Why is autism in the news again? The developmental disorder characterised by "extreme autistic loneliness" and "an obsessional desire for the maintenance of sameness", according to Leo Kanner, who first described it in 1943, exerts a grip on the public

Farruquito, one of Spain's biggest flamenco stars, was yesterday jailed for three years for the hit-and-run killing of a pedestrian. The dancer, whose real name is Juan Manuel Fernandez Montoya, was condemned for driving his BMW at 80kmh (50mph) in

A Blairite cabinet minister has declined to endorse Gordon Brown as Tony Blair's successor and urged the Chancellor to join a wide-ranging debate about Labour's future policies. John Hutton, the Work and Pensions Secretary, has become the first cabinet minister

Beverly Hills Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery "Beauty Tip of the Day", by Beverly Hills Plastic and Cosmetic Surgeon, Dr. Francis R Palmer, III: "Baby steps are fine when you're looking to make yourself more attractive...just be sure your stepping in

Tony Blair has been hit by an open mutiny among previously loyal Labour MPs who are threatening to force him out of Downing Street unless he agrees to stand down soon. To avoid the humiliation of being evicted from No

The great Russian Romantic Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is to be the next composer whose complete works will be broadcast by Radio 3. After the enormous success of previous schedules offering the entire output of Bach, Beethoven and Webern, Tchaikovsky has

Britain has been colonised at least eight times over the past 700,000 years and on seven of those occasions the human population was wiped out by cold winters. This is one of the main conclusions of a five-year investigation into

Leading scientists have criticised Britain's premier public forum on science for hosting a series of lectures on controversial research into the paranormal that suggests the possibility of mental telepathy and the existence of consciousness after death. The British Association for

Amid extraordinary scenes of mourning, Australians struggled to come to terms with the death of Steve Irwin, the wildlife enthusiast and television star who died in a freak accident at the Great Barrier Reef on Monday. Irwin, whose Crocodile Hunter

Two international think-tanks published reports yesterday highlighting failures of US and UK policy in Afghanistan, and warned the security situation in the country was deteriorating. The Senlis Council claimed that the campaign by British forces against the Taliban had inflicted

Carlos Castaño Gil, paramilitary leader: born Amalfi, Colombia 15 May 1965; twice married (one son, two daughters); died El Tomate, Colombia 16 April 2004. When Colombian officials confirmed that the DNA samples taken last Friday from a charred skeleton in

It may have been built as a folly, but the plight of Clavell Tower has gradually become deadly serious. Perched precipitously above Kimmeridge Bay in Dorset, the tower is just a couple of yards from the edge of a 300ft

Guido Mussolini, a grandson of the Italian dictator, has provoked an angry row in the Mussolini family after demanding that the corpse of the man they called "Il Duce" be exhumed. Mr Mussolini, 69, who works in a cheese factory

Felipe Calderon of the conservative ruling party was belatedly declared the winner of July's fiercely contested national election in Mexico as the country's top electoral tribunal voted unanimously yesterday to confirm him as president-elect. The decision, which was widely expected,

The parents of a tourist shot dead in Jordan by a gunman shouting "God is great" in Arabic feared at first it was their other son, currently serving with British forces in Iraq, who had died. Christopher Stokes, 30, travelled

Intel confirmed tonight that it would cut 10,500 jobs worldwide, but it is believed the move will have a minimal effect on the thousands employed at the computer chip company's Leixlip and Shannon plants.

Thirty-two Iraqis have been deported from Britain despite warnings that they face persecution and violence upon their return. To the anger of refugee groups, they will be forced to start new lives today in the Kurdish-controlled north of the country

Britons stand to gain new rights to seek health treatment abroad and then bill the National Health Service, under "health tourism" plans unveiled by the European Commission. The moves could lead to a big expansion of cross-border choice for patients

A security review is to examine how Ian Huntley, the Soham murderer, managed to take a drug overdose despite being considered a suicide risk. The killer of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, both aged 10, was recovering in hospital last

Cheered on by hundreds of supporters, Jacob Zuma, South Africa's former deputy president, appeared in court yesterday to face corruption charges which could put paid to his chances of succeeding Thabo Mbeki as President. Following his acquittal on a rape