Burma death toll rises
The number of dead and missing in the Irrawaddy delta has risen above 60,000. Burmese state television said that 22,464 had been killed and another 41,054 were missing in the wake of Cyclone Nargis. Observers claim Burma's military junta is impeding the arrival of emergency aid into the country.
In pictures: the Burma cyclone 
The Burma file: all the latest from the fight against the generals
Obama smiling again after Carolina win
A clear win in North Carolina has put Barack Obama within sight of the Democratic nomination. In his victory speech he was looking happier than he has for weeks. Hillary Clinton achieved a narrow win in Indiana, way short of the triumphant victory her camp had been promising.
Latest from the US election
Alexander Cockburn: it's all but over for Clinton
Boris backs boot-camps and boxing
On his first working day as mayor, Boris Johnson has responded to last week's stabbing of teenager Lyle Tulloch by announcing plans for weekend courses for misbehaving youths, which will feature academic tutoring and sport. He has also proposed setting up new boxing clubs in the capital.
Alexander defied Brown
Gordon Brown's authority seems weaker than ever, as it emerged that Wendy Alexander, the leader of the Labour Party in Scotland, defied his wishes when she backed calls for a referendum on independence. Critics have accused her of taking advantage of his vulnerability after the local election defeats.
The Mole: latest news from Downing Street
Gorbachev warns of US aggression
Mikhail Gorbachev, the former Russian leader, has accused the US of re-starting the Cold War, by seeking to expand Nato in former Soviet Union territories, and planning a missile shield in central Europe. His comments come on the day that the new Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev, is to be inaugurated.
Advisers relaxed on cannabis
The Government is likely to ignore its own advisers in its determination to reclassify cannabis. The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs is to issue a report that recommends keeping it in class C, where the maximum penalty for possession is two years. Because there are dissenting voices within... [continued]
Police kill gunman in Chelsea
Police shot dead a gunman who was firing from a flat in Chelsea yesterday afternoon. After a five-hour stand off in Markham Square, in which he continued to fire a shotgun at police, they raided the flat he was occupying. The Independent Police Complaints Commission has begun to investigate the... [continued]
BAE Systems criticised
In his inquiry into BAE Systems, Lord Woolf has criticised a culture of ethical corner-cutting and evasion at Britain's largest arms company, which allegedly bribed Saudi ministers. BAE has apologised for past errors and promised to do better in future. Critics have called Woolf's report a whitewashing exercise.
Bank rate could be cut again
The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee is pondering another interest-rate cut - it would be the first back-to-back interest rate cut in almost seven years. The Bank will ponder gloomy data: some experts say the economy is now close to outright contraction.
