Bill Gutteridge was an extremely able and versatile academic of considerable experience whose publications covered a variety of themes in the study of international politics.

The sheer range of David Hammond's interests and activities defied easy definition. Some thought of him as a teacher, others as a documentary-maker, or a musician, broadcaster, writer or singer.

The Independent believes that Obituary pages should encompass not just the lives of the great and good, but also those which may not have caught the public eye but are still worth recounting. Accordingly, we will consider contributions from friends and family members of the recently deceased.

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Bob Schulz was right at the cutting edge of British fashion. His superbly crafted haute couture dresses were much sought after, and one layout from the fashion pages of the Daily Express of the time shows one of his early creations juxtaposed with a gown by Christian Dior.

You can run, but you can't hide: a wave of contagious obesity is, apparently, sweeping the country from top to (ever-expanding) bottom. Yesterday's Guardian declared that "Obesity epidemic spreads to new areas in the south", while simultaneously pointing out that "the worst obesity hotspot is Shetland". Meanwhile the Financial Times warned, rather in the style of a Meteorological Office alert, of "a belt of obesity stretching across Wales, the north Midlands and northern England".

The Duke of Sutherland's decision to sell off his collection of old masters will set in motion the biggest fundraising effort in Britain's public gallery sector since the National Gallery set about acquiring The Madonna of the Pinks six years ago. London's National Gallery is involved again, along with the National Galleries of Scotland. They have joined forces in an effort to buy two sublime works by Titian for £100m.

It was not the smooth passage he would have liked, but Andy Murray eventually negotiated a successful course through his second match at the US Open here last night. The 21-year-old Scot overcame an alarming dip in form in the second set to beat Michael Llodra 6-4, 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 after two and a half hours to earn a third-round meeting with Austria's Jurgen Melzer.

Barack Obama, the first African-American presidential nominee of a major US party, was last night set to stand before 80,000 supporters inside Denver's Invesco Field bearing a pledge to bring an end to Republican ownership of the White House with three short words of promise: "Eight is enough".

Internet mapping is wiping the rich geography and history of Britain off the map, Britain's most senior cartographer warned yesterday.

The return of the party of apartheid might seem enough to turn the stomach of any black South African. Yet in spite of its record as a party of oppression and segregation and what I suffered at its hands, the disappearance of the National Party (NP) from the political scene deprived South Africa of an alternative voice. And I understand the reasons behind an attempted resurrection – to provide a real opposition – even if I do not rate its chances of success.