Lure of deep proves irresistible to science

Life in the deep has a special lustre for scientists because it is all but unexplored and the discoveries keep on coming

Afghan tribal splits: ripe for exploitation?

The dynamics behind the Afghan insurgency make ‘playing the tribal game’ a highly complex task for Nato strategists

Obama faces a path full of hurdles

Weeks of debate, amendments and voting by the House and Senate are ahead before the reforms can be passed into US law

Save this oasis of pleasure for Iraqis

No one can disagree that sporting associations should be free of political factions, but Iraqis will suffer after Fifa's ban

Army lacks bite to take on Taleban

A procurement policy aimed at providing troops with improved armoured vehicles is beginning to unravel

Leading Iran reformer given six-year sentence

Mohammad Ali Abtahi, a former vice-president, is sentenced to six years in jail after 'confessing' to anti-government plot

Twenty-one dead as Indonesian ferry sinks

Ferry hit by massive waves was overloaded say Indonesian authorities as rough seas hamper rescue efforts

'The room was dark. Berlusconi likes the dark'

Extracts from Patrizia D'Addario's book Gradisca, Presidente which recalls encounters with the Italian Prime Minister

Hopes fade for Chinese miners as deaths rise

Rescue workers trying to reach four trapped miners as death toll reaches 104 in deadliest mine accident for two years

Sarkozy plans to rebury Camus in Paris

Members of the Left and the writer’s son claim the President is trying to cash in on the fame of the Algerian-born novelist

What we will do and how you can help

The Sunday Times Children of Iraq Christmas Appeal

How the story began: Shams Kareem

The story of a little girl blinded by a bomb in Iraq sparked flood of donations from Sunday Times readers, changing her life

Christmas Appeal: How you can help the children of Iraq

Hussein is among more than 8,000 have been disfigured in the conflict in Iraq, but could benefit from life-changing treatment at Amman hospital

Appeal: How you can help the children of Iraq

Abdullah, 9, is learning to walk and talk again after a bomb exploded in his face. You can give hope to thousands like him

Wildfires sweep across eastern Australia

Hundreds of homes at risk in New South Wales as record temperatures and high winds create worst bushfire threat in 100 years

Armchair army to save rainforest

A conservation group led by Johan Eliasch is launching an appeal to recruit 100,000 green heroes to protect trees in the Amazon

China’s spirits hold Mickey Mouse at bay

Plans to build the first Disneyland in mainland China has met an unexpected obstacle - ancestor worship by local villagers

Big Bang machine back in business

Scientists restarted the Large Hadron Collider this weekend, aiming to power the £6bn simulator up to record-breaking speeds

Life sentences sought for Meredith’s killers

Prosecutor says that that DNA and other evidence linking the accused to the crime was 'irrefutable and well corroborated'

Italy blushes at Mussolini sex diaries

The fascist dictator Benito Mussolini boasted of keeping 14 lovers at one time, according to the diaries of his mistress