Innholdsfortegnelse for V. 1270 i The Week

Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the 19th century Sikh warrior, who was voted the greatest leader of all time by readers of BBC World Histories magazine. The so-called Lion of Punjab conquered vast tracts of northern India, but is remembered as a unifying force who encouraged religious tolerance in his Sikh Empire. Genesis fans, with news that the prog rock band is to reunite for the first time since 2007, for a series of stadium concerts in the UK in November and December. Owing to nerve damage to his hand, Phil Collins, 69, will mainly be confined to vocals. His place on drums will be taken by his 18-year-old son, Nicholas. MPs, who were awarded a3.1% pay rise, putting them on £82,000 a year. That is almost three times the median salary…

Lansing, Michigan Biden wins again: Joe Biden extended his lead over Bernie Sanders in the Democrat presidential race in voting on Tuesday. The former vice-president won Michigan – the biggest prize of the day – as well as Mississippi, Missouri and Idaho. His rolling count of delegates was 847 to Sanders’ 685. A candidate needs 1,991 delegates to win. This week, there was speculation that Sanders, 78, might decide not tofight on. Ahead of the vote, Biden, 77, was boosted by endorsements from two more of his former rivals for the nomination, Cory Booker and Kamala Harris (pictured). The latter has been widely tipped to be Biden’s running mate if he wins. Donald Trump remains the narrow favourite to beat Biden in November’s election, but the gap has closed in…

“English Heritage has announced that this year’s shortlist of Blue Plaque nominees is 80% female. This is presumed to be agood thing. But this retrospective celebration of a few bold outliers tends to obscure the real reason for female invisibility. For most of history, women couldn’t get to the top; they weren’t even allowed in at the bottom. Half the human race was kept in legal and social servitude. No one – not even the well-meaning folk of English Heritage – can undo that injustice. And they shouldn’t try to. This hole in the records where great women ought to be is avivid illustration of the suffocating power of patriarchy. It’s not an oversight: it is a monument.” Jemima Lewis in The Daily Telegraph…

If you’re brown I’m afraid you can’t be blue Nick Cohen The Observer Why do some progressives have such a problem with progress, asks Nick Cohen. You’d have thought all opponents of racism or homophobia would be happy to see so many politicians of South Asian heritage become leading lights in Tory politics, and equally happy to see Pete Buttigieg run as the first openly gay major candidate for the White House. But no: for many progressives, this isn’t a welcome sign that times have moved on; it’s asign of treachery. Those politicians of Asian descent have somehow betrayed their ethnicity by joining the Tories. “They’re ‘coconuts’ – brown on the outside, white on the inside.” Buttigieg, likewise, has betrayed his sexuality because he happens to be married and supports…

The jellyfish that fires “grenades” Divers in theCaribbean and the Gulf of Mexico have sometimes reported feeling as if the water is stinging them. Now, scientists have discovered why: Cassiopea xamachana, ajellyfish common to those seas, has evolved a lethal extension to its armoury – tiny balls of stinging cells that it launches, grenade-style, at potential prey. Suspended in sticky mucus, the balls, which measure half a millimetre across, have hairs that cause them to waft through the water, boosting their chances of bumping into prey. And they contain enough poison to stun or even kill small fish – as researchers at Tohoku University, in Japan, discovered when they introduced brine shrimp into a tank containing the jellyfish. “It was a really amazing moment when we all took turns looking…

Six Nations: England nearly throw it all away The 33-30 scoreline “suggested a close contest”, said Paul Rees in The Observer. For the most part, however, it was anything but. England secured the triple crown at Twickenham with a composed and authoritative display against Wales on Saturday that underlined the “deep” gulf in quality between the two sides. In the first half, Eddie Jones’s men were especially dominant, as they unpicked the Welsh defence with “surprising ease”, twice scoring tries from attacking line-outs. By contrast, the defending champions were “careless and disjointed”, as they have been throughout a faltering campaign. After the resumption, the Welsh briefly rallied, rattling their opponents with a “sensational” try that began deep in their own half. But then, once again, England wrested control, opening up…

University of Mammon To the Financial Times It is time for the Financial Times to turn away from the obsession with money as a marker of human well-being that is implicit in Andrew Jack’s report “University degree boosts income by £100,000”. Universities were not set up to make people rich. They were set up toimprove life. To keep inculcating our school students with the idea that they should focus on how to maximise their income is a mistake for them and for the social good. I hear this mistake put into words and questions every time I give an Open Day lecture to high school students. As I write this, moreover, our major global problems are rising world temperatures and the threat from an international virus. It is probable that…

Aubrey Beardsley’s career was a tragically brief one, said Melanie McDonagh in the London Evening Standard. Cut short by his death from tuberculosis aged just 25, it spanned a mere seven years – but “what a career” it was. A dandy with an “impish wit and a filthy imagination”, Beardsley (1872-98) scandalised Victorian society with his startling black and white drawings, gaining notoriety in particular for his illustrations of Oscar Wilde’s play Salomé. Taking influences from a diverse range of sources – from Pre-Raphaelite painting to Japanese prints – he produced more than a thousand drawings of“dazzling variety and originality”. His portraits, caricatures and illustrations came to be seen as the epitome of “fin de siècle decadence”. This new show at Tate Britain is the first major exhibition ofhis work…

Best books… David Lan The theatre producer and former artistic director of the Young Vic chooses his favourite books. His memoir, As if by Chance: Journeys, Theatres, Lives, is out now, published by Faber at £20 Dance to the Piper by Agnes de Mille, 1951 (NYRB £13.99). An invigorating, carefree autobiography by the genius choreographer of Rodeo, Oklahoma! and Carousel. It’s packed with great characters, especially Martha Graham, whose advice to artists is: ignore doubt and criticism, if you don’t create what you uniquely can, it will never exist. A Dead Man’s Memoir by Mikhail Bulgakov, 1937 (Penguin £10.99). Also known as Black Snow, this satire of Soviet society is a fictionalised account of the author’s intoxication with the theatre, the famous Moscow Arts, that almost destroyed his play by…

Programmes Belgravia Julian Fellowes returns to Downton territory for this much-anticipated six-part period drama about the rise of London’s monied classes. Tamsin Greig and Harriet Walter star. Sun 15 Mar, ITV1 21:00 (60mins). Miss World 1970: Beauty Queens and Bedlam Documentary using archive footage and interviews to tell the story of the infamous Miss World contest brought to a halt by protesters in 1970. Mon 16 Mar, BBC2 21:00 (60mins). Kate & Koji Brenda Blethyn and Jimmy Akingbola star in a new odd-couple sitcom about a café owner and an asylum-seeking doctor. Wed 18 Mar, ITV1 20:00 (30mins). Taking Control: The Dominic Cummings Story Emily Maitlis examines the role of the Prime Minister’s enigmatic chief adviser, with testimonies from his political friends and foes. Wed 18 Mar, BBC2 21:00 (60mins).…

I regularly serve this at brunch for friends, says Theo Michaels, and it never fails to satisfy that mid-morning craving for something a little spicy. If you don’t have a large enough skillet, you can simply divide the mixture and cook it in two smaller pans. Serve with toasted sourdough and joie de vivre! Serves 3 as a main, 6 as asharer 1 aubergine 1 small onion, diced 1 garlic clove, finely sliced 1 tbsp ras el hanout ½ tsp smoked paprika 1 tbsp tomato purée 1 tsp sugar 500ml tomato passata 6 eggs 50g feta, crumbled a handful of fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped (optional) fresh red or green chilli, sliced olive oil, for frying and drizzling salt and freshly ground black pepper a 25cm ovenproof frying pan/skillet •…

Short break in Windsor Three nights at the luxurious De Vere Beaumont Estate Hotel, originally built for Lord Weymouth, cost from £144pp (two sharing) b&b. 01753-640000, devere.co.uk. Arrive 24 April. Four nights in Montenegro Stay at the stunning 4-star, coastal Palmon Bay Hotel and Spa, in Igalo, from £229pp b&b, including Southend flights. 020-3993 4168, fleetwaytravel.com. Depart 20 October. Almería coastal trail Walk through Spain’s Cabo de Gata Natural Park and small fishing villages, such as Las Negras, on this six-day route, from £499pp b&b. 01962-302085, walksworldwide.com. Depart 1 May. Four-star Turkey stay Spend six nights at the beautifully located Grand Yazici Club Marmaris Palace, from £949pp all-inclusive, including Glasgow flights. 020-8492 6868, olympicholidays.com. Depart 12 June. For The Week’s own insider tips and exclusive offers, please visit theweek.tripsmiths.com or…

Tesco: retreat from globalisation With stock markets globally in carnage, who was this week’s unexpected winner? Step forward Tesco. On Black Monday, Britain’s largest grocer “was about the only share in the FTSE 100 to rise”, said Kate Burgess in the FT. The trigger? News of a deal to sell its Southeast Asian operations to Thailand’s biggest conglomerate, CP Group, for $10.6bn including debt. The sale, though opportune, “has little to dowith the coronavirus or the plunge in the oil price” – and “even less to do with rationing UHT milk and dried pasta”. It was essentially an exercise in “de-risking and returning cash to investors”, underlining Tesco’s strategy of retrenching globally to focus on the core UK business. Even half a decade ago, that would have been unthinkable.…

Baptism by fire for the new Bank guvnor Nils Pratley The Guardian Ahead of the Budget, the Bank of England announced an emergency cut in interest rates (from 0.75% to 0.25%) to tackle the coronavirus, taking British borrowing costs to their lowest level in history. It marked quite a fanfare for incoming governor Andrew Bailey – and it looks like he’ll need all the help he can get, says Nils Pratley. “It was never in doubt” that the Treasury select committee would back Bailey’s appointment, but he “will have hoped for more enthusiasm” than the “yes, but…” verdict he got from MPs on the committee who voiced “serious concerns” (an ugly phrase) about his recent stewardship of the Financial Conduct Authority. The case for Bailey’s defence is that no boss…

● “A regretful day” When talks between the Opec cartel and Russia on the issue of production cuts broke down last Friday, Saudi Arabia’s energy minister, Prince Abdulaziz issued an ominous verdict. “Today will be a regretful day.” He wasn’t kidding, said Emily Gosden in The Times. The price of Brent crude, already down from a peak of $68/barrel at the start of the year, plunged by almost a third on Monday –the biggest drop since the 1991 Gulf War – before recovering slightly to trade 20% lower at around $37. And many analysts expect it to fall further. Jon Rigby of UBS warned that prices could dip to $30 before “someone blinks”, while Bank of America and Goldman Sachs reckon the price could fall as low as $20. This…

In his small fromagerie at Saint-Point-Lac in the Jura, Fabrice Michelin produces authentic, handmade, raw-milk Mont d’Or cheeses. He is the last person in France to do so – the last in a line of local cheesemakers which goes back for centuries. “I get up at 5am. I collect the milk myself from the farms in the village. I warm the milk,” he told me. “I scoop it carefully into cylinders. I pay attention to the varying consistency and taste of the curd. It alters subtly with the seasons, depending on the qualities of the grass. I mould the cheeses by hand. Every cheese is a little different.” Individual, artisanal cheeses? Wonderful. Not any more, it seems. “That’s what gets me into trouble these days,” Michelin told me. “Brussels and…

Controversy of the week The campus wars “Personally, I think it’s time we started no-platforming students,” said Michael Deacon in The Daily Telegraph. Increasingly, I find their views “distressing, offensive and, worst of all, different from mine”. And that, it seems these days, is reason enough to shut people up. Take Oxford’s UNWomen society. Last week, its committee voted to disinvite Amber Rudd, the former Tory minister, precisely half an hour before she was due to address them on women’s rights – because she had been home secretary during the 2018 Windrush scandal. “You and I, of course, may think Rudd is a cheerily personable Tory moderate who is about as outspoken as Sooty. But maybe you and I are terrifying extremists too.” This is no joking matter, said Aina…

Just four weeks into the job, Rishi Sunak unveiled his first Budget this week, with a focus on helping the British economy withstand the coronavirus. As well as an extra £5bn to boost the NHS and other public services during the emergency, the Chancellor said that all workers will be able to claim statutory sick pay if they self-isolate, even if they are not showing symptoms. Smaller firms will be refunded for sick payments for up to two weeks; they will be able to apply for “business interruption loans”; and some will have their business rates abolished for this year. A £500m hardship fund is to be created for vulnerable people. Other measures included raising the National Insurance threshold from £8,632 to £9,500, and £5bn to ensure that remote areas…

McGowan on Weinstein Rose McGowan feels like a weight has been lifted from her shoulders, says Zoe Williams in The Guardian. In 2017, the actress was among the first women to accuse Harvey Weinstein of assault: she says he raped her at a film festival in 1997. She’s been battling for him to face justice ever since. Now, he is in Rikers Island jail, facing a prison term of at least five years, and up to 25. She still finds it hard to believe, and has little sympathy with reports that Weinstein, 67, is in declining physical and mental health. “What’s left for an old man to do but totry and shrink themselves, so they’re not as scary as they were at their peak? He’s having panic attacks? Welcome to…

An Australian newspaper helped its readers deal with the fallout from coronavirus – by printing extra pages for “toilet paper”. The NT News daily tabloid added an eight-page insert to an edition last week as Australians, fearful of shortages, stocked up on loo roll. “We understand the needs of our readers,” said editor Matt Williams, who added that the paper sold well and was “certainly not a crappy edition”. A large fire broke out in Bramham, near Leeds, on Saturday after a pig swallowed a pedometer. The device – used to prove that the pigs are free range – was eaten, then excreted; its battery reacted with the pig’s excrement and dry hay in the pig pen. North Yorkshire fire and rescue service was called to put out the 75-square-metre…

SOUTH KOREA The sex secrets exposed by the virus alerts The Daily Beast (New York) South Korea is abuzz with the sound of beeping mobile phones, says Donald Kirk. As the country grapples with one of the world’s largest coronavirus outbreaks, it is keeping citizens up to date with emergency text alerts. These “disturbing” messages are tailored to cities and neighbourhoods, and provide detailed descriptions of the movements of people infected by the virus. Though anonymised, the alerts are having unintended consequences: recipients have been able to join the dots and identify people to whom the messages relate. One alert highlighted the case of a 43-year-old man from Nowon, in Seoul. “He was at his work in the Mapo district,” the message said, “attending a sexual harassment class. He contracted…

Dogs don’t only use their noses to smell. The rhinarium (the cold, nerve-packed tip of the nose) is an ultra-sensitive detector of heat – potentially capable of sensing the presence of a small mammal up to five feet away. For a study newly published on Nature Scientific Reports, three dogs were trained to identify which of two identical objects had been heated to 12ºC above room temperature. The thermal radiation given off was so weak, a human would have to touch the objects to tell them apart, but the dogs correctly identified the warmer one, from five feet away, in double blind tests. The researchers, from Sweden and Hungary, then analysed brain scans of 13 awake dogs as they were exposed to objects emitting neutral or weak thermal radiation. The…

During the 1960 presidential campaign, John F. Kennedy lost his voice and wrote notes on legal pads to communicate with aides. Those notes have just been put up for auction in Dallas, Texas, and they’re not all about high politics. “I got into the blondes,” he admits in one scrawl (his wife Jackie was a brunette). He worries that the press might “hit me” by publishing details of his indiscretions, and concludes mournfully: “I suppose that if I win, my poon [a naval term for whoring] days are over.” Joe Biden’s slogan is “No malarkey!”, but the Democratic presidential front runner’s campaign has seen a series of strange outbursts. Biden has called a student a “lying, dog-faced pony soldier”; and has launched into a still-unexplained reverie about children stroking his…

It was dubbed the “biggest game” ever in women’s cricket, said Geoff Lemon in The Guardian. And, quite literally, it was. A crowd of 86,174 turned out at the Melbourne Cricket Ground last Sunday to watch Australia face India in the final of the Women’s Twenty20 World Cup – beating the record attendance for a women’s tie by 50,000. The match itself was something of an anticlimax, as a rampant Australia powered to their fifth title against an “overwhelmed” India. Batting first, Australia’s openers Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney raced to 115 in just 11 overs. Healy’s 75 – the best innings of her life – came from just 39 balls, and included three sixes in a row against seamer Shikha Pandey. Chasing a daunting 184, India needed a “fast…

To the Financial Times Your Madrid correspondent writes that there seems to be a push for the traditional greeting with kisses to becurtailed (“Faithful in Spain face pressure to stop kissing”). Perhaps the world could now adopt the “namaste”, the most elegant, respectful and spiritual, not to mention ultra-hygienic, greeting that exists. Sunil Damodar, US To The Daily Telegraph My late father, a proud Yorkshireman, would greet his friends with a slight nod of the head, followed by the words: “How do.” Perhaps it would be prudent to adopt this during the current coronavirus outbreak. Jane Davidson, Balderton, Nottinghamshire To The Guardian Your article asking “Are hugs, kisses and handshakes OK” reminded me of one in the Yorkshire Post of 6 July 1918, in which a doctor recommended “the temporary…

The Twentieth Century at Chris Beetles Gallery If Aubrey Beardsley’s illustrations can be seen as the starting point for 20th century British graphic art, this exhibition of drawings by William Heath Robinson (1872-1944) and Ronald Searle (1920-2011) gives an idea of what came next. While their work eschewed Beardsley’s decadence, both artists were, in their way, similarly eccentric. However familiar they might be, Heath Robinson’s oddball visions of pointlessly complicated machinery never fail to raise asmile: one of the most fun here is a farcical wartime plot for infecting Hermann Göring with flu germs. Searle, however, emerges as the real genius, his expressive, borderline manic style and knack for visual punchlines anticipating the likes of Ralph Steadman and Gerald Scarfe. Highlights include illustrations from the deathless Molesworth series; portraits of…

New cars: what the critics say The Daily Telegraph Since first appearing 27 years ago, the Vauxhall Corsa has repeatedly topped the UK’s bestseller lists. That makes anew model a“big deal”. This one, based on the latest Peugeot 208’s platform, comes in petrol, diesel and electric. It is a good, but not exceptional, car: “easy to like, hard to love”. But as Vauxhall dealers tend to offer big discounts and promotional deals, it could be worth a look. What Car? The Corsa-e has 134bhp and a range of 209 miles – a “significant advantage” over most of its rivals. There is also a 74bhp 1.2-litre petrol, a 99bhp 1.2-litre turbo petrol, and a 101bhp 1.5-litre turbo diesel, the middle of which is the “pick of the range” for power and…

The Cottage in the Wood Malvern Wells Margaret Thatcher was a regular guest at this hotel in the Malvern Hills, and it’s easy to see why she liked it, says Stephen McClarence in The Times – “it’s secluded, restful, and offers panoramic views over the Severn Valley”. Hidden away up a steep drive, the Cottage (actually a Georgian mansion with two “attractive” annexes) is part-way through a “stylish” refurbishment; so far, 11 of the 30 rooms have been updated. Public areas are “bright and airy”, with “flamboyant” wallpaper by Timorous Beasties; guest rooms are neutrally decorated. The superb restaurant serves imaginative, full-flavoured modern British food. Doubles from £119 b&b. 01684-588860; cottageinthewood.co.uk.…

Markets succumbed to a full-on panic as fears surrounding the coronavirus collided with an oil shock, following the collapse of talks between Opec and Russia. Amid growing fears of global recession, traders endured the biggest one-day stock-market fall since 2008. The FTSE 100 has now lost a quarter of its value since the start of the year. The rush to havens saw the yield on two-year UK government bonds fall to minus 0.04% – inducting Britain into the club of nations with negative-yielding debt for the first time ever. The Bank of England responded with an emergency “corona cut”, taking interest rates to a record low of 0.25%. Brexit trade talks, due to start on 30 March, were postponed. In his first Budget, Chancellor Rishi Sunak unveiled a £30bn package…

Rishi Sunak The Chancellor’s rapid politi cal rise – first at Goldman Sachs, then at hedge funds TCI and Theleme Partners – mirrors his time in the City. And that has been duly noted by “allies and opponents alike”, said the FT. In a letter to Sunak last month, shadow chancellor John McDonnell raised questions about his time at TCI – “famed for its aggressive and controversial campaign” against ABN Amro in 2007. The Dutch bank’s subsequent sale to RBS was seen as a “key factor” behind the latter’s downfall. But, according to TCI founder, Chris Hohn, Sunak had nothing to do with any of that. Sunak is sometimes presented as “a grasping kid who worked for evil hedge funds”, says one City colleague. But Hohn, at least, praises the…

One thing that both business leaders and HM Treasury can agree upon is that this week’s Budget came “at a very timely moment”, said Simon Jack on BBC Business. “But not in a good way.” The three things that business wanted most were, in no particular order, “cash, cash and cash”. The Chancellor took some steps to dish it out, with particular emphasis on vulnerable small firms. Those with fewer than 250 staff will be refunded sick pay payments for two weeks; and small firms will also be able to access “business interruption” loans of up to £1.2m. Business rates were also abolished for companies in the retail, leisure and hospitality sectors with a rateable value below £51,000. There’s no doubt that the crisis faced by Britain’s companies is very…

Across the world, men are more likely than women to think you can “have it all” – defined as rising to the top of your profession and spending enough time with your children. In the UK, 51% of fathers with children under 18 think it is possible to have it all, while 41% of mothers do. Of 17 countries surveyed, the widest gender gap was in Canada, where 76% of fathers think they can have it all, compared with 58% of mothers. No- and low-alcohol beer has overtaken craft beer to become the UK’s biggest trend for 2020, a report by The Society of Independent Brewers has said. One in three 18- to 24-year-olds has cut down their alcohol consumption, and a record 23% are now teetotal. Sales of no-…

The Hague, Netherlands Afghanistan war crimes: Senior judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have authorised the opening of an investigation into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Afghanistan – including those that may have been committed by US troops. The decision to launch the probe was made byan appeals chamber of the ICC, and reverses the decision of a lower court not to proceed with an investigation. It is the first time that US defendants have faced possible prosecution by the ICC, and the decision has infuriated Washington, which does not recognise the court’s jurisdiction. The US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, condemned it as a “truly breathtaking action by an unaccountable political institution masquerading as a legal body”. But it was hailed by rights activists and…

1* Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis by Ralph Vaughan Williams, performed by the Sinfonia of London, (cond. Sir John Barbirolli) 2 The Funeral: September 25, 1977 by George Fenton and Jonas Gwangwa, performed by Thuli Dumakude 3 Smoke Signals by Phoebe Bridgers and Marshall Vore, performed by Phoebe Bridgers 4 Final Day by Stuart Moxham, performed by Young Marble Giants 5 Suzanne, written and performed by Leonard Cohen 6 Horace In Brighton by Horace Smith and Bird in the Belly, performed by Bird in the Belly 7 Clarinet Concerto in A major, K.622, II. Adagio by Mozart, performed by Kálmán Berkes with the Liszt Ferenc Chamber Orchestra (cond. János Rolla) 8 Tabula rasa: II. Silentium by Arvo Pärt, performed by Viktoria Mullova and the Estonian National Symphony (cond.…

Despite their great variety, all dogs, from the great Dane to the chihuahua, belong to one species – Canis familiaris – and all are descended from the grey wolf. Dogs are the first species known to have been domesticated, some 14,000 years ago, and as such they have been genetically manipulated for millennia, selected for tameness, and bred for specific roles, whether hunting, guarding or companionship. Types of dog – mastiffs or spaniels, for instance – have been around a very long time; there are records of Pekingese dogs dating back around 2,000 years. However, the modern idea of a dog breed dates from the mid-19th century. Dog shows emerged around the same time as breed clubs, which registered dogs and noted their ancestry in stud books – establishing the…

California’s kindergarten criminals Connie Rice Los Angeles Times Can you be a gangster before you’re old enough to walk? You can in California, says Connie Rice. For 22 years, the state has been compiling a database of alleged gangsters and gang affiliates – CalGang – in which all sorts of names have been entered, including those oftoddlers. Given how subjective and vague the inclusion criteria have been for the database, the state might just aswell have entered “every seventh name in the phone book”. Thankfully, steps are now being taken to tighten the criteria and stop police officers entering false data. But as welcome as this crackdown is, the “real problem is that CalGang exists at all”. In my experience as a civil rights attorney, the database merely encourages racial…

After a decade of stagnation, life expectancy in England appears to be climbing again, reports The Guardian. According to the ONS, life expectancy for women at birth increased by four months last year, rising to 83.6 years; for men, it increased by three months, to 79.9 years. Having increased steadily throughout most of the 20th century, life expectancy started to plateau in the 2010s. This was widely blamed on austerity cuts – and some have suggested that the new figures show that the easing of that programme is already having an effect. However, other experts, including former pensions minister Steve Webb, pointed out that one-off events, such as a warm summer, can have a skewing effect on the data. “An improvement in life expectancy data is very good news,” he…

“Never cross a river that is on average four feet deep.” Essayist Nassim Nicholas Taleb, quoted in The Times “Times are bad. Children no longer obey their parents, and everyone is writing a book.” Attrib. Cicero, ibid. “Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.” Oscar Wilde, quoted in The Spectator “Children don’t analyse, they only experience.” Novelist James Scudamore in The Daily Telegraph “Men, like peaches and pears, grow sweet a little while before they begin to decay.” Oliver Wendell Holmes, quoted in Forbes “The particular charm of marriage is the duologue, the permanent conversation between two people who talk over everything and everyone till death breaks the record.” Cyril Connolly, quoted on ArtsJournal.com “A superior pilot uses his superior judgement to avoid situations which require…

Football Liverpool beat Bournemouth 2-1 to take a 25-point lead at the top of the Premier League. Third-placed Leicester City beat Aston Villa 4-0. Coronavirus The Indian Wells Masters, in California – one of the biggest events on the tennis tour – was called off 24 hours before it was due to start. In rugby union, France and Ireland’s match in the Six Nations was postponed, joining other delayed fixtures. Golf Tyrrell Hatton from England won the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Florida, beating a field including World No. 1 Rory McIlroy.…

“People are people,” wrote Malorie Blackman in Noughts & Crosses, “we’ll always find a way to mess up, doesn’t matter who’s in charge.” In her young-adult novel, now adapted for BBC1, she conjured an alternate reality in which history has been flipped, said Ellen E. Jones in The Guardian. Seven hundred years ago, a dark-skinned race from “Aprica” conquered Europe, and they (the Crosses), are now in charge, ruling aggressively over the light-skinned majority (the Noughts). The black people have power and live in luxury, while the whites are denied basic rights and confined to graffiti-strewn ghettos: this is “the ingenious simplicity of Blackman’s premise”. “Millions of teenagers will attest to the power of her story,” said Anita Singh in The Daily Telegraph. With a Romeo and Juliet-style romance at…

Britain’s industrial heritage is under threat, says Jamie Doward in The Observer. Griff Rhys Jones, president of The Victorian Society, has called on councils to do more to protect derelict 19th century factories amid a surge in vandalism, triggered in part by a new fashion for exploring abandoned buildings. Last month, Shotton steelworks in north Wales (above) – one of the Society’s ten most endangered buildings in 2018 – was found to have been badly vandalised, and several rooms destroyed by fire. The Tolly Cobbold brewery in Ipswich suffered a major fire last month. And last year, the Fisons factory in Bramford, described as “an irreplaceable part of Suffolk’s heritage” by the Society, was burned down. Vandalised buildings have often lain empty for years while owners try to develop them.…

Kirsty tells Johnny there are rumours going around Grey Gables about Freddie. Ben is expecting a car for his 18th birthday; Ruth tries to manage his expectations. Shula is sad to see Freddie move out. Johnny tells Lynda the real reason she saw Freddie with pills; she feels bad and promises to put things right. Kirsty is worried about how much Philip is working. Gavin and Emma meet for a drink at The B’s grand opening, and have an awkward encounter with Ed. Later, Emma tells Ed it’s time to move on and get a divorce. Tom panics after losing the ring Natasha gave him. Lynda tries to apologise to Freddie but he doesn’t want to hear it. Philip has managed to make time for his and Kirsty’s mini-break; he’s…

Celebrity CEO known as “Neutron Jack” Jack Welch 1935-2020 Jack Welch, who has died aged 84, was a titan among business bosses, credited with turning General Electric into America’s most valuable company. Single-minded and untroubled byself-doubt, he popularised the trend for corporate “downsizing”, said The Guardian, and was so ruthless in his personnel cuts, he was nicknamed Neutron Jack, after the bomb designed to wipe out people while leaving buildings standing. His policy has been called “rank and yank”: managers were obliged to give their staff annual performance reviews; those identified as being in the top 20% were rewarded with bonuses and stock options, while the bottom 10%were culled – regardless of the company’s overall performance. It was harsh, but Welch didn’t care. “The fundamental goal is to get rid…

Two months ago, when the Government devised a support package for the troubled regional airline Flybe, it was seen as a plank in its much-vaunted “levelling up” strategy. Well, so much for that, said Edward Thicknesse in City AM. Last week, the Exeter-based airline’s “long-running bid for survival finally ran out of fuel” and it fell into administration – a coronavirusinduced slump in demand was the final straw. “Very sad,” tweeted the Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps. But for all the chatter about “connectivity”, this time there would be no succour for Europe’s largest regional airline, despite its important role in providing 40% of domestic British flights. Some elements of the rescue deal were always “conditional”, said the Financial Times. Even so, Flybe’s collapse belies the “more muscular interventionist policy” hinted…

The week’s best shares Admiral Group The Times “Not racy, not glamorous”, but the motor insurer is known for solid results and steady management. Facing industry-wide challenges, but profits were up by 10% last year, to £522.6m, making Admiral a “strong bet”. Buy. £22.38. Drax Group Investors Chronicle Drax isclosing its last twocoal units to focus on hydro and gas-generation assets, and biomass generation. Expecting higher demand for support services, where profits jumped over 60% to £129m last year. Buy. 262p. Equals Group The Daily Telegraph The foreign exchange firm has lost over 50% this year as holidaymakers stay at home. But this excessive decline seems disproportionate to the likely duration of the crisis, and creates an opportunity. People will travel again. Buy. 38.75p. Unilever The Share Centre Unilever’s large…