BRITISH forces were yesterday involved in a major operation to rid the violence-torn city of Basra of militia loyal to the radical cleric, Moqtada al-Sadr.

EIGHT men who were detained in Guantanamo Bay are seeking millions of pounds in damages from the British security services.

WILLIE OFF HOOK

ORGANISERS of a play celebrating the life of Bill Shankly have been left sick as parrots after one of Scotland best-known comedians pulled out at the 89th minute.

NESTLÉ has launched a £2m marketing campaign to mark the comeback of the blue Smartie.

THE baby son of the Earl and Countess of Wessex was christened at a private ceremony yesterday.

A COURT-appointed expert said yesterday there was not enough evidence to conclude that a British student had been sexually assaulted or strangled, nor was it possible to narr

FAMILY and friends of George Best's father Dickie paid tribute yesterday to a remarkable man with a twinkle in his eye.

A LABOUR MP has been charged with criminal damage following an incident involving a van at a bus stop, it emerged yesterday.

IT DOESN'T have a lavish budget or big-name stars, but Gavin & Stacey is being tipped to steal the show at tonight's Bafta Television Awards. The gentle comedy abo

OLDEST TREE

SCOTLAND is facing its biggest energy crisis since the fuel blockades of 2000 which brought the country to a grinding halt.

IT IS a money-making move that John Lennon could never have imagined.

BOBBY'S demise in Dallas caused one. Who shot Phil in EastEnders created another. The World Cup semi between West Germany and England generated a huge one in 1990. But two

SELFISHNESS, greed and family breakdown are among the modern-day "social evils", according to a report published today.

CHANCELLOR Alistair Darling will this week urge mortgage lenders to give a "fair deal" to borrowers who are struggling to repay their home loans.

MP3 BREAKTHROUGH

THE £1bn funeral industry is to be examined by the Financial Services Authority after claims vulnerable pensioners are paying over the odds for schemes.

ARMY bomb disposal experts carried out a third controlled explosion at the home of a 19-year-old terror suspect yesterday.

Police have seized drugs worth about £140,000 from a house in Greenock.