The Independent

Alexander Litvinenko was a man who could be taught little about the seamy side of modern Russia. A KGB agent for 18 years, he occupied a world where intrigue, betrayal and ruthless trickery were the tools of working life. By Cahal Milmo

The spectacular growth in the demand for air travel is far out-stripping government forecasts and could lead to a "nightmare" expansion at Britain's biggest airports and the acceleration of global warming, according to analysis of official figures. By Barrie Clement

Israel is reviewing its advance warnings policy after calling off two air strikes when civilians formed "human shields" around the homes of Palestinian militants in Gaza. By Eric Silver

Water companies are demanding hundreds of millions of pounds from the taxpayer in return for stopping taking water from the UK's drought-stricken rivers. By Graham Mole

British MEPs have called for the parliament to stop travelling between Brussels and Strasbourg, arguing that the monthly visits not only waste millions in taxpayers' money, but are damaging the environment. By Marie Woolf

The UN refugee agency began airlifting emergency aid to thousands of refugees after severe flooding hit a camp in north-eastern Kenya, sweeping away thousands of temporary shelters. By Steve Bloomfield

In Iraq, troops fight on as those who sent them beat an ignoble retreat

I believe that women have the fate of the Earth in the palm of their hands. Some 53 per cent of us are women and we really are pretty wimpish. We don't step up to the plate - and it's time we took over. I think men have had their turn and we're in a profound mess.

From archaeological ruins in Scotland to 13th century mosques in the Sahara, the effects of climate change could destroy some of the world's most important natural and cultural heritage sites, a report has revealed. By Steve Bloomfield

The head of the no-frills airline Ryanair has launched a vitriolic attack on the Stern report on climate change, claiming that shooting the world's cow population would do more to combat global warming than banning low-cost air travel.

They can use tools and experience pain and stress. Octopuses are so intelligent they may win special protection in laboratory research - and from the cruelty dished out by some restaurant kitchens. By Marie Woolf

An unprecedented public inquiry into France's role in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda held hearings in Kigali last week, where the French army was accused of complicity in massacres of Tutsi. By Linda Melvern

Many will see the tax option as simply a way for the Government to raise extra revenues. By Stephen King

The devastating impact of climate change, mainly caused by ballooning carbon emissions from rich Western nations, will hit hardest in Africa, a United Nations report has warned. By Steve Bloomfield

People power comes to the fight against climate change today as Britain witnesses its biggest march and rally demanding the Government acts against the threat of global warming. By Ian Herbert, Colin Brown and Michael McCarthy

The Conservative Party has called for a climate change Bill. By Peter Ainsworth

This is the sort of headline we will all be reading in reality if nothing is done to prevent climate change. Yesterday 20,000 people marched in London to express their concern. Tomorrow world leaders meet in Nairobi to set new targets for cutting pollution.

Climate change is sending birds once native to Africa north, to settle in southern Spain, scientists say. Rare birds once spotted only on an African safari or caged in markets are now common in Murcia, Granada, Alicante and Almeria.

The level in the atmosphere of carbon dioxide, the principal greenhouse gas, stood at 280 parts per million by volume (ppm) before the Industrial Revolution, in about 1780. The level of CO2 in the atmosphere today stands at 382ppm

The city of Marseilles has seen the future - it has no carpets. A minimalist, no-frills air terminal, intended specifically for low-cost airlines, opened yesterday beside the city's existing airport. By John Lichfield and Jen Wainwright

Deeply informed, lucid account of Iraq which will stand the test of time. By Paul Rogers

Tony Blair says global warming is among the biggest threats of our age. But are his plans for a Climate Bill ambitious enough? Here, we offer a more radical manifesto

Half of all deaths preventable, say country's medics Reconstruction seen as disaster. More than 2,000 doctors and nurses are killed 18,000 more leave the nation. Even the most basic treatments are lacking. By Jeremy Laurance

Britain has suffered its first deaths from infectious disease attributable to global warming, official figures suggest.

Beneath our seas, reserves of frozen methane hold more energy than all other fossil fuels put together. But can we get at them without causing environmental meltdown? Ed Caesar reports

Lynddie England, the young woman associated with some of the most notorious photographs to emerge from Abu Ghraib, has offered new insights into the abuse scandal that rocked the US military and revealed how she acted to please her former lover.

Israeli infantrymen, backed by tanks, were combing the northern Gaza Strip for Qassam rocket launchers and sabotage tunnels in a search-and-destroy operation that has killed at least 23 Palestinians in five days.

A populist banana tycoon and a left-wing ally of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez were last night heading for a run-off vote after neither won a clear victory in Ecuador's presidential poll.

Nothing shows more clearly the political difficulty of dealing with climate change than aviation.

How Government flights pumped out 1,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide