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- Beauty tips: nude tones - videoJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmIn the lull between Christmas and spring, nude tones can help your skin look clean and fresh. Sali Hughes explains allSali Hughes.
- What I see in the mirror: Bear GryllsJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pm'The irony is that my biggest scars are from ridiculous things'My face looks as if it's lived a lot of adventures. My wife Shara says I?frown too much.
- Beauty: nudesJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pm'There's something very right about nudes for now'It's clich?d but true that when men claim women look better without make-up, they're usually describing a face full of cunningly applied neutral tones. I can't usually be bothered - all that effort for such a subtle effect can seem ungratifying.
- Disney's anti-beard tyranny is not quite overJan 26, 2012 | 2:31 amThe decision to allow hair on its theme park staff's chins is an important victory. But what's with Disney's 'short and neat' rule?Not since King John grudgingly signed along the dotted line of the Magna Carta have we been afforded a moment quite as glorious, or as long overdue, as this.
- A brief history of RimmelJan 23, 2012 | 4:30 amBritain's best-selling cosmetics brand began in London in the 19th century, and today is inextricably linked with Kate MossWho's this then?It's another oldie this week. The brand goes back as far as 1834, when a teenage Eugene Rimmel became his father's apprentice at his newly opened perfumery in London.
- The beauty spot: dark metallic nailsJan 21, 2012 | 4:00 pmNails - make them decorative and functionalNail time! Sometimes it feels like a?body isn't quite big enough for all the jewellery you want to hang on it. You've got, what, one neck? Two wrists, an ankle, a couple of fingers that are thin enough for rings? This is the opportunity to turn your nails into jewels.
- Beauty: deep conditioning hair masksJan 20, 2012 | 2:30 pm'Use once or twice a week to restore moisture and shine to dry, damaged hair'I have several friends with thick, dry hair and, as much as I covet the volume and ability to hold curls, their morning hair routine does seem to take longer than a?paper round and is the subject of endless complaint. Winter weather (at time of writing, truly foul) compounds any problems, making thick hair frizz, split and refuse to follow the simplest instruction.
- What I see in the mirror: Duncan GoodhewJan 20, 2012 | 2:30 pm'Yul Brynner and Telly Savalas helped me come to terms with what had happened'As I don't do the hair thing, I don't need to spend much time looking in the mirror. I feel incredibly fortunate that, aged 54, I haven't gone grey.
- Beauty tips: deep hair conditioners - videoJan 20, 2012 | 1:30 amDull, dry, frizzy hair this winter? Sali Hughes has some answers for you, with the key to glossy locks being a deep conditionerSali Hughes.
- Yves Saint Laurent's new skin cream: ah, therJan 17, 2012 | 3:31 amForever Youth Liberator has been hailed as anti-ageing's holy grail. But as a chemist I wanted to look beyond the puff piecesI don't suppose I'm in the target group for Yves Saint Laurent's new skin cream Forever Youth Liberator - but what if I did want to know whether it's worth shelling out 60 quid for a 50ml tub? I could be wowed by the (strangely similar) media reports.
- Liverpool v Manchester United - in picturesJan 28, 2012 | 5:03 amTom Jenkins brings you all the best images from Anfield for the FA Cup fourth-round clash between Liverpool and Manchester UnitedTom JenkinsSteven Bloor
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- QPR and Chelsea players forgo handshakes prioJan 28, 2012 | 4:02 am? QPR team thought to have refused to go through with ritual? Anton Ferdinand was the target of a death threat on FridayThere were no handshakes between the Queens Park Rangers and Chelsea players before the start of FA Cup fourth round tie at Loftus Road, with it thought that the QPR team had refused to go through with the usual pre-match convention as a show of solidarity with Anton Ferdinand. This, it is understood, caused the Football Association to decide that the teams should not line-up for the gestures as normal.
- Liverpool v Manchester UnitedJan 28, 2012 | 3:30 am? Email nice things to scott.murray@guardian.
- QPR v Chelsea - match centreJan 28, 2012 | 3:30 amFA Cup: Ferdinand and Terry start - but the pre-match handshakes have been cancelled. Follow the fourth-round tie
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- Jeffrey Ntuka, the township local hero who loJan 28, 2012 | 3:30 amFootballer Jeffrey Ntuka's decline and fall highlights the almost insuperable odds faced by young black South AfricansTwo dozen young men danced around the stage, arms aloft and fists clenched, their feet high-stepping and stamping in unison. When they began to sing and clap together, the colourfully dressed congregation whooped, whistled and ululated.
- Manchester United agree to loan striker Mame Jan 27, 2012 | 4:30 pm? Player still to agree to switch to Bundesliga club? Senegal international was at Friday's game with NurnbergManchester United have agreed deal with the German club Hannover for the Senegal international striker Mame Biram Diouf to move on loan for the rest of the season.The 24-year-old is thought to be finalising details of the move, and was at the AWD Arena to see the Hannover's 1-0 Bundesliga win over Nurnberg on Friday night.
- Vinnie Jones: My family lifeJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmThe actor and former footballer talks about his familyMy parents split when I was 13. For a youngster it's quite devastating.
- 'Animosity in the game has grown'Jan 27, 2012 | 3:00 pmThe intensity of some derby matches has to be experienced to be believed as the fans' passion get to the playersThis weekend sees the latest instalment of the bitter rivalry that is Liverpool and Manchester United. On the off-chance that tensions between the two clubs were not already at an all-time high on the back of United's record 19th league title last season, the flashpoint provided at Anfield three months ago by Luis Su?rez and Patrice Evra will ensure a particularly explosive atmosphere this time round.
- Wilshere in doubt for Euro 2012Jan 27, 2012 | 3:00 pm? Player suffers recurrence of ankle injury after return to training? Wenger refuses to put a timescale on midfielder's recoveryJack Wilshere has handed England a major injury scare ahead of this summer's European Championship after the Arsenal midfielder suffered a recurrence of the ankle injury that could mean he is ruled out for the rest of the season.In what will come as a huge blow to his club's Champions League hopes as well as Fabio Capello's plans, Wilshere injured his ankle while running as he stepped up his rehabilitation, with the player and his manager, Ars?ne Wenger, refusing to put a timescale on his return.
- McCoist dismisses talk of quittingJan 27, 2012 | 3:00 pm? Rangers manager pours scorn on 'rubbish' speculation? 'I am determined we will get the best out of the players'Ally McCoist has moved to dismiss suggestions he could walk away from Rangers amid frustrations at financial restraints. Rumours swept Glasgow in midweek that McCoist could quit as the Rangers manager with the club toiling to find wages even to fund free transfer signings.
- Liverpool v Manchester United - in picturesJan 28, 2012 | 5:03 amTom Jenkins brings you all the best images from Anfield for the FA Cup fourth-round clash between Liverpool and Manchester UnitedTom JenkinsSteven Bloor.
- Exhibitionist: The week's art shows in picturJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmFrom Matthew Darbyshire in Glasgow to David Shrigley in London, here's what's happening in art around the countrySkye SherwinRobert Clark.
- Laura Bailey showcases the best of Britain's Jan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmShe's the model who's an ambassador for London Fashion Week - and it's easy to see whyPriscilla Kwateng.
- In pictures : Week in wildlifeJan 27, 2012 | 9:30 amA curious chimp, a parading frog and a pardoned beaver - it's the best of this week's images from the natural world.
- New Band of the Day live - in picturesJan 27, 2012 | 9:30 amHighlights from the live incarnation of Paul Lester's New Band of the Day column at the Barfly in London.
- Fashion wishlist: what we like this week - inJan 27, 2012 | 9:30 amThis week's best buys, from cool cat brooch to long yellow skirt.
- Seven days on stage - in picturesJan 27, 2012 | 9:00 amThe Stage's Alistair Smith rounds up a week full of surprises as the performing arts are revealed to be not that gay-friendly after all, the Royal Ballet's youngest ever principal jumps ship and Vic and Bob prepare to go back on the roadAlistair Smith.
- Get the look: contrast collars - in picturesTJan 27, 2012 | 8:30 amContrast collars - a trend that speaks to every audience.
- Snooping around - in picturesJan 27, 2012 | 8:30 amFrom a Worcestershire farmhouse to 'Tracy Island' in Kent.
- Guardian Camera Club: Anja Klemensek's portfoJan 27, 2012 | 7:30 amA review of Anja Klemensek's portfolio.
- Costa Concordia divers find 17th bodyJan 28, 2012 | 5:03 amSpokesman for Italian civil defence organisation says woman's body was found on submerged sixth deck of cruise shipDivers have found a 17th body on the wrecked cruise ship Costa Concordia, the Italian authorities have said.A spokesman for the Italian civil defence organisation said the body of a woman was found on the submerged sixth deck.
- Senior Republicans: don't alienate Latino votJan 28, 2012 | 4:02 amFlorida senator Marco Rubio and former governor Jeb Bush warn Republican frontrunners not to use 'inexcusable' languageSenior Republicans, including the brother of the former president George Bush, have warned their party to avoid using "harsh, intolerable and inexcusable" language about illegal immigration or risk alienating Latino voters.The Florida senator Marco Rubio and former governor Jeb Bush made their appeal before Tuesday's primary which is being contested by Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney.
- Steven Spielberg's Holocaust archive arrives Jan 28, 2012 | 4:02 amAcademics hope emphasis on survivors' testimonies will change the way in which war history is studiedThe arrival in Britain of an archive of tens of thousands of Holocaust testimonies will give much needed historical weight to the experiences of survivors, according to a leading scholar.David Cesarani, of the Holocaust Research Centre at the University of London, believes that the US video archive, set up 18 years ago by Steven Spielberg, will help to rebalance a picture that has been dominated by the study of the perpetrators of the atrocities of the second world war.
- Hollywood women unite to break through the ceJan 28, 2012 | 3:30 amWith female directors behind some of the biggest movies, from Juno to Kung Fu Panda II, it seems the sexism barrier has been lifted. But has it?Next week the Athena Film Festival will open at Barnard College in New York.
- Jeffrey Ntuka, the township local hero who loJan 28, 2012 | 3:30 amFootballer Jeffrey Ntuka's decline and fall highlights the almost insuperable odds faced by young black South AfricansTwo dozen young men danced around the stage, arms aloft and fists clenched, their feet high-stepping and stamping in unison. When they began to sing and clap together, the colourfully dressed congregation whooped, whistled and ululated.
- Archbishop of York: don't legalise gay marriaJan 28, 2012 | 3:30 amDr John Sentamu says the government should not act like 'dictators' by altering centuries-old social structuresThe government should not overturn centuries of tradition by legalising gay marriage, the archbishop of York has said.Dr John Sentamu, the second most senior bishop in the Church of England, said that the church did not object to the introduction of civil partnerships in 2004 but marriage should only be between men and women.
- The long walk to Europe - audio slideshowJan 28, 2012 | 2:32 amAfghanistan is the most dangerous country in the world in which to be a child. Caroline Brothers spoke to children who have left the country and travelled thousands of miles, alone, in search of safe haven.
- Protests sweep through Senegal after Wade polJan 27, 2012 | 10:00 pmViolence breaks out in Senegal following a ruling that President Abdoulaye Wade can run for a third term in officeStreet protests have spread through towns across Senegal after the country's top court ruled that President Abdoulaye Wade had the right to run for a third term in elections next month. There were reports of buildings being set alight or ransacked, as well as youths setting fire to tyres and overturning cars.
- Mitt Romney outspends Newt Gingrich on ads ahJan 27, 2012 | 4:30 pmRomney takes lead in polls but is accused of dishonesty and negative campaigning as Republican nomination battle heats upRepublican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is outspending his main rival Newt Gingrich by almost four to one in advertising in Florida, having spent a staggering $13.8m so far.
- Time management: sustain your soul with strucJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmStructuring time doesn't have to be about work. Make appointments to reconnect with something personally importantMost of us are painfully aware of, and sad about, how highly structured our time is.
- Australian Open 2012 diary: online spite for Jan 28, 2012 | 4:30 amEveryone is entitled to their own opinion, but those who say Andy Murray choked against Novak Djokovic are being harshEven allowing for the idiocy that occasionally infects the blogosphere, the spite showered on Andy Murray for losing a five-set semi-final at a grand slam to the best player in the world was as uninformed as it was predictable as it was pathetic.Whose opinion carries more weight: Novak Djokovic, who actually played in the match and said after four hours and 50 minutes of mutual hell on court with Murray: "Andy deserved the credit to come back after 2-5 down [in the fifth set]," or @hidingbehindstupidname who said: "skottish w**ker got no borllz choker lol!! #anyonebutmurray"?The first is a real quote, of course, the second a conflation of contributions by the keyboard illiterati who indulge their prejudices without regard for spelling, taste or logic.
- Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal battle to pasJan 28, 2012 | 4:02 amThe Australian Open finalists will reignite the debate about the heavy workload and lack of rest in the gruelling men's gameRafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are agreed: their men's final of the 2012 Australian Open will come down to fitness. It is, after all, the issue that binds the entire Tour in common purpose.
- Victoria Azarenka crushes Maria Sharapova to Jan 28, 2012 | 2:32 am? Belarussian cruises to 6-3, 6-0 straight-sets success? She also becomes new world No1 after maiden slam titleVictoria Azarenka produced a performance full of power and maturity on Saturday as she thrashed Maria Sharapova 6-3, 6-0 to win the Australian Open title and claim her first grand slam crown.In what was her first slam final, the 22-year-old Belarussian recovered from a nervous start to storm to an impressive victory and will now take over the world No1 ranking from Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki.
- Australian Open 2012: Maria Sharapova v VictoJan 27, 2012 | 11:34 pm? Hammer F5 for the latest updates or turn on auto-refresh? Email any musings to katy.murrells@guardian.
- 'Victoria Azarenka primed for Maria SharapovaJan 27, 2012 | 3:00 pm? Azarenka: 'I hear her. I'm sure she hears me'? No3 seed has beaten Sharapova three times from six? Watch video highlights from the Australian Open If Victoria Azarenka is nervous about appearing in her first grand slam final here on Saturday, she is doing a pretty good job of hiding it.
- Novak Djokovic braced for another physical baJan 27, 2012 | 11:00 amThe Serb's epic semi-final against Andy Murray left him breathless but he will need no motivation in the finalAndy Murray sent his old friend Novak Djokovic on his way into the final of the 2012 Australian against Rafael Nadal on Sunday with a bit of Caledonian whimsy when he predicted: "He'll be tired, that's for sure."After four hours and 50 minutes of unadulterated effort in a semi-final that stretched way past midnight on the Rod Laver Arena it was a singularly appropriate observation by the courageous loser.
- Novak Djokovic beats Andy Murray to reach AusJan 27, 2012 | 5:30 am? Djokovic outlasts Murray to win 6-3, 3-6, 6-7, 6-1, 7-5? Serbian will face Rafael Nadal in Sunday's finalAndy Murray's hopes of reaching a third successive Australian Open final were extinguished by Novak Djokovic after an extraordinary five-set encounter in Melbourne.It seemed Murray was on track to record his fifth victory in 11 meetings with the Serbian when he led two sets to one and with the world No1 again struggling with the breathing difficulties he experienced in his quarter-final victory over David Ferrer.
- Britain's Broady and Ward-Hibbert win AustralJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 am? British pair took 45 minutes to seal 6-3, 6-2 win? Second grand slam junior doubles title for BroadyBritain's Liam Broady and Joshua Ward-Hibbert have won the boys' doubles title at the Australian Open, defeating Adam Pavlasek, of the Czech Republic, and Filip Veger, of Croatia in straight sets.Broady and Ward-Hibbert took 45 minutes to complete a 6-3, 6-2 win, winning twice as many points overall as their opponents.
- Australian Open ballboy's catch 'worthy of RiJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 amFootage of 14-year-old ballboy Dylan Colaci catching a stray ball from Roger Federer.
- Australian Open 2012: day twelve - in pictureJan 27, 2012 | 1:30 amAll the best images from Melbourne as Andy Murray faces Novak Djokovic for a place in the Australian Open finalSteven Bloor.
- New Zealand win after bowling Zimbabwe out twJan 28, 2012 | 4:30 am? New Zealand 495-7 dec; Zimbabwe 51 & 143? New Zealand beat Zimbabwe by an innings and 301 runsNew Zealand recorded their biggest ever Test victory on a dramatic third day at Napier. The Black Caps thrashed Zimbabwe by an innings and 301 runs after bowling out Zimbabwe twice in one day.
- England capitulate as Pakistan win second TesJan 28, 2012 | 4:02 am? Pakistan 257 & 214; England 327 & 72? Pakistan win by 72 runs and take 2-0 series leadEngland collapsed to 72 all out against Pakistan to lose the second Test and the three-match series. It was the tourists' lowest ever Test total against their 'hosts'.
- Pakistan v England, day four - over-by-over rJan 27, 2012 | 8:00 pm? Email your thoughts to tom.lutz@guardian.
- Australia thrash India to complete series whiJan 27, 2012 | 5:00 pm? Australia win by 298 runs and clinch series 4-0Australia took India's last four wickets on Saturday morning to crush the tourists by 298 runs in the fourth test and record a 4-0 series sweep.India had resumed on 166 for six in their second innings chasing an improbable 500 runs for victory but their tail-end batsmen lasted just 58 minutes on a hot and sunny fifth morning of the match.
- Abu Dhabi denies 'racial-segregation policy' Jan 27, 2012 | 1:30 pm? Families-only area forced Pakistan supporters elsewhere? England supporters on the opposite side of the groundThe Abu Dhabi authorities staging the second Test between England and Pakistan have denied there was any racial segregation or discrimination in their use of a families-only section on one side of the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.There was a stark contrast between the grass bank on one side of the ground which filled up with thousands of Pakistan supporters, mostly young men, and the "hill" opposite which was much more sparsely populated.
- Second Test, day three: Pakistan v England - Jan 27, 2012 | 11:30 amEngland picked themselves up and fought their way back into the match on a pulsating third day, played out in front of a raucous Pakistani crowd on their day off from work.
- Stuart Broad: I don't think it was reckless hJan 27, 2012 | 8:30 am? 'We don't want to be chasing more than 250'? Broad heaps praise on Monty PanesarEngland may not be in the subcontinent, but as this absorbing second Test in Abu Dhabi has developed they have been left in no doubt that they are the away team. A crowd that was estimated by the stadium authorities at 14,000 built up in the evening session, after Friday prayers, and relished the rare boundaries in the defiant fifth-wicket partnership between Azhar Ali and Asid Shafiq, the two youngest batsmen in Pakistan's top six.
- Stuart Broad gives England winning edge - offJan 27, 2012 | 7:00 amOpening bowler has big shoes to fill as England's go-to man, but he is getting there with the bat as well as ballThe phrase "a go-to man" may be modern and inelegant but we know what it means. In today's terminology Winston Churchill may have been the "go-to politician" of the 1940s; Bruce Forsyth is obviously a "go-to light entertainer" whatever the decade.
- Stuart Broad and Monty Panesar put England inJan 27, 2012 | 5:30 amPakistan 257 & 125 for 4; England 327England picked themselves up from the floor, dusted themselves down, and fought their way back into this match on a pulsating third day, played out in front of a raucous Pakistani crowd on their day off from work. Proper Test cricket, twisting and turning sinuously.
- Australian Open ballboy's catch 'worthy of RiJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 amFootage of 14-year-old ballboy Dylan Colaci catching a stray ball from Roger Federer.
- Liverpool v Manchester United - in picturesJan 28, 2012 | 5:03 amTom Jenkins brings you all the best images from Anfield for the FA Cup fourth-round clash between Liverpool and Manchester UnitedTom JenkinsSteven Bloor
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- Australian Open 2012 diary: online spite for Jan 28, 2012 | 5:03 amEveryone is entitled to their own opinion, but those who say Andy Murray choked against Novak Djokovic are being harshEven allowing for the idiocy that occasionally infects the blogosphere, the spite showered on Andy Murray for losing a five-set semi-final at a grand slam to the best player in the world was as uninformed as it was predictable as it was pathetic.Whose opinion carries more weight: Novak Djokovic, who actually played in the match and said after four hours and 50 minutes of mutual hell on court with Murray: "Andy deserved the credit to come back after 2-5 down [in the fifth set]," or @hidingbehindstupidname who said: "skottish w**ker got no borllz choker lol!! #anyonebutmurray"?The first is a real quote, of course, the second a conflation of contributions by the keyboard illiterati who indulge their prejudices without regard for spelling, taste or logic.
- New Zealand win after bowling Zimbabwe out twJan 28, 2012 | 5:03 am? New Zealand 495-7 dec; Zimbabwe 51 & 143? New Zealand beat Zimbabwe by an innings and 301 runsNew Zealand recorded their biggest ever Test victory on a dramatic third day at Napier. The Black Caps thrashed Zimbabwe by an innings and 301 runs after bowling out Zimbabwe twice in one day.
- Talking HorsesJan 28, 2012 | 4:30 amThe latest news from Cheltenham and best bets in our daily horse racing blog12.15pm Market moversChris Cook: Little Josh hasn't run for a full year, since he was fifth in a handicap chase on today's card, but somebody clearly thinks he can cause an upset in the Argento Chase (2.
- Sorry England capitulate to defeatJan 28, 2012 | 4:02 am? Pakistan 257 & 214; England 327 & 72? Pakistan win by 72 runs and take 2-0 series leadEngland collapsed to 72 all out against Pakistan to lose the second Test and the three-match series. It was the tourists' lowest ever Test total against their 'hosts'.
- Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal battle to pasJan 28, 2012 | 4:02 amThe Australian Open finalists will reignite the debate about the heavy workload and lack of rest in the gruelling men's gameRafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are agreed: their men's final of the 2012 Australian Open will come down to fitness. It is, after all, the issue that binds the entire Tour in common purpose.
- QPR and Chelsea players forgo handshakes prioJan 28, 2012 | 4:02 am? QPR team thought to have refused to go through with ritual? Anton Ferdinand was the target of a death threat on FridayThere were no handshakes between the Queens Park Rangers and Chelsea players before the start of FA Cup fourth round tie at Loftus Road, with it thought that the QPR team had refused to go through with the usual pre-match convention as a show of solidarity with Anton Ferdinand. This, it is understood, caused the Football Association to decide that the teams should not line-up for the gestures as normal.
- QPR v Chelsea - match centreJan 28, 2012 | 3:30 amFA Cup: The pre-match handshakes were cancelled. Follow the fourth-round tie with our match stats
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- Liverpool v Manchester United | Scott MurrayJan 28, 2012 | 3:30 am? Email nice things to scott.murray@guardian.
- Super Bowl: Top 10 banned TV ads | Michael SoJan 28, 2012 | 3:30 amSuper Bowl ad breaks are the pinnacle of advertising - but these commercials never made the showJust because a 30-second commercial during the Super Bowl costs $3.5 million this year, doesn't mean NBC will take a company's money.
- Australian Open 2012 diary: online spite for Jan 28, 2012 | 4:30 amEveryone is entitled to their own opinion, but those who say Andy Murray choked against Novak Djokovic are being harshEven allowing for the idiocy that occasionally infects the blogosphere, the spite showered on Andy Murray for losing a five-set semi-final at a grand slam to the best player in the world was as uninformed as it was predictable as it was pathetic.Whose opinion carries more weight: Novak Djokovic, who actually played in the match and said after four hours and 50 minutes of mutual hell on court with Murray: "Andy deserved the credit to come back after 2-5 down [in the fifth set]," or @hidingbehindstupidname who said: "skottish w**ker got no borllz choker lol!! #anyonebutmurray"?The first is a real quote, of course, the second a conflation of contributions by the keyboard illiterati who indulge their prejudices without regard for spelling, taste or logic.
- Talking HorsesJan 28, 2012 | 4:30 amThe latest news from Cheltenham and best bets in our daily horse racing blog12.15pm Market moversChris Cook: Little Josh hasn't run for a full year, since he was fifth in a handicap chase on today's card, but somebody clearly thinks he can cause an upset in the Argento Chase (2.
- Super Bowl: Top 10 banned TV ads | Michael SoJan 28, 2012 | 3:30 amSuper Bowl ad breaks are the pinnacle of advertising - but these commercials never made the showJust because a 30-second commercial during the Super Bowl costs $3.5 million this year, doesn't mean NBC will take a company's money.
- The Secret Footballer: You do get a buzz whenJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmThe intensity of some derby matches has to be experienced to be believed as the fans' passion get to the playersThis weekend sees the latest instalment of the bitter rivalry that is Liverpool and Manchester United. On the off-chance that tensions between the two clubs were not already at an all-time high on the back of United's record 19th league title last season, the flashpoint provided at Anfield three months ago by Luis Su?rez and Patrice Evra will ensure a particularly explosive atmosphere this time round.
- Liverpool v Manchester United: not so much a Jan 27, 2012 | 1:30 pmChants about Munich and Hillsborough have for some become the stock in trade of a toxic rivalry that has acquired added poison thanks to the Luis Su?rez affairThe last time Manchester United played at Liverpool in the FA Cup Alan Smith snapped his leg in two places, his fibula jutting out of his sock like a broken cricket stump, and the Kop baited him with ambulance noises as he was loaded on the stretcher. Coins were thrown at Steven Gerrard and the same, plus a half-eaten burger, at Gary Neville.
- Stuart Broad gives England winning edge - offJan 27, 2012 | 7:00 amOpening bowler has big shoes to fill as England's go-to man, but he is getting there with the bat as well as ballThe phrase "a go-to man" may be modern and inelegant but we know what it means. In today's terminology Winston Churchill may have been the "go-to politician" of the 1940s; Bruce Forsyth is obviously a "go-to light entertainer" whatever the decade.
- Mario Balotelli verdict and four-match ban laJan 27, 2012 | 5:30 amThe Manchester City striker's studs made contact with Scott Parker's head but questions remain about the role of the referee and the standard of proofSome players are more tiresome than others. There is Joey Barton with his bitter tweets and Andrey Arshavin, Arsenal's reluctant Russian, who after coming off the bench against Manchester United last weekend gave the impression that if his shorts had pockets his hands would rarely have left them.
- Ascot's problem isn't being too snobbish but Jan 27, 2012 | 5:00 amWho wouldn't relish the prospect of sallying forth to a small corner of Berkshire to see how the other half lives, if only to discover they're often just as poorly behaved as the rest of us?Last Saturday, this column addressed and nullified the very grave threat to the fabric of English sport posed by footballers or their managers waving imaginary cards. Described erroneously by some as an epidemic of truly terrifying proportions, this ostentatious brandishing of nonexistent small red rectangles appears to have ceased completely since last weekend's 900 words of sanctimonious, hand-wringing blather rolled off the presses.
- Patrice Evra has come a long way from MarsalaJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 amThe man who finds himself at the heart of the controversy with Luis Su?rez has dealt with a great deal more than he will face in Manchester United's FA Cup tie at LiverpoolPatrice Evra retains vivid memories of his first day as a professional footballer. He had just joined Marsala, a Sicilian club in Italy's third division, and was thrilled beyond all measure to dress in a brand new tracksuit and flip-flops before leaving the hotel for training.
- London 2012: best of the web | Alistair HendrJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 amThe NBA's club v country battle; Phillips Idowu on the joys of bubble wrap; and should female boxers wear skirts?Debate over skirts in women's boxing continuesAmateur boxing chiefs have admitted they are still undecided on whether to allow women boxers to wear skirts at the Olympics. The debate has caused quite a storm and sparked a petition with 54,000 signatures against wearing skirts.
- Australian Open 2012 diary: online spite for Jan 28, 2012 | 4:30 amEveryone is entitled to their own opinion, but those who say Andy Murray choked against Novak Djokovic are being harshEven allowing for the idiocy that occasionally infects the blogosphere, the spite showered on Andy Murray for losing a five-set semi-final at a grand slam to the best player in the world was as uninformed as it was predictable as it was pathetic.Whose opinion carries more weight: Novak Djokovic, who actually played in the match and said after four hours and 50 minutes of mutual hell on court with Murray: "Andy deserved the credit to come back after 2-5 down [in the fifth set]," or @hidingbehindstupidname who said: "skottish w**ker got no borllz choker lol!! #anyonebutmurray"?The first is a real quote, of course, the second a conflation of contributions by the keyboard illiterati who indulge their prejudices without regard for spelling, taste or logic.
- Talking HorsesJan 28, 2012 | 4:30 amThe latest news from Cheltenham and best bets in our daily horse racing blog12.15pm Market moversChris Cook: Little Josh hasn't run for a full year, since he was fifth in a handicap chase on today's card, but somebody clearly thinks he can cause an upset in the Argento Chase (2.
- Super Bowl: Top 10 banned TV ads | Michael SoJan 28, 2012 | 3:30 amSuper Bowl ad breaks are the pinnacle of advertising - but these commercials never made the showJust because a 30-second commercial during the Super Bowl costs $3.5 million this year, doesn't mean NBC will take a company's money.
- What else could you buy with a bank chief's bJan 28, 2012 | 2:32 amNearly ?1m in bonuses for the Royal Bank of Scotland's chief executive, Stephen Hester sounds like a lot of money, but what else could you get for it? This visualisation, by Guardian designer Kari-Ruth Pedersen, puts it all in perspectiveSimon RogersKari-Ruth Pedersen.
- Today is unofficial National Kazoo Day [videoJan 28, 2012 | 12:30 amThis Caturday morning video smile features Handel's Messiah played by a kazoo choir Everyone loves kazoos and today is the day when you can proudly celebrate the joy this musical instrument brings to millions of people around the world. The kazoo is one of the few instruments that was invented in the United States and it's one of the easiest to play since the only requirement is the ability to hum (humming in tune is desirable, but optional, of course).
- Gym contracts and heartwarming Guardian readeJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmThe distressing story of a pregnant woman chased for payment has put gym contracts in the spotlight - and filled our postbag with offers of helpHow I love Guardian Money readers. Last week our consumer champions Lisa Bachelor and Miles Brignall highlighted the distressing story of a woman chased by LA Fitness for ?780 to get out of her gym contract, despite being weeks away from childbirth, her husband being unemployed, and losing her home.
- Facebook to file for IPO next week, reports sJan 27, 2012 | 1:00 pmThe social network is looking at a deal, underwritten by Morgan Stanley, that could put its value between $75bn and $100bnStatus update: Facebook will file for an IPO next week, perhaps as early as Wednesday, in a deal that could value the company between $75bn and $100bn, reports the Wall Street Journal.But Facebook company spokesman Jonathan Thaw told the Guardian that the social network is "not going to participate in IPO-related speculation".
- Let Stephen Hester have his bonusJan 27, 2012 | 11:30 amRBS chief is damned if he takes his bonus, and damned if he walks away from his very tough job. We forget how crocked RBS was when he took over, writes guest blogger Rob TaylorI have this feeling I am probably the only person who feels sorry for the Royal Bank of Scotland chief executive, Stephen Hester.
- Andrew Lansley accused of presiding over 'uttJan 27, 2012 | 11:30 amLiz Kendall uncovers NHS document which outlines five layers of management for new GP-led commissioning systemAndrew Lansley is once again having a wretched time.The health secretary, whose NHS reforms are in severe trouble in the House of Lords, gave vent to his frustration on Thursday when he accused the BMA of being "politically poisoned" in the way it is opposing his health reforms.
- A physiological marker for false memoriesJan 27, 2012 | 10:00 amFalse memories can be distinguished from real ones with a simple physiological test, report researchers from GermanyOur memories are not as accurate as we like to think they are. Every recollection is a reconstructive process, involving stitching together memory fragments rather than reproducing a ready-made whole.
- Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal battle to pasJan 28, 2012 | 4:02 amThe Australian Open finalists will reignite the debate about the heavy workload and lack of rest in the gruelling men's gameRafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are agreed: their men's final of the 2012 Australian Open will come down to fitness. It is, after all, the issue that binds the entire Tour in common purpose.
- Why we can't get enough of childbirth on TVJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmTV used to shy away from depicting birth. But now Call the Midwife and One Born Every Minute are attracting record ratings.
- Why I love The Good Wife | Deborah OrrJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmThe lead character is an empty vessel, and the whole programme is an upper-middle-class fairytale, but I still love US drama The Good WifeI'm torn. Part of me is mystified that the?Good Wife isn't more widely feted.
- Interview: architects Richard Rogers, Graham Jan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmCelebrated architect Richard Rogers and his partners discuss ?140m penthouses, John?Prescott's ministerial 'flair' and Prince Charles's strange ideas about architectureRichard Rogers, at 78, is not about to slow down. "I am enjoying myself, so why would I retire?" says the architect of the Pompidou Centre and the Lloyd's of London building.
- Maya Jane Coles Q&AJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmThe rising star of British house music empties the contents of her psychic record bagThe track I'll be opening my next DJ set with Deetron: Croque It really builds to create the perfect mood in the room. You can take your set anywhere from there.
- The Hard Sell: Radio 1Jan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pm'Fern Britton would have been a more credible option. As would Dot Cotton.
- Catch-up TV Guide: From Countdown to Red RoadJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmTV: CountdownA reminder for anyone who sits in the centre of a Venn diagram with the sets "Only watches The Apprentice for Nick Hewer's raised eyebrows" and "Not home in the afternoon": don't forget, he's now hosting Countdown, and the daily eps are up on 4OD. He's far too much of a gent to pull his sceptical face all the time - "A vowel? Again?" - but he's a good fit.
- It's a good week for ... Doctors and nursesJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmEverybody knows that doctors and nurses are just about the sexiest people on the planet. Not only do they spend all day taking care of the sick and saving lives and running down corridors in slow motion, but they do it in sexy little uniforms, too.
- John Talbot, We Are Standard and Polock rescuJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmCould Spain's reputation for summer holiday novelty songs be getting a much-needed credibility shot?Back in the bad old days Spain's musical exports amounted to pure muscle memory from the nightclubs of the Costa del Sol and their ilk, as holidaymakers rushed home to propel the likes of Baccara or Los Del Rio to the top of the charts. Even as DJs from across the globe thrived in Ibiza from the late-80s, the Spanish music scene appeared to be stuck in a rut - introverted and disjointed - but over the last decade the country has started to punch its weight and now, as 2012 gets to its feet, it's clear that some of the most exciting records are coming out of Spain.
- Roman Polanski's Carnage is a joyously unpleaJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmIn the hands of Roman Polanksi, the one-room chamber cinema of Carnage lives up to its name, says John Patterson. Spoiler alert! It all ends messily"Mmm .
- Decapitated body case: brothers remanded in cJan 28, 2012 | 4:02 amBody of victim John Grainger was discovered by firefighters extinguishing blaze in Stockport, Greater ManchesterTwo brothers have appeared in court charged with the murder of a man whose decapitated body was found on fire.The body of 32-year-old John Grainger was discovered by firefighters in Stockport, Greater Manchester, in the early hours of Thursday when they extinguished a blaze on a verge opposite the Gala Casino in Wellington Street.
- Escaped prisoner back in custodyJan 27, 2012 | 10:30 pmAndrew Farndon, who escaped enroute to hospital, has been arrested following a nationwide manhuntA prisoner who went on the run when two guards taking him to hospital were threatened at gunpoint has been arrested. Andrew Farndon, 26, has been at the centre of a nationwide manhunt since an armed accomplice helped him escape custody outside West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, on Wednesday evening.
- Asil Nadir's cash deposits 'would be 300 timeJan 27, 2012 | 1:00 pmPolly Peck chairman's claims that money he allegedly stole was matched with cash deposits are ridiculed in courtProsecutors have ridiculed Asil Nadir's explanation that hundreds of millions of pounds, allegedly stolen from the Polly Peck empire he ran until its collapse in 1990, had been matched by cash deposits put back into the group via a Northern Cypriot subsidiary.Drawing to a close his five-day opening remarks, Philip Shears QC, cast doubt on claims that huge cash deposits were made by, or on behalf of, Nadir's elderly mother into an account at Industrial Bank of Kibris (IBK), a small bank privately owned by the Polly Peck executive chairman.
- Doreen Lawrence: 'I don't think I've got any Jan 27, 2012 | 12:30 pmStephen Lawrence's mother talks about her private and public struggles for justice, not just for her murdered son but for all ethnic minorities over the past two decadesFor the family of Doreen Lawrence, the pain and challenges in dealing with the loss of her son Stephen 18 years ago continue, and change. They permeate even the imagination of her granddaughter Mia, aged seven, who was born years after his murder.
- Men charged with murder of man found decapitaJan 27, 2012 | 12:00 pmTwo brothers to appear at Stockport magistrates court following discovery of body in blazeTwo men have been charged with the murder of a man whose decapitated body was found on fire.The body of John Grainger, 32, was discovered by firefighters in Stockport, Greater Manchester, at 5.
- Former partner at Princess Diana's law firm jJan 27, 2012 | 10:30 amKevin Steele given five-and-a-half-year sentence for using his position at Mishcon de Reya to help fraudster obtain loanA former partner at the law firm used by Diana, Princess of Wales, has been jailed for his part in a ?17.5m fraud.
- Asim Kausar jailed over ricin recipe and bombJan 27, 2012 | 9:00 amBolton man sentenced to two years and three months after police found incriminating documents on computer memory stickA man who kept a recipe for a deadly poison and documents about how to make bombs has been jailed for two years and three months.Asim Kausar, 25, from Bolton, Greater Manchester, kept the information on a computer memory stick which contained details about the toxin ricin, assassination and torture techniques, and instructions for making improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
- Harry Redknapp: 'I am not a tax fiddler, neveJan 27, 2012 | 8:30 am? 'We are givers, not takers,' Tottenham manager tells court? 'Ask him if he has come across anyone as bad businesswise'Harry Redknapp told police his home was at risk after he lost millions of pounds in disastrous investments, a court heard on Friday. The Tottenham Hotspur manager urged detectives to ask his solicitor if he had "ever come across anyone as bad businesswise".
- Cardiff three corruption case fiascoJan 27, 2012 | 8:30 amDiscovery of "missing" documents in biggest police corruption case - cock up or conspiracy?When Britain's biggest police corruption trial collapsed last month amid revelations that officers investigating their colleagues might have shredded evidence, the reverberations were shocking enough.But this week's announcement that the "missing" four files of evidence whose absence brought down the case, had miraculously been found again in their original boxes and in the possession of South Wales police, takes the fiasco a stage further.
- Nurse detained under mental health act for seJan 27, 2012 | 7:00 amMan who prompted international search over fears he might have malaria is found guilty of attacking waitress in SouthamptonA nurse who prompted an international search because of fears he could have malaria has been detained under the Mental Health Act for sexually assaulting a waitress.The alarm over Matthew Lloyd, 36, was raised in October 2010 when he failed to keep a hospital appointment and it was feared he could die without medical treatment for the malaria he was thought to have contracted during a drugs trial.
- Senior Republicans: don't alienate Latino votJan 28, 2012 | 4:02 amFlorida senator Marco Rubio and former governor Jeb Bush warn Republican frontrunners not to use 'inexcusable' languageSenior Republicans, including the brother of the former president George Bush, have warned their party to avoid using "harsh, intolerable and inexcusable" language about illegal immigration or risk alienating Latino voters.The Florida senator Marco Rubio and former governor Jeb Bush made their appeal before Tuesday's primary which is being contested by Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney.
- Mitt Romney outspends Newt Gingrich on ads ahJan 27, 2012 | 4:30 pmRomney takes lead in polls but is accused of dishonesty and negative campaigning as Republican nomination battle heats upRepublican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is outspending his main rival Newt Gingrich by almost four to one in advertising in Florida, having spent a staggering $13.8m so far.
- Sarkozy and Karzai agree to press Nato for eaJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmFrench and Afghan presidents call for withdrawal of all Nato troops in 2013 - a year earlier than US goalThe French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, said on Friday that France and Afghanistan have agreed to ask Nato to bring forward the handover of all combat operations to Afghan forces to 2013.Sarkozy also announced an accelerated exit for France, the fourth-largest contributor of troops in Afghanistan - marking a break from previous plans to adhere to the US goal of withdrawing combat forces by the end of 2014.
- The US government's capital punishment prerogJan 27, 2012 | 2:00 pmTo our shame, the federal authorities have broad powers to execute - even in states that have abolished the death penaltyWhile much attention is paid to the 34 US states that still administer the death penalty, federal and military systems of executions also exist. The retention of the US federal death penalty undermines those states that have abolished capital punishment - and federal executions undermine Washington's claims of world leadership in human rights.
- Bash the poor and wave the flag - how this ToJan 27, 2012 | 1:00 pmIn a move imported from the US right, the Conservatives have successfully induced people to vote against their own interestsThe art of the magician, so they say, is distraction. Divert the eye of the audience with one hand and all kinds of mischief are available to the other.
- 'Barefoot Bandit' handed six years in jail foJan 27, 2012 | 1:00 pmColton Harris-Moore led police on a dance across US, Canada and Bahamas, involving improvised rides on stolen planesColton Harris-Moore, the "Barefoot Bandit" who led police across six US states and three countries on a merry dance that involved his improvised piloting of stolen planes and speedboats, has been sentenced to six and a half years in prison.The decision of the federal judge to impose the maximum possible sentence brings to an end the judicial stage of the extraordinary story of Harris-Moore.
- Twitter users threaten boycott over censorshiJan 27, 2012 | 1:00 pmTweets don't always flow freely - voice of Arab spring accused of imposing gagging system in some countries"The Tweets must flow", Twitter declared a year ago, and quickly became an instrument of fast-moving revolution across the Arab world, coordinating mass protests in Egypt and sidestepping the state censorship in Syria. But, the microblogging site conceded that the tweets would not flow evenly in every country.
- Facebook to file for IPO next week, reports sJan 27, 2012 | 1:00 pmThe social network is looking at a deal, underwritten by Morgan Stanley, that could put its value between $75bn and $100bnStatus update: Facebook will file for an IPO next week, perhaps as early as Wednesday, in a deal that could value the company between $75bn and $100bn, reports the Wall Street Journal.But Facebook company spokesman Jonathan Thaw told the Guardian that the social network is "not going to participate in IPO-related speculation".
- How Hillary Clinton surprised me | Lionel ShrJan 27, 2012 | 12:00 pmI was disgusted when Obama appointed her secretary of state, but Clinton has been a credit to her country and her genderDuring the protracted tooth-and-nail tussle between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in the 2008 Democratic primaries, I was one of those fierce partisans desperate for the first black candidate with a serious shot at the White House to win the nomination. Ever opposed to?nepotism, I disliked the prospect of our first female head of state achieving the position through marriage to a previous president, a cheap shortcut I?considered anti-feminist.
- Hispanic delegates baffled by Newt Gingrich pJan 27, 2012 | 12:00 pmFormer speaker unleashes plan to equip Cubans with cellphone cameras to spy on instances of authoritarian repressionNewt Gingrich has promised to liberate Cuba one camera at a time.The Republican candidate sought to win over Latino voters in Miami on Friday with a scheme to flood the communist-ruled island with cellphone cameras so the population can film the authorities at work in order to discourage repression.
- Steven Spielberg's Holocaust archive arrives Jan 28, 2012 | 4:02 amAcademics hope emphasis on survivors' testimonies will change the way in which war history is studiedThe arrival in Britain of an archive of tens of thousands of Holocaust testimonies will give much needed historical weight to the experiences of survivors, according to a leading scholar.David Cesarani, of the Holocaust Research Centre at the University of London, believes that the US video archive, set up 18 years ago by Steven Spielberg, will help to rebalance a picture that has been dominated by the study of the perpetrators of the atrocities of the second world war.
- Fighting talk, as pay rises by 4% but vacanciJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmAt last salaries are on the up. But it's even tougher to get a jobAfter another week of gloomy employment forecasts, those preparing to graduate this summer and test the icy waters of the jobs market might be forgiven for wanting to dive back into bed and pull their duvets safely over their heads.
- How will ?9,000 tuition fees affect students?Jan 27, 2012 | 8:30 amOur commission will look at whether the increase has a negative impact on applications - especially from the disadvantagedA vast social experiment begins in September. Many of England's universities and colleges will start charging ?9,000 tuition fees a year plus real interest rates for their students - money that will have to be borrowed.
- First ever crime writing MA launchedJan 27, 2012 | 6:30 amLondon's City University says creation of course is in response to student demandAs the underworld steadily increases its grip on literary culture, City University in London is turning to crime, with the launch of an MA devoted to teaching crime fiction and thriller writing.Launched in response to student demand, and to the growing popularity of the genre, the UK's first creative writing masters dedicated to crime and thriller novels is another harbinger of a "second golden age of crime writing".
- MathematicsJan 26, 2012 | 4:30 pmThe study of quantities through analysis, deduction and calculation - including mathematics, operational research and statisticsWhat will I learn?Familiar with fractals? Study a degree in maths and you soon will be.Broadly speaking, maths degrees should give you the basic ideas of pure mathematics (linear algebra, geometry etc), applied mathematics (calculus, mathematical methods, modelling and numerical analysis), and statistics (including probability and operational research).
- Cost of raising a child rises to ?218,000Jan 26, 2012 | 2:31 amLV='s Cost of a Child survey says rising education costs and childcare are the biggest expenditure, as three-quarters of parents admit to making cutbacks in everyday livingThe cost of raising a child from birth until their 21st birthday has soared to more than ?218,000, according to research from insurer LV=, which makes more gloomy reading for the UK's cash-strapped families.With university tuition fees set to rise from this September to as much as ?9,000 a year, the cost of putting youngsters through higher education is heaping the biggest financial pressure on parents, while creating more financial headaches for the future.
- Graduate starting salaries predicted to rise Jan 25, 2012 | 3:30 pmEntry-level pay to increase by an average of 4% but vacancies to decrease by 1.2%, according to poll of blue chip employersThe average starting salary for a graduate is predicted to increase by 4% to ?26,000 this year, according to a poll of more than 200 blue chip employers.
- Number of universities offering media studiesJan 25, 2012 | 3:30 pmThinktank finds slump in number offering science degrees over same period, renewing fears over economic consequencesThe number of universities and colleges that offer degrees in media studies has tripled in the last decade, while the number that teach physics has slumped by almost a third, a thinktank has found.The Higher Education Policy Institute analysed how universities had changed the subjects they offer undergraduates and postgraduates between 1996 and 2009.
- Removed: embargoed report by Higher EducationJan 25, 2012 | 8:30 amThis article has been taken down as it breached an embargo.Higher educationguardian.
- Exams make our hands sore, say studentsJan 25, 2012 | 7:00 amA generation that grew up typing and texting is struggling to write essays in exam hallsNormal life can be resumed now that January exams are drawing to a close. But as budding scientists and mathematicians stroll carefree to their lectures, humanities students are left nursing a rather ugly legacy - the writer's bump.
- Decapitated body case: brothers remanded in cJan 28, 2012 | 4:02 amBody of victim John Grainger was discovered by firefighters extinguishing blaze in Stockport, Greater ManchesterTwo brothers have appeared in court charged with the murder of a man whose decapitated body was found on fire.The body of 32-year-old John Grainger was discovered by firefighters in Stockport, Greater Manchester, in the early hours of Thursday when they extinguished a blaze on a verge opposite the Gala Casino in Wellington Street.
- Steven Spielberg's Holocaust archive arrives Jan 28, 2012 | 4:02 amAcademics hope emphasis on survivors' testimonies will change the way in which war history is studiedThe arrival in Britain of an archive of tens of thousands of Holocaust testimonies will give much needed historical weight to the experiences of survivors, according to a leading scholar.David Cesarani, of the Holocaust Research Centre at the University of London, believes that the US video archive, set up 18 years ago by Steven Spielberg, will help to rebalance a picture that has been dominated by the study of the perpetrators of the atrocities of the second world war.
- Archbishop of York: don't legalise gay marriaJan 28, 2012 | 3:30 amDr John Sentamu says the government should not act like 'dictators' by altering centuries-old social structuresThe government should not overturn centuries of tradition by legalising gay marriage, the archbishop of York has said.Dr John Sentamu, the second most senior bishop in the Church of England, said that the church did not object to the introduction of civil partnerships in 2004 but marriage should only be between men and women.
- NHS 'faces peril' if reform plans are deraileJan 28, 2012 | 3:30 amGroup of 50 GPs managing health services through clinical commissioning groups say they are 'already improving services'The NHS could be "in peril" if the government's plans to overhaul it are derailed by doctors and nurses' organisations, a group of GPs piloting the reforms has warned.The health secretary, Andrew Lansley, has proposed that the management of hospitals and budgets in England is reformed by allowing doctors rather than managers to control health services and budgets.
- News International offices searched as four mJan 28, 2012 | 2:32 amServing police officer is among four arrested under Operation Elveden investigation into payments to policeFour men - including a serving police officer - have been arrested in connection with payments by journalists to police officers.The Metropolitan police said on Saturday that it was carrying out searches at the offices of News International, parent company of the now-closed News of the World, in Wapping, east London.
- Escaped prisoner back in custodyJan 27, 2012 | 10:30 pmAndrew Farndon, who escaped enroute to hospital, has been arrested following a nationwide manhuntA prisoner who went on the run when two guards taking him to hospital were threatened at gunpoint has been arrested. Andrew Farndon, 26, has been at the centre of a nationwide manhunt since an armed accomplice helped him escape custody outside West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, on Wednesday evening.
- Martin Rowson on David Cameron and RBS chief'Jan 27, 2012 | 4:30 pmRow erupts after prime minister claims that MPs had no choice but to agree to Stephen Hester's bonus are challenged by LabourMartin Rowson
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- Men in Motion - reviewJan 27, 2012 | 4:30 pmThe media storm around one of its dancers doesn't stop this tribute to male movement from leaping with playful charmThere was a raw emotional edge to the applause that greeted Sergei Polunin on the opening night of Men in Motion.Just three days ago the young, gifted Ukrainian dancer had made national news with his sudden decision to quit the Royal Ballet, and possibly to end his dancing career.
- Unthinkable? A federal upper house of parliamJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmIf Scots vote for independence, England's political will would shape that of the UK even more decisivelyAlex Salmond's plans for a Scottish independence referendum in 2014 are concentrating minds on the future shape of the United Kingdom. If Scots vote yes, the country they leave will consist of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Buying now cheaper than renting, Halifax saysJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmHalifax report comes amid claims that first-time buyers are beginning to return to the property marketBuying a house is now much cheaper than renting, mortgage lender Halifax has claimed, in a remarkable turnaround from three years ago when the soaring property market priced out all but the wealthiest buyers. Halifax calculates that the monthly cost of buying the average three-bed home in the UK is now ?600, 16% cheaper than the ?716 it would cost to rent the same type of property.
- Steven Spielberg's Holocaust archive arrives Jan 28, 2012 | 3:30 amAcademics hope emphasis on survivors' testimonies will change the way in which war history is studiedThe arrival in Britain of an archive of tens of thousands of Holocaust testimonies will give much needed historical weight to the experiences of survivors, according to a leading scholar.David Cesarani, of the Holocaust Research Centre at the University of London, believes that the US video archive, set up 18 years ago by Steven Spielberg, will help to rebalance a picture that has been dominated by the study of the perpetrators of the atrocities of the second world war.
- Norway apologises for deporting Jews during sJan 27, 2012 | 9:30 amPrime minister says on Holocaust Remembrance Day that country must acknowledge it sent 772 Jews to GermanyNorway has apologised for the arrest and deportation of Jews during the second world war.The prime minister, Jens Stoltenberg, said it was time the nation acknowledged that politicians and other Norwegians took part and expressed "our deep regrets that this could have happened on Norwegian soil".
- Italian memorial to recall second world war 'Jan 27, 2012 | 7:00 amIn 1944 US planes bombed a train carrying 1,000 allied prisoners of war at a bridge in central ItalyAs Sue Finley stood among the ruins five years ago, she thought: "I might be the only person in the entire world who knows what happened here, and that a tragic accident might go unrecognised forever."On 28 January 1944, US air force planes bombed a bridge at Allerona, north of Orvieto in central Italy.
- Ori Gersht, David Shrigley and JMW Turner - tJan 27, 2012 | 6:30 amGersht's powerful new show uses film and photography to bear witness to the second world war, while a great British wit hits the Hayward - all in your weekly missive from the art frontlineExhibition of the week: Ori Gersht - This Storm Is What We Call Progress The face of 85-year-old Yehudit Arnon glows in darkness, marked by time and suffering but also by achievement and triumph. As a child she was ordered to dance for guards at Auschwitz.
- Ian Bryce obituaryJan 27, 2012 | 5:00 amMy colleague and friend Ian Bryce, who has died aged 87, trained for the merchant navy on HMS Worcester and in 1938 joined the Canadian Pacific shipping line, from where he was called into the Royal Navy as a reserve officer at the outbreak of the second world war. At the age of 18 he was awarded the DSC for his service during the Dunkirk evacuation.
- World marks Holocaust Memorial DayJan 27, 2012 | 2:01 amEvents around the world commemorate victims of genocide as survey shows social media may hold role in speaking out against hatredHolocaust Memorial Day will be marked across the world today with a series of events including services, talks, concerts and vigils remembering not just those who died in the second world war but the victims of many genocides since.There will be ceremonies at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York, in Israel, and at Auschwitz itself in Poland.
- War blossoms into art: Ori Gersht at the ImpeJan 24, 2012 | 3:30 amThis Storm Is What We Call Progress is a new exhibition of work by the Israeli-born artist Ori Gersht at Imperial War Museum, London.
- How to teach ... Holocaust Memorial DayJan 23, 2012 | 9:00 amThis week the Guardian Teacher Network has excellent resources to help teachers approach the subject of the HolocaustHolocaust Memorial Day on Friday marks the 67th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the largest of the Nazi concentration camps, where more than one million men, women and children were murdered during the second world war. Teaching pupils about the events of the Holocaust may seem a daunting task, but if you would like to mark the anniversary with your class, the Guardian Teacher Network has a variety of resources to get you started.
- Hugh Carless obituaryJan 22, 2012 | 5:00 amDistinguished diplomat who was immortalised in Eric Newby's A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush, the 1958 account of their two-man expeditionHugh Carless, who has died aged 86, had a long and distinguished career in the diplomatic service. A gifted linguist, a voracious reader, admired for his integrity and intellect, he was charmingly modest, yet fascinating to talk to.
- European Parliament under fire for equating VJan 17, 2012 | 5:30 amSupporter of Nick Clegg condemns as 'cheap trick' decision to hold joint minute's silence for V?clav Havel and Franco ministerThe ghosts of Europe's troubled past hover over the institutions of the European Union but seldom come to life.That changed briefly on Monday when a minute's silence was held for Manuel Fraga Iribarne, the last surviving minister in the government of General Francisco Franco, Spain's Falangist dictator.
- Steven Spielberg's Holocaust archive arrives Jan 28, 2012 | 4:02 amAcademics hope emphasis on survivors' testimonies will change the way in which war history is studiedThe arrival in Britain of an archive of tens of thousands of Holocaust testimonies will give much needed historical weight to the experiences of survivors, according to a leading scholar.David Cesarani, of the Holocaust Research Centre at the University of London, believes that the US video archive, set up 18 years ago by Steven Spielberg, will help to rebalance a picture that has been dominated by the study of the perpetrators of the atrocities of the second world war.
- Hollywood women unite to break through the ceJan 28, 2012 | 3:30 amWith female directors behind some of the biggest movies, from Juno to Kung Fu Panda II, it seems the sexism barrier has been lifted. But has it?Next week the Athena Film Festival will open at Barnard College in New York.
- This week's new DVD & Blu-rayJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmDriveDirector Nicholas Wending Refn's film is more defined by what it doesn't do than by what it does. The plot - wafer thin and corny as hell - is the sort of thing normally dressed up by one-liners, explosions and rapid-cut editing to disguise just how laughably trite it is.
- Roman Polanski's Carnage is a joyously unpleaJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmIn the hands of Roman Polanksi, the one-room chamber cinema of Carnage lives up to its name, says John Patterson. Spoiler alert! It all ends messily"Mmm .
- This week's new film eventsJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmDavid Lynch, London & EdinburghHas Lynch really retired? Maybe not, but you get the feeling he has done all he can and he's created a body of work that only gets stronger with age. Even "failures" like Dune are worth revisiting, while triumphs such as Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, The Elephant Man or Mulholland Drive can be watched over and over - with the help of this retrospective.
- This week's new filmsJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmThe Descendants (15) (Alexander Payne, 2011, US) George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, Nick Krause, Robert Forster. 115 minsA sideways move from Sideways takes Payne on another tour of masculine crises, though this has mellowed and matured for longer.
- 'Dad was too much to compete with'Jan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmTy Jeffries, son of actor Lionel Jeffries, tells Maureen Paton how he never revealed his sexuality to his father while he was alive. So what would Lionel have thought of his new drag act?The look is Dusty Springfield with a towering blond beehive and seven pairs of false eyelashes stuck to the upper lids.
- Johnny Jewel's synths were dropped from DriveJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmItalians Do It Better man was everyone's first choice to soundtrack the Ryan Gosling vehicle, but then things took a wrong turnOne day in September 2010, Johnny Jewel arrived in Los Angeles, chiefly to play a show with his bands Chromatics and Glass Candy, but also to make an appointment. Attending that evening's concert were the Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn and the actor Ryan Gosling.
- Vinnie Jones: My family lifeJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmThe actor and former footballer talks about his familyMy parents split when I was 13. For a youngster it's quite devastating.
- Drake Doremus: it took great care to make LikJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmSundance 2011 success starring Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones started out with 'backstory, subtext .
- Steven Spielberg's Holocaust archive arrives Jan 28, 2012 | 4:02 amAcademics hope emphasis on survivors' testimonies will change the way in which war history is studiedThe arrival in Britain of an archive of tens of thousands of Holocaust testimonies will give much needed historical weight to the experiences of survivors, according to a leading scholar.David Cesarani, of the Holocaust Research Centre at the University of London, believes that the US video archive, set up 18 years ago by Steven Spielberg, will help to rebalance a picture that has been dominated by the study of the perpetrators of the atrocities of the second world war.
- Sex, lies and natural disastersJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmIn 2007, floods wreaked havoc in Gloucester. Without lights or TV, people made their own fun .
- Fighting talk, as pay rises by 4% but vacanciJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmAt last salaries are on the up. But it's even tougher to get a jobAfter another week of gloomy employment forecasts, those preparing to graduate this summer and test the icy waters of the jobs market might be forgiven for wanting to dive back into bed and pull their duvets safely over their heads.
- How will ?9,000 tuition fees affect students?Jan 27, 2012 | 8:30 amOur commission will look at whether the increase has a negative impact on applications - especially from the disadvantagedA vast social experiment begins in September. Many of England's universities and colleges will start charging ?9,000 tuition fees a year plus real interest rates for their students - money that will have to be borrowed.
- First ever crime writing MA launchedJan 27, 2012 | 6:30 amLondon's City University says creation of course is in response to student demandAs the underworld steadily increases its grip on literary culture, City University in London is turning to crime, with the launch of an MA devoted to teaching crime fiction and thriller writing.Launched in response to student demand, and to the growing popularity of the genre, the UK's first creative writing masters dedicated to crime and thriller novels is another harbinger of a "second golden age of crime writing".
- Applying for a training contract? Read this fJan 27, 2012 | 6:30 amAlex Aldridge tackles some questions from DLA Piper's application form so you don't have toWhat skills do you believe you would need to have as a commercial lawyer?Firstly, commercial lawyers need to be good at exams, because without decent A-level and university grades they won't get through a firm's first round application form sift. They don't, however, need to be geniuses.
- Michael Gove criticised for awarding public fJan 27, 2012 | 2:31 amEducation secretary made decision to give taxpayers' money to organisation that he had promoted as an adviser since 2007Michael Gove, the education secretary, awarded ?2m of public money to an organisation that he promoted as an adviser for four years.The education secretary personally made the decision to give taxpayers' money to an organisation to fund better security at Jewish schools.
- MathematicsJan 26, 2012 | 4:30 pmThe study of quantities through analysis, deduction and calculation - including mathematics, operational research and statisticsWhat will I learn?Familiar with fractals? Study a degree in maths and you soon will be.Broadly speaking, maths degrees should give you the basic ideas of pure mathematics (linear algebra, geometry etc), applied mathematics (calculus, mathematical methods, modelling and numerical analysis), and statistics (including probability and operational research).
- Claire Danes receives Harvard's Hasty PuddingJan 26, 2012 | 4:00 pmActress Claire Danes was honoured as Woman of the Year by Harvard University's Hasty Pudding Theatricals society on Thursday. The honour, which has been bestowed annually since 1951 to starlets including Elizabeth Taylor and Angela Lansbury, includes a parade through Harvard Square, dinner and a golden Pudding Pot
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- 'Hire and fire' has destroyed Britain's jobs Jan 26, 2012 | 2:30 pmEurope's biggest problem now is youth unemployment - we should be looking at the German labour modelThese days we tend to talk about the divisions in Europe as one between net creditors and debtors. In reality this is just a sideshow.
- Hollywood women unite to break through the ceJan 28, 2012 | 4:02 amWith female scriptwriters behind some of the biggest movies, from Juno to Kung Fu Panda II, it seems the sexism barrier has been lifted. But has it?Next week the Athena Film Festival will open at Barnard College in New York.
- Even among the Skins generation, some know hoJan 28, 2012 | 3:02 amDepictions of today's youth show them as uncomplicated fashion victims - but not all young people want to be hipstersPeople of a certain age, or rather those who spend leisurely time with the Daily Mail and taped recordings of Antiques Roadshow, tend to spend a fair amount of time worrying about the "youth of today". They picture hoodlums dressed in Lonsdale tracksuits kicking cans of Pepsi Max down dingy alleyways, ready to loot and antagonise innocent civilians.
- The long walk to Europe - audio slideshowJan 28, 2012 | 2:32 amAfghanistan is the most dangerous country in the world in which to be a child. Caroline Brothers spoke to children who have left the country and travelled thousands of miles, alone, in search of safe haven.
- Berger & WyseJan 27, 2012 | 6:30 pmBlind man's bluff?Joe BergerPascal Wyse
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- Time management: the past isn't a foreign plaJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmHow do we learn to embrace our past?The modern mind is inclined to think of the past as gone. Archaeologists dig the ground for it; others try to hold on to it with photos.
- Appreciating the presentJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmManaging time well means appreciating the present and grounding our wandering attentionThere's a one-in-two chance your mind is on something else as you read this sentence. A study by Harvard psychologists in 2010 asked people to track their thoughts, feelings and activities at random intervals, and discovered that they spend 46.
- Planning for the future means making consciouJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmRather than being preoccupied with day-to-day events, take a step back and look to the larger prospectsWe fill our lives with plans for our future selves. People have always done this.
- Time management: Interruptions can boost youJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmake time to savour unexpected sidetracks - they are the essence of creative thoughtIn our zeal to create a seamless flow through our days, we're in danger of losing something precious: the delights of the unexpected detour. But what if we imagine time not as a commodity, but?as a dimension, the way scientists describe it - a road that starts when we open our eyes in the morning and ends when?we nod off under the duvet?When you think about it like this, time becomes more manageable, like a half-planned walk in the country.
- Time management: sustain your soul with strucJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmStructuring time doesn't have to be about work. Make appointments to reconnect with something personally importantMost of us are painfully aware of, and sad about, how highly structured our time is.
- Time management: reclaiming free timeJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmLearning to play without being productive is a vital part of enjoying free timeChildren know how to throw themselves into a state of freewheeling adventure, cantering after curiosity simply for the joy of it. They lose hours to happy experiment pushing a sea of paint around a page or studying the creatures in a patch of grass.
- Hollywood women unite to break through the ceJan 28, 2012 | 3:30 amWith female directors behind some of the biggest movies, from Juno to Kung Fu Panda II, it seems the sexism barrier has been lifted. But has it?Next week the Athena Film Festival will open at Barnard College in New York.
- The MeasureJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmTop marks to conversational prints, navy lace pencil skirts, Harry Lloyd and Hillary Clinton's hair. Nul points to leather sleeves, capes and fancy stripesGoing upPretty puddings Knickerbocker glories in the new Vuitton campaign, ice-cream cones in the Mulberry ads.
- How to dress: contrast collarsJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pm'What happens, clothes-wise, from the collarbone up, changes the tone of your look in a way that has nothing to do with seasonal trends'In pictures: Four of the best contrast collarsDon't be misled by the gold sequins. This column is not about fashion.
- Fashion wishlist: what we like this week - inJan 27, 2012 | 9:30 amThis week's best buys, from cool cat brooch to long yellow skirt.
- The assumptions behind the 'black marriage crJan 27, 2012 | 8:30 amIt's cast as a crisis for the African American community, but the subtext is that women should settle down - and settle for lessTwenty years ago, just after college, I attended a birthday party for a friend. In the kitchen, standing round the drinks, a handsome guy chatted me up: "So, do you have a boyfriend?" He asked.
- Diane Abbott: The abortion counselling consulJan 27, 2012 | 4:30 amWith a fact-free campaign, Tory MPs are attempting to bring the worst of the US abortion debate to British politicsJust when you thought it was safe to go out, the right wing of the Conservative party have resurrected their fact-free campaign about abortion counselling.It is important to stress that there are already full guidelines on abortion counselling from the British Medical Association and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
- Davos: if women are the future, where are theJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 amDespite a quota system to boost female participitation, the gender imbalance is still heavily skewed towards menIf you attended the opening address by Angela Merkel or the private dinner in which Nobel laureate Leymah Gbowee held a group of financiers in thrall with her life story, you might think that fabulous, powerful women dominate Davos. But the fact is, Davos has a woman problem.
- Diane Abbott resigns from abortion counsellinJan 26, 2012 | 10:00 amLabour MP Diane Abbott says group is little more than a front to push an anti-abortion agenda without debate in parliamentLabour MP Diane Abbott has walked out of an all-party group convened to discuss the rules on abortion counselling, claiming it is no more than a front to push forward a anti-abortion agenda without debate in parliament.Abbott says she joined the group in good faith to discuss the issue of the independence of those who counsel women thinking of having an abortion.
- How did Chuck Klosterman get Tune-Yards so wrJan 26, 2012 | 7:30 amMerrill Garbus's work is complex, sexualised and challenging. It doesn't need to be 'mansplained' by clueless criticsYou could say Chuck Klosterman "mansplained" Tune-Yards on Wednesday, when he wrote in Grantland about her second album, Whokill, topping the Village Voice's annual Pazz and Jop poll of pop writers.
- The problem Tory 'feminists' face | Suzanne MJan 25, 2012 | 12:30 pmEven a vibrant Conservative MP such as Louise Mensch can't avoid the fact that austerity is stripping us down to very old gender roles"Women taken seriously shock!" No, not a headline from this week, but a response to the four women who spoke at the Leveson inquiry about how the media portrays us. Anna van Heeswijk (from Object), Jacqui Hunt (Equality Now), Heather Harvey (the rape charity Eaves) and Marai Larasi (End Violence Against Women) made their case with quiet assurance, and were listened to with courtesy.
- It's time for science to move on from materiaJan 28, 2012 | 3:30 amThe rigid 19th-century orthodoxy should be challenged to allow broader interpretations, as Rupert Sheldrake arguesWerner Heisenberg, one of the founding fathers of quantum physics, once observed that history could be divided into periods according to what people of the time made of matter. In his book Physics and Philosophy, published in the early 60s, he argued that at the beginning of the 20th century we entered a new period.
- Today is unofficial National Kazoo Day [videoJan 28, 2012 | 12:30 amThis Caturday morning video smile features Handel's Messiah played by a kazoo choir Everyone loves kazoos and today is the day when you can proudly celebrate the joy this musical instrument brings to millions of people around the world. The kazoo is one of the few instruments that was invented in the United States and it's one of the easiest to play since the only requirement is the ability to hum (humming in tune is desirable, but optional, of course).
- A working life: the geneticistJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmJoe Rainger might still have been a chef, but for a degree change that took him out of the kitchen and plunged him into a world of DNA researchPeople born with abnormal eyes could - within our lifetime - benefit from replacements that match their own DNA, thanks to research by scientists like Joe Rainger.The 35-year-old geneticist is researching a mutation in human genes that causes microphthalmia (one or both eyes abnormally small), anophthalmia (absence of one or both eyes), and coloboma (a gap in the structure of the eye).
- Plantwatch: A premature spring means early blJan 27, 2012 | 2:00 pmJanuary is not usually the most exciting time in the plant year, but this month has been astonishing. Flowers are bursting out ridiculously early in balmy temperatures, with daffodils and primroses making a surprising appearance far ahead of schedule, and catkins bursting out on hazel and some other trees.
- A physiological marker for false memoriesJan 27, 2012 | 10:00 amFalse memories can be distinguished from real ones with a simple physiological test, report researchers from GermanyOur memories are not as accurate as we like to think they are. Every recollection is a reconstructive process, involving stitching together memory fragments rather than reproducing a ready-made whole.
- Do you want to join our science blog network?Jan 27, 2012 | 9:30 amWe're expanding our network to cover more scientific fields and are seeking some of the UK's best science bloggersJust under 17 months ago, the Guardian launched a small network of science blogs. Each blogger - Martin Robbins, Evan Harris, Jon Butterworth, GrrlScientist and Mo Costandi - was given complete freedom to write about whatever they wished, as often as they wished, independent of any oversight (other than legal) from Guardian editors.
- Why are people friendly? | Andrew BrownJan 27, 2012 | 9:00 amWithout selection between competing groups, the advantages of co-operation are not great enough to make it spreadThis week's Nature has a report on how hunter-gatherers co-operate, which shows the way in which the scientific study of altruism has moved on since The Selfish Gene. That book popularised two explanations for our unselfish instincts and behaviour.
- Rare minerals dearth threatens global renewabJan 27, 2012 | 8:30 amChina's near-exclusive access to terbium and yttrium sent prices soaring in 2011, potentially hobbling clean energy industryShortages of a handful of rare minerals could slow the future growth of the burgeoning renewable energy industries, and affect countries' chances of limiting greenhouse gas emissions, business leaders were told at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week.Last year, prices of many scarce minerals exploded, rising as much as 10 times over 2010 levels before dropping back, said PricewaterhouseCoopers.
- Can we trust a model that predicts traffic chJan 27, 2012 | 7:30 amModels can help us unravel complexity and predict the future, but they're only as good as the data and people who built themAll sorts of records will tumble at the London Olympics, but Londoners will be hoping that their city doesn't break one on the opening weekend of the games and host the world's most congested road network.According to the results of a computer model developed by the traffic analysis company Inrix, severe congestion levels are expected on the streets of the capital.
- Branding academic publishers 'enemies of scieJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 amPublishers have made more scientific research available to more readers at a lower unit cost than ever beforeWriting in these pages last week, Dr Mike Taylor used strong language to support his assertion that academic publishers have "drifted out of alignment" with science - language that demands a response.I won't comment on the multiple references to one significant publisher - which is just one of 2,000 active scholarly publishers, most of them learned societies - but it is unfair and wrong to characterise a progressive industry in these terms.
- It's time for science to move on from materiaJan 28, 2012 | 4:02 amThe rigid 19th-century orthodoxy should be challenged to allow broader interpretations, as Rupert Sheldrake arguesWerner Heisenberg, one of the founding fathers of quantum physics, once observed that history could be divided into periods according to what people of the time made of matter. In his book Physics and Philosophy, published in the early 60s, he argued that at the beginning of the 20th century we entered a new period.
- Even among the Skins generation, some know hoJan 28, 2012 | 2:32 amDepictions of today's youth show them as uncomplicated fashion victims - but not all young people want to be hipstersPeople of a certain age, or rather those who spend leisurely time with the Daily Mail and taped recordings of Antiques Roadshow, tend to spend a fair amount of time worrying about the "youth of today". They picture hoodlums dressed in Lonsdale tracksuits kicking cans of Pepsi Max down dingy alleyways, ready to loot and antagonise innocent civilians.
- Martin Rowson on David Cameron and RBS chief'Jan 27, 2012 | 4:30 pmRow erupts after prime minister claims that MPs had no choice but to agree to Stephen Hester's bonus are challenged by LabourMartin Rowson
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- Unthinkable? A federal upper house of parliamJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmIf Scots vote for independence, England's political will would shape that of the UK even more decisivelyAlex Salmond's plans for a Scottish independence referendum in 2014 are concentrating minds on the future shape of the United Kingdom. If Scots vote yes, the country they leave will consist of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- The conversation: Are the Olympics too commerJan 27, 2012 | 3:00 pmThe Olympics are a purely commercial enterprise and as such have been utterly devalued. True or false? Sports writer Mihir Bose and medal-winner Fatima Whitbread discussIt's six months until the Olympics, but should we be celebrating? With a series of negative news stories this week, sports journalist Mihir Bose, who has just written a?book on the demise of the sporting spirit, tries out his theory on Olympic legend Fatima Whitbread.
- The US government's capital punishment prerogJan 27, 2012 | 2:00 pmTo our shame, the federal authorities have broad powers to execute - even in states that have abolished the death penaltyWhile much attention is paid to the 34 US states that still administer the death penalty, federal and military systems of executions also exist. The retention of the US federal death penalty undermines those states that have abolished capital punishment - and federal executions undermine Washington's claims of world leadership in human rights.
- Philanthropy is the enemy of justice | RobertJan 27, 2012 | 1:30 pmThe world's poor are not begging for charity from the rich - they're asking for justice and fairnessIt's strange that at this week's World Economic Forum the designated voice of the world's poor has been Bill Gates, who has pledged ?478m to the Global Fund to fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria, telling Davos that the world economic crisis was no excuse for cutting aid.It reminds me of that dark hour when Al Gore, despite being a shareholder in Occidental Petroleum, was the voice of climate change action - because Gates does not speak with the voice of the world's poor, of course, but with the voice of its rich.
- Bash the poor and wave the flag - how this ToJan 27, 2012 | 1:00 pmIn a move imported from the US right, the Conservatives have successfully induced people to vote against their own interestsThe art of the magician, so they say, is distraction. Divert the eye of the audience with one hand and all kinds of mischief are available to the other.
- This impotence over Stephen Hester and the baJan 27, 2012 | 12:30 pmThe political elite who claim to be powerless on the RBS chief's bonus can no longer assume their hierarchy will remain intactThere's a typically Wildean saying on Wall?Street that there are?only two appropriate responses to being given?your bonus: "Fuck?you", or "Fuck you, I quit". No?doubt RBS chief Stephen Hester is far too refined a?character to slip into such coarse vernacular, but news that he is to?be awarded a ?963,000 bonus - in a year when the share price of his taxpayer-owned bank halved - is being glossed in?fist-gnawingly familiar terms.
- Metaphors, mysteries and mountains ... the baJan 27, 2012 | 12:30 pmIt used to be that you could live a long time in Scotland and never meet a nationalist other than the kind who wanted to beat England at footballAt midnight, when reporters and sub-editors on Glasgow newspapers ended their late shifts, there was nowhere to go but?home or the press club. On Fridays, the second seemed the natural choice.
- Super Bowl: Top 10 banned TV ads | Michael SoJan 28, 2012 | 3:30 amSuper Bowl ad breaks are the pinnacle of advertising - but these commercials never made the showJust because a 30-second commercial during the Super Bowl costs $3.5 million this year, doesn't mean NBC will take a company's money.
- The Hard Sell: Radio 1Jan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pm'Fern Britton would have been a more credible option. As would Dot Cotton.
- Romney Super Pac's damning ad: 'Gingrich is nJan 26, 2012 | 1:00 pmThis negative Super Pac ad is proving a blunt but brutal weapon in Romney's battle against Gingrich for the Florida primaryWhoIt's Mitt Romney, the man the Republican party loves to not love, despite the fact that he is and always has been the favourite to win their nomination. But a basic Republican distaste for super-rich Mormon Mitt has seen a seemingly endless cycle of opponents rise and fall.
- Channel 4 to boost programming budget by ?50mJan 25, 2012 | 3:31 amBroadcaster ups content spend as it struggles to maintain commercial impacts in 16- to 34-year-old demographicChannel 4 is to boost its programming budget by about ?50m in 2012, as the broadcaster struggles to address a fall of almost 10% in the amount of viewing by 16- to 34- year-olds it can offer to advertisers on its flagship network.David Abraham, the chief executive of Channel 4, is set to announce at the Oxford Media Convention on Wednesday that the broadcaster intends to boost its programming budget to ?450m in 2012.
- Twitter users not lovin' McDonald's | Media MJan 25, 2012 | 2:33 amThey must have seen it coming. The social media wonks at McDonald's were yesterday forced to abandon an attempt to spread "good news stories" about the fast-food giant on Twitter.
- Spinal Tap-style band's 'overtly sexual' postJan 25, 2012 | 1:32 amASA rules Steel Panthers' ads likely to offend, despite record label's claim they were meant to poke fun at 1980s attitudesThe advertising watchdog has banned posters for a Spinal Tap-style band after complaints that the ads were demeaning to women.Described by record label Universal Island as a pastiche of an 1980s heavy metal band taking inspiration from the likes of Whitesnake and Bon Jovi, the Steel Panthers were shown on the poster with big hair reminiscent of director Rob Reiner's band from 1980s mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap.
- Super Pac pacts after Scott Brown and ElizabeJan 24, 2012 | 3:00 pmThe deal to block outside ads in the Senate race is admirable, but futile: Citizens United has embedded big bucks in politicsMassachusetts Republican Senator Scott Brown and his Democratic challenger, Elizabeth Warren, are attempting some creative political jujitsu to end massive outside spending on advertising in their 2012 US Senate race. I applaud them and you should, too.
- Aegis Group wins $3bn-a-year General Motors aJan 24, 2012 | 10:00 amAnalysts call contract to cover 140 countries a 'game changing' win for UK media buying business AegisAegis Group has won the $3bn-a-year advertising account for General Motors across 140 countries, in what analysts have referred to as a "game changing" win for the UK media buying business.Maurice Levy's Publicis Groupe is the multibillion-dollar loser of the shift.
- Television viewing appears to peak at four hoJan 24, 2012 | 3:30 amWatching on traditional TV sets in 2011 same as 2010, with viewing on laptops and smartphones growing fastAlmost 80 years after the first broadcasts the British love affair with watching television the traditional way on a TV set appears to have peaked at four hours a day, with viewing on tablet computers, smartphones and laptops growing fast.UK viewers notched up an average of four hours and two minutes a day of traditional TV last year, exactly the same as in 2010, according to a report published on Tuesday by commercial TV marketing body Thinkbox.
- Ban on advertising cosmetic surgery urged by Jan 22, 2012 | 10:00 amGroup calls for tighter regulation of industry and says adverts for operations such as breast enlargement should be outlawedAll adverts for cosmetic surgery such as breast enlargement and tummy tucks should be banned, say leading plastic surgeons who warn that the industry is an under-regulated "wild west".The surgeons are members of the British Association of Aesthetic and Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), who work on reconstruction in the NHS and often do cosmetic surgery at leading private hospitals.
- Super Bowl: Top 10 banned TV ads | Michael SoJan 28, 2012 | 3:30 amSuper Bowl ad breaks are the pinnacle of advertising - but these commercials never made the showJust because a 30-second commercial during the Super Bowl costs $3.5 million this year, doesn't mean NBC will take a company's money.
- News International offices searched as four mJan 28, 2012 | 2:32 amServing police officer is among four arrested under Operation Elveden investigation into payments to policeFour men - including a serving police officer - have been arrested in connection with payments by journalists to police officers.The Metropolitan police said on Saturday that it was carrying out searches at the offices of News International, parent company of the now-closed News of the World, in Wapping, east London.
- The Week in TV: Birdsong, Mad Dogs and HustleJan 28, 2012 | 12:30 amOur resident TV addict Andrew Collins guides us through a week of action, costume dramas and the best of the rest of the last seven days in television. Featuring season two of Mad Dogs, a new series of the BBC franchise Hustle and the BBC period war drama Birdsong, based on the 1993 Sebastian Faulks novelAndrew Collins
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- The Hard Sell: Radio 1Jan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pm'Fern Britton would have been a more credible option. As would Dot Cotton.
- Tim Dowling: life is tweetJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pm'I realise anything I say about the point of Twitter will eventually be proved idiotic'On Sunday I come downstairs to find the middle one typing furiously on a laptop while a football match roars from the television. The middle one's friend is leaning over his shoulder, staring at the screen.
- How to build a profitable blog: getting down Jan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmIn the 10th part of her series on how to build a blog, Andrea Wren looks at generating money with advertisingRight. On to business.
- Twitter boycott? No, let's trust it | MohamedJan 27, 2012 | 2:00 pmCensorship fears are misplaced, tweets from the Middle East will still buzz around the worldWhen Twitter announced it was giving itself the ability to censor particular tweets or users in certain countries, the immediate reaction among users of the network in the Middle East - as elsewhere - was: #sh*t.Without overplaying its importance, Twitter has proved to be an invaluable tool for activists, enabling them to find up-to-date, accurate information and news, to publicise and to communicate among themselves, particularly in times of crisis.
- Letters: A Wapping lessonJan 27, 2012 | 12:30 pmWith revelations still emerging from the Leveson inquiry about the cynical behaviour of News International, readers might like to note that the exhibition on the Wapping dispute in 1986-87, when Murdoch sacked the workforce at his newspapers and set out to destroy the print unions, continues at the Bishopsgate Institute, London EC2, until 29 February. The News of the World phone-hacking scandal, which has revealed the dark side of Murdoch's global empire, should be no surprise when you look at the collusion 25 years ago between the Tory government, the police and NI to promote corporate interests over and above workers' rights or responsible journalism.
- Good to meet you ... Cordy SwopeJan 27, 2012 | 12:30 pmA New Yorker living in Germany tells of his love for the Guardian, which began in Morocco thanks to the late actor Richard HarrisI fell in love with the Guardian on a holiday long ago in Morocco, where I stayed at the same resort as the late actor Richard Harris. He'd leave his copy by the pool every morning after breakfast for me to filch.
- Twitter users threaten boycott over censorshiJan 27, 2012 | 12:30 pmTweets don't always flow freely - voice of Arab spring accused of imposing gagging system in some countries"The Tweets must flow", Twitter declared a year ago, and quickly became an instrument of fast-moving revolution across the Arab world, coordinating mass protests in Egypt and sidestepping the state censorship in Syria. But, the microblogging site conceded that the tweets would not flow evenly in every country.
- Jeffrey Ntuka, the township local hero who loJan 28, 2012 | 3:30 amFootballer Jeffrey Ntuka's decline and fall highlights the almost insuperable odds faced by young black South AfricansTwo dozen young men danced around the stage, arms aloft and fists clenched, their feet high-stepping and stamping in unison. When they began to sing and clap together, the colourfully dressed congregation whooped, whistled and ululated.
- Protests sweep through Senegal after Wade polJan 27, 2012 | 10:00 pmViolence breaks out in Senegal following a ruling that President Abdoulaye Wade can run for a third term in officeStreet protests have spread through towns across Senegal after the country's top court ruled that President Abdoulaye Wade had the right to run for a third term in elections next month. There were reports of buildings being set alight or ransacked, as well as youths setting fire to tyres and overturning cars.
- Twitter boycott? No, let's trust it | MohamedJan 27, 2012 | 2:00 pmCensorship fears are misplaced, tweets from the Middle East will still buzz around the worldWhen Twitter announced it was giving itself the ability to censor particular tweets or users in certain countries, the immediate reaction among users of the network in the Middle East - as elsewhere - was: #sh*t.Without overplaying its importance, Twitter has proved to be an invaluable tool for activists, enabling them to find up-to-date, accurate information and news, to publicise and to communicate among themselves, particularly in times of crisis.
- Letters: Join our global charter to stop worlJan 27, 2012 | 12:30 pmThis week, with the world's business, political and economic leaders meeting in Davos, we should not be seeing tens of thousands of people dying of starvation and 13 million at risk of losing everything they have in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia, because of a hunger crisis that was predicted and preventable (What we want to discuss at Davos, 25 January). The world is failing people in east Africa and this must change now.
- Twitter users threaten boycott over censorshiJan 27, 2012 | 12:30 pmTweets don't always flow freely - voice of Arab spring accused of imposing gagging system in some countries"The Tweets must flow", Twitter declared a year ago, and quickly became an instrument of fast-moving revolution across the Arab world, coordinating mass protests in Egypt and sidestepping the state censorship in Syria. But, the microblogging site conceded that the tweets would not flow evenly in every country.
- Nigeria: fundamental issues | EditorialJan 27, 2012 | 12:00 pmBoko Haram's gruesome rise has prised open crevices where ethnic, religious and socioeconomic fault lines intersectA bombing campaign is reductionist by design. Complex societies with long and painful histories end up being reduced to simple dichotomies : north v south, Muslim v Christian, poor v rich.
- Boko Haram: a local phenomenon, not a global Jan 27, 2012 | 11:30 amNigerian Sunni Muslim militant group emerged from background of sectarian tensions and deprivationIn the fast-changing world of violent Sunni Muslim activism, it is reassuring to find that some things remain the same. Every militant group that has emerged in recent decades has shared key elements, and the Nigerian Boko Haram group is no exception.
- Boko Haram vows to fight until Nigeria establJan 27, 2012 | 10:30 amExclusive: Spokesman for Islamist group says it will not stop deadly attacks until country is ruled according to dictates of AllahThe Islamist group Boko Haram, which has killed almost 1,000 people in Nigeria, will continue its campaign of violence until the country is ruled by sharia law, a senior member has told the Guardian."We will consider negotiation only when we have brought the government to their knees," the spokesman, Abu Qaqa, said in the group's first major interview with a western newspaper.
- Libya undecided on future of African investmeJan 27, 2012 | 10:00 amNTC will reassess financial commitments made under Muammar Gaddafi before making further plansLibya's new government is still taking stock of extensive investments made in Africa by the former regime of Muammar Gaddafi before deciding on what it should do next.Mohammed Abdul Aziz, Libya's deputy foreign minister, admitted on Thursday that the National Transitional Council (NTC) does not yet know the exact extent of Libyan investments on the continent.
- Couple facing deportation to Cameroon releaseJan 27, 2012 | 9:30 amLeading writers wrote to home secretary to condemn decision to deport Lydia Besong, a playwright, and her husbandA couple facing imminent deportation to Cameroon have been unexpectedly released from detention this week after a campaign by leading writers to halt their removal from the UK.A week ago, leading writers and barristers wrote to the home secretary, Theresa May, to condemn the UK Border Agency's decision to deport Lydia Besong, a playwright, and her husband, Bernard Batey.
- Archbishop of York: don't legalise gay marriaJan 28, 2012 | 3:30 amDr John Sentamu says government should not alter centuries-old social structures, but rights campaigner accuses him of being 'religious authoritarian'The government should not overturn centuries of tradition by legalising gay marriage, the archbishop of York has said.Dr John Sentamu, the second most senior bishop in the Church of England, said the church did not object to the introduction of civil partnerships in 2004, but that marriage should only be between men and women.
- Letters: Debt to the bishopsJan 26, 2012 | 1:00 pmSimon Jenkins (Comment, 25 January) repeats the fallacy that a vicar's stipend of around ?22,000 takes him below the proposed benefit cap. The clergy also receive free housing, have their council tax paid and get many other benefits, taking the total to around ?37,000 pa.
- Vicar jailed for carrying out sham marriagesJan 26, 2012 | 8:00 amRev Canon Dr John Magumba presided over so many weddings he was put in charge of working party on marriages for foreignersA Church of England vicar has been jailed for two and a half years after carrying out dozens of sham marriages allowing illegal immigrants to live in the UK.The Rev Canon Dr John Magumba was presiding over so many weddings involving foreign nationals his diocese put him in charge of a working party on how to handle marriages for foreigners - and how to spot sham weddings.
- Tim Livesey: Ed Miliband's new chief of staffJan 25, 2012 | 11:00 amAre internecine Anglican church politics and Catholic turmoil over child abuse adequate preparation for the Labour snakepit?Given Ed Miliband's start to the year, you might think he is in need of prayer - but that's not necessarily why his new chief of staff, Tim Livesey, will be on retreat at a Catholic monastery in Sussex this week, before starting work in the Labour leader's office on Monday. The party, whose leadership Alastair Campbell once claimed "does not do God", is about to be joined by someone who most definitely does.
- The Church of England's fudge on female bishoJan 24, 2012 | 3:30 amIn attempting to mollify opponents of female bishops, the House of Bishops has simply nourished the resistanceThe Church of England's House of Bishops - for which, read the archbishop of Canterbury and York - has explained how they hope to mollify the opponents of female clergy. The proposals are breathtaking.
- This welfare bill has united bishops like nevJan 23, 2012 | 8:30 amBishops in the Lords can seem fantastically out of touch, but they have more awareness of poverty than most in the chamberThe revolt by bishops in the House of Lords against welfare changes is unusual because they don't often vote as a bloc on controversial matters or on anything else. They are certainly not a monolithic force for social conservatism.
- Church of England 'must accept actively gay cJan 20, 2012 | 8:00 amProfessor Diarmaid MacCulloch says it is time for the Anglican communion to recognise the revolution in attitudes to gay peopleA leading historian has called for the Church of England to accept gay partnerships among its clergy, instead of encouraging them to hide their sexuality or remain celibate.Diarmaid MacCulloch, professor of the history of the church at the University of Oxford and presenter of BBC4's A History of Christianity, writes in the Guardian that while there has been a revolution in attitudes towards gay people in the UK, "the church has just stuck its fingers in its ears and chanted la-la-la".
- Open door: Compulsory celibacy is wrong and dJan 20, 2012 | 6:30 amNot everyone called to the priesthood is also called to celibacyChristians outside the Roman Catholic church, and very many inside, can see what a nonsense compulsory clerical celibacy is. Its effect is often malign, producing loneliness, alcoholism and, at worst, efforts at emotional compensation through irresponsible exercise of clerical power and unprincipled sexual activity.
- Divine dispatches: a religion roundup | DavidJan 19, 2012 | 4:00 amJeffrey John and gay clergy | Jews of Jerusalem | Dutch Queen Beatrix wears a headscarf | Ron Paul's Muslim fanbase? At the weekend, news broke that Jeffrey John, had been considering legal action against the Church of England. My colleague Andrew Brown blogged about the fact that the church hierarchy still seems to lag behind society in its acceptance of gay clergy.
- Occupy London protesters lose high court evicJan 18, 2012 | 1:00 pmCity of London Corporation wins its court case to remove the Occupy LSX protest camp from St Paul's churchyard, on the steps of the cathedralCameron Robertson.
- Archbishop of York: don't legalise gay marriaJan 28, 2012 | 3:30 amDr John Sentamu says government should not alter centuries-old social structures, but rights campaigner accuses him of being 'religious authoritarian'The government should not overturn centuries of tradition by legalising gay marriage, the archbishop of York has said.Dr John Sentamu, the second most senior bishop in the Church of England, said the church did not object to the introduction of civil partnerships in 2004, but that marriage should only be between men and women.
- Time management: sustain your soul with strucJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmStructuring time doesn't have to be about work. Make appointments to reconnect with something personally importantMost of us are painfully aware of, and sad about, how highly structured our time is.
- Nigeria: fundamental issues | EditorialJan 27, 2012 | 12:00 pmBoko Haram's gruesome rise has prised open crevices where ethnic, religious and socioeconomic fault lines intersectA bombing campaign is reductionist by design. Complex societies with long and painful histories end up being reduced to simple dichotomies : north v south, Muslim v Christian, poor v rich.
- Capitalism only creates misery - we need a syJan 27, 2012 | 9:30 amIt is the Green party that now embodies the natural political expression of the more progressive traditions found in dissenting movements such as Quakerism and radical CatholicismEd Miliband has accepted David Cameron's cuts. Ken Livingstone shares Boris Johnson's commitment to business.
- Why are people friendly? | Andrew BrownJan 27, 2012 | 9:00 amWithout selection between competing groups, the advantages of co-operation are not great enough to make it spreadThis week's Nature has a report on how hunter-gatherers co-operate, which shows the way in which the scientific study of altruism has moved on since The Selfish Gene. That book popularised two explanations for our unselfish instincts and behaviour.
- Jean Wyllys, Brazil's first openly gay MP, taJan 27, 2012 | 9:00 amStance against homophobia has made former Big Brother contestant a hate figure for religious zealots, but he has vowed to keep battlingIn the sitting room of his eighth-floor Copacabana apartment, Jean Wyllys has hung a multicoloured portrait of one of his closest allies: the dragon-slaying Saint George. In Wyllys' native Brazil, George represents Ogun, the Yoruba god of war, politics and fire.
- The Hajj exhibition is in stark contrast to SJan 27, 2012 | 2:31 amThe Saudi elite are proud of the British Museum's Hajj exhibition - it's a shame they don't feel the same about all their heritageThe Saudi embassy and their friends in Riyadh must be pleased with the considerable public interest in the Hajj exhibition, which opened at the British Museum this week. Beautiful relics, including historical and contemporary art, textiles and manuscripts, bring to life the profound significance of the Hajj, the pilgrimage that has remained unchanged since the prophet Muhammad's time in the seventh century.
- Do atheists need a temple? | PollJan 27, 2012 | 2:01 amThe philosopher and writer Alain de Botton wants to build a ?1m temple in the city of London to celebrate life on earth. Do you think atheists need their own temple?.
- Letters: Debt to the bishopsJan 26, 2012 | 1:00 pmSimon Jenkins (Comment, 25 January) repeats the fallacy that a vicar's stipend of around ?22,000 takes him below the proposed benefit cap. The clergy also receive free housing, have their council tax paid and get many other benefits, taking the total to around ?37,000 pa.
- Vicar jailed for carrying out sham marriagesJan 26, 2012 | 8:00 amRev Canon Dr John Magumba presided over so many weddings he was put in charge of working party on marriages for foreignersA Church of England vicar has been jailed for two and a half years after carrying out dozens of sham marriages allowing illegal immigrants to live in the UK.The Rev Canon Dr John Magumba was presiding over so many weddings involving foreign nationals his diocese put him in charge of a working party on how to handle marriages for foreigners - and how to spot sham weddings.
- NHS 'faces peril' if reform plans are deraileJan 28, 2012 | 3:02 amGroup of 50 GPs managing health services through clinical commissioning groups say they are 'already improving services'The NHS could be "in peril" if the government's plans to overhaul it are derailed by doctors and nurses' organisations, a group of GPs piloting the reforms has warned.The health secretary, Andrew Lansley, has proposed that the management of hospitals and budgets in England is reformed by allowing doctors rather than managers to control health services and budgets.
- Andrew Lansley accused of presiding over 'uttJan 27, 2012 | 11:30 amLiz Kendall uncovers NHS document which outlines five layers of management for new GP-led commissioning systemAndrew Lansley is once again having a wretched time.The health secretary, whose NHS reforms are in severe trouble in the House of Lords, gave vent to his frustration on Thursday when he accused the BMA of being "politically poisoned" in the way it is opposing his health reforms.
- We need to move on from this polarised debateJan 27, 2012 | 4:30 amThe time for grandstanding has passed. Compromise is a small price to pay for an outcome that is good for patientsThe latest storm over the government's health shakeup signals that the NHS may yet provide David Cameron with the biggest challenge of his premiership.
- Up to 300 NHS Direct jobs 'at risk'Jan 27, 2012 | 4:00 amRoyal College of Nursing warns of job loses as new 111 number for non-emergency services is phased inUp to 300 frontline staff at NHS Direct could lose their jobs as the service tries to cut costs, according to the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).New shift arrangements are being brought in as the new 111 number for non-emergency services is phased in, the union said on Friday.
- Andrew Lansley calls BMA 'politically poisoneJan 26, 2012 | 12:00 pmHealth secretary infuriates doctors' union by repeating description first used by founding father of the NHSRelations between the health secretary, Andrew Lansley, and Britain's doctors hit a new low on Thursday after he accused the British Medical Association of being "politically poisoned" in its opposition to his NHS shakeup.Lansley infuriated the doctors' union by repeating a description first used by Aneurin Bevan, the founding father of the NHS, at the time the service was created in 1948.
- Doctors advised against gagging order contracJan 25, 2012 | 10:30 pmGeneral Medical Council to write to all UK GPs to warn against signing contracts which include confidentiality clausesDoctors are being instructed by the General Medical Council never to sign a contract with their employer containing a gagging clause that would prevent them from revealing dodgy or substandard practice.The GMC is writing to every doctor in the country in a bid to foster a more open and transparent medical culture, in which doctors feel able to share any concerns they have about a colleague's poor performance.
- Heart attack deaths fall by 50%Jan 25, 2012 | 4:00 pmNHS data shows mortality rate at half the 2002 level, with fewer people smoking and better NHS care contributing factorsThe number of people dying from a heart attack has halved in the last decade, with falling rates of smoking, greater use of statins to lower cholesterol, and better NHS care thought to be behind the fall.Fewer people in England are suffering a heart attack, and fewer of those who do are dying as a result, according to research by Oxford University reported in Thursday's British Medical Journal.
- Miliband says Cameron is out of touch with whJan 25, 2012 | 7:30 amAt prime minister's questions Labour leader Ed Miliband referred to a survey saying 98% of GPs wanted the coalition's NHS reform bill withdrawn, and said that the prime minister was out of touch with doctors and nurses working in the health service.
- Royal medical colleges toughen stance againstJan 25, 2012 | 2:33 amAcademy of Medical Royal Colleges to outline 'significant concerns' about coalition's heath and social care billBritain's medical establishment has decided to toughen its stance against the coalition's controversial NHS shake-up, in a move that will prompt renewed speculation about the future of the health and social care bill.The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges agreed the move on Tuesday when its members, who represent all the different medical specialities, held a "full, long" debate on the bill.
- Care Quality Commission puts gagging orders oJan 24, 2012 | 11:31 pmMP discloses news of gagging orders on the day that Cynthia Bowers, the CQC boss, faces Commons select committeeA health watchdog with responsibility for protecting NHS whistleblowers has asked at least six employees to sign confidentiality agreements that stop them from criticising the organisation publicly.The Care Quality Commission (CQC) asked the six, who have received "special severance payments" since 2009, to sign a contract.
- NHS 'faces peril' if reform plans are deraileJan 28, 2012 | 3:02 amGroup of 50 GPs managing health services through clinical commissioning groups say they are 'already improving services'The NHS could be "in peril" if the government's plans to overhaul it are derailed by doctors and nurses' organisations, a group of GPs piloting the reforms has warned.The health secretary, Andrew Lansley, has proposed that the management of hospitals and budgets in England is reformed by allowing doctors rather than managers to control health services and budgets.
- Martin Rowson on David Cameron and RBS chief'Jan 27, 2012 | 4:30 pmRow erupts after prime minister claims that MPs had no choice but to agree to Stephen Hester's bonus are challenged by LabourMartin Rowson
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- Unthinkable? A federal upper house of parliamJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmIf Scots vote for independence, England's political will would shape that of the UK even more decisivelyAlex Salmond's plans for a Scottish independence referendum in 2014 are concentrating minds on the future shape of the United Kingdom. If Scots vote yes, the country they leave will consist of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Interview: architects Richard Rogers, Graham Jan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmCelebrated architect Richard Rogers and his partners discuss ?140m penthouses, John?Prescott's ministerial 'flair' and Prince Charles's strange ideas about architectureRichard Rogers, at 78, is not about to slow down. "I am enjoying myself, so why would I retire?" says the architect of the Pompidou Centre and the Lloyd's of London building.
- Nicolas Sarkozy by Nicole JenningsJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmPresident of the French RepublicNicola Jennings
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- George Osborne wants business to make the casJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmMake the argument for how detrimental the 50% tax rate is for jobs and investment, chancellor tells British executives in DavosGeorge Osborne urged business to make the case for the scrapping of the 50% income tax rate as he gave his clearest signal yet of his desire to reduce taxes on the wealthy.The Conservative chancellor told a lunch of British executives in Davos: "I have always said this is a temporary tax.
- Occupy activists attempt to take over Davos dJan 27, 2012 | 3:00 pmMovement tries to stage its own debate on 'remodelling capitalism' at World Economic Forum venueActivists from the Occupy movement attempted to disrupt a debate in Davos attended by the Labour party leader, Ed Miliband, calling on him and the other delegates to leave the stage and join them on the floor of the packed debate on "remodelling capitalism".The event, which was open to the public as part of a 10-year programme by the organisers of the World Economic Forum to engage with a wider audience, was eventually brought back under control when other public participants refused to support the efforts of Occupy activists.
- Bash the poor and wave the flag - how this ToJan 27, 2012 | 1:00 pmIn a move imported from the US right, the Conservatives have successfully induced people to vote against their own interestsThe art of the magician, so they say, is distraction. Divert the eye of the audience with one hand and all kinds of mischief are available to the other.
- Stephen Hester bonus puts David Cameron underJan 27, 2012 | 1:00 pmRow erupts after prime minister claims that MPs had no choice but to agree to RBS head's bonus are challenged by LabourDavid Cameron was under fire for failing to intervene to block a bonus of nearly ?1m for Royal Bank of Scotland's chief executive, Stephen Hester, and for allegedly misleading parliament after he blamed Labour for negotiating a contract that prevented the government from intervening.Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, speaking in Davos, piled the pressure on the prime minister by describing the bonus as "absolutely bewildering".
- Stephen Lawrence's mother says No 10 must do Jan 27, 2012 | 12:30 pm? Cameron 'not doing enough to tackle racial prejudice'? Murdered boy's brother stopped and searched 20 times? Trust set up to help deprived youth has money problemsDoreen Lawrence has said David Cameron's government is not doing enough to tackle racial prejudice, which continues to blight society, and has warned that spending cuts will hit working-class and black Britons the hardest.In a Guardian interview, Lawrence says the government has huge powers to make a difference in leading the fight against racism, but says: "I've not heard them talk about race.
- NHS 'faces peril' if reform plans are deraileJan 28, 2012 | 3:02 amGroup of 50 GPs managing health services through clinical commissioning groups say they are 'already improving services'The NHS could be "in peril" if the government's plans to overhaul it are derailed by doctors and nurses' organisations, a group of GPs piloting the reforms has warned.The health secretary, Andrew Lansley, has proposed that the management of hospitals and budgets in England is reformed by allowing doctors rather than managers to control health services and budgets.
- Andrew Lansley accused of presiding over 'uttJan 27, 2012 | 11:30 amLiz Kendall uncovers NHS document which outlines five layers of management for new GP-led commissioning systemAndrew Lansley is once again having a wretched time.The health secretary, whose NHS reforms are in severe trouble in the House of Lords, gave vent to his frustration on Thursday when he accused the BMA of being "politically poisoned" in the way it is opposing his health reforms.
- We need to move on from this polarised debateJan 27, 2012 | 4:30 amThe time for grandstanding has passed. Compromise is a small price to pay for an outcome that is good for patientsThe latest storm over the government's health shakeup signals that the NHS may yet provide David Cameron with the biggest challenge of his premiership.
- Andrew Lansley calls BMA 'politically poisoneJan 26, 2012 | 12:00 pmHealth secretary infuriates doctors' union by repeating description first used by founding father of the NHSRelations between the health secretary, Andrew Lansley, and Britain's doctors hit a new low on Thursday after he accused the British Medical Association of being "politically poisoned" in its opposition to his NHS shakeup.Lansley infuriated the doctors' union by repeating a description first used by Aneurin Bevan, the founding father of the NHS, at the time the service was created in 1948.
- How US private insurance healthcare is failinJan 26, 2012 | 11:00 amSky-high premiums, denied treatments, families bankrupted by medical bills .
- How US private insurance healthcare is failinJan 26, 2012 | 10:30 amSky-high premiums, denied treatments, families bankrupted by medical bills .
- Why I'm off for some vitamin D - until the suJan 26, 2012 | 9:30 amVitamin D deficiency is being linked with sudden infant deaths and fractures in children. Is it time to start taking supplements?Vitamin D is in the news again, and while the experts squabble over it, I'm off to buy myself some supplements.
- Politics Weekly podcast: welfare reform, NewtJan 26, 2012 | 6:00 amThe government suffered six defeats in the House of Lords this week as Iain Duncan Smith hoped to make progress with his controversial welfare reform bill. A rebellion in the House of Lords led by independent Church of England bishops and former Lib Dem leader Paddy Ashdown was successful (for now at least) in disrupting a government cap of ?26,000 for benefit claimaints.
- Medical leaders may seek Cameron talks over hJan 25, 2012 | 9:30 pmAcademy of Medical Royal Colleges drops plan to publicly cricitise bill after 'hard lobbying' by health secretaryMedical leaders opposed to the government's restructuring of the NHS are considering making a last-ditch direct appeal to David Cameron to help ensure the service is not damaged by Andrew Lansley's plans.Several organisations representing doctors, including the medical royal colleges that speak for GPs and hospital doctors, may seek a meeting with the prime minister in order to voice their concerns.
- Miliband says Cameron is out of touch with whJan 25, 2012 | 7:30 amAt prime minister's questions Labour leader Ed Miliband referred to a survey saying 98% of GPs wanted the coalition's NHS reform bill withdrawn, and said that the prime minister was out of touch with doctors and nurses working in the health service.
- NHS 'faces peril' if reform plans are deraileJan 28, 2012 | 3:02 amGroup of 50 GPs managing health services through clinical commissioning groups say they are 'already improving services'The NHS could be "in peril" if the government's plans to overhaul it are derailed by doctors and nurses' organisations, a group of GPs piloting the reforms has warned.The health secretary, Andrew Lansley, has proposed that the management of hospitals and budgets in England is reformed by allowing doctors rather than managers to control health services and budgets.
- Even among the Skins generation, some know hoJan 28, 2012 | 2:32 amDepictions of today's youth show them as uncomplicated fashion victims - but not all young people want to be hipstersPeople of a certain age, or rather those who spend leisurely time with the Daily Mail and taped recordings of Antiques Roadshow, tend to spend a fair amount of time worrying about the "youth of today". They picture hoodlums dressed in Lonsdale tracksuits kicking cans of Pepsi Max down dingy alleyways, ready to loot and antagonise innocent civilians.
- Escaped prisoner back in custodyJan 27, 2012 | 10:30 pmAndrew Farndon, who escaped enroute to hospital, has been arrested following a nationwide manhuntA prisoner who went on the run when two guards taking him to hospital were threatened at gunpoint has been arrested. Andrew Farndon, 26, has been at the centre of a nationwide manhunt since an armed accomplice helped him escape custody outside West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, on Wednesday evening.
- From the archive, 28 January 1971: Pill for mJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmOriginally published in the Guardian on 28 January 1971Successful trials of a contraceptive pill for men have been carried out on rats in a London hospital medical school and, subject to approval, clinical trials may be carried out within a year.Professor Denis Lacy, of St Bartholomew's Hospital Zoology Department, said yesterday that discussions were being held on whether to apply for permission from the Scowen Committee on Drug Safety to conduct trials on men.
- Interview: architects Richard Rogers, Graham Jan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmCelebrated architect Richard Rogers and his partners discuss ?140m penthouses, John?Prescott's ministerial 'flair' and Prince Charles's strange ideas about architectureRichard Rogers, at 78, is not about to slow down. "I am enjoying myself, so why would I retire?" says the architect of the Pompidou Centre and the Lloyd's of London building.
- 'Thank you just isn't enough'Jan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmA shortage of donor organs means people may not get a transplant when they need one. That's where families are stepping in - often the best match is a sibling, parent or even a child.
- Diary of a separationJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmUnexpected visitors on a messy, child-free dayIt's Wednesday afternoon on a week without children and I'm working at the kitchen table. In front of me are three mugs of tea in various stages of neglect, an empty yoghurt pot, some tangerine peel and, mystifyingly, a single sock.
- Should I spend my money while I'm young enougJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmI'm 50 and would love to travel, but will I regret this when I'm old and having to live frugally?Every week a Guardian Money reader submits a question, and it's up to you to help him or her out - a selection of the best answers will appear in next Saturday's paper.This week's questionI'm 50 and rather than pushing large sums into my pension plan I'm tempted to enjoy the money now.
- How the biggest ever state pension changes wiJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmCharges to the new minimum state pension age will hit women disproportionately. So what can you do to soften the blow?The next five years will see the biggest changes ever made to women's pensions, with millions seeing their state retirement age delayed from 60 to 66 and beyond, and benefits being cut by the government and poorly performing stock markets.
- Experience: I threw myself under a tube trainJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pm'I can picture myself walking down the stairs, standing near the edge and then stepping forward into nothing'It was a Monday morning rush hour at an underground station. I can picture myself walking down the stairs, standing near the edge and then stepping forward into nothing as the train approached.
- What else could you buy with a bank chief's bJan 28, 2012 | 2:32 amNearly ?1m in bonuses for the Royal Bank of Scotland's chief executive, Stephen Hester sounds like a lot of money, but what else could you get for it? This visualisation, by Guardian designer Kari-Ruth Pedersen, puts it all in perspectiveSimon RogersKari-Ruth Pedersen.
- Eurozone data raises fears of second credit cJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 amAnalysts say ECB likely to cut interest rates after official data shows loans to eurozone firms fell sharply while the volume of cash grew at slower rateThe prospect of a second credit crunch in four years came closer on Friday after official figures showed loans to firms in the eurozone fell sharply in December and the volume of cash grew at a slower rate than the previous month.Analysts said the figures painted a disturbingly gloomy picture of economic activity and were likely to spur the European Central Bank to cut interest rates from their current 1%.
- How much does it cost to raise a child?Jan 26, 2012 | 2:31 amRaising a child costs a grand total of ?218,000 according to the latest estimates. We look at the data behind this figure? Get the dataThere's plenty of data around on the .
- World economic outlook from the IMF: just howJan 24, 2012 | 7:00 amThe International Monetary Fund has just revised its predictions for the world's economies. See what the data says? Get the dataThe world economy has deteriorated sharply in the last six months asthe eurozone crisis dragged down the global recovery, according to thelatest predictions from the International Monetary Fund.
- Poundland is quids in after Christmas sales rJan 20, 2012 | 4:30 am'Squeezed' middle classes turn to fast-growing bargain chain with 5.5m shoppers during peak festive weekCash-strapped shoppers in search of bargains boosted sales at Poundland during the Christmas period with like-for-like sales up nearly 6% on the same time last year.
- How the world economy can solve its credit crJan 20, 2012 | 1:30 amBy pumping billions into their economies with little effect central banks have become bridges to nowhere - and now they are at risk of toppling overMore than three years after the global financial crisis, the world still has a nasty plumbing problem. Credit pipes remain clogged, and only central banks are working to clear them.
- World Bank warns of global recessionJan 17, 2012 | 5:30 pmEurozone crisis, weak growth elsewhere and reduced ability of governments to respond may lead to rerun of 2008-09The World Bank has has warned that the crisis in the eurozone will lead to a sharp slowdown in growth in rich and poor countries this year and could spiral into a rerun of the 2008-09 recession.In its half-yearly health check on the global economy the Washington-based institution said the world had "entered a very difficult phase characterised by significant downside risks and fragility".
- Time to take control of the credit rating ageJan 16, 2012 | 11:30 amCredit rating agencies keep getting it wrong but still make billions. Why don't politicians stand up to them?One point of view has counted more than any other in Europe over the past few days.
- Alistair Darling and Charles Kennedy lined upJan 11, 2012 | 12:30 pmLabour and Liberal Democrats hope David Cameron will take lower profile as main parties plan focus on economyAlistair Darling, Charles Kennedy and the former Tory leader in Scotland, Annabel Goldie, are being lined up as the main faces of the pro-union campaign in the referendum on Scottish independence, sources in the three parties confirmed Wenesday night.As Labour and the Liberal Democrats expressed the hope that David Cameron would adopt a lower profile after a faltering start, the pro-union parties said they would place the future of the economy in an independent Scotland at the forefront of their campaign.
- More big firms defaulting on loans, Bank of EJan 5, 2012 | 4:30 amBank of England reports first rise in defaults by larger firms for two years, and warns that eurozone crisis is likely to make all kinds of borrowing increasingly difficultIncreasing numbers of larger companies are defaulting on their loans, the Bank of England warned on Thursday, as it revealed that the impact of the eurozone crisis may force banks to toughen lending rules for companies and households.In a study of the fourth quarter of 2011, the Bank of England found that default rates on loans to large and medium-sized companies had risen for the first time since the end of 2009.
- Even among the Skins generation, some know hoJan 28, 2012 | 2:32 amDepictions of today's youth show them as uncomplicated fashion victims - but not all young people want to be hipstersPeople of a certain age, or rather those who spend leisurely time with the Daily Mail and taped recordings of Antiques Roadshow, tend to spend a fair amount of time worrying about the "youth of today". They picture hoodlums dressed in Lonsdale tracksuits kicking cans of Pepsi Max down dingy alleyways, ready to loot and antagonise innocent civilians.
- Beauty tips: nude tones - videoJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmIn the lull between Christmas and spring, nude tones can help your skin look clean and fresh. Sali Hughes explains allSali Hughes.
- Laura Bailey: 'If you'd told me 15 years ago Jan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmJess Cartner-Morley meets Laura Bailey - model and London Fashion Week ambassadorLondon Fashion Week, being rather grand these days, has three ambassadors. One of them you will almost certainly have heard of - she's called Samantha Cameron - and one of them you may not, unless you are a keen reader of the fashion blogs and gossip columns Poppy Delevigne stars in.
- The MeasureJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmTop marks to conversational prints, navy lace pencil skirts, Harry Lloyd and Hillary Clinton's hair. Nul points to leather sleeves, capes and fancy stripesGoing upPretty puddings Knickerbocker glories in the new Vuitton campaign, ice-cream cones in the Mulberry ads.
- How to dress: contrast collarsJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pm'What happens, clothes-wise, from the collarbone up, changes the tone of your look in a way that has nothing to do with seasonal trends'In pictures: Four of the best contrast collarsDon't be misled by the gold sequins. This column is not about fashion.
- What I see in the mirror: Bear GryllsJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pm'The irony is that my biggest scars are from ridiculous things'My face looks as if it's lived a lot of adventures. My wife Shara says I?frown too much.
- Weekender: Henry Platt, builder, 39Jan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pm'When you walk on to?a building site in a suit, it throws people. They think you're in charge, even when you're the lowest of the low'I'm a gentleman builder.
- Beauty: nudesJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pm'There's something very right about nudes for now'It's clich?d but true that when men claim women look better without make-up, they're usually describing a face full of cunningly applied neutral tones. I can't usually be bothered - all that effort for such a subtle effect can seem ungratifying.
- Laura Bailey showcases the best of Britain's Jan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmShe's the model who's an ambassador for London Fashion Week - and it's easy to see whyPriscilla Kwateng.
- Why power skirts are the talk of Paris fashioJan 27, 2012 | 12:30 pmThe look chosen by celebrities and editors on the catwalk front rows provides the most reliable fashion forecastEye-wateringly expensive elegance is in, 50kg dresses are go, and Air Chanel was the hot ticket. This week the headline trends from the haute couture shows in Paris emerged in all their hand-sewn glory.
- What else could you buy with a bank chief's bJan 28, 2012 | 2:32 amNearly ?1m in bonuses for the Royal Bank of Scotland's chief executive, Stephen Hester sounds like a lot of money, but what else could you get for it? This visualisation, by Guardian designer Kari-Ruth Pedersen, puts it all in perspectiveSimon RogersKari-Ruth Pedersen.
- Martin Rowson on David Cameron and RBS chief'Jan 27, 2012 | 4:30 pmRow erupts after prime minister claims that MPs had no choice but to agree to Stephen Hester's bonus are challenged by LabourMartin Rowson.
- Buying now cheaper than renting, Halifax saysJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmHalifax report comes amid claims that first-time buyers are beginning to return to the property marketBuying a house is now much cheaper than renting, mortgage lender Halifax has claimed, in a remarkable turnaround from three years ago when the soaring property market priced out all but the wealthiest buyers. Halifax calculates that the monthly cost of buying the average three-bed home in the UK is now ?600, 16% cheaper than the ?716 it would cost to rent the same type of property.
- Interview: architects Richard Rogers, Graham Jan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmCelebrated architect Richard Rogers and his partners discuss ?140m penthouses, John?Prescott's ministerial 'flair' and Prince Charles's strange ideas about architectureRichard Rogers, at 78, is not about to slow down. "I am enjoying myself, so why would I retire?" says the architect of the Pompidou Centre and the Lloyd's of London building.
- George Osborne wants business to make the casJan 27, 2012 | 3:00 pmMake the argument for how detrimental the 50% tax rate is for jobs and investment, chancellor tells British executives in DavosGeorge Osborne urged business to make the case for the scrapping of the 50% income tax rate as he gave his clearest signal yet of his desire to reduce taxes on the wealthy.The Conservative chancellor told a lunch of British executives in Davos: "I have always said this is a temporary tax.
- Occupy activists attempt to take over Davos dJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmMovement tries to stage its own debate on 'remodelling capitalism' at World Economic Forum venueActivists from the Occupy movement attempted to disrupt a debate in Davos attended by the Labour party leader, Ed Miliband, calling on him and the other delegates to leave the stage and join them on the floor of the packed debate on "remodelling capitalism".The event, which was open to the public as part of a 10-year programme by the organisers of the World Economic Forum to engage with a wider audience, was eventually brought back under control when other public participants refused to support the efforts of Occupy activists.
- Asil Nadir's cash deposits 'would be 300 timeJan 27, 2012 | 1:00 pmPolly Peck chairman's claims that money he allegedly stole was matched with cash deposits are ridiculed in courtProsecutors have ridiculed Asil Nadir's explanation that hundreds of millions of pounds, allegedly stolen from the Polly Peck empire he ran until its collapse in 1990, had been matched by cash deposits put back into the group via a Northern Cypriot subsidiary.Drawing to a close his five-day opening remarks, Philip Shears QC, cast doubt on claims that huge cash deposits were made by, or on behalf of, Nadir's elderly mother into an account at Industrial Bank of Kibris (IBK), a small bank privately owned by the Polly Peck executive chairman.
- Stephen Hester bonus puts David Cameron underJan 27, 2012 | 1:00 pmRow erupts after prime minister claims that MPs had no choice but to agree to RBS head's bonus are challenged by LabourDavid Cameron was under fire for failing to intervene to block a bonus of nearly ?1m for Royal Bank of Scotland's chief executive, Stephen Hester, and for allegedly misleading parliament after he blamed Labour for negotiating a contract that prevented the government from intervening.Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, speaking in Davos, piled the pressure on the prime minister by describing the bonus as "absolutely bewildering".
- Letters: Join our global charter to stop worlJan 27, 2012 | 12:30 pmThis week, with the world's business, political and economic leaders meeting in Davos, we should not be seeing tens of thousands of people dying of starvation and 13 million at risk of losing everything they have in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia, because of a hunger crisis that was predicted and preventable (What we want to discuss at Davos, 25 January). The world is failing people in east Africa and this must change now.
- Letters: Time to call the bankers' bluffJan 27, 2012 | 12:30 pmAs a shareholder in RBS (like the rest of us), I would like to see how the CEO's ?1m bonus is justified, given the consequences of his actions on the profitability of the parent company, UK plc (RBS hands chief ?1m bonus and fuels political storm, 25 January).He has made redundant 33,000 members of staff.
- What else could you buy with a bank chief's bJan 28, 2012 | 2:32 amNearly ?1m in bonuses for the Royal Bank of Scotland's chief executive, Stephen Hester sounds like a lot of money, but what else could you get for it? This visualisation, by Guardian designer Kari-Ruth Pedersen, puts it all in perspectiveSimon RogersKari-Ruth Pedersen.
- Martin Rowson on David Cameron and RBS chief'Jan 27, 2012 | 4:30 pmRow erupts after prime minister claims that MPs had no choice but to agree to Stephen Hester's bonus are challenged by LabourMartin Rowson.
- Stephen Hester bonus puts David Cameron underJan 27, 2012 | 12:30 pmRow erupts after prime minister claims that MPs had no choice but to agree to RBS head's bonus are challenged by LabourDavid Cameron was under fire for failing to intervene to block a bonus of nearly ?1m for Royal Bank of Scotland's chief executive, Stephen Hester, and for allegedly misleading parliament after he blamed Labour for negotiating a contract that prevented the government from intervening.Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, speaking in Davos, piled the pressure on the prime minister by describing the bonus as "absolutely bewildering".
- Letters: Time to call the bankers' bluffJan 27, 2012 | 12:30 pmAs a shareholder in RBS (like the rest of us), I would like to see how the CEO's ?1m bonus is justified, given the consequences of his actions on the profitability of the parent company, UK plc (RBS hands chief ?1m bonus and fuels political storm, 25 January).He has made redundant 33,000 members of staff.
- This impotence over Stephen Hester and the baJan 27, 2012 | 12:30 pmThe political elite who claim to be powerless on the RBS chief's bonus can no longer assume their hierarchy will remain intactThere's a typically Wildean saying on Wall?Street that there are?only two appropriate responses to being given?your bonus: "Fuck?you", or "Fuck you, I quit". No?doubt RBS chief Stephen Hester is far too refined a?character to slip into such coarse vernacular, but news that he is to?be awarded a ?963,000 bonus - in a year when the share price of his taxpayer-owned bank halved - is being glossed in?fist-gnawingly familiar terms.
- Let Stephen Hester have his bonusJan 27, 2012 | 11:30 amRBS chief is damned if he takes his bonus, and damned if he walks away from his very tough job. We forget how crocked RBS was when he took over, writes guest blogger Rob TaylorI have this feeling I am probably the only person who feels sorry for the Royal Bank of Scotland chief executive, Stephen Hester.
- Bailed-out RBS spends millions on Washington Jan 27, 2012 | 8:30 amBailed-out bank has spent over ?2.5m of British taxpayers' money to influence politicians reforming US financial lawThe Royal Bank of Scotland has spent more than $4m (?2.
- Why not benchmark RBS bonuses against the BanJan 27, 2012 | 7:00 amAre these RBS executives so valuable that the bank would fall apart without them? Does the threat of mass resignations, even if unspoken, have force?What a coincidence. A day after the prime minister was reported to think that Stephen Hester should receive a bonus of not more than ?1m, the pay committee of Royal Bank of Scotland decided the sum should be ?963,000.
- In defence of Stephen Hester's ?963,000 bonusJan 27, 2012 | 6:30 amThe public are united in outrage at the RBS boss's latest payout - but offering up Hester as an economic blood sacrifice is wrongIn an increasingly rare sign of unity, the British nation has come together in outrage at the ?963,000 bonus due to Stephen Hester, the chief executive of RBS - a bank 83% owned by the UK taxpayer.In a nation with a median income of just ?26,000 facing a decade of austerity measures, unemployment and government cuts, it's no surprise such a significant bonus on top of a ?1.
- Anger grows over RBS chief's ?900,000 bonusJan 27, 2012 | 4:30 amLondon mayor Boris Johnson calls decision 'bewildering' as Labour leader Ed Miliband brands award as 'disgraceful'Ed Miliband and Boris Johnson have joined the chorus of criticism over the decision by the Royal Bank of Scotland, which is more than 80% owned by the taxpayer, to award its chief executive a bonus of nearly ?1m. The London mayor said the government "should step in and sort it out".
- The long walk to Europe - audio slideshowJan 28, 2012 | 2:32 amAfghanistan is the most dangerous country in the world in which to be a child. Caroline Brothers spoke to children who have left the country and travelled thousands of miles, alone, in search of safe haven.
- Sarkozy and Karzai agree to press Nato for eaJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmFrench and Afghan presidents call for withdrawal of all Nato troops in 2013 - a year earlier than US goalThe French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, said on Friday that France and Afghanistan have agreed to ask Nato to bring forward the handover of all combat operations to Afghan forces to 2013.Sarkozy also announced an accelerated exit for France, the fourth-largest contributor of troops in Afghanistan - marking a break from previous plans to adhere to the US goal of withdrawing combat forces by the end of 2014.
- Nicolas Sarkozy vows French troops will leaveJan 27, 2012 | 2:00 pmThe French president met his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai to sign an agreement for troops to leave Afghanistan.
- British soldier shot dead by insurgents in AfJan 27, 2012 | 12:30 pmMinistry of Defence says 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment soldier was shot during a foot patrol in Helmand provinceBritain's military says a UK soldier has been shot dead by insurgents in southern Afghanistan.The Ministry of Defence says the soldier from 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment was shot on Friday during a foot patrol in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province.
- Russian election commission ousts Yavlinsky fJan 27, 2012 | 9:00 amVladimir Churov, the chairman of Russia's central election commission introduced a vote resolution to ban the Yabloko party leader from participating in the presidential elections.
- Eyewitness: Srinagar, IndiaJan 27, 2012 | 2:31 amPhotographs from the Guardian Eyewitness series.
- Meredith Alexander: Why I resigned over BhopaJan 26, 2012 | 1:30 pmA true Olympic legacy would be for Dow Chemical to shoulder responsibility for the 1984 tragedyLike most people, when I hear the word Bhopal, it conjures up the most horrible images in my mind's eye. In December 1984 a highly toxic gas was leaked from a pesticide plant in the?Indian city.
- Pentagon to shrink US ground troops by 100,00Jan 26, 2012 | 12:00 pmDefence secretary Leon Panetta unveils plans as part of strategy to shift military focus from wars in Iraq and AfghanistanPentagon leaders outlined a plan Thursday for absorbing $487bn in defence cuts over the coming decade by shrinking US ground forces, slowing the purchase of a next-generation stealth fighter jet and retiring older planes and ships.In a bid to pre-empt election-year Republican criticism, defence secretary Leon Panetta said the plan shifts the Pentagon's focus from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to future challenges in Asia, the Middle East and in cyberspace.
- Russian expat invasion of Cyprus also has sinJan 26, 2012 | 11:00 amMany Russians have made their home on the holiday island, but the Putin regime seems to be reaching deep into the tiny nationA mysterious Russian cargo ship limped into the Cypriot port of Limassol, this month, forced to seek shelter from a violent storm.Hidden on board the MS Chariot were four containers packed with 60 tonnes of ammunition for AK-47s and for rocket launchers.
- Russian expat invasion of Cyprus also has sinJan 26, 2012 | 10:30 amMany Russians have made their home on the holiday island, but the Putin regime seems to be reaching deep into the tiny nationA mysterious Russian cargo ship limped into the Cypriot port of Limassol, this month, forced to seek shelter from a violent storm.Hidden on board the MS Chariot were four containers packed with 60 tonnes of ammunition for AK-47s and for rocket launchers.
- The long walk to Europe - audio slideshowJan 28, 2012 | 2:32 amAfghanistan is the most dangerous country in the world in which to be a child. Caroline Brothers spoke to children who have left the country and travelled thousands of miles, alone, in search of safe haven.
- Sarkozy and Karzai agree to press Nato for eaJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmFrench and Afghan presidents call for withdrawal of all Nato troops in 2013 - a year earlier than US goalThe French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, said on Friday that France and Afghanistan have agreed to ask Nato to bring forward the handover of all combat operations to Afghan forces to 2013.Sarkozy also announced an accelerated exit for France, the fourth-largest contributor of troops in Afghanistan - marking a break from previous plans to adhere to the US goal of withdrawing combat forces by the end of 2014.
- Nicolas Sarkozy vows French troops will leaveJan 27, 2012 | 2:00 pmThe French president met his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai to sign an agreement for troops to leave Afghanistan.
- British soldier shot dead by insurgents in AfJan 27, 2012 | 12:30 pmMinistry of Defence says 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment soldier was shot during a foot patrol in Helmand provinceBritain's military says a UK soldier has been shot dead by insurgents in southern Afghanistan.The Ministry of Defence says the soldier from 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment was shot on Friday during a foot patrol in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province.
- Pentagon to shrink US ground troops by 100,00Jan 26, 2012 | 12:00 pmDefence secretary Leon Panetta unveils plans as part of strategy to shift military focus from wars in Iraq and AfghanistanPentagon leaders outlined a plan Thursday for absorbing $487bn in defence cuts over the coming decade by shrinking US ground forces, slowing the purchase of a next-generation stealth fighter jet and retiring older planes and ships.In a bid to pre-empt election-year Republican criticism, defence secretary Leon Panetta said the plan shifts the Pentagon's focus from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to future challenges in Asia, the Middle East and in cyberspace.
- Afghan soldier killed four French troops afteJan 24, 2012 | 11:31 pmAfghan military says man had watched video that appears to show US marines abusing the corpses of Taliban fightersA spokesman for the Afghan military says a soldier who killed four French troops was angry about a video purporting to show US marines desecrating the bodies of Taliban insurgents.The 21-year-old recruit had viewed the video, which was widely distributed on YouTube and other video-sharing websites, a defence ministry spokesman, General Mohammad Zahir Azimi, said.
- British soldier dies at Afghan baseJan 24, 2012 | 8:30 amIt is understood the soldier died from a gunshot wound and investigators do not believe anyone else was involvedA British soldier has died at a base in southern Afghanistan.The Ministry of Defence said the death of the serviceman, from 200 Signals Squadron, at a Nato patrol base in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province was not thought to be the result of hostile action.
- Hugh Carless obituaryJan 22, 2012 | 5:00 amDistinguished diplomat who was immortalised in Eric Newby's A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush, the 1958 account of their two-man expeditionHugh Carless, who has died aged 86, had a long and distinguished career in the diplomatic service. A gifted linguist, a voracious reader, admired for his integrity and intellect, he was charmingly modest, yet fascinating to talk to.
- Taliban say Afghan soldier who killed French Jan 21, 2012 | 2:01 amTaliban claim gunman who shot dead four French soldiers was an infiltrator working for themzThe Taliban claim they have recruited an Afghan soldier who shot dead four French soldiers at a base east of Kabul, prompting France to threaten to withdraw early from the country.Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the gunman was an infiltrator working for the Taliban, also known as The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
- Hillary Clinton: no indication France will puJan 20, 2012 | 1:00 pmReaction from the US and Germany after Nicolas Sarkozy threatened to withdraw all forces from Afghanistan after four French troops were killed by a rogue Afghan soldier.
- The Pop Up Book of Poo by Gaby Goldsack - revJan 28, 2012 | 12:30 am'We recommend this book to 6-8 year old boys who love gross things!'The Pop Up Book Of Poo was a fun read for my little brother Robert, who is six. He loved me reading it to him and we found it really interesting.
- The Real Hustle - reviewJan 27, 2012 | 10:30 pmNot even an ex-member of Boyzone makes Sam Wollaston fall for a ridiculous conman showAh, excellent, The Real Hustle (BBC3), surely one of the most ridiculous programmes ever. We seem to be in Paisley, Scotland, and the Real Hustlers are joined by Shane Lynch, dressed as a tramp (not much disguise needed) as their celebrity helper.
- Why we can't get enough of childbirth on TVJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmTV used to shy away from depicting birth. But now Call the Midwife and One Born Every Minute are attracting record ratings.
- Why I love The Good Wife | Deborah OrrJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmThe lead character is an empty vessel, and the whole programme is an upper-middle-class fairytale, but I still love US drama The Good WifeI'm torn. Part of me is mystified that the?Good Wife isn't more widely feted.
- This week's new eventsJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmLGBT History Month, NationwideCivil partnerships, the Equality Act and the end of Section 28; the last 15 years have seen a surge in visibility and acceptance for those of a non-hetero persuasion. This extensive event celebrates the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals who got us there, with everything from the small but high quality performance arts festival Outset (Taunton, Somerset), which includes Miss Hope Springs among the highlights, to a delve into The Military Role Of Eunuchs In The Later Roman Empire (Newport, Wales).
- This week's new theatre and danceJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmNora, CoventryIngmar Bergman's 1981 psychological drama, itself an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's 1879 masterpiece A Doll's House is revived here by director Patricia Benecke. Penny Layden is cast as the banker's wife who apparently has it all - a big house, three children and a husband who's just been promoted - but whose illusions about her husband and about the wider position of women in society are both shattered when a secret she's been keeping is revealed.
- Maya Jane Coles Q&AJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmThe rising star of British house music empties the contents of her psychic record bagThe track I'll be opening my next DJ set with Deetron: Croque It really builds to create the perfect mood in the room. You can take your set anywhere from there.
- Clubs picks of the weekJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmZombie Pirate School Disco, GlasgowThis is a bit like that old Alan Coren book Golfing For Cats, which had two of the bestselling book subjects in the title in a cynical attempt to shift a few more copies. Zombie Pirate School Disco combines three favourite fancy dress outfits - worn, invariably, on a weekend night out - to offer an all-encompassing experience for that particular type of person for whom no 70s night is complete without titting around the dancefloor in the kind of outfit that apparently has to include a comedy Afro wig.
- This week's new comedyJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmBrett Goldstein: Grew Up In A Strip Club, Halifax & NorwichIf you're a sharp-thinking young stand-up looking to make a name for yourself on an increasingly crowded comedy circuit, it sometimes helps to have a really compelling story to tell. Brett Goldstein certainly has one of those, as you can tell from the title of this, his debut full-length show.
- This week's new gamesJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmScarygirl, PS3, Xbox 360If Tim Burton were to make a side-scrolling, mock-3D platform game about an abandoned girl rescued by a super-intelligent Octopus named Blister, this is what it would be like. Registering high on the quirky scale it has both an art style and slightly dark humour that wouldn't seem out of place in A Nightmare Before Christmas.
- The Real Hustle - reviewJan 27, 2012 | 10:30 pmNot even an ex-member of Boyzone makes Sam Wollaston fall for a ridiculous conman showAh, excellent, The Real Hustle (BBC3), surely one of the most ridiculous programmes ever. We seem to be in Paisley, Scotland, and the Real Hustlers are joined by Shane Lynch, dressed as a tramp (not much disguise needed) as their celebrity helper.
- Martin Rowson on David Cameron and RBS chief'Jan 27, 2012 | 4:30 pmRow erupts after prime minister claims that MPs had no choice but to agree to Stephen Hester's bonus are challenged by LabourMartin Rowson.
- Men in Motion - reviewJan 27, 2012 | 4:30 pmThe media storm around one of its dancers doesn't stop this tribute to male movement from leaping with playful charmThere was a raw emotional edge to the applause that greeted Sergei Polunin on the opening night of Men in Motion.Just three days ago the young, gifted Ukrainian dancer had made national news with his sudden decision to quit the Royal Ballet, and possibly to end his dancing career.
- Unthinkable? A federal upper house of parliamJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmIf Scots vote for independence, England's political will would shape that of the UK even more decisivelyAlex Salmond's plans for a Scottish independence referendum in 2014 are concentrating minds on the future shape of the United Kingdom. If Scots vote yes, the country they leave will consist of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Why we can't get enough of childbirth on TVJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmTV used to shy away from depicting birth. But now Call the Midwife and One Born Every Minute are attracting record ratings.
- Why I love The Good Wife | Deborah OrrJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmThe lead character is an empty vessel, and the whole programme is an upper-middle-class fairytale, but I still love US drama The Good WifeI'm torn. Part of me is mystified that the?Good Wife isn't more widely feted.
- From the archive, 28 January 1971: Pill for mJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmOriginally published in the Guardian on 28 January 1971Successful trials of a contraceptive pill for men have been carried out on rats in a London hospital medical school and, subject to approval, clinical trials may be carried out within a year.Professor Denis Lacy, of St Bartholomew's Hospital Zoology Department, said yesterday that discussions were being held on whether to apply for permission from the Scowen Committee on Drug Safety to conduct trials on men.
- Interview: architects Richard Rogers, Graham Jan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmCelebrated architect Richard Rogers and his partners discuss ?140m penthouses, John?Prescott's ministerial 'flair' and Prince Charles's strange ideas about architectureRichard Rogers, at 78, is not about to slow down. "I am enjoying myself, so why would I retire?" says the architect of the Pompidou Centre and the Lloyd's of London building.
- Why did Sergei Polunin, a star of the Royal BJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmResignation of young Ukrainian billed as the next Nureyev has stumped the ballet worldIt's a story that could have been written if Noel Streatfield went over to the dark side. Sergei Polunin was a young Ukrainian dancer of striking talent.
- Sudoku 2,095 hardJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmFill the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 to 9.For a helping hand call our solutions line on 09068 338 228.
- Scarlets prop Rhys Thomas comfortable after eJan 27, 2012 | 5:00 pm? Former Wales international taken ill during training? Rhys Thomas suffered mild heart attack in 2006The Scarlets prop Rhys Thomas has undergone heart surgery after being taken ill during training on Friday. Thomas, who has seven Wales caps, was treated by the club's medical staff before being taken by ambulance to Morriston Hospital in Swansea.
- Leicester's scrum half Micky Young suspended Jan 27, 2012 | 12:00 pm? Young to miss Saxons game with Ireland Wolfhounds? Available from 19 March for last five games of seasonLeicester's scrum-half Micky Young has been suspended for eight weeks for making contact with the eye area of the Aironi wing Giulio Toniolatti.The incident took place during the first half of the Tigers' Heineken Cup victory at Welford Road last Saturday.
- Billy Twelvetrees: 'There are a lot of frustrJan 27, 2012 | 9:30 amThe inside centre with the unforgettable name who will feature for England Saxons this weekend explains why he is taking his budding talent to GloucesterBilly Twelvetrees is not your average name, nor is he your average player. Not since Meadowlark Lemon was doing his thing for the Harlem Globetrotters in the 1970s has there been a sportsman for whom casual fans feel such instinctive warmth.
- South Africa Rugby Union name Heyneke Meyer aJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 am? Meyer takes over from former coach Peter de Villiers? First game in charge will be against England in DurbanThe South Africa Rugby Union have named Heyneke Meyer the new head coach of the Springboks following a meeting today in Cape Town. The 44-year-old's appointment was ratified on Friday following talks the previous day, and the Blue Bulls rugby executive will now begin preparing for his first match in charge, against England in Durban on 9 June.
- Stephen Jones called up to Wales's Six NationJan 27, 2012 | 2:01 am? Injury to Rhys Priestland left Wales needing extra cover? Jones likely to be among replacements to face IrelandWales have called veteran fly-half Stephen Jones into their Six Nations training squad.The 34-year-old, who has won a record 104 caps for his country, was left out of Warren Gatland's original 35-man selection for this week's training camp in Gdansk, Poland.
- Working up a sweat in freezing Gdansk and maiJan 26, 2012 | 2:30 pmWales's Six Nations preparations are under way on Poland's snowy Baltic coast as the squad seeks gain through painWelcome to Gdansk, the port on Poland's Baltic coast and home of Solidarity, Lech Walesa and life with the windows wide open, even at -11C. I wouldn't mind coming back in the summer, when the mercury sometimes nudges the 30C mark in July and August.
- Chris Robshaw sets out credentials for EnglanJan 26, 2012 | 1:30 pm? Harlequins flanker says he has 'grown into role'? Robshaw favourite to lead team out against ScotlandThe Harlequins flanker Chris Robshaw says he would "relish the chance" to lead England into this year's Six Nations championship against Scotland next week. No announcement on the captaincy will be made until Monday but the untimely injury suffered by Northampton's Tom Wood has narrowed the options available to the interim coach, Stuart Lancaster.
- England's Andy and Owen Farrell primed to makJan 26, 2012 | 1:30 pmThe assistant coach and centre could make history, a first ever father-son partnership in a Calcutta Cup dressing roomFor Andy Farrell and his son Owen a remarkable game of family fortunes is?about to unfold. Plenty of sets of brothers have played for their countries - the Hastings, the Underwoods, the Evans - but never before has a father-son combo shared the same Calcutta Cup dressing room.
- David Attoub called up for France's squad to Jan 26, 2012 | 6:30 am? Luc Ducalcon's lack of match-fitness leads to squad change? Attoub given 70-week ban for eye-gouging in 2009The Stade Fran?ais prop David Attoub has been recalled to the France squad for their Six Nations opener against Italy, with the uncapped duo Yoann Maestri and Wesley Fofana also included for the match on 4 February.Attoub was not part of the initial 30-man group named earlier this month by Philippe Saint-Andr?, but he has been drafted in due to Castres's Luc Ducalcon's lack of match fitness.
- The Breakdown: Premiership clubs missing out Jan 26, 2012 | 3:30 amClubs in England have been frustrated in attempts to develop their grounds as all but two in the top division trade in the redLondon Irish this week announced an annual loss of a few grand over ?1m: considerably better than the previous year's loss of more than ?2m but an illustration of the tough trading climate for professional clubs.Irish are among six Premiership clubs who did not survive the group stage of the Heineken Cup.
- Men in Motion - reviewJan 27, 2012 | 4:30 pmThe media storm around one of its dancers doesn't stop this tribute to male movement from leaping with playful charmThere was a raw emotional edge to the applause that greeted Sergei Polunin on the opening night of Men in Motion.Just three days ago the young, gifted Ukrainian dancer had made national news with his sudden decision to quit the Royal Ballet, and possibly to end his dancing career.
- This week's new theatre and danceJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmNora, CoventryIngmar Bergman's 1981 psychological drama, itself an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's 1879 masterpiece A Doll's House is revived here by director Patricia Benecke. Penny Layden is cast as the banker's wife who apparently has it all - a big house, three children and a husband who's just been promoted - but whose illusions about her husband and about the wider position of women in society are both shattered when a secret she's been keeping is revealed.
- Why did Sergei Polunin, a star of the Royal BJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmResignation of young Ukrainian billed as the next Nureyev has stumped the ballet worldIt's a story that could have been written if Noel Streatfield went over to the dark side. Sergei Polunin was a young Ukrainian dancer of striking talent.
- Seven days on stage - in picturesJan 27, 2012 | 9:00 amThe Stage's Alistair Smith rounds up a week full of surprises as the performing arts are revealed to be not that gay-friendly after all, the Royal Ballet's youngest ever principal jumps ship and Vic and Bob prepare to go back on the roadAlistair Smith.
- London lives: Daniela Essart, artist on the uJan 26, 2012 | 9:30 pmIn the fourth of our series celebrating aspects of London life as told by some of the city's extraordinary characters, we meet Daniela Essart, the artistic director and performer of Scarabeus theatre company, which creates aerial and abseiling 'dances' using the capital's buildings and parks as a backdropMartin GodwinJim PowellVivienne Parry.
- What's really behind Sergei Polunin's Royal BJan 26, 2012 | 8:00 amThe Russian prodigy's resignation has shocked the ballet world - but the clues were there that something wasn't rightWhen I interviewed Sergei Polunin just before Christmas I certainly got no sense that he was about to do a runner from the Royal Ballet - yet there were some comments, even then, that stuck me as odd. We were in discussion with Ivan Putrov about the changing profile of men in ballet and Putrov was talking with passion about his desire to extend his career well beyond his 40s, and well beyond the role of classical princes.
- Royal Ballet 'shocked' by Sergei Polunin resiJan 25, 2012 | 11:30 amTwitter feed of Royal's youngest ever principal, who was compared to Nureyev and Baryshnikov, had suggested dissatisfactionWhen Sergei Polunin, 21, walked out of rehearsals with the Royal Ballet on Tuesday and said he would not be coming back, the world of dance was stunned.The next day, the Ukrainian dancer was rehearsing for three shows this weekend at Sadler's Wells after spending the night at the London Tattoo Company, the tattoo parlour in north London he co-owns.
- Royal Ballet star Sergei Polunin quitsJan 25, 2012 | 3:02 amThe Royal Ballet's youngest ever principal stuns the dance world with abrupt decision to leave the company with immediate effectSergei Polunin, the 21-year-old star of the Royal Ballet, has stunned the dance world by abruptly leaving the company. The Ukrainian dancer, who two years ago became the Royal Ballet's youngest ever principal, told its director Monica Mason on Tuesday afternoon that he was quitting with immediate effect.
- Rudi van Dantzig obituaryJan 23, 2012 | 7:00 amChoreographer of socially aware ballets who became a novelistThe choreographer and director Rudi van Dantzig, who has died of cancer aged 78, played a major role in the development of classical ballet in the Netherlands. He also had a second career, which developed later in his life, as a novelist and biographer.
- Haptic; Holistic Strata - reviewJan 21, 2012 | 3:30 pmLinbury Studio, Royal Opera House, LondonHiroaki Umeda studied photography in his native Japan before switching to?dance training because "photography is so expensive, and dance is so cheap". In 2000, aged 23, he formed a company named S20 to perform his choreography.
- Martin Rowson on David Cameron and RBS chief'Jan 27, 2012 | 4:30 pmRow erupts after prime minister claims that MPs had no choice but to agree to Stephen Hester's bonus are challenged by LabourMartin Rowson.
- Stephen Hester bonus puts David Cameron underJan 27, 2012 | 12:30 pmRow erupts after prime minister claims that MPs had no choice but to agree to RBS head's bonus are challenged by LabourDavid Cameron was under fire for failing to intervene to block a bonus of nearly ?1m for Royal Bank of Scotland's chief executive, Stephen Hester, and for allegedly misleading parliament after he blamed Labour for negotiating a contract that prevented the government from intervening.Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, speaking in Davos, piled the pressure on the prime minister by describing the bonus as "absolutely bewildering".
- It's 1981 all over againJan 27, 2012 | 11:00 amWe've a Tory PM whose policies are causing irreparable harm and an opposition leader who nobody believes will become PM?Step back with me in time: we are governed by a Tory prime minister whose policies appear to be causing irreparable harm to the economy, but who refuses to budge. We have an opposition leader who nobody believes will become prime minister himself.
- David Cameron in U-turn over fiscal policing Jan 27, 2012 | 11:00 amGovernment signals it will not challenge fiscal enforcement role for European commission and European court of justiceThe prime minister has abandoned his pledge to block the eurozone from using common EU institutions to police a new regime of fiscal integration and stiff German-style rules for the embattled single currency.Ahead of Monday's summit of EU leaders, which is due to finalise "political agreement" on the fiscal compact treaty, the government signalled that it would not challenge a role for the European commission and, more sensitively, would also allow resort to the European court of justice (ECJ) in Luxembourg to enforce new debt ceilings and fines for fiscal miscreants in the eurozone.
- David Cameron's eco-friendly image risks 'retJan 27, 2012 | 7:30 amPrime minister's lack of leadership on green issues among concerns raised by head of charity that helped rebrand partyThe head of the charity that helped arrange David Cameron's memorable husky photoshoot in the Arctic, launching the Conservatives' rebranding as the nice-not-nasty party, has warned that the PM's lack of leadership on environment issues risks "retoxifying" their image.The striking images of Cameron posing on the ice with huskies on the way to visiting a melting glacier in 2006 marked a turning point for the Tories' image, which had been seen by many voters as uncaring.
- Anger grows over RBS chief's ?900,000 bonusJan 27, 2012 | 4:30 amLondon mayor Boris Johnson calls decision 'bewildering' as Labour leader Ed Miliband brands award as 'disgraceful'Ed Miliband and Boris Johnson have joined the chorus of criticism over the decision by the Royal Bank of Scotland, which is more than 80% owned by the taxpayer, to award its chief executive a bonus of nearly ?1m. The London mayor said the government "should step in and sort it out".
- Why David Cameron should attend the Rio+20 EaJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 amAttending the world's biggest environmental conference for 20 years is not technically important, but the political symbolism isIf you were to ask most people whether they would like an all-expenses-paid trip to Rio de Janeiro, expressly designed to demonstrate that they were a nice guy or gal who cared about the planet, it would probably not take them too long to start packing their sunglasses. Sadly, life is not that simple when you are prime minister.
- Politicians told to stop 'exaggerated' criticJan 27, 2012 | 2:31 amEuropean court of human rights president Sir Nicolas Bratza says any criticism should be based on evidence not emotionThe president of the European court of human rights has warned political leaders against using "emotion and exaggeration" to criticise the court's workings.Sir Nicolas Bratza made his comments as he released figures detailing the court's rulings during 2011.
- Hugh Muir's diaryJan 26, 2012 | 2:30 pmPity Tom Watson's intern. She had a really bad day? The problem with being too much in the right is that you make a bunch of enemies.
- Davos 2012: Cameron scales improbable rhetoriJan 26, 2012 | 1:00 pmBritish politicians dominated proceedings on day two of the World Economic ForumIt was like Westminster in the mountains. Everywhere you looked there was a British politician.
- Men in Motion - reviewJan 27, 2012 | 4:30 pmThe media storm around one of its dancers doesn't stop this tribute to male movement from leaping with playful charmThere was a raw emotional edge to the applause that greeted Sergei Polunin on the opening night of Men in Motion.Just three days ago the young, gifted Ukrainian dancer had made national news with his sudden decision to quit the Royal Ballet, and possibly to end his dancing career.
- This week's new theatre and danceJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmNora, CoventryIngmar Bergman's 1981 psychological drama, itself an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's 1879 masterpiece A Doll's House is revived here by director Patricia Benecke. Penny Layden is cast as the banker's wife who apparently has it all - a big house, three children and a husband who's just been promoted - but whose illusions about her husband and about the wider position of women in society are both shattered when a secret she's been keeping is revealed.
- This week's new comedyJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmBrett Goldstein: Grew Up In A Strip Club, Halifax & NorwichIf you're a sharp-thinking young stand-up looking to make a name for yourself on an increasingly crowded comedy circuit, it sometimes helps to have a really compelling story to tell. Brett Goldstein certainly has one of those, as you can tell from the title of this, his debut full-length show.
- 'Dad was too much to compete with'Jan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmTy Jeffries, son of actor Lionel Jeffries, tells Maureen Paton how he never revealed his sexuality to his father while he was alive. So what would Lionel have thought of his new drag act?The look is Dusty Springfield with a towering blond beehive and seven pairs of false eyelashes stuck to the upper lids.
- Why did Sergei Polunin, a star of the Royal BJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmResignation of young Ukrainian billed as the next Nureyev has stumped the ballet worldIt's a story that could have been written if Noel Streatfield went over to the dark side. Sergei Polunin was a young Ukrainian dancer of striking talent.
- Q&A: Ashley WaltersJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pm'My earliest memory? Eating under my grandmother's dining table. I wouldn't eat at the table ever until I was about 10'Ashley Walters, 29, was born in London, where he went to the Sylvia Young Theatre School.
- The House of Bernarda Alba - reviewJan 27, 2012 | 10:00 amAlmeida, LondonIn Emily Mann's new version, the action of Lorca's tremendous 1936 play has been shifted from Andalusia to rural Iran. This intensifies the atmosphere of oppression and yields one remarkable image, when the house of the play's title fills with over 20 burqa-clad mourning women.
- Alfie - reviewJan 27, 2012 | 10:00 amOctagon, BoltonWhat's it all about, Alfie? As two and a half hours turn to almost three, you start to wonder. David Thacker's revival of Bill Naughton's meandering and episodic account of that 1960s Casanova, Alfie Elkins, is just the latest in line - Michael Caine made his name in the 1966 movie version, and Jude Law has also tried his luck on celluloid with the role.
- Couple facing deportation to Cameroon releaseJan 27, 2012 | 9:30 amLeading writers wrote to home secretary to condemn decision to deport Lydia Besong, a playwright, and her husbandA couple facing imminent deportation to Cameroon have been unexpectedly released from detention this week after a campaign by leading writers to halt their removal from the UK.A week ago, leading writers and barristers wrote to the home secretary, Theresa May, to condemn the UK Border Agency's decision to deport Lydia Besong, a playwright, and her husband, Bernard Batey.
- What to see: Lyn Gardner's theatre tipsJan 27, 2012 | 9:00 amWith a touring binge-drinking drama and a play about the Champions League final, theatre lets loose as February beginsScotlandThe big news in Scotland is the Manipulate festival, a feast of visual theatre and animation, at Edinburgh's Traverse theatre. Highlights include Akhe Engineering Theatre's very strange but undoubtedly mesmerizing Gobo.
- Mitt Romney outspends Newt Gingrich on ads ahJan 27, 2012 | 4:30 pmRomney takes lead in polls but is accused of dishonesty and negative campaigning as Republican nomination battle heats upRepublican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is outspending his main rival Newt Gingrich by almost four to one in advertising in Florida, having spent a staggering $13.8m so far.
- How Hillary Clinton surprised me | Lionel ShrJan 27, 2012 | 12:00 pmI was disgusted when Obama appointed her secretary of state, but Clinton has been a credit to her country and her genderDuring the protracted tooth-and-nail tussle between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in the 2008 Democratic primaries, I was one of those fierce partisans desperate for the first black candidate with a serious shot at the White House to win the nomination. Ever opposed to?nepotism, I disliked the prospect of our first female head of state achieving the position through marriage to a previous president, a cheap shortcut I?considered anti-feminist.
- Obama wades into race, saying GOP candidates Jan 26, 2012 | 2:30 pmPresident says that whichever candidate the GOP chooses, they represent a 'fundamentally different vision of America'Barack Obama, after months of sitting back to allow the Republicans to fight among themselves, waded into the nominating race by claiming that the entire GOP presidential field would be wrong for America.Obama was speaking on the Univision Spanish-language television network, broadcast only hours before the Republican candidates were scheduled to meet in Jacksonville, Florida.
- Mitch Daniels: the best presidential candidatJan 26, 2012 | 10:00 amHis Republican credentials as Indiana's governor are peerless. But conservatives are in no mood for a technocratic moderateThe Republican presidential race has featured many frontrunners.
- Politics Weekly podcast: welfare reform, NewtJan 26, 2012 | 6:30 amThe government suffered six defeats in the House of Lords this week as Iain Duncan Smith hoped to make progress with his controversial welfare reform bill. A rebellion in the House of Lords led by independent Church of England bishops and former Lib Dem leader Paddy Ashdown was successful (for now at least) in disrupting a government cap of ?26,000 for benefit claimaints.
- Tim Geithner: Obama will not select me to runJan 25, 2012 | 2:00 pmTreasury secretary predicts president will be re-elected in November - but doubts he'll be offered the Treasury job againUS Treasury secretary Timothy Geithner expects president Barack Obama will not ask him to stay if he's re-elected."He's not going to ask me to stay on, I'm pretty confident," Geithner said in an interview with Bloomberg Television.
- State of the union speech: sending in the seaJan 25, 2012 | 2:00 pmBarack Obama adopted a toughness of tone that many supporters say he should have had years agoState of the union speeches are rarely what they purport to be. Presented as bipartisan checklists, they have a deeply partisan purpose.
- Letters: A level playing field on executive pJan 25, 2012 | 12:30 pmAccording to a 2010 ComRes poll, those questioned said that the annual income of a FTSE chief executive should be ?118,000. It then averaged ?2.
- Obama hits the road amid Republican attacks oJan 25, 2012 | 11:30 amPresident kicks off tour of swing states as Gingrich and Romney accuse him of 'class warfare' in asking rich to pay moreBarack Obama left Washington on a tour of swing states crucial to his re-election in November after delivering a populist state of the union speech that launched his 2012 campaign.Obama called for a fairer, more equal America, the theme he is to pursue throughout the campaign, branding the Republicans as the party of the rich elite.
- President Obama's state of the union speech: Jan 25, 2012 | 9:00 amMeasuring their hopes and expectations against what the president actually said, our commentators give their viewsMark Weisbrot: 'His main constituency has always been the major media'To understand President Obama's state of the union speech, you have to understand his political strategy. From the beginning of his 2008 campaign, his main constituency has always been the major media.
- Stop the clock: time shouldn't be tied to timJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmAbandon your watch, cover your clocks and try some slow-time activitiesYou don't have time to read this, do you? At least not if the past 300 years of history have had any influence on you.Our troubles started when time was first sliced into tiny artificial units, and we have been subject to their increasing tyranny ever since.
- Time management: the past isn't a foreign plaJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmHow do we learn to embrace our past?The modern mind is inclined to think of the past as gone. Archaeologists dig the ground for it; others try to hold on to it with photos.
- Appreciating the presentJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmManaging time well means appreciating the present and grounding our wandering attentionThere's a one-in-two chance your mind is on something else as you read this sentence. A study by Harvard psychologists in 2010 asked people to track their thoughts, feelings and activities at random intervals, and discovered that they spend 46.
- Planning for the future means making consciouJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmRather than being preoccupied with day-to-day events, take a step back and look to the larger prospectsWe fill our lives with plans for our future selves. People have always done this.
- Time management: Interruptions can boost youJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmake time to savour unexpected sidetracks - they are the essence of creative thoughtIn our zeal to create a seamless flow through our days, we're in danger of losing something precious: the delights of the unexpected detour. But what if we imagine time not as a commodity, but?as a dimension, the way scientists describe it - a road that starts when we open our eyes in the morning and ends when?we nod off under the duvet?When you think about it like this, time becomes more manageable, like a half-planned walk in the country.
- Time management: sustain your soul with strucJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmStructuring time doesn't have to be about work. Make appointments to reconnect with something personally importantMost of us are painfully aware of, and sad about, how highly structured our time is.
- Time management: reclaiming free timeJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmLearning to play without being productive is a vital part of enjoying free timeChildren know how to throw themselves into a state of freewheeling adventure, cantering after curiosity simply for the joy of it. They lose hours to happy experiment pushing a sea of paint around a page or studying the creatures in a patch of grass.
- Time management | Putting it into practiceJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmHere are some ideas for building a better, healthier and more fulfilling relationship with time, whether you're thinking about 60 minutes or 60 yearsOne hourWe've all been astonished by how quickly an hour can go by. Here are some techniques to make the most of every 3,600 seconds.
- Why we can't get enough of childbirth on TVJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmTV used to shy away from depicting birth. But now Call the Midwife and One Born Every Minute are attracting record ratings.
- This column will change your life: emotions aJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmCan all your problems be solved by simply getting your sums right?"I believe the best CEOs are truly 'Chief Emotions Officers'," writes Chip Conley, early on in his book Emotional Equations: Simple Formulas To Help Your Life Work Better. This is an inauspicious start.
- Unthinkable? A federal upper house of parliamJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmIf Scots vote for independence, England's political will would shape that of the UK even more decisivelyAlex Salmond's plans for a Scottish independence referendum in 2014 are concentrating minds on the future shape of the United Kingdom. If Scots vote yes, the country they leave will consist of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Nigeria: fundamental issues | EditorialJan 27, 2012 | 12:00 pmBoko Haram's gruesome rise has prised open crevices where ethnic, religious and socioeconomic fault lines intersectA bombing campaign is reductionist by design. Complex societies with long and painful histories end up being reduced to simple dichotomies : north v south, Muslim v Christian, poor v rich.
- Rich and poor: deserving and undeserving | EdJan 27, 2012 | 11:30 amThe attempt to distinguish between different categories of the poor is almost as old as the modern British stateWhen the Archbishop of Canterbury warned against "a quiet resurgence of the seductive language of 'deserving' and 'undeserving' poor" he may not have expected his immediate predecessor to lead a charge against "hand-outs given to the long-term unemployed", as he did this week. Yet Lord Carey's attack upon his fellow bishops for resisting the government's welfare reform legislation breathes new life into that most unhelpful of distinctions.
- In praise of ... JB Priestley | EditorialJan 26, 2012 | 2:30 pmAs a prose realist with strong leftwing politics, Priestley was more famous than George Orwell and is now back in the newsAsk people to name an outstanding prose realist of the 1930s and 40s, with strong leftwing politics, a piercing eye for social reportage and a unique line in imaginative fiction - and many will probably say George Orwell. Many fewer these days would cite the vastly talented JB Priestley (more famous in his day than Orwell), whose English Journey was the precursor of The Road to Wigan Pier, whose disjunctive "time" plays are at last being revived though his novels remain largely in eclipse, and whom Orwell secretly advised the Foreign Office to blacklist as too pro-communist.
- Nick Clegg: taking from the rich, not giving Jan 26, 2012 | 2:00 pmRight through the 1990s and into the noughties, the Liberal Democrats' signature policy was a 1% income tax rise to be spent on schoolsRight through the 1990s and into the noughties, the Liberal Democrats' signature policy was the "penny for education" - a 1% income tax rise to be spent on schools. At the Resolution Foundation on Thursday, Nick Clegg gave a speech which underlined how far he has shifted his party from this social democratic stance.
- Libya: looking the other way | EditorialJan 26, 2012 | 2:00 pmThe lack of oversight by Libya's National Transitional Council has created an environment conducive to tortureWhat is going on in Libya is not new. Libyans suspected, sometimes merely because of the colour of their skin, of being Gaddafi loyalists were being tortured and summarily executed throughout the rebellion.
- In praise of... the small claims court | EditJan 25, 2012 | 2:00 pmThe court has a vital function, despite the prime minister using it as a way of criticising the European court of human rightsRemember the Macavity-like mog whom Theresa May swore wasn't made up? The cat was meant to sink its claws into human rights, but proved to be a puss who wasn't there. The prime minister on Wednesday refashioned a reclining coach-seat on the Bucharest-Madrid flyer into the latest weapon in the war on rights.
- State of the union speech: sending in the seaJan 25, 2012 | 1:30 pmBarack Obama adopted a toughness of tone that many supporters say he should have had years agoState of the union speeches are rarely what they purport to be. Presented as bipartisan checklists, they have a deeply partisan purpose.
- The economy: the state we're in | EditorialJan 25, 2012 | 1:30 pmThe real significance of the news that GDP is shrinking is confirmation of the damage austerity measures are doing to the economyHere is one mark of the economy's fragility: even the reliably bullish prime minister could not feign surprise at Wednesday's news that GDP is actually shrinking. After all, it follows many months of grim surveys of businesses and consumers, rising unemployment and quarters of flatlining output.
- In praise of ... Sherlock Holmes | EditorialJan 24, 2012 | 12:30 pmThe popular appeal of Holmes remains undiminished, which, of course, is the real explanation for his continual resurrectionWe all saw Sherlock jump to his death from the roof of St Bart's hospital in his latest BBC reincarnation. We even saw the blood pouring from his head.
- Unthinkable? A federal upper house of parliamJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmIf Scots vote for independence, England's political will would shape that of the UK even more decisivelyAlex Salmond's plans for a Scottish independence referendum in 2014 are concentrating minds on the future shape of the United Kingdom. If Scots vote yes, the country they leave will consist of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- From the archive, 28 January 1971: Pill for mJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmOriginally published in the Guardian on 28 January 1971Successful trials of a contraceptive pill for men have been carried out on rats in a London hospital medical school and, subject to approval, clinical trials may be carried out within a year.Professor Denis Lacy, of St Bartholomew's Hospital Zoology Department, said yesterday that discussions were being held on whether to apply for permission from the Scowen Committee on Drug Safety to conduct trials on men.
- Letters: Give it some wellyJan 27, 2012 | 12:30 pmI'm a museum curator who spends a lot of time mollocking around in vast stores. Given the conditions - heavy objects, 13ft-high shelves, I find it's a good thing not to be wearing pretty items of clothing that flap about.
- Letters: A Wapping lessonJan 27, 2012 | 12:30 pmWith revelations still emerging from the Leveson inquiry about the cynical behaviour of News International, readers might like to note that the exhibition on the Wapping dispute in 1986-87, when Murdoch sacked the workforce at his newspapers and set out to destroy the print unions, continues at the Bishopsgate Institute, London EC2, until 29 February. The News of the World phone-hacking scandal, which has revealed the dark side of Murdoch's global empire, should be no surprise when you look at the collusion 25 years ago between the Tory government, the police and NI to promote corporate interests over and above workers' rights or responsible journalism.
- Letters: Join our global charter to stop worlJan 27, 2012 | 12:30 pmThis week, with the world's business, political and economic leaders meeting in Davos, we should not be seeing tens of thousands of people dying of starvation and 13 million at risk of losing everything they have in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia, because of a hunger crisis that was predicted and preventable (What we want to discuss at Davos, 25 January). The world is failing people in east Africa and this must change now.
- Letters: Time to call the bankers' bluffJan 27, 2012 | 12:30 pmAs a shareholder in RBS (like the rest of us), I would like to see how the CEO's ?1m bonus is justified, given the consequences of his actions on the profitability of the parent company, UK plc (RBS hands chief ?1m bonus and fuels political storm, 25 January).He has made redundant 33,000 members of staff.
- Good to meet you ... Cordy SwopeJan 27, 2012 | 12:30 pmA New Yorker living in Germany tells of his love for the Guardian, which began in Morocco thanks to the late actor Richard HarrisI fell in love with the Guardian on a holiday long ago in Morocco, where I stayed at the same resort as the late actor Richard Harris. He'd leave his copy by the pool every morning after breakfast for me to filch.
- Letters: The trouble with tobacco hatersJan 27, 2012 | 12:30 pmWhy doesn't Mr Chapman debate with a good and satisfied customer of the tobacco companies (Plain packs will make smoking history, 25 January)? Someone who has seen what will replace it as a smoothing, calming contemplative helper. Someone whose friends died of alcohol consumption, not tobacco.
- Country diary: Sandy, Bedfordshire: A robin'sJan 27, 2012 | 12:30 pmSandy, Bedfordshire: I rose and went out into the night for more of the pre-dawn chorus. There were robins front, back and sides.
- Nigeria: fundamental issues | EditorialJan 27, 2012 | 12:00 pmBoko Haram's gruesome rise has prised open crevices where ethnic, religious and socioeconomic fault lines intersectA bombing campaign is reductionist by design. Complex societies with long and painful histories end up being reduced to simple dichotomies : north v south, Muslim v Christian, poor v rich.
- Sarkozy and Karzai agree to press Nato for eaJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmFrench and Afghan presidents call for withdrawal of all Nato troops in 2013 - a year earlier than US goalThe French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, said on Friday that France and Afghanistan have agreed to ask Nato to bring forward the handover of all combat operations to Afghan forces to 2013.Sarkozy also announced an accelerated exit for France, the fourth-largest contributor of troops in Afghanistan - marking a break from previous plans to adhere to the US goal of withdrawing combat forces by the end of 2014.
- Nicolas Sarkozy vows French troops will leaveJan 27, 2012 | 2:00 pmThe French president met his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai to sign an agreement for troops to leave Afghanistan
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- Maori heads returned to New Zealand after 200Jan 27, 2012 | 7:00 amTwenty tattooed Maori heads have been repatriated from France to New Zealand after more than 200 years. A team from Wellington's Te Papa museum plans to trace the origin of the heads and return them to their communities.
- PIP breast implant boss Jean-Claude Mas chargJan 27, 2012 | 2:01 amAfter hours of questioning by investigators, Mas was released on bail and banned from leaving FranceFrench authorities have filed preliminary charges against the founder of a French firm at the centre of a global health scare over faulty breast implants.Jean-Claude Mas, 72, head of Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) has been placed under investigation on a criminal charge of causing bodily harm.
- PIP breast implant boss facing bodily harm chJan 26, 2012 | 7:00 pmJean-Claude Mas has been released from police custody will not be investigated for the graver charge of manslaughterJean-Claude Mas, the Frenchman who sparked a global health scare by selling substandard breast implants, was released from police custody on Friday and faces a charge of causing bodily harm, his lawyer said. Mas will not be investigated for the graver charge of manslaughter, as was expected, and is under court surveillance.
- Can Fran?ois Hollande beat Sarkozy? | Pierre Jan 26, 2012 | 11:00 amFrance's Socialist presidential candidate has used strong words and careful actions, but his key asset is public hatred of SarkozyDoes Fran?ois Hollande, the Socialist candidate for the French presidency, have what it takes to confront Nicolas Sarkozy - and the crisis?The question has been worrying leftwing supporters in France ever since Hollande, the party's former first secretary, who has no government experience, was chosen to be the Socialist candidate during the primaries last autumn. Since then, his campaign has been rather chaotic and weak, although he remains in a winning position in opinion polls.
- Can Fran?ois Hollande beat Sarkozy? | Pierre Jan 26, 2012 | 10:30 amFrance's Socialist presidential candidate has used strong words and careful actions, but his key asset is public hatred of SarkozyDoes Fran?ois Hollande, the Socialist candidate for the French presidency, have what it takes to confront Nicolas Sarkozy - and the crisis?The question has been worrying leftwing supporters in France ever since Hollande, the party's former first secretary, who has no government experience, was chosen to be the Socialist candidate during the primaries last autumn. Since then, his campaign has been rather chaotic and weak, although he remains in a winning position in opinion polls.
- Fran?ois Hollande unveils tax policy - videoJan 26, 2012 | 10:00 amFrench Socialist presidential candidate outlines how he intends to increase taxes for the rich, cut tax on profit for small businesses, and cancel billions of euros of tax breaks
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- Fran?ois Hollande vows to tax the rich to payJan 26, 2012 | 10:00 amLeftwing frontrunner in presidential race launches manifesto on how Socialist party would deal with financial crisisFran?ois Hollande, the leftwing frontrunner in the French presidential race, has vowed to make the rich pay the highest price to help drag France out of its economic crisis, while promising to pump more money into schools and state-assisted jobs.The Socialist rural MP, who recently declared "my real adversary in this campaign is the world of finance", launched his manifesto on Thursday, a road map of how the left would deal with the financial crisis.
- PIP breast implant boss arrested - videoJan 26, 2012 | 7:00 amJean-Claude Mas, the founder of Poly Implant Prothese, which produced the faulty breast implants at the centre of a global health scare, is arrested in France
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- Sarkozy and Karzai agree to press Nato for eaJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmFrench and Afghan presidents call for withdrawal of all Nato troops in 2013 - a year earlier than US goalThe French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, said on Friday that France and Afghanistan have agreed to ask Nato to bring forward the handover of all combat operations to Afghan forces to 2013.Sarkozy also announced an accelerated exit for France, the fourth-largest contributor of troops in Afghanistan - marking a break from previous plans to adhere to the US goal of withdrawing combat forces by the end of 2014.
- Iran faces 'fundamental choice' says top US dJan 23, 2012 | 9:30 amAs the EU agrees sanctions against Tehran, US ambassador to Nato calls on Iran to negotiate rather than risk any further diplomatic and military escalationAs the EU was agreeing to ban oil imports from Iran, Ivo Daalder was at the US embassy in London, setting out the arguments for sanctions, and the hope that they might still bring Tehran to the negotiating table.Iran is not Daalder's responsibility, but his views are worth listening to because he is a smart man, and he knows about the subject.
- Hillary Clinton: no indication France will puJan 20, 2012 | 1:00 pmReaction from the US and Germany after Nicolas Sarkozy threatened to withdraw all forces from Afghanistan after four French troops were killed by a rogue Afghan soldier.
- France threatens troop withdrawal from AfghanJan 20, 2012 | 10:00 amNicolas Sarkozy says security conditions must be clearly established after four soldiers were shot deadNicolas Sarkozy has threatened to withdraw all forces from Afghanistan after four French troops were killed by a rogue Afghan soldier at a base east of Kabul. The move could jeopardise Nato's planned orderly pull out from the country.
- France suspends Afghan training operations - Jan 20, 2012 | 8:00 amFrench President Nicolas Sarkozy has suspended training operations, and is considering withdrawing early all French troops in Afghanistan after four French troops were shot on Friday by an Afghan soldier in Kapisa province. The shootings were the latest in which Afghan security forces turned their guns on Nato comrades.
- Nato's Afghan alliance unhinged by growing muJan 20, 2012 | 8:00 amUS military report reveals how issues such as arrogance and cleanliness are leading Afghan soldiers to shoot Nato trainersMutual mistrust and contempt between local and foreign forces in Afghanistan that often borders on hatred is one of the main reasons why Afghan troops increasingly turn their guns on their Nato comrades, a damning report has found.The research, commissioned by the US military, said American soldiers enrage their Afghan colleagues with what the report describes as extreme arrogance, bullying and "crude behaviour".
- Six US marines die in Afghanistan helicopter Jan 20, 2012 | 7:30 amTaliban fighters were not active in the area at time of crash, says Nato, raising questions about possible malfunction or pilot errorSix US marines were killed in a helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, a US official said, but Nato said Taliban fighters were not active in the area at the time."The cause of the crash is under investigation, however initial reporting indicates there was no enemy activity in the area at the time of the crash," a spokesman for the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force said on Friday, raising questions about a possible malfunction or pilot error.
- Nato troops killed by Afghan forces - timelinJan 20, 2012 | 5:30 amSurge in number of coalition troops killed in so-called green-on-blue attacks in Afghanistan in past two yearsIncidents in which Afghan police or soldiers killed coalition troops, so-called green-on-blue attacks, have happened several times since the start of US-led operations in late 2001. According to one tally from late last year, such attacks have claimed the lives of at least 52 overseas troops.
- Afghanistan: where the troops areJan 20, 2012 | 5:30 amRollover map showing where the ISAf troops are stationedPaddy AllenLisa Evans.
- France suspends all Afghanistan training operJan 20, 2012 | 2:00 amNicolas Sarkozy also threatens to pull the French army out of Afghanistan early after an Afghan soldier shot dead four soldiersFrance is suspending all training operations for Afghan troops and threatening to pull its entire force out of Afghanistan early after an Afghan soldier shot and killed four French soldiers.The attack was among the most deadly for French forces in the 10 years they have been serving with Nato forces in Afghanistan.
- Buying now cheaper than renting, Halifax saysJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmHalifax report comes amid claims that first-time buyers are beginning to return to the property marketBuying a house is now much cheaper than renting, mortgage lender Halifax has claimed, in a remarkable turnaround from three years ago when the soaring property market priced out all but the wealthiest buyers. Halifax calculates that the monthly cost of buying the average three-bed home in the UK is now ?600, 16% cheaper than the ?716 it would cost to rent the same type of property.
- George Osborne wants business to make the casJan 27, 2012 | 3:00 pmMake the argument for how detrimental the 50% tax rate is for jobs and investment, chancellor tells British executives in DavosGeorge Osborne urged business to make the case for the scrapping of the 50% income tax rate as he gave his clearest signal yet of his desire to reduce taxes on the wealthy.The Conservative chancellor told a lunch of British executives in Davos: "I have always said this is a temporary tax.
- Gym contracts and heartwarming Guardian readeJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmThe distressing story of a pregnant woman chased for payment has put gym contracts in the spotlight - and filled our postbag with offers of helpHow I love Guardian Money readers. Last week our consumer champions Lisa Bachelor and Miles Brignall highlighted the distressing story of a woman chased by LA Fitness for ?780 to get out of her gym contract, despite being weeks away from childbirth, her husband being unemployed, and losing her home.
- Should I spend my money while I'm young enougJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmI'm 50 and would love to travel, but will I regret this when I'm old and having to live frugally?Every week a Guardian Money reader submits a question, and it's up to you to help him or her out - a selection of the best answers will appear in next Saturday's paper.This week's questionI'm 50 and rather than pushing large sums into my pension plan I'm tempted to enjoy the money now.
- How secure is PayPal for sellers?Jan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmEbay sellers are finding out the hard way that PayPal offers them little protection when the buyer wants to collect an item in personMillions of people who sell items on eBay each year risk becoming the victims of fraud because they wrongly assume PayPal will protect them in payment disputes.In recent weeks Guardian Money has been contacted by several sellers of expensive items - mostly laptops - who have become victims of a fast-growing fraud.
- Fighting talk, as pay rises by 4% but vacanciJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmAt last salaries are on the up. But it's even tougher to get a jobAfter another week of gloomy employment forecasts, those preparing to graduate this summer and test the icy waters of the jobs market might be forgiven for wanting to dive back into bed and pull their duvets safely over their heads.
- A working life: the geneticistJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmJoe Rainger might still have been a chef, but for a degree change that took him out of the kitchen and plunged him into a world of DNA researchPeople born with abnormal eyes could - within our lifetime - benefit from replacements that match their own DNA, thanks to research by scientists like Joe Rainger.The 35-year-old geneticist is researching a mutation in human genes that causes microphthalmia (one or both eyes abnormally small), anophthalmia (absence of one or both eyes), and coloboma (a gap in the structure of the eye).
- How the biggest ever state pension changes wiJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmCharges to the new minimum state pension age will hit women disproportionately. So what can you do to soften the blow?The next five years will see the biggest changes ever made to women's pensions, with millions seeing their state retirement age delayed from 60 to 66 and beyond, and benefits being cut by the government and poorly performing stock markets.
- TalkTalk refuses to give me a new contractJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmTalkTalk claims I've been shopping around for another provider. I haven'tI am a happy TalkTalk customer.
- RAC error appears on credit card statementJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmMy daughter's RAC car insurance was automatically renewed despite not agreeing in writing or verbally to thisIn December 2010 I purchased RAC cover for my daughter's Mini - but at no point was I informed there would be automatic renewal. A few weeks into the policy we contacted RAC to cancel it as the insured car had been towed to a garage and was being repaired and then sold, and we therefore no longer needed cover.
- Interview: architects Richard Rogers, Graham Jan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmCelebrated architect Richard Rogers and his partners discuss ?140m penthouses, John?Prescott's ministerial 'flair' and Prince Charles's strange ideas about architectureRichard Rogers, at 78, is not about to slow down. "I am enjoying myself, so why would I retire?" says the architect of the Pompidou Centre and the Lloyd's of London building.
- Cornish party Mebyon Kernow sees the future iJan 27, 2012 | 12:30 amCoalition's struggles raise Cornish separatists' hopes of achieving devolutionWhen Loveday Jenkin was growing up, the Cornish flag was rarely seen. Now the white cross on a black background is ubiquitous, fluttering outside county hall in Truro and printed on everything from souvenir boxes of fudge to pasty packaging and car bumper stickers.
- Don't expect the Tories to regret this bloodyJan 26, 2012 | 1:00 pmWill they be embarrassed by the galloping poverty they're creating? No. Labour must defend the weak against these bulliesDefying six defeats in the Lords, the government will bounce the welfare reform bill straight back to the Commons on Wednesday, over-turning those amendments.
- Letters: The benefit fraud perpetrated on theJan 26, 2012 | 1:00 pmAll Liberal Democrats should follow Paddy Ashdown in voting against this iniquitous benefit cap that will deprive thousands more children of decent housing and schooling, and thereby render them virtually unemployable in the future (Peers reject ?26,000 cap that includes child benefit, 24 January).If these measures are intended to force their parents into work, where are the jobs, thanks to this government's self-defeating policy of austerity, and where are the affordable homes, thanks to the policy of selling off council houses?The savings involved are paltry compared with the cost of Trident, or Afghanistan, or oil sanctions against Iran; and they are in stark contrast with the failure to rein in executive pay, or to properly tax the Tory party paymasters in the City of London, and the billions lost to the Revenue through tax havens.
- Welfare reform: Lib Dems urge Nick Clegg to bJan 26, 2012 | 12:00 pmLetter from more than 50 former Lib Dem parliamentary candidates urges party leader to respect party policy on benefits Nick Clegg is coming under unprecedented private pressure from his own party to back a string of Lords amendments designed to protect children and those with disabilities from the impact of the government's welfare reforms.A letter from more than 50 former Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidates in the 2010 election has been sent to Clegg urging him to respect party policy and vote to allow disabled people to retain employment support allowance for at least two years without being means tested.
- Gang expert and police commander warn of 'toxJan 26, 2012 | 5:30 amCommander Steve Rodhouse told the inaugural meeting of the police and crime committee that in London there were around 250 gangs active, with 60 causing the greatest harmA gang expert warned on Thursday of the unprecedented "toxic potential" for increasing numbers of young people to join gangs in the UK as the economic downturn bites.Comments by Rob Owen, chief executive of the St Giles Trust, were echoed by a senior police officer in London, who warned there was no end in sight to the issue of serious youth violence within gangs.
- Comment is free readers on ... large familiesJan 26, 2012 | 3:30 amThe government's ?26,000 benefit cap will hit large families hardest. Here, readers tell us of their experiencesMaelonI grew up in exactly the kind of family the government reforms are targeting - I'm the eldest of nine, with parents who've never worked in my lifetime.
- Thanks, Lord Patten. Now the BBC should thinkJan 25, 2012 | 12:30 pmThe BBC has listened, as it said it would, and local radio faces far smaller cuts than originally planned. It's an opportunity.
- How Westminster residents are hoping to add bJan 25, 2012 | 7:30 amThe campaign in Queen's Park to create a new civil parish could give a real glimpse of the promised new politicsIn the eyes of London's Evening Standard it's a dramatic story of churchmen rising up against an overweening local authority: Westminster council has reversed controversial plans to charge for Sunday parking in the West End, but the coalition of church leaders who fought the scheme want to ensure it doesn't happen again. There is talk of reviving parish councils - an ecclesiastical "coup" in the Standard's telling.
- Trust me, we should be concerned about Essex Jan 25, 2012 | 4:30 amThe Essex study matters because trust towards people and institutions we don't know is vital to the functioning of societySo, we're more dishonest than we used to be, according to a new University of Essex study published on Wednesday. And trust in politicians has slumped still further since last summer's riots, according to a different analysis from a PR firm.
- This week's new comedyJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmBrett Goldstein: Grew Up In A Strip Club, Halifax & NorwichIf you're a sharp-thinking young stand-up looking to make a name for yourself on an increasingly crowded comedy circuit, it sometimes helps to have a really compelling story to tell. Brett Goldstein certainly has one of those, as you can tell from the title of this, his debut full-length show.
- Seven days on stage - in picturesJan 27, 2012 | 9:00 amThe Stage's Alistair Smith rounds up a week full of surprises as the performing arts are revealed to be not that gay-friendly after all, the Royal Ballet's youngest ever principal jumps ship and Vic and Bob prepare to go back on the roadAlistair Smith.
- Stewart Lee: being imitated isn't always flatJan 27, 2012 | 7:00 amComic hits out at the '19-year-olds' borrowing his stand-up techniques - and calls them 'selfish' for following in his footstepsYou'd think a stand-up who tells his audience not to expect jokes would be safe from people wanting to steal his stuff. But Stewart Lee has dropped his signature pause-heavy style of standup because he believes copycat comedians have turned it into a "cliche".
- Dear Daniel Kitson: lampoon critics - don't pJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 amComic Daniel Kitson invited a New York audience to lash out at anyone seen scribbling notes. I'd rather do my job in peaceA few days ago I perched on an aisle seat at St Ann's Warehouse, waiting for Daniel Kitson's latest solo piece, It's Always Right Now, Until It's Later.
- Portrait of the artist: Arthur Smith, comediaJan 24, 2012 | 2:00 pm'My worst heckle? In Edinburgh, a bloke poured a pint of urine over me'What got you started?When I was eight or nine, I wrote a new version of Peter Pan for the school play. They didn't use it - I imagine it was unperformable - but as recompense for not doing my script, I was offered any role, and instinctively went for Captain Hook.
- Tough act to follow: the rise of the comedianJan 23, 2012 | 8:00 amStandup legends Frank Skinner and Alexei Sayle are returning to their compering roots. But how do famously funny MCs avoid upstaging the acts they are introducing?The compere at a comedy gig is not usually the night's highlight, but this week that may be the exception to the rule - twice.
- This week's new comedyJan 20, 2012 | 3:30 pmSimon Evans, LondonMockney and estuary accents are the norm among stand-ups these days, but there's a small subset of performers on the circuit who get great comedy mileage out of talking posh, and having the attitude to match. We're talking about the likes of overgrown public schoolboy Will Smith (the one out of The Thick Of It, not the one from Men In Black); cricket enthusiast and star of BBC2's Rev Miles Jupp; and the often unfairly overlooked but sizzlingly entertaining Simon Evans.
- Andi Osho - reviewJan 20, 2012 | 7:00 amSoho, LondonIt's easy to like Andi Osho's new show All the Single Ladies; whether I should put a ring on it is another matter. Osho has certainly improved since her 2010 show Afroblighty, which majored in mild cultural observations and minored in jokes.
- Andrew Lawrence - reviewJan 18, 2012 | 11:00 amThe Junction, CambridgeHis last tour was called Too Ugly for Television. This one is called Best Kept Secret in Comedy.
- This week's new comedyJan 13, 2012 | 3:30 pmFestival Of The Spoken Nerd, LondonWith so many comedians desperately trying to appear cool these days, it's a bit of a tonic to find a night that wears its essential geekiness proudly on its sleeve. Festival Of The Spoken Nerd is a kind of offshoot from the science-comedy shows pioneered by Robin Ince, and sees three gifted up-and-comers taking the test-tubes-plus-gags mantle and running with it.
- This week's new eventsJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmLGBT History Month, NationwideCivil partnerships, the Equality Act and the end of Section 28; the last 15 years have seen a surge in visibility and acceptance for those of a non-hetero persuasion. This extensive event celebrates the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals who got us there, with everything from the small but high quality performance arts festival Outset (Taunton, Somerset), which includes Miss Hope Springs among the highlights, to a delve into The Military Role Of Eunuchs In The Later Roman Empire (Newport, Wales).
- This week's new theatre and danceJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmNora, CoventryIngmar Bergman's 1981 psychological drama, itself an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's 1879 masterpiece A Doll's House is revived here by director Patricia Benecke. Penny Layden is cast as the banker's wife who apparently has it all - a big house, three children and a husband who's just been promoted - but whose illusions about her husband and about the wider position of women in society are both shattered when a secret she's been keeping is revealed.
- Maya Jane Coles Q&AJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmThe rising star of British house music empties the contents of her psychic record bagThe track I'll be opening my next DJ set with Deetron: Croque It really builds to create the perfect mood in the room. You can take your set anywhere from there.
- Clubs picks of the weekJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmZombie Pirate School Disco, GlasgowThis is a bit like that old Alan Coren book Golfing For Cats, which had two of the bestselling book subjects in the title in a cynical attempt to shift a few more copies. Zombie Pirate School Disco combines three favourite fancy dress outfits - worn, invariably, on a weekend night out - to offer an all-encompassing experience for that particular type of person for whom no 70s night is complete without titting around the dancefloor in the kind of outfit that apparently has to include a comedy Afro wig.
- This week's new comedyJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmBrett Goldstein: Grew Up In A Strip Club, Halifax & NorwichIf you're a sharp-thinking young stand-up looking to make a name for yourself on an increasingly crowded comedy circuit, it sometimes helps to have a really compelling story to tell. Brett Goldstein certainly has one of those, as you can tell from the title of this, his debut full-length show.
- This week's new gamesJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmScarygirl, PS3, Xbox 360If Tim Burton were to make a side-scrolling, mock-3D platform game about an abandoned girl rescued by a super-intelligent Octopus named Blister, this is what it would be like. Registering high on the quirky scale it has both an art style and slightly dark humour that wouldn't seem out of place in A Nightmare Before Christmas.
- This week's new exhibitionsJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmSantiago Sierra, LondonIt's often said that Santiago Sierra's art is shocking, not because he's had junkies tattooed in exchange for a hit, or paid people living on the breadline to hide inside sculptures around which his collectors sip drinks. Rather, what makes this Spanish artist's stuff provocative is that his audience, instead of being scandalised, digest it all so easily.
- The Hard Sell: Radio 1Jan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pm'Fern Britton would have been a more credible option. As would Dot Cotton.
- Catch-up TV Guide: From Countdown to Red RoadJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmTV: CountdownA reminder for anyone who sits in the centre of a Venn diagram with the sets "Only watches The Apprentice for Nick Hewer's raised eyebrows" and "Not home in the afternoon": don't forget, he's now hosting Countdown, and the daily eps are up on 4OD. He's far too much of a gent to pull his sceptical face all the time - "A vowel? Again?" - but he's a good fit.
- It's a good week for ... Doctors and nursesJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmEverybody knows that doctors and nurses are just about the sexiest people on the planet. Not only do they spend all day taking care of the sick and saving lives and running down corridors in slow motion, but they do it in sexy little uniforms, too.
- This week's new live musicJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmThe Black Keys, NottinghamThe bluesman had it very tough; the rock star easy. The Black Keys - Dan Auerbach (beard) and Patrick Carney (glasses) - might be said to have seen both sides.
- Kenny Wheeler: The Long Waiting - reviewJan 26, 2012 | 2:30 pm(CamJazz)Kenny Wheeler, the expat Canadian trumpeter and jazz composer, was 82 last week - but this big band session featuring new themes and plenty of flugelhorn improvising, was recorded only a few months ago. Wheeler still practises four hours a day and writes for another four.
- Chick Corea/Eddie Gomez/Paul Motian: Further Jan 26, 2012 | 1:00 pm(Concord Jazz)There was a time in the 1970s and early?80s when the jazz-averse, if they wanted to show why jazz couldn't touch the punch of pop or rock, would?rest their case on the fragile murmurings of the acoustic piano trio.?The hiss of a drummer's brushes, the murmur of apparently endless double-bass solos, seemed to sum up?a?supper-club music that mainly entertained its practitioners.
- Giorgio Gaslini: Incanti | CD reviewJan 26, 2012 | 1:00 pm(Camjazz)Born in Milan in 1929, Giorgio Gaslini has been one of the major figures of European jazz for six decades, although remaining virtually unknown in Britain. He made his first recordings as a bebop pianist in 1948, composed the score for Antonioni's La Notte in 1960, recorded with Steve Lacy, Don Cherry and Gato Barbieri, and has written symphonies, choral works (A Conversation with Malcolm X), operas and ballets.
- Julian Joseph: Live at the Vortex in London -Jan 25, 2012 | 7:30 am(ASC)Julian Joseph is a world-class jazz pianist with large-scale compositional skills and a passport to the contemporary-classical world. So it's surprising that he hasn't recorded in more than 15 years.
- Andre Canniere Group: Forward Space - reviewJan 25, 2012 | 7:00 am(Whirlwind)Andre Canniere is a versatile young New York trumpeter, jazz/classical crossover composer and film-score writer who moved to London in 2008. This is his first UK recording, with local musicians.
- Houston Person: So Nice - reviewJan 21, 2012 | 3:30 pm(High Note)Here's something to delight the ears of anyone who treasures the classic Blue Note albums of the 60s, although it was recorded only last summer. Houston Person's tenor saxophone has all the hallmarks - poise, simple elegance and that mixture of gravitas and slight swagger that comes from having nothing left to prove.
- This week's new live musicJan 20, 2012 | 3:30 pmThe Maccabees, On tourOnce an appealingly eccentric indie band, the Maccabees have since signed a major deal and streamlined their sound. No one would begrudge them that, especially since theirs so far has been a slightly difficult journey.
- Etta James: 10 classic performancesJan 20, 2012 | 10:00 amRichard Williams remembers the great blues and soul singer at her absolute finestEtta James was born in Los Angeles and spent some of the key years of her professional life in San Francisco and Chicago, but there have been few more convincing interpreters of soul music associated with the southern states. Many of her classics were indeed cut in Muscle Shoals and Memphis, but it didn't really matter where she was standing at the time.
- Etta James, blues icon, dies aged 73Jan 20, 2012 | 9:30 amLegendary singer Etta James, whose hits include At Last and Tell Mama, has died aged 73 after suffering from leukaemiaLegendary blues and soul singer Etta James has died aged 73.James, who will be remembered for timeless songs such as At Last, All I Could Do Was Cry and Tell Mama, was being treated in a California hospital at the time of her death.
- Interview: architects Richard Rogers, Graham Jan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmCelebrated architect Richard Rogers and his partners discuss ?140m penthouses, John?Prescott's ministerial 'flair' and Prince Charles's strange ideas about architectureRichard Rogers, at 78, is not about to slow down. "I am enjoying myself, so why would I retire?" says the architect of the Pompidou Centre and the Lloyd's of London building.
- Constructive criticism: the week in architectJan 27, 2012 | 6:30 amPostmodernism looks dead and soon-to-be demolished in the shape of Marco Polo House, but lives on in the Hotel Le Berger; and a children's story conjures up the real magic of architecture"Modern Architecture died in St Louis, Missouri on July 15, 1972 at 3.32pm (or thereabouts) when the infamous Pruitt Igoe scheme, or rather several of its slab blocks, were given the final coup de grace by dynamite.
- Alain de Botton reveals plans for 'temple to Jan 27, 2012 | 1:01 amWriter wants to build tower to celebrate life on earth as an antidote to Richard Dawkins' 'destructive' approach to atheismPlans to build a ?1m "temple for atheists" among the international banks and medieval church spires of the City of London have sparked a clash between two of Britain's most prominent non-believers.The philosopher and writer Alain de Botton is proposing to build a 46-metre (151ft) tower to celebrate a "new atheism" as an antidote to what he describes as Professor Richard Dawkins's "aggressive" and "destructive" approach to non-belief.
- Adrian Cave obituaryJan 26, 2012 | 4:30 amThe architectural career of my friend Adrian Cave, who has died of cancer aged 76, exemplifies the way disability issues have moved to the foreground of our culture. At an age when others consider retiring, Adrian embraced the concept of inclusive design and pioneered the transformation of?disabled access to public buildings, so that it became integral to the creative vision rather than an add-on.
- Alain de Botton's 'temples for atheists' haveJan 26, 2012 | 2:31 amAren't believers just as likely to appreciate a shrine to perspective? And doesn't the Large Hadron Collider qualify as a rationalist temple? De Botton's doctrine feels a trifle holyPerhaps emboldened by the success of the atheist bus, or his own Living Architecture initiative (in which top architects design desirable holiday homes), or the fact that he's got a new book to promote, Alain de Botton is now proposing a series of temples for atheists to be built around the UK."Why should religious people have the most beautiful buildings in the land?" he asks.
- The height of suspense: Hollywood's love affaJan 25, 2012 | 11:00 amNine of the world's 10 tallest buildings are now in Asia - and Hollywood wants to jump off all of them.Aerial shots over Manhattan's forest of skyscrapers.
- Tall orders: the best film skyscrapers - in pJan 25, 2012 | 11:00 amHollywood is drawn to multi-storey architecture like .
- Plans for ?80m new Design Museum unveiledJan 24, 2012 | 10:00 amLondon museum's 2014 move to Commonwealth Institute aims to make it 'the world's leading museum of contemporary design and architecture'Plans for a new Design Museum were unveiled at a press conference today in the Odeon Kensington across the road from the long-abandoned Commonwealth Institute. Jonathan Ive, the much-feted British-born designer of the iPod, iPad, iPhone and other Apple gizmos appeared, larger than life, on the screen.
- Country diary: Portland: Messages in limestonJan 23, 2012 | 12:30 pmPortland: Behind us, in Portland stone, was the great pile of St George's church, looking like a fanciful creation by Hawksmoor intended for London but transported hereWe were chilled by gusts blowing off a rough sea across a bleak graveyard close to the windswept edge of Portland - the great limestone promontory, almost an island, only tenuously linked to the mainland below Weymouth by the narrow pebble strand of Chesil Bank. Between us and the shingle beach below was a quarry extracting the famous stone, good for carving yet durable, that Wren used for St Paul's Cathedral and that has adorned fine buildings before and since.
- Leaning tower of Big Ben worries MPsJan 23, 2012 | 2:30 amHouse of Commons commission meets to discuss what can be done to shore up crumbling Palace of WestminsterOnce again, the splits and misalignments are beginning to show in the mother of all parliaments.This time, though, it is not a bickering coalition or a cabinet riven with discord that is causing concern but rather the state of the Palace of Westminster itself.
- This week's new gamesJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmScarygirl, PS3, Xbox 360If Tim Burton were to make a side-scrolling, mock-3D platform game about an abandoned girl rescued by a super-intelligent Octopus named Blister, this is what it would be like. Registering high on the quirky scale it has both an art style and slightly dark humour that wouldn't seem out of place in A Nightmare Before Christmas.
- How secure is PayPal for sellers?Jan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmEbay sellers are finding out the hard way that PayPal offers them little protection when the buyer wants to collect an item in personMillions of people who sell items on eBay each year risk becoming the victims of fraud because they wrongly assume PayPal will protect them in payment disputes.In recent weeks Guardian Money has been contacted by several sellers of expensive items - mostly laptops - who have become victims of a fast-growing fraud.
- Tim Dowling: life is tweetJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pm'I realise anything I say about the point of Twitter will eventually be proved idiotic'On Sunday I come downstairs to find the middle one typing furiously on a laptop while a football match roars from the television. The middle one's friend is leaning over his shoulder, staring at the screen.
- On the road: Peugeot 3008 Allure HDi150Jan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmOur reviewer is beginning to see the point of crossovers, even though this one isn't perhaps the stuff of his dreamsThe first thing you notice when you turn the key in the ignition of the Peugeot 3008 Allure is a little see-through Perspex screen that rises on top of the dashboard, in front of the steering wheel. Whoa! What the hell is that? "0mph" it says, in orange, until I?start off down the road, when the numbers increase.
- LA Fitness dealt a knockout blow over unfair Jan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmLA Fitness flew into a Twitter storm after Guardian's consumer champions took up the case. Now all gyms are under pressure to improve their contractsIt was one of the most distressing cases of a reader in trouble that Guardian Money has ever had to deal with.
- Twitter boycott? No, let's trust it | MohamedJan 27, 2012 | 2:00 pmCensorship fears are misplaced, tweets from the Middle East will still buzz around the worldWhen Twitter announced it was giving itself the ability to censor particular tweets or users in certain countries, the immediate reaction among users of the network in the Middle East - as elsewhere - was: #sh*t.Without overplaying its importance, Twitter has proved to be an invaluable tool for activists, enabling them to find up-to-date, accurate information and news, to publicise and to communicate among themselves, particularly in times of crisis.
- Philanthropy is the enemy of justice | RobertJan 27, 2012 | 1:30 pmThe world's poor are not begging for charity from the rich - they're asking for justice and fairnessIt's strange that at this week's World Economic Forum the designated voice of the world's poor has been Bill Gates, who has pledged ?478m to the Global Fund to fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria, telling Davos that the world economic crisis was no excuse for cutting aid.It reminds me of that dark hour when Al Gore, despite being a shareholder in Occidental Petroleum, was the voice of climate change action - because Gates does not speak with the voice of the world's poor, of course, but with the voice of its rich.
- Twitter users threaten boycottJan 27, 2012 | 12:30 pmTweets don't always flow freely - voice of Arab spring accused of imposing gagging system in some countries"The Tweets must flow", Twitter declared a year ago, and quickly became an instrument of fast-moving revolution across the Arab world, coordinating mass protests in Egypt and sidestepping the state censorship in Syria. But, the microblogging site conceded that the tweets would not flow evenly in every country.
- Facebook to file for IPO next week, reports sJan 27, 2012 | 12:30 pmThe social network is looking at a deal, underwritten by Morgan Stanley, that could put its value between $75bn and $100bnStatus update: Facebook will file for an IPO next week, perhaps as early as Wednesday, in a deal that could value the company between $75bn and $100bn, reports the Wall Street Journal.But Facebook company spokesman Jonathan Thaw told the Guardian that the social network is "not going to participate in IPO-related speculation".
- Facebook set to file for flotationJan 27, 2012 | 12:00 pmSocial networking site expected to offer a 10% stake, raising up to $10bn and valuing the company at $100bnFacebook could fire the starting gun on the biggest-ever technology company flotation by filing papers for an initial public offering as early as next week.Morgan Stanley is close to being picked as the lead underwriter for the social networking firm's stock market listing, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
- Maya Jane Coles Q&AJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmThe rising star of British house music empties the contents of her psychic record bagThe track I'll be opening my next DJ set with Deetron: Croque It really builds to create the perfect mood in the room. You can take your set anywhere from there.
- Clubs picks of the weekJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmZombie Pirate School Disco, GlasgowThis is a bit like that old Alan Coren book Golfing For Cats, which had two of the bestselling book subjects in the title in a cynical attempt to shift a few more copies. Zombie Pirate School Disco combines three favourite fancy dress outfits - worn, invariably, on a weekend night out - to offer an all-encompassing experience for that particular type of person for whom no 70s night is complete without titting around the dancefloor in the kind of outfit that apparently has to include a comedy Afro wig.
- This week's new singlesJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmMetallica Hate Train (Mercury) Who rides the Hate Train? Where does it stop? And have the fares gone up 7% since the new year? Intriguing questions to which the answers are: James Hetfield; "the sorrow"; and, well, to be honest, haven't a clue as have been too busy bashing head against a wall in time to a monstrous riff thank you very much. This track, part of an EP of offcuts from the band's Death Magnetic LP, may never make up for the booboo that was Lulu, but it goes about its business 29.
- Live music booking nowJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmPhiladelphia's Kurt Vile returns with his Violators for a few dates (19 Feb, Whelan's, Dublin; 20 Feb, The Haunt, Brighton), including one NME Awards Show (21 Feb, KOKO, NW1) where he'll be joined by Real Estate, also on tour (17-21 Feb, starts at The Deaf Institute, Manchester) .
- This week's new live musicJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmThe Black Keys, NottinghamThe bluesman had it very tough; the rock star easy. The Black Keys - Dan Auerbach (beard) and Patrick Carney (glasses) - might be said to have seen both sides.
- John Talbot, We Are Standard and Polock rescuJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmCould Spain's reputation for summer holiday novelty songs be getting a much-needed credibility shot?Back in the bad old days Spain's musical exports amounted to pure muscle memory from the nightclubs of the Costa del Sol and their ilk, as holidaymakers rushed home to propel the likes of Baccara or Los Del Rio to the top of the charts. Even as DJs from across the globe thrived in Ibiza from the late-80s, the Spanish music scene appeared to be stuck in a rut - introverted and disjointed - but over the last decade the country has started to punch its weight and now, as 2012 gets to its feet, it's clear that some of the most exciting records are coming out of Spain.
- Family lifeJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmReaders' favourite photographs, songs and recipesSnapshot: Dad on a rare holiday in the 1930sWhat a great time these young men are having. A group of lads sharing a rare holiday in the 30s, determined to have a ball.
- Infomania: Nicki MinajJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmFact-checking the famous
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- Johnny Jewel's synths were dropped from DriveJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmItalians Do It Better man was everyone's first choice to soundtrack the Ryan Gosling vehicle, but then things took a wrong turnOne day in September 2010, Johnny Jewel arrived in Los Angeles, chiefly to play a show with his bands Chromatics and Glass Candy, but also to make an appointment. Attending that evening's concert were the Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn and the actor Ryan Gosling.
- Reckless With Your Love? Let Azari & III sounJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pm'Club culture needs more transvestites!' say Madonna's favourite house party startersAsk Azari & III something simple about, say, how they got together and within 30 seconds they're waxing lyrical about the King James bible. Or Jamaican parenting techniques.
- Sex, lies and natural disastersJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmIn 2007, floods wreaked havoc in Gloucester. Without lights or TV, people made their own fun .
- Plantwatch: A premature spring means early blJan 27, 2012 | 2:00 pmJanuary is not usually the most exciting time in the plant year, but this month has been astonishing. Flowers are bursting out ridiculously early in balmy temperatures, with daffodils and primroses making a surprising appearance far ahead of schedule, and catkins bursting out on hazel and some other trees.
- Country diary: Sandy, Bedfordshire: A robin'sJan 27, 2012 | 12:30 pmSandy, Bedfordshire: I rose and went out into the night for more of the pre-dawn chorus. There were robins front, back and sides.
- BP loses attempt to share Deepwater Horizon oJan 27, 2012 | 10:30 amUS court rejects BP's attempt to make rig operator Transocean pay part of compensation bill for Gulf oil disasterAn attempt by BP to offload a major part of its Gulf of Mexico oil-spill compensation bill on to the US rig operator Transocean has been thrown out by a US court.The setback comes in the run-up to the main legal case against BP and its partners on 27 February in New Orleans, which will rule over who is to blame for the Deepwater Horizon accident, in which 11 workers died.
- A curious chimp, a parading frog and a pardonJan 27, 2012 | 9:30 am.
- Rare minerals dearth threatens global renewabJan 27, 2012 | 8:30 amChina's near-exclusive access to terbium and yttrium sent prices soaring in 2011, potentially hobbling clean energy industryShortages of a handful of rare minerals could slow the future growth of the burgeoning renewable energy industries, and affect countries' chances of limiting greenhouse gas emissions, business leaders were told at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week.Last year, prices of many scarce minerals exploded, rising as much as 10 times over 2010 levels before dropping back, said PricewaterhouseCoopers.
- Eco-friendly image risks 'retoxification'Jan 27, 2012 | 7:30 amPrime minister's lack of leadership on green issues among concerns raised by head of charity that helped rebrand partyThe head of the charity that helped arrange David Cameron's memorable husky photoshoot in the Arctic, launching the Conservatives' rebranding as the nice-not-nasty party, has warned that the PM's lack of leadership on environment issues risks "retoxifying" their image.The striking images of Cameron posing on the ice with huskies on the way to visiting a melting glacier in 2006 marked a turning point for the Tories' image, which had been seen by many voters as uncaring.
- Indonesian protests force government to revokJan 27, 2012 | 7:30 amJoint Indonesian-Australian mining venture halted after string of violent protests at which two were killedIndonesia has revoked permits for a joint Indonesian-Australian mining venture on Sumbawa island after a string of violent protests in which two people died and a government office was set alight.The country's leading environmental group, however, said it doubted the government's pledge was an "honest commitment".
- Public Eye award singles out Brazilian miningJan 27, 2012 | 7:30 amAward given at the same time as the World Economic Forum strives to embarrass companies for 'corporate irresponsibility'Brazilian mining giant Vale picked up the dubious distinction today of being the corporation with the most "contempt for the environment and human rights" in the world.After clocking over 25,000 votes online, the world's second largest mining firm was declared the winner of The Public Eye, an annual awards ceremony organised by Swiss nonprofit, the Berne Declaration and Greenpeace Switzerland.
- Leaked data: Palm biodiesel as dirty as fuel Jan 27, 2012 | 7:00 amThere are good biofuels and bad biofuels and the worst are as filthy as the foulest fossil fuels. But the good biofuels are essential to tackling climate changeThere are good biofuels and bad biofuels: the trick is telling one from the other.
- Interview: architects Richard Rogers, Graham Jan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmCelebrated architect Richard Rogers and his partners discuss ?140m penthouses, John?Prescott's ministerial 'flair' and Prince Charles's strange ideas about architectureRichard Rogers, at 78, is not about to slow down. "I am enjoying myself, so why would I retire?" says the architect of the Pompidou Centre and the Lloyd's of London building.
- This week's new exhibitionsJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmSantiago Sierra, LondonIt's often said that Santiago Sierra's art is shocking, not because he's had junkies tattooed in exchange for a hit, or paid people living on the breadline to hide inside sculptures around which his collectors sip drinks. Rather, what makes this Spanish artist's stuff provocative is that his audience, instead of being scandalised, digest it all so easily.
- Skye Sherwin: A Good LookJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmThe Guide's art critic, Skye Sherwin, casts her eye over a month of pop culture imagesIKEA catalogueCarl Kleiner's new book of Ikea photography does for kitchenware what Renaissance painter Giuseppe Arcimboldo did for vegetables in his weird portraits of men with bulging onion cheeks and tufty carrot beards.Shame movie posterThis dishevelled sheet - colour-coded like everything else in artist Steve McQueen's sex addict film Shame, to the antihero's eyes - gives away as much as it hides.
- Family lifeJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmReaders' favourite photographs, songs and recipesSnapshot: Dad on a rare holiday in the 1930sWhat a great time these young men are having. A group of lads sharing a rare holiday in the 30s, determined to have a ball.
- Exhibitionist: The week's art shows in picturJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmFrom Matthew Darbyshire in Glasgow to David Shrigley in London, here's what's happening in art around the countrySkye SherwinRobert Clark
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- David Shrigley: one of the cleverest, funniesJan 27, 2012 | 1:30 pmCartoon or work of art? From his stuffed animals to slogan teatowels, Shrigley's work is simple but profoundIt's the image everyone knows best - so well known that we're not even going to use it as an illustration here: a Jack Russell, stuffed, standing up, holding in its paws a sign saying "I'm dead". There is also a version in which the stuffed animal is a cat.
- Letters: The trouble with tobacco hatersJan 27, 2012 | 12:30 pmWhy doesn't Mr Chapman debate with a good and satisfied customer of the tobacco companies (Plain packs will make smoking history, 25 January)? Someone who has seen what will replace it as a smoothing, calming contemplative helper. Someone whose friends died of alcohol consumption, not tobacco.
- Turner exhibition opens in MargateJan 27, 2012 | 8:30 amWorks by JMW Turner, including 12 oil paintings and 72 watercolours, go on show at Turner Contemporary galleryAfter 161 years, JMW Turner is back in town for the first major exhibition of his work in Margate, the seaside retreat he repeatedly visited for what he claimed were "the loveliest skies in all Europe".The exhibition, which includes 12 oil paintings and 72 dazzling watercolours, is free.
- Guardian Camera Club: Anja Klemensek's portfoJan 27, 2012 | 8:30 amA review of Anja Klemensek's portfolio
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- Guardian Camera Club: Leon Foggitt's portfoliJan 27, 2012 | 8:30 amA review of Leon Foggitt's portfolio
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- This week's new theatre and danceJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmNora, CoventryIngmar Bergman's 1981 psychological drama, itself an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's 1879 masterpiece A Doll's House is revived here by director Patricia Benecke. Penny Layden is cast as the banker's wife who apparently has it all - a big house, three children and a husband who's just been promoted - but whose illusions about her husband and about the wider position of women in society are both shattered when a secret she's been keeping is revealed.
- 'Dad was too much to compete with'Jan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmTy Jeffries, son of actor Lionel Jeffries, tells Maureen Paton how he never revealed his sexuality to his father while he was alive. So what would Lionel have thought of his new drag act?The look is Dusty Springfield with a towering blond beehive and seven pairs of false eyelashes stuck to the upper lids.
- Q&A: Ashley WaltersJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pm'My earliest memory? Eating under my grandmother's dining table. I wouldn't eat at the table ever until I was about 10'Ashley Walters, 29, was born in London, where he went to the Sylvia Young Theatre School.
- The House of Bernarda Alba - reviewJan 27, 2012 | 10:00 amAlmeida, LondonIn Emily Mann's new version, the action of Lorca's tremendous 1936 play has been shifted from Andalusia to rural Iran. This intensifies the atmosphere of oppression and yields one remarkable image, when the house of the play's title fills with over 20 burqa-clad mourning women.
- Alfie - reviewJan 27, 2012 | 10:00 amOctagon, BoltonWhat's it all about, Alfie? As two and a half hours turn to almost three, you start to wonder. David Thacker's revival of Bill Naughton's meandering and episodic account of that 1960s Casanova, Alfie Elkins, is just the latest in line - Michael Caine made his name in the 1966 movie version, and Jude Law has also tried his luck on celluloid with the role.
- Couple facing deportation to Cameroon releaseJan 27, 2012 | 9:30 amLeading writers wrote to home secretary to condemn decision to deport Lydia Besong, a playwright, and her husbandA couple facing imminent deportation to Cameroon have been unexpectedly released from detention this week after a campaign by leading writers to halt their removal from the UK.A week ago, leading writers and barristers wrote to the home secretary, Theresa May, to condemn the UK Border Agency's decision to deport Lydia Besong, a playwright, and her husband, Bernard Batey.
- What to see: Lyn Gardner's theatre tipsJan 27, 2012 | 9:00 amWith a touring binge-drinking drama and a play about the Champions League final, theatre lets loose as February beginsScotlandThe big news in Scotland is the Manipulate festival, a feast of visual theatre and animation, at Edinburgh's Traverse theatre. Highlights include Akhe Engineering Theatre's very strange but undoubtedly mesmerizing Gobo.
- Seven days on stage - in picturesJan 27, 2012 | 9:00 amThe Stage's Alistair Smith rounds up a week full of surprises as the performing arts are revealed to be not that gay-friendly after all, the Royal Ballet's youngest ever principal jumps ship and Vic and Bob prepare to go back on the roadAlistair Smith.
- Dear Daniel Kitson: lampoon critics - don't pJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 amComic Daniel Kitson invited a New York audience to lash out at anyone seen scribbling notes. I'd rather do my job in peaceA few days ago I perched on an aisle seat at St Ann's Warehouse, waiting for Daniel Kitson's latest solo piece, It's Always Right Now, Until It's Later.
- London lives: Daniela Essart, artist on the uJan 26, 2012 | 9:30 pmIn the fourth of our series celebrating aspects of London life as told by some of the city's extraordinary characters, we meet Daniela Essart, the artistic director and performer of Scarabeus theatre company, which creates aerial and abseiling 'dances' using the capital's buildings and parks as a backdropMartin GodwinJim PowellVivienne Parry.
- This week's new exhibitionsJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmSantiago Sierra, LondonIt's often said that Santiago Sierra's art is shocking, not because he's had junkies tattooed in exchange for a hit, or paid people living on the breadline to hide inside sculptures around which his collectors sip drinks. Rather, what makes this Spanish artist's stuff provocative is that his audience, instead of being scandalised, digest it all so easily.
- Exhibitionist: The week's art shows in picturJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmFrom Matthew Darbyshire in Glasgow to David Shrigley in London, here's what's happening in art around the countrySkye SherwinRobert Clark.
- David Shrigley: one of the cleverest, funniesJan 27, 2012 | 1:30 pmCartoon or work of art? From his stuffed animals to slogan teatowels, Shrigley's work is simple but profoundIt's the image everyone knows best - so well known that we're not even going to use it as an illustration here: a Jack Russell, stuffed, standing up, holding in its paws a sign saying "I'm dead". There is also a version in which the stuffed animal is a cat.
- National Gallery assistants escalate their diJan 27, 2012 | 7:30 amPolicy of 'doubling up' leads to second strike and further discontent from staff who say security is at riskIn room 34 of the National Gallery, under the forbidding eye of Reynolds's Lord Heathfield, visitors are informed that among the mists and swirls of a Turner lurks the tiniest wisp of a hare.For them, it is a point of intrigue; for the assistant on duty, says Neville Maguire, it is a potential hazard.
- Ori Gersht, David Shrigley and JMW Turner - tJan 27, 2012 | 6:30 amGersht's powerful new show uses film and photography to bear witness to the second world war, while a great British wit hits the Hayward - all in your weekly missive from the art frontlineExhibition of the week: Ori Gersht - This Storm Is What We Call Progress The face of 85-year-old Yehudit Arnon glows in darkness, marked by time and suffering but also by achievement and triumph. As a child she was ordered to dance for guards at Auschwitz.
- David Shrigley opens his brain - videoJan 27, 2012 | 5:00 amThe most deadpan man in art was nearly not an artist at all. On the eve of his Hayward Gallery show, Brain Activity, here's the man himself talking about art, 'one of the most fun things that one can do that's fun'.
- David Shrigley live webchat: post your questiJan 27, 2012 | 5:00 amThe ribald artist will be at the Guardian office between 1pm and 2pm GMT on Monday 30 January answering your questions. What would you like to ask him? Post your questions nowFrom 1-2pm on Monday, one of the art world's arch satirists, David Shrigley, will be in the hotseat to answer your questions.
- Ruth Burden obituaryJan 26, 2012 | 10:00 amFrom a large studio in central Worcester, my friend Ruth Burden, who has died aged 86, recorded her artistic vision of the world. Ruth developed her painting style through an in-depth knowledge of her subject.
- The India art fair - in picturesJan 26, 2012 | 5:30 amThe annual event in New Delhi, consists of work by more than 1,000 artists from India and around the world. It runs from 26-29 January.
- Artist of the week 174: Brian GriffithsJan 26, 2012 | 4:30 amSculptor who uses found objects and invokes the power of the imagination to tranform the most mundane of materialsRemember those rainy afternoons when you were stuck indoors as a kid, doing crafts with empty cereal boxes? What about the funfair: rolling into the local park with the promise of magic and thrills - as long as you looked past the chipped paint and patched-up tents? There's a similar imaginative resilience to Brian Griffiths's sculptures. They ask us to confront boredom and general grimness and, in spite of it all, make the leap that turns a cardboard box into a spaceship: to grit our teeth, crack a smile and enjoy the ride.
- This week's new exhibitionsJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmSantiago Sierra, LondonIt's often said that Santiago Sierra's art is shocking, not because he's had junkies tattooed in exchange for a hit, or paid people living on the breadline to hide inside sculptures around which his collectors sip drinks. Rather, what makes this Spanish artist's stuff provocative is that his audience, instead of being scandalised, digest it all so easily.
- Family lifeJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmReaders' favourite photographs, songs and recipesSnapshot: Dad on a rare holiday in the 1930sWhat a great time these young men are having. A group of lads sharing a rare holiday in the 30s, determined to have a ball.
- Exhibitionist: The week's art shows in picturJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmFrom Matthew Darbyshire in Glasgow to David Shrigley in London, here's what's happening in art around the countrySkye SherwinRobert Clark.
- Guardian Camera Club: Anja Klemensek's portfoJan 27, 2012 | 7:30 amA review of Anja Klemensek's portfolio.
- Guardian Camera Club: Leon Foggitt's portfoliJan 27, 2012 | 7:30 amA review of Leon Foggitt's portfolio.
- Guardian Camera Club: Pat Gregory on capturinJan 27, 2012 | 7:30 amPat Gregory participates in the capturing achievement on film assignment.
- Guardian Camera Club: Phil Portus on capturinJan 27, 2012 | 7:30 amPhil Portus participates in the capturing achievement on film assignment.
- Guardian Camera Club: Chris Ditchburn on captJan 27, 2012 | 7:30 amChris Ditchburn participates in capturing achievement on film assignment.
- Guardian Camera Club: Geraltyna on capturing Jan 27, 2012 | 7:30 amGeraltyna participates in the capturing achievement on film assignment.
- The big picture: Eleanor and Barbara, by HarrJan 27, 2012 | 6:30 amThough taken from a distance, these images of Callahan's wife and daughter nevertheless reveal a great intimacyHannah Booth.
- Family lifeJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmReaders' favourite photographs, songs and recipesSnapshot: Dad on a rare holiday in the 1930sWhat a great time these young men are having. A group of lads sharing a rare holiday in the 30s, determined to have a ball.
- Restaurant review: Za Za Bazaar, Bristol | JoJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmIt's billed as the UK's biggest restaurant, serving as many as 1,000 covers at a time, but is that really such a good thing?Some claims aren't easy to fact-check, so I can't be entirely sure that Za Za Bazaar, which opened in?Bristol just before Christmas, is the largest restaurant in the UK. I think the boast, or admission, just about stands up: the main restaurant has a?stonking 700 covers, and the bar downstairs, where you can get the same food, does another 300.
- Cumin recipes | Hugh Fearnley-WhittingstallJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmThe little striped torpedo of flavour that is the cumin seed is one of the most versatile of all spicesCumin is a spice I would hate to be without, especially at this time of year, when its fennel-crossed-with-citrus-zest-with-a-hint-of-burnt-toast savour stimulates and?comforts in equal measure. Its?warm, orangey, woody notes can?be a little addictive, however: the more you cook with it, the more you hanker for its defining touch.
- Wine: It's time to crack open the old stuffJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmThat bottle you've been saving for a special occasion may well be better off being drunk nowUnless you're one of those people who drink every bottle of wine they?buy within 24 hours, the chances are?that you've got a few older bottles knocking around somewhere at home that need to be drunk up. And this cash-strapped time of year isn't a bad time to work through them.
- Recipes for roasted rhubarb with sweet labnehJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmA celebration of rhubarb, plus a neat way to temper the spice in north African fish dishesRoasted rhubarb with sweet labneh (V)Perfect for a late brunch. It's best to drain the yoghurt overnight, to give it time to reach the desired rich and creamy texture (four to six hours will just about do, though the labneh may not be as thick).
- Marmalade recipes | Dan LepardJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmThere's a whole lot more to marmalade than meets the eyeMarmalade season is here again, and I'll be up at the World's Original Marmalade Awards in Cumbria, looking at the 1,000-odd jars that will wing their way from around the world to Dalemain Mansion for judging. The variation you see from marmalades all made basically from the same recipe is huge, and reflects how slight changes in the fruit used, cooking times and temperatures create vastly different results.
- Store Wars: Independent grocersJan 27, 2012 | 2:31 amWe've opened Store Wars up to readers who have visited local grocery shops to deliver their verdicts.
- Calling time on the pint glassJan 27, 2012 | 1:30 amThe pint glass is an outdated relic and beer drinkers have been subjected to it for too long. It's time to put it out to pasture, says Ben McFarlandFancy a pint? No, not really.
- Improved taste leads to surge in sales of lowJan 27, 2012 | 12:30 amDemand for low- and non-alcohol beers also attributed to health-consciousness, drink-driving awareness and lower taxIt has traditionally been derided for its terrible taste and spurned by serious drinkers for its lack of a crucial ingredient. But sales of no-alcohol and low-alcohol beers at UK off-licences and supermarkets have soared to a record high, new figures show, sparked by demand from health-conscious Britons and a wider choice of new ranges with improved taste.
- Lorraine Pascale's comfort food recipesJan 26, 2012 | 4:00 pmA warm, colourful antidote to bring back memories of springtime, Lorraine's recipes bring an unexpectedly fresh and entertaining interpretation of heartwarming fareButternut squash with quinoa, feta, basil and mintI discovered butternut squash several years ago. In fact, it was when making a squash soup with chilli and ginger, one day, that I decided I wanted to be a?chef - it just blew me away.
- Family lifeJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmReaders' favourite photographs, songs and recipesSnapshot: Dad on a rare holiday in the 1930sWhat a great time these young men are having. A group of lads sharing a rare holiday in the 30s, determined to have a ball.
- A letter to ... Roy, the love of my lifeJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmThe letter you always wanted to writeDearest Roy, the massive stroke you died from, aged 84, ended 42 years of unalloyed happiness together. I was five years your junior.
- Problem solvedJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmMy sister says I should cut off my daughter because she's a porn star. I disapprove of her job but don't know what to doMy elder daughter - a beautiful, intelligent, loving 24-year-old woman - is a porn star and I don't know how to deal with it.
- TalkTalk refuses to give me a new contractJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmTalkTalk claims I've been shopping around for another provider. I haven'tI am a happy TalkTalk customer.
- RAC error appears on credit card statementJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmMy daughter's RAC car insurance was automatically renewed despite not agreeing in writing or verbally to thisIn December 2010 I purchased RAC cover for my daughter's Mini - but at no point was I informed there would be automatic renewal. A few weeks into the policy we contacted RAC to cancel it as the insured car had been towed to a garage and was being repaired and then sold, and we therefore no longer needed cover.
- Malfunctioning rail ticket machine cost me ?1Jan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmEast Coast Trains fined me despite prepaying for a ticket from King's Cross to DundeeIn early December I bought a ticket to travel from King's Cross to Dundee on East Coast Trains and opted to collect my tickets from the ticket machines at the station. However, upon arrival at the station the machine was malfunctioning and so I could not retrieve my pre-paid ticket.
- Lloyds TSB wrecked by credit ratingJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmDespite settling my credit card account in full, Lloyds TSB debt collection department contacted me saying I owed ?50As someone who has always paid my bills on time and had a good credit rating I was very confused when I was recently turned down for two credit card applications. I got my rating from Experian which came up as excellent - but also revealed about 40 searches against my address in the recent past, and I can only assume this is why I was turned down for a credit card.
- Your view | Guardian Weekend readers' lettersJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmLetters, emails, commentsI am not an academic. I don't even have one degree.
- What I like | Guardian Weekend readers' tipsJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmGuardian Weekend readers share their finds of the weekAfter 20 years of raising my four children, I'm now rediscovering my?other self - the?printmaker. Linocut Boy's blog is so inspiring, informative and amusing.
- Dear Jeremy - your work issues solvedJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmProblems at work? Need advice? Our agony uncle - and readers - have the answersShould I go back to work in an office, or start out on my own?I am almost 37 and am at a crossroads in my career. In 2009 I had a child and took a year's maternity leave.
- The Week in TV: Birdsong, Mad Dogs and HustleJan 28, 2012 | 1:03 amOur resident TV addict Andrew Collins guides us through a week of action, costume dramas and the best of the rest of the last seven days in television. Featuring season two of Mad Dogs, a new series of the BBC franchise Hustle and the BBC period war drama Birdsong, based on the 1993 Sebastian Faulks novelAndrew Collins.
- News of the World journalists interfered withJan 23, 2012 | 11:30 amA Surrey police report released by MPs reveals News of the World journalists who hacked Milly Dowler's phone lied to officers and interfered with the investigation into her disappearance in 2002.
- Chris Bryant: News International have been lyJan 19, 2012 | 10:30 amNews International has agreed to pay out to 37 victims of News of the World phone hacking.
- The Artist wins big at the Golden Globes 2012Jan 16, 2012 | 2:02 amHighlights from the Golden Globes ceremony in Los Angeles, which saw French silent film The Artist winning the big prize in the musical or comedy category.
- The Week in TV: Dancing on Ice, Borgen, StellJan 13, 2012 | 4:30 pmAndrew Collins prances back, insurance claim forms at the ready, for the seventh series of ITV's Dancing on IceAndrew CollinsAndy Gallagher.
- Jonnie Marbles: 'I was surprised at the reactJan 13, 2012 | 9:00 amUK Uncut activist Jonathan May-Bowles discusses his foam pie attack on Rupert Murdoch during a Commons select committee hearing. His protest had the unintended result of winning Murdoch some public sympathyDavid LeveneCameron RobertsonSimon Hattenstone.
- Leveson inquiry: Daily Mail is 'Britain's worJan 12, 2012 | 3:30 pmWhile giving evidence at the Leveson inquiry, Richard Desmond tried to play down mistakes made by his papers.
- French journalist killed in Syria receives trJan 12, 2012 | 3:01 amGilles Jacquier's colleagues, his employers and President Nicolas Sarkozy honour the France T?l?visions reporter who died 'just doing his job'.
- Mitt Romney's victory in New Hampshire primarJan 11, 2012 | 5:00 amFox and CNN were among the broadcasters that provided rolling coverage of the event, attempting to inject excitement into a contest that was all over by 8pm.
- Leveson inquiry: Sun editor denies using privJan 9, 2012 | 11:30 amThe editor of the Sun, Dominic Mohan, gives evidence to the Leveson inquiry, saying he has not used private investigators as far as he is aware.
- Sudoku 277 killerJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmNormal Sudoku rules apply, except the numbers in the cells contained within dotted lines add up to the figures in the corner. No number can be repeated within each shape formed by dotted lines.
- Sudoku 2,095 hardJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 pmFill the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 to 9.For a helping hand call our solutions line on 09068 338 228.
- Sudoku 2,094 hardJan 26, 2012 | 3:30 pmFill the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 to 9.For a helping hand call our solutions line on 09068 338 228.
- Sudoku 2,093 hardJan 25, 2012 | 3:30 pmFill the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 to 9.For a helping hand call our solutions line on 09068 338 228.
- Sudoku 2,092 mediumJan 24, 2012 | 3:30 pmFill the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 to 9.For a helping hand call our solutions line on 09068 338 228.
- Sudoku 2,091 mediumJan 23, 2012 | 3:30 pmFill the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 to 9.For a helping hand call our solutions line on 09068 338 228.
- Sudoku 2,090 easyJan 22, 2012 | 3:31 pmFill the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 to 9.For a helping hand call our solutions line on 09068 338 228.
- Observer killer SudokuJan 21, 2012 | 3:30 pmNormal Sudoku rules apply, except the numbers in the cells contained within dotted lines add up to the figures in the corner. No number can be repeated within each shape formed by dotted lines.
- Observer SudokuJan 21, 2012 | 3:30 pmFill the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 to 9.For a helping hand call our solutions line on 09068 338 228.
- Sudoku 276 killerJan 20, 2012 | 3:30 pmNormal Sudoku rules apply, except the numbers in the cells contained within dotted lines add up to the figures in the corner. No number can be repeated within each shape formed by dotted lines.
- The Week in TV: Birdsong, Mad Dogs and HustleJan 28, 2012 | 1:03 amOur resident TV addict Andrew Collins guides us through a week of action, costume dramas and the best of the rest of the last seven days in television. Featuring season two of Mad Dogs, a new series of the BBC franchise Hustle and the BBC period war drama Birdsong, based on the 1993 Sebastian Faulks novelAndrew Collins.
- Beauty tips: nude tones - videoJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 pmIn the lull between Christmas and spring, nude tones can help your skin look clean and fresh. Sali Hughes explains allSali Hughes.
- Occupy protesters evicted from empty London oJan 27, 2012 | 3:00 pmPolice evicted activists who occupied a disused office block in London as part of plans to establish another Occupy camp.
- Nicolas Sarkozy vows French troops will leaveJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmThe French president met his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai to sign an agreement for troops to leave Afghanistan.
- Arsenal's Jack Wilshere suffers fresh injury Jan 27, 2012 | 1:30 pmJack Wilshere has aggravated the ankle injury which has kept him out of action all season.
- Danny Boyle unveils 'inclusive' London 2012 oJan 27, 2012 | 12:30 pmThe Slumdog Millionaire director and artistic director for the London 2012 opening ceremony unveiled a handful of carefully selected details of his vision for the first time.
- Second Test, day three: Pakistan v England - Jan 27, 2012 | 12:30 pmEngland picked themselves up and fought their way back into the match on a pulsating third day, played out in front of a raucous Pakistani crowd on their day off from work.
- Russian election commission ousts Yavlinsky fJan 27, 2012 | 10:00 amVladimir Churov, the chairman of Russia's central election commission introduced a vote resolution to ban the Yabloko party leader from participating in the presidential elections.
- Ecuador police recruits abused - videoJan 27, 2012 | 9:00 amControversial images showing mistreatment of police recruits have been leaked to the press in Ecuador.
- Maori heads returned to New Zealand after 200Jan 27, 2012 | 7:30 amTwenty tattooed Maori heads have been repatriated from France to New Zealand after more than 200 years. A team from Wellington's Te Papa museum plans to trace the origin of the heads and return them to their communities.
- The conversation: Are the Olympics too commerJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmThe Olympics are a purely commercial enterprise and as such have been utterly devalued. True or false? Sports writer Mihir Bose and medal-winner Fatima Whitbread discussIt's six months until the Olympics, but should we be celebrating? With a series of negative news stories this week, sports journalist Mihir Bose, who has just written a?book on the demise of the sporting spirit, tries out his theory on Olympic legend Fatima Whitbread.
- Mo Farah looks for last-lap speed improvementJan 27, 2012 | 1:30 pm? World 5,000m champion will run 1500m in Glasgow? 'We are working on my weaknesses,' says British hopeIt takes Mo Farah a shade under 27 minutes to run 10,000 metres. But right now he is thinking only about the final 51 seconds.
- Can London 2012's opening ceremony beat its pJan 27, 2012 | 1:30 pmDanny Boyle is up against faked footprint-shaped fireworks, aliens in flying saucers and spectacles with artillery fire and pigeonsAnyone concerned that Danny Boyle faces a daunting, Newton-like climb on to the shoulders of choreographic giants in his role as the Olympic opening ceremony organiser needs only to glance at some of his predecessors' efforts for reassurance.Beijing 2008 saw computer faked footprint-shaped fireworks trek across the sky from Tiananmen Square to the Bird's Nest stadium, and a seven-year-old singer's vocals mimed by a more aesthetically-pleasing girl.
- Danny Boyle unveils 'inclusive' London 2012 oJan 27, 2012 | 12:00 pmThe Slumdog Millionaire director and artistic director for the London 2012 opening ceremony unveiled a handful of carefully selected details of his vision for the first time.
- Olympic organisers emphasise scale of the tasJan 27, 2012 | 11:30 am? 'This last six months is all about attention to detail'? Official handover of athletes' village housing 16,000London 2012 organisers emphasised the scale of the task facing them over the next six months, as they took control of the athletes' village and outlined details of the opening ceremony for the first time.Amid a blizzard of statistics about the size of the task at hand, the London 2012 chief executive, Paul Deighton, said there was a huge logistical challenge remaining, in particular to deliver the temporary facilities in the heart of the city that will host events such as beach volleyball in Horse Guards Parade and showjumping in Greenwich Park.
- Can we trust a model that predicts traffic chJan 27, 2012 | 7:30 amModels can help us unravel complexity and predict the future, but they're only as good as the data and people who built themAll sorts of records will tumble at the London Olympics, but Londoners will be hoping that their city doesn't break one on the opening weekend of the games and host the world's most congested road network.According to the results of a computer model developed by the traffic analysis company Inrix, severe congestion levels are expected on the streets of the capital.
- Olympic ticket deliveries set to cause collecJan 27, 2012 | 7:30 amSpectators must sign for Olympic tickets sent via secure delivery or vist their local post office collection depotOlympic and Paralympic spectators could face long queues at post office collection offices to pick up their tickets, following a decision to send them out via secure delivery.In an email sent to all ticket buyers asking them to check their contact details are up-to-date, the London 2012 ticketing team says the address to which tickets will be delivered must match the billing address at which the buyer's Visa card is registered - their home address - and must be signed for on delivery.
- London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony to reflJan 27, 2012 | 6:30 amOlympics ceremony titled Isles of Wonder will involve NHS nurses and hundreds of children, says its creator Danny BoyleNHS nurses, hundreds of children from the East End of London and the biggest bell in Europe will be part of the ?27m 2012 Olympic opening ceremony inspired by William Shakespeare's The Tempest and soundtracked by Underworld, it has been revealed.Unveiling a handful of carefully selected details of his vision for the first time, Trainspotting and Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle said his opening ceremony would not have the scale of Beijing in 2008 but would aim to match the humanity of Sydney in 2000.
- London 2012: best of the web | Alistair HendrJan 27, 2012 | 3:30 amThe NBA's club v country battle; Phillips Idowu on the joys of bubble wrap; and should female boxers wear skirts?Debate over skirts in women's boxing continuesAmateur boxing chiefs have admitted they are still undecided on whether to allow women boxers to wear skirts at the Olympics. The debate has caused quite a storm and sparked a petition with 54,000 signatures against wearing skirts.
- Coe admits Olympic ticket requirement for babJan 27, 2012 | 1:01 amLondon 2012 chairman says he will 'look at' decision to refuse babies entry to Games venues without ticketLord Coe said on Friday it was "an anomaly" that expectant parents were being told their babies would be refused entry to the Olympic Games unless they had a ticket.The London 2012 chairman stressed that cut-price tickets for children had been sold and added that "we want to be a family-friendly organisation".
- Gym contracts and heartwarming Guardian readeJan 27, 2012 | 3:00 pmThe distressing story of a pregnant woman chased for payment has put gym contracts in the spotlight - and filled our postbag with offers of helpHow I love Guardian Money readers. Last week our consumer champions Lisa Bachelor and Miles Brignall highlighted the distressing story of a woman chased by LA Fitness for ?780 to get out of her gym contract, despite being weeks away from childbirth, her husband being unemployed, and losing her home.
- LA Fitness dealt a knockout blow over unfair Jan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmLA Fitness flew into a Twitter storm after Guardian's consumer champions took up the case. Now all gyms are under pressure to improve their contractsIt was one of the most distressing cases of a reader in trouble that Guardian Money has ever had to deal with.
- Fitness camp in southern ItalyJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmSix hours of intensive workouts - followed by a sumptuous meal and wine. This is a fitness boot camp, Italian-styleI've never been so relieved as when Dan, one of the muscle-bound personal trainers on the Fitscape week-long holiday in northern Italy, said I could bunk off on the first day.
- Hop onboard an HGV and see what they can't seJan 27, 2012 | 7:00 amA safety initiative by the Met is encouraging cyclists and HGV drivers and cyclists to swap placesFor most cyclists, HGVs are the thing most feared on urban roads. Despite only comprising 5% of traffic, they are involved in about 50% of cyclist deaths each year, and many more serious injuries.
- London Olympic park to host 'festival of cyclJan 26, 2012 | 9:00 amLondon mayor Boris Johnson unveils details of first large-scale event to use venue when it reopens after the GamesA two-day "festival of cycling" will be the first large-scale event to use the Olympic park when it reopens in 2013 after this year's Games, the London mayor, Boris Johnson, announced on Thursday.The festival will culminate in a 100 mile race for amateurs and world class competitors starting at the Olympic Park that organisers say will be similar to the London Marathon - but for cyclists.
- Get fit like a film star: training and diet -Jan 26, 2012 | 3:30 amKelly Bowerbank continues her fitness course with Efua Baker, body sculptor to Hollywood stars including Sienna Miller and Christian BaleKelly BowerbankKen MacfarlaneMona Mahmood
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- Gyms face crackdown on long-term contractsJan 25, 2012 | 11:30 amOffice of Fair Trading to launch review after controversy provoked by Guardian story about LA Fitness refusing to drop fees owed by pregnant woman and jobless husbandA crackdown on gym contracts that customers cannot cancel is expected next week after the Office of Fair Trading warned fitness centres for a second time within a year not to sign people up to unfair agreements. The OFT is likely to focus on long-term contracts that do not allow members to cancel if their circumstances change.
- Once upon a bicycle: your first cycling memorJan 24, 2012 | 5:30 amFrom the thrill of freewheeling without stabilisers to the dreaded cycling proficiency test, tell us your first-bike memoriesWe have a Christmas tradition in my house. When morning comes and we are gathered in the living room, someone sits close to the window in order to peek out and count the new bikes being ridden up and down the street.
- Fitness First in talks with lenders over soarJan 22, 2012 | 10:30 amLast published accounts show the group had net liabilities of ?612m in October 2010Fitness First, one of the world's largest gym groups, has been forced into talks with its lending banks as the private equity-backed group - which had been hoping for a sale or stock market flotation - admitted it was struggling to meet spiralling interest bills.The business, which was founded by entrepreneur Mike Balfour as a single gym in Bournemouth 19 years ago, employs about 10,000 staff largely in the UK, Australia and Germany.
- Keep-fit apps round-upJan 21, 2012 | 4:00 pmEndless January resolutions and good intentions for a healthier new year do not go unnoticed by app developers, hence the glut of fitness aids that have hit the marketplace in the past few weeks.There are already a host of excellent tools available, from the trusty Nike+ GPS (?1.
- Charlie Brooker swims with the fishes in AustJan 27, 2012 | 3:00 pm'When you tell people you're going swimming with tuna, they laugh in your face'Swimming with dolphins. Everyone yaps on about wanting to do that before they die.
- Charlie Brooker: Green Kit Kats, toilets thatJan 22, 2012 | 12:30 pmFor westerners it's an experience akin to recovering from a serious head injuryI'm currently on another planet, namely Japan, which for the average westerner is an experience tantamount to recovering from a serious head injury, in that while the world around you is largely recognisable, it somehow makes little sense. Incredibly minor example: they sell green Kit Kats here (not the wrapper - I'm not that easily impressed - I mean the chocolate itself is green).
- Charlie Brooker: How to realise David CameronJan 15, 2012 | 12:00 pmAttention British film-makers: the prime minister requires you to make more commercial movies. Here's howBritish film-makers! Put down those clapperboards and pay attention because David Cameron, who happens to be a huge fan of your work - assuming you're making The King's Speech II - wants you to focus on films likely to be a "commercial success".
- Charlie Brooker | Wondering what to give up fJan 8, 2012 | 12:00 pmHere are one or two things I think the rest of humankind should stop doing immediatelyNew Year's resolutions work like this: you think of something you enjoy doing, and then resolve to stop doing it. Smoking, for instance, or drinking, or shunting fistfuls of salted butter down your ravenous maw each morning.
- Charlie Brooker: A guide to the buzzwords of Dec 28, 2011 | 4:00 pmBeen duped by a 'sock puppet' is? Had a go at 'planking'? Living in a 'structured reality'? 2011 threw up some new words and concepts - and here they are explained2011 was a hectic year - so hectic it required its own language. Phrases such as "Lulzsec", "phone hacking" and "Wendi Deng" suddenly became common currency.
- Charlie Brooker: 2011 has been like an end-ofDec 28, 2011 | 4:00 pmThis year, so much has happened it's impossible to remember it all in one goIt's almost time to bid farewell to 2011, and as is my custom at this time of year, I'm working on a review-of-the-year type programme, and have thus spent the past few weeks reliving 2011 in?the form of countless edited DVD highlight compilations of the year's news reports and TV shows. It's like your life flashing before your eyes, but slower and with sunnier locations.
- Charlie Brooker: the dark side of our gadget Dec 27, 2011 | 11:31 pmWe are addicted to gadgets - but what are their side-effects? In his new drama series, Black Mirror, Charlie Brooker explores the dark side of our love affair with technologyEvery life includes significant landmarks: your first kiss, your first job, your first undetected murder. Maybe that's just me.
- Charlie Brooker: There are two kinds of vieweDec 27, 2011 | 11:31 pmMy vision of global harmony comes in a 16:9 aspect ratioImagine, if you will, that instead of reading this garbage, you're enjoying an exciting night out at the theatre. You take your seat and, after a few minutes, the curtain rises - but something's wrong.
- Charlie Brooker: This year's Christmas advertDec 27, 2011 | 11:31 pmThe John Lewis commercial doesn't make me cry. It's just an advert for a shopNothing merely "happens" any more: every occurrence is now an "event", which leaps up and down pointing excitedly at itself.
- Charlie Brooker: The trouble with video gamesDec 27, 2011 | 11:31 pmEvery pixel in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 oozes machismo, but these games are inherently wussyA curious thing happened to me the other day while I was playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which, if you're not familiar with such things, is a video game in?which you participate in a bloody big?war. It's a very popular franchise; devoted fans camp out on pavements for a launch copy, which makes it the royal wedding of violent video games.
- Tim Dowling: life is tweetJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pm'I realise anything I say about the point of Twitter will eventually be proved idiotic'On Sunday I come downstairs to find the middle one typing furiously on a laptop while a football match roars from the television. The middle one's friend is leaning over his shoulder, staring at the screen.
- How honest are you?Jan 25, 2012 | 11:30 amNew research claims we are all a little more dishonest than we used to be, but answer these questions and you may just discover that you are completely scrupulous after allA survey of 2,000 adults conducted by the Essex Centre for the Study of Integrity has found that people are less honest than they were a decade ago. But the survey itself amounted to a dishonesty test, inviting participants to rate their tolerance of behaviour including littering, adultery and handling stolen goods.
- Reasons to be cheerful in 2012: it's not the Jan 20, 2012 | 2:30 pmYes, things are looking grim, but on the bright side we're going to make it through another Doomsday (probably)Things may be tough in 2012, but it won't be the end of the world. I can't stress this highly enough.
- Tim Dowling: my family and other animalsJan 20, 2012 | 2:30 pm'If I had to pinpoint the cause of the dog's erratic behaviour, I would put it down to my wife's remarkably inconsistent dog-handling'It's been some months since I looked up from my desk to notice the pets, but the cat, heretofore the least of my problems, has suddenly gone needy. It's taken to interposing itself between my face and my computer at frequent and inopportune intervals.
- How I made myself into a Van Gogh paintingJan 17, 2012 | 11:30 amHow difficult can it be to recreate a relatively straightforward painting such as Van Gogh's Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear? There's only one way to find outMy first thought on seeing these painstaking photographic recreations of famous paintings was, "Why would anyone want to do that?" But my second thought was, "Right - give us a go, then."The rules on Jeff Hamada's Remake project stipulate that only classic works of art should be staged, and that no post-production effects are employed.
- This Wikipedia blackout leaves my brain shornJan 17, 2012 | 8:30 amBlue Monday was as nothing next to Wikipedia-free Wednesday, which I will spend wondering what this Sopa business is all about and leaving rooms muttering, 'It's complicated'As soon as I am in front of my computer in the morning, I have an urge to check Wikipedia regarding something I heard on the radio while I was still in bed. For a moment, I have to sit on my hands.
- Tim Dowling: my life without alcoholJan 13, 2012 | 2:30 pmA couple of days a week without drinking? Shouldn't be hard.
- Now that's what I call a computer lesson, Mr Jan 11, 2012 | 11:30 amSome suggestions for the education secretary to make IT lessons less boringEducation secretary Michael Gove has announced a radical reform in the way computer skills are taught in schools, saying that the current curriculum leaves kids "bored out of their minds". But what sort of lessons could make computer sciences come alive for young people today?Copyright theft for beginners Everybody knows the only bad kind of music is the kind you pay for, but did you know that also goes for old South Park episodes, unreleased DVDs and popular Xbox games? You did? OK, you can skip this one.
- Tim Dowling: it's official, we are a problem Jan 6, 2012 | 2:30 pm'As we leave, my wife rolls down the car window and sticks her head out. "I'm terribly sorry," she says'We are on our annual end-of-year journey west, to visit friends and, in many respects, to disappoint them.
- Caption competition: what are these North KorJan 3, 2012 | 6:30 amHere's the new Supreme Leader with some of his minions. But what's going on?When it comes to photo-opportunities Kim Jong-un has certainly inherited his father's knack for looking distinctly underwhelmed while being shown mundane things - such as this vast spread of tasty snacks - by soldiers.
- Restaurant review: Za Za Bazaar, Bristol | JoJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmIt's billed as the UK's biggest restaurant, serving as many as 1,000 covers at a time, but is that really such a good thing?Some claims aren't easy to fact-check, so I can't be entirely sure that Za Za Bazaar, which opened in?Bristol just before Christmas, is the largest restaurant in the UK. I think the boast, or admission, just about stands up: the main restaurant has a?stonking 700 covers, and the bar downstairs, where you can get the same food, does another 300.
- Restaurant review: Butley Orford OysterageJan 21, 2012 | 4:00 pmWhat the Oysterage lacks in frills it more than makes up for with its flavoursome, no-nonsense cookingOrford, Suffolk (01394 450 277). Meal for two, including drinks and service, ?70It would be hard to describe the Butley Orford Oysterage as pretty, especially on a deep midwinter's day when even by lunchtime the light looks like it's had enough and is thinking of packing up for the day.
- Restaurant review: 34, London W1 | John LanchJan 20, 2012 | 2:30 pmPut aside the fact that it's designed for rich people who don't want to be distracted by what's on their plate, and Richard Caring's new place is really rather goodIn the crazed splurge of high-end openings that hit central London in the runup to Christmas, one of the most widely trailed was 34, Richard Caring's latest restaurant in, of course, Mayfair. The story so far: Caring made his fortune in the schmutter business, before switching to the restaurant and club trade with extraordinary energy and conviction in the early years of this century.
- Restaurant review: Mishkin'sJan 14, 2012 | 4:02 pmJust one of the many joys of eating at Mishkin's is the chance to have a?good kvetch about the food25 Catherine Street, London WC2 (020 7240 2078). Meal for two, including wine and service, ?60You don't have to be Jewish to like Mishkin's, but it probably helps.
- Restaurant: The Delaunay, London WC2Jan 13, 2012 | 2:30 pmThe kings of the London restaurant scene have come up with yet another surefire winnerThere's an awkward subject to get out of?the way at the start of discussing the Delaunay, Christopher Corbin and Jeremy King's new restaurant on Aldwych. It can't be dodged or circumvented: it is the presence on the menu of the wiener.
- Restaurant review: CreateJan 7, 2012 | 4:00 pmA scheme to get the long-term unemployed back to work is proving to be a hit both with them and diners31 King Street, Leeds (0113 242 0628). Meal for two, including drinks and service, ?75.
- Restaurant review: Granger & Co, London W11Jan 6, 2012 | 3:00 pmCelebrity chef Bill Granger made his name selling an easy, Antipodean style of cooking, but how does that translate to the UK? Bill Granger divides opinion. He is an Australian chef with a?string of restaurants in Sydney and Japan, and has a media presence on TV and in the papers both there and here.
- Restaurant review: 34Dec 31, 2011 | 4:01 pmPerfect steaks, incredible desserts and a scattering of phone-hackerati.
- Restaurant review: Soif, London SW11Dec 30, 2011 | 3:00 pmIf anything, the third outpost of the team behind the acclaimed Terroirs and Brawn is better even than its predecessorsYou know earworms, those songs that get irritatingly stuck in your head, also known as tune wedgies? There is an unnamed but equivalent phenomenon with word associations, when particular terms get stuck together and can't be separated. I have it with the word "meaty".
- Restaurant review: Australasia, Manchester | Dec 28, 2011 | 7:00 pmIt's got the bling to keep the Footballers' Wives crowd happy, and the cooking to sate our criticIn his brilliant book A Guide To The New Ruins Of Great Britain, Owen Hatherley talks about the way that Manchester has embraced the doctrine of urban regeneration with such energy that it has "neatly repositioned itself as a cold, rain-soaked Barcelona". One of the areas on which he concentrates his attention is the new development around Spinningfields, a mixture of shops, flats and civic buildings that has at its heart something called the Avenue, a retail space that seems to be targeted at the kind of consumer who models herself on Footballers' Wives: there's a branch of Nicky Clarke to sort out the hair, a Mulberry for bags and accessories, an Emporio Armani for birthday presents and a Brooks Brothers for when the bloke has to be smart.
- Experience: I threw myself under a tube trainJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pm'I can picture myself walking down the stairs, standing near the edge and then stepping forward into nothing'It was a Monday morning rush hour at an underground station. I can picture myself walking down the stairs, standing near the edge and then stepping forward into nothing as the train approached.
- Should politicians have their mental health mJan 24, 2012 | 12:03 amPsychologists who have tracked politicians' careers now say their mental health should be monitoredWhen Michael Gove suggested that despite the economic situation, the UK should buy the Queen a new yacht, the Twittersphere went into meltdown. "Fruitcake" and "numpty" were among the reactions to the education secretary's idea.
- Magic mushrooms may help with depression, sayJan 23, 2012 | 11:30 amActive ingredient could allow sufferers to relive happier times, says team including former government adviser David NuttA drug derived from magic mushrooms could help people with depression by enabling them to relive positive and happy moments of their lives, according to scientists including the former government drug adviser, Professor David Nutt.Two studies, for which scientists struggled to find funding because of public suspicion and political sensitivity around psychedelic drugs, have shed light on how magic mushrooms affect the brain.
- This column will change your life: the art ofJan 20, 2012 | 2:30 pmWant to blank out that screw-up at work today? Here's howIf I were an uncharitable, envious crosspatch, I might observe that Paul McKenna's new book, I Can Make You Smarter, offers a hostage to fortune: if it worked, might it not eliminate the customer base for all future works by the hypnotist? But I'm neither uncharitable nor envious of his millions, naturally, so instead I'll observe that it's interesting, in a book on smartness, how much he makes of his promise to "supercharge your memory". For him, as for many self-help gurus, "becoming more intelligent" is intimately associated with "getting better at remembering stuff".
- Sin?ad O'Connor hospitalised for depressionJan 19, 2012 | 4:00 amSinger receiving treatment with a view to be 'back and smiling'Sin?ad O'Connor has been admitted to hospital for treatment of her depression. The singer expects to spend "two weeks" in doctors' care, with a view to be "back and smiling" soon.
- The Locked Ward: Memoirs of a Psychiatric OrdJan 19, 2012 | 2:30 amDennis O'Donnell's memoir of his time as a psychiatric nurse should help to banish our prejudices - and fears - about madnessAnyone who has spent any time on a psych ward knows that the mad are usually far less scary in real life than they are in the popular imagination. Part of the reason for this is that, depending on category and stage of treatment, most psychiatric patients are heavily medicated, but there are other factors too: the profoundly depressed tend to be fairly quiet anyway while, much of the time, the schizophrenics are glued to the television screen, conjuring messages from dead relatives and extraterrestrials out of the ether.
- Social work's Baby Peter blame game confronteJan 17, 2012 | 6:30 amSocial worker Chris Lee's new play, Shallow Slumber, explores how the profession was left reeling in the wake of the Baby P tragedyWhen the shocking case of Baby P hit the headlines during 2008, it sparked national outrage. It also placed a sometimes scathing spotlight on the social work profession: 17-month-old Peter Connelly from Haringey, north London, was brutally abused and killed by his?mother, her partner and another man, despite being known to social?workers.
- We tell boys not to cry, then wonder about maJan 17, 2012 | 5:30 amIn courageously speaking of his depression, ex-footballer Dean Windass has helped to highlight a crisis in men's mental healthI'm not sure how old I was when I was first instructed that boys don't cry - at a guess, maybe six or seven. Once it began, it came at me from all angles: family, teachers, friends, the myriad voices of media and culture.
- Health professionals failed to spot risks posJan 17, 2012 | 2:30 amReport says risks posed by Darren Stewart, who had long history of mental illness and violence, were not effectively managedThe risks posed by a man with a personality disorder who tortured and murdered a vulnerable flatmate were not spotted by health professionals, investigators have found.Darren Stewart moved into Steven Hoskin's flat and was a member of a gang that tormented and humiliated him before marching him to the top of a viaduct.
- 'My girlfriend is passive-aggressive and her Jan 15, 2012 | 12:31 pmEverything I say gets distorted and thrown back at meMy girlfriend is passive-aggressive. We are in a long-distance relationship, and she had a string of horrible relationships before ours, as well as a more than rough childhood.
- Let's move to: Headingley, LeedsJan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmIt's a smashing place to live (yes, even with all those students)What's going for it? Rule 456 of successful property buying: go to university. University districts might be full of smelly students, but they are also full of smelly lecturers and academics and people who think they're academics and have money to spend and like bookshops and cafes and nice places to live in; and they're usually a safe bet for investment and nice places to live in.
- Snooping around - in picturesJan 27, 2012 | 8:30 amFrom a Worcestershire farmhouse to 'Tracy Island' in Kent.
- Plain is out - for furniture and accessories,Jan 27, 2012 | 6:30 amHomewares are all about decorative pattern right now. Charlotte Abrahams picks the best high street offerings, from stencilled cupboards to birds in sweatersCharlotte Abrahams.
- Leading lights - new lamps on the blockJan 26, 2012 | 1:34 amA new lamp can be ever so cheering, especially when it does your colour blocking for you. Susie Steiner reports on the latest hotties to come out of the spring/summer homeware collectionsI love a lamp.
- Trading up, trading down - in picturesJan 25, 2012 | 3:31 amFrom a former Corn Mill in Staffordshire to a relay station in CumbriaJill InsleyHilary Osborne.
- Reasons to be cheerful: Ikea's new designs foJan 24, 2012 | 1:03 amThere are sunnnier times ahead - and plenty of rich colour - if a sneak preview of Ikea's new designs are anything to go by, says Susie SteinerFor some, it's those darling buds emerging from the surface of dark soil. For others it's lengthening days or birdsong in the air.
- The five best places to live in the world, anJan 20, 2012 | 2:30 pmBored with Blighty? Then why not up sticks and move somewhere else? Tom?Dyckhoff spotlights five perfect places - from a surfer's paradise in?Hawaii to a bohemian rhapsody in?Portland, OregonPortland, OregonWhat's going for it? Do you like?letterpress? Do you like vintage?clothes? Do you play in a?nu-folk band? Then get ye to Boise,?Eliot and Overlook in Portland. The city has been the capital of liberal, hipster USA for?decades.
- New interiors trends at Home design showJan 19, 2012 | 7:00 amScandinavian design dominated the first interiors shows of 2012. Huma Qureshi goes trendspotting at Home and TopDrawerIt's no secret that Danish design is officially hot (after all, the Danes practically invented everything mid-century) but if this year's new interior design show Home is anything to go by, then we'll be rocking the Nordic vibe on our walls, beds, sofas, shelves and anywhere else we have room for it.
- Old and new homes - in picturesJan 18, 2012 | 5:00 amFrom a futuristic London new build to a flint cottage in NorfolkJill Insley.
- And the design award winner is: DenmarkJan 18, 2012 | 4:30 amThe latest design gongs have just been handed out, and among the mystifying accolades for plain white bowls and prizes for 'best room divider' are a couple of stand-out products. Susie Steiner picks her personal favouritesYou do wonder whether Grayson Perry suffered any moments of existential crisis during the judging of this year's Wallpaper* Design Awards - in particular while considering the shortlist for 'best curtain pole'.
- How to build a profitable blog: getting down Jan 27, 2012 | 2:30 pmIn the 10th part of her series on how to build a blog, Andrea Wren looks at generating money with advertisingRight. On to business.
- Do you want to join the Guardian's science blJan 27, 2012 | 9:30 amWe're expanding our network to cover more scientific fields and are seeking some of the UK's best science bloggersJust under 17 months ago, the Guardian launched a small network of science blogs. Each blogger - Martin Robbins, Evan Harris, Jon Butterworth, GrrlScientist and Mo Costandi - was given complete freedom to write about whatever they wished, as often as they wished, independent of any oversight (other than legal) from Guardian editors.
- Twitter censorship backlash: users reactJan 27, 2012 | 8:30 amUsers of the social network have shared their views on news that Twitter has implemented a system to withhold tweets on a country-by-country basis. Many tweeters have accused the service of censorship and, under the hashtags #twittercensorship and #twitterblackout, are planning to protest by not tweeting on 28 January in a stand against what they see as a threat to freedom of expression and information.
- Twitter faces censorship backlashJan 27, 2012 | 4:00 amUsers of social network critical of new system that can censor tweets on a country-by-country basisThe social network Twitter is facing a storm of criticism from users, after revealing that it has implemented a system that would let it withhold particular tweets from specific countries.The company has insisted that it will not use the gagging system in a blanket fashion, but would apply it on a case-by-case basis, as already happens when governments or organisations complain about individual tweets.
- A week on the web: Abba's new songJan 27, 2012 | 3:00 amSwedish pop royalty Abba are releasing a new song for the first time in 18 years. Could a reunion be on the cards? Do they need the cash? Twitter had every angle covered[Please note: this column is put together using Storify, which does not work on our mobile site and apps.
- World marks Holocaust Memorial DayJan 27, 2012 | 2:01 amEvents around the world commemorate victims of genocide as survey shows social media may hold role in speaking out against hatredHo