Best of Today

How dangerous are Britain's streets? In a speech in August the Shadow home secretary, Christopher Grayling, claimed that "The Wire used to be just a work of fiction for British viewers. But under this government, in many parts of British cities, The Wire ...

David Cameron has long accused Labour, and what he describes as "big government", of failing the poor. Today he will set out his party's policies to combat poverty and reform the welfare system. Mr Cameron will say the government is guilty of a moral ...

We spend a lot of time talking to politicians about the strategy in Afghanistan, but we spend very little time talking to the people who are sent there to fight. Captain Andrew Tiernan of the Grenadier Guards, who came back from Afghanistan on leave on ...

What approach to parenting works best? The Demos think tank are giving their advice on parenting - saying both warmth and discipline builds a good character in children. The report suggests children of married couples and wealthier backgrounds also tend ...

Travel writer Jan Morris has changed tack for her latest book, by writing about people instead of the places she visits. Miss Morris comments on her latest travels.

Britain's presence in Afghanistan has been seriously questioned this week following the deaths of seven army personnel, and calls from former junior Foreign Office minister Kim Howells MP to withdraw all troops from the country. Prime Minister Gordon ...

A selection of unpublished letters sent to the Telegraph is being released. Am I Alone in thinking? is a collection of some of the letters sent the the newspaper that were not appropriate for publication. Deputy head of the Telegraph letters page, Iain ...

RBS has made a loss in the last quarter, despite the government pumping billions of pounds into the failing bank. Profitable parts of the bank will have to be sold off under news measures imposed by EU competition commissioner Neelie Kroes. RBS chief ...

What is it like for the soldiers on the front line in Afghanistan?\nMajor Richard Streatfeild has been keeping a diary for the Today programme as he leads his troops in the Sangin Valley, which has seen some of the heaviest fighting in the war.\nThe ...

The killing of five British soldiers in Afghanistan by a police officer has raised questions over security progress in the country. The British army has been training Afghan security and police forces to enforce the rule of law for the long-term future ...

Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev has made an unusually outspoken condemnation of attempts to rehabilitate the reputation of Joseph Stalin. In a message posted on his blog President Medvedev called on people to remember the "millions who died because of ...

Five British soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan after a policeman they were training opened gunfire. Defence correspondent Caroline Wyatt reports on the latest in the incident.

It is the first anniversary of Barack Obama's victory in the US presidential elections. But in the intervening year, the Democrats have lost gubernatorial seats in both Virginia and New Jersey to the Republicans. The Republican's chairman, Michael ...

The first anniversary of President Obama's election takes place tomorrow. A year after his election, Washington correspondent Kevin Connolly went to Colorado to talk to some of President Obama's supporters, to see if they are happy with his presidency.

New plans for a big shake up of banks have been announced. Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group are to sell off a large number of their branches after the European Commission demanded that banks bailed-out by taxpayers should be scaled down. ...

Are you sitting comfortably? Then we'll begin. Britain is to have its first laureate for storytelling. The new post is being filled by Taffy Thomas, who discusses his repertoire of 300 stories culled from oral sources as a professional story teller for ...

The Home Secretary Alan Johnson is coming under pressure to make a Commons statement following his sacking of the chair of the Advisory Council on the misuse of drugs Professor David Nutt. But what is the correct relationship between scientific advisors ...

The most senior British officer to be killed in Afghanistan Rupert Thorneloe, who commanded the 1st Battalion, Welsh Guards, had warned about the risks posed to his troops by a shortage of helicopters. It has emerged that Lt Col Thorneloe, killed by a ...

The government's chief drug adviser has been sacked after claiming cannabis, ecstasy and LSD are less dangerous than alcohol and cigarettes. Professor David Nutt, chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, responded by lashing out at the ...