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After 14 years of being dominated by Hugo Chavez’s bombastic and idiosyncratic personality, Venezuela now faces huge political uncertainty. Related Stories Death of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez leaves tears - and a nation dividedFlorida sinkhole: First images released of 60ft-deep crater that claimed Jeff Bush’s life75-year-old American Sandra Layne accused of shooting her grandson dead'We are all Hugo Chavez': supporters gather to pay tribute to Venezuela's dead President'Drone' alert over New York after pilot spots UFO

Hundreds of thousands of red-shirted Chavistas filled the streets of Caracas today to honour Venezuela’s dead President, Hugo Chavez. Related Stories Death of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez leaves tears - and a nation dividedFlorida sinkhole: First images released of 60ft-deep crater that claimed Jeff Bush’s life75-year-old American Sandra Layne accused of shooting her grandson deadAnointed heir of Hugo Chavez faces competition for the poisoned chalice'Drone' alert over New York after pilot spots UFO

Relations between Downing Street and Theresa May’s senior aides have become increasingly strained, amid suggestions that the Home Secretary could be positioning herself as a future leadership contender. Related Stories UK will supply armoured vehicles to Syrian opposition forces 'in bid to end humanitarian crisis'Civil servants plan Budget day strike in pay dispute'Desert Rats' lose tanks in Army shake-upAuthors plead with government not to risk planned libel reformsDavid Cameron and Vince Cable at war over route to recovery

The family of the nurse who apparently took her own life after answering the Duchess of Cambridge hoax call has been denied legal aid for her inquest, The Independent can disclose. Related Stories My boss didn't want me there, Lord Sugar's Apprentice winner Stella English tells tribunalMy boss didn't want me there, Lord Sugar's Apprentice winner Stella English tells tribunal over prize roleMid-Ulster by-election: campaign eerily quiet as IRA murder victim's son faces alleged killer in pollsPayday lenders have 12 weeks to clean up act or face being shut down, says Office of Fair TradingLord Sugar tells tribunal that Apprentice winner Stella English was an untrusting person fond of conspiracy theories

It may sound like a pilot has been watching too much X Files, but an investigation has been launched after a UFO sighting near a New York airport. Related Stories Death of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez leaves tears - and a nation dividedFlorida sinkhole: First images released of 60ft-deep crater that claimed Jeff Bush’s life75-year-old American Sandra Layne accused of shooting her grandson dead'We are all Hugo Chavez': supporters gather to pay tribute to Venezuela's dead PresidentAnointed heir of Hugo Chavez faces competition for the poisoned chalice

Thousands took to the streets of Changchun in north-eastern China today for a candlelight vigil to mourn a baby who was strangled by a carjacker, in a case that has appalled the whole country. Related Stories Yesterday's man, Wen Jiabao, gives the world a glimpse of China's tomorrow under incoming President Xi JinpingRussian soldier 'missing in action' for 30 years found in AfghanistanMalaysian army attacks Filipino militantsIn pictures: Japan then and now - two years on from the tsunami and earthquakeTwo years on the deadly battle to save Fukushima from an invisible, odourless enemy goes on

A 75-year-old woman is standing trial in America, charged with killing her grandson, shooting him five times. Related Stories Passing of Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez, leaves tears - and a nation dividedVenezuelan President Hugo Chavez dies aged 58 after lengthy battle with cancerPassing of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez leaves tears - and a nation dividedDeath of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez leaves tears - and a nation dividedFlorida sinkhole: First images released of 60ft-deep crater that claimed Jeff Bush’s life

The top lawyer for jailed former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has been stripped of parliamentary immunity and his seat in the Ukrainian legislature. Related Stories Costa Concordia victims tell of terror and chaosDancer admits being behind Bolshoi chief attackDancer admits being behind attack on Bolshoi chief Sergei FilinBad boy of the Bolshoi, Pavel Dmitrichenko, admits he was behind acid attack on director Sergei FilinNicolas Sarkozy: 'I would return to politics to save France'

Red meat was out, but prawns and chicken were all right. Salt was frowned upon and monosodium glutamate was a strict no-no. The resident of 54 University Avenue was also very concerned about putting on weight. Related Stories New arrest over Picasso art raid in RotterdamRussian police arrest man over acid attack on Bolshoi director Sergei Filin

Tensions inside the Coalition over whether the Government should change economic course will burst into the open today when Vince Cable calls for higher borrowing to finance large-scale building projects to kick-start the economy. Related Stories Ed Miliband pledges tougher line on immigration after past mistakesUK will supply armoured vehicles to Syrian opposition forces 'in bid to end humanitarian crisis'Civil servants plan Budget day strike in pay dispute'Desert Rats' lose tanks in Army shake-upAuthors plead with government not to risk planned libel reforms

Britain is winning the war against heroin and crack cocaine with a 10 per cent fall in users over five years, the head of a leading drugs organisation said. Related Stories Government announces 'humiliating u-turn' on competition regulations in NHS

The former president Nicolas Sarkozy says that France is plunging into a deep financial and social crisis which will eventually demand a national saviour – himself. Related Stories Costa Concordia victims tell of terror and chaosDancer admits being behind Bolshoi chief attackDancer admits being behind attack on Bolshoi chief Sergei FilinBad boy of the Bolshoi, Pavel Dmitrichenko, admits he was behind acid attack on director Sergei FilinUkrainian defence lawyer is stripped of seat

Hundreds of mourners gathered for a memorial service for Mido Macia, the Mozambican taxi driver who died in a South African cell after being dragged behind a police vehicle. Related Stories Oscar Pistorius' family caught up in row over weaponsFamily split forms after Oscar Pistorius' father attacks ANCThe accidental run-off: Kenya left in limbo by confusion at the pollsAn end to elephants in Africa? Species at crisis point as illegal ivory trade grows rapidlyEgyptian elections halted as law is queried

Sir Mervyn King has told the Government to “face up” to the fact that its plans to return the Royal Bank of Scotland to private hands are failing –  and urged ministers to perform radical surgery on the lender for the sake of the stuttering economy.

The scientific writer at the centre of a free speech battle has pleaded with political leaders not to allow planned libel reforms to be risked by in-fighting over the future of the press. Related Stories Ed Miliband pledges tougher line on immigration after past mistakesUK will supply armoured vehicles to Syrian opposition forces 'in bid to end humanitarian crisis'Civil servants plan Budget day strike in pay dispute'Desert Rats' lose tanks in Army shake-upDavid Cameron and Vince Cable at war over route to recovery

An Egyptian administrative court on Wednesday ordered the suspension of parliamentary elections scheduled to begin next month, throwing the country’s politics deeper into confusion. Related Stories Oscar Pistorius' family caught up in row over weaponsFamily split forms after Oscar Pistorius' father attacks ANCThe accidental run-off: Kenya left in limbo by confusion at the pollsAn end to elephants in Africa? Species at crisis point as illegal ivory trade grows rapidly'Society is grieving', over taxi driver who died in a South African jail cell

Iraq is the first Arab country to be ruled by a Shia government since Saladin overthrew the Fatimids in Egypt in 1171. But Shia rule is deeply troubled, and Shia leaders have been unable to share power in a stable way that satisfies the Sunni, the Kurds and even the Shia community. Related Stories Palestinian students attack British Consul-General's car forcing him to cancel university speech in RamallahThe Sunni rise again: Uprising in Syria emboldens Iraq's minority communitySyrian refugee total hits one million, says UNMeet Bushra - the 19-year-old mother who became the millionth refugee to flee SyriaUN peacekeepers captured by Syrian rebels in Golan Heights

It is a battle waged with robots, state-of-the-art engineering and some of the most advanced filtering equipment on the planet, and by the time it is finished, the world will be half way through the 21st century. But the men in charge of cleaning up after the Fukushima nuclear disaster – the worst since Chernobyl – have insisted that it is all going according to plan. Related Stories An heir for North Korea's Dear Leader? Reports emerge that Kim Jong-un's pop star wife has given birth to a childYesterday's man, Wen Jiabao, gives the world a glimpse of China's tomorrow under incoming President Xi JinpingRussian soldier 'missing in action' for 30 years found in AfghanistanMalaysian army attacks Filipino militantsIn pictures: Japan then and now - two years on from the tsunami and earthquake

The illegal ivory trade is growing rapidly with double the number of elephants killed and triple the amount of ivory seized over the past decade, the UN has warned. Related Stories Kenyans defy threat of violence as polling queues stretch for milesKenya elections: a nation defies threat of violence as polling queues stretch for milesOscar Pistorius' family caught up in row over weaponsFamily split forms after Oscar Pistorius' father attacks ANCThe accidental run-off: Kenya left in limbo by confusion at the polls

The former Apprentice winner suing Lord Sugar for constructive dismissal was an “untrusting and suspicious person,” the millionaire business mogul has claimed. Related Stories Plain cigarette packs 'on the way' for UKMy boss didn't want me there, Lord Sugar's Apprentice winner Stella English tells tribunalMy boss didn't want me there, Lord Sugar's Apprentice winner Stella English tells tribunal over prize roleMid-Ulster by-election: campaign eerily quiet as IRA murder victim's son faces alleged killer in pollsPayday lenders have 12 weeks to clean up act or face being shut down, says Office of Fair Trading

A 20-strong United Nations observer mission has been captured by Syrian rebels on the country's border with Israel. Related Stories Palestinian students attack British Consul-General's car forcing him to cancel university speech in RamallahThe Sunni rise again: Uprising in Syria emboldens Iraq's minority communitySyrian refugee total hits one million, says UNHow the Shia are in power in Iraq – but not in controlMeet Bushra - the 19-year-old mother who became the millionth refugee to flee Syria

Bushra, a 19 year-old mother of two, became the one millionth registered refugee from the Syrian civil war today as she gave here details to a UNHCR official in the Lebanese city of Tripoli. Related Stories Palestinian students attack British Consul-General's car forcing him to cancel university speech in RamallahThe Sunni rise again: Uprising in Syria emboldens Iraq's minority communitySyrian refugee total hits one million, says UNHow the Shia are in power in Iraq – but not in controlUN peacekeepers captured by Syrian rebels in Golan Heights

For the first time in almost 3000 years – a full size Bronze Age style sea-going boat has been launched in Britain. Slipping gracefully down a slipway today into Falmouth Harbour, Cornwall, the 15m-long vessel was then paddled by its 18 person crew for two 500m trial trips.

John Lewis and Waitrose staff are set for bonuses worth 15% of their salaries tomorrow as the retail chain marks a return to profits growth.

Civil servants are to stage a strike on Budget day to launch three months of industrial action in a worsening row over pay, pensions and working conditions. Related Stories Danny Alexander rebukes Defence Secretary Philip Hammond in Cabinet over opposition to MoD cutsExclusive: Chilcot Inquiry to challenge official line on IraqEd Miliband pledges tougher line on immigration after past mistakesUK will supply armoured vehicles to Syrian opposition forces 'in bid to end humanitarian crisis''Desert Rats' lose tanks in Army shake-up

The "Desert Rats" are to lose their tanks in a shake-up of the UK's shrinking Armed Forces, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed. Related Stories Danny Alexander rebukes Defence Secretary Philip Hammond in Cabinet over opposition to MoD cutsExclusive: Chilcot Inquiry to challenge official line on IraqEd Miliband pledges tougher line on immigration after past mistakesUK will supply armoured vehicles to Syrian opposition forces 'in bid to end humanitarian crisis'Civil servants plan Budget day strike in pay dispute

The UK is to get its first official weekly Christian music chart following a surge in popularity for faith-based recordings. Related Stories Lord Sugar's 2010 Apprentice winner Stella English says she was 'overpaid lackey''Overpaid lackey': Lord Sugar's 2010 Apprentice winner Stella English says she was in sham roleYou thought the horse meatballs were bad... Ikea withdraws cakes over 'faecal matter''Nice girl. Don't do a lot': reality of life as the 'Apprentice' Lord Sugar barely sawDJ in the House! Fatboy Slim to play gig in Parliament tonight

John Lewis and Waitrose staff are set for bonuses worth 15% of their salaries tomorrow as the retail chain marks a return to profits growth.

Mike Benson thought, as the owner of a profitable small business, a £10,000 loan for a new Ford Transit van wouldn’t be too much to ask.

Most assumed it would be a by-election as bitter as any seen in Northern Ireland, not least because one candidate has been accused of involvement in the murder of the father of another. Related Stories Payday lenders have 12 weeks to clean up their act or face being shut down, says Office of Fair TradingPlain cigarette packs 'on the way' for UKMy boss didn't want me there, Lord Sugar's Apprentice winner Stella English tells tribunalMy boss didn't want me there, Lord Sugar's Apprentice winner Stella English tells tribunal over prize rolePayday lenders have 12 weeks to clean up act or face being shut down, says Office of Fair Trading