Michael Woodford, the whistleblower who exposed a massive fraud at camera maker Olympus shortly after being made chief executive, yesterday won a multi-million pound, out-of-court settlement in a dramatic, last-minute deal.

A woman who tripped and fell downstairs while carrying her baby granddaughter has been successfully sued by her own family for causing head injuries that left the little girl severely disabled.

Michael Woodford, the British whistleblower sacked from Japanese cameras and endoscopes giant Olympus begins his multi-million pound unfair dismissal case against the company at a London tribunal today.

Michael Woodford, the British whistleblower sacked from Japanese cameras and endoscopes giant Olympus, begins his multi-million-pound unfair dismissal case against the company at a London tribunal today.

Austrian wins Palme d'Or for second time with tale of an elderly couple's devotion

A friend is re-doing her kitchen and wants to incorporate an interesting splashback to replace the simple square, coloured tiles she has. So I did a bit of hunting around for some off-piste ideas...

The late comedian Kenneth Horne, master of the double entendre, used to tell a joke about a town in London's commuter belt with a somewhat unfortunate name: "How to get rid of unsightly Staines – blow up the bridge and burn the cinema!"

More new homes must be built to tackle "the country's burgeoning housing crisis", a new report has said.

Leigh 12 Leeds 60

Shortage of homes forces desperate tenants to live in illegally built cramped structures

Lord Heseltine said yesterday he was braced for low turn-outs in ten referendums today on creating a new wave of elected city mayors as he admitted there was very little interest in the issue among the public.

Growth in the construction sector slowed in April but another solid rise in new orders shored up confidence in the year ahead.

House-stays are recession-beating, authentic, and they offer you the chance to live like a local wherever you visit

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