Is there anything so relentlessly pursued and yet so badly defined as happiness? The Halifax bank carried out a survey two years ago to find Britain's happiest locality. Using criteria such as employment levels, house prices and salaries, it identified Elmbridge in Surrey as the most blissful enclave in the land.

Anyone who has lived through previous ups and downs in the housing market will find nothing surprising about the pain that housebuilders such as Taylor Wimpey are feeling at the moment. Until this year, it was an unsustainable bubble. Construction firms were always going to be in the blast zone when it inevitably burst.

Russia's action in recognising the unilaterally declared independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia was hasty, intemperate and ill-advised. It was also utterly predictable. These two regions have tried to separate themselves from Georgia ever since the break-up of the Soviet Union, and they have twice declared independence, without convincing Russia to give them formal backing. Georgia's ill-fated attempt three weeks ago to change the facts on the ground by military means, gave them another...
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Finally, the warm ups are over – Ted Kennedy and his farewell call to arms, the Clintons and the latest episode of America's favourite political psychodrama. Even the uncertainty about whether the engaging but irredeemably prolix Joe Biden can keep control of the word count will have been resolved when this article appears. Here in Denver, we've at last got around to the one thing that matters. Barack Obama.

In the midst of all the whisperings, all the intrigue and all of the conspiracy theories that monopolised the run-up to this Johnnie Walker Championship, one man was largely overlooked in the great debate over who will land Nick Faldo's two picks come Sunday evening. Which is rather bizarre, seeing as his name happens to be Colin Montgomerie and for the last decade or so he has been the predominant flag-bearer in Europe's phenomenal run.

The Chelsea chief executive, Peter Kenyon, said yesterday that his club were not interested in signing Milan's Brazilian Kaka this summer because they had fulfilled their promise to the new manager, Luiz Felipe Scolari, to secure Robinho and Deco. Speaking for the first time about the deal for Real Madrid's Robinho, Kenyon said that it showed Chelsea's growing status that they could attract young players from Europe's top clubs.

Kevin Nolan has spoken of his disappointment at the way Bolton exited the Carling Cup. The club captain was hoping for a good run in the competition after they reached the final in 2004 when he was part of the side, but two goals from journeyman striker Adebayo Akinfenwa propelled League One Northampton into the third round draw on Saturday.

The West Bromwich Albion manager, Tony Mowbray, has backed his record signing Borja Valero to shake off the disappointment of his debut to make a positive impact in the Premier League.

Kenny Miller insists he is not worried about the reaction he will face in this weekend's Old Firm derby when he returns to Celtic Park for the first time since rejoining Rangers.

Evidence of the sometimes conflicting agendas at the top at Newcastle United came yesterday when James Milner's written transfer request was made public by the club, one week after it was actually delivered to the hierarchy at St James' Park by the 22-year-old. The outcome may be that Milner joins Aston Villa for £9m, though Milner is unhappy with his pay at Newcastle, not the overall situation.