They were Tarmacing the pavements down the narrow street in north Coventry, much to the irritation of groups of bike-riding schoolchildren enjoying the start of a hot, glorious summer holiday.

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£172m worth of ashes? Fears that stolen art works could have been 'burned in stove'

Traces of canvas, paint and nails found in oven of suspect in multi-million pound art heist

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is believed to now be in good health

How the CIA ‘un-tortured’ 9/11 bomber Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in strange tale of the al-Qa'ida vacuum cleaner

Revealed: The extraordinary extent of efforts to rehabilitate mastermind behind terror attacks

Radu Vasile was a former Romanian prime minister

Radu Vasile: Politician who as Romania's prime minister paved his country's way into the EU

Radu Vasile, who died of colon cancer on 3 June, was a former Romanian prime minister who helped pave the way for his country's accession to the European Union but was finally brought down by political feuding and protests against economic reforms he struggled to implement.

Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna

Opera's 'dream couple' in domestic violence claim: Soprano Angel Gheorghiu says tenor husband subjected her to years of beatings

She says Robert Alagna was violent in front of family and left her unable to sing

The Romanians at heart of UK tech boom

Eastern European immigrants won’t all steal British jobs

The Romanians at heart of UK tech boom

Eastern European immigrants won’t all steal British jobs

Bus carrying Romanian tourists fell from notorious bridge in Montenegro

Aircraft sent to help survivors of Montenegro bus crash that has killed 18 and left more injured

Bus carrying Romanian tourists fell from notorious bridge

Male migrants in the UK have had higher levels of employment than 'native-born men' from 2007

Foreign-born men more likely to be in work than British counterparts - and migrant workers earn UK £7bn annual boost

Male migrants in the UK have had higher levels of employment than 'native-born men' from 2007

The tactic has raised concerns because the standard of proof required to deport someone whom Home Secretary Theresa May considers is not 'conducive to the public good' is less than that needed for criminal trials

Suspected Jamaican rapist banned from UK for a decade as police employ new tactic

Victory for new police unit Operation Nexus raises concerns at criminal cases being shifted to immigration

Nigel Farage (left) has branded John Bercow (right)

House of Commons Speaker John Bercow under fire over migrant comments

House of Commons Speaker John Bercow has come under fire after suggesting that eastern European immigrants have more "aptitude and commitment" to work than British people.

Andy McSmith's Diary: It wasn’t ‘just like that’ in Tommy Cooper’s day

As MPs gathered after the half-term break, you could hear the question whizzing around the building: “Do you know who they are?” The reference was to a mystery story festooned across the front of the Mail on Sunday about an extramarital affair between two unnamed famous people.

James Moore: CBI right to be jittery
over European exit

There’s a risk in the CBI entering the European debate. Britain is in a sullen and surly mood  right now.

Video: Eurovision Song Contest 2013

Sweden were the hosts for the latest edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, with Denmark claiming the title. The outfits worn are a big part of the night, so watch the winning video and a selection of the performances from the night below.

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Special report: How my father's face turned up in Robert Capa's lost suitcase

Special report: How my father's face turned up in Robert Capa's lost suitcase

The great war photographer was not one person but two. Their pictures of Spain's civil war, lost for decades, tell a heroic tale
The unmade speech: An alternative draft of history

The unmade speech: An alternative draft of history

Someone, somewhere has to write speeches for world leaders to deliver in the event of disaster. They offer a chilling hint at what could have been
Funny business: Meet the women running comedy

Funny business: Meet the women running comedy

Think comedy’s a man's world? You must be stuck in the 1980s, says Holly Williams
Wilko Johnson: 'You have to live for the minute you're in'

Wilko Johnson: 'You have to live for the minute you're in'

The Dr Feelgood guitarist talks frankly about his terminal illness
Lure of the jingle: Entrepreneurs are giving vintage ice-cream vans a new lease of life

Lure of the jingle

Entrepreneurs are giving vintage ice-cream vans a new lease of life
Who stole the people's own culture?

DJ Taylor: Who stole the people's own culture?

True popular art drives up from the streets, but the commercial world wastes no time in cashing in
Guest List: The IoS Literary Editor suggests some books for your summer holiday

Guest List: IoS Literary Editor suggests some books for your summer holiday

Before you stuff your luggage with this year's Man Booker longlist titles, the case for some varied poolside reading alternatives
What if Edward Snowden had stayed to fight his corner?

Rupert Cornwell: What if Edward Snowden had stayed to fight his corner?

The CIA whistleblower struck a blow for us all, but his 1970s predecessor showed how to win
'A man walks into a bar': Comedian Seann Walsh on the dangers of mixing alcohol and stand-up

Comedian Seann Walsh on alcohol and stand-up

Comedy and booze go together, says Walsh. The trouble is stopping at just the one. So when do the hangovers stop being funny?
From Edinburgh to Hollywood (via the Home Counties): 10 comedic talents blowing up big

Edinburgh to Hollywood: 10 comedic talents blowing up big

Hugh Montgomery profiles the faces to watch, from the sitcom star to the surrealist
'Hello. I have cancer': When comedian Tig Notaro discovered she had a tumour she decided the show must go on

Comedian Tig Notaro: 'Hello. I have cancer'

When Notaro discovered she had a tumour she decided the show must go on
They think it's all ova: Bill Granger's Asia-influenced egg recipes

Bill Granger's Asia-influenced egg recipes

Our chef made his name cooking eggs, but he’s never stopped looking for new ways to serve them
The world wakes up to golf's female big hitters

The world wakes up to golf's female big hitters

With its own Tiger Woods - South Korea's Inbee Park - the women's game has a growing audience
10 athletes ready to take the world by storm in Moscow next week

10 athletes ready to take the world by storm in Moscow next week

Here are the potential stars of the World Championships which begin on Saturday
The Last Word: Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale's art of manipulation

The Last Word: Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale's art of manipulation

Briefings are off the record leading to transfer speculation which is merely a means to an end