The Romanian think tank European Institute for Participative Democracy (Qvorum) has published an influence ranking of the new European Parliament (EP) allocating points for key positions such as group leaders, committee chairmen, heads of delegations, ...The researchers' conclusion: Germany is

The current debate about Barack Obama's health care plan is very interesting, also from a European perspective. It doesn't only highlight how different people's attitudes to health care provision are but also that in this area many of the fundamentals

The FT is asking an interesting question:"Why did no one see the crisis coming?" Queen Elizabeth asked last year. "A failure of the collective imagination of many bright people" who were all "doing their job properly on its own merit",

This uber-green and good-for-you quick-cook uses the flavours of one of our favourite salads but morphs it into soup form.Serves four. (Takes 25 minutes plus cooling time)4 shallots, sliced3 tbsp light olive oil2 cloves garlic, chopped320g potatoes, peeled and roughly

Chiropractors may regret choosing to sue Simon Singh, springing online scientists into actionToday the Australian magazine Cosmos, along with a vast number of other blogs and publications, reprinted an article by Simon Singh, in slightly tweaked form, in an act

I've found Twitter to be a great way of getting my opinions across, and of reading and responding to what other people are sayingBlogging every day can be a bit hard when you've got other work to do. Since coming

 Amref report figures on desk:pupil ratio inaccurate Some pupils still sit on dirty floors Teachers question quality of government textbooksA considerable number of pupils in the majority of primary schools in Katine still study in poor conditions, making it

Microsoft's Bing to be Yahoo's 'exclusive algorithmic search', in return for 88% of search revenue for five yearsMicrosoft and Yahoo have confirmed a 10-year global search advertising deal forecast to generate income of $500m (£305m) a year.The deal gives Microsoft

Bank of England figures show mortgage approvals are 74% higher in June than NovemberThe number of mortgages approved for house purchases rose to its highest level in more than a year in June to 47,584, Bank of England figures showed

The judges of Britain's most prestigious literary award pick the wrong book far too often. But who could be trusted to make a better choice? Why, the readers of this blog, of courseThe Booker Prize is a fantastic way to

Web visits pour in for Antony Gormley art project in which members of the public stand on a plinth for an hour eachSky Arts' live online coverage of Antony Gormley's One & Other project in London's Trafalgar Square has clocked

Most of us never stray from the basic swing. A few of us dabble with the double swing. And then there are the curious few who indulge in an ungainly swing that goes the opposite way to everyone else's. It

Female drugs unit members on the frontline of battles with gangs in slumsA police helicopter rattles through the skies over Rio, black-clad snipers poised at either side.Below, in the Morro da Mineira shanty town, locals scatter for cover, shop-fronts clatter

• It's just like playing any other team, says England captain• Flintoff likely to play while Panesar is released from squadAustralia do not have the same aura about them as the country's recent dominant teams, the England captain, Andrew Strauss,

• Touré agrees four-year deal as club's sixth summer recruit• City step up pursuit of Lescott with £19m offerManchester City completed the £14m signing of Kolo Touré from Arsenal tonight and immediately set about trying to bring in another central

Calling it the good, the bad and the ugly, California governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, signs a package of bills to balance the state's budget

Technology editor Charles Arthur is in the driving seat for this week's programme â€" everyone else on the Tech Weekly team is either living it up, having babies, or studying. Someone has to do all the work …In this podcast,

Our pick of the best sports images from around the world in the last 24 hours

Martin Bell offers advice to Esther Rantzen as she announces at the next election.The number of so-called ' since the IRA and loyalist ceasefires. Ireland correspondent Henry McDonald explains why.Why do we â€" all will be revealed with our science

PC Chris Swallow initially believed he was looking at a dog but closer inspection has convinced him he saw one of the mysterious big cats which reportedly roam the UK