People
Israeli prof: my step-great-great uncle Adolf
Hard, perhaps, to credit but a relative of Adolf Hitler has been discovered alive and well and working as a professor in Israel. Even more to the point, he converted to Judaism many years ago and teaches at the Jewish studies faculty at one of Israel's universities. That much ... [continued]
The hedge manager who’s still raking it in
From the rubble of the City, a hero, of sorts, has emerged. Crispin Odey has managed to pay himself almost £28m in the last 12 months, making him one of the few financiers to navigate the credit crunch successfully. His method? To bet against banks – and their hundreds... [continued]
Michael Gove, scourge of the lads’ mags, and his babe-tastic backers
It has taken no time at all for Michael Gove, the shadow schools secretary and one of the more cerebral figures in the Conservative party, to learn, as John Major did before him, of the pitfalls of going 'back to basics'. At the start of the week, Gove delivered... [continued]
NY mafia don arrested by FBI
The game of cat and mouse that has been playing for years between John Gotti and the FBI has entered a new round. The former head of the Gambino crime family has
been arrested and charged with crimes relating to three New York murders and cocaine trafficking. Gotti, known... [continued]
Back in the news: the Gambino family 
In brief: The Doctor conquers Stratford
Beforehand, many, including the director Jonathan Miller, dismissed him as a mere celebrity. But David Tennant (pictured), better known as the Doctor in Doctor Who, has just proved them all wrong with the critics giving him a big (though slightly qualified) thumbs-up on the first night of his debut in... [continued]
‘Great Escape’ tunnel digger dies
Airman Eric 'Digger' Dowling, an important figure in the break-out of Allied PoWs from Stalag Luft III in the Second World War, immortalised in the film The Great Escape, has died, aged 92. There were parts of Dowling's role in the escape in the officers played by Charles... [continued]
