Business news 

Woolworths axes 450 staff amid firesale

Collapsed retailer makes first in an expected wave of redundancies as it slashes prices by 50% to shift products

Primark meets protests over 7p-an-hour wages

AB Foods faces protests at today's AGM as charity claims its fashion chain is continuing to exploit foreign workers

Ofcom allows BT to raise rivals' prices by 11%

Regulator sets out draft proposals, giving BT leeway to increase costs charged to competitors to use its network

Sport News 

Allardyce keen to take over at Sunderland

Former Newcastle United manager installed as favourite to replace Roy Keane after Irishman's resignation by text

Honda remain hopeful of competing in 2009

Nick Fry, the company's CEO, confirmed three buyers have already expressed an interest in taking control of the troubled team

Pietersen’s lead buys England time

Team put on united front prior to departure for Abu Dhabi and plan collective decision after studying security report

Comment  

Barack Obama's political Who's Who

The President-elect's team includes familiar names, but that needn't stop him being an agent of change

• Gerard Baker

I'm earning virtually no interest at all

For savers it's a lot like being kicked in the face by someone whose job you've propped up for a decade

• Natalie Haynes

The wrong man for the Middle East

Tony Blair is too tainted by his past - and cannot even offer full-time commitment

• Richard Beeston

Life and Style 

How to cook turkey and other birds

Turkey is a favourite at Christmas but other birds can provide a seasonal treat. Five top chefs tell how to cook them

It’s frying, but do you know what it is?

Almost an eighth of the customers who order cod and chips end up eating haddock, a Food Standards Agency survey reveals

Why speed cameras hit over-60s hardest

Older drivers suffer most from technology that has no discretion

Arts & Entertainment 

Behind the scenes on X Factor

X Factor singers now appear to dominate the charts. Peter Robinson pokes around behind the scenes of TV’s star machine

Coldplay sued for plagarism by Joe Satriani

The American guitarist claims the world-wide hit Viva La Vida has copied from his song and wants all band's profits

What makes a great Christmas song?

What ingredients do you need to cook up the great British Christmas song? Pete Paphides gets festive and gives it a go