Forget the X Factor - MPs at Westminster have been engaging in their very own Rex Factor contest. Full Article at Yell.com: Pets and Vets

A parliamentary beauty contest in which entrants are judged on good deeds and behaviour, rather than looks or pedigree, was won by a Welsh springer spaniel called Molly. Full Article at Times Online

If rainforests are so valuable, why can’t we make them pay? For years, that was a rhetorical question. Not any more. Martin Wright on our last, best hope of saving forests – and the climate. Full Article at WorldChanging

Foreign aid in a recession COMPARED with the twin monoliths that house the Treasury and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), the Department for International Development (DfID) is a poky dwelling set back from the Whitehall action. Full Article at Economist

Men's IM Sneak Peek Auburn returns a handful of experienced swimmers, including senior captain Tyler McGill and junior Andrew Mitchell, in the IM events. Full Article at The Auburn University Official Athletic Site

The West Midlands could have its own televised general election debate, following Gordon Brown’s announcement that he will take part in a national debate alongside Conservative leader David Cameron and Liberal Democrat Nick Clegg. Full Article at Birmingham Post