The former French prime minister Dominique de Villepin has been ordered to stand trial for his role in an alleged plot to smear Nicolas Sarkozy, now president, when they were rival ministers.

They are among the finest survivors of ancient Greek civilisation in the Mediterranean: a line of imposing Doric temples on the southern coast of Sicily which have been listed as a Unesco World Heritage site since 1997.

Britain's aid agencies are appealing for funds to ease the desperate plight of people affected by the violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. More than 250,000 people have been forced to flee their homes.

It is early evening and virtually the only light comes from the burning tyres placed across the main road, opposite the offices of the state electricity company. "We've had it with these people," says one protester. "This is the third power-cut in a week."

It's taken eight-and-a-half years – but The Independent's £5,000 prize for explaining the disappearance of the house sparrow from our towns and cities finally has a serious entry, with a serious theory.

Q. How is the law going to change?

The Chancellor, Alistair Darling, is being urged to put £54m raised from auctioning carbon credits into a dedicated fund to promote green measures in Britain.

Immigration outstripped the number of people leaving Britain by 237,000 last year, despite a fall in people coming to settle.

What a row of grim faces on the Tory front bench. Despite any and all efforts to look like winners, the whole team has the air of Eric Pickles. Poor George Osborne looked bankrupt. His credit collapsed. The Prime Minister is right (it's the last time I'll use those words): it's all George Osborne's fault.

Britain's anti-piracy laws are to be toughened, giving the Royal Navy more power to police international waters. Downing Street signalled the legislation – which could be announced as early as next month – was planned as it demanded the release of two British men on board the Saudi supertanker captured over the weekend.