He told Castro that he would follow the family tradition and die for his beliefs

A quarter-century after 'The Bonfire of the Vanities', one of America's great chroniclers is disgusted at where his country is headed

A US federal judge has granted a stay of execution for a convicted mass killer in Florida who is mentally ill and was scheduled to be executed on Tuesday.

Passengers who survived the collision off the Tuscan coast on January 13 in which 32 people were killed are also attending.

The former captain of the shipwrecked cruise liner Costa Concordia has arrived at a court in Italy to hear the evidence against him.

Andy Murray is taking Oliver Golding, last year's US Open junior champion, to his Miami "boot camp" during the close season. Golding, one of Britain's brightest prospects, will accompany Murray for the first 10 days of his stay in Florida, when the Scot will be working on his physical preparation and then honing his game with his coach, Ivan Lendl.

The winner of a cockroach-eating contest in Florida has died after consuming dozens of the live insects and some worms.

The comedian Justin Lee Collins has admitted that he slapped his girlfriend, but said he only did it to calm her down, a court heard.

Comedian and television presenter Justin Lee Collins has never hit anyone in his life, he told his trial for domestic and emotional abuse today.

The ex-girlfriend of Justin Lee Collins has accused the television comedian of trying to push her in front of a car on a drunken night out with fellow presenter Alan Carr, a court heard yesterday.

A pair of underpants that once belonged to Elvis Presley are expected to fetch £10,000 when they go up for auction in Manchester next month. An added bonus for the would-be buyer is that the light-blue boxers come unwashed and with genuine Elvis stains, which came when he wore them underneath a white jumpsuit, during a show in 1977.

As summer in Europe winds down, flexible travellers can find bargains on a variety of unusual cruises. We are moving into the "repositioning" season. From late October to early December, numerous ships head west across the Atlantic to spend the winter months plying the warm waters of the Caribbean or South America. To help offset the cost of relocating the ships, cruise lines get paying passengers on board these one-off journeys by offering discounted fares. On these longer voyages – usually about two weeks – the cost per day can work out less than half of what it would be on a regular cruise.

'I arrive with a headache from keeping the plane up with my mental powers'