MORE NEWS

Berlusconi: I’m the most persecuted man, ever

The Italian Prime Minister maintains his innocence but in an embarrassing gaffe says he has spent €200m “on judges”

Power cuts forecast to hit UK in four years

A crumbling energy infrastructure will see a return to the cuts of the 1970s and much higher utility bills, Ofgem predicts

Nuclear engineer held for al-Qaeda links

Algerian who worked at Swiss research lab Cern is held in southeast France on suspicion of links to al-Qaeda

Sport News  

England fans kept in dark over highlights

Supporters must wait until at least 7.15pm today to discover if edited version of match against Ukraine will be shown on TV

• James set to be No 1 in South Africa

• Fink Tank: England still on right lines

Lamb kicks Irish to famous victory

Leinster 9 London Irish 12: late penalty means exiles hang on to inflict narrow defeat on Heineken Cup holders

Peacock looking for clean win in Grand Final

The Leeds prop and England captain wants today's match between Leeds Rhinos and St Helens to pass peacefully

Business news  

Banks to be forced to lend £27bn to business

Government to hold Lloyds and RBS to commitments made on small and medium-sized enterprises at time of taxpayer bailout

It's Bond Traders II, another lurid story

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the City, a court will hear again about poaching and men behaving badly

Debtors must pay after loophole ruling

Thousands will be forced to honour their loan agreements after judge rules ‘unenforceable’ loans must be paid

Comment  

Mandela, yes. Tsvangirai even. But Obama?

The Nobel award to the American President is perverse and premature. We need time to judge him

• Malcolm Rifkind

Prepare for office. And for booby traps too

The Tory leadership has propelled the party towards government – but it will have a job to keep the backbenchers with it

• Matthew Parris

The barcode is nothing to celebrate

It killed off the traditional shop and gave us the checkout girl. And what’s with a 57th anniversary anyway?

• Giles Coren

Life and Style  

Is turning 40 the beginning of the end?

It’s officially the halfway point, but is 40 really the beginning of the end? Fiona Neill charts the death of middle age

A generation that posts everything online

With sex and technology now inextricably linked for Britain’s youth, are we witnessing the death of discretion?

It’s never too late to learn how to be punctual

Lateness is a way of life for many people. But can good timekeeping be learnt by paying attention to your habits

Arts & Entertainment  

Damian Hirst joins the Old Masters

The man who made his name with a pickled shark has a new show at that temple to taste, the Wallace Collection

Top 10 British films to watch out for

With the capital about to host The Times BFI London Film Festival, young Brit-flick talent has never looked better

Subodh Gupta on skulls, milk pails and cow dung

His swaggering work has made him India’s most talked-about artist, and the paintings of his wife are also winning acclaim