Royal Marines in Lympstone, Devon, above right, joined volunteers to clear the area of the rampant Himalayan balsam

Scientists, and now the military, are battling the spread of Himalayan balsam

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A view of Coventry's Ricoh Arena

Northampton will not be 'bullied' in groundshare deal with Coventry

Ricoh Arena management Arena Coventry Limited have threatened legal action as stadium dispute rumbles on

Former Labour minister Denis MacShane charged over false expenses claims for almost £13,000

Former minister is accused of faking receipts totalling £12,900

Rotherham Council shuts down Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food over health and safety concerns

Celebrity chef set up the healthy eating centre after parents were filmed passing burgers and fizzy drinks through school gates where Oliver's menu was being served

Walter, fifth from left, with the West Germany team in 1954, and below, with a picture of his old self at a ceremony in 2004 to mark the 50th anniversary of his side’s famous victory

Ottmar Walter: Footballer who helped West Germany triumph in ‘The Miracle of Berne’ in 1954

He served in the German navy during the war, which he ended with shrapnel ‘in my entire body’

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt

The health gap: New mortality rates show how the north loses out to the south

New mortality data highlights serious divisions across England but is intended to help councils improve public health

Pictured from the top, left to right, are Abdul Rauf, Hamid Safi, Mohammed Sajid, Abdul Aziz, Abdul Qayyum, Adil Khan, Mohammed Amin and Kabeer Hassan, who were jailed last year for sexually exploiting young girls in Rochdale. The gang plied the girls with food, alcohol, drugs and gifts so they could pass them around a group of men for sex

MPs: authorities are still failing victims of sex-grooming gangs in wake of Rochdale and Rotherham scandals

Report says errors in Rochdale and Rotherham cases were 'inexcusable'

England’s Tom Johnson is halted
Ukip today said it did not wish to comment on the council's statement

Rotherham council apologises over way it handled removal of children from Ukip foster parents

A council has apologised over the way it handled a decision to remove three Eastern European children from foster parents who were members of Ukip.

Shane in 1979 as Ted Bovis in 'Hi-de-Hi'; he relished the role of the comedian and shyster

Paul Shane: Actor who mined a seam of comedy nostalgia in 'Hi-De-Hi!' and 'Oh Mr Beeching!'

His graduation from entertainer to actor came thanks to a part in Alan Bennett's play 'A Day Out'

ukip

Ukip captures Labour fortress in South Yorkshire by-election

Ukip surged on in the latest council by-elections, storming a previously rock-solid Labour stronghold at Rawmarsh in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.

Actor Paul Shane

Bye-de-Bye! to Hi-de-Hi! sitcom actor Paul Shane who has died aged 72

The Hi-de-Hi! actor Paul Shane died today at the age of 72 following a short illness, his agent said.

Schoolchildren need to eat a proper breakfast, but should Kellogg's really be paying for it?

Tens of thousands of children are now arriving at school without a proper breakfast. So let's tackle the cause of this problem, not just the symptom

In 2006, the Anglo-Dutch steel firm Corus accepted a £4.3bn takeover offer from Indian rival Tata Steel, including the Port Talbot site pictured here

Fears for UK jobs as Tata Steel wipes £1bn from value of Europe operations

Unions said writedown will worry 18,500 staff still reeling from last year's cuts

How things were – Wicken Fen

How our fens were sacrificed for more farms

Loss of wetlands and wildlife is 'a catastrophe beyond comprehension', claims a new book

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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