If you've ever been annoyed by television shows that ignore the parking problem, then relief is at hand. While most series simply pretend that traffic wardens don't exist and that an empty parking bay will always appear exactly where the hero needs it, Alphas, 5*'s enjoyably silly science-fiction drama, acknowledges that there can be drawbacks to car ownership. It doesn't get out of hand. They haven't yet fruitlessly looped round the block three times while the baddie saunters off down a pedestrianised street. But on two occasions in last night's pilot episode, forward momentum was briefly allowed to snag on the intractable rigidity of parking regulations. At one point, our heroes had to scrabble through their pockets for the right change for the meter and later one of them got the less than heroic assignment of sitting in the car to make sure it didn't get towed, while the others were employing their special powers to pursue a mind-controlling black-ops type.

Jamie Roberts has two sets of finals on his mind, and if he gets his wish the one back home will be delayed as long as possible by the other here at the World Cup. "I've got my finals to qualify from Cardiff Medical School in January 2013," said the Wales centre.

Wales have made such an art form of narrow defeats to the southern hemisphere superpowers (and let's leave aside the many hammerings for the time being) that if it was possible to lose by a tenth of a point, you know they would've managed it yesterday.

A Russian soldier who says he escaped after spending the past 11 years as a slave in the North Caucasus, could face charges of desertion from the Russian army in a case that has shocked the country.

Activists are on site, the UN is on side, and there's a protest planned for Saturday – these travellers won't go without a fight

Following a horrific injury run, the Leeds man is due some luck against Wigan this weekend

He doesn't know why, but he wants be called Frank. A week after he apparently awoke on a beach in Kent with no idea who he is or how he got there, however, the true identity of this mysterious amnesiac is still bewildering police and the local community.

Cricketers, at least those with ambition, love to give the selectors a headache. Or so they say. What they really mean, of course, is that they would like to stake such a rock solid claim that no one with an ounce of common sense could possibly look in any other direction. Step forward Ian Bell

The number of A* grades at A-level is set to rise when the results for more than 250,000 students are announced next Thursday.

There is no pleasing some people. As most observers of his team began to assess yesterday where exactly England might occupy in the pantheon, Andy Flower, the coach, rained on the parade before it left home.

The departure of the Metropolitan Police's two most senior officers in as many days could not have come at a more critical time.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has acknowledged he will have a tough job giving all his strikers adequate time on the pitch this season.

I'm still scarred by the sitting-room I painted slightly the wrong orange a decade ago. Things went white for a long time – that was the noughties for you – but encouraged by good vibes from my Yves Klein-blue kitchen wall, I'm ready for more. To sidestep previous eye ache, I sought the expertise of prop stylist Will Taylor, who runs the brilliant brightbazaar.blogspot.com, devoted to all things, well, bright...