Briefing

THE WEEK

ALL EYES WERE ON SCOTLAND

The atmosphere

The hole in the ozone layer has stopped growing, a U.N. report found

GOOD WEEK

BAD WEEK

Global warming

Missed CO[subscript 2] targets mean the world is on track to be 7.2°F warmer by 2100

‘ Whipping –we do that all the time.’

CHARLES BARKLEY, former NBA star, defending corporal punishment as common practice in the South following the child-abuse indictment of NFL star Adrian Peterson for disciplining his son, 4, with a switch

770

Weight in pounds (350 kg) of an enormous female squid hauled from the Ross Sea off the coast of Antarctica, drawing comparisons to the mythical creature the Kraken

4 million

Number of iPhone 6 units preordered in their first 24 hours of availability, a new record for Apple

‘They are not Muslims. They are murderers.’

DAVID CAMERON, British Prime Minister, speaking after a video emerged of the execution of British aid worker David Haines by the Islamic extremist group ISIS

‘It’s our national and civic duty to fight anti-Semitism.’

ANGELA MERKEL, German Chancellor, addressing the surge in incidents and sentiment against Jews in Germany since the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza

‘HELLO, IOWA. I’M BAAAACK.’

HILLARY CLINTON, former U.S. Secretary of State, at a Democratic fundraiser that marked her first visit to the Hawkeye State since her third-place finish in the 2008 presidential caucuses

10 m.p.h.

The speed (16 km/h) of a robotic cheetah built by MIT, which can bound unaided until it reaches a full gallop

‘You can do whatever talent you want on national television, even with a red cup, and still be Miss America.’

KIRA KAZANTSEV, who won this year’s pageant with a musical routine incorporating a plastic cup as percussion, on the message her victory sends to American girls

Sources: AP (2); New York Times (2); Washington Post; ABC; Reuters