MORE NEWS

Britons more optimistic than any time for 18 months

Populus poll shows voters believe the economy is picking up, spurred by the best high street sales for seven years

Miliband's last-minute trip fuels EU talk

Foreign Minister took flight to join leaders in Germany, increasing talk of an interest in High Representative role

North and South Korea exchange fire at sea

The two Koreas briefly exchanged naval fire along their disputed western sea border, with one ship suffering damage

Business news  

Trade deficit balloons on car and oil imports

Britain's goods trade deficit widens from £6.1bn to £7.2bn in September to the biggest gap since January

Vodafone doubles cuts to £2bn and eyes jobs

World's largest telecoms operator sees slide in revenues from its key UK market but overall trading hits forecasts

Barclays restores dividend as profits triple to £1.5bn

UK's second largest lender, which has refused taxpayers' bailout funds, see profits grow on strong investment banking

Sport News  

Ngog and Liverpool caught in ‘diving’ row

Controversial penalty awarded after fall from striker in penalty area saves Rafael Benitez from another defeat

• Gerrard's penalty rescues point for Liverpool

• Benítez mired in state of disbelief at Anfield

Haye no longer fights for right to party

Londoner insists that his clubbing days are over as he adjusts to life as newest heavyweight champion of the world

ECB airs worries over TV plans for Ashes

Return of live Ashes coverage to terrestrial television after 2013 would cost sport at least £120m, says officials

Comment  

Would you live on the wrong side of the Berlin Wall?

It is becoming fashionable to prefer stability to democracy. The oppressed will never forgive us for such world-weariness

• David Aaronovitch

The laws that stain Britain’s good name

Libel tourism isn’t just a matter for the media elite. Freedom of speech for everyone is in danger

• John Kampfner

Graveyard of empires could claim more careers

It is Gordon Brown feeling the heat over Afghanistan now, but the Tories too must decide if this is a war worth fighting

• Rachel Sylvester

Life and Style  

How Remembrance Day brought home our loss

First World War families had no funeral rituals like those in Wootton Bassett. November 11 was a day to air their grief

Would you let your child wear one of these?

Coloured “shag bands” supposedly signifying sex acts are the new children’s craze. Are campaigners right to want a ban?

What makes the perfect mum?

A Demos report has moved the goalposts for mothers again, reporting that tough love is the best. But children disagree

Arts & Entertainment  

Dieter Rams: man who shaped our world

So you think the iPod is cool? Tom Dyckhoff meets the man who designed the first hi-fi more than 50 years ago

Anvil and Saxon

Anvil’s brand of lewd, crude, thrash metal is winning over the fans while Saxon remain the dray horses of heavy rock

The Line and Suzanne Valadon’s brush with Degas

In The Line at the Arcola Theatre, Timberlake Wertenbaker dramatises the love between Edgar Degas and his protegee