America shoots to kill

The life of a killer who never had a chance

Rupert Cornwell: If ever a man was destined to be added to the list of the 1,217 people executed since capital punishment was restored in the US in 1976, it was surely Ronnie Lee Gardner.

' I have de-crumbed a table by wiping the crumbs with a cloth into my cupped hand and, having nowhere to put the debris, shoving it in my pocket. '

John Walsh: A restaurant critic turns the tables

My first time: What happened when we challenged four writers to explore their untapped alter egos?

Deborah Ross: A neurotic searches for inner peace

Dark Doings: The secret life of an enigmatic pest

Boom in UK's mole population has been causing alarm. Michael McCarthy reflects on a subterranean mystery.

Meanwhile, the 'human mole' bites the dust

Can flower power really beat our economic blues?

Minister is urging people stressed by recession to take up creative actvities. Alice-Azania Jarvis reports.

Alice-Azania Jarvis: 'Perhaps I should give my flat one more chance'

England coach Fabio Capello barks his orders as Glen Johnson prepares to take a throw-in during the 0-0 draw last night

England in chaos – with one last shot at salvation

England 0 Algeria 0: Nerves strike again as Capello's team pile pressure on Wednesday's must win game.

Rooney: 'Nice to hear your fans booing'

640,000 - Ministers reveal size of the civil service

Whitehall employs almost two-thirds of a million people – but the total seems likely to soon fall.

Public borrowing at a peak, says ONS, but tough Budget awaits

Strikes threaten China's status as factory of world

Strikes pose an unprecedented threat to China's reputation as an exporting powerhouse.

Sean O'Grady: We will be hit in the pocket – but better off in the long run

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Political prisoners caught on film

Daring escape foiled by jail staff who read between the lines

When Brian Lawrence, a convicted murderer, wrote the words "more heat, less light" in one of his letters from the Isle of Wight's Parkhurst prison, he must have hoped warders monitoring his mail would put his reference down to his former career as a science teacher.

Debussy, four bullets, a dozen balloons: a Utah firing squad does its job

After 25 years on death row, Ronnie Lee Gardner was executed yesterday. David Usborne reports on the disturbing details

'Everyone knows France need a miracle to progress'

The inquests have started as Les Bleus' campaign heads for an early end.

K Rowling has a house here, and one of McCall Smith's closest neighbours is the crime writer Ian Rankin, who strides past me up the hill as I arrive. "On his way to Starbucks," says McCall Smith. "We often meet there for morning coffee."

Alexander McCall Smith: The No1 novelist's guide to Edinburgh

Alexander McCall Smith is a one-man literary industry. He has sold 40 million books, travels obsessively and churns out four or five new novels a year. But what he really likes are Belgian shoes, saddleback pigs and leisurely strolls around his beloved Edinburgh neighbourhood.

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George Osborne: A silver spoon for the golden boy

Britain's youngest Chancellor since 1886 is facing the biggest week of his life. His first Budget will define his career – and the Government.

Network Rail chief executive Coucher quits unexpectedly

The chief executive of Network Rail resigned unexpectedly yesterday, saying he could not commit to the Government-owned company during its next round of financing talks.

'Worry, worry, woe and worry. I think I'd only need my crops to fail to have a hit country song. '

Deborah Ross: A neurotic searches for inner peace

First time for everything: we all know that variety is the spice of life. But what happened when we challenged four writers to explore their untapped potential?

Webby winners say more with less

With 800 winners in various categories, the 14th Annual Webby Awards - the Oscars of the internet - must limit acceptance speeches at the ceremony to five words, to allow everyone time on stage and to avoid long boring thank yous.

Simon O'Hagan: Evans is seen as the Tesco of bike shops, rampaging across the land, threatening smaller outfits

Cyclotherapy

Orang-utan language identified

A new professor of poetry at Oxford, and no scandal

There were no blazing rows this time. After months of speculation and public controversy, Geoffrey Hill has been elected to the Oxford Professorship of Poetry – generally regarded as the most prestigious position in the poetry world after the Laureateship – by a landslide 1,156 votes. He fills a gap in the university’s teaching hierarchy left by the resignation of Ruth Padel last May.

700 groups sign up to run new 'free' schools

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AOL to sell social network site Bebo

AOL will sell its Bebo social network site to private investment firm Criterion Capital Partners for an undisclosed sum, as it tries to restructure its business and deal with declining revenue.

Orang-utan language identified

Orang-utans communicate intelligently using gestures, researchers have found.

Andy Ripley: Rugby union international who later became a champion rower and successful businessman

Andy Ripley, who died on Thursday at the age of 62 after a five-year battle with prostate cancer, was renowned as a rampaging No 8 for the England rugby union side, but he was also one of those rare sports stars who transcended his youthful glory days.