Akmal Shaikh, a British national sentenced to death in China for possessing heroin

Final hours for Briton on China's death row

Mentally ill man is set to be shot tomorrow after Chinese ignore pleas from family and UK Government.

Back row, from left: Bill Gates; Judi Dench; Jonathan Ross; Elisabeth Murdoch; Richard Desmond; Alan Bennett and Gerald Kaufmann. Front row, from left: Des Lynam; Greg Dyke; Frank Skinner; David Cameron and Jill Dando

Is it really only 10 years since 1999?

No Facebook. No Freeview. No ‘X Factor’. Rob Sharpe looks back over one long decade.

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What's eating Charlie Sheen?

US TV star spent Christmas Day under arrest for domestic violence.

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Nigerian in aircraft attack linked to London mosque

Probe into bomber's contact with UK radical groups and visits to East London mosque.

Is it time for the iSlate?

Nick Clark: Talk that Apple will soon unveil its handheld touchscreen computer has hit fever pitch.

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Living advent
Open the doors on the beach hut advent calendar
Heroes & villains
We pick our top 100 from the last decade

Daily cartoon
Dave Brown's colourful reflections on the news
Quiz of decade
What happened to the Noughties? Try our prize news quiz

The top 10
games you wish you'd got for Christmas
Best in the world
The 50 best rugby players on the planet

Dream Team
FIFA selects the best footballers of 2009
Bright sparks
Our experts introduce the hottest new stars.

Sports quotes
The most scandalous words of the year
Sports vote
Vote for your favourite moments of the decade

Cabinet divided over 'class war' attacks on Cameron

Ministers blame Ed Balls for pushing Gordon Brown to draw class divisions between the two main parties

Britain to send £50m to Palestine

Massive aid package includes cash earmarked for fighting extremism in young

Cut and thrust of Strauss spurs England

South Africa 343 England 103-1

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Pipe dreams: an untitled work by Eva Hesse (1968)

All about Eva Hesse

A collection of the sculptor Eva Hesse's diminutive, experimental works flirts with recognisable forms. It's life, but not quite as we know it, says Tom Lubbock

Models revolt over heel hell

Alexander McQueen's 12in heels have triggered a catwalk boycott because of concerns over safety

Fears for housing market as price growth slows

Hometrack predicts house price fall in England and Wales next year

Breakthrough offers hope to cancer sufferers

Scientists have discovered why a protein that suppresses the growth of the disease in some patients causes it to spread in others

Sue Townsend saved by son's kidney donation

The author Sue Townsend has undergone a life-saving kidney transplant thanks to the generosity of her son.

On Advertising: Compare the best ads of 2009? It's easy

They say that hard times foster great creativity: so in a year of almost unrelenting doom, adland optimists were waiting for a new creative dawn. It didn't come. There were pockets of extraordinary and inspiring work, but 2009 was far from a vintage year for the ad industry. Here, though, are the 10 best ads of the last 12 months.

Independent Appeal: Safe haven for women beaten and abused in Kashmir

For the past two decades, domestic violence has been a low priority in one of India's most troubled regions. But a bold initiative is now addressing the issue – bringing Hindus and Muslims together, reports Andy Buncombe

Pakistan's families caught in the crossfire

The IoS Christmas Appeal: As little as £8 can provide counselling for victims of trauma.

Buzzing again: Why 2009 was a good year for wasps – and the rest of Britain's wildlife

It began with an Arctic blast, suffered the heaviest 24-hour period of rain on record, and ended with another icy bombardment sweeping down from the North. Yet 2009 was surprisingly kind to much of Britain's wildlife given that the two previous wet summers had decimated many species of birds and butterflies.

2020 vision: Second-hand Prius, anyone? Car use declines across Europe as society returns to medieval values

Boosting immunity can start naturally

With flu season in full swing -- and H1N1 looming large -- some medical experts are encouraging preventative medicine to keep the immune system functioning optimally to keep seasonal illnesses at bay.

Childminders put off by red tape, say Tories

Twelve childminders a day in England have quit the profession since the Government introduced its new curriculum for toddlers, analysis by the Conservatives has revealed.

George Dannatt: Artist celebrated for his abstract works who also enjoyed careers as music critic and chartered surveyor

George Dannatt was an artist noted for his elegant abstract works. Over a long career he produced paintings, relief constructions, collages and drawings of harmony and balance, whose underlying lyricism stems from contemplation, concision and measured control.