MORE NEWS

Row as Big Brother targets amputee soldiers

Veterans’ charities condem Endemol after attempts to recruit wounded servicemen and women to appear in the reality TV show

Vatican security criticised after Pope attack

Leading cardinal calls for 'greater vigilance' from Vatican security after woman pulls Pope Benedict XVI to the floor

Outcry at sentence for China dissident

Leaders and activists from the West condemn the 11-year-sentence handed to prominent Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo

Stop forcing children to grow up, says Archbishop

Dr Rowan Williams condemned the growing pressure on children to become 'active little consumers and performers'

Business news  

Carphone founder fights to save property business

David Ross is in emergency talks over the terms of a loan from HBOS to his company, Kandahar Group, which is making a loss

UK house price gap continues to widen

A new report hints at what many observers have suspected: gains are being felt only for some homes in some areas

Seasonal investors tuck into blue chips

Britain’s leading shares are set next week to cap a gravity-defying year, in which the index climbed 21.16% by Christmas Eve

Sport News  

Mancini off to a winning start

Manchester City 2 Stoke 0 : first-half goals from Martin Petrov and Carlos Tevez seal Italian's first win as manager

• Mancini: ‘I know I’m not popular in England’

• Gerrard sets Liverpool on their way

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

Comment  

Thou shalt not... well, actually...

Now a vicar has said stealing can be OK, the other Commandments need freshening up. So here goes

• Giles Coren

2009: from ExCel to the Ex-Factor

From the trillions spent on saving the world to the 88p spent on a plug it has been a time of excess

• Ann Treneman

Bore for England? Sometimes you just have to

So there’ll be no let-up for Brown next year and not much for Cameron. But the faithful can relax a little

• Matthew Parris

Life and Style  

What chefs do with the leftovers

You needn’t resort to turkey sandwiches. Famous foodies tell how they use up the festive food in their fridge

Giles Coren fights a bull

Coren explores the world of bullfighting, a unique culture where men are driven by deadly serious dreams of death and glory

My year of public speaking

Can a journalist with ho-hum anecdotes actually brush up his skills? One man set out to try at schools and clubs galore

Arts & Entertainment  

Behind the Sherlock Holmes sound

Composer Hans Zimmer explains why he chose to score Warners Bros’s latest blockbuster with squeaky violins and a pub piano

Boy George banned from Celebrity Big Brother

Judge says singer's appearance on show, while on licence for assault, would upset his victim and give him financial gain

Five stars for Paul McCartney at the O2

There are few who can write a more impressive set-list without recourse to cover versions. And there are few who will again