Polls are now open in the local government elections, please vote Liberal Democrat today.

Good news for all Kings Road and Dixon Avenue residents', say Marconi ward Cllrs, Lib Dems Graham Pooley and Jude Deakin. O2's third planning application to erect a phone mast near the school has been rejected by Chelmsford Borough Council.

It is just as well that Wayne Rooney continues to deliver the goods for Manchester United (and trousers a decent wedge each week) because his fiancée Coleen McLoughlin has been given the chop from her £1.5 million per-year job as

Sebastian Faulks has been named by the bookseller Waterstone's as the first curator of its The Writer's Table and he had free rein in choosing each of the 40 titles to be showcased.

Nearly a third of children ages 6 to 10 are regular users of digital audio players, according to market research firm the NPD Group. And thanks to entrepreneurs like Don Katz, they can now use them to listen to bedtime

After a broadly-drawn shortlist which featured mainstream literary fiction and a novel for young adults, the Arthur C Clarke award returned to its roots with last night's award of the 2008 prize to Richard Morgan.

What a time it is for independents. Emma Hayley, the indie graphic novel publisher at Metro Media's SelfMadeHero, was this month named UK Young Publishing Entrepreneur (UKYPE) 2008, beating nominations from Random House and Penguin while, on Monday 28 April,

If everyone's getting a book deal for their blog, why aren't you? Mostly because your writing hasn't gone anywhere better than a Gawker comment thread, but also because you haven't followed these three steps (note: not a joke article! Real

Taschen has recorded a fall in sales but an increase in profit for the year ending 31 December 2007. Turnover fell from £6.9m to £6.5m, but gross profit increased to £2.1m from £1.7m, with pre-tax profit rising from £299,687m to

A 24-hour picket remains on the gates at printers Butler & Tanner (B&T), in Frome, Somerset, after the dismissal of 287 staff last weekend following a dispute over cost reductions, changes in working practices, collective bargaining agreements and pensions. The

Using consumption habits as a sort of self-expression shorthand has become so ubiquitous that we don't even blink. Hi, I'm Megan, I'm from New York, and I like the Jam, Prince, Nina Simone, mid-1990s D.C. punk, "The Colbert Report," "Little

Mystery Writers of America has announced its Winners for the Edgar Allan Poe Awards 2008, honoring the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction, television and film published or produced in 2007.

HarperCollins has signed a deal with a social networking site backed by retailer Mothercare to launch a series of books on parenting over the coming year.

What to do when you go to an orienteering event.

Only 24 books are produced for every tree felled. But book-swapping websites could provide a solution for the eco-aware reader.

Amanda Ross's Cactus TV is to team up with ITV3 to launch a set of new crime thriller awards. The awards will cover tv, film and books and will be launched at the Harrogate Festival with the awards ceremony being

In light of recent Government discussions, Audrey Williams, head of discrimination and diversity at international law firm Eversheds discusses possible changes to temporary workers' rights.

Credit card companies have turned down applications from more than 3.24 million people in the past six months as they continue to turn the screws on risky lending, new research from MoneyExpert.com reveals

Global surf brand, Rip Curl will open its first UK outlet store in May 2008 at Gunwharf Quays, Land Securities' £200 million mixed-use development on the waterfront at Portsmouth Harbour.

Fri 2nd May, Thurcaston Memorial Hall