Seven Sorrowful mysteries

Just when you thought you'd seen it all, Easyjet at Gatwick pulled seven checked in passengers off the flight to Marrakech because the pilot reckoned he had too much weight on board to battle strong headwinds on the way down over Europe.

No volunteers came forward when Easyjet tried to entice them with the offer of £100 and a free hotel room so they called out the last seven who'd checked in, told them they weren't flying and that their bags would be removed from the hold. Now there's the first reason in a long time that I've seen as to why it's a good idea to check in online...and in plenty of time.

The rest of us stayed shamefully silent at this public execution, relieved that our delay was no longer than one hour.

And Marrakech, it is of course fascinating. Though our visit has coincided with another flare-up in the Western Sahara where Moroccan troops have laid into protesters ahead of this week's UN talk in New York between the sides. Morocco claims jurisdiction over the Western Sahara where a fight for independence has given way to a ceasefire, painfully slow negotiations and 'security' walls. Remind you of anywhere.