USA - Dr Norbert Bischofberger, 55, is the inventor of Tamiflu, the only medication on the market to treat the virus. He has made millions from the drug, but colleagues have said it was science, not money, that motivated him.
CHINA/TAIWAN - The leaders of China and Taiwan have exchanged direct messages for the first time in more than 60 years. Chinese President Hu Jintao sent a congratulatory telegram to Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou after his Sunday election to head of the ruling party.
USA - A robot that can open doors and find electrical outlets to recharge itself. Computer viruses that no one can stop. Predator drones, which, though still controlled remotely by humans, come close to a machine that can kill autonomously.
VATICAN - The Pope has defrocked the priest at the centre of claims that the Virgin Mary has been appearing in the Bosnian town of Medjugorje. The Vatican stripped Father Tomislav Vlasic of his priest status after an investigation into growing concerns over the alleged apparitions.
UK - Genetically-modified crops are being grown in Britain for the first time in a year after controversial trials of the plants were "secretly" restarted. Cultivation of a field of potatoes designed to be resistant to pests were abandoned over a year ago when environmental protesters ripped up the crop.
PARIS, FRANCE - An article in the FT looks at Paris' desire to challenge the City of London as Europe's pre-eminent financial centre, noting that President Nicolas Sarkozy is planning a massive expansion of the business district on the north-western edge of Paris, known as La Défense.
HOLLAND - The anti-immigration party of Dutch populist Geert Wilders wants each ministry to make a cost-benefit analysis of the presence of non-Western immigrants and their offspring in the Netherlands.
UK - Last week the Government's chief medical officer, Sir Liam Donaldson - never knowingly out-panicked - suffered an acute attack of headline deprivation. Nostalgic for the famous '750,000 could die' prediction for avian flu, he decided that '65,000 people might die' of swine flu.
EUROPE - Hundreds of fires in Spain, France, Italy and Greece have killed at least seven people this week, destroying thousands of hectares of forest and gutting dozens of homes. Bush fires are raging across swathes of southern Europe, with a prolonged spell of hot weather turning woodland around the Mediterranean coastline tinder dry.
UK - Shocking new details of a stealth tax of up to £600 for householders with views of any kind, patios, conservatories and even a nearby bus stop are revealed for the first time today.
UK - The Church of England is right to coax couples who already have children to the altar. Even today, marriage provides security, says Jemima Lewis.
UK - Churches should try harder to make bald and overweight people feel welcome, according to new guidance that is being issued to clergy.
PAKISTAN - The Taliban's power in Pakistan continues to grow and it now has entire towns under its control. Under US pressure, the Pakistani army is fighting the Islamists - with limited success. Pakistani intelligence says the Americans are doing more harm than good.
SYRIA - US President Barack Obama's Middle East envoy, George Mitchell, has arrived in Damascus and is due to hold talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad. Mr Mitchell has said Syria plays a key role in bringing peace to the region.
USA - With a military rifle in one hand and a bottle of prescription medications in the other, the new "Mr. America" is over-fed, under-nourished, over-medicated, over-spent and "over there" (waging war in the Middle East).