MONDAY

Meteor showers are forecast here, but it's meteorological mayhem on the other side of the planet. Typhoon Morakot leaves a devastated Taiwan in its wake and hits China's eastern coast, forcing almost a million people to evacuate their homes... There's also a change in the financial climate, leaving Irish homes increasingly in need of emergency welfare aid. Figures show that households receiving mortgage interest supplement rose to 14,000 last month, compared to 8,000 at the start of the year, while the number of people in receipt of rent supplement now stands at 91,000 – over double the figure at the end of 2007. The Money Advice and Budgeting Service is reported as struggling to cope with 10,000 new clients. Keeping a roof over its head is a top priority.

TUESDAY

For Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel peace prizewinner, pro-democracy leader and role model for peaceful protest, home continues to be prison. She is sentenced to another 18 months after an alleged breach of the terms of her house arrest... "An outstanding role model for all women" is how the late activist and politician Nuala Fennell is remembered by Fine Gael's Enda Kenny on news of her death... Former president Mary Robinson has "not only shone a light on human suffering, but illuminated a better future for our world" says US president Barack Obama as he presents her with America's highest civilian honour, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Not everyone is cheering: certain Jewish organisations claim Robinson is guilty of anti-Israeli bias since her chairing of the Durban anti-racism conference in 2001... But woe betide anyone getting smart with Obama's woman in foreign affairs. In a discussion on the war-torn Congo during her African tour, the US secretary of state is asked, "What does Mr Clinton think?" WTF, she lashes out, almost. "You ask my opinion, I will tell you my opinion," she lets rip. "I'm not channelling my husband." And that's Hillary Rodham Clinton. You got that?

WEDNESDAY

Front pages contrast the long-term job prospects of jubilant Leaving Cert students with "long-term economic value" of Liam Carroll's estimated €2.8bn loans when bought by Nama. A 'fire sale' of the developer's now liquidated properties to recover debts of €136m is expected prior to the establishment of the 'bad bank' next month. But predictions are that this could leave the government with grossly overestimated valuations on €90bn worth of toxic loans. The Irish Association of Investment Managers urges the government to resist opposition pressure to give an 'excessive haircut' on valuations of Nama-destined loans as it will erode confidence. But with property and development land prices facing a deluge of wet summers before any A1 recovery results, it's today's students who will be footing the toxic-debt tax bill for years to come.

THURSDAY

Alright guv, lets be 'avin' you. Daylight robbery is still in the news, but this time it's nothing to do with a bank. After the previous week's heist at Graff jewellers in London's Mayfair, the only person now in police custody is an unidentified make-up artist. CCTV images of the two well-dressed men coolly relieving the Bond Street shop of £40m worth of gems are not all they seem – both had hair and skin tone changed with liquid latex masks after they told the make-up artist they were appearing in a pop video. It sounds more like an episode of cult '70s flying-squad series The Sweeney. The robbers' escape was nearly foiled when they crashed into a London cab nearby. Where are Carter and Regan when you need 'em?

FRIDAY

Plenty of repeat offenders coming up in RTé's autumn TV schedule, overseen by new director of programming Steve Carson, aka Mr Miriam O'Callaghan. New stars in the Montrose night sky include meteorically rising celeb, author and BOD girlfriend Amy Huberman, and star-dusted Alison Doody, for a "racy and sassy" role in The Clinic. But it feels like The Late Late Show has been around since before the last comet. Even host-in-waiting Ryan Tubridy says he's bringing back that old crowd-pleaser: "There's one for everyone in the audience." Could be one way to offload all those empty, Nama-bound apartments.

You cannot be serious

"I never set out to shock. I had no idea that people would respond to the Mr Blond ear-cutting scene in Reservoir Dogs until they did," says Quentin Tarantino. "I didn't think that was anything."

Critics feel the same about his shockingly bad Inglourious Basterds