US pledges Burma aid
A cyclone has killed well over 10,000 people in Burma. The full scale of the disaster emerged yesterday when the secretive Burmese government issued an appeal for help. The First Lady, Laura Bush, announced US aid plans for the thousands of refugees.
The Burma file: all the latest from the fight against the generals 
Bring on Scottish referendum, says Alexander
Wendy Alexander, the Scottish Labour leader, has unexpectedly backed calls for a referendum on independence, in the hope of calling the SNP's bluff. The government was unaware of her move, which
counters its official policy. She said: "Our message to the First Minister is enough of the huff, puff and... [continued]
A very British divorce
Police rethink use of CCTV
A senior police official has admitted that CCTV cameras have so far been ineffective in the fight against street crime. They help to solve only three per cent of street robberies. The Visual Images, Identifications and Detections Office (Viido) at New Scotland Yard is trying to reform its use of... [continued]
England getting more crowded
England’s population is set to rise by a third over the next 50 years, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics, obtained by the Conservatives. The population will rise from 50 million to around 68 million by 2056. It is already twice as crowded as Germany and four... [continued]
Clinton offers cheaper petrol
Hillary Clinton has made a highly populist bid to win the Indiana and North Carolina primaries, which take place today. She has proposed a summer respite on federal petrol tax, to ease the burden on working Americans. Obama dismissed it as an empty gimmick.
US Election 2008 latest
Dead babies found in freezer
A German teenager found three dead babies in the family freezer. He and his sister confronted their mother, who handed herself in to the police, and has been charged with manslaughter. It is thought that her large figure concealed her pregnancies from her family.
France gripped by double infanticide
Aviation emissions worsen
A new study suggests that the aviation industry's carbon emissions are 20 per cent higher than official figures. The report, by four government-funded research bodies, was presented to a conference co-organised by the United States' Federal Aviation Authority but not given a wider audience.
Fritzl prepared dungeon over six years
Josef Fritzl, the Austrian who imprisoned his own daughter for 24 years and had seven children by her, began building his dungeon six years before imprisoning his daughter in it, investigators have revealed. The dungeon was protected by eight locked doors, the last two electronically controlled. “Fritzl planned every detail... [continued]
Oil price rise will hit recovery
Experts have warned that just as the economy recovers from the credit crunch it is likely to be hit by the rising price of crude oil. The influential Ernst & Young Item Club warned that will slow growth and could cause inflation to double.
Bleak results for UBS
The Swiss bank UBS, which is the largest in Europe, has announced very poor first quarter results, and is likely to cut thousands of jobs. It has lost $37 billion since the summer.
