Aid experts warn of 1.5m death toll
Aid experts allowed into Burma are warning that the cyclone-ravaged country is on the brink of an "unimaginable tragedy" and a "devastating public health crisis" if the ruling military junta do not accept international aid. Nine days after cyclone Nargis struck, the first US aircraft is bound for Rangoon today, but aid agencies say that help has reached less than one third of those in need and warn that the death toll of 100,000 could rise to 1.5m if clean water and sanitation are not provided immediately.
Pros & Cons of a 'relief invasion' 
The Burma File: The latest news from Rangoon and more
In pictures: Burma cyclone chaos
Junta left their people for dead
Students buried in China earthquake
An earthquake in south-west China has left nearly 10,000 people dead and injured 10,000 others, state media are reporting. Nearly 900 students were buried when their school building collapased in Dujiangyan, near the tremor's epicentre (pictured). It was one of five school buildings that collapsed with students inside them. The 7.8 magnitude tremor, which happened at 0628 (GMT) in the Sichuan province, was felt from Beijing to Bangkok.
In pictures: After the quake
Economic miracle is to blame for deaths
Foreign secretary defends Brown
Senior ministers, including Foreign Secretary David Miliband, have come to Gordon Brown's defence after the beleagured Prime Minister's leadership was hit by policy disputes, negative opinion polls and revelations in three autobiographies by John Prescott, Cherie Blair and Lory Levy. Prescott's memoir reveals that, exasperated by Brown's feud with Tony Blair, he urged the PM to sack his chancellor. Miliband yesterday described Brown as a man who commanded "the detail as well as the bigger picture. I don't recognise the portrait John Prescott has set out".
The Mole: Labour trails Tories
Hezbollah take Mt Lebanon
Hopes of an end to the past week's fighting in Lebanon hang on a knife edge, after 36 people were killed in battles between Hezbollah gunmen and US-backed government forces in mountains east of Beirut over the weekend. On Sunday Iranian-backed Hezbollah and its opposition allies escalated their armed takeover of the Mount Lebanon area, previously controlled by the pro-government Druze leader, Waleed Jumblatt. At least 50 people are believed to have been killed since the Sunni-Shiite clashes erupted on Wednesday.
Tsvangirai returns to Zimbabwe
Morgan Tsvangirai, the Zimbabwean opposition leader, is expected to return to Zimbabwe today to contest a run-off election against President Robert Mugabe, following criticism of his decision to flee the beleaguered country. The head of the MDC has chosen to contend the second round of elections after previously saying he would not run again because he won the first vote outright with 50.3 per cent of the vote.
More from our man in Harare
MPs set to back embryo research
MPs are set to back new laws that push back the boundaries of research on human embryos, but likely to reject demands to lower the time limit on abortions from 24 weeks. According to a poll of 109 MPs by the Guardian, more than half said they would vote against any move to lower the age limit on abortion from 24 weeks, as the human embryology and fertilisation bill receives its second reading in the Commons today.
Fritzl speaks of her cellar ordeal
Elisabeth Fritzl, the Austrian woman who was imprisoned by her sadistic father in a cellar for 24 years, has vowed she never wants to see her father's face again. The 42-year-old has spoken about her ordeal - in which she was raped by her father and gave birth to seven children, including one baby who died - to her family. Elisabeth Fritzl was reunited with her mother Rosemarie and with the three children who were taken away and allowed to live "upstairs" during her long ordeal.
Family’s tribute to ‘gentle giant’
The family of Jimmy Mizen, the 16-year-old who bled to death after his throat was cut in an unprovoked attack in an east London bakery shop on Saturday, have spoken of their shock at losing a "gentle giant" loved by all who knew him. Meanwhile police are looking for a "significant witness", a middle-aged white man, who was said to have seen the attack.
BA boss may still receive bonus
The British Airways board is to decide this week whether chief executive Willie Walsh should be awarded a performance bonus of more than £600,000 after the disastrous opening of Heathrow Terminal 5. The fiasco - which saw hundreds of flights cancelled - hit at the very end of the group's financial year, meaning Walsh will be in line for the payout - equal to one year's salary - if BA's annual results are in line with City forecasts.
British Energy could be split up
British Energy may be split between buyers, with the Government, which has a 35.2 per cent share in BE, emphatic that no one body should have full ownership. By last Friday's deadline, only one interested party - France's EDF - had signalled interest in the auction of the company, which owns Britain's nuclear reactors.
