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First Night: Prima Donna, Palace Theatre, Manchester

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 00:56:39 GMT

A diva whose voice has been silenced. A soprano haunted by the nightmarish memory of her last appearance. It's a great idea and might easily have made a bittersweet song in the hands of that quirky singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright.

Stephen Foley: Back in action, but where are GM's cars?

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 00:47:51 GMT

US Outlook: There was an omission from the press conference called to announce the birth of "New GM", the restructured General Motors that emerged, blinking from bankruptcy protection, at dawn yesterday. There was no mention of GM's cars.

Stephen Foley: Helicoptor's blades may not cut it

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 00:47:15 GMT

US Outlook: It is the political parlour game of the summer on Wall Street and in Washington, handicapping Ben Bernanke's chances of a second term as chairman of the Federal Reserve.

Great Sporting Moments: Rafael Nadal defeats Roger Federer in Wimbledon final

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:01:52 GMT

If you were at Centre Court on that glowering, brilliant night a year ago, it is possible to close your eyes now and visualise maybe the greatest tennis shot ever played.

Great Sporting Moments: Tennis

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:01:41 GMT

Sometimes, sport is more than just sport. Sometimes, the greatest champions reach a zone of near-perfection that approaches the divine.

Great Sporting Moments: Australia 18 Great Britain 25, Brisbane, 1958

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:01:27 GMT

During the almost 115 years that a game called rugby league has been played, there has been no shortage of the heroic. Indeed, those of us to whom it really is The Greatest Game of All would argue that it demands a measure of heroism just to get out on to the pitch and to stay there.

Great Sporting Moments: Rugby League

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:01:18 GMT

Sometimes, sport is more than just sport. Sometimes, the greatest champions reach a zone of near-perfection that approaches the divine.

The players itching for a transfer move

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:01:14 GMT

In the words of Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez the transfer market this summer has become 'Crazy – all money, money, money'. So who else might be adding to the madness by moving in the next six weeks? Ian Herbert assesses the main targets.

You Write the Caption - 11/07/09

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:01:03 GMT

Go on, make us laugh. Post your caption to this picture using the comment form below and our favourite will win a bottle of Champagne.

The 50 Best Handbags

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:00:39 GMT

The Ten Best Weekend Bags

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:00:38 GMT

Chosen by Gemma Hayward

How to conquer Turnberry - by the man who knows best

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:00:28 GMT

Save money with these websites

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:00:26 GMT

The internet is wonderful for checking product reviews, swapping goods or changing utility suppliers. Here are my 10 of best money-saving websites. I would be surprised if you can't save money from at least one:

James Lawton: The gods of football, and the mortals at Barça, would not have been impressed

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:00:01 GMT

Those who believe that almost everything Real Madrid have come to stand for makes a travesty of sport as we have always known it and respected it and, yes, loved it, are unlikely to be too reassured.

Monullt and mackerel: Beneath the glitz and glamour of St-Tropez lies a charming coastal town

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:00:01 GMT

My wife, Jane, had never been to St-Tropez. She embarked on a rare weekend away without the children in a slight state of trepidation – nothing to do with the forest of signs at Nice airport warning of the dangers of grippe porcine, but rather her perception of "St-Trop" as a haven for the vulgar rich.

Leading article: Inspiring example

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:00:01 GMT

The campaign against the Army's use of Snatch Land Rovers has been raging for several years now. And powerful voices in Parliament and the media have condemned the use of the lightly armoured vehicles to transport troops.

Suu Kyi trial restarts after Burma snubs plea by UN

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:00:01 GMT

The widely condemned trial of the Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi resumed yesterday, a week after the country's military rulers ignored a plea from the UN chief to drop security charges against her. She faces five years in prison if found guilty of breaking a draconian security law that protects the state from "subversive elements".

Chinese police break up Uighur protest at mosque

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:00:01 GMT

Chinese riot police broke up a small demonstration by Uighurs leaving Friday prayers in a Muslim neighbourhood of Urumqi, arresting several who were taken away with hands above their heads. The action came as the United States urged Chinese leaders to act with restraint in tackling the unrest in the Xinjiang region.

David Lister: Don't forget Monterey...

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:00:01 GMT

It was the music festival that not only summed up the Sixties but also is acknowledged as setting the template for all future music festivals. Hundreds of thousands of people attended to watch stars such as The Who and Jimi Hendrix, pictured below, give unforgettable performances.

Richard Ingrams’s Week: What a surprise: a prince defends a tyrannical king

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:00:01 GMT

The BBC is keen to keep close links with the Royal Family, which is presumably why the corporation invited Prince Charles, below, to deliver the annual Dimbleby Lecture this week.

Errors & Omissions: It's understandably easy to confuse horses and royalty

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:00:01 GMT

A disastrous headline appeared on a business page on Monday: "CBI to unveil plans to reign in jobless total."

My Week: Sir Liam Donaldson

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:00:01 GMT

Monday

I'm an owl who has to live like a lark because I get up very early most days, about 6am. As the Chief Medical Officer for England, I start each day looking at all the media on health.

Robert Fisk’s World: You won't find any lessons in unity in the Dead Sea Scrolls

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:00:01 GMT

At last, I have seen the Dead Sea Scrolls. There they were, under their protective, cool-heated screens, the very words penned on to leather and papyrus 2,000 years ago, the world's most significant record of the Old Testament. I guess you've got to see it to believe it. I can't read Hebrew – let alone ancient Hebrew (or Greek or Aramaic, the other languages of the scrolls) – but some of the letters are familiar to me from Arabic. The "seen" (s) of Arabic, and the "meem" (m) are almost the same as Hebrew and there they were, set down by some ancient who knew, as we do, only the past and nothing of the future. Most of the texts are in the Bible; several are not. "May God most high bless you, may he show you his face and may he open for you," it is written on the parchments. "For he will honour the pious upon the throne of an eternal kingdom."

Business Diary: 11/07/2009

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:00:01 GMT

John Lewis lobs sun & strokes into excuse mix

There's a new excuse for corporate PRs to gloss over bad news. Had a slump in sales? Ratings down? Here's your communications solution: Blame the hot weather, right, and tennis ... as if either has ever ground the UK to a halt before.

Olympic shopping centre struggles to attract retailers

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:00:01 GMT

The developer of the £1.5bn flagship shopping centre of the 2012 London Olympic Games has signed up just three retailers out of 300 units less than two years before opening, laying bare the crisis gripping retail property.