Miscellany

CATCH UP ON THE WEEK

SUNDAY

A 22-year-old was repeatedly stabbed during a fight at the T in the Park festival in Balado. Another man at the festival was found dead in a tent – police said the death was drug-related.

MONDAY

Sudan's president was charged with genocide by the International Criminal Court. An arrest warrant was sought for Omar al-Bashir on charges of waging a campaign of genocide and rape in Darfur. It was the first time the world's first permanent war crimes tribunal had issued charges against a sitting head of state.

TUESDAY

UK inflation soared to a 16-year high of 3.8%, dashing hopes of a cut in interest rates to ease the household budgets of millions of home owners.

WEDNESDAY

The Chancellor postponed the 2p increase in fuel duty planned for this October. It was the second time it had been put back – it was due to be introduced in March, but was delayed for six months because of rising oil prices.

THURSDAY

Spain's Supreme Court overturned the conviction of four people found guilty of involvement in the Madrid bombings in 2004. The four were among 21 convicted last year over the attacks, which killed 191 people. The court also convicted and jailed one of those originally found not guilty.

FRIDAY

Nelson Mandela, left, celebrated his 90th birthday. After a month of public appearances around the world to mark the milestone, he spent the day at his village home with his family.

GOOD WEEK

Teletubbies

Eleven years after first taking Britain by storm, the delights of Tinky-Winky, La-La, Dipsy and Po are capturing a new generation. Hamley's toy shop is now tipping the Teletubbies as the must-have present for children this Christmas.

BAD WEEK

Russell Brand

The controversial comedian sparked outrage by making a prank call to police during a show in Northamptonshire, pretending he had seen a man wanted locally for sex attacks. A man known as the "underpass attacker" is being hunted for three serious sexual assaults.

WHAT THE PAPERS SAID

...about the petrol duty freeze

THE MIRROR

Postponing the hike in fuel duty this autumn is the first piece of good news motorists have enjoyed after months of soaring pump prices.

THE SUN

Gordon Brown did the right thing by scrapping the 2p rise. But he will get precious little thanks for it.

THE SCOTSMAN

The sudden decision to freeze petrol duty is another example of the government's string of policy U-turns in the face of the mounting economic crisis.

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

This tax rise was never going to be implemented in the current climate and the only surprise was in the timing – which was wholly political.

DAILY MAIL

This is a blatant bribe in the run-up to next week's by-election in Glasgow East.

DAILY EXPRESS

The moral appears to be: if you want the Government to behave itself, hold a by-election.

BEST OF THE BLOGS

Why do so many people hate McDonald's? As far as I can see, they sell extremely tasty food at reasonable prices, they provide an activity and a venue that is decidedly family-friendly. More importantly, they provide employment for many people, particularly the young. And if you can get past the "McJob" snobbery that's prevalent today, it might be recognised that McDonald's, in many communities, are an important employer. More to the point, if McDonald's were not there, those communities would be worse off.

Tom Harris MP, http://tomcharris.wordpress.com/

In praise of Mrs Brown:

1. She is nothing like Cathy, either the Cathy of Wuthering Heights or the Cathy of the Scottish Labour Party.

2. She is nothing like Carla – she has not made a musical album about her sex life with her husband. And who wants a dolly bird as the PM's wife?

3. She is nothing like Cherie – it is utterly impossible to imagine Sarah running round an Australian supermarket filling up a trolley with free produce.

Discreet, modest, free from any criticism, the secret weapon that might just win Gordon the general election.

Holyrood Chronicles, http://holyroodchronicles.blogspot.com/

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

Gabriela is having a difficult time in her life and just wants a little bit of space."

Magrit Irimia Scmal says her Cheeky Girl daughter is on a break from MP fiancé Lembit Opik – but insists they have not split up

"Death is devolved."

Independent MSP and euthanasia campaigner Margo MacDonald on Holyrood's right to bring in new 'right-to-die' laws

"I do not see a difference between what the Conservatives were doing under Margaret Thatcher and what Tony Blair and Gordon Brown are doing."

SNP by-election candidate John Mason in Glasgow East

"Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets."

Written by student Rachel Putnam on her Bebo site shortly before her death last week in a triple fatality car crash

"I want to cut his nuts off."

US civil right campaigner Jesse Jackson on Barack Obama's criticism of absent black fathers

"It's the most serious financial crisis of our lifetime."

Billionaire George Soros on the credit crunch

"Nobody found guilty of serious drug-cheating offences should have the honour of wearing GB vests at the Olympic Games.

Lord Moynihan, chairman of the British Olympic Association, on a court decision to ban drug cheat sprinter Dwain Chambers

RIP: HUGH LLOYD

April 22, 1923 – July 14, 2008

Morecambe had his Wise, Mike Winters had his Bernie, and Tony Hancock and Terry Scott both had their Hugh Lloyd. It was the fate of the jowly-faced actor to have always played the straight man to two of the comic stars of his generation. He played his part in one of the greatest comic sketches of all time, Hancock's blood donor episode, lying in the next bed discussing Wine Gums.

In 1962, Chester-born Lloyd was given his own series with Scott, but later moved on to serious TV and stage roles.

THE WEEK ON THE WEB

Thumb your nose at the credit crunch doom-mongers by checking out this piggy bank-boosting site. It saves you a small fortune by comparing prices at Britain's top supermarkets

www.mysupermarket.co.uk/Home.aspx

Nothing to See Here highlights kitsch and unsung locations in Scotland, such as Cellardyke Bathing Pool in Fife, the ramshackle fisherman's village of Footdee in Aberdeen and Ayrshire's Electric Brae.

www.nothingtoseehere.net/places/scotland/

Don't worry if your nightclub banter is closer to Shellsuit Bob than Brad Pitt. Check out this run-down of the most cringe-worthy chat-up lines.

www.alzmedia.com/texzt/chatuplines/chatuplines.php

TABLOID TALK

Photographs of 62-year-olds wearing bikinis are not the sort of thing you would expect to create a media frenzy.

They are definitely not the usual fare for tabloid editors – unless the wearer of the bright red number is Helen Mirren. The red tops salivated at the pictures from the actress's Italian holiday – but some went and spoiled it all by using a headline that referred to her most famous film role – "The Queen in a bikini". Ugh.