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Nine peers and MPs in Yard probe

Police are investigating five peers and four MPs, including a close ally of Gordon Brown, over their parliamentary expenses

American missionary held in North Korea

Christian activist Robert Park arrested after unauthorised entry into North Korea in bid to promote human rights

Private school pay rises 'will shock' parents

At a time of rising fees, the earnings of more than a dozen private school 'super-heads' have risen above £150,000 a year

Sport News  

Mancini: I know I’m not popular in England

Italian admits he faces tough task to succeed Mark Hughes as manager at Manchester City, but starts with win over Stoke City

• Ferguson: I’ll outlast 20 City managers

• Mancini off to winning start with comfort

Brave Hart thwarts 10-man Chelsea

Birmingham 0 Chelsea 0: league leaders fire blank for first time since May as England goalkeeper shines at St Andrew's

Kauto Star makes history with fourth win

The 8-13 favourite confirms status as one of greatest steeplechasers of all time by demolishing field for a runaway success

Business news  

Pounding for PM over debt crisis

A group of leading economists has slammed the government’s handling of Britain's £178 billion deficit as irresponsible

Taxman probes Zavvi cash from Branson

HMRC may challenge a decision by the retailer's management team to treat the £55 million cash injection as tax free

Irish finance minister may be forced to retire

The pressure on Ireland’s battered economy has increased after reports that Brian Lenihan is being treated for cancer

Comment  

Whatever... Cameron gets No 10

Who will win the election? That’s hard to answer. Who will be prime minister after it? That's easier: David Cameron

• Michael Portillo

So, Piggy, Buttocks and Rat – what shall we call Gordon?

A chap I work with is nicknamed Adam - after the apple he found on the neck of the, er, girl he took to bed in Hong Kong

• Jeremy Clarkson

My dad is for life

If this is going to be his last Christmas, I’ve been wondering: what do you give a dying dad for Christmas?

• Cosmo Landesman

Life and Style  

Our guide to the world's very best spas

The ultimate places to get away from it all, turn off your mind, relax and float away - we've the top destinations

What's new for the Teenies? 50 trends for 2010

Looking to the future of love, fame, celebrity, reality: what's going to define us in the decade ahead?

The rise of mid-life lesbians

Late-flowering lesbians have never been so prevalent. What makes a woman jump the fence?

Arts & Entertainment  

It’s official: modern art is rubbish

Michael Landy’s show at the South London Gallery will chuck away work - even Gary Hume’s and Peter Blake’s. What’s it about?

Sheridan Smith drops the chav act for Legally Blonde

If the buzz is right, the TV actress is set to be a sensation in the musical Legally Blonde, a stage version of the film

Codeine Velvet Club: not just a vanity project

A collaboration between the Fratellis’ front man, Jon Lawler, and nightclub singer Lou Hickey gives eerie, orchestral pop