The Obama administration is speeding up the deployment of special warships off the Iranian coast. Our Washington correspondent Chris McGreal explains why, while foreign affairs specialist Simon Tisdall looks at the likely reaction from Iran.
Amazon.com has stopped selling books published by Macmillan – physical books and digital Kindle editons – in an argument over pricing. Katie Allen, our media business correspondent, says Macmillan is one of several publishers in America who say Amazon is setting the price of bestsellers too low.
Lord Ashcroft – the Conservative party's biggest donor – is under fresh pressure to explain his tax status. Polly Curtis, our Whitehall correspondent, says the Cabinet Office has been told by the information commissioner to reveal what the peer promised when he was made a peer in 2000.
British lecturers teaching at Italian universities say they are the victims of discrimination, reports Tom Kington from Rome.
