For one crew represented at this year's London Marathon, running is about so much more than keeping fit, discovers Ian Burrell

Opposition leader calls for recount ‘of every vote’ in Venezuela’s disputed presidential election

Voters narrowly elected Hugo Chavez's hand-picked successor as president today, in a razor-close election.

A four-year-old Australian girl is seriously ill in a Brisbane hospital after allegedly being poisoned with chemotherapy pills by her mother.

The actress Lesley Fitz-Simons literally sailed into the Scottish soap opera Take the High Road in 1983. She was first seen stepping on to land in the fictional village of Glendarroch from the ferry boat that took her character, Sheila Lamont (later Ramsay), to and from school across the water in Auchtarn. The bright teenager soon brought scandal to the tightly knit community, becoming pregnant by Eddie Ramsay, a petty criminal, during her final year at school. With her father furious, mother distressed and chances of going to university dashed, she left for Glasgow, had the baby and gave it up for adoption – not even knowing whether it was a boy or a girl.

I’m not sure I trust this Government to run the scheme in a sensible and sensitive manner given the way some reforms have been conducted so far

A midwife has apologised for telling a woman suffering a miscarriage who later died that she could not have an abortion in Ireland because it was a "Catholic thing".

Just over a decade ago, acclaimed classical pianist Janina Fialkowska discovered a tumour that would leave her left arm paralysed.

Broadhurst Theatre, New York

Venezuela’s President-elect Nicolas Maduro has claimed that a centuries-old curse will strike anyone who fails to vote for him in next week’s election.

Doubles pair bring Davis Cup tie against Russia back to 2-1 but team need two tough singles victories

While Russia will be the favourites in all four singles rubbers this weekend, Igor Kunitsyn and Victor Baluda would need to spring a major surprise to win tomorrow’s doubles.

Doubles player pores over videos of Davis Cup opponents, as Ward leads singles charge

Ebert’s show with Gene Siskel was full of verbal sparring and thumbs up/ thumbs down reviews