Government reveals expansion plans for academy schools
Lord Adonis, the schools minister, has hinted at a massive expansion of the Government's academies programme beyond the existing target of 400 – there could be 100 new academies opening every year after 2011, he said. Adonis added that academies, which boast better GCSE results than other state schools, should become 'akin to private schools'. The issue is likely to revive tensions between Blairites and Labour's left, who insist that the vast majority of schools should remain within local democratic control. (Sunday Times)
Brown promises music and fun for 2012
Gordon Brown yesterday said that music, creativity and fun would play a big part in the London Games in 2012. "In all these areas where our creativity is leading the world, I think we will want to showcase that to the world when they look in on London in 2012", he said. He added that he hopes to see a British football team taking part. Boris Johnson said the London Games would be more "intimate", yet "fantabulous". (Independent on Sunday) In pictures: the best photography from Beijing 
Beijing Olympics: the sport and the drama in words and pictures
Senior Tories demand tax cuts
Two senior Tories have urged David Cameron to abandon his pledge to match Labour spending and promise tax cuts. Lord Forsyth of Drumlean, the former Scottish secretary, and John Redwood, who chaired Cameron's policy commissions on the economy, have said that tax cuts are needed to revive the flagging economy. George Osborne confirmed yesterday that married couples will receive a tax break worth £20 a week under the Tories. (Sunday Telegraph) The Mole: all the latest from our Westminster insider
Obama picks Biden for VP
Barack Obama yesterday decided on Senator Joe Biden of Delaware as his running-mate. Biden, 65, is expected to play the role of wise counsellor to Obama, 47 – as chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee he has the ability to challenge McCain over the war in Iraq and security issues. Also, his Catholic working-class roots help to widen Obama's appeal among voters who withheld their support during the primaries. Obama and McCain are neck and neck in the polls. (Sunday Times) US election special: the latest news, comment and analysis
MPs call for energy tax
Labour MPs are putting pressure on Gordon Brown to announce a windfall tax on energy companies that would help people pay their rising fuel bills. 70 MPs have signed a petition backing the plan, and a new poll shows that over two thirds of the public agrees. The group of MPs insists that the plan should be central to the Government's forthcoming re-launch. The cash generated could either be used to offset fuel bills or be invested in long-term energy-saving measures. (Observer) The Mole: Darling takes the reins as Treasury prepares recovery plan
A major report will announce this week that "an epidemic of poverty" threatens British children. End Child Poverty is a coalition made up of 130 charities and other bodies - its report finds that children from poor families are 10 times more likely to die as infants, and to be born underweight. (Observer) What they're saying about the poverty gap
Twenty-six of Britain's top cancer consultants have spoken out against the Government's policy of drug rationing, in particular its refusal to license a drug for advanced kidney cancer. Many patients are forced to sell their cars and remortgage their houses in order to obtain drugs that are freely available in Europe, they say. (Sunday Times) Who'd want to be NICE
Police have insisted that Gary Glitter (left) will receive no special treatment, amid claims that his protection might cost the taxpayer as much as £250,000. He has not yet been put in a police safe house, but a risk assessment is being carried out. He has said that he fears for his safety. (Independent on Sunday)
Government rules restricting foreign workers will lead to apples rotting on trees, according to farmers. Huge numbers of foreign fruit pickers are needed from now until mid-October, and there are fears that the new rules, together with the strength of the euro against the pound, will keep them away. (Observer) The great organic con-trick
Bishops have warned their vicars that illegal immigrants are trying to gain British citizenship by getting married in church. Under the existing rules, non-EU foreign nationals must obtain a certificate from the Home Office before being allowed to wed in a civil ceremony, but the certificate is not required for church weddings. (Sunday Telegraph)
A new scheme is being considered that would allow drivers to pay for the privilege of using a traffic-free lane. Ministers are going ahead with technology trials of the plan, in which motorists would pay up to £5 for the right to cruise past traffic jams. The Department for Transport has said that various forms of tolling are being considered.
Although Gori is officially free again, Russian troops remain stationed just outside, and dominate the road to South Ossetia. The Russians had agreed to withdraw completely from Georgia, to positions occupied before the outbreak of fighting on August 7. Western politicians including Davd Miliband have protested at Moscow's defiance of their obligation. (Sunday Telegraph) In pictures: five days in Geogia Robert Fox: Nato must rethink its purpose
Thousands of Chinese farmers face ruin because their water supplies were diverted to Beijing for the Olympics. The need to impress the world with bright flowers and green lawns led the authorities to divert water from the Yangtze River, raising the price of water in northern China by 300%. Though the diversion was never actually completed, the damage to the farmers was done. (Sunday Times) Beijing Olympics: the sport and the drama in words and pictures
The Taliban are gaining strength far beyond the south of Afghanistan. In the region surrounding Kabul, where 10 French soldiers were killed last week, they are quietly establishing alternative administrative networks. Their appeal lies in their ability to dispense quick judicial decisions, bypassing government bureaucracy, and punishing criminals harshly. (Observer) Afghanistan: 100 down and no end in sight
The London Olympics face financial crisis after four top sponsors announced they were pulling out. The companies include Kodak, which has sponsored the games since their modern revival in 1869. These companies are among the 12 'worldwide partners' who pay up to £50m each, on whom the International Olympic Committee has relied for decades. (Independent on Sunday)
The nationalization of Northern Rock will cost taxpayers at least £450 million, according to the government's own advisers. Goldman Sachs told the Treasury in February that losses could stretch to £1.28 billion, even if economic conditions do not get worse, leaked court documents have revealed. (Sunday Times) The First Post business pages
Savills, the upmarket estate agency chain, is reporting a stalling market, and cutting scores of jobs. Homes selling for £900,000 are not moving as sellers hope for a better deal next year. In London, sales volumes have fallen by nearly 50%. On Friday HBOS said that it was closing 53 estate agency offices. (Observer)
Madonna (left) last night launched her Sticky and Sweet tour at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. It's her eighth world tour. The four-part stage show tells the story of her career. Having turned 50 last week, and amid rumours of the failure of her marriage, Madonna is determined to demonstrate that her control over her own image remains absolute. (Observer) Books: life with my sister Madonna
Damien Hirst is hoping to sell more than 200 artworks known as the 'Hirst mountain'. He has opted to by-pass the gallery route and sell the works at Sotheby's next month - the two-day auction is expected to raise at least £65 million. Works include medicine cabinets, sharks and a golden calf. (Sunday Times) People: Damien Hirst unleashes the beasts
A leading model agent has said that London Fashion Week should lose its public funding, after the British Fashion Council dropped plans for health checks on models, on the grounds that they were 'unworkable'. Eleni Renton, founder of Quintessentially Models, urged the London Development Agency to withdraw its £4.5 million funding. Her own agency refuses to use size zero models. (Sunday Telegraph) In pictures: the best of London Fashion Week
Mayor of London Boris Johnson (left) believes that he is more likely to be "reincarnated as a hobbit" than become prime minister. (Observer)
Carol Thatcher has spoken for the first time of her mother's struggle against dementia. She first noticed her memory failing in 2000. (Mail on Sunday)
Gordon Brown got annoyed with questions about his future while in Beijing. "I have given you special time", he told reporters. "That is very good of me. You are very fortunate." (Mail on Sunday)
The Duke of Edinburgh has declined the offer of a state funeral, opting for a private funeral at St George's chapel, Windsor, that will emphasise his involvement with the armed forces. (Mail on Sunday)
Barak Obama's running mate Joe Biden (left) almost quit politics when his first wife and daughter died in a car crash. One of his sons is shortly to serve in Iraq. (Observer)
Tony Blair's Faith Foundation has broken British company regulations, having failed to submit an annual return to Companies House. (Observer)
Richard Madely and Judy Finegan have given up their chat-show – according to Madely, TV chat has become "an upbeat entertainment circus." (Independent on Sunday)
Four relations of Helena Bonham-Carter were killed when their jeep overturned on a safari holiday. (Sunday Telegraph)
Gold medallist Rebecca Adlington (left) is proud of the way British athletes have behaved in the Olympic village. "The other nations think we are weird for being so polite," she said. (Mail on Sunday)
Keira Knightley, who plays Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire in a new film, has criticised the film's publicity for highlighting a link with Diana, Princess of Wales. (Sunday Times)
Robert Downey Jr, Hollywod's comeback kid, is playing a black Vietnam soldier in this summer's hit comedy, with the appropriate name of Lazarus. (Observer)
Madonna and Guy Ritchie tried to revive their marriage by renewing their vows in a private kabbalah ceremony in London, with Madonna's spiritual adviser specially flown in from LA. (Mail on Sunday)
Stephen Fry (left) is the leading candidate to succeed the late Humphrey Lyttleton as chairman of BBC Radio 4 radio quiz I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue. (Independent on Sunday)
The Duchess of York is back in the royal good books - she has enjoyed a week at Balmoral, in which she discussed roles for her daughters with the Queen. (Mail on Sunday)
Labour peer and crime novelist Ruth Rendell has revealed that she had an affair with an MP, "a long, long time ago". (Independent on Sunday)
After a humble holiday in Corwall, David Cameron has just finished his real break – on a 21k-a-week yacht on the Turkish Riviera. He and his family joined 74 friends on a fleet of 'gulet' boats – each boat has its own chef, captain and two crew. (Sunday Mirror)
Strictly Come Dancing stars are paid little more than the average wage by the BBC, and have to endure degrading backstage conditions – even being forced to strip in front of each other in a corridor, as dressing rooms weren't available. (News of the World)
French president Nicolas Sarkozy playfully patted wife Carla's tummy, and seemed to be taking special care of her on the beach, sparking speculation that there could be a bun dans le oven. (Sunday Mirror)
David Cameron has boasted that his wife Samantha was a 'wild child' in her youth, and "an unconventional Goth" – but friends at her boarding school recall that she was more golly than Goth. (News of the World)
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