Watch video of the bullfight

Congressional investigators have published a series of internal BP memos which they say proves that the British company systematically and negligently put safety at risk on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in order to increase profits.

Uzbekistan last night closed its borders to refugees fleeing neighbouring Kyrgyzstan as the numbers killed in the ethnic violence spiralled and aid agencies reported fresh allegations of atrocities from the survivors.

Serbia took a significant step towards joining the EU after European foreign ministers relaxed demands for the alleged genocide fugitive Ratko Mladic to be arrested before allowing its membership application to proceed.

The Kremlin edged closer last night to military intervention in Kyrgyzstan as the number of people killed in ethnic violence spiralled and as many as 100,000 refugees flooded neighbouring Uzbekistan.

Swaying forlornly in her concrete pen the rheumy-eyed Laxmi does not look like a cold-blooded killer.

The American military has announced an investigation into its disposal of hazardous material in Iraq and declared its intention to prosecute anyone violating environmental standards.

For the people of Gaza the most precious commodity on board the Turkish flotilla stormed by Israel last month was not electric wheelchairs or children’s toys or medicine: it was hope.

Israel bowed to international pressure yesterday when it agreed to reopen crossing points into Gaza for everyday goods.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi joined calls by broadcasters and fans to ban the vuvuzela at the World Cup as British supermarkets reported selling one of the plastic horns every two seconds.

Fifteen directors of BP, including Tony Hayward, the chief executive, and Carl-Henric Svanberg, the chairman, are being sued personally by two US pension funds for their role in the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster.

David Cameron warned yesterday that there would be more British deaths in Afghanistan this summer but said that the threat to Britain of an al-Qaeda attack from the region had dropped.

President Obama likened the impact of the oil spill disaster on the nation’s psyche to the September 11 terrorist attacks as he made his first multi-state tour yesterday of the Gulf of Mexico.

The good news from the men at the Pentagon is that beneath the landmines Afghanistan is sitting on a goldmine.

The mystery of a lost camera’s 1,000-mile aquatic journey has been solved by a sea turtle with a predilection for home videos.

Wanted — an African leader who has stood down after a free and fair election. Candidates should be honest and have a healthy respect for the democratic process. Young candidates are preferred.

In these times of austerity, it is the royal tour that gives value for money: two princes for the price of one. Prince William and Prince Harry’s trip to Africa — a six-day, three-country dash that began today and will take in England’s next World Cup match in Cape Town — is the first time they have embarked on a tour together.

President Obama predicted a wholesale rethink of America’s love affair with oil today, saying he believed the Gulf disaster would have as profound an impact on the American psyche and policy as 9/11.

Israel has agreed to set up an internal commission to investigate the killing of nine Turkish passengers on a humanitarian aid convoy that was boarded by Israeli commandos two weeks ago, officials said.

Read more on the Turkish aid flotilla deaths at The Times's new website

Read Simon Barnes on Capello's mistakes and live coverage of the World Cup latest at The Times's new website

China sends plane to rescue its nationals

Read how BP managers face years in jail and how America snubbed British offer of help with spill at The Times's new website

Afghanistan has nearly $US1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits, far more than previously thought and enough to turn a country devastated by decades of war into one of the most important mining centres in the world, according to senior US officials.$

See pictures of last night's Tony awards, and read more about British successes at The Times's new website