RED TOP REVIEW

By Tom Little

Robbers target jewellers in their cars
The Daily Record reports a string of robberies by a gang of thieves who sabotage the cars of jewellers and then rob them when they are forced to pull over. Police sources say the gang are eastern Europeans and may have seized £100,000 in raids across Scotland.

Hard line on hats
The Record also has the strange tale of the building workers who were ordered out of their Aberdeen site because they were wearing white hard hats instead of the regulation blue.

A new habit
The Sun reveals that Iain McColl, the drink and drug-battling actor who played Big Tam in City Lights, is planning to seek sanctuary in Sancta Maria Abbey in East Lothian. Even though those aren't the monks who make Buckfast.

Bodyguard fired over forgotten gun
The Currant Bun also says that a female police protection officer who looked after Tony Blair was sacked after leaving a loaded pistol in a Starbucks coffee shop.

Jade's cancer warning
Ex-Big Brother 'star' Jade Goody appears in the Mirror to announce that "I Fear My Cancer's Spread". Docs have warned her that she could have less than 10 years to live.

Pets feel crunch
The Mirror also reveals that pets are being put down by cash-strapped owners, making them the latest victims of the credit crunch. Or the "Credit Grrunch" as the tabloid tactfully puts it.


BUSINESS

By Nathalie Thomas

Premier Inn benefits from belt tightening
The budget hotel sector gave the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee some good news ahead of today's interest rate decision, with Premier Inn reporting that business is booming.
The chain, owned by Whitbread, reported a like-for-like sales jump of 10.2% for the 24 weeks to August 14, which contributed to overall sales growth of 7% for the group compared with the same period last year.
Premier Inn said it was reaping the benefit of business travellers tightening their belts and downgrading from more expensive hotel accommodation. Premier Inn accounts for around 70% of Whitbread's profits.

Elsewhere, Friends Provident shares rose by more than 2% in early trading following a newspaper report that Clive Cowdery, who last year tried to merge his Resolution group with Friends, had the life insurer in his sights again.


TELEVISION

By Fiona Leith

Grape expectations
A new series follows the exploits of Englishman Monty Waldin as he attempts to create his own bio-dynamically grown red wine in Roussillon, France. From renting the vineyard to taking on the locals, the series looks like an appealing mix of reality TV and A Year In Provence.
Chateau Monty, Channel 4, 8pm

Battle of the sexes
Mr Luvva Luvva, Steve Jones, hosts this new series set in a Caribbean village where eight women and 10 men play out the scenario of women ruling the roost, with the last man standing winning £30,000 (and his dignity back).
When Women Rule The World, Channel 4, 10.35pm

Addictive viewing
STV tries its hand at drama set in a rehab, this one located in the tranquillity of a residential clinic in the Scottish countryside. From sex addiction to depression and obsessive compulsion, the clients' lives will unravel over the next six weeks in this new work from High Road and Taggart writer Claire Hemphill.
Cracked, ITV, 10.40pm


FASHION

By Kayt Turner

Ready for her close-up
This isn't my line, but as it's kept me chuckling all day each time it's come to mind, I thought I'd share it with you. "Whatever Happened To Baby Jerry?" Plaudits should be sent in the direction of one Lee Randall.

Waisting away
How thin does I-don't-have-anorexia Keira Knightley have to get? There are infants with bigger waistlines – and I'm not just talking about the ones in Calton. Let's be honest here: her heels are thicker than her middle.

Barbie girl
Think of the many and varied projects that Katie Price Inc has for income generation. What's the one thing that you feel is missing from her revenue portfolio? That's right! Equestrian wear. Who hasn't felt the need for pink, velour shorty shorts as they saddle up? Poor Barbie will just have to dream of getting a Katie Price stable for Christmas.

SPORT

By Martin Allen

Murray reaches US Open semis
Andy Murray is the talk of the town today after reaching his first grand slam semi-final at the US Open.
His 7-6, 7-6, 4-6, 7-5 victory over 19-year-old Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro has set up a semi-final showdown with world No.1 Rafael Nadal on Saturday – probably taking place at around 4pm British time – with a first grand slam title a real possibility.

The world rankings on Monday will recognise Murray's form this year with a career-high fourth place behind Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Federer and Djokovic are both in action today in quarter-finals.

Andy's older brother Jamie, meanwhile, is in action tonight in the mixed doubles final with American partner Liezel Huber. Our intrepid correspondent Alix Ramsay tells us "Huber takes no prisoners but can be very funny," so we look forward to that one, and to reading Alix's report of Andy's showdown with Nadal in Sunday's paper.


INTERNET

Marc Horne's website of the day

Was the moon landing a fake? Who really killed JFK? Why can't Scotland qualify for major football tournaments any more? These questions and many more (okay, maybe not the last one) are examined in this fascinating and occasionally laugh-out-loud guide to the wacky world of conspiracy theories.