The Independent

Orhan Pamuk, who had faced jail for referring to the suffering of Turkey's Armenian population, has been awarded the 2006 Nobel Prize for Literature, a choice widely seen as motivated by achievements in the political sphere as well as by his literary output. By Elizabeth Davies

Today is a bleak day for the environment, the day of the year when mankind over-exploits the world's resources - the day when we start living beyond our ecological means. By Martin Hickman, Consumer Affairs Correspondent

In a market economy, the only constraints on what we consume are what we may legally buy and what we can afford. By Andrew Simms

Sea ice in the Arctic last month melted to its second lowest monthly minimum in the 29-year record of satellite measurements.

The Indian capital was on an emergency footing yesterday to contain an outbreak of dengue fever, with medical teams moving door-to-door and spraying the streets with insecticide in an attempt to kill millions of mosquitoes that carry the disease.

Why is US gun culture in the news?

Climate change could send heatwave temperatures in the South-East of England soaring as high as 46C (114.8F) by the end of the century, the Met Office has warned. By Emily Ashton

The cost of curbing the soaring emissions of harmful gases that are blamed for causing global warming has been estimated at $1 trillion by a major study of the cost of climate change. By Philip Thornton

Plum juice, maple syrup and honey added to appeal to adolescent smokers. By Roger Dobson

The air strike on Gaza's only power station that has left most residents with half their normal electricity supply three months later was a war crime, according to the Israeli human rights group B'tselem. By Donald Macintyre

Gloomy predictions of extreme heat and destruction of some of the world's leading holiday destinations were made yesterday in a report assessing the impact of the dangers of mass tourism and climate change. By Martin Hickman

I was in Lebanon in July 2005 on a trip to document the residual problem from cluster bombs used in 1978 and 1982. Unexploded cluster munitions were still claiming lives more than two decades after that conflict.

Nayef Abu Snaima says his 14-year-old cousin Jihad had been sitting on the edge of an olive grove talking animatedly to him about what he would do when he grew up when he was killed instantly by an Israeli shell. By Donald Macintyre

Shoppers will be able to take account of climate when deciding what to buy with the launch of a new mark. Manufacturers who go "carbon neutral" can apply for their labels to feature the Penguin Approved logo, which carries the assurance: "No Global Warming". By Martin Hickman.

The truth behind Gore's extraordinary documentary about the perils of global warming is that he might have become President had he campaigned in office. Geoffrey Lean traces the conversion of one man, his country and a reluctant world

The British Government has threatened to withhold £50m of aid destined for the International Development Association, an arm of the World Bank, in protest at the Washington-based institution's failure to end the practice of attaching tough conditions to poor countries that receive aid money.

Britain has four years to put in place a "road map" to ensure a low-carbon economy where petrol stations would be redundant and wind turbines would be a feature of every home by 2050. By Cahal Milmo

For most people in the West, climate change threatens their lifestyles. For the people of Bangladesh, climate change threatens their very lives.

Arctic meltdown is speeding up... sea ice is vanishing faster than ever before... polar bears face extinction... and America's top climate scientist warns we only have a decade to save the planet By Michael McCarthy and David Usborne

The cost of drugs in many parts of Britain has plummeted in the past year, an authoritative study on the country's booming industry in illegal substances has revealed. By Jason Bennetto

The philosopher and animal rights campaigner answers your questions: 'Do you believe that zoos are immoral? And would you kill a disabled baby?'

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. By Kim Sengupta

Patrick Cockburn, the award-winning journalist and author, has reported extensively from Iraq, Afghanistan and Jordan. Here, he explains how the 'war on terror' has fuelled resentment of the West and brought new levels of death and destruction

By Tom Coghlan in Kabul and Kim Sengupta

Pressure for an international ban on cluster bombs has intensified as Israel stands accused of littering southern Lebanon with thousands of unexploded bombs in the final hours of its war against Hizbollah. By Ben Russell

The world faces a catastrophic rise in global warming in 2050 unless urgent action is taken to cut human-induced carbon emissions, a leading academic warned yesterday. By Sarah Cassidy

Villagers on the South Pacific island of Tegua are packing up and leaving their homes for good - the first real victims of increasing sea levels caused by climate change. By Peter Boehm

The Greek-controlled, and officially-recognised, Republic of Cyprus joined the EU in 2004. That means Turkey must open its ports and airports to Greek Cypriot boats and planes. Ankara says it will only do so if the EU agrees to honour a pledge to end the economic isolation of Northern Cyprus.

The chief of staff of Israel's military was under pressure yesterday after a disclosure that he sold about £14,500 of stocks within three hours of the Hizbollah border raid that triggered the Lebanon conflict. By Donald Macintyre