Business news 

Britain heads for Iceland showdown

Government has put accountancy firm Ernst & Young on standby to step in as administrator of the UK assets of Landsbanki

M&A deals worth $90billion collapse

The largest number of withdrawn merger and acquisition deals have been in the property, technology and finance industries

Fearful retailers bring Christmas in even earlier

Unseasonal stock and promotions introduced to stave off what is predicted to be the grimmest festive period in years

Sport News 

Perfect Rooney leads way for England

Fabio Capello’s dream start to his reign as England manager continued with record-breaking victory over Belarus in Minsk

Olympics in for the long crawl

Britain could benefit in 2012 after revelation that sport's governing body is considering more open-water swimming events

Ballesteros ‘stable and conscious’

Golfer faces chemotherapy after doctors took the decision to remove sizeable part of a tumour in 12-hour operation

Comment 

The white lie that threatens Obama

The unspoken legacy of racism could still scupper Barack Obama's bid for the presidency

• Ben Macintyre

Climate is in danger of being swamped

We must not let the banking crisis take the heat off our efforts to prevent environmental catastrophe

• James Cameron

Don't make the BBC share its licence fee

We can help to save public service broadcasting. But diluting our independence is no answer

• Michael Lyons

Life & Style 

Are you a competitive lover?

From the outside you seem to have a perfect relationship, but really it is an exhausting battle of one-upmanship

The lives of our ex-pat readers

The dream of moving overseas is alive and well - but what’s it really like? We asked for your stories. Here are some of the best

Love in a cold climate

Damian Whitworth continues his series charting how long he and his family can survive without central heating

Arts & Entertainment 

How will the recession affect film?

Could the recession actually be good news for film? Top industry figures make their optimistic predictions to Kevin Maher

Cyndi Lauper still wants to have fun

The 55-year-old is on the verge of a comeback, and at a London concert her vocals raised the music beyond pedestrian pop

Nick Moran is a Telstar in the making

Can ‘that guy from Lock, Stock . . .' banish his tabloid notoriety with a film about a pop genius? Ed Potton meets him