-teachers-made-ill-through-stress-1831102.html <p>More than a quarter of primary school teachers have suffered from stress-related mental illnesses as a result of having to deal with disruptive pupils, a survey has found. The research, by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, revealed that 55 per cent of teachers believed that behaviour had deteriorated in the past five years, and 76 per cent said that children were showing signs of aggression at an increasingly early age. </p> Education News Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/lottery-scams--on-the-rise-1831101.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/lottery-scams--on-the-rise-1831101.html <p>Hundreds of thousands of people have been conned by fake lottery scams, the Office of Fair Trading said. </p> Crime Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/few-benefits-of-nondom-status-says-goldsmith-1831100.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/few-benefits-of-nondom-status-says-goldsmith-1831100.html <p> Zac Goldsmith, who advises Tory leader David Cameron on green issues, insisted yesterday that he had derived "very few benefits" from his non-domiciled tax status. </p> UK Politics Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/copenhagen-the-alternative-diary-1831099.html http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/copenhagen-the-alternative-diary-1831099.html <p> <b>5 December:</b> "The Wave" march in London, from Grosvenor Square to the Houses of Parliament to urge UK to be a leader in Copenhagen </p> Climate Change Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/countdown-to-copenhagen-the-peoples-summit-1831098.html http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/countdown-to-copenhagen-the-peoples-summit-1831098.html ]]> <p>Only seven days to go now, in the Countdown to Copenhagen – one week until 192 nations come together to try to negotiate a new international climate treaty that will allow the world to deal with the potentially catastrophic threat of global warming. </p> Climate Change Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/the-royal-society-dilettantes-to-dna-via-cuckoos-and-kites-1831097.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/the-royal-society-dilettantes-to-dna-via-cuckoos-and-kites-1831097.html ]]> <p>Sir Christopher Wren is remembered today for the architectural wonder of St Paul's Cathedral, but he was also one an architect of one of the oldest scientific institutions in the world, the Royal Society, which today begins a celebration of its 350th anniversary.</p> Science Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/woman-dies-as-torrential-rain-batters-the-west-country-1831096.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/woman-dies-as-torrential-rain-batters-the-west-country-1831096.html ]]> <p>A woman died after falling into a river in Cornwall as the region was hit by torrential rain and flooding over the weekend. </p> Home News Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/schools-face-huge-rise-in-special-needs-cases-1831095.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/schools-face-huge-rise-in-special-needs-cases-1831095.html ]]> <p>The rising number of babies born prematurely will cause a rapid increase in special-needs pupils in schools, and that could overwhelm the school system, a leading academic has warned.</p> Education News Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/rwanda-is-54th-member-of-the-commonwealth-1831094.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/rwanda-is-54th-member-of-the-commonwealth-1831094.html <p>The Government yesterday welcomed Rwanda as the newest member of the Commonwealth.</p> Home News Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/demand-for-overhaul-in-wake-of-hospital-report-1831093.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/demand-for-overhaul-in-wake-of-hospital-report-1831093.html <p>A massive overhaul in the way hospitals are inspected was demanded yesterday, as a new report revealed that nine trusts rated excellent or good by the official health regulator were failing when it came to patient safety. </p> Health News Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/ministers-fear-iraq-backlash-will-lose-labour-the-election-1831092.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/ministers-fear-iraq-backlash-will-lose-labour-the-election-1831092.html <p> Ministers fear the inquiry into the Iraq war will create a new public backlash that will harm the Labour Party's prospects at the general election. </p> UK Politics Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/obama-set-to-send-in-30000-extra-troops-1831091.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/obama-set-to-send-in-30000-extra-troops-1831091.html ]]> <p>Barack Obama's aides are putting the finishing touches to a speech expected to announce more than 30,000 additional troops for Afghanistan, which they hope will shore up popular support for the war.</p> Americas Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/international/weary-boks-confirm-irish-rise-in-status-1831156.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/international/weary-boks-confirm-irish-rise-in-status-1831156.html ]]> <p>The question to South Africa captain John Smit was direct, the answer even more so. "John, which Irish players impressed you?" "All of them," replied Smit, with a rueful smile.</p> International Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/international/robinson-left-to-rue-scotlands-toothless-attack-1831155.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/international/robinson-left-to-rue-scotlands-toothless-attack-1831155.html ]]> <p>Frozen points to the west of Haymarket Station in Edinburgh on Saturday. Frozen assets too.</p> International Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/international/henry-hails-special-victory-for-all-blacks-1831154.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/international/henry-hails-special-victory-for-all-blacks-1831154.html <p>New Zealand completed their four-Test tour of Europe without conceding a try, finishing off with an emphatic win over France in Marseilles on Saturday. </p> International Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european/euro-zone-villas-class-wasted-as-valencia-fail-at-the-last-1831153.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european/euro-zone-villas-class-wasted-as-valencia-fail-at-the-last-1831153.html <p> David Villa's incredible season continued for Valencia on Saturday night but his 10th goal in 12 league games only earned his team a point after defender Saltor Bruno gifted Mallorca a late equaliser. </p> European Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/spurs-shine-in-audition-for-top-four-1831152.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/spurs-shine-in-audition-for-top-four-1831152.html <p>In this much-vaunted audition for one of the leading roles in the Premier League it is fair to say Tottenham most impressed the judges. The honours might have been even as the wannabes left the stage, but in terms of potential there had only been one outfit with the star quality. Top four, here they come.</p> Premier League Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/fa-league-cups/kettering-keep-alive-prize-of-a-trip-to-old-trafford-1831151.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/fa-league-cups/kettering-keep-alive-prize-of-a-trip-to-old-trafford-1831151.html <p>Kettering Town are in need of some good fortune at the moment, and they got it in spades yesterday, both on the field and off it. After heroic defending had seen them come through what might otherwise be described as a battering by the runaway leaders of League One to win a money-spinning replay at Elland Road, the Poppies will travel north in the knowledge that if they can somehow chisel a victory, Manchester United await them at Old Trafford in the third round.</p> FA & League Cups Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/scottish/novo-faces-police-action-over-incident-1831150.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/scottish/novo-faces-police-action-over-incident-1831150.html <p>The Rangers striker Nacho Novo is at the centre of a police investigation following an incident at the end of his side's 1-0 defeat to Aberdeen on Saturday. Novo was photographed with his shorts lowered beneath his buttocks as he walked off the Pittodrie pitch. The 30-year-old could now face police action or disciplinary procedures from his club or the Scottish Football Association. </p> Scottish Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/hammers-wobble-gives-zola-cause--for-worry-1831149.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/hammers-wobble-gives-zola-cause--for-worry-1831149.html <p>Who would be a manager? As Sam Allardyce was beginning his recuperation from a heart complaint last week, academics suggested top-flight coaches will take, on average, 312 weeks to turn grey. "I think the process might be quicker for me," Gianfranco Zola observed, rather mournfully. </p> Premier League Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/fa-league-cups/fa-cup-draw-arsenal-visit-west-ham-in-elusive-trophy-quest-1831148.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/fa-league-cups/fa-cup-draw-arsenal-visit-west-ham-in-elusive-trophy-quest-1831148.html <p>Arsenal, without a trophy since lifting the FA Cup in 2005, must travel to West Ham in the third round of this season's competition, one of the three all-Premier League ties produced by yesterday's draw. The others see Aston Villa entertain Blackburn Rovers and Wigan take on Hull City.</p> FA & League Cups Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/football-league/keane-turns--a-corner-with-first-away-win-1831147.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/football-league/keane-turns--a-corner-with-first-away-win-1831147.html ]]> <p> How Roy Keane must wish he could play in Wales every week. </p> Football League Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/football-league/fan-zone-every-game-ndash-by-the-people-who-care-most-1831146.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/football-league/fan-zone-every-game-ndash-by-the-people-who-care-most-1831146.html Football League Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/bent-accuses-own-fan-of-racially-abusing-his-mother-1831145.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/bent-accuses-own-fan-of-racially-abusing-his-mother-1831145.html <p>It was a problem, Steve Bruce seethed, which continued to "rear its ugly head". Unaware that Darren Bent was about to make an allegation fitting such a description – that his mother was "racially abused" by a Sunderland fan at Wigan – Bruce was merely bemoaning his team's away form. </p> Premier League Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/hughes-haunted-by-lack-of-wins-and-spectre-of-hiddink-1831144.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/hughes-haunted-by-lack-of-wins-and-spectre-of-hiddink-1831144.html <p> Mark Hughes' position as Manchester City manager is not in imminent jeopardy but his club's Abu Dhabi owners are now looking for results in December as evidence that their £200m investment in players is money well spent. </p> Premier League Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/duffs-late-goal-gives-fulham-some-justice-1831143.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/duffs-late-goal-gives-fulham-some-justice-1831143.html <p>When Ivan Klasnic gave Bolton the lead it already felt like an unjust scoreline, as Gretar Steinsson had already cleared twice from the goal-line, so when Damien Duff equalised, 15 minutes from time on Saturday, the world felt like a slightly fairer place. </p> Premier League Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/blackburn-left-to-fret-over-latest-dunn-injury-1831142.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/blackburn-left-to-fret-over-latest-dunn-injury-1831142.html <p>Whether Sam Allardyce will be back on the bench when Blackburn play their Carling Cup quarter-final against Chelsea on Wednesday will of course depend on medical advice, but in truth it will probably make little difference. As assistant manager Neil McDonald acknowledged, Rovers have achieved their best results this season playing to a pattern, and that is unlikely to change.</p> Premier League Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/sam-wallace-sheikh-should-avoid-the-madness--of-madrid-and-stick-with-hughes-1831141.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/sam-wallace-sheikh-should-avoid-the-madness--of-madrid-and-stick-with-hughes-1831141.html <p>Busy week for Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan: sooner or later his family, the ruling elite of Abu Dhabi, will have to decide whether they are to bail out their brash little Emirati brother Dubai that rests on the brink of financial collapse. Oh yes, and then there is the relatively minor matter of Manchester City and the future of the club's careworn manager. </p> News & Comment Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/wolves-suffer-for-lack-of-bite-1831140.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/wolves-suffer-for-lack-of-bite-1831140.html <p>Alex McLeish has been in intense derby encounters on many occasions – both at Ibrox and Parkhead. The way he was able to celebrate the second anniversary of his succeeding Steve Bruce was kindergarten stuff by comparison. Birmingham City heading towards the Champions League is fanciful fare, Wolves heading towards the Championship most certainly is not.</p> Premier League Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/peerless-giggs-ruins-grants-opening-day-1831139.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/peerless-giggs-ruins-grants-opening-day-1831139.html <p>It is not matches against the likes of Manchester United that will decide Portsmouth's fate, but this was nevertheless Pompey's worst defeat, and United's biggest win, since August. Add the knowledge that United are vulnerable at Fratton Park – they had lost three of six visits since Portsmouth returned to the top flight – and it is clear Avram Grant made a disappointing start in the Portsmouth dug-out.</p> Premier League Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/james-lawton-ancelotti-busy-building--second-empire-1831138.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/james-lawton-ancelotti-busy-building--second-empire-1831138.html <p>English football's Super Sunday was supposed to be another tale of two cities but long before the end of it Chelsea had once again declared a separate universe. </p> News & Comment Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/liverpool-flattered-as-luck-eludes-moyesrsquo-men-1831137.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/liverpool-flattered-as-luck-eludes-moyesrsquo-men-1831137.html <p>The barbs came thick, fast and sharp after the second goal, including the harsh irony of "David Moyes is a football genius." But there are few genuine bragging rights for Liverpool today. This was a game played under a black sky through unceasing rain and the whole scene pretty much summed up the current state of Merseyside football. For Moyes, there is the prospect of the relegation fight which Liverpool fans were also reminding him about but only the sublime qualities of Pepe Reina stood between his side and a better outcome. </p> Premier League Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/wenger-its-not-a-fair-result-ndash-it-all-went-for-them-1831136.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/wenger-its-not-a-fair-result-ndash-it-all-went-for-them-1831136.html <p>Before the contest Arsène Wenger had predicted this would be the game when his young side realise their true potential. However after seeing them blown off the pitch by Chelsea's powerhouse display, he stubbornly refused to accept that Arsenal had been outplayed by a team they now trail by 11 points.</p> News & Comment Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/drogba-brushes-past-arsenals-feeble-challenge-1831135.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/drogba-brushes-past-arsenals-feeble-challenge-1831135.html <p>Sitting on the bench at the end of the game, having wreaked havoc on Arsenal, Didier Drogba spent the last five minutes signing autographs for the home fans. And if you think that was humiliating for Arsenal, it was nothing compared to the game itself. </p> Premier League Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/bob-ainsworth-you-ask-the-questions-1831134.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/bob-ainsworth-you-ask-the-questions-1831134.html ]]> UK Politics Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/kamalesh-sharma-the-commonwealth-stands-for-human-rights-if-imperfectly-1831133.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/kamalesh-sharma-the-commonwealth-stands-for-human-rights-if-imperfectly-1831133.html <p>My preface is a simple but merited statement. It is this: the Commonwealth is a human rights advancing organisation. So where do we stand? With human rights, it is worth saying that there are often stark distinctions drawn between the rhetoric and reality, the principle and the practice. </p> Commentators Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/philip-hensher/philip-hensher-respect-the-critics-sober-judgements-1831132.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/philip-hensher/philip-hensher-respect-the-critics-sober-judgements-1831132.html <p>The Persians, according to some ancient historians, made decisions twice: once when they were drunk, and again when they were sober. According to the playwright Timberlake Wertenbaker, the theatre critics who have just panned her new play about Degas only half-followed this practice and forgot the sober part. </p> Philip Hensher Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/yasmin-alibhai-brown/yasmin-alibhaibrown-im-beginning-to-feel-some-sympathy-for-tony-blair-1831131.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/yasmin-alibhai-brown/yasmin-alibhaibrown-im-beginning-to-feel-some-sympathy-for-tony-blair-1831131.html Yasmin Alibhai-Brown Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/john-lichfield-cafe-society-is-dead-but-long-live-the-cafe-1831130.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/john-lichfield-cafe-society-is-dead-but-long-live-the-cafe-1831130.html <p>Young people are not all bad. When I was in Prague recently I met a couple of impressive students – intelligent, thoughtful, curious – who convinced me that Europe's future need not be in the past. </p> Europe Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/simon-carr/simon-carr-so-scientists-are-just-as-political-as-the-rest-1831129.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/simon-carr/simon-carr-so-scientists-are-just-as-political-as-the-rest-1831129.html <p>The University of East Anglia climate fiasco has caused some in the laity to go back reaching for their brains. But sketchwriters recognised it all well enough, especially those of us without degrees in climate science. The problem isn't science, it's politics.</p> Simon Carr Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000