Seven Days

A glance at the week that was

We now know

Love is a natural painkiller that can reduce “moderate pain” by up to 45 per cent, according to a study at Stanford University

The Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani has built the world’s most expensive home, a 27-story tower in the middle of Mumbai with three helipads, nine elevators and 160 parking spaces.

Airline food tastes bland because loud background noise dampens food tastes, reports a study from the University of Manchester and Unilever.

Witch hunt scandal

Ugandan newspaper Rolling Stone– nothing to do with the US music magazine – has published the names, contact details and photographs of 100 homosexuals under the headline "Hang them". The article claimed the countrys gay community was trying to "recruit" a million children. At least four gay Ugandans have been attacked since the publication, with many more in hiding. The story coincides with the countrys first anniversary of a controversial anti-homosexuality bill seeking the death penalty for anyone convicted of repeated same-sex relations.

"Wayne now understands what a great club Manchester United is"

Alex Ferguson commenting on Wayne Rooney’s change of heart when he signed a new five-year contract with the club yesterday

Cartoon controversy

A US man faces up to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to threatening the writers of the satirical cartoon show South Park. Zachary Chesser, who is 20, pleaded guilty to three counts, including communicating threats, soliciting others to threaten violence and material support to al-Shabaab, an Islamist militant group.

Chesser also ran numerous websites and called for violence against Americans. In one instance he published the home addresses for the writers of South Park after they lampooned the Prophet Mohammad and he urged readers to “pay them a visit”.

The numbers

500,000The estimated number of public-service job losses confirmed by the British chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne

150The maximum length in years that humans can possibly live, according to English biologist Thomas Kirkwood

4The number of days it took for one of the Chilean miners to break their code of silence when Mario Sepulveda agreed to be interviewed for the Daily Mail