Innholdsfortegnelse for V. 1205 i The Week

What happened May on the ropes Theresa May suffered a series of humiliating Commons defeats this week as she launched five days of debates on her Brexit withdrawal deal. In an unprecedented step, MPs found the Government in contempt of Parliament for refusing to release the full legal advice on May’s deal, and forced it to do so. MPs then backed a proposal that will ensure they have a say over what happens next if MPs reject the deal in a crunch vote next Tuesday. Few people in Westminster expect May to win that vote. Senior Brexiters such as Michael Gove and Andrea Leadsom have spoken out in favour of the deal, but about 100 Tory MPs have signalled that they are ready to vote it down, as have Labour…

The Wizard of Oz, which was named the most influential film of all time. Italian researchers rated 47,000 films according to how often they are referenced in later movies. MGM’s 1939 fantasy musical came top, followed by Star Wars: A New Hope (1977), Psycho (1960) and King Kong (1933). Charlotte Prodger, who won the Turner Prize for her exhibition of two highly personal films shot on an iPhone. Bridgit, which is on show at Tate Britain, is hard to explain, said The Guardian. With “lots going on, a lot of it apparently randomly”, it “explores class, gender, sexuality and Neolithic goddesses”. The youthquake, after a seven-year-old American boy who reviews toys topped a list of the highest-earning stars on YouTube. Ryan, of Ryan ToysReview, made £17.3m in the year to…

One in five Britons have considered going vegan. However, there is some confusion as to what that entails. A quarter of non-vegan Britons think it means forgoing vegetables. 27% think vegans can’t eat fruit; 6% think they can eat fish. Among vegans, 15% think it’s fine to eat butter, and 14% eat cheese. Meerkat Meals/The Mail on Sunday 20% of people spending Christmas with their families predict they will get “cabin fever” and want to escape after 150 minutes. Privilege Home Insurance/ The Sunday Times Support for staying in the EU is at its highest level since 2016, with 55% backing Remain and 45% Leave (once “don’t know” votes have been excluded). YouGov/The Observer…

Rob Lowe on settling down Rob Lowe went through quite a time in his early 20s. As one of the hottest members of the Hollywood “brat pack”, he dated everyone from Nastassja Kinski to Princess Stephanie of Monaco, and was rarely out of the gossip columns. It all came crashing down in 1988, when at the Democratic National Convention he took a couple of young women back to his hotel – one of whom turned out to be underage. After that, he realised he needed to clean up his act, and then he met Sheryl Berkoff, who was not an actress, or a socialite, but a jewellery designer. “One of the reasons I fell in love with her was that she had her own business, her own work life, and…

Nigeria’s president has denied claims that he has died and been replaced by a Sudanese lookalike, breaking his silence on a rumour that has done the rounds for months. Muhammadu Buhari spent part of last year in the UK being treated for illness; some opponents have suggested that there he was replaced by a clone from Sudan, named Jubril. “It’s the real me, I assure you,” he said this week. “I will soon celebrate my 76th birthday and I will still go strong.” Knickers, a giant cow living in Western Australia, is making headlines around the world. A Holstein Friesian steer, Knickers stands 6ft 4in tall and weighs 1,400kg; he is so big that the abattoir wouldn’t process him. Geoff Pearson, his owner, doesn’t know why he is so big…

RWANDA The dark side of wanting lighter skin Taarifa.rw  (Kigali) “Black is beautiful” goes the saying; but if only more African women believed it, says Magnus Mazimpaka. Across the continent, skin cancers are on the rise because so many women bleach their skin. In Rwanda, for example, more than a third of women surveyed say they regularly apply creams and oils to lighten their skin. Yet many of the bleaching agents simply aren’t safe: they contain hydroquinone – which can damage the liver – corticosteroids, even mercury, and women have been burned or permanently disfigured by them. Take the case of Rwandan student Sharon Muhoza: she found that as her complexion lightened, she became the centre of attention, but soon her skin grew ultra-sensitive to the sun. “The pain was…

It has long been assumed that the giant mammals that once roamed Africa – giant sloths, colossal elephants, antlered giraffes – were hunted to extinction by early humans, says The Independent. But new research suggests another culprit: climate change. Scientists examined fossil data going back seven million years to get a clear picture of when various species of megafauna disappeared. This showed that the decline in diversity began some 4.7 million years ago – long before hominins arrived on the scene – and didn’t accelerate even after early humans capable of hunting, such as Homo erectus, emerged. When the team mapped the environmental records for the same period, they could see that the extinctions often followed dips in atmospheric CO2. Falling CO2 levels would have led to deforestation on the…

Melania Trump has provoked a storm of controversy by her choice of Christmas trees. The White House is now lined with 40 topiary trees, all of them a deep shade of red. Some Twitter users debated whether red was a Christmassy colour (representing, according to some, the blood of Christ), while others speculated that the trees, reminiscent of the dystopian Handmaid’s Tale, were designed to send a message. “Everybody has a different taste,” was the First Lady’s phlegmatic response. George W. Bush was thought of as a prankster – but his father was similarly fond of jokes. Once, he sent a Polaroid of himself hovering over a crystal ball to a journalist who’d asked him how he reached decisions; and as well as showering people with thank you notes, he…

“Children aren’t happy with nothing to ignore,/ And that’s what parents were created for.” Ogden Nash, quoted in The Times “There is always hope. Otherwise why get up in the morning?” Margaret Atwood, quoted in The Daily Telegraph “People respond well to those that are sure of what they want.” Anna Wintour, quoted on Real Business “Nothing matters very much and most things don’t matter at all.” Arthur Balfour, quoted in The Daily Telegraph “Sooner or later, everything turns into television.” J.G. Ballard, quoted in The San Francisco Chronicle “The Conservative Party is a generous party. It always forgives those who are wrong. Sometimes it even forgives those who are right.” Iain Macleod, quoted in The Guardian “If God created the world, his primary concern was certainly not to make…

For 20 days, the world’s two greatest grand masters sat in a studio in central London, “with only a chessboard, their thoughts and each other for company”, said Sean Ingle in The Guardian. But last week, the world chess champion, Magnus Carlsen of Norway, “held his nerve and his crown”, and beat Fabiano Caruana, the 26-year-old American. Some had questioned whether Carlsen, 28, who has been champion since 2013, had “lost his mojo”. He was uncharacteristically “diffident” in his initial 12 matches against Caruana, which all ended in draws. But when the players moved on to a rapid-play format – with each man given only 25 minutes per game – Carlsen became “a different animal”: he crushed his rival 3-0. It was the first time in the world championship’s history…

To The Times How would a second EU referendum settle anything, let alone help to heal the divisions in our society that the first one opened up? And how could any question be framed that would legitimise any close result? If Leave were to win again, an outraged establishment and the big-business lobby would doubtless continue to try to subvert any meaningful Brexit and we would be back to square one. Whereas if Remain won, it would enrage the vast majority of the 17.4 million people in the first referendum who had thought that their votes had counted, only to find that they had been lied to by politicians. For they will not forget or forgive that Parliament had explicitly committed to implementing their original 2016 decision without fail. Nigel…

La bohème Composer: Giacomo Puccini Director: Jonathan Miller Conductor: Alexander Joel English National Opera, London Coliseum, St Martin’s Lane, London WC2 (020-7845 9300). Until 22 February Running time: 2hrs 15mins (including interval) English National Opera has just indulged us with an “unexpected show of seasonal goodwill”, said Richard Fairman in the FT. It has junked its chilly, rootless, contemporary 2015 La bohème directed by Benedict Andrews (“remember the heroin addicts and the drug-crazed fright night at Café Momus?”), and brought back Jonathan Miller’s “family-friendly production from the previous decade”. It may be set in the Depression-era 1930s and have a “fashionably grey” colour scheme, but the production still feels distinctly “lavish” – even more so than before – and it remains a resolutely traditional staging. This La bohème  explores the…

Janette Kerr at Cadogan Contemporary The British painter Janette Kerr (b.1957) specialises in thunderous seascapes that capture the crash and spit of the waves with uncanny precision. Created over the past 18 months, the works in this new exhibition, North, were inspired by visits to Svalbard and the Shetland Islands, places where the vast waves of the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans hit land with particular violence. Kerr brings these towering but ephemeral natural phenomena to life using sculpturally thick impasto and dramatic flecks of white, pink and green. The most dramatic paintings capture walls of water soaring up like Himalayan peaks, their imposing, granite-hued forms already starting to collapse into clouds of surf. But if these are the most dramatic paintings, the most impressive are those that capture the blue…

Tips of the week... how to have a green Christmas You’d have to use an artificial tree about ten times for it to have a carbon footprint smaller than a real tree bought annually. The best option, though, is a potted tree you can replant and reuse year after year. Dispose of trees at a council recycling scheme, or a tip’s garden waste section. Lots of wrapping paper contains non-recyclable plastic or glitter. Consider using recycled brown parcel paper and biodegradable packing tape (eco-craft.co.uk). Instead of plastic tinsel, try making decorations from foliage, strings of popcorn and cranberries, or dried orange slices. Likewise, try handmade gifts like jam or chutney. Buying “experiences” such as theatre tickets or museum memberships should help to cut waste. Turkey has a lower carbon footprint…

Lindenderry at Red Hill, Mornington Peninsula, Australia This family-run hotel was the first “smart” place to stay on Melbourne’s Mornington Peninsula when it opened 23 years ago. Following a revamp, it is as “crisp and clean-lined” as the area’s slickest new openings, but still “unpretentious” too, says Katya Wachtel in Condé Nast Traveller. A white villa set in lovely gardens, it has “pared back” interiors, with thick linens, warm timbers, and sculptural lighting. Bedrooms are more “playful” – some are “candy-striped” – and chef Paul Witherington (formerly of London’s Soho House) serves fine local produce in the dining room. Doubles from £220. 00 61 3 5989 2933, lancemore.com.au .…

Indomitable Tory peer who became a late-life celebrity Baroness Trumpington 1922-2018 Baroness Trumpington, who has died aged 96, became famous at the age of 89, when a clip of her putting up two fingers in the House of Lords went viral online. But in political circles, “Trumpers” was already well known as one of Westminster’s most distinctive characters. An impressive 6ft in stature, with a deep stentorian voice, she smoked heavily (until the age of 79), swore colourfully, and at the dispatch box “spoke with authority”, sensitivity and wit on a range of subjects, said The Times. Having spent decades in Conservative politics – serving as a minister in the Thatcher and Major administrations – she enjoyed her late-life celebrity: in 2012, she became the oldest panellist to appear on…

The net is closing in on technology tycoon Mike Lynch, said Jamie Nimmo in The Mail on Sunday. Once lauded as “Britain’s Bill Gates”, Lynch was last week charged by the US Department of Justice for “overseeing a massive fraud” at his FTSE 100 software house, Autonomy, before it was sold to the Silicon Valley giant Hewlett-Packard for $11.7bn in 2011. Barely a year later, HP wrote down the value of Autonomy by a whopping $8.8bn, claiming that Lynch and his team had used accounting tricks to artificially inflate Autonomy’s sales figures, and therefore its value. Lynch has reportedly hired “a crack team of lawyers” to decide “whether to travel to San Francisco to contest the charges in court” or whether to “fight extradition from the UK”. A brilliant mathematician…

With Theresa May’s unloved Brexit deal all but certain to be voted down by MPs next week, the Government “is going to need a plan B”, said Andrew Grice in The Independent. And now all the signs “point to Norway”. The “Norway-plus” option has long been pushed by MPs led by Nick Boles, the former Tory minister, and Labour’s Stephen Kinnock. It would have Britain staying inside the single market after Brexit – by joining Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein in the European Free Trade Association (Efta) – and inside the EU’s customs union too. This would deliver the “frictionless trade” that is vital to business: government analysis suggests it would be the least damaging form of Brexit. It would also prevent a hard border in Northern Ireland. The UK…

Rail fares will increase by an average of 3.1% in January, the Rail Delivery Group has said, raising commuters’ annual travel costs by hundreds of pounds (see page 50). The rise, which follows the worst punctuality figures on the network in 12 years, and a timetable change in May that led to thousands of services being cancelled or severely disrupted, has sparked anger from the public and MPs. Fares rose at the start of this year by 3.4%, just under the 3.6% cap set for regulated fares. Passenger groups had demanded a fare freeze on the worst-affected services, run by Govia Thameslink Railway and Northern, a call echoed in a report by the transport select committee.…

Westerbork, the Netherlands Holocaust compensation: The Dutch state railway company has agreed to pay compensation to the relatives of the thousands of Jews it helped transport to the Nazi death camps in the 1940s, and to the few who survived. The Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) was paid some £2.2m in today’s money to transport more than 100,000 people to the Dutch transit camp at Westerbork; from there, they were taken to the death camps. NS had apologised for its role in the Holocaust, but was spurred to do more by Salo Muller, 82, whose parents were transported in 1941. The last time he saw his mother, she was dropping him off at nursery; he used her last words to him – “See you tonight and promise to be a good boy!”…

1 Slide Away by Noel Gallagher, performed by Oasis 2 Here Comes the Sun by George Harrison, performed by The Beatles 3 Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough, written and performed by Michael Jackson 4 Black-Eyed by Steve Hewitt, Brian Molko and Stefan Olsdal, performed by Placebo 5 Everybody in the Place by Liam Howlett, performed by The Prodigy 6* Proof by John Bramwell, performed by I Am Kloot 7 Tangled Up in Love by Joel Stoker and Lucas Crowther, performed by The Rifles 8 Fake Empire by Matt Berninger, performed by The National Book: White Heat 25 by Marco Pierre White Luxury: shaving kit * Choice if allowed only one record…

The Sentinelese, who killed the American missionary John Allen Chau last month, are thought to be descendants of the first human inhabitants of Asia, and to have lived on their island for tens of thousands of years. They are hunter-gatherers who fish in shallow waters using narrow outrigger canoes; the men, but not the women, carry bows and arrows. They are short – the men average about 5ft 3in – and speak an unknown language. Their numbers are estimated at between 50 and 200. While often described as “Stone Age” – they use stone adzes – they also use metal that has been recovered from shipwrecks to tip their arrows. Contact dates back at least to the 1880s, when a British official led an armed group to the island. An…

The moral “depravity” of climate denial Paul Krugman The New York Times President Trump’s blithe dismissal of the latest dire climate report – “I don’t believe it” – was depressingly predictable, says Paul Krugman. Alas, you “can’t be a modern Republican in good standing unless you deny the reality of global warming, assert that it has natural causes or insist that nothing can be done about it without destroying the economy”. It has become a core principle of the party, and a stance that can only be described as “evil”. Steady on, some might say: are people no longer allowed to disagree with conventional wisdom these days, even if that wisdom is supported by the overwhelming majority of climate scientists? They are, of course – if “their arguments are made…

Around the world, 30% of children do not eat fruit every day, yet 44% drink sugary drinks daily, according to a new report. It warns that, overall, standards of diet in countries rich and poor are “diabolical”. “There’s not any income group that’s eating enough vegetables, whole grains or legumes,” said Professor Corinna Hawkes, of the City, University of London’s Centre for Food Policy. “This is a problem that goes across income groups in all parts of the world.” Her report warns that globally about 150.8 million children aged under five are stunted, 50.5 million are wasted and 38.3 million are overweight. The growing demand, especially in Asia and Africa, for processed foods is likely to be exacerbating the problem, reports The Guardian. Of 23,000 food products tested, 69% were…

The more you learn about Jamal, the sadder his story becomes, said Paul Bracchi in the Daily Mail. The 15-year-old was born in the ancient Syrian city of Homs, from where he fled with his parents and younger sister after some of their relatives were abducted, tortured and murdered by the Assad regime. The family spent six years sleeping on dirt floors in a refugee camp in Lebanon before, in 2016, being resettled in a village on the outskirts of Huddersfield. Jamal was excited about his future in Britain and the chance to study at school, but bullies have since made his life a misery. Last week, a video circulated online showing Jamal being headbutted and dragged to the ground by the neck in his school playing field. His attacker…

As Tyson Fury lay flat on his back, staring at the roof of the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, “he looked dead to the world”, said Ron Lewis in The Times. He had “climbed off the floor once already”, in the ninth round; now, in the 12th, it was surely “all over”. Deontay Wilder, the British boxer’s American opponent, had already broken into a victory dance. Then something extraordinary happened. “Fury got up.” His head cleared. And he was ready to fight once more. He held on to earn a draw against the WBC heavyweight champion, who had knocked out all but one of his previous 40 opponents. It proved that Fury, a boxer whose career had looked finished only a year ago, has “superhuman” powers of recovery. Fury fought…

Football Southampton manager Mark Hughes was sacked after only eight months. Croatian midfielder Luka Modric won the Ballon d’Or for the best male footballer of the year – the first time the award has gone to a player other than Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo since 2007. Ada Hegerberg won the award for the best female footballer. England were drawn against the Netherlands in the Nations League semi-finals. Rugby union Saracens beat Wasps 29-6. Harlequins beat Exeter 28-26. Gloucester beat Worcester 36-16.…

What did the young Vincent Van Gogh look like? Hard to tell. The artist had a low opinion of photography so there are only two known photographs of him, both of which are in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. And last week the museum disclosed that one of the pictures, featured in many biographies, isn’t of Vincent at all, but of his younger brother Theo: it had been taken in Brussels in the 1870s, when Theo was living in the city but Vincent had yet to visit it. This confirms the suspicions raised in a Dutch TV show in 2014, which went to the trouble of using “experimental imaging technologies” to see how the boy in the photo would age, and found his age-morphed image looked nothing like the…

Tony’s reservations about Natasha are confirmed when she comes to dinner. Tom announces he’s stopping the kefir – Natasha’s persuaded him it won’t make a profit. Natasha irritates Pat and Tony with her lack of concern about Susan losing her managerial role. She barely eats her food and gives Pat under-eye concealer as a present. Kenton tells Lily that he knows about Russ and lets slip he was the one who reported them to the college. Lily’s furious. Hannah persuades Tom to tell Natasha about their arrangement; it would look bad if she ever found out. Natasha is impressed by Tom’s honesty. Roy tells Lexi that he wants to live with her in Bulgaria. Lexi says it would never work. Brian receives a good offer on Home Farm. Hannah gets…

Wok Inn Seaside Noodle Bar 118 The Promenade, Blackpool (01253-627368) Blackpool hasn’t much of a food scene, unless you’re after the deep-fried seaside staples that lend the air along its front a “distinct tang”, says Jay Rayner in The Observer. But to add to the resort town’s other attractions – the Tower, the lights – there is now the Wok Inn Seaside Noodle Bar. The decor is bold: garish corrugated iron on the walls, vintage Asian posters and a shrine to the phallus in the loos (ladies and gents). The menu “wanders Asia, like a backpacker on the run”. And other than the ramen (which is merely “fine”), the results are spectacular. BBQ ribs are long and slender and drenched in a dark, sticky, glossy sauce that made me…

Oops! Dog bag pouch A neat pouch in which responsible dog lovers can stow their plastic bags (£15; teddymaximus.com). Rooted Spices gift box You can buy a ready-made, themed box of “impeccably sourced” Rooted Spices – all preserved in neat tins – or compile your own (£32.50; rootedspices.com). Spun metal standing planter Striking and sleek, this modern aluminium planter has a striking brass finish (from £56; westelm.co.uk). Work It Out gym bag This metallic nylon gym bag is compact and cheerful – a great way to brighten up trips to the gym (£32; bando.com). Blubel bike navigation The Blubel is a simple and safe way to get directions on a bike. Tell the app your destination, and it will flash left and right when you need to turn (£79; blubel.co).…

Snowdonia’s slate-mining past Following some of north Wales’s less-trod mountain paths, the Snowdonia Slate Trail is an 83-mile waymarked route that takes hikers “back in time, to when this region formed the rattling, thumping hub of the Welsh slate industry”, says Dixe Wills in The Guardian. Launched last year, it links old miners’ tracks in a loop, from Port Penrhyn near Bangor – where slate was loaded into sailing ships for global export – to Blaenau Ffestiniog and back. The UK will nominate the “slate landscape of north-west Wales” for Unesco world heritage status next year, and the route takes in some of its most spectacular sights – from the “mouldering ruins” of Rhosydd slate mine (like a kind of British Machu Picchu), to the “hairy” zip-wire course at Llechwedd…

Thomas Cook: perfect weather for shorts Peter Fankhauser, the Swiss CEO of Thomas Cook, is adamant that the venerable tour operator has “come a long, long way”, in recent years. You could have fooled me, said Alistair Osborne in The Times. Following two profit warnings, one in September and one last week, “the heat” is most definitely “on” – and the “sunburn’s getting worse”. Shares, already clobbered this year, have been in free fall all week. “The whole thing looks like an open invite to short-sellers” – particularly as Thomas Cook is about to hit the “seasonal cash squeeze” where “it shells out for next summer’s hotel beds before the bookings come in”. The “shorts” are already in business, said Camilla Canocchi on ThisIsMoney.co.uk. Thomas Cook was the most “actively…

Mervyn King’s blistering, futile intervention Nils Pratley The Guardian “Some would say governors of the Bank of England should slip quietly into the shadows after leaving office,” says Nils Pratley. But at least Mervyn King “offers value for money” when he steps back onto the stage. His latest attack on Theresa May’s Brexit deal was “a blistering and inflammatory must-read”. Lord King made “an elegant call for a no-deal Brexit” and took a reasonable “pop” at Threadneedle Street’s overdone worst-case scenario, of a potential 10% hit to GDP. The real question, though, is what he was offering instead. King failed to provide any detailed economic analysis of his own. He rightly argued that preparations for Brexit on World Trade Organisation terms should have started right after the referendum, since “a…

Property scare In a “damning report”, Fidelity International has warned that the troubles in Britain’s retail sector are “only just beginning”. That’s scary news for investors in Britain’s five largest property funds, said Kate Beioley and Judith Evans in the FT, which have “more than £4bn of exposure to the country’s struggling stores and shopping centres”. The two largest funds – M&G Property Portfolio and L&G UK Property – have over 40% and 20% of their portfolios invested in UK retail; and “income-seeking investors”, attracted by generous yields, have continued buying in – £402m was poured into property funds in the first three quarters of 2018. Meanwhile, owners are “struggling” to get shot of shopping centres. Savills reports that the value of those changing hands is now at “its lowest…

The week’s best shares Babcock International Group The Times Babcock provides equipment and systems to the defence industry. Shares have declined since 2014, but debt is under control and a growing overseas business points to recovery. Yields 5.19%. Buy. 574p. Ibstock Investors Chronicle The brick-maker has disposed of its US business and sold surplus land to pay down debt. Strong cash flow puts it on course to deliver profits, and the new Leicestershire manufacturing plant will boost capacity. Buy. 238p. Renew Holdings The Times Renew maintains and repairs bridges, viaducts and tunnels, and provides services to the Sellafield nuclear site and four water utilities. In a “princely position” to profit from the Government’s £600bn infrastructure drive. Buy. 361p. British American Tobacco The Daily Telegraph The Lucky Strike and Dunhill producer…

Ibis hotels in Geneva and Zurich are offering guests the chance to have a “social media sitter” to photograph them as they tour the cities’ landmarks, and upload the snaps to Instagram. The Relax, We Post service, trialled over November, aims to help people “enjoy the moment” rather than live it though their phone. A number of radio stations in the US and Canada have taken Baby, It’s Cold Outside off their Christmas playlists, in response to complaints that the song’s lyrics are at odds with the #MeToo movement. Listeners argued that the song, in which a man tries to persuade a woman not to go home after a night out (“What’s the sense of hurtin’ my pride?”) has “predatory undertones” and undermines “no means no”.…

The Metropolitan Police is considering deploying armed foot patrols to prevent violence in parts of the capital where “gang activity is likely”. The Metropolitan commissioner, Cressida Dick, said that she realised that having more armed officers on the streets would be controversial, but stressed that the patrols would only be deployed under “extreme circumstances” and for “short periods of time”. This week, she also insisted that the Met was “turning the tide” on violent crime.…

Odessa, Texas Serial killer: A 78-year-old former boxer already serving a life term for murder has now confessed to killing 90 women across multiple states between 1970 and 2005. So far, the FBI have been able to link Samuel Little’s confessions to 34 unsolved crimes. If the rest, which Little confessed to during a police interview in Texas, are corroborated, it would make him the most prolific serial killer in US history. The FBI describes him as a drifter with a criminal record going back to 1956, who moved from state to state. He lived on the fringes, and so did his victims, many of whom were prostitutes and drug addicts. According to the FBI, the women’s “bodies sometimes went unidentified, and their deaths uninvestigated”. Paradise, California Tally of missing:…

“In George H.W. Bush’s world, being an American was a great privilege. To be an American was to know that you were among the most fortunate in the world. In Donald Trump’s world, it means being cheated by powerful forces playing America for a sucker. His is a country of victims looking to settle the score: weak people who need a Strong Man. Who else can stand up to Canada if not Trump? To be kind is to be weak. To forgive is to lose. Compassion is capitulation. The world must be at our feet or it will be at our throat. In life, Trump has neither equal partners nor real friends, and that is how he sees America’s role in the world.” Stuart Stevens in the Daily Beast…

May isn’t being straight on immigration Polly Toynbee The Guardian Why is Theresa May so adamant about cutting immigration, asks Polly Toynbee. Just this week she was insisting that once the Brexit deal is done, foreign workers earning less than £30,000 must be turned away. Her rationale – in principle, a good one – is that it will impel companies to train British workers for jobs now done by Europeans. But if she were sincere, not just appealing to the populist vote, she’d have been pumping money into technical education. Not a bit of it. While universities have gorged on £9,000 fees, further education colleges (which educate more 16- to 18-year-olds than state schools) have “lost nearly a third of their income since 2010”. Enrolments for the over-25s have fallen…

The power of “ionic wind” A plane with no moving parts has taken flight for the first time, potentially opening up a new frontier in aviation. Whereas conventional planes are powered by engines and propellers that give them thrust, this one flies silently, “gliding” on wind that it generates itself. The system relies on positively and negatively charged electrodes under the plane’s wing which ionise atmospheric nitrogen; travelling along an electric field to the plane’s rear, these ions collide with normal air molecules, creating “ionic wind” to propel the plane. The project is the brainchild of Professor Steven Barrett, an engineer at MIT, who said his original inspiration came from the science fiction he watched as a child. “I was a big fan of Star Trek, and at that point…

Like a fine wine, a president’s reputation can improve with time, said Tim Naftali on Slate. When George H.W. Bush lost the 1992 election, having served only one term, he got the lowest share of the vote of any incumbent since 1912. The war veteran – who had become, aged 18, one of the youngest fighter pilots in the US navy, and flown 58 combat missions – was widely regarded as weak and ineffective. Accused of being out of touch with the concerns of ordinary Americans, he was mocked for lacking “the vision thing”; for his garbled syntax; and for having political skills so ropey, he once read out his own stage direction – “Message: I care!” A poor communicator, who in 1992 was sick on the Japanese prime minister,…

“The wedding was six months ago and already the cloak of perfection draped around the Duchess of Sussex’s elegant clavicles is slipping,” said Emily Sheffield in the London Evening Standard. Recently, the unflattering leaks from royal “insiders” have been coming thick and fast. Meghan is said to be dictatorial with staff, bombarding her aides with demands from 5am; her personal assistant Melissa Toubati quit just months into the job. Before the wedding she allegedly went into full “bridezilla” mode: “Meghan made Kate cry,” said the headlines, claiming that she had tipped an “emotional” Duchess of Cambridge over the edge at her daughter’s bridesmaid fitting. She even, it seems, disagreed with the Queen over her choice of tiara for the big day. Now Harry and Meghan’s move from Kensington Palace to…

Unai Emery joined Arsenal in May, said Henry Winter in The Times. But it is Sunday’s 4-2 victory over Tottenham that will be celebrated as the moment when the manager “truly arrived”. It was not simply the elation of the Gunners coming back from behind to beat their rivals. It was the fire Emery “stirred up in his players”; the substitutions and “tactical tweaks” that turned the match in their favour. Emery’s first victory against elite opponents, it extended the club’s unbeaten streak to 19 matches. Arsenal used to be predictable, said Sam Dean in The Daily Telegraph. Under Arsène Wenger, you knew what to expect: “nice football, good players, pretty passing”. But Emery’s side are “chameleonic”. Against Tottenham, they switched between no fewer than three formations. “They played fast…

Identifying as trans To The Daily Telegraph I wish to express concern over the Government’s proposed trans self-identification bill, particularly in its implications for young people. The current reckless and, in my opinion, irresponsible “trendy to be trans” culture (which social media has helped to promote) is pushing many very young people into making life-changing surgical decisions. I cannot stress enough how vital it is to have in place medical criteria and adequate preparation and conditioning (which the bill seeks to remove) before embarking on such action. What if he or she discovers that they were not trans after all, but in fact gay, a cross-dresser or asexual? It is indeed tragic that some transsexual people take their own lives if transitioning is delayed, but how many also die by…

Billionaire Boy: The Musical Writer and lyricist: Jon Brittain, adapted from the book by David Walliams Music: Miranda Cooper and Nick Coler Director: Luke Sheppard NST City, Southampton (023-8067 1771). Until 6 January; then The Lowry, Salford, 14-17 February; Belgrade Theatre Coventry, 20-23 February; New Theatre, Cardiff, 26 February-2 March Running time: 2hrs 10mins (incl. interval) David Walliams appears to be “conquering British culture sector by sector”, said Ian Shuttleworth in the FT. The actor and comedian is these days best known as a vastly popular children’s author, and stage adaptations of his books have become “nearly as ubiquitous” as those of Roald Dahl or Julia Donaldson. Next year even the RSC gets in on the act, said Dominic Maxwell in The Times: playwright Mark Ravenhill is teaming up with…

Best books… Luke Jennings The journalist and author whose Villanelle novellas provided the basis for the TV thriller Killing Eve picks his favourite books. His latest book, Killing Eve: No Tomorrow, was recently published by John Murray at £14.99 The Box of Delights by John Masefield, 1935 (Egmont £8.99). Kay Harker returns home for the Christmas holidays to find himself drawn into a battle to possess an ancient box which allows its owner to travel in time. Pagan mysticism and middle-class childhood interweave to unforgettable effect in a snowbound, deep English setting. Stand by your spears. The wolves are running. The Parasites by Daphne du Maurier, 1949 (Virago £8.99). Atmospheric account of three gifted but flawed siblings attempting to forge artistic careers in 1940s bohemian London. Sad, funny, endlessly rereadable.…

Programmes Love Alexander Zeldin has adapted for film his acclaimed play about homeless families living in temporary accommodation in the run-up to Christmas. It was made in collaboration with the National Theatre, and some of the actors reprise their roles. Sat 8 Dec, BBC2 22:00 (60mins). Father Christmas, The Snowman and The Snowman and The Snowdog Binge on these animations based on Raymond Briggs’s classic Christmas stories. Sun 9 Dec, C4 16:05 (90mins). Care Sheridan Smith and Alison Steadman star in Jimmy McGovern and Gillian Juckes’s drama about a single mother whose life is turned upside down when her own mother suffers a stroke. Sun 9 Dec, BBC1 21:00 (90mins). Daredevils and Divas: A Night at the Circus To mark the 250th anniversary of the modern circus, this film brings…

Makes 16 buns 200ml whole milk the tiniest pinch of ground saffron 25g fresh yeast 6 tbsps caster sugar 100ml quark or Greek yoghurt 400-500g strong bread flour, plus extra for dusting ½ teaspoon of salt 7 tbsps butter, softened and cubed 1 egg, beaten (reserve half for brushing) a handful of raisins pearl sugar (optional) • Heat the milk in a saucepan until finger-warm (no more than 37°C), then add the ground saffron. In a stand mixer, with a dough hook attached, add the fresh yeast and the milk-saffron mixture (again, no warmer than 37°C or the yeast will die). Mix for 1 min, then add sugar and stir until dissolved. • Stir in the quark or yogurt until incorporated, then mix in about half the flour, as well…

15th Century Oxfordshire Situated in the heart of Woodstock, The Marlborough Arms overlooks the town’s historical streets. A 2-night stay costs from £132pp. 01993-811227, themarlborougharms.co.uk. Arrive 14 February. Seven nights in Corfu The 5-star Corfu Holiday Palace boasts spectacular views out to sea and offers breakfast and dinner from £312pp, including Birmingham flights. 020-3897 1143, loveholidays.com. Depart 2 April. Canada ski break for four Seven nights, room-only, at the world famous Fairmont Banff Springs, with superb views of the wilderness, from £1,547pp, including London flights.01483-791111, inghams.co.uk. Depart 4 January. Miami oceanfront stay Spend 5 nights, room-only, at the Cadillac Hotel & Beach Club, with its rich art deco style, from £1,658pp, including Manchester flights. 0344-739 1098, virginholidays.co.uk. Depart 2 January.…

Theresa May’s run of parliamentary defeats sent sterling to its lowest level in a year-and-a-half on Tuesday, tumbling to $1.26. But the pound swiftly picked up and resumed trading in the tight range it has held since mid-November. Some investors described it as “impossible to trade” before there’s a clear idea of how Brexit will develop. The latest PMI figures from the services sector showed that activity in November slowed to its lowest level since the immediate aftermath of the Brexit vote. Respondents to the IHS Markit survey cited delayed client investment decisions, and subdued business and consumer spending. European stocks joined a global sell-off midweek on worries that the markets had overplayed signs of improved trade relations between the US and China following last weekend’s G20 meeting. Industrial, tech…

Terry Morgan After only four months in the job of leading Britain’s “flagship” £56bn HS2 rail programme, its “world-class” chairman is heading for the buffers, said the FT. Terry Morgan, 70, who also chairs London’s delayed £15bn Crossrail project, is expected to leave both jobs within weeks. Both are running over budget and the move is “a sign ministers fear worse news is to come”. Morgan joined the projects as “a highly respected engineer and manager of big transport projects”, but his relationship with the London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, “deteriorated rapidly”. It was “quite a brutal derailment”, said Alistair Osborne in The Times. “Maybe the real problem is the project, not the chairman.” Some now predict the final bill for HS2 will top £100bn. Morgan looks like a “fall guy”.…

Part one of our guide to the best festive reading: Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World by Adam Tooze (Allen Lane £30). “A superbly researched account of the origins and consequences” of the crisis, says Martin Wolf in the FT. “Even people who have followed this story closely will learn a great deal.” Conspiracy by Ryan Holiday (Profile £14.99). This tale of “perfectly executed revenge”, detailing how PayPal founder Peter Thiel drove the website Gawker to bankruptcy, “seems more like a thriller than a business book”, says Rosamund Urwin in The Sunday Times. Billion Dollar Whale by Tom Wright and Bradley Hope (Hachette Books $28). “The epic and often unbelievable story” of how a Malaysian social climber named Jho Low masterminded the 1MDB state investment fund,…

Giuseppe Antoci had been warned more than once. “You will end with your throat cut,” read one note, composed entirely of individual letters clipped from newspapers in ransom-note style. In May 2016, they came. Antoci, then president of the Nebrodi national park, a protected area in Sicily’s northeast, was returning home from a meeting accompanied by his police escort. As his armour-plated Lancia Thesis rounded a bend in the Miraglia forest, he saw the mountain road was strewn with rocks, forcing the driver to stop. First, two hitmen fired at the vehicle’s wheels to immobilise it. Then a shoot-out ensued. The would-be assassins eventually fled, but Antoci recalls his terror that night: “The police tried to move me to another car but, in my fear, I didn’t recognise them. I…