http://www.independent.co.uk/?service=Rss http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/viera-reveals-respect-for-keane-1048465.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/viera-reveals-respect-for-keane-1048465.html ]]> <p> Former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira has named long-time Manchester United adversary Roy Keane as one of the best players he has ever played against. </p> News & Comment Wed, 03 Dec 2008 01:00:04 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/international/tendai-mtawarira-the-beast-unleashed-1036445.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/international/tendai-mtawarira-the-beast-unleashed-1036445.html ]]> <p> Britain has not only had to brace itself for the seasonal onslaught of snow, sleet and showers this autumn, but also for the invasion of the 'Beast'. </p> International Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:01:59 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/extras/indybest/gadgets-tech/the-ten-best-torches-1048468.html http://www.independent.co.uk/extras/indybest/gadgets-tech/the-ten-best-torches-1048468.html ]]> <p> Enlighten yourself and your surroundings with one of these wonderful torches. </p> Gadgets & Tech Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:08 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/hit-the-banks-where-it-hurts-1048837.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/hit-the-banks-where-it-hurts-1048837.html <p>Banks will face huge fines if they do not treat their customers fairly, under a crackdown to be announced by the Government today.</p> UK Politics Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/knut-bears-brunt-of-financial-crisis-1048840.html http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/knut-bears-brunt-of-financial-crisis-1048840.html ]]> <p>The world's most famous polar bear is to be banished from Berlin zoo because of lack of cash &ndash; the first ursine victim of the credit crunch.</p> Nature Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/fear-of-mumbaistyle-attack-prompts-uk-security-review-1048848.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/fear-of-mumbaistyle-attack-prompts-uk-security-review-1048848.html ]]> <p>MPs are to carry out a review of national security policy amid fears that Britain is exposed to a Mumbai-style attack, <i>The Independent</i> has learnt.</p> Home News Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/mugabe-seeks-revenge-on-soldiers-that-rebelled-1048853.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/mugabe-seeks-revenge-on-soldiers-that-rebelled-1048853.html ]]> <p>An army investigation was underway in Zimbabwe last night after President Robert Mugabe's loyal generals vowed to take strong measures against junior soldiers who rampaged across Harare to vent their anger at their suffering in the country's economic collapse. </p> Africa Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/speaker-faces-showdown-over-raid-on-torys-office-1048839.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/speaker-faces-showdown-over-raid-on-torys-office-1048839.html ]]> <p> Michael Martin, the Commons Speaker, faces an unprecedented revolt from some of Britain's most senior politicians as the row over the arrest of Damian Green threatens to overshadow one of the great ceremonies of state today. </p> UK Politics Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/house-and-home/interiors/recipe-for-a-fine-dining-room-1048382.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/house-and-home/interiors/recipe-for-a-fine-dining-room-1048382.html ]]> <p>It's coming up to that time of the year when guests are arriving and people need feeding. For many, the dining room has been knocked through to provide a large living space, but even if you don't have the luxury of a separate room, albeit one that is probably under-used for 51 weeks of the year, you can still create the right atmosphere for a spot of lavish entertaining.</p> Interiors Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/house-and-home/property/festive-lights-love-thy-neighbours-inflatable-snowman-1048384.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/house-and-home/property/festive-lights-love-thy-neighbours-inflatable-snowman-1048384.html ]]> <p>It's time to sing again: "Deck the halls with boughs of holly/ Fa la la la la/ La la la la." But what if it's more than just the halls and holly? What about that house down the road with the garish Christmas lights on the trees outside? Christmas lights raise a smile but most of us breathe a sigh of relief when they find that no one is doing it on their road. </p> Property Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/house-and-home/interiors/underfloor-heating-the-hot-way-to-stay-warm-this-winter-1048386.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/house-and-home/interiors/underfloor-heating-the-hot-way-to-stay-warm-this-winter-1048386.html ]]> <p>The latest survey on home decorating trends found that underfloor heating is now one of the most desirable items on a prospective buyer's list, along with power showers and American-style fridges.</p> Interiors Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/house-and-home/property/renovating-overseas-get-the-experts-in-1048388.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/house-and-home/property/renovating-overseas-get-the-experts-in-1048388.html ]]> <p>Renovating a ruined property is the dream of many overseas homebuyers, but the reality often falls short. Getting planning permission for changes to the building, hiring local workmen (who may not speak English) and keeping track of the job's cost and progress when you're not on site can become a major nightmare. </p> Property Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/house-and-home/property/sam-dunn-is-this-stampdutyavoidance-plan-legal-and-above-board-1048387.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/house-and-home/property/sam-dunn-is-this-stampdutyavoidance-plan-legal-and-above-board-1048387.html <p><b>Question: I'm chasing a property that's on the market for an already reduced &pound;265,000 but want to avoid the hefty 3 per cent stamp duty. Could I offer &pound;248,000 and so pay stamp duty at 1 per cent instead, and pay &pound;17,000 separately for all the fixtures and fittings (of which there are plenty). Can we legally do this?</b> <i>GD, Kent</i></p> Property Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/house-and-home/property/private-viewing-pick-of-the-property-market-1048470.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/house-and-home/property/private-viewing-pick-of-the-property-market-1048470.html ]]> Property Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/indian-stunner-danny-boyles-oscar-winner-1048627.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/indian-stunner-danny-boyles-oscar-winner-1048627.html ]]> <p>When the film-maker Danny Boyle was a teenager growing up in Radcliffe outside Manchester, he and his mates used to go on trips to Bolton and try to sneak into the town's one porn cinema. Once, they went to see Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange instead. The film was only on release in the UK for a few weeks before Kubrick withdrew it because of fears of copycat violence. Boyle, completely unaware of how controversial the film was with censors and the UK press, remembers being awestruck by it.</p> Features Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/game-of-the-week--100-classic-book-collection-ds-1631999-1048568.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/game-of-the-week--100-classic-book-collection-ds-1631999-1048568.html ]]> <p>Too broke to splash out on Sony's eReader? Nintendo has come up with a cheaper way to get a digital library &ndash; provided you already own a DS. '100 Classic Book Collection' has many of the classics that come free with Sony's &pound;200 digital book &ndash; 'Pride and Prejudice', Sherlock Holmes, Shakespeare &ndash; and you will be able to download additional books via a Wi-Fi Connection when the game launches later this month. </p> Features Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/features/shane-warne-the-musical-1048567.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/features/shane-warne-the-musical-1048567.html ]]> <p>Shane Warne, as nearly everyone knows, is one of the greatest cricketers in history. He is also, famously, an inveterate philanderer. But a subject for a musical? Just when "Warnie" thought it was safe to go out in public again, the legendary spin bowler, who retired last year, finds himself back in the headlines. Not for his performance on the pitch, nor his indiscretions between the sheets, but as portrayed by Eddie Perfect, an award-winning Australian singer, comedian and cabaret artist.</p> Features Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/who-let-the-robot-dogs-out-1048566.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/who-let-the-robot-dogs-out-1048566.html ]]> <p>Dogs are not just for Christmas yet each year more of them than ever are dumped. But what is one person's cast-off can become, with a little careful surgery, part of a growing pack of freedom-fighting feral dogs. The dogs in question are not discarded Labradors and lurchers, but robot pooches such as Sony Aibos and WowWee Megabytes are turned from their domesticated incarnations into an automaton army under the watchful guidance of Natalie Jeremijenko, an associate professor of visual arts at New York University, who also happens to hold a degree in mechanical engineering. </p> Features Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/gadget-of-the-week--nokia-n97-1048565.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/gadget-of-the-week--nokia-n97-1048565.html ]]> <p> Nokia's latest offering is set to give Apple's handset a run for its money when it hits the shops early next year. It has a touch screen and a QWERTY keypad to make web browsing and email easy, and it trounces the iPhone when it comes to memory &ndash; the N97 has 32GB of on-board memory which can be boosted to 48GB with a microSD card. It also supports the Nokia Music Store and will even show Flash videos. </p> Features Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/around-the-world-in-80-clicks-1048564.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/around-the-world-in-80-clicks-1048564.html ]]> <p>Sometimes, when things got particularly tough for George Bush during the last eight years, he found comfort by looking at his family ranch in Texas online. "I've forgot the name of the program," he told a CNBC interviewer, "but you get the satellite, and... I kinda like to look at the ranch. It reminds me of where I wanna be sometimes." The program is Google Earth, the virtual representation of the planet made out of a patchwork of satellite images and aerial photography which has become a must-have for any computer user since its launch in 2005. It allows anyone with a broadband connection to explore our world from above, with about 30 per cent of all land visible in such detail that you can see individual houses, trees and cars. However, over the last three years, most people have followed President Bush's lead and used it simply to look at their own homes.</p> Features Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/rhodri-marsden-is-looking-up-my-symptoms-online-ever-a-good-idea-1048563.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/rhodri-marsden-is-looking-up-my-symptoms-online-ever-a-good-idea-1048563.html <p>I had a nagging stomach pain the other day that stubbornly refused to dissipate. You'll be delighted to hear that it cleared up a few days later &ndash; but even if it had carried on for a fortnight, I'd have avoided looking up the symptoms online. </p> Features Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/last-nights-television--imagine-bbc1-horizon-bbc2-man-hunters-sex-trips-for-girls-channel-4-1048530.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/last-nights-television--imagine-bbc1-horizon-bbc2-man-hunters-sex-trips-for-girls-channel-4-1048530.html <p>Firas glanced at the cover of the Iron Maiden album in his hand and chuckled darkly. "This is what life looks like here," he said, holding the CD out to the camera, "Death on the Road, dude." The image was typical of the graphical restraint and delicacy we have come to associate with heavy-metal music: an old-fashioned hearse pulled by two red-eyed horses, driven by a gaunt figure of death and liberally decorated with fluttering entrails, skulls and gouts of livid flame. And Firas's point was that the gap between this lurid fantasy and daily life in Baghdad wasn't nearly wide enough for comfort. As another member of Firas's band, Acrassicauda, put it, "We are living in a heavy-metal world." Occasionally, in the background, you could hear chunks of the heavy metal flying around, in the clatter of machine-gun fire or the sudden slammed door of a car bomb. Firas and his mates have developed a fine ear for this kind of percussion. "Nah, it's a mortar not a car bomb," one of them said insouciantly, after a distant crump had interrupted an interview.</p> Reviews Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/classical/reviews/skellig-sage-gateshead-1048529.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/classical/reviews/skellig-sage-gateshead-1048529.html <p>Given that Skellig appears to be a smelly old tramp with an appetite for dead mice and decayed bluebottles, it's a relief that the new opera Skellig, commissioned by the Sage at Gateshead, doesn't go in for scratch-and-sniff technology. Even without the chance to experience that particular unattractive aspect of Skellig &ndash; a grouchy, winged creature whom young Michael finds and befriends &ndash; there is more than enough to engage listeners of all ages in this surprisingly successful children's opera. </p> Reviews Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/football-league/special-ones-disciple-aims-for-watford-conversion-1048650.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/football-league/special-ones-disciple-aims-for-watford-conversion-1048650.html ]]> <p>"Brendan Who?" was the response of most Watford fans, and many others, when the struggling Championship side appointed Brendan Rodgers as their manager last week. One man, however, knew all about the 35-year-old rookie. Jose Mourinho took time out from overseeing <i>Internazionale's</i> defence of their Serie A title to recommend Rodgers to Watford's board personally. Understandably, they took note. </p> Football League Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/international/andrew-defends-autumn-failure-1048649.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/international/andrew-defends-autumn-failure-1048649.html ]]> <p>Was that the sound of boos and whistles we heard at the conclusion of England's record-breaking defeat by South Africa, the reigning world champions, a week and a half ago? Rob Andrew says not. According to the national union's director of elite rugby, the Twickenham public are not in the least disenchanted by the current state of red-rose affairs, which can be statistically summarised as follows: one try and 26 points scored in three autumn internationals against the SANZAR nations; nine tries and 102 points conceded. Maybe they were booing the bloke in the hot dog stall.</p> International Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/international/white-enlists-big-guns-for-baabaas-1048648.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/international/white-enlists-big-guns-for-baabaas-1048648.html <p>A hundred years ago Great Britain, otherwise represented by Cornwall, were defeated 32-3 by Australia in the rugby final of the London Olympics. To celebrate the anniversary, tonight the Wallabies will run out at Wembley where they face, not the Cornish patsies but the Barbarian hordes. </p> International Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/cricket/commandos-to-protect-england-side-1048647.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/cricket/commandos-to-protect-england-side-1048647.html ]]> <p>England's cricketers are set to receive protection from India's elite commando force should Kevin Pietersen's side return to complete its two-Test tour of the country. It is believed the troops, the same as those who stormed the Taj Mahal Hotel to end last week's terrorist siege in Mumbai, will give England's travelling party 24-hour security during the proposed two and a half week visit.</p> Cricket Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/others/boxing-degale-and-friends-join-forces-with-warren-1048646.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/others/boxing-degale-and-friends-join-forces-with-warren-1048646.html ]]> <p>There will be no fantasy defence of the Olympic title at the 2012 Games in London for James DeGale after he finally and officially turned professional at a swanky restaurant in London yesterday. </p> Others Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/pete-sampras-return-of-the-master-1048645.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/pete-sampras-return-of-the-master-1048645.html ]]> <p>The hair is a little thinner and the belt around the waist may have gone out half a notch, but the competitive glint still burns brightly in Pete Sampras' eye. If he was still at his peak, the 37-year-old American was asked yesterday, would he still play the serve-and-volley game that brought him seven Wimbledon titles but has become as outdated as the racket he used to wield? </p> Tennis Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/athletics/radcliffe-to-tackle-dita-in-london-1048644.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/athletics/radcliffe-to-tackle-dita-in-london-1048644.html ]]> <p>Assuming Paula Radcliffe is fit and well come the morning of 26 April &ndash; not something to be taken for granted, given her ill fortune on that front and the fact that there are 21 weeks still to negotiate &ndash; the woman who has taken the marathon world record beyond the grasp of her fellow mortals will get the chance to claim the scalp of the Olympic champion Constantina Dita in the 2009 London Marathon. The elite women's field for next year's big race was announced yesterday and it pits Radcliffe against the Romanian who holds the prize that has become a holy grail for the Briton.</p> Athletics Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/racing/thomas-loses-master-ride-to-mccoy-1048643.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/racing/thomas-loses-master-ride-to-mccoy-1048643.html ]]> <p>The recent indignities endured by Sam Thomas reached their inexorable nadir yesterday when he was told that he would not be trusted with the mount on Master Minded at Sandown this Saturday. The highest-rated jumper in training will instead be partnered by the champion jockey, Tony McCoy.</p> Racing Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/robert-hanks-radio-has-a-role-as-the-ovaltine-of-the-soul-1048628.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/robert-hanks-radio-has-a-role-as-the-ovaltine-of-the-soul-1048628.html <p>Among the chaos and terror unravelling in Mumbai, Friday's edition of <b>Today</b> (Radio 4) contained a lovely illustration of radio's role as a security blanket, Ovaltine for the soul. Mark Abell, a British lawyer who had been staying at the Oberoi hotel, was speaking from his room to James Naughtie. The previous day, he had given an interview while still holed up in there, not knowing what was going on, acutely aware of the possibility of gunmen breaking into his room to kill him, but amazingly calm. On Friday, when the immediate danger subsided, he was far more emotional, praising warmly the kindness of Indians and breaking down briefly as he said that the waitress who had served him at dinner on Wednesday evening had been one of the first people shot dead by the terrorists. At the end of the second interview, Naughtie congratulated him on his escape &ndash; sounding himself a little uneasy about whether that was the right thing to say &ndash; and Mr Abell thanked him in return: "It's great to hear a familiar voice, Jim." It was a striking small moment, driving home the intimacy of radio, the way the voice of a person you have never met can become entwined in your life, and can seem as close and comforting as part of your family. </p> Reviews Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/jorn-utzon-awardwinning-architect-who-designed-the-sydney-opera-house-1048763.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/jorn-utzon-awardwinning-architect-who-designed-the-sydney-opera-house-1048763.html ]]> <p>At the time of the Australian Bicentennial celebrations in 1988, Sydney Opera House was voted one of "the wonders of the 20th century". However, during the building's problematic construction period, from 1961 to 1973, it was nothing of the sort. </p> Obituaries Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/nico-rojas-guitarist-and-composer-whomixed-cuban-rhythms-with-jazz-1048762.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/nico-rojas-guitarist-and-composer-whomixed-cuban-rhythms-with-jazz-1048762.html <p>Although he was unable to properly write down his own compositions and never pursued music as anything more than a hobby, Nico Rojas was a highly respected guitarist and composer in his native Cuba. </p> Obituaries Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/craig-orr-journalist-who-helped-oversee-the-switch-to-computer-technology-1048761.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/craig-orr-journalist-who-helped-oversee-the-switch-to-computer-technology-1048761.html <p>Not every British journalist is described by colleagues as "one of the nicest men you could meet" but that was a common theme at the funeral of Craig Orr, the Fleet Street stalwart who has died at the age of 71. He managed to help produce national newspapers, in a variety of roles over decades, while preserving his reputation as a modest and agreeable man. "He was so laid back he was practically horizontal," said an editor who knew him well. "But at the same time he got things done, in the nicest possible way. That's not always the way in journalism."</p> Obituaries Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/janet-street-porter/janet-streetporter-mother-does-not-always-know-best-1048760.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/janet-street-porter/janet-streetporter-mother-does-not-always-know-best-1048760.html <p>Memories of childhood are always subjective, and one of the most sensitive subjects for writers is the mother-daughter relationship. The final taboo is shattered if you dare to tell the world your mother was a nightmare to live with. We are conditioned to pretend that mum always knew best, that mum had our best interests at heart, and that mum loved us unconditionally. But for thousands of women, that's not true. I know, because a few years ago I wrote a book in which I dared to criticise my mother, provoking reactions, from shock to sympathy. I received hundreds of letters from women (and men) who said they had been cheered up just to know they were not the only people they knew who couldn't stand their mother.</p> Janet Street-Porter Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/penny-de-valk-paradigm-might-be-a-stupid-word-but-it-can-also-be-a-useful-one-1048759.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/penny-de-valk-paradigm-might-be-a-stupid-word-but-it-can-also-be-a-useful-one-1048759.html <p>It's a wonderful piece of New Age jargon, I know, but the reality is that the economic and social shifts we are experiencing are a paradigm shift. So here is a story about paradigms.</p> Commentators Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/the-big-question-will-the-ending-of-the-airport-sitin-resolve-the-thai-crisis-1048758.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/the-big-question-will-the-ending-of-the-airport-sitin-resolve-the-thai-crisis-1048758.html ]]> Asia Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/mark-steel/mark-steel-never-mind-the-baby-just-get-back-to-work-1048757.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/mark-steel/mark-steel-never-mind-the-baby-just-get-back-to-work-1048757.html <p>You can tell what they've got in mind when they begin an article, as the Work and Pensions Secretary did yesterday, by insisting they have to make tough decisions. It means they're tough enough to cut benefits for the weakest people in the country, because they're hard. It's like if Ricky Hatton did an interview at the start of a fight, saying "I'm going to show the world tonight just how tough I am", then walked into the audience and smashed an old woman in the mouth. </p> Mark Steel Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/alex-james/alex-james-the-welcome-fog-1048756.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/alex-james/alex-james-the-welcome-fog-1048756.html <p>These bright, clear winter mornings make everything seem closer together: all the confusing detail stripped from the landscape, neighbouring houses seen clearly through the hedges that hide them most of the year; exposed, secretless. </p> Alex James Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/michael-gove-we-need-a-swedish-education-system-1048755.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/michael-gove-we-need-a-swedish-education-system-1048755.html <p>Every year thousands of children reach the pinnacle of academic achievement &ndash; three As at A-level. Last year 13,500 school pupils scaled that mountain top. Quite a cause for celebration.</p> Commentators Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/letters/letters-climate-report-1048754.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/letters/letters-climate-report-1048754.html <p>Four key points from the Turner Committee report on climate change require government policy change. First, he rightly says that emissions from international aviation and shipping must be sharply reduced and brought within the Government's carbon reduction targets. At present they're exempt, even though emissions from international flights more than doubled to 40 million tonnes in 2006. </p> Letters Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/hamish-mcrae/hamish-mcrae-it-will-take-time-but-well-recover-1048753.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/hamish-mcrae/hamish-mcrae-it-will-take-time-but-well-recover-1048753.html <p>Why do the financial markets remain so catastrophically gloomy when the world's governments and central banks are striving so hard to rescue the world economy? The governments, our own included, are piling money into the banking system and, in some cases, supporting large commercial companies too. The central banks, here as elsewhere, will carry on cutting official interest rates &ndash; there will be another cut tomorrow after the Bank of England's monetary committee meeting. Meanwhile budget deficits are soaring around the world, with our own version of this fiscal boost one of the most extreme. </p> Hamish McRae Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/leading-articles/leading-article-bear-necessities-1048752.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/leading-articles/leading-article-bear-necessities-1048752.html <p>Not even bears benefit from the bear market, it seems. When Knut the polar bear cub celebrates his second birthday at Berlin Zoo on Friday, this could be almost the last time he meets his adoring public on what was taken for granted as his home territory. Not only does the growing animal need a larger enclosure than the zoo can provide &ndash; where did those millions of euros he brought in from extra visitor fees go? &ndash; but a contract is out on his future. </p> Leading Articles Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/leading-articles/leading-article-a-military-challenge-to-mr-mugabe-1048751.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/leading-articles/leading-article-a-military-challenge-to-mr-mugabe-1048751.html <p>Is the alliance of forces that has kept Robert Mugabe in power finally starting to crack? For more than a decade now Zimbabweans have watched their once-prosperous country slide into penury and decay. Their government's mismanagement has brought hunger, disease, plunging life-expectancy, joblessness and hyperinflation to a land that was at one time the breadbasket of Africa. As the months and years have passed, and Mr Mugabe secured his power by fair means or foul, one could only marvel at people's forbearance. Every forecast that Zimbabwe could survive not a moment longer was disproved, as people somehow found a way. </p> Leading Articles Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/leading-articles/leading-article-now-is-the-time-to-tackle-the-abuses-of-our-welfare-system-1048750.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/leading-articles/leading-article-now-is-the-time-to-tackle-the-abuses-of-our-welfare-system-1048750.html <p>When it comes to the stubborn political challenge of reforming our benefits system, all good ideas are to be welcomed. Yesterday's report by Professor Paul Gregg, commissioned by the Department for Work and Pensions, fits that bill.</p> Leading Articles Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/deborah-orr/deborah-orr-one-more-inquiry-isnt-going-to-help-1048749.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/deborah-orr/deborah-orr-one-more-inquiry-isnt-going-to-help-1048749.html <p>I don't believe a public inquiry into the Baby P case is necessary. I think the failings in Haringey are already perfectly clear. Why should they not be? They are, after all, the same failings that are revealed in almost every public inquiry, into almost every public service dereliction.</p> Deborah Orr Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/the-mole-truth-what-are-whistleblowers-motivations-1048675.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/the-mole-truth-what-are-whistleblowers-motivations-1048675.html ]]> <p>When Christopher Galley, the 26-year-old civil servant who leaked Home Office documents to the Tory immigration spokesman, Damian Green, faced the media on Monday, he didn't look proud of himself; he didn't set his jaw at a defiant tilt, or cross his arms and stare out the baying mob. On the other hand, he didn't hang his head in shame, either, or do anything to indicate any great contrition for his sins. </p> UK Politics Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/hit-and-run/hit--run-beauty-queen-1048674.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/hit-and-run/hit--run-beauty-queen-1048674.html ]]> <p>Chuck out your anti-ageing creams, swap those contact lenses for rhinestone-encrusted specs, and embrace the blue rinse because there's a new beauty icon in town: Dame Edna Everage. The lavender-haired alter ego of comedian Barry Humphries has created a new make-up range for the maverick cosmetics company MAC. </p> Hit & Run Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/alexa-chung-moonlighting-as-a-dj-i-spun-numetal-to-a-room-full-of-drunk-hipsters-1048673.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/alexa-chung-moonlighting-as-a-dj-i-spun-numetal-to-a-room-full-of-drunk-hipsters-1048673.html <p>Shitsticks!" I thought to myself when I suddenly remembered that I had a column to write this week. I've worked seven days straight without a hint of a social soirée to attend, and my mind is broken. I'm painfully aware that thus far, none of my ramblings have related whatsoever to the title The Independent ambitiously gave this column, "Girl About Town". I suppose they assumed that my life was an endless parade of outfits at glitzy parties and gigs, and while this is a strong contender for what I do, it's certainly not how I make a living. </p> Columnists Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/exclusive-mega-names-key-to-citys-16370m-transfer-plan-1048657.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/exclusive-mega-names-key-to-citys-16370m-transfer-plan-1048657.html ]]> <p>Manchester City's wealthy Arab owners are determined to try to land a "world superstar" in the January transfer window and have drawn up a list of targets, headed by Kaka and Lionel Messi. The other names that have been discussed are Fernando Torres, Carlos Tevez, Cristiano Ronaldo and Samuel Eto'o, with the Abu Dhabi United Group prepared to pay upwards of &pound;70m for a top-name signing to add to their British transfer record purchase of Robinho, for a fee of up to &pound;34m, on the final day of the summer transfer window. </p> Premier League Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european/ronaldo-hails-his-beautiful-triumph-in-ballon-dor-1048656.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european/ronaldo-hails-his-beautiful-triumph-in-ballon-dor-1048656.html ]]> <p>Cristiano Ronaldo yesterday became the fourth Manchester United player to win the Ballon d'Or as European Footballer of the Year after a landslide victory in a poll of journalists organised by France Football magazine.</p> European Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/young-remains-uncomfortable-with-swing-to-the-left-1048655.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/young-remains-uncomfortable-with-swing-to-the-left-1048655.html <p>Luke Young has admitted he does not see his long-term future at left back despite being switched into the role by the Aston Villa manager, Martin O'Neill, for the first time in nearly a decade. </p> Premier League Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/scottish/smith-looks-forward-to-key-trios-comeback-1048654.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/scottish/smith-looks-forward-to-key-trios-comeback-1048654.html ]]> <p>Walter Smith, the Rangers manager, has received three pieces of good news ahead of this weekend's Scottish Premier League game against Hamilton. Kenny Miller, Sasa Papac and Steven Davis are all set to return for the visit of Accies after sitting out recent matches. </p> Scottish Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/answer-to-title-conundrum-could-come-made-in-japan-1048653.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/answer-to-title-conundrum-could-come-made-in-japan-1048653.html ]]> <p>Here's a question as you ponder the Premier League title race that refuses to obey logic: can you remember a season when the following took place? Arsenal blew their title hopes by losing games to extremely humble opponents, including one defeat to a club now in League Two. One of the key title challengers then, like Chelsea now, failed to take enough points off their biggest rivals. And Manchester United did not play a league match for 26 days. The last clue is the giveaway, it was 1999-2000, when Sir Alex Ferguson's team returned from the ill-conceived and short-lived World Club Championship in Brazil to find the Premier League title still unresolved.</p> Premier League Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/greening-confident-west-bromwich-can-repeat-great-escape-1048652.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/greening-confident-west-bromwich-can-repeat-great-escape-1048652.html <p>Jonathan Greening insists that the current West Bromwich Albion side have more quality than the one which avoided relegation in dramatic fashion three years ago. </p> Premier League Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/lean-spell-worse-for-chelsea-says-carragher-1048651.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/lean-spell-worse-for-chelsea-says-carragher-1048651.html <p>Anfield was an angst-ridden place as Liverpool took top spot in the Premier League on Monday night but Jamie Carragher, whose perspective on things is broader than most, served a reminder yesterday that Liverpool's "rough spell", as he describes it, has not cost them as dearly as Chelsea's. </p> Premier League Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/credit-crisis-diary-the-auctioneers-keen-on-a-return-to-the-1930s-1049049.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/credit-crisis-diary-the-auctioneers-keen-on-a-return-to-the-1930s-1049049.html <p>No spin seems too far for the organisers of a classic car auction where 60 vehicles dating back to the 1920s will be sold. Consumers are holding on to their pennies everywhere, but the auctioneers Coys, who hope to sell a 1929 Chrysler for more than &pound;150,000 at an event tomorrow, are trying to use the credit crunch to their advantage in their advertising. With suppliers and traders everywhere implementing cash-on-delivery policies in case their counterparties go bust with goods in transition, Coys boasts, somewhat optimistically: "Investors clearly want to have physical possession of their investments and we are looking forward to another encouraging result."</p> Business News Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/comment/jeremy-warner/jeremy-warner-the-real-carnage-comes-after-christmas-1049048.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/comment/jeremy-warner/jeremy-warner-the-real-carnage-comes-after-christmas-1049048.html <p><b>Outlook</b> Little sign yet of the wheels coming off the Tesco juggernaut. UK like-for-like sales growth of "just" 2 per cent is the slowest since the early 1990s, but there is no profits warning, as forecast by some. Given that the growth being reported is all volume, with no contribution from inflation, performance doesn't look that bad. </p> Jeremy Warner Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/comment/jeremy-warner/jeremy-warner-not-guilty-plead--bankers-on-small-business-lending-1049047.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/comment/jeremy-warner/jeremy-warner-not-guilty-plead--bankers-on-small-business-lending-1049047.html <p><b>Outlook</b> Forget the bankers, it may be as much suppliers and customers who are to blame for the present squeeze in small business lending. In launching its "charter for small businesses" yesterday, Lloyds TSB insisted that, far from reducing its small business lending over the past year, it had increased it by 18 per cent, with the average amount drawn rising from 50 per cent of overdraft limits to 58 per cent. These figures seem to conform with separate data from the British Bankers' Association suggesting an overall uplift of 10 per cent in lending to SMEs among the major banks.</p> Jeremy Warner Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/ba-in-talks-with-qantas-to-create-global-superairline-1049038.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/ba-in-talks-with-qantas-to-create-global-superairline-1049038.html <p>British Airways (BA) is in talks with Qantas, the Australian flag-carrier, about a merger that could help create one of the next generation of global super-airlines.</p> Business News Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/fa-league-cups/griffin-hands-it-to-ellington-as-derby-turn-back-clocks-1049020.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/fa-league-cups/griffin-hands-it-to-ellington-as-derby-turn-back-clocks-1049020.html ]]> <p>Nathan Ellington's contentious penalty in the last of three minutes of stoppage time means Derby County are in the League Cup semi-final for the first time in 40 years. The striker, on loan from Watford, thrilled 4,500 visiting fans by gently rolling in his sixth goal in the competition &ndash; the best return in the country and more than he has managed in the Championship since May 2007.</p> FA & League Cups Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/fa-league-cups/mcdonald-ruins-dream-of-wengers-youngsters-1049019.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/fa-league-cups/mcdonald-ruins-dream-of-wengers-youngsters-1049019.html ]]> <p>The notion that Arsene Wenger's precociously gifted Carling Cup side might actually be good enough to win the competition was abruptly deflated last night, in a manner with which, even on a chill December evening in industrial Lancashire, the Arsenal manager could have few complaints. If Burnley's victory on penalties at Chelsea in the last round owed something to luck, this one was unquestionably theirs on merit. </p> FA & League Cups Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/sharewatch/market-report-rbs-soars-on-back-of-merrills-rescue-plan-1048867.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/sharewatch/market-report-rbs-soars-on-back-of-merrills-rescue-plan-1048867.html <p>Royal Bank of Scotland registered a stellar 16.79 per cent rise last night after the house broker Merrill Lynch suggested a radical restructuring strategy to save the bank, already majority-owned by the British taxpayer, from full nationalisation. </p> Sharewatch Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/sharewatch/investment-column-game-will-suffer-as-economy-turns-down-1048866.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/sharewatch/investment-column-game-will-suffer-as-economy-turns-down-1048866.html <p><b>Our view:</b> Sell</p> Sharewatch Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/thomas-cook-snaps-gloom-as-profits-beat-forecasts-1048865.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/thomas-cook-snaps-gloom-as-profits-beat-forecasts-1048865.html <p>Thomas Cook backed up its claims of resilience in the face of the economic slowdown as it announced profit ahead of forecasts and a confident trading outlook.</p> Business News Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/lloyds-calls-for-pressure-on-corporate-giants-to-ease-squeeze-on-smes-1048864.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/lloyds-calls-for-pressure-on-corporate-giants-to-ease-squeeze-on-smes-1048864.html <p>Lloyds TSB has called on the Government to put pressure on big companies to speed up payments to small businesses and help them weather the economic downturn.</p> Business News Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/general-motors-in-desperate-plea-for-18bn-to-stay-afloat-1048863.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/general-motors-in-desperate-plea-for-18bn-to-stay-afloat-1048863.html <p> The three major US car makers promised to cut costs, axe executive bonuses and invest in fuel-efficient new technologies in return for access to government loans, as the latest sales figures showed the dire state of the industry. </p> Business News Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/construction-industry-confidence-plummets-to-record-low-1048862.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/construction-industry-confidence-plummets-to-record-low-1048862.html <p>The "dire" state of the economy and, in particular, the rapidly deteriorating outlook for jobs was confirmed in a range of economic surveys released yesterday, casting further doubt on the Government's predictions in the pre-Budget report that the UK economy will bounce back strongly from next summer. </p> Business News Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/scottish-retailer-folds-with-loss-of-817-jobs-1048861.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/scottish-retailer-folds-with-loss-of-817-jobs-1048861.html <p>The retail sector took another battering yesterday as the Glasgow-based group Bowie Castlebank called in the administrators and cut 817 jobs.</p> Business News Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/government-under-fire-over-mortgage-moves-1048860.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/government-under-fire-over-mortgage-moves-1048860.html <p>The Government's response to the mortgage lending crisis has been confused and ineffective critics warn, with calls for new solutions gathering pace as repossessions rise and mortgage lending figures continue to plummet.</p> Business News Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/shell-buys-canadian-carbon-capture-firm-1048859.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/shell-buys-canadian-carbon-capture-firm-1048859.html <p>Shell has bought a Candian company that specialises in technology for cleaning up gas emissions. Cansolv, which also has offices in China, has a scrubbing system to remove sulphur dioxide from combustion gases as well as carbon dioxide capture technologies. </p> Business News Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/recession-slows-the-tesco-juggernaut-1048858.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/recession-slows-the-tesco-juggernaut-1048858.html <p>Tesco, the UK's biggest retailer, posted its worst underlying UK sales for 16 years yesterday. The admission raised fresh fears that the juggernaut UK growth of Tesco may be grinding to a halt and that its 30 per cent-plus share of the grocery market may be its as good as it gets. </p> Business Analysis & Features Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/a-royal-audience-for-condoleezza-the-palace-pianist-1048857.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/a-royal-audience-for-condoleezza-the-palace-pianist-1048857.html ]]> <p>Condoleezza Rice is taking her farewell international tour, which this week included a stop at Buckingham Palace to dazzle guests with her piano skills. But for a woman who was once trumpeted as the most powerful in the world and destined for the presidency, her star is rapidly dimming.</p> Americas Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/rwandan-pop-star-jailed-for-inciting-genocide-1048856.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/rwandan-pop-star-jailed-for-inciting-genocide-1048856.html <p>A UN court in Tanzania has sentenced a former pop star to 15 years in prison for his part in inciting Rwanda's 1994 genocide. </p> Africa Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/victory-for-opposition-as-court-ousts-thai-pm-1048855.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/victory-for-opposition-as-court-ousts-thai-pm-1048855.html ]]> <p>Anti-government protesters began to lift a blockade of Bangkok's international airport yesterday, after a court ruling that dissolved the government of the Prime Minister, Somchai Wongsawat, over election fraud but left Thailand stuck in its worst political crisis for decades.</p> Asia Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/basildon-peta-it-should-be-the-tipping-point-for-the-tyrant-ndash-but-this-is-zimbabwe-1048854.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/basildon-peta-it-should-be-the-tipping-point-for-the-tyrant-ndash-but-this-is-zimbabwe-1048854.html <p>Until it happened, the sight of Robert Mugabe's loyal soldiers rampaging against his regime was unthinkable. So surely their unprecedented actions ought to be the tipping point for the 84-year-old tyrant. But in the weird world that cynics call Mugabeland, things are never straight forward.</p> Commentators Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/pandora/pandora-christmas-is-the-pits-for-f1-team-1048852.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/pandora/pandora-christmas-is-the-pits-for-f1-team-1048852.html <p>First the housing market, then the banks, and then Donald Trump's fortune. </p> Pandora Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/news/ikea-under-fire-for-selling-reindeer-meat-1048851.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/news/ikea-under-fire-for-selling-reindeer-meat-1048851.html ]]> <p>Ikea has been accused of condoning cruelty to animals by selling salami made from Santa's four-legged sleigh-pullers, reindeer.</p> News Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/killer-trapped-by-sons-dna-1048850.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/killer-trapped-by-sons-dna-1048850.html ]]> <p>A 62-year-old handyman with a brutal history of sexual violence against women was found guilty yesterday of murdering a schoolgirl whose disappearance in 1991 sparked one of Britain's biggest missing person hunts.</p> Crime Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/tv-radio/lie-detectors-at-war-but-whos-telling-the-truth-1048849.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/tv-radio/lie-detectors-at-war-but-whos-telling-the-truth-1048849.html ]]> <p>It is the kind of argument that could probably have been settled by the tools of their trade, but bosses at two of Britain's major polygraph companies are choosing to deal with their differences in the High Court rather than opting for lie detectors.</p> TV & Radio Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/india-demands-pakistan-hand-over-20-fugitives-1048847.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/india-demands-pakistan-hand-over-20-fugitives-1048847.html <p>India has demanded that Pakistan hand over 20 of its most wanted fugitives as a sign of good faith in the aftermath of last week's terror attacks. </p> Asia Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/new-inquiry-at-council-over-second-abuse-case-1048846.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/new-inquiry-at-council-over-second-abuse-case-1048846.html <p>A second investigation has been mounted in Haringey amid concerns over the way the council tackled another case of child abuse, it emerged yesterday.</p> UK Politics Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/mothers-horror-show-as-facebook-gatecrashers-invade-birthday-party-1048845.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/mothers-horror-show-as-facebook-gatecrashers-invade-birthday-party-1048845.html ]]> <p>A mother told how her daughter's 16th birthday party descended into an "absolute horror show" when about 300 people gatecrashed her luxury home after it was advertised on Facebook.</p> Science Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/police-raid-that-sparked-a-constitutional-crisis-1048844.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/police-raid-that-sparked-a-constitutional-crisis-1048844.html ]]> <p>One of the lowest of the low points in the fortunes of Gordon Brown's government came last November when highly damaging documents leaked out of the Home Office. They showed that 5,000 or more illegal immigrants had been allowed to work as security guards. </p> UK Politics Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/man-who-killed-himself-feared-the-effects-of-financial-crisis-1048843.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/man-who-killed-himself-feared-the-effects-of-financial-crisis-1048843.html <p>A wealthy financier who threw himself in front of a train in Buckinghamshire was wracked with fear about the economic downturn, an inquest heard yesterday. </p> Home News Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-wellbeing/health-news/parents-put-their-faith-and-hope-in-hands-of-surgeons-1048842.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-wellbeing/health-news/parents-put-their-faith-and-hope-in-hands-of-surgeons-1048842.html ]]> <p>Surgeons were operating last night to separate week-old conjoined twin girls after their condition began to deteriorate. </p> Health News Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/man-who-enslaved-lover-is-jailed-1048841.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/man-who-enslaved-lover-is-jailed-1048841.html <p>A self-styled "sex cult master" who walked girlfriends around on a dog lead was jailed for three years yesterday for forcing his lover to sleep with other men.</p> Crime Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/en-garde-tessa-how-ms-jowell-foiled-the-fencers-1048838.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/en-garde-tessa-how-ms-jowell-foiled-the-fencers-1048838.html ]]> <p>An Olympic row erupted last night after a sporting executive charged with delivering gold for Team GB in 2012 accused ministers of breaking a key promise on funding. </p> UK Politics Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/the-knives-are-out-for-anna-wintour-1048803.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/the-knives-are-out-for-anna-wintour-1048803.html ]]> <p>Anna Wintour, who is as close to royalty as it is possible for a fashionista to be, was at Buckingham Palace last week to collect an OBE in the Queen's birthday honours. As she affixed the red ribbon of her medal to the shoulder of her suit, selected from the latest Chanel autumn/winter collection, she mused that "It's a great honour, but many of my American colleagues are not quite sure what it is."</p> People Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/ondine-royal-opera-house-london-1048528.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/ondine-royal-opera-house-london-1048528.html <p>Frederick Ashton's Ondine has always been tricky. This 1958 ballet, the tale of a water sprite and her human lover, is a weird mixture of invention and fussy nostalgia. Created for Margot Fonteyn, the lovely ballerina role is full of floating, rippling movement. But the heroine is surrounded by creaking plot development and padded-out divertissement dances. </p> Reviews Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/lichtenberg-amp-the-little-flower-girl-by-gert-hofmann-translated-by-michael-hofmann-1048527.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/lichtenberg-amp-the-little-flower-girl-by-gert-hofmann-translated-by-michael-hofmann-1048527.html <p>Like all good Enlightenment brains, Georg Christoph Lichtenberg's rode roughshod over academic boundaries. Nominally a mathematician, he made pioneering studies in electricity, introduced Germany to Benjamin Franklin's lightning rod, wrote passionately about British theatre and Hogarth's etchings, and coined some of the wittiest aphorisms of his age.</p> Reviews Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/kings-of-leon-brighton-centre-brighton-1048526.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/kings-of-leon-brighton-centre-brighton-1048526.html <p>They're hard workers, I'll give them that. Ever since they first appeared in 2003, the Kings of Leon have toured relentlessly, criss-crossing the globe and &ndash; if you believe the stories &ndash; leaving a trail of ravished maidens and STDs in their wake. Over the course of four albums they have gradually modified their sound, moving from soulful, blues-infused ditties to expansive rock anthems perfectly equipped to fill the cavernous hangars in which they now ply their trade.</p> Reviews Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/vso-stars-of-africa-concert-royal-albert-hall-london-1048525.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/vso-stars-of-africa-concert-royal-albert-hall-london-1048525.html <p>It may come as a surprise to some Alaskan politicians, but the continent of Africa is home to many countries, each boasting its own multi-faceted cultural character. </p> Reviews Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/house-and-home/interiors/were-loving-were-hating-were-buying-1048385.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/house-and-home/interiors/were-loving-were-hating-were-buying-1048385.html <p> <b>Loving... Recycled presents </b></p> <p> The practise of recycling presents has probably been going since the time gifts began (who knows? Maybe the wise men were regifting that frankincense and myrrh) but with this year's financial constraints millions more Britons may resort to passing on unwanted gifts to their unsuspecting recipients. According to a creditexpert.co.uk survey, almost half of those who took part admitted they will pass on anything they weren't enamoured with. But why not be slightly more literal when deciding what to give this year? For the children: planettrash.co.uk, a website specialising in recycled gifts, have beautiful toy cars made from tin cans (the Schweppes tonic water label is still visible on the roof!) for &pound;5. At nigelsecostore.com they have stunning wine glasses fashioned from the iconic thick, green glass of Grolsch bottles, which will make the perfect gift for any adult. </p> Interiors Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 +0000