Miliband’s gag – ‘He is the Prime Minister for Benson and hedge funds’ – was a work in progress

History, hokum, heartache, and strong women at the helm

Watch the videos below for a selection of trailers for the latest releases:

Neil Jordan nudges self-parody in a garbled feminist vampire-fest set in a seaside B&B

Watch the videos below for a selection of trailers for the latest releases:

Thieves have stolen a marble statue of a Greek goddess from one of Britain's most elegant gardens.

In Nemesis we left Falco, Lindsey Davis's Roman sleuth, on a sombre note, suffering the loss of a father and a child. Perhaps life had become too dark for him to take centre-stage in another novel.

The slips from this week's Independent are reviewed by our peerless Letters editor

He was a hero to West Ham fans, the working class of the East End

If you've ever seen the 1939 classic, Mr Smith Goes To Washington, you'll know what a filibuster is. The parliamentary procedure, where a member attempts to "talk out" a bill by giving a speech so long it delays the vote has been practiced since Ancient Rome, when senator Cato the Younger was notorious for blocking legislation by speaking until dusk, at which point Senate rules required all business to be concluded. 

The Coalition's changes to the university funding system has cost them six times more than they had initially aimed to save in, the Independent recently reported.

Alice Jones' Arts Diary

Sporting domination is an unusual feeling in Britain – and a fervent crowd lap it up