England's Ian Poulter admitted he would have been disappointed had he not finished under par having played so well without creating many chances in his first round of the 140th Open.

Asos has laid bare the breadth and pace of its international growth by revealing that Australia has become its second biggest market in the last two months.

Online fashion retailer ASOS maintained its rapid rate of growth today after revealing a 41% jump in annual profits to £28.6 million.

During the long years of Margaret Thatcher's dominance of Conservative and national politics, Nicholas Lyell occupied a somewhat anomalous position on the political spectrum and never gained the advancement which, his friends believed, his talents merited. He served for seven years from 1979 as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Sir Michael (later Lord) Havers, who became Attorney General in the 1979 government. It was a long time for an able young man to serve in the ranks of those commonly described as "the lowest form of parliamentary life". He subsequently held junior office at the then Department of Health and Social Security before becoming Solicitor General in 1987 and – his final appointment – Attorney General in 1992. After the Conservative general election defeat of 1997, he accepted William Hague's invitation to serve as Shadow Attorney General.

A decade after Asos set up as a small online retailer for people who wanted to dress like celebrities, the group has taken a crucial step towards its target of £1bn in sales with plans to move to a bigger warehouse, as it unveiled record annual results.

An eight-year-old boy whose father had brought him to the UK for a good education was found hanging from his bunk bed by a belt, an inquest heard today.

Oil giant Total UK has admitted three charges relating to the explosions that destroyed the Buncefield oil depot in Hertfordshire four years ago. At the Old Bailey yesterday the firm pleaded guilty to two health and safety offences and one of polluting water.

Three people arrested over the murder of a man whose body was found in a canal were released on bail, police said.

More than 20 years ago, the two Alans, Ayckbourn and Bennett, wrote two monologues for two vicars' wives, both called Susan and both underprovided for at home in the bedroom department. "Geoffrey's bad enough," said Bennett's Susan, in one of his television Talking Heads, "but I'm glad I wasn't married to Jesus".

Administrators of music and games retailer Zavvi announced plans to close another 17 stores today, with the loss of 242 jobs.

Two new cases of the animal disease bluetongue have been detected in imported rams, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said today.

The appetite for online shopping showed little sign of wavering today as internet fashion retailer ASOS doubled profits and posted healthy sales.