For the record

Roy Hodgson for England: A club of one

To argue against Harry Redknapp for England is akin to arguing in favour of bankers bonuses. While s...

Time for a reality check on the Sri Lankan civil war

Sri Lanka, much like Britain, has side-lined accountability long enough.

Children Of Alcoholics week: One million children may just be the tip of the iceberg

Children Of Alcoholics week starts today. So, what are the aims for Nacoa during this important week...

Review of Being Human: ‘Being Human 1955’

Following on from an episode tinged with tragedy, this week lifted the mood with something lighter.

Papa preaches

It's probably never happened before: a newspaper redesign carried out by papal decree. The Vatican's paper of record, 'L'Osservatore Romano', has been given a makeover on the instructions of the pontiff, Benedict XVI. "There was a really precise request from the paper's publisher," the editor-in-chief Giovanni Maria Vian told 'The Wall Street Journal'.

"In this case, the publisher just happened to be the pope."

Kop that

Pregnant opera diva Natasha Marsh (below) admitted that she was struggling to hit the high notes in a nonetheless stirring performance at the London Press Club ball last Wednesday, but at least her performance of "You'll Never Walk Alone", from the musical 'Carousel', saw her given competent support by proud Scouser David Wooding, the 'Sun's Whitehall editor. "Get in! Get in!!!!," yelled Wooding, up on his feet. "It's the national anthem!" She doesn't get that when she sings at the Royal Albert Hall.

Militant moggies

There may be a revenue gap at Channel 4, but rest assured the broadcaster has found cash for Suicide Kittens, a computer game made to promote 4mations, its new animation website. The game apparently stars an animated moggy called 'General Tiddles' which can "shoot laser beams from its eyes in a bid to ultimately self-destruct in a kamikaze-style finale". Public service is alive and well.

Firth strides forth for justice

He might be Fitzwilliam Darcy to you, but Colin Firth (below) is a fervent supporter of Mumia Abu-Jamal, the American journalist on death row since his 1981 conviction for the murder of a police officer (supporters claim a miscarriage of justice). Firth will do a reading in south London on Thursday night ahead of a screening of 'In Prison My Whole Life', a documentary on Abu-Jamal made by Firth's wife, Livia Giuggiolli, at an evening in memory of Bodyshop founder Anita Roddick.