Brady Bunch star 'traded drugs for sex'

Actress who played little miss perfect Marcia Brady in the 1970s sitcom says she later became hooked on drugs

Captured American has Pakistanis guessing

Pakistani police try to work out what a 20-year-old American would be doing in lawless area near Afghan border

Silvio Berlusconi breaks White House podium

Italian Prime Minister forced to toast President Bush with a broken podium during official White House dinner

London and Asia continue share rally

FTSE up 4% in early trading as Japan posts biggest one-day gain with America the latest to announce bank bailout

Los Angeles threatened by huge wild fires

At least two people have died and dozens of homes destroyed in the fires burning in the San Fernando valley

No shotgun wedding for us says Levi Johnston

Sarah Palin's pregnant daughter and her boyfriend will marry next summer, reveals the 'second dude of Alaska'

McCain relaunches with 'underdog' speech

Republican mentioned 'fight' and 'fighting' 19 times but 'economy' only six in crucial speech Video podcast

Markets soar as world acts to rescue banks

World stock markets rejoiced after trillions of dollars were committed to guarantee deposits and bail out besieged banks

Krugman wins Nobel Prize for Economics

American academic and columnist who praised Gordon Brown's 'clear-thinking' on the financial crisis honoured

Jazz photographer William Claxton dies

The photographer, who redefined the jazz shot and then went on to snap the world's biggest stars, has died in LA

'God among eaters' wins world pizza-binge title

Joey Chestnut, 24-year-old veteran of hamburger-guzzling and hot-dog-scoffing, downed 45 slices of pizza in 10 minutes

McCain campaign to change course again

Republican candidate signals another change in tactics for final stretch of campaign after attacks on Obama's character

Golden Gate gets anti-suicide safety net

Mental health experts triumph over bridge purists to catch jumpers

Reliance on the US will never be the same

The ability of European governments to launch their own financial rescue represents a shift in global economic relations

Americans may get more food stamps

Nancy Pelosi wants to galvanise backing for a new $150bn financial stimulus package to increase the US food-stamp programme

A wizard ability to shrug off effects of recession

In the midst of economic gloom, the unrestrained triumphalism of Blizzcon seems somewhat incongruous

Americans prepared to cover British pullout

Far from leaving the south to Iraqi forces, the Americans are planning to fill any gap created by a British pullout

World of Warcraft fans unite for pilgrimage

Thousands of fans left a virtual world to unite in the real one and do battle with the latest version of their obsession

McCain tussles with Palin over mob mentality

The Republican fears his campaign is out of control as his running mate stirs up animosity towards his rival

‘Pitbull’ found guilty of abusing power

Sarah Palin abused her power by pressurising officials to sack a state trooper involved in a divorce from her sister