The Independent

Condoleezza Rice says the US has no plans to attack Iran 'at this point in time'. But recent history suggests otherwise. By James C Moore

Asked directly whether the US planned an attack on Iran, Ms Rice said: "The question is simply not on the agenda at this point in time. We have diplomatic missions to do this." It was an answer that had a familiar ring. By Julian Coman, Colin Brown and Rupert Cornwell.

At the Meteorological Office's headquarters in an industrial estate on the outskirts of Exeter last week, the world's climate scientists peered into the abyss.

Floods, storms and droughts. Melting Arctic ice, shrinking glaciers, oceans turning to acid. The world's top scientists warned last week that dangerous climate change is taking place today, not the day after tomorrow. You don't believe it? Then, says Geoffrey Lean, read this...

The Government-sponsored conference on climate change, which concluded in Exeter yesterday, was a success. It demonstrated, beyond doubt, that global warming is one of the gravest threats facing our world today.

The security of military flights in Iraq was under urgent review last night after Islamic militants claimed they had shot down a British transport plane carrying special forces with a ground-to-air missile.

Hükümetler Arası İklim Değişimi Paneli'nin Başkanı Dr. Pachauri, atmosferdeki karbondioksit seviyesinin tehlike sınırına çoktan erişmiş olduğunu söyledi ve "İnsan ırkının hayatta kalabilme becerisini riske atıyoruz" dedi.

As war ended, our correspondents examined key questions about Iraq's future.

As the world prepares to commemorate Holocaust Day, crimes against humanity are still being committed in Darfur while diplomats bicker. Anne Penketh

Küresel ısınma tehlikesinin geri dönülemez eşiğine ulaşmamıza kalan sürenin 10 yıldan uzun olmadığı, uluslararası bir çalışma grubu tarafından yayımlanan bir raporla, ilk kez bu kadar açık bir şekilde ifade edildi.

Twenty-three inmates at the US detention facility in Guantanamo Bay staged a mass suicide attempt in 2003 by trying to hang or strangle themselves. By Robert Verkaik and Terri Judd

Last week, courtesy of Seymour Hersh and The New Yorker, we learned that a long-held prediction of mine had come true. American forces have been operating inside Iran, thus extending yet further the President's "war on terror". By Gore Vidal

Chomsky's views on America's role in the world are well-known, thanks to four decades of relentless political activity marked by his forensically detailed demolition of the US official line.

Storm force winds hit the stricken city of Carlisle in Cumbria last night, hampering its attempts to mop up from floods that have left three people dead and thousands homeless. By Ian Herbert

As the international aid effort grows and George Bush launches a fresh appeal, we ask politicians and commentators if 2005 might see a new determination to tackle global poverty

Up to half the 60,000 victims of the tsunami are children, says UN. Tens of thousands more are orphaned, and face threat of disease. By Justin Huggler in Madras and Andrew Buncombe

Some countries have benefited hugely from globalisation, while others have been left far behind

Sir Tom McKillop, chief executive of AstraZeneca, could be forced to quit before the end of next month, investors have warned. By Jason Nisse

£30bn: The amount Britons will spend celebrating Christmas this year. By Cahal Milmo

'The real threat to the life of the nation, in the sense of a people living in accordance with its traditional laws and political values, comes not from terrorism but from laws such as these' - Lord Hoffmann - in yesterday's judgment

Turkey should be in the European Union precisely because it is a liberal, modernising country of Muslims

The European Parliament yesterday called for EU membership talks with Turkey as soon as possible, paving the way for heads of government to make an historic offer to Ankara at a meeting tonight. By Stephen Castle

Spain's socialist Prime Minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, condemned his conserva- tive predecessors yesterday for carrying out a "massive deception" in blaming the 11 March train bombings on Eta Basque separatists.

Turkish membership of the EU can bridge the gap between the West and the Islamic world and avert a clash of civilisations, says Turkey's Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who warned of the danger of rebuffing his country. By Stephen Castle

The opening of Istanbul's new modern art museum may not seem the obvious place for Turkey's Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to talk about his country's European Union ambitions, but the venue has been chosen to make a point. By Stephen Castle

The Pentagon is collecting figures on local casualties in Iraq, contrary to its public claims, but the results are classified, according to one of the authors of an independent study which reported last week that the war has killed at least 100,000 Iraqis.

Because the coalition wants to play down the carnage. Especially when it comes to civilians. By Andrew Buncombe, Severin Carrell and Raymond Whitaker

Italy's billionaire Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, faces the most testing judgment of his political life today, when three judges in Milan are expected to decide whether he is guilty of corruption. By Peter Popham

One billion children are at risk today from war, poverty and hunger, failed by the world's governments. By Stephen Khan.

The West's approach to fighting global warming, enshrined in the Kyoto protocol, will not work, a leading climate scientist said yesterday.