Innholdsfortegnelse for V. 1203 i The Week

Asda, which came top in Which?’s annual mince pie contest – although the consumer group said that standards were generally lower this year, owing to the use of cheaper ingredients. Asda’s Extra Special pies scored 71% in the blind test of 100 “premium” pies from 11 supermarkets. In the champagne test, Co-op’s Les Pionniers NV came joint first with Mumm Cordon Rouge. Sustainability, as Sainsbury’s became the first UK grocer to stock edible insects. It says its roasted crickets are “crunchy in texture with a rich smoky flavour”. As a source of protein, insects are viewed as an eco-friendly alternative to meat, because breeding them requires relatively little land, water or feed. David Miliband, with reports that he earned £680,000 from his charity job in the US last year. The…

22% of Leave voters support the Brexit withdrawal deal, while 42% are against it. Among Remain voters, 20% support it and 47% are against (YouGov/The Daily Telegraph). Asked if they would prefer leaving the EU under the current deal, no deal or staying in the EU, 16% of voters chose May’s deal (Survation/The Daily Telegraph). However, 60% would rather accept the deal than leave the EU without one; 56% would prefer a second referendum to the deal (YouGov/The Times). Support for May to stay on as PM rose sharply from last week (33%) to this week (46%) as an attempted coup by Tory Brexiters appeared to stall (YouGov/The Times). By last weekend, however, only 60% of voters had seen or heard anything about the withdrawal deal (Survation/ The Daily Telegraph).…

Fergie’s divorce lessons Sarah, Duchess of York, was deeply affected by her parents’ divorce, says Frances Hardy in the Daily Mail. She was at boarding school at the time and neither of her parents explained it to her. She only found out what was going on from a newspaper, and worried it was her fault. “Because I’d cut my hair, because I wasn’t good enough.” Racked with self-hatred, she started comfort eating at 13. “That’s why I’ve had a weight problem all my life. I got up to 14-and-a-half stone.” So when her marriage collapsed, she was determined to do it better: she was straight with her two daughters, and she and Prince Andrew have made great efforts to remain a family; they even share a home. But for years,…

Hasbro has released Monopoly for Millennials, a new version of its classic board game for people in their 20s and 30s. Instead of collecting property, the aim is to amass “experience points” by, for example, visiting a vegan bistro, sleeping on a friend’s couch or attending a meditation retreat. The tag line reads: “Forget real estate. You can’t afford it anyway.” The game tokens include an emoji and a hashtag, not a car and a boot. “A game that profits off the backs of millennials while simultaneously mocking them? Must have been a baby boomer in charge,” said one Twitter user. A Houston woman has undergone $30,000 worth of cosmetic surgery in a bid to look like her idol, Ivanka Trump. Sarah Schmidt, 34, says she adores the “beautiful, poised,…

CANADA Does anyone want to host the Olympics? The Globe and Mail (Toronto) People love watching the Olympics, but they don’t want to host them any more, says The Globe and Mail. Last week, the citizens of Calgary voted by a majority not to host the 2026 Winter Games. It was the fifth city to have expressed an interest and then dropped out; now only bids from Milan and Stockholm are in play. And only two cities in the end bid to host the 2024 Summer Games: Paris, which won, and Los Angeles, which has been awarded the 2028 event. What the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is facing is a “buyers’ strike”. People in big cities around the world have grasped that hosting the Olympics “isn’t that great a deal”.…

Last week, something “profound” occurred in the “overlooked arena of metrology”, says The Guardian: at a conference in Versailles, delegates voted to replace the lump of metal that has long been the global standard for a kilogram with a constant derived from nature. Since 1889, Le Grand K, as the platinum-iridium cylinder is known, has resided in a triple-locked vault in Paris. But over the years, scientists have observed minute variations in its weight, caused by pollutants in the air. This prompted calls for the kilo to be freed from Le Grand K, and to join the six other metric measurements in being derived from a fundamental concept that, by definition, cannot change. From now on, accordingly, there will be no one physical object that defines what a kilo is.…

When Michelle Obama (pictured) first met her future husband, it was not love at first sight, she reveals in her new memoir. She was working in a law firm when he arrived, fresh from Harvard, for a summer job. They got on well, but she didn’t like his smoking and was initially reluctant to go on a date. Then he kissed her – and “the feelings came rushing – a toppling blast of lust, gratitude, fulfilment, wonder”. Yet it was not all Mills & Boon thereafter, she admits. In bed one night, she saw him staring at the ceiling, looking troubled. Was he dwelling on their relationship, she wondered. “Oh,” he said. “I was just thinking about income inequality.” When the Duchess of Sussex and her mother, Doria Ragland, spend…

“Grief is the terrible reminder of the depths of our love and, like love, grief is non-negotiable.” Musician Nick Cave, quoted on Quartz “Success is relative: it is what we can make of the mess we have made of things.” T.S. Eliot, quoted in Forbes “There is no crisis so terrible that it can’t be improved by a brisk touch of housework.” Jane Shilling in The Daily Telegraph “There is no gardening without humility. Nature is constantly sending even its oldest scholars to the bottom of the class for some egregious blunder.” Former poet laureate Alfred Austin, quoted in The Daily Telegraph “Acting is merely the art of keeping a large group of people from coughing.” Ralph Richardson, quoted in The Times “There is always a well-known solution to every…

For now, at least, Ireland are only No. 2 in the rugby world rankings, but they are still “on top of the world”, said Robert Kitson in The Guardian. Their 16-9 win over New Zealand last Saturday – the first time they have ever beaten the All Blacks at home – was “tactically brilliant, precision engineered and physically relentless”. It’s hard to think of “a more complete performance” by an Ireland side. The Irish put paid to any notions of “All Black infallibility”, said Stephen Jones in The Sunday Times. They were the better team by “way more than seven points”: they “beasted” New Zealand up front; their defence was “a giant, blasting green bulldozer”. It was a triumph for Ireland coach Joe Schmidt and his “planning and coaching”. The…

In 1918, the Viennese artist Gustav Klimt was knocked down by a stroke, and died a few weeks later at the age of 55, said Laura Cumming in The Observer. Just a few months after that, his 28-year-old protégé Egon Schiele contracted Spanish flu, and within the space of “three devastating days”, he too was dead. Yet despite their early demise, these two brilliant draughtsmen left behind a wealth of extraordinary images that distilled “the look of an era, of a society cursed by decadence and poverty, hunger, disease and war”. A century on from their passing, the Royal Academy has mounted a remarkable celebration of their work, bringing together about 100 of Klimt and Schiele’s extraordinary drawings on loan from Vienna’s “magnificent” Albertina Museum. The exhibition presents a “judicious…

Best books… Sofka Zinovieff The journalist and author picks six novels that confront taboos. Her novel Putney, about a relationship between a young girl and an older man, was recently published by Bloomsbury Circus at £14.99 Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, 1955 (Penguin £8.99). Initially banned, this is one of the most shocking books ever written. Given our preoccupation with child abuse, it is possibly even more disturbing today. Humbert Humbert is a brilliant creation as an unreliable, narcissistic, obsessively lustful narrator. Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively, 1987 (Penguin £9.99). A magnificent, Booker-winning love story with wartime Cairo and London at its heart and a clever, difficult heroine. The taboo – a brother-sister incestuous relationship – is inserted so subtly you could almost miss it, though its fallout informs the entire…

Brewdog Lost Lager Dry-Hopped Pilsner (4.7%; £2.60 for 660ml; Tesco) is light and citrusy, and will see you through an Indian meal, while Bad Co West Coast Pale Ale (5.6%; £1.25 for 330ml; Asda) has a decent hit of hops. I wouldn’t have picked it off the shelf, but I really love Wild Card’s Passionfruit Gose, a fruit-flavoured sour beer from a small Walthamstow brewer (4.8%; £4.48 for 440ml; hoptimism.co.uk). It’s lively and tart, with a whiff of passionfruit: perfect for Indian street snacks or to offset a mild, creamy korma. Danish brewery Mikkeller has a refreshingly sharp passion fruit Berliner weisse called Wood Will Fall Down (4.2%; £2.50 for 330ml; M&S), which would suit a mild veggie curry. Duration’s Turtles All the Way Down, a 5.5% American pale brewed…

Lake Windermere cruise Spend 2 nights at the Beech Hill Hotel, on the shores of the lake, with full breakfast, first-night dinner and cruise for two from £154pp. 01904-717362, superbreak.com. Arrive 20 December. All-inclusive in Malta Stay 4 nights at the 4-star resort of Db Seabank Hotel & Spa, in the seaside town of Mellieha, from £381pp including Bristol flights. 020-8974 7200, travelrepublic.co.uk. Depart 26 December. 4-star Amsterdam break Hotel V Fizeaustraat offers beautiful views over the Amstel River skyline. A 4-night b&b stay including Birmingham flights costs from £333pp. 020-3897 1152, loveholidays.co.uk. Depart 13 December. Four-star boutique b&b Dar Ennassim, in the Tunisian town of La Marsa, has an outdoor pool and rooftop terrace. A 5-night stay costs from £199pp b&b, excluding flights. 020-3564 4851, expedia.co.uk. Arrive 13 December.…

PM Theresa May was welcomed by business leaders at the CBI, who credited her with at least putting “a deal on the table” after two-and-a-half years of Brexit limbo. But leading manufacturers, including Rolls-Royce and Airbus, stated that they were stepping up their contingency plans for a disorderly exit. The pound, which fell 2% in a day during the turmoil last week, steadied on news that Environment Secretary Michael Gove would remain in the Cabinet. Bank of England Governor Mark Carney also signalled support for the agreement, claiming that a no-deal Brexit would be “a large negative shock to the economy”. Brexit-related falls in UK stocks coincided with a wider global sell-off. Wall Street surrendered its 2018 gains amid anxiety that the long-running bull market is nearing an end. Goldman…

Tumbling stocks More than £21bn was wiped off the value of “Brexit-exposed” stocks last week as “markets started to price in a cliff-edge Brexit or a Jeremy Corbyn-led government”, said Tom Rees in The Sunday Telegraph. Capital Economics warned that a disorderly no-deal scenario could inflict “a hit to GDP of up to 3%”, but for now it is UK banks, insurers, retailers and housebuilders that are in the firing line. RBS, “which generates almost all of its revenue in Britain”, shed £4.2bn in a 13.9% plunge – “its worst weekly loss since the Brexit vote”. Lloyds and Barclays were also badly hit. “Speculation of a snap general election” weighed on regulated utilities and government outsourcers such as Capita, which dropped nearly 15%, said the FT. Investors are clearly taking…

“Britain faces a major strategic decision,” said The Times. The Commons must decide whether the Prime Minister’s Brexit deal will stand or fall. “At such a moment, the nation has a right to expect clarity from its politicians.” But quite where the Labour Party really stands on Brexit is “anyone’s guess”. Since the referendum, the party has “offered no serious alternative” to Tory policy, preferring to take refuge in creative ambiguity. For instance, in a recent interview with Der Spiegel, Jeremy Corbyn declared that Brexit “can’t be stopped”. Soon after, his Brexit spokesman, Keir Starmer, declared that in fact it “can be stopped”. Does Labour support a second referendum? Corbyn has repeatedly said that the outcome of the 2016 vote must be “respected”. On the other hand, he also said…

Owing to an error by the NHS contractor Capita, almost 50,000 women missed letters about their cervical cancer screenings. Most were invitations to screenings and reminders, but some 4,500 women did not receive letters with their results. NHS England said there was no evidence so far that anyone had been harmed by the error, and that affected patients were being contacted. The British Medical Association said the error follows other mistakes by Capita, which provides GP back-office services; it has urged the Government to strip Capita of its £330m contract, signed in 2015, and take administrative services back in-house.…

Paris Car-free: The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo (pictured), has announced plans to turn the French capital’s city centre into a car-free zone, serviced by electric shuttles. Covering the first four arrondissements on the right bank of the Seine, the car-free zone would cover about two square miles, and stretch from the Place de la Concorde in the west to the Bastille in the east. Hidalgo’s plans, which emerged last week, will form a major part of her pitch for re-election in 2020. But they have been widely criticised on the grounds that they would turn the city centre into a lifeless tourist trap, and would privilege the wealthy centre of Paris at the expense of the suburbs. Pont-de-Beauvoisin, France Thousands join “yellow vest” protests: Large parts of France’s road…

1 You Make Me Feel So Young by Josef Myrow and Mack Gordon, performed by Frank Sinatra 2* I’m Still Waiting by Deke Richards, performed by Diana Ross 3 Gloria by Patti Smith and Van Morrison, performed by Patti Smith 4 Solid Air, written and performed by John Martyn 5 Black Dog by Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones, performed by Led Zeppelin 6 Shame by John H. Fitch Jr and Reuben Cross, performed by Evelyn “Champagne” King 7 Dream a Little Dream of Me by Wilbur Schwandt, Fabian Andre and Gus Kahn, performed by Mama Cass with The Mamas & The Papas 8 One More Time by Thomas Bangalter, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Anthony Moore, performed by Daft Punk…

Protected status The UK has agreed to honour the EU’s “protected designation of origin” rules, which give legal recognition to Parma ham, feta cheese, champagne and 3,000 other products. In return, UK products such as Stilton, Melton Mowbray pork pies and Welsh lamb will benefit from EU recognition. Gibraltar Spain and the UK have agreed a bilateral protocol covering issues such as rights of Spanish workers in the territory, air transport, fishing and smuggling. This week, Spain’s government said it wanted a veto on any trade deal covering Gibraltar. Cyprus When Britain gave Cyprus independence, it kept two large military bases, whose territory makes up 3% of the island. These will remain part of the EU customs union; the 11,000 Cypriots who live or work there will have their rights…

The folly of building in wildfire areas Emily Atkin The New Republic The Camp Fire, which has killed at least 81 people and destroyed thousands of homes in northern California, has gone down in history as the deadliest wildfire ever recorded in the state, says Emily Atkin. But alas, you could hardly call it a freak event. Fourteen of the 20 most destructive wildfires in California have occurred since 2000, and the casualties caused by these blazes have been rising steadily. In 2016, wildfires overtook mass shootings as a cause of death in the state, and at this rate, the state’s wildfire deaths will soon outnumber deaths in the US due to terrorism. Climate change is partly responsible for the growing severity of these blazes, but planning decisions are making…

Just under half of all countries no longer produce enough children to maintain their population size, a study has found. Researchers from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, at the University of Washington, looked at global fertility trends between 1950 and 2017, and found that 91 of 195 countries now have fertility rates below replacement level – currently 2.05 births on average for every woman. However, across the world the rate varied considerably. Women in Niger, West Africa, typically have 7.1 children, and those in Cyprus just one child. The British average is 1.7. The “baby bust” has been masked in the West by migration, said Professor Christopher Murray, the report’s author. But populations may soon start declining. “Think of all the profound social and economic consequences of a…

The House of Lords should be ashamed of itself, said Kate Maltby in The Guardian. Back in November last year, one of its members, Lord Lester, an 82-year-old human rights barrister, was accused of sexual harassment and abusing his position. Jasvinder Sanghera (who has waived her right to anonymity) claimed that 12 years ago, while he was supporting her work, Lester groped and harassed her, chased her round his kitchen, and said: “If you sleep with me, I will make you a baroness within a year.” Lester vehemently denies the allegations, but the complaint was investigated by the Lords Commissioner for Standards and upheld. It was then reviewed by two Lords committees, which again found against Lester – and recommended he be suspended from the House, for four years. Yet…

“You wait two decades for a semi-final and then two come along in quick succession,” said Matt Dickinson in The Times. On Sunday, four months after England reached the last four of the World Cup, they beat Croatia 2-1 to qualify for the semi-finals of Uefa’s new competition, the Nations League. It wasn’t just the result but the manner of the victory that inspired optimism. When England went 1-0 down, against the very country that eliminated them from the World Cup, it looked as if they might “succumb to a sense of grim inevitability”. But this “vibrant young team” is made of sterner stuff than their predecessors. They refused to give up and, thanks to late goals from Jesse Lingard and Harry Kane, claimed a deserved win. It was a…

Bound to the backstop? To The Daily Telegraph A principal difference between so-called “international law” and states’ domestic laws is that, in the absence of the parties’ consent, international agreements are really only enforceable by punitive sanctions or armed might. An international treaty may not contain a clause permitting one of its parties to escape from it, but sovereign states are by definition able to do just that. There is thus force in the point made by Juliet Samuel that a United Kingdom bound to an endless “backstop” by the Brexit withdrawal agreement could eventually, if Parliament so wished, simply walk away from it. I don’t imagine there would be an EU invasion force mobilised. Jolyon Grey, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire In the driving seat To The Guardian It was sad to…

Theatre Macbeth Playwright: William Shakespeare Director: Robert Hastie Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, Shakespeare’s Globe, Bankside, London SE1 (020-7401 9919). Until 2 February Running time: 2hrs 30mins (including interval) ★★★ There have been so many ropey Macbeths of late you might almost start believing in the superstition that this play is cursed, said Claire Allfree in The Daily Telegraph. The National Theatre’s recent version (now on tour) was eviscerated by the critics, and an “overly conceptual” RSC version (now at the Barbican) wasn’t a big improvement. So I am relieved to report that Robert Hastie’s “psychologically coherent and deliciously tenebrous” production in the Globe’s indoor Sam Wanamaker Playhouse is first-rate – “beautifully thought through”, excellently acted and with the eerily “immersive feel of a séance”. Granted, Hastie has the advantage of this…

Su Blackwell at Long & Ryle Su Blackwell (b.1975) is an artist known for creating detailed, three-dimensional paper sculptures from the pages of books, illustrating stories with the very words used to narrate them. The resulting works, carefully hewn with a scalpel, are impossibly delicate dioramas, reminiscent of the strange, beautiful and mildly creepy output of the surrealist Joseph Cornell. A new exhibition, Folk Tales, Forests and the Sea, brings together a number of these sculptures made over the past year-and-a-half, created from a diverse range of sources. One diorama transforms The Observer Book of Birds into a tree bursting with tiny songbirds; another gives us the titular building of Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse. Elsewhere, Hans Christian Andersen stories and English folk tales are brought to life, and the…

Peggy tells Lilian that Christine’s too nervous to leave The Laurels. Lilian suggests holding Peggy’s birthday party at The Lodge so Christine can see the changes that have been made. Justin tells Susan that Neil has no need to worry about Berrow, because Hannah has blossomed with the extra responsibility. Neil grumbles when he hears this. At Peggy’s birthday, Christine has a wobble when she trips over Hilda’s litter tray. She doesn’t think she’ll ever feel safe at The Lodge with Hilda there and wants more time at The Laurels. Peggy promises to cover the cost. Oliver is hired as The Bull’s part-time barman. Lexi reassures Adam that she’s happy to carry on with the surrogacy. She tells Roy she wants to be in Bulgaria for the pregnancy, and explains…

The Bell Inn Langford, Oxfordshire (01367-860249) I fell hard for this exceptional gastropub, says Tom Parker Bowles in The Mail on Sunday – with its stone floor, “excess of old wood” and the “sort of bustling Saturday night hubbub” that signals real quality. I went with a group of six, which luckily meant we could sample most of the diverse menu, which “dances nimbly” and confidently through Britain, France, Italy and Spain, with a “brief sojourn” to Korea. We loved the plump and sweet clams with salty ham, and the “splendid” flatbreads – one topped with bone marrow, garlic and parsley; the other with anchovies and chives. Korean fried chicken was sticky, spicy, crunchy and “lovely”. Devilled kidneys on toast also impressed – as did a “lasciviously succulent” chicken…

New cars: what the critics say Autocar Volvo needs this car to be good. Any manufacturer operating at the premium end of the mass market ought to be producing a “fighting-fit midsize saloon” – and previous incarnations of the S60 didn’t exactly set the world alight. This “keenly anticipated” car is the first Volvo to be produced without diesel options – you can choose between petrol engines or hybrids. It’s “fresh and exciting”. Car magazine Visually, the new S60 is a big improvement. Its “flowing flanks and almost Jaguar-like haunches” are a real departure for Volvo – although the grille and rear lights give it a more familiar look. With a “particularly well-judged” interior, the cabin is “comfortable and restful”. This being a Volvo, there are lots of safety features,…

Gara Rock, Salcombe, Devon Salcombe might be “preppy”, but it has never seen the likes of this luxurious, recently revamped and expanded “hotel-meets-hamlet” before, says Condé Nast Traveller. Perched in isolation on a jagged peninsula outside the Devon town, and beautifully designed, it manages to feel snug despite its size. Accommodation includes historic cottages, a terrace of three-storey self-catering houses and a “spectacular” lone studio built into the rocks. The bedrooms are spacious and the restaurant serves “refined comfort food”. There are two pretty pools, a small spa, a beach 15 minutes’ walk away and plenty of children’s activities. Doubles from £150 b&b. 0333-370 0555, gararock.com .…

Last week, Facebook’s second-in-command, Sheryl Sandberg, posted her thanks to charity fundraisers who’d raised $1bn via the platform “to make the world a better, kinder, more compassionate place”. But within a day, said Hannah Kuchler in the FT, Sandberg was “thrown into yet another crisis” ignited by people apparently bent on making the world “a toxic and more divided place”. A report in The New York Times claimed that the social media giant had either “bungled”, or tried to hide, the full extent of Russian electoral interference on its platform. Facebook was also accused of hiring an aggressive PR firm to smear critics, including the billionaire George Soros. Sandberg and Facebook’s boss, Mark Zuckerberg, swiftly convened a conference call in an effort to rebut the allegations – and fired Definers…

Further price falls this week mean that some $1trn has now been wiped off the value of the so-called Faangs (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google), said Matthew Field in The Daily Telegraph. All five stocks are now officially in “bear territory”, having dropped by at least 20% from their recent highs. Why, and what next? Peak iPhone/Peak Facebook? Apple and Facebook in particular are plagued by concerns “that they are running out of momentum in key markets as rates of growth start to slow”. Regulation and reputation These twin threats have arguably been responsible for “the biggest one-day falls” in big tech stocks. The threat of further regulation to “break the chokehold” of tech monopolies hasn’t abated. The digital ad market Although it is still apparently going great guns…

Crispin Odey How odious is Odey? That, said Patrick Hosking in The Times, was the question trending on Twitter after the bearish old Harrovian hedge-funder and “ardent Brexiteer”, 59, bragged that he “had a good day” betting heavily on the falling pound, amid last week’s Cabinet resignations. The online reaction was not, to say the least, positive: jackal, parasite, vampire and “a huge banker” were some of the “kinder, less actionable verdicts”. But then Odey could “just as easily have lost, very heavily”. Indeed, his recent track record has been “abysmal”: investors in his Odey European fund lost 49.5% of their money in 2016 and 21.7% more last year. Yet there’s no denying Odey’s remarks were ill-advised, given his personal wealth – estimated at about £700m. Beyoncé Two years after…

Just over halfway through the 2011 Kielder Marathon in Northumberland, Steve Cairns was in third place and out on his own. As he passed the 14-mile mark, he could see the two leading runners, Ricky Lightfoot and Marcus Scotney, a few minutes ahead on the trail. Behind him, just passing the 13-mile point, were the chasing pack. Cairns knew he had little chance of catching the front runners. He was equally confident that the rest of the field had little chance of catching him. “I’m just going to enjoy this,” he decided. Cairns held on to his position and finished the race comfortably. As he crossed the finish line, he heard his result called over the PA. “I’m thinking, did I hear that right?” he says. “Fourth?” He asked a…

Oxford Dictionaries has chosen “toxic” as its word of the year, meaning it’s the one that best reflects the “ethos, mood or preoccupations” of 2018. “Toxic” now crops up to describe everything from workplaces to relationships, as well as in phrases like “toxic masculinity”. “The sheer scope of its application in 2018 made ‘toxic’ the standout choice,” the company said. Millennials are said to be increasingly reliant on the “bank of mum and dad”, but it seems the money doesn’t flow in only one direction. According to investment firm Brewin Dolphin, a third of people in their 20s and 30s have provided financial support to their parents in the so-called “squeezed middle” generation.…

Universities minister Sam Gyimah has confirmed plans to offer “accelerated” two-year undergraduate courses to reduce the cost of getting a degree. Two years of tuition fees, at £11,150 per year, would cost 20% less than a three-year course at £9,250 per year. The Government says it wants to encourage more flexible ways of studying and to reverse the decline in the number of mature students. To raise fees above the current £9,250 cap will, however, require parliamentary approval.…

Washington DC Trump stands with Saudi Arabia: President Trump issued a statement expressing his unwavering support for the Saudi regime this week, days after it was reported that the CIA had concluded that the country’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (who is known as MbS), ordered the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi (pictured) in Istanbul last month. In his statement, the US president quoted Saudi officials who described Khashoggi as an “enemy of the state”, and told reporters there was “nothing definitive” linking MbS to the killing. Claiming the CIA report was inconclusive, Trump said that it could “very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event – maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!” In any case, he added, “our relationship…

“When language is chosen with care and used with relish, it rings like a bell. The other day, a friend of mine used the term ‘yonderly’ to denote a certain kind of absent-minded vagueness. This is a northern word and almost obsolete, but because I am northern too, and it was one my grandparents used, it pierced my heart like an arrow. It has no good or true synonym. A doctor might say ‘confused’: but ‘yonderly’ comes with a gentleness, a tickled fondness, that the more clinical term doesn’t reach; it makes you smile even as you worry. It is just as the philosopher said: Unless we have a word for something, we’re unable to conceive of it.” Rachel Cooke in The Observer…

It isn’t Brexit that will define our destiny Hamish McRae The Independent Don’t get too het up about Brexit, says Hamish McRae. It all looks desperately important at the moment, but here’s the thing: the exact nature of the deal we strike with the EU, if indeed we reach one, may not make all that much difference in the long run. It’s economics, not politics, that will ultimately define our relationship with Europe, and the big factors driving the economics are outside the control of negotiators. For a start, Europe’s importance as a market is shrinking in relative terms as the global economy shifts towards China and India. In the early 2000s, Europe took some 55% of UK exports; today it takes about 44% – a figure likely to fall…

Being unfit is like a “disease” Being inactive does more harm to your chances of living to a ripe old age than smoking, scientists have claimed. Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio looked at data on 122,007 patients who were given regular treadmill tests over 24 years from 1991. Predictably, they found that being fit was associated with living longer. What shocked the team, however, was the size of the disparity between the outcomes for the inactive and the ultra-fit. The data revealed that those who performed worst in the fitness test - and who, by implication, did little or no exercise – were five times more likely to suffer a premature death than participants in the fittest bracket. The benefits of aerobic fitness were especially marked among the…

“Talk about making a splash,” said Esther Addley in The Guardian. David Hockney made history last week when one of his best-known paintings, Portrait of An Artist (Pool With Two Figures), sold for $90.3m (£70.6m) at Christie’s in New York – the most ever paid for a work by a living artist. Unusually, the painting’s owner, billionaire Tottenham Hotspur owner Joe Lewis, opted to sell it without a reserve price, “meaning that bidding could have started at $1”. In the event, the opening bid was $18m, but a seven-way bidding battle led the price to shoot up. “If anything is worth such daft money, this is,” said Jonathan Jones in the same paper. The 1972 painting is a “masterpiece of beauty, lucidity and controlled intensity”. It reveals the pain of…

It felt like a watershed moment, said Paul Newman in the Daily Mail. With their “perfect” win in the second Test, which secured a series victory in Sri Lanka with a match to spare, England announced themselves as a team “destined to soon return to the top of the world Test rankings”. It was a victory all the more outstanding because it was achieved “in such an un-English way”: 19 of the 20 Sri Lanka wickets were taken by spin bowlers. And it came against a side who may be past their best, but were still “good enough at home to thrash South Africa earlier this year and Australia two years ago”. For the first time since the India tour in 2012, England have now won two successive Tests away.…

To The Times Professor Green, the rapper and television presenter, says that presenting knife crime as a problem in black communities is racist. He argues that the image of “black youths stabbing each other” is a misrepresentation and that “in more densely white populated areas, the face of knife crime is white”. He is right that the ethnicity of knife crime varies across the country, but unfortunately (at least in London) the knife crime epidemic is largely a black phenomenon, both in terms of victims and perpetrators. Data from the Mayor of London’s office for policing and crime (Mopac) show that last year approximately half of all knife crime victims and offenders were black and minority ethnic (BME). Regarding knife crime with injury, 69% of offenders and 55% of victims…

In 2015, the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge made the sensational claim that two early 16th century bronzes on show in its collection were the work of Michelangelo, says Mark Brown in The Guardian. Last week, the museum “released a mass of evidence” backing up its attribution for the figures, known as the Rothschild bronzes, which depict young men riding panthers. Professor Peter Abrahams, professor of clinical anatomy at Warwick Medical School, said that the sculptures showed details often seen in Michelangelo’s work and not elsewhere, such as anatomically correct but “unruly” pubic hair, feet with a short big toe and a long second toe pointing outwards, and an abdominal “eight-pack” – a physical anomaly repeatedly seen in the artist’s work. In addition, researchers have uncovered evidence that the artist made…

Programmes Jazzology with Soweto Kinch The saxophonist traces the history of jazz, playing with musicians in New Orleans and New York along the way. Sun 25 Nov, BBC4 20:00 (60mins). Hurt Locker Hero Storyville film about the work of fearless Kurdish bomb disposal expert Fakhir Berwari, who disarmed thousands of landmines for the Iraqi army from 2003-14, with only a pocket knife and wire clippers. Mon 26 Nov, BBC4 22:00 (85mins). Mrs Wilson Ruth Wilson plays her own grandmother in this fascinating three-part drama based on the life of her grandfather – a bigamist and spy. Tue 27 Nov, BBC1 21:00 (60mins). Farang: Dead Man Running Swedish thriller series about an ex-con who had to flee to Thailand, abandoning his family in the process, after testifying against his associates.…

Ethiopian fish soup Serves 4 1kg fish bones, heads or small fish of white-fleshed, non-oily variety 2 tbsps finely chopped garlic 2 tbsps grated or finely chopped ginger 2 tbsps finely chopped jalapeños or other hot fresh green chilli 1 tbsp ground turmeric 2 medium whole fish, such as sea bream, tilapia or red snapper (about 450g each) cleaned; or 4 fish steaks or generous-size fillets salt and freshly ground black pepper cornbread, to serve • Place the fish bones in a large soup pot, cover with 2 litres of water and bring to the boil. Skim off any foam. • Meanwhile, in a blender, puree the garlic, ginger and jalapeños with a touch of the simmering fish stock to make a thick paste. Alternatively, mash together in a mortar…

Motorola Moto G6 Motorola’s Moto has long offered excellent smartphones at low prices, and the G6 is the best yet. It boasts a sharp screen, solid build and an impressive 12MP camera –although there’s only 32GB of storage (£200 for a Sim-free handset; argos.co.uk) Samsung Galaxy A8 Samsung is renowned for producing some of the best smartphones on the market, and the A8 is now a relatively budget option. Water-resistant up to 1.5 metres, it has an excellent camera and a vivid screen (£300; johnlewis.com). Sony Xperia XA1 With its ultra high-res 23MP camera, this is the budget phone to get if you take your photos seriously (though it has only 32GB of storage). It’s 8mm thick and has a 5in screen (£149; carphonewarehouse.com). Nokia 8 Since the 8’s launch…

Schubert and hiking in the Alps A trip to western Austria’s Schubertiade festival offers “food for both body and soul”, says Teresa Levonian Cole in House & Garden. Founded in 1976, and unfolding annually across various weeks in the spring and summer, it’s the world’s most important celebration of Franz Schubert’s music. But the distinguished performers who play there perform works by other composers too. If you go with Martin Randall Travel for a week in June, you’ll also enjoy guided walks through wild flower-strewn forests and meadows, as well as afternoon talks by Richard Wigmore, an “entertaining” music lecturer. The concert venue, in picturesque Schwarzenberg, has wonderfully warm acoustics, and dinners at your hotel in the pretty, nearby village of Mellau are “gloriously convivial”. The six-night trip costs from…

Royal Mail: pass the parcel “Royal Mail’s share price was one of those overwhelmed by the Brexit action last week,” said Nils Pratley in The Guardian. It fell 6%, taking shares below their 2013 privatisation price for the first time. Yet the fall also reflected “the group’s self-inflicted mistakes”. It turns out that the new boss, Rico Back, can only find £100m of the £230m cost savings promised by his predecessor, Moya Greene; investors are none too happy. Back is in a “particularly vulnerable position”, said Alex Brummer in the Daily Mail. As a “privatised public service, with a 500-year heritage”, Royal Mail has a special place in citizens’ hearts. It also has an easily angered, “highly unionised, Corbyn-supporting workforce” with whom Back got off to a bad start when…

The economy is limping towards Brexit David Smith The Sunday Times When it comes to Brexit, there are those “who live in a fantasy world of the never-possible” and “those who take a pragmatic approach”, says David Smith. Ultimately, the latter are likely to prevail. Whether under this government, or another, “there will be a parliamentary deal on withdrawal, rather than the descent into chaos of a no-deal Brexit”. And the final wording is unlikely to differ greatly from the current draft. “The markets are with me on this.” Sterling dropped by two cents to below $1.28 on Dominic Raab’s resignation as Brexit Secretary, but “it would have fallen a lot more, to below $1.20 and probably well below, if the markets had begun to price in a no deal…

The week’s best shares 3i Group The Times The private equity group has proved a disciplined buyer and steward of private companies – mainly on the Continent. Arguably “the ultimate hedge against a chaotic Brexit”, thanks to its limited UK exposure. Buy. 789.75p. Amazon The Daily Telegraph Amazon’s e-commerce business is growing at 15-20% per year and has now been joined by new, higher-margin revenue streams from cloud computing and advertising. Primed to continue delivering “supercharged profits”. Buy. $1,640. Experian Investors Chronicle The data services specialist has produced its best organic sales growth in a decade. Cash flow is rising, debt remains stable, and there are promising new contract wins in banking and utilities. Buy. £18.69. 4Imprint Group Investors Chronicle This direct marketer of promotional products is growing in a…