Grande dame of American and European art, whose work was founded in childhood Louise Bourgeois, the French-born, American-based artist best known for her sculptures of vast metal spiders, died yesterday in a New York hospital at the age of 98. Bourgeois, who only found widespread acclaim late in life, had suffered a heart attack at the weekend, a spokeswoman said. With her death, American and European art has lost not only a tremendous and hugely influential artist, but a direct link between the art of the 21st century and belle epoque Paris, with cubism, symbolism, surrealism and abstract expressionism, and all that followed.

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Louise Bourgeois dies, aged 98

Coalition ‘pulls back curtains on corridors of power’ and releases names of mandarins earning more than £150,000 The government last night released the names of 170 senior civil servants who earn in excess of £150,000 – more than the prime minister’s wage – in the first step towards publishing swaths of data about public spending. The controversial move reveals the identities of dozens of senior Whitehall mandarins who earn up to 10 times the national average wage and cost the public purse a total of £29,254,835

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Revealed: top-earning civil servants

British Airways passengers face a summer of chaos after the union representing cabin crew announced plans for a fresh strike ballot yesterday.

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Union to ballot for new wave of British Airways strikes

The Apple iPad may be brilliant fun, but how useful is it on holiday?

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Apple iPad review: a one-gadget solution for travellers?

Obama team ‘incensed at being kept in the dark’ as company denies existence of underwater oil clouds BP has challenged widespread scientific claims that vast plumes of oil are spreading underwater from its blown-out rig in the Gulf of Mexico. The denial comes as the oil giant prepares for a new operation to put an end to the worst oil spill in US history – which could see the leak get worse before it gets better

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BP clashes with scientists over spill

• Mourinho rejects speculation surrounding Lampard and Cole • New manager says no drastic changes at Santiago Bernabéu A former Chelsea star was unveiled as Real Madrid’s latest galactico today – but it was not Ashley Cole nor Frank Lampard. And as the flashes went off around him at the Santiago Bernabéu, José Mourinho quickly moved to insist that nor would it be.

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Mourinho tight-lipped on Chelsea pair

At least nine activists killed and dozens more wounded by Israeli naval commandos Israel was engulfed by a wave of global condemnation tonight after a botched assault on a flotilla carrying aid and supplies to the Gaza Strip ended in carnage and a diplomatic crisis involving the UN security council. At least nine pro-Palestinian activists were killed as Israeli naval commandos stormed the largest ship in the flotilla carrying passengers

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Israel accused of state terrorism after attack

Education secretary tells teachers of academy plan and says that if schools want profit option, he will discuss it The government has “no ideological objection” to businesses seeking profits from the new generation of academy schools and free schools, Michael Gove has said.

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Gove: no objection to firms profiting from academies

Abrupt resignation over ‘misunderstandings’ adds to pressure on Chancellor Angela Merkel Germany’s president, Horst Köhler, resigned without warning today, after intense criticism of remarks in which he suggested military deployments were central to the country’s economic interests. Köhler’s departure leaves a vacuum that will only add to Angela Merkel’s growing political woes, amid criticism over a lack of decisive leadership, and a four-year low rating for her government in opinion polls.

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German president quits over gaffe

Malacca state chief defends plan to build testing lab saying animals are for benefit of humans A Malaysian minister today defended plans to build an animal testing medicine lab in his state, saying God created monkeys and rats for experiments to benefit humans.

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‘God made animals for testing ‘