Total and Unocal, on the other hand, argue that no forced labour went into the construction of the pipeline itself, and that, in any case, they have no influence over Myanmar's army and cannot be held responsible for its conduct.

ECONOMIST: The rising costs of doing business with a loathsome regime

Mr Gumpert said the defence would argue that there was no servitude, no forced labour, but rather a rough bargain which enabled men who would otherwise have wasted their lives away in drink and dependency to have meaningful lives as part of the Connors family.

BBC: Beds, Herts & Bucks

This is good news for the smaller parties, who've always hated the rules which always forced them to choose between Conservative and Labour views on any given subject, even if they had no particular liking for either.

BBC: An important surprise