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Why the refutenik MPs are wrong

Our Pedant column on a topical example of how mixing up the verbs to deny, rebut and refute can be misleading

Help me to be a mum: a foyer to fulfilment

Gordon Brown is backing ‘halfway houses’ for young mothers from troubled backgrounds. Penny Wark pays a visit to one

McDonald’s: the world’s local restaurant

After years of declining popularity, the fast-food giant is enjoying a surge in the UK thanks to a more ‘local’ approach

My struggle to combat Lyme disease

A surfer had to give up his beloved sport because of a degenerative spinal injury — and then he got Lyme disease

The happiest men in the world

A Buddhist monk and a British peer have very different views on the secrets of a contented life. Were they still smiling after East met West?

How many Facebook friends is too many?

The internet has created the illusion of mass intimacy, but 151 friends is an unmanageable number, says an academic

My crash course as a party clown

Children’s entertainers make hundreds of pounds in a few hours. A silly outfit, a few party tricks... How hard can it be?

How I make it work: Minnie Weisz

Minnie Weisz, the sister of the actress Rachel Weisz, is a photographer and curator. She talks about her work-life balance

The relative value of single-auntiedom

Single-auntiedom is no longer the land for biological losers or the perennially selfish; now it’s something to celebrate

Do I confront a two-timing friend?

She didn’t notice me, but I once saw a friend kissing a man who wasn’t her husband. Should I have confronted my friend?

Man ordered to repay in-laws after divorce

In a landmark judgment an ex-husband who kept the house in his divorce settlement was told to pay back a gift of €29,000

Green and confused: Blowing our lids

Can plastic bottles and their tops be recycled together?

Please God, can I have a daughter next?

Some mothers of boys will do almost anything to have a girl. We look at the hidden world of gender disappointment

Cagefighting: Million-dollar babes?

Cagefighting is the world’s fastest growing sport, but its women aren’t gaining the rewards of the men

Couple who died with their adopted boy in Haiti

When a couple travelled to Haiti to pick up their adopted son, their dream turned to disaster

The Mutton: Leather that’s cool for ever

It’s not just old punks who look cool in a leather jacket

Save our soles: why we all need a podiatrist

As Victoria Beckham’s bunions spread fear and alarm among British women, we ask if it’s time to start loving our feet