Innholdsfortegnelse for V. 1112 i The Week

What happened Trump’s “first scare” Donald Trump faced his first major foreign policy test on Sunday when North Korea conducted a provocative test launch of a ballistic missile. The firing of the medium-range rocket – which flew about 300 miles towards Japan before falling into the sea – was timed to coincide with a meeting between the US president and the Japanese prime minster, Shinzo Abe, in Florida. Abe called the launch “absolutely intolerable”; Trump said North Korea was a “big, big problem” and promised to deal with it “very strongly”. Trump also came under mounting pressure at home this week following the resignation of his national security adviser, Michael Flynn. The retired general was forced to quit after it emerged that he had discussed US sanctions with a Russian…

Britain’s bloody trade in arms Owen Jones The Guardian Britain has blood on its hands in Yemen, says Owen Jones. For the past two years, the Arab country has been engulfed in a vicious civil war fuelled by outside parties. Most of the 10,000 civilian deaths have been caused by a coalition led by Saudi Arabia, Britain’s biggest arms client. Under UK export rules, weapons aren’t meant to be supplied when there’s a “clear risk” of humanitarian laws being breached, yet we’ve granted licences for £3.3bn-worth of arms to the Saudis during the Yemen conflict. This despite the fact that a UN panel last year declared that humanitarian violations in Yemen were “widespread and systematic”, with entire cities being classed as military targets. Yemenis are being driven from their homes…

Painkillers no good for backache If you suffer from a bad back, don’t rely on over-the-counter painkillers to ease the agony. So say researchers from Sydney University, after reviewing 35 studies into the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to treat neck and lower back pain. They found that while there is evidence that NSAIDs provide some relief from pain, this is only of “clinical significance” for one in six patients. Furthermore, the patients who took NSAIDs were two-and-a-half times more likely to suffer from gastrointestinal problems, such as stomach ulcers, say the researchers in the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. That being the case, they argue that the benefits of the drugs are outweighed by the risks. “When you factor in the side effects, which are very common,…

The Wicked Witch of the East wasn’t the only miscreant in Oz. According to Judy Garland’s late ex-husband, the Munchkins were shameless sex pests. “They would make Judy’s life miserable by putting their hands under her dress,” reveals the posthumous memoir of Sid Luft . “They thought they could get away with anything because they were so small.” It isn’t the first report of bad behaviour by the actors who played the Munchkins. “They were drunks,” Garland once claimed. “They put them all in one hotel in Culver City and they got smashed every night, and they’d pick them up in butterfly nets.” Tom Jones is courting Priscilla Presley – ex-wife of his old friend Elvis . The Welsh crooner, 76, was spotted dining at a Hollywood restaurant with Presley,…

For once, I agree with Donald Trump, said Ryan Barrell in The Independent. The president last week launched one of his Twitterstorms – this time against the US department store Nordstrom, which, along with six other retailers, has dropped his daughter Ivanka’s fashion line. Ivanka had been treated “so unfairly”, protested Trump. “She is a great person – always pushing me to do the right thing! Terrible!” In truth, it isn’t Nordstrom he should take issue with. The company only dropped Ivanka’s line after sales dried up. And that is the fault of Grab Your Wallet, a boycott campaign organised by feminists outraged by Trump’s “grab them by the pussy” boast. Shunning Trump’s businesses is one thing – but to “lump Ivanka in with this boycott is ridiculous, and a…

“England have become a side who do not know when they are beaten,” said Paul Rees in The Observer. As they neared the end of their “ferocious” Six Nations tie against Wales last Saturday, they were trailing by two points. But Eddie Jones’ side “held their nerve”. With less than five minutes to go, Owen Farrell made a lovely pass to Elliot Daly, who scored “a try worthy of winning any match”; Farrell’s subsequent conversion made it a 21-16 victory. It was the closest England have come to defeat in Jones’ year as coach. They have now won 16 matches in a row, more than any England side in history – and they are just two wins short of the All Blacks’ world record of 18. How do England keep…

Rugby union In the Six Nations, France beat Scotland 22-16. C.J. Stander and Craig Gilroy both scored three tries in Ireland’s 63-10 win over Italy. Leicester Tigers signed England fly-half George Ford from Bath. Football Chelsea’s lead at the top of the Premier League narrowed following their 1-1 draw at Burnley. Manchester City beat Bournemouth 2-0 to go second. Liverpool beat Tottenham 2-0. Rugby league Super League champions Wigan started the new season by beating Salford 26-16. Catalans beat Warrington 20-12.…

El Pastór 6-7a Stoney Street, London SE1 ( www.tacoselpastor.co.uk ) This attractive and cheerily informal “taqueria”, set in a double-height railway arch on the edge of Borough Market, is part of a mini-wave of outstanding openings that are transforming our understanding of Mexican food, says Tim Hayward in the FT. El Pastór’s superb tortillas, for example – made daily from water and maize that has been soaked in a strong alkali to remove the grain’s tough skin – are so distant from the “leathery corn ‘wraps’” we Brits are used to that they could be an entirely different food. The taco al pastór is delicious and the pork “almost unbelievably juicy”. The pastór de pescado (fish taco) is, if anything, even better: socking great chunks of stone…

Rolls-Royce: bribery and Brexit losses Just weeks after being hit with a £671m fine for corruption, Rolls-Royce has reported the biggest loss in its 133-year history – and indeed, “one of the biggest losses in British corporate history”, said Graham Ruddick in The Guardian. The engine-maker (a separate entity to the carmaker of the same name) lost £4.6bn last year. The bribery fine was a factor, as was the company’s worsening performance in key civil and military aviation and marine markets. But the biggest hit came from the post-Brexit fall of the pound, which has forced Rolls to write down its extensive currency hedges (designed to protect the business from a fall in the value of dollar-denominated service contracts). The figures certainly aren’t good, said Simon Jack on BBC News…

A Greek crisis with a difference Matthew Lynn The Daily Telegraph Spring is coming, and with it the now “traditional” Greek debt crisis, says Matthew Lynn. The “embattled country” needs a fresh round of funds under its s86bn bailout programme, but it is struggling to hit the harsh austerity targets imposed by the EU, the European Central Bank and the IMF. The script is usually wearily predictable: grandstanding and threats, followed by a late-night deal. “This time around, however, it could be different”, with President Trump in the White House. Given that Greece remains an economic basket case, “the only sane argument” for the constant bailouts has been “to keep the euro together”. Previous US administrations viewed this as a “strategic imperative” and pushed for compromise; but Trump “doesn’t like”…

Controversy of the week The bell tolls for Corbyn Rumour has it that Jeremy Corbyn is pondering his position. If he isn’t – Corbyn said the revelation was “fake news” – then he should be, said The Times. A new poll has found that his net approval rating is a dismal -40. Tory or Labour, rich or poor, Remainer or Leaver, southerner or northerner, “everyone thinks that Mr Corbyn is doing a bad job”. After nearly a century as the party of government or opposition, “Labour is in the throes of an existential crisis. Its MPs are out of step with its members. Its members are out of step with its voters. Worst of all, its voters are out of step with each other.” On Brexit and immigration, the Remainers…

Harman on being hated Harriet Harman was 32 and pregnant when she first became an MP. She toiled on the back-and front benches for decades, campaigned relentlessly for women’s rights – and in return was roundly disliked. “It was horrible and lonely and hurtful,” she told Judith Woods in The Daily Telegraph. “I was jeered at in the papers for being a po-faced feminist, and I would walk into the Members’ Tea Room in Westminster and have to walk out again because nobody would speak to me, or even acknowledge me.” As Labour’s elder stateswoman, she served as acting party leader during the last two leadership elections. But she never had the confidence to put herself forward for the top job; at least, not until it was too late. “There…

A cheating Frenchman is suing Uber after his wife discovered that he had been using the taxi app to visit his mistress. The unnamed businessman says he once used his wife’s iPhone to request an Uber driver. Although he then logged out, the app continued to send notifications to her phone, alerting her to his suspicious movements. The couple are now divorced, and he is suing Uber for up to £38m. “My client was the victim of a bug in an app,” says his lawyer. “The bug has caused him problems in his private life.” Six government bureaucrats in central China have been punished for dozing off during a meeting about how to motivate lazy bureaucrats. The sleepy officials were named and shamed by the Communist Party discipline bureau in…

PHILIPPINES One brutal police force is quite enough Philippine Daily Inquirer (Manila) “For an avowed anti-American, President Duterte sure does copy the Americans a lot,” says the Philippine Daily Inquirer. The signature policy of his administration is his so-called war on drugs, which follows – albeit with added brutality – the failed template set by Richard Nixon four decades ago. Having now been forced to suspend this crackdown after rogue police officers kidnapped and strangled a South Korean businessman, Duterte has decided to go after the bad apples in law enforcement by floating the idea of reviving the Philippine Constabulary (PC), the police force established by the American colonial authorities in 1901 and abolished 26 years ago. “History has not looked kindly on the PC”, which is remembered for its…

Some people are still inclined to dismiss talk of a prison crisis as “so much liberal hand-wringing”, said The Guardian. But anyone who watched this week’s BBC Panorama investigation into conditions in HMP Northumberland will know better. The undercover report revealed a shocking state of affairs: widespread drug use; a broken door alarm; a fence with a hole in; and inexperienced staff members barely holding the line. The chaotic, dangerous conditions clearly made all but the “most perfunctory” attempts at rehabilitation or training impossible. Alas, Northumberland is by no means untypical: the same problems are evident in prisons across England and Wales. This is the grim context of the speech Liz Truss, the Justice Secretary, gave this week outlining prison reforms that will come before Parliament later this year. Like…

The story that emerged from a Commons bar last week sounds “like a relic from the 1970s”, said Frances Ryan on The Pool. David Davis, “Brexit Secretary and casual sexist”, allegedly tried to kiss Labour MP Diane Abbott in a show of mock-gratitude, after she reluctantly voted to trigger Article 50. She told him to “F*** off”. But Davis later told a friend, in a text exchange leaked to the press, that no kiss had been intended: “I whispered in her ear ‘Thanks for your vote’ hence the ‘F off’. I am not blind.” He then added, in case the joke was too subtle to grasp, that the idea of him kissing Abbott “would make a good Optical Express advert”. “Well, this is hilarious, isn’t it?” said Suzanne Moore in…

“In the least surprising move since England last needed a new Test captain”, England have appointed Joe Root as Alastair Cook’s successor, said Stephan Shemilt on BBC Sport online. Promoted from vice-captain, the 26-year-old has long been tipped for the top job: as a schoolboy, he was nicknamed “FEC” – future England captain. Since his debut in 2012, he has made good on that promise, scoring 4,594 Test runs – more than any other batsman in that time – and maturing into “perhaps the most complete three-format player” the country has produced. But Root takes on the mantle as one of the least experienced skippers in England history: he has captained a first-class team on just four occasions. On the face of it, Root is a very different proposition from…

When robots take over To The Daily Telegraph I agree with Professor Trevor Harley that artificial intelligence has a good chance of taking over most of the jobs we do. However, a world in which machines do all the work is not necessarily one of mass unemployment and poverty. With the efficiencies gained through automation and the almost total cut in labour costs, productivity will rocket, while the price of goods and services created by fully automated providers will be a fraction of what it is today. Food could be grown, harvested, distributed and sold for almost nothing. Unnecessary offices could be demolished and replaced with homes designed and assembled by machines. Government services such as the NHS would no longer be constrained by the cost of labour or the…

Theatre The House of Bernarda Alba Playwright: Federico García Lorca Director: Jenny Sealey Royal Exchange Theatre, St Ann’s Square, Manchester (0161-833 9833) Until 25 February Running time: 2hrs 10mins (including interval) ★★★ Lorca’s last play (written two months before he was shot by fascist militiamen) is an intriguing study of domestic tyranny, said Ann Treneman in The Times. New widow Bernarda Alba makes Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest look lovingly maternal, and Kathryn Hunter is utterly convincing as the grieving matriarch: “imperious, cruel, controlling but, also, someone who believes it is her duty to shield her daughters from the sex and shenanigans of the world”. Jenny Sealey’s “extraordinary” revival is a co-production with Graeae Theatre, which promotes the work of deaf and disabled actors. British Sign Language and captions are…

Best books… James Brown Journalist and broadcaster James Brown, who founded Loaded and was editor-in-chief of GQ, picks five of his favourite books. His memoir about amateur football, Above Head Height: A Five-a-Side Life, is published by Quercus at £16.99 Dispatches by Michael Herr, 1977 (Picador £9.99). I’ve just reread this engrossing account of Herr’s time in Vietnam: such strangely beautiful and inspiring writing about something as brutal and grotesque as people ground up by the machinery of modern warfare. The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler, 1953 (Penguin £8.99). The greatest American novel ever written with a hangover. You can feel the alcoholic acceptance of the disappointments of life seeping from the pages as Philip Marlowe moves through a Los Angeles of sick men, blunt cops and heart-plundering women, propelled…

Serves 6-8 (not that you’ll want to share) For the base: 300g crushed biscuits – those unwanted ones left at the bottom of the cookie jar will do 150g butter, melted For the cheesy bit: 400g creamed labneh (or cream cheese) 100g caster (superfine) sugar 200g ground nibbed pistachios 1 level tsp ground cardamom 2 eggs, whisked 175ml double (heavy) cream 4 tbsps rose water 200g rose Turkish delight, finely diced For the topping: 100g labneh or mascarpone 1 tbsp icing (confectioners’) sugar 50g nibbed pistachios 75g rose Turkish delight, finely diced • Grease a 25cm/10in springform cake tin with butter. Mix the cookie crumbs with the melted butter then press the mixture into the bottom of the cake tin. Pop it in the fridge to chill while you make…

Active Wildfitness, Scotland To lose weight and get fit, set aside your inhibitions and immerse yourself in a Wildfitness retreat. The company’s newest outpost is a Victorian lodge in the Alladale Wilderness Reserve in the Scottish Highlands. There’s a sauna and roaring fires inside, and the outdoor workouts are great fun – you’ll be doing forward rolls on muddy lawns and cartwheels on beaches. The food is so good that going without dairy and sugar is no privation. From £2,400 for a week (www.wildfitness.com). Spiritual Raas Devigarh, India Set near the Jain temples in Delwara, this “exquisite” 18th century palace-turned-hotel has a new spa overseen by the British skincare brand Ila. Using wild harvested ingredients and ancient techniques, such as crystal-bowl healing and sound therapy, the treatments take you on…

The “ Trump Bump ” struck on both sides of the Atlantic, with US indices setting new intraday highs, and the FTSE 250 index recording its longest run of record closes in two years. Traders shrugged off the warning tone adopted by Fed chair Janet Yellen , who hinted at further rate rises this year, arguing that “waiting too long… would be unwise”. The rouble hit its highest level against the dollar for almost two years, thanks to optimism about oil prices and encouraging US foreign policy signals. New ONS figures suggested that Britain’s economic performance continued to defy expectations of a Brexit-induced slump. Manufacturing output grew by 2.1% in December; construction output by 1.8%. But despite record employment, research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation suggested that nearly a third…

Nick and Christian Candy Property tycoons Nick and Christian Candy have been dubbed the “Bling Brothers” for their lavish lifestyles, said Vanessa Allen in the Daily Mail. They now stand accused of “an extraordinary campaign of bullying, blackmail and intimidation” in a case brought by a former associate seeking £132m in damages. The High Court action, brought by Mark Holyoake – who shared a house with Nick Candy at university – centres on a £12m loan he obtained from the Candys in 2011 to buy a Belgravia luxury flat development. He claims the brothers conspired to drive him into bankruptcy, so that they could “steal” the deal, by allegedly coercing him into ruinous repayments – and then threatening to sell the debt to Russians who, they said, “would not think…

Dunkirk, France Abuse claims: Children and women are being raped by people traffickers inside a refugee camp close to Dunkirk, according to detailed testimony gathered to support fresh legal action against the British Government’s approach to the welfare of unaccompanied minors. The evidence, reported by The Observer, comes from volunteers, medics and other officials, and from refugees themselves: it suggests that sexual abuse is common within the camp, where numbers have swollen to around 2,000 following the closure of the so-called Jungle camp at Calais in October. Witnesses claim that children and women are forced to have sex with traffickers – dozens of whom are residents in the camp – in return for blankets and food, or the offer of passage to Britain. Last week Home Secretary Amber Rudd announced…

TURKEY Erdogan’s baffling attack on academics Hürriyet (Istanbul) The mass sackings of Turkey’s public servants in the “struggle against terrorism” have ceased to surprise, but one still wonders what they’re meant to achieve, says Murat Yetkin. The latest batch, totalling almost 4,500 staff, includes 330 academics, the country’s top intellectuals among them. They include 82-year-old Öget Öktem Tanör, Turkey’s foremost expert in neuropsychology, Ibrahim Kaboglu, an internationally renowned professor of constitutional law, and Ibrahim Yazıcı, one of Turkey’s prominent conductors. The academics’ “crime”, in many cases, is to have signed a peace petition last year begging President Erdogan to stop harassing Turkey’s Kurds, or a second one pleading for the reinstatement of people dismissed for signing the first. It means some university departments will have to close. Even government supporters…

Cancer rates are expected to rise six times faster among women than men over the next 20 years. An analysis by Cancer Research UK suggests that rates will rise by about 3% for women and 0.5% for men – meaning that, by 2035, almost as many women (an estimated 4.5 million) will have been diagnosed with cancer as men (4.8 million). This catch-up effect, the researchers say, will mainly be driven by increases in obesity. While obesity is more common among men than women, many of the cancers most linked to weight – such as breast, womb and ovarian cancer – are mainly or exclusively female diseases; rises in obesity, therefore, disproportionately affect women. The cancer gender gap is also closing because women drink more than they used to, and…

“Barack Obama was bad for satirists, even if few seemed to mind,” said The Economist. “Moderate, upstanding and cool, the first black president gave close observers of human ridiculousness little to work with.” But, thankfully, “Donald Trump is making satire great again”. US comedy shows are relishing the rich array of targets provided by the new administration. Saturday Night Live, a “hitherto jaded platform for comedy skits on NBC”, is seeing its best ratings for 20 years: Alec Baldwin’s impression of Trump as an “irascible halfwit” has prompted objections from the president himself, while Melissa McCarthy’s brutal parody of press secretary Sean Spicer as “a gum-chewing maniac” has turned him into a national figure of fun. Satire is booming on this side of the Atlantic, too, said Nadia Khomami in…

“No matter how I go, I want it reported that I drowned in moonlight, strangled by my own bra.” Carrie Fisher, quoted in New York magazine “Blessed are the forgetful, for they get the better even of their blunders.” Nietzsche, quoted in The Guardian “I like a friend the better for having faults that one can talk about.” William Hazlitt, quoted on The Browser “Like the measles, love is most dangerous when it comes late in life.” Lord Byron, quoted on Forbes.com “I want a man who’s kind and understanding. Is that too much to ask of a millionaire?” Zsa Zsa Gabor, quoted in the Daily Mail “There is no finer revenge than that which others inflict on your enemy.” Cesare Pavese, quoted on The Browser “I do not believe…

An English scoring drought It was an alarming weekend for England fans, said Jack Skelton on BBC Sport online. In nine Premier League matches, just one goal was scored by an English player – and that came from a defender, Swansea’s Alfie Mawson. One English striker after another “failed to find the net”: Harry Kane “started but barely threatened”; Marcus Rashford only made a cameo appearance; Wayne Rooney and Daniel Sturridge were unused substitutes. With the exception of Kane, this has been a dire season for England strikers, said Matt Hughes in The Times. Rooney has only scored twice, Rashford three times. England’s “great goalscoring drought” leaves the national team with a “big problem”. Golf’s young guns Golf’s bright young things are “leaving veterans in the shade”, says Derek Lawrenson…

To The Times Part of the solution to the housing crisis is making better use of existing homes, as Alice Thomson suggests. So it was very disappointing that the housing White Paper was a complete damp squib on downsizing. Compared with other countries, relatively few older homeowners downsize. One of the main barriers is the lack of attractive housing options and the cost of moving. The Government should encourage developers and planners to build smaller, well-located properties that downsizers want to purchase as “last-time buyers”. Exemptions on stamp duty would also help. Every move by an older homeowner leads to three further moves on the housing ladder, so the Government would soon recoup any stamp duty, and more family-sized homes would be released for younger people. Stephen Burke, director, United…

My first encounter with Corney & Barrow, the City wine merchants, was nearly 40 years ago, and they represent many prestigious producers. In the intervening years I’ve learnt more about wine from their marathon lunches than from any other single source. Corney & Barrow still provide unparalleled service for those who adore the finest wines, but also excel at the more affordable level too – they are always on the lookout for the very best Malbec from Argentina or Grüner Veltliner from Austria, and offer an unsurpassed range of their own-label wines. My selection below is available either as a pair of each in a mixed case, or as whole cases. As usual, the offer includes free delivery and these prices cannot be found elsewhere. Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso Cecilia Beretta…

New cars: what the critics say Autocar For a premium carmaker, conquering the compact executive saloon market is “the ultimate litmus test”. Competition is so fierce that if you can outdo the BMW 3 Series, or the Audi A4, you gain a “mass-produced advert of your technological prowess”. In its earlier incarnations, the IS wasn’t even in the running; but now, in a bid to take on the “German opposition”, Lexus has given the car an overhaul. Auto Express The IS was already a stylish car. With a new grille and bumper, its exterior is now more handsome than ever. The interior isn’t “quite so chic”, but it’s still very comfortable. The cabin has high-quality materials, and there’s lots of space – though headroom is a bit cramped. The big…

“The whole world is watching Twitter,” declared its chief executive, Jack Dorsey, last week. He’s right, said The Wall Street Journal. “Twitter sits at the centre of the conversation about American politics more than any other company today – and yet it can’t seem to capitalise on it.” The latest quarterly earnings were grisly, showing its tenth straight quarter of slowing revenue growth. Dorsey said that Twitter was “recrafting its strategy” to cash in on its “increased relevance” under Twitter-addict President Trump. But investors weren’t impressed and shares tumbled 10%. Twitter’s insurmountable problem, according to Wells Fargo analyst Peter Stabler, is the way people use it. “Fast-twitch consumption is at odds with the kind of ads Twitter is trying to sell.” “Twitter is ex-growth,” said Lex in the FT. Yet…

Many people who are either married or simply living together “cannot bring themselves to discuss or organise their joint finances”, says Anne Ashworth in The Times. This is a particularly “perilous strategy” for cohabitees – despite a Supreme Court ruling last week that the partner of a man who had died was entitled to his pension. Do not assume that just because you’ve lived together for years you have the same legal rights as a married couple. If you don’t want to go down the marriage route, here are some tips to safeguard your assets… Pensions Complete a separate nomination form for each of your pension schemes, so that benefits can be paid to either partner if one of you dies. Read the small print. Property Make sure any property…

Who’s tipping what: the week’s best buys… Associated British Foods Sharecast Morgan Stanley views the Primark-owner’s 30% fall in shares in the last ten months as overdone. Primark remains an “excellent” long-term prospect, and the valuation of ABF’s sugar business has increased. Buy. £25.24. Bankers’ Investment Trust The Daily Telegraph With quarterly dividend payments and a history of outperformance, the trust’s investment approach is global but conservative. It trades at a discount relative to the value of its assets, so is a “solid choice”. Buy. 751.75p. Dairy Crest Daily Mail Analysts at Peel Hunt warn that net debt is set to rise, spurred by rising costs and weaker sterling. But they’re still bullish about growth and profit prospects, setting a new target price of 720p. Buy. 557.5p. Inmarsat The Sunday…