The number of women suspected of being trafficked to perform housework in embassies and private houses in Britain has increased amid warnings that vulnerable workers have been denied an escape route from domestic servitude by new immigration rules.

The Government should get religious groups more involved in the struggling Work Programme, a leading think tank has urged, with backing from the shadow employment minister.

An elderly man has survived a large explosion which is suspected to have been caused by a gas cooker being left on overnight.

The spectre of rain still looms over the London Games, but one venue, spectators might not be too happy to learn, will remain dry throughout.

The spectre of rain still looms over the London Games, but one venue is to which, spectators might not be too happy to learn, will remain dry throughout.

As with many period recordings, there's a hurdle to be overcome with these Fifties recordings of Vaughan Williams works – most notably, the thinness of the sound and the unusual instrumental balance that initially distracts from Alexander Young's noble English tenor.

The first case of someone being brought to Britain to have an organ removed for trafficking has been uncovered, according to a report.

Charities which help the poor and indebted, particularly religious ones, expect to be busier than ever in 2012. January and February are going to be particularly busy months for them as more impoverished individuals and families seek help. Christmas is often a turning point for people with debts; in the cold light of January many decide they need advice.

The bosses of Britain's Christian lenders have attacked the sales-obsessed culture and declining ethics of the mainstream banking industry.

A well-planned and productive gap year can launch your career in the right direction. By Russ Thorne

Before he was born, did Barack Obama's parents consider giving up their child-to-be for adoption?

It was the August bank holiday. The rain was going from drizzle to downpour and as I peeped out of my weather-beaten tent to survey the landscape at the Reading Festival, the last thing I wanted was another cereal bar. Or another Babybel, another bag of crisps – or any of the other provisions I'd so frugally packed the Friday before. So half an hour later I found myself sitting opposite an infinitely more appealing plate of grilled halloumi, rocket, aubergine and roast peppers, accompanied by a hefty wedge of focaccia.

Andrew Powell, the international No 8 sacked by Wasps after brawling with a group of football supporters in a Shepherd's Bush bar and finishing a distant second, has secured a two-year contract with Sale, who are rebuilding their squad after confirming the departure of 21 players earlier this week. The deal, finalised yesterday, gives the Welshman a second bite at a Premiership career that looked to have turned sour on him.