Mail on Sunday

Dyke: Bully Blair Duped Us All

TONY BLAIR faced a new crisis over Iraq last night after he was rocked by sensational allegations against him by his former friend and ally, ex-BBC Director-General Greg Dyke. In his bombshell memoirs, serialised in The Mail on Sunday today, Dyke lifts the lid on the bitter row between the BBC and No 10 over claims the Government 'sexed up' intelligence on Saddam's weapons.

Double Gold for Kelly (and Britain)

GOLDEN girl Kelly Holmes stormed her way into Olympic history in Athens last night as she added the 1500 metres gold to her triumph in the 800 metres five days earlier to make her Britain's greatest- ever female athlete. Then just over an hour later, Britain's 4x100 metres men's relay team added another gold.

Glorious Kelly at the Double!

SHE went to Athens determined to give it one last shot. On the brink of retirement after a career beset by injuries, time was running out for 34-year-old former Army physical training instructor Kelly Holmes. But last night she sensationally secured her place in sporting history with a glorious Olympic double gold in the 1500m to add to her 800m triumph last week.

...And Our Sprint Relay Team Win the Gold by the Breadth of a Vest

BRITAIN'S sensational night continued just over an hour after Kelly's historic win when the men's 4x100 metres relay team pipped the much-fancied Americans to secure an unexpected gold. Crowning an unforgettable night, the quartet of Jason Gardener, Darren Campbell, Marlon Devonish and Mark Lewis-Francis swept to glory in stunning fashion, winning by a split second.

Even Scarlett Was Worried About That Dossier

THE controversial new head of MI6, John Scarlett, admitted grave doubts about the way Downing Street's dossier on Saddam's weapons was used to suggest Iraq could launch a devastating missile attack in 45 minutes, according to Greg Dyke's book. As chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee, which advised Tony Blair in the run-up to the war, Scarlett was responsible for the report which claimed Saddam threatened British interests.

The 'Cloning' of Little Cady

A CONTROVERSIAL fertility expert is set to provoke uproar this week by claiming he has taken the first step towards cloning a dead human being. In what many will regard as a grotesque experiment, maverick American scientist Dr Panos Zavos will announce that he has taken DNA from corpses and used it to create embryonic clones of the dead people.

Brown Urged to Raise Top Rate of Tax to 50% ; Labour Thinktank Calls for Blitz On Pounds 100,000 Earners

POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT THE top rate of income tax will rise to 50 per cent under radical plans being studied by Chancellor Gordon Brown. He is being urged to introduce a 'supertax' for those earning more than Pounds 100,000 a year, while giving cash back to the less well-off.

'I Am Arms Dealer,' Admits Thatcher

MARK THATCHER has admitted for the first time that he is an arms dealer, in a desperate attempt to avoid prosecution for allegedly funding the planned coup in Equatorial Guinea. Baroness Thatcher's son has told South African police he agreed to purchase a military helicopter for Simon Mann, his ex-SAS officer neighbour in Cape Town, who allegedly led the coup attempt.

I Want to See These Men in My Country, in My Prisons. If I Were Judge I Would Apply the Maximum Penalty-- Death ; Mos Africa Correspondent Barbara Jones Is Granted a Unique Audience with Equatorial Guinea's Despotic Leader-- And Hears His Bloodcurdling Threats to the Life of Mrs Thatcher's Son

PRESIDENT Teodoro Obiang is smiling at me, which I take to be a good sign. But the eyes remain glacial. And when he finally speaks, the words are colder still. For President Obiang ruler of Equatorial Guinea and one of West Africa's most feared despots is describing how he would like to bring about the execution of the men he accuses of plotting to overthrow his regime.

Mark Is One of the Kindest Men I've Ever Met

MARK Thatcher is in the frame and on the rack. No friends of this solitary, self-contained man are apparently willing to say a good word for him in his hour of travail. This is surprising because I know that there's a different Mark Thatcher to the one we've all been reading about.

The Wife Who Just Can't Stop Smiling

DIANE THATCHER looked incredibly tranquil and untroubled yesterday for the wife of a man held under house arrest on charges of helping to finance an African coup. While Sir Mark Thatcher tensely stalked the grounds of the couple's Pounds 2 million mansion in Cape Town, effectively a prisoner until he comes up with Pounds 180,000 bail money, she has been quietly preparing to fly back to her home town of Dallas with their children Michael, 15, and Amanda, 11.

I Have Been Abandoned by the Big Money Guys -- I Was Told Mark Thatcher Was One of Us

NICK DE TOIT is 48 but after spending the past five months as the prisoner of the man he plotted to overthrow, he looks closer to 70. His skin is pallid, his eyes cloudy. He speaks in a despairing whisper.

Don't Push Me Around, Howard Tells Bush

MICHAEL HOWARD launched an attack on the White House last night after one of George Bush's aides told him he was banned from meeting the President because of his verbal assaults on Tony Blair over the Iraq war. The Tory leader angrily accused American officials of trying to 'protect' the Prime Minister and refused to be gagged by the White House over any other issue.

Theme Park Families See Aircraft in Death Crash

ONE man was killed and two others were left fighting for their lives last night after a light aircraft crashed just 20 yards from a theme park packed with Bank Holiday tourists. The Cessna plane burst into flames as the pilot was attempting to take off from Bournemouth International Airport.

Heart Scare for Howe in Holiday Swim Drama

FORMER Tory Cabinet Minister Geoffrey Howe was seriously ill last night after suffering a suspected heart attack while swimming. Lord Howe, 77, who triggered the downfall of former Premier Margaret Thatcher when he walked out of her Cabinet, is understood to have been taken ill while holidaying in France.

Plane Crazy! ; As Ba Staff Shortages Bring yet More Chaos to Heathrow Airport, the Extraordinary Deal That Allows 130 Workers to Stay at Home On Full Pay

BRITISH AIRWAYS has more than 130 staff sitting at home doing nothing while tens of thousands of holidaymakers face massive disruption because of a manpower crisis. Under a bizarre deal with the unions, 139 employees, ranging from secretaries to middle managers, are enjoying gardening leave on full pay, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

Cherie:I'm Top Dog at No10 ; Yes, She Says, I Bullied Tony Into Taking Paternity Leave ... And My Favourite Cartoon Shows Me Bashing Him with a Vase

CHERIE Blair has revealed what the world has always suspected she rules the roost in No 10. The Prime Minister's wife has told how she successfully cajoled Tony Blair into taking paternity leave after the birth of their son Leo.

The Day 'Chopper' Blair Put the Italian Premier in Hospital

IT WAS billed as a friendly football match between world leaders Tony Blair and Silvio Berlusconi and their security guards. But it transpires the England v Italy kickabout was rather less congenial than previously thought as Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi, who limped off with a knee injury after a crunching tackle, has testified.

Farmers Face Pounds 500m Loss As the Potato Blight Returns

BRITAIN'S farmers are facing a return of potato blight the devastating crop disease which left a million dead in the Irish famine of 1845. Experts say that the wettest summer for more than 90 years, combined with freak bursts of hot weather and high humidity, has created perfect conditions for the blight a foul smelling fungus which destroys potato plants.

Teachers in Claims for Pounds 50m Over Stress

TEACHERS are claiming more than Pounds 50 million a year in compensation for the stress of their jobs enough to build nearly 30 new primary schools. Claims for stress by teachers rose by more than 40 per cent last year and have rocketed by a total of 240 per cent in five years, according to the shocking figures compiled by insurer Zurich Municipal.