MORE NEWS

Ken Clarke: better a Labour win than an impasse

The Shadow Business Secretary said that the public would be bewildered by a governing party unable to wield decisive power

Thai tensions rise over Cambodian role

The ousted Thai prime minister has been welcomed by the Cambodian leader in a move that will further strain relations

Lindsay Ann Hawker murder suspect held

Tatsuya Ichihashi, wanted for killing of young British teacher found dead on his balcony, arrested at Osaka ferry port

Business news  

British Midland may go bust within a year

Deloitte, the airline's accountant, has warned of its acute funding crisis, despite a pledge from Lufthansa, its owner

Former Bear Stearns fund managers acquitted

Ralph Cioffi and Matthew Tannin were cleared in the first major criminal trial stemming from the sub-prime mortgage crisis

Vodafone forced to extend cost cuts

The mobile phone group plans to save a further £1bn in next two years to counter a continued slowdown in revenue growth

Sport News  

Torres to miss three more weeks

Another blow to injury problems for Liverpool as Glen Johnson admits club's form is "awful" after Birmingham draw

• Benítez mired in state of disbelief at Anfield

• Ngog and Liverpool caught in ‘cheat’ row

Poyet confirmed as Brighton manager

Former Chelsea midfielder agrees a contract until end of next season, with Mauricio Taricco named as assistant manager

Back on our feet after defeat

Jonny Wilkinson says that he took heart from positive attitude of his team-mates to improve after losing to Australia

Comment  

You created the job. You should do it

David Miliband is wrong to think it's better to be in loyal opposition than to be EU high representative

• Daniel Finkelstein

Charming to pillory disabled Brown

No one deserves the vindictiveness being directed towards an accident-prone Prime Minister

• Melanie Reid

Violent video games won’t corrupt

Just like comic books before it, Modern Warfare 2 is besieged by ignorant screams for censorship

• Rob Fahey

Life and Style  

6 reasons not to give gifts this Christmas

Giving costly Christmas presents to all your friends and family is a pernicious practice and I'd like to ban it

Why Marc Jacobs did a Louis Vuitton dog carrier

The designer discusses Louis Vuitton dog carriers, why he loves Victoria Beckham, and when he’ll be tying the knot

What do lottery winners buy?

New knees! Just what we always wanted... It’s not all Ferraris and Caribbean holidays when regular folk strike it rich

Arts & Entertainment  

The 20 must-see Christmas shows

From mad-cap pantos to ballet and hip-hop dance spectacles, these are the treats you should not miss

Two stars for Just Jack at Shepherds Bush Empire

Pleasant and eager to please, but with no sense of stagecraft, the bulk of the performance was simply bland

Bad Boys: tenors play lovers; basses play villains

Bryn Terfel is now far more than a singer. He’s a national institution, at least in the land of his fathers