UK World

A 14-part series that attempts to make simple and accessible one of the most complex subjects imaginable will be distributed via booklets given away free with The Independent and The Independent on Sunday beginning tomorrow, and will simultaneously be made available at independent.co.uk/historyoftheworld. Starting with the origins of the Universe itself, it traces the formation of our planet, the first stirrings of life, the shaping of the continents, the evolution of species, the birth of the human race, and the millennia of history that have led up to the sophisticated but precarious civilisations of the present day.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expresses concerns over the power of drug cartels and drug-related violence in Mexico.

David Cameron misses prime minister's questions, flying to be with his father in France after he suffered a stroke while on holiday.

A lion lunged at a trainer as stunned onlookers watched in horror, at Las Vegas's MGM Grand Hotel and Casino.

Google speeds up its internet search engine by launching a new product, Google Instant, that displays results as soon as users type in queries.

High doses of B vitamins may slow the rate of brain shrinkage in older people experiencing warning signs of Alzheimer's disease, a new study says.

Today's homepage just shows the Google logo in pale grey, with no sign of the interactive balloons which appeared without explanation yesterday.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel defends the Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard, whose drawings of the Prophet Muhammad caused outrage in 2006.

The unnamed lecturer wrote an impassioned email to Rev Terry Jones at the weekend describing 'boisterous protesters' condemning the pastor outside his classroom.

At least 700 prisoners have escaped during an attack on a jail in northern Nigeria, including members of a militant Islamist sect.

President Obama defends his opposition to extending Bush-era tax cuts for wealthier people and criticises what he calls Republican obstruction.

Wall Street banking giant Goldman Sachs is fined £20m by the UK's financial watchdog, the BBC learns.

The event, known as Sequential Day, occurred at 12.34pm and 56.7 seconds today, while the date completed the pattern with 8.9.10.

Former Liverpool and Lyon boss Gerard Houllier is set to be appointed as Aston Villa's new manager on Wednesday, BBC Sport understands.

Residents of a small street called Lustful Court in the US state of Georgia are told to raise a petition if they want a less provocative street name.

Rather than digging up potatoes and carrots, Joanne Radley found an altogether less wholesome crop buried in the soil.

The debt-laden Greek economy shrank by a surprise 1.8% in the second quarter as households slashed spending.

When Australian beauty queen Jesinta Campbell entered the Miss Universe pageant she learnt the hard way that backstabbing among the contestants wasn't just words.

The Prime Minister's mother called him at 6am and he and his siblings quickly organised to fly out from London, arriving this lunchtime.

Gunmen in Iraq have killed an Iraqi TV journalist - the second in as many days - while four other people were killed in two attacks in the capital Baghdad.