Legendary coach looks back over a stunning first few days at the All England Club and reveals who has made him gasp with admiration, laugh out loud and brought a tear to the eye

England and Australia both took ruthless decisions yesterday in their quest for the Ashes. The home side dropped an opening batsman in Nick Compton, the tourists sacked their coach, Mickey Arthur. With 15 days to go before the series starts at Trent Bridge it was irrefutable evidence that both countries will do what they think it takes.

Australia's "gender wars" have reignited with a vengeance, with the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, warning that politics will be dominated by "men in blue ties" if her Labor government loses power, and the opposition Liberal Party embarrassed by revelations about a fundraising dinner menu containing crude references to Ms Gillard's physique.

Ethical groups join call to halt machine-soldiers that identify and kill without human input

Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport is expected to start gassing thousands of geese this week to prevent potentially lethal bird strikes on aircraft, after an animal rights group failed to convince a court to halt the cull.

Outlook The Treasury this week hailed the fact that data from the Office for National Statistics showed that "underlying borrowing" is now falling. But did it? If you strip out factors such as gilt coupon payments from the Bank of England and transfers from the Royal Mail pension fund, borrowing in April 2013 was £10.2bn, up £1.3bn on the £8.9bn borrowed in April 2012. Ah, but what about the £2.3bn profits from the Bank of England's wound-down Special Liquidity Scheme (SLS)? They were paid over to the Treasury in April 2012 and thus flattered that month's borrowing figures. So disregard those profits for April 2012 and the comparison with April 2013 looks better, showing a £1bn fall in borrowing.

Business and sport have discovered a fatuous glamour in one another

A south London tourist board is challenging the Lake District's claim to the name. So did it bring out the poet in John Walsh

Why would the BBC be willing to appear to support such a barbaric process?

There was a time when Paul Gallico's novels had a place on every middle-class bookshelf, yet, even though several of his books remain in print, he has all but vanished from public consciousness. He was born in New York in 1897, the son of a famous Italian pianist and composer, and became one of the highest-paid sports writers in America. His career took off after he asked the boxer Jack Dempsey to spar with him, and was able to describe what it felt like to be knocked out by a champion.

First produced in 1931, a couple of years before Hitler came to power, Carl Zuckmayer's comedy pokes risky, spirited and oddly charming fun at the German inclination towards militaristic conformity.

The Old King shows a man reduced to wordlessness, fighting to communicate or connect with an audience. Dancer Romeu Runa flails about, putting himself through gruelling tasks.

Former EastEnders actress Gemma McCluskie was beaten to death by her brother after a row over an overflowing sink, a court heard today.

With a thoughtful sentiment behind every trinket, Dodo's jewellery is for the romantic at heart