Quotes of the day

"What with Pope John Paul II's apology to Galileo and the Church of England apologising for its role in the slave trade and now for trashing evolution, we wonder what Christianity will confess to next" - Spokesman for the National Secular Society.

"I'm happy a good deal of the time. On a scale of one to 10, I'd put myself at an eight" - Actor Richard Wilson, on happiness, denying he was like his grumpy character Victor Meldrew.

"I can't type. I ply my trade by hand. I live on a Cornish cliff and hate cities" - Author John Le Carre, who admitted he was tempted to defect to the Soviet Union during the cold war.

"I sat behind her at the ballet once and it was most off-putting. She was wearing a backless dress and her ribs were sticking out. It meant concentrating on Darcey Bussell was a challenge" - Imogen Lloyd-Webber, daughter of Lord Lloyd-Webber, describing Keira Knightley, whom she says is "horribly thin".

"I am now a dad who can't take his kids to a football game because I am advised that we would be assaulted. Therefore I am no longer prepared to subsidise Newcastle United" - Billionaire Mike Ashley, who is putting the troubled club up for sale.

"My career has been halted at the first hurdle" - Graduate trainee Jack Reynolds, who had been at Lehman Brothers bank in London for just one week before it collapsed.

"Is our country so divided that the Republicans' best hope is a narrow minded, media obsessed homophobe?" - Hollywood actress Lindsay Lohan on Sarah Palin.

"On the whole, British women seem a little saner than the men" - Broadcaster Sandi Toksvig.

"It's an intolerance of binge lending by banks and binge spending by government" - Vince Cable, the Liberal Democrats' treasury spokesman, on "the new national mood".

"This campaign by a handful of MPs is prepared to destabilise and disrupt the positive Labour message. They seem to think the threat of making Labour unelectable for years will make people like me get rid of Gordon" - John Denham, Universities and Skills Secretary, attacking the Labour rebels who are demanding a leadership contest.