Innholdsfortegnelse for V. 1246 i The Week

What happened Judgement day In the most important constitutional judgment in decades, the UK Supreme Court ruled this week that Boris Johnson’s decision to suspend Parliament was unlawful. The unanimous ruling threw Johnson’s Brexit strategy into further turmoil and prompted calls for his resignation. Government lawyers had argued that the decision to prorogue was not a matter for the courts. But the Supreme Court concluded after a three-day hearing that the decision was indeed “justiciable”, and that it had been unlawful because “it had the effect of frustrating or preventing the ability of Parliament to carry out its constitutional functions”. The PM, said Supreme Court president Brenda Hale, had not given any reason – “let alone a good reason” – for suspending the legislature for a full five weeks in…

Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who won three Emmys for her BBC black comedy Fleabag – and signed a rumoured $20m-a-year deal to create new programmes for Amazon. Among the other British winners at the Emmys were the actress Jodie Comer, for Killing Eve, and the writers Jesse Armstrong, for Succession, and Charlie Brooker, for Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. Arron Banks, the self-styled “Bad Boy of Brexit”, after a criminal investigation into his funding of the Leave. EU’s campaign found no evidence that he’d acted unlawfully. Banks had been alleged not to be the true source of £8m in donations. “It was my money,” he tweeted this week.…

More than a third of British rail services do not reach their destination on time, according to new, tougher standards introduced by the government regulator, the Office of Rail and Road. Trains are now rated as punctual if they arrive within a minute of their scheduled time; previously they could be up to ten minutes late and still be classed as on time. Moreover, their punctuality is now recorded at each stop, not just at their final destination. In the year to June, 64.7% of trains were on time under the new system; under the old one, 87% would have been.…

New York Massive bird losses: Canada and the US have lost nearly a third of their wild birds since 1970, according to a comprehensive study published in the journal Science. By combining on-the-ground surveys with weather radar data on bird migrations, researchers estimate that across the two countries, bird populations have fallen 29% in the past five decades. That means that there are three billion fewer individual birds than there were in 1970. Some of the most common birds were hardest hit, with 90% of losses coming from just 12 families, including sparrows, warblers, blackbirds, finches, larks, starlings and swallows. The new study did not examine the causes of these declines, which affect grassland birds in particular, but it’s very likely that “habitat loss and degradation are the largest forces…

“Another week and another rebuke for using the phrase ‘suffering from dementia’. ‘Say “living with” instead,’ someone urged. Well, let’s see. My once cheerful, chatty mother hasn’t spoken for three years, cannot walk or feed herself, doesn’t recognise anyone and, when she isn’t asleep, will frequently cry, wail and pick at her bedclothes. This is suffering... and I’m getting tetchy at strangers’ attempts to airbrush this truth with language, even if they mean well. Euphemising my mother’s ordeal achieves nothing. In fact it does harm, playing into the hands of a government for whom it is convenient not to treat dementia like any terminal illness.” Carol Midgley in The Times…

When doing trade deals, big is not beautiful Ross Clark The Spectator It is an article of Remainer faith, says Ross Clark, that when it comes to cutting trade deals, we’re better off doing so as part of the powerful EU than going it alone. Yet you only have to look at what happened last week to the promised landmark deal between the EU and the South American bloc Mercosur (comprising Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay) to suspect the reverse is true. Twenty years in the making, the deal seemed done and dusted – only for Austrian leaders to block it at the last minute: they didn’t want Austrian farmers undermined by competition from South America. And without all 28 EU states agreeing, the deal can’t go ahead. Contrast this…

Crazy but true, said Chris Cillizza and Harry Enten on CNN: officially, there are still 19 people competing to become the Democratic presidential candidate in 2020. In practical terms, though, it already seems to have come down to a two-horse race between former vice-president Joe Biden and Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren, who have pulled clear of the rest of the field in polls. This presents their party with a dilemma. Warren clearly has the momentum, is the favourite of Democratic activists, and has put in solid performances in the first debates. Yet she is also pushing a radical left-wing agenda. Biden, on the other hand, is a centrist with strong support among minority and working-class voters – but he also has a habit of making gaffes and talking gibberish. His…

Insecticide “harms songbirds” There is a mass of evidence that the world’s most widely used class of insecticide, neonicotinoids, are harmful to bees and other pollinating insects – which is why their use was banned by the EU last year. Now a study has suggested that they may also pose a threat to some birds. In North America, songbirds migrating to their breeding grounds in Canada tend to stop in farming areas to feed on grain and crops. For the study, scientists captured white-throated sparrows as they made these stop-offs and fed them doses of a neonicotinoid that they said were equivalent to the levels the birds would have consumed on the farms. Subsequent monitoring indicated that the insecticide had had an appetite-suppressing effect: sparrows given the highest dose typically…

Abbey Road has one of the most famous album covers in history. But according to Paul McCartney, both the name and the image – of the Beatles crossing Abbey Road in north London – were dreamt up on the spur of the moment. “I remember being in Studio 3 and we were just talking about what we were going to call the record,” he told the Radio Times. “The nearest we had was Everest, because our engineer was smoking Everest cigarettes. It didn’t have the wow factor. Just for practicality, I thought, ‘Why don’t we just go outside, have a photographer waiting for us, walk across the crossing and we can call it Abbey Road, or something like that?’ So we did.” As for his bare feet in the photo,…

Just over a year ago, an unknown Swedish teenager decided to go on strike from school, not to enjoy a day off, but to demonstrate outside Sweden’s parliament about the lack of action to tackle climate change. That simple protest by Greta Thunberg may one day come to be regarded as “a major turning point in history”, said The Scotsman, for it spawned the “largest youth-led movement in the world”. From Scotland and Afghanistan to Greece and Bangladesh, millions of young people took part in last Friday’s Climate Strike. Anyone tempted to dismiss their protests as “childish” should heed the words of Professor Sir David King, formerly chief scientific adviser to the UK government, who warned last week that it was indeed “appropriate to be scared” about the pace of…

Rugby World Cup: England’s underwhelming start England’s opening match of the World Cup was an “upside-down occasion”, said Chris Foy in the Daily Mail. Tonga may have lost the game 35-3, yet at the end they were “acclaimed as if they were conquering heroes”. The English players, meanwhile, “stood stern-faced at the huddle” and tried to make sense of what had happened. They had gone into Sunday’s match expecting “a walkover”. What they got, instead, was “a remarkable demonstration of backs-to-the-wall defiance” from a Pacific island nation of just 100,000 people. England got the job done: they scored the four tries they needed to secure a bonus point. But this wasn’t “a performance to strike fear into the other World Cup contenders”. England had some “good moments”, said Owen Slot…

Where crime does pay To The Guardian Your editorial on county lines states, rightly, that “there is no point in pretending that there is any quick fix”. However, all the solutions put forward in relation to the phenomenon – better funding of youth services, placing youth services on a statutory footing etc. – evade the fundamental point: this is a business model that works. For those higher up the chain it is low-risk and lucrative. For users, it makes drugs more easily accessible, more cheaply. For the street dealers, we have to ask whether, in an economy predicated on low-paid, precarious employment, any other option is available that can put £250 a day into their hands. The focus on the exploitative element of county lines recruitment assumes this is the…

Theatre: Big Dominion Theatre, London W1 (0345-200 7982). Until 2 November Running time: 2hrs 45mins The 1988 film that made Tom Hanks a global megastar “wasn’t just a Big success, it was absolutely HUGE”, grossing more than $150m, said Alun Hood on What’s On Stage. By contrast, this 1996 stage musical version lasted barely six months on Broadway and has taken over 20 years to hop the Atlantic. Big will never be “on any musical theatre fan’s all-time top ten list”: the body-swap story – in which a 12-year-old is granted his wish of becoming an adult – could turn off older audiences, while the romantic plot might bore youngsters. But there are decent songs, striking visuals and high-energy dance routines – along with some “kookie chemistry” between Jay McGuiness’s…

Best books… Joan Bakewell The writer and broadcaster is one of ten writers to have contributed to Kiss and Part, a book of short stories published by Canterbury Press at £16.99, in aid of Hosking Houses Trust, which encourages older women’s writing Death and the Penguin by Andrey Kurkov, 1996 (Vintage £8.99). This is black comedy written by a brilliant Ukrainian novelist. It is both menacing and hilarious: its protagonist, an aspiring author, writes the obituaries of current luminaries for a newspaper. But there’s only one way to see his words in print. For comfort he has a pet penguin. Kafka would have loved it. Time Will Darken It by William Maxwell, 1948 (Vintage £8.99). Thanks to my book group I discovered this wonderful writer. Maxwell paces his plots and…

Programmes Upstream Made by writer Robert Macfarlane and director Rob Petit, and shot from the air, this film traces the course of the river Dee to its source at a mountain peak in the Cairngorms. Sun 29 Sept, BBC4 20:30 (30mins). World on Fire Peter Bowker’s period drama series follows ordinary people caught up in the Second World War, including an Englishman trying to smuggle his Polish lover out of Warsaw. With Sean Bean and Helen Hunt. Sun 29 Sept, BBC1 21:00 (60mins). What Britain Buys and Sells in a Day Ed Balls explores the world of imports and exports and asks how much we really know about the systems that enable Britain to trade worldwide. Episode one of a three-part series. Mon 30 Sept, BBC2 21:00 (60mins). Tiananmen: The…

When I lived in Japan, I would always order nasu dengaku: aubergine covered with sweet white miso, either baked or grilled, says Sofia Hellsten. I make this version in a pan, with added acidity from the yuzu (a citrus-like fruit) and peppery notes from the mustard. Miso and yuzu aubergine Serves 4 1medium-sized aubergine 1 yuzu 3 tbsp white sweet miso 2 tbsp sake 2 tbsp sugar 2 tsp soy sauce 1 tsp Dijon mustard 4-5 tbsp vegetable oil, such as sunflower, sesame or other flavourless oil • Wash and part-peel the aubergine by peeling off strips to create a striped effect. Split into two lengthways, then cut each half into four sticks. Cut the sticks into irregular smaller pieces. • Wash the yuzu, zest the peel and squeeze out…

● Be very suspicious of anyone who asks you to make any changes to any account, or for any details of it. Your bank would never ask you to transfer funds over the phone. ● Scammers can make text messages and calls look as though they are coming from your bank‘s own phone number, so don‘t take this as proof that the call is legitimate. ● They may also stay on the line, so that when you phone your bank, to check the call is legitimate, you reach them instead. ● Swindlers may pose as you to get a SIM card with your phone number. If you unexpectedly lose signal, contact your phone provider and bank immediately. ● If you‘re a seller, be wary of fraudsters giving you a cheque…

Grantley Hall Ripon, North Yorkshire Following a £70m restoration, this country house re-opened as an “eye-poppingly luxurious” hotel earlier this year, says Stephen McClarence in The Times. A “winning combination of old and new”, it has “elegant” public rooms and an “impressively equipped” gym and spa (including a “snow room”), all set in 38 acres of parkland and gardens. The 47 bedrooms have original Georgian fireplaces, and a “restful” atmosphere, as well as pillow menus and even robe menus. Food is good, and guests are spoiled for choice, with four restaurants under the supervision of celebrity chef Shaun Rankin. Doubles from £275 b&b.grantleyhall.co.uk.…

Tunisian autocrat deposed at the start of the Arab Spring Zine El Abidine Ben Ali 1936-2019 In the West, he was regarded as one of North Africa’s more “enlightened despots”, said The Daily Telegraph. Although no democrat, the former Tunisian leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali presided over a relatively stable country, with a growing economy, that was seen as a bulwark against Islamic fundamentalism in a volatile region. But at home he was considered ruthless, corrupt and cruel – and in 2011, Ben Ali became the first autocrat to be deposed by the wave of popular uprisings that became known as the Arab Spring. He fled into exile in Saudi Arabia, where he died last week aged 83. The son of a docker, he was born in 1936, when…

No doubt social historians will “mourn the demise” of the world’s oldest travel company, said Ed Cropley on Reuters Breakingviews. Historians of business, however, will look back in wonder at its ineptitude in recent decades. A firm that maintained more than 500 high-street outlets in the internet age, Thomas Cook demonstrated a “stunning inability to adapt to changing travel habits”. The UK Government was right to turn down a request for a £150m lifeline. True, it will pay out about the same in repatriation costs, but if Britain crashes out of the EU, it will soon face a slew of fresh “corporate victims” with begging bowls. The “brutal truth” is that Thomas Cook will quickly be forgotten, a necessary victim of the “creative destruction” that drives capitalism, said Matthew Lynn…

If you want unbiased advice on how to start investing, you might well want professional guidance, says Ali Hussain in The Sunday Times. What’s the best way to find a good financial adviser? Personal recommendations are a good place to start, but always do online research. Unbiased.co.uk and vouchedfor.co.uk have databases of advisers across the country. Financial advisers are regulated by the FCA, so check out their credentials at register.fca.org.uk. Or search for any mis-selling issues at ombudsman-decisions.org.uk. Know the difference between “restricted” advisers (who only sell products from one or a few providers) and independent advisers (who have free rein). Advisers must be clear which they are, and must also be transparent about charges. Fees can’t be commission-based, but might be an hourly rate, a flat sum, or a…

The week’s best shares AJ Bell The Times The “high quality” stockbroker and investment provider is growing “like the clappers” since listing in December, with rising customer numbers and competitive fees. Shares carry a justifiable premium rating. Buy. 409.5p. Berkeley Group The Times Focused on London and the southeast, Berkeley is a “resilient high-end” house-builder with a good eye for timing. Demand and prices have held up despite Brexitrelated uncertainties, and it yields 5.6%. Buy. £41.13. Diploma The Daily Telegraph This well-run industrial equipment supplier distributes key components in niche sectors: life sciences, seals and controls. Resilient, with good geographical spread, and well-funded for more bolt-ons. Buy. £16.71. Keywords Studios Investors Chronicle The video games services group is growing strongly and is well placed to benefit from “massive” market investment…

Controversy of the week The end of Thomas Cook Thomas Cook was once “at the heart of the way we travelled”, said the London Evening Standard. The world’s oldest travel agent began life in 1841 by offering day trips to temperance meetings in the Midlands; in its golden age, it printed timetables for railways around the globe, sold tickets for the Orient Express and “stylish cruises along the Nile”, and counted Mark Twain, Rudyard Kipling and Winston Churchill among its customers. But this week, its 178-year story “ended ignominiously”, said The Economist: the firm finally collapsed, after a decade of financial troubles, when it failed to secure a £1.1bn rescue package, and a last-minute appeal for a £150m government bailout fell on deaf ears. Around 150,000 tourists were left stranded…

North Uist, which has been divided by plans to build the UK’s first commercial spaceport on its northwestern coast. Some of the Hebridean island’s 1,200 residents say the project will boost the local economy and bring much-needed jobs; others are deeply concerned that Spaceport 1 will shatter the island’s peace, destroy a beautiful stretch of coast, and harm its wildlife. The site, at Scolpaig, is one-and-a-half miles from a major RSPB reserve. John Humphrys, who presented his final edition of Radio 4’s Today, after 32 years. Paying tribute, BBC director-general Tony Hall said that as Humphrys, 76, hung up his headphones, public figures and politicians would heave a “collective sigh of relief”. North Sea cod, with news that the Marine Stewardship Council is suspending its sustainability certificate for the fish,…

The Lib Dems have overtaken Labour in YouGov’s poll of voting intentions. Support for the Lib Dems stood at 23% last week, up four points from the week before. Labour was down two points, on 21%, while the Tories were on 32%. YouGov/The Times According to a survey commissioned by the Independent School Council, 12% of voters would be more likely to vote for a political party that pledged to abolish private schools, while 21% say they would be less likely to vote for such a party. ComRes/The Daily Telegraph 18% of British men, and 12% of women, say they have no close friends. YouGov/The Times…

Ai Weiwei’s love of trees After leaving China in 2015, the artist Ai Weiwei made his home in Berlin. Now, at 62, he is moving to Britain, says Julia Llewellyn Smith in The Sunday Times. This time, he won’t be living in the capital, though: his new home is in Cambridge. “I used to love the bright lights, big city, but now I need a moment of quiet and a beautiful tree,” he says. “The strongest impression of Britain for me is still the garden and the flowers and the big trees. It’s so special. I always think: ‘What kind of nation lets its trees grow in that tremendous size and stand alone?’ Because in China we have 5,000 years of history but you couldn’t find a single tree which…

Why is the Arctic a live issue now? Because of the rapid melting of sea ice. The Arctic is the fastest warming part of the planet (see box), and while environmentalists regard this as a terrifying warning of what is to come, some governments see it as a golden opportunity. “The Arctic is at the forefront of opportunity and abundance,” declared the US secretary of state Mike Pompeo at a meeting of the Arctic Council in May. “It houses 13% of the world’s undiscovered oil, 30% of its undiscovered gas, an abundance of uranium, rare earth minerals, gold, diamonds, and millions of square miles of untapped resources, fisheries galore.” Reductions in sea ice are opening new shipping lanes which, he enthused, could be “the 21st century’s Suez and Panama Canals”.…

For the first time, the opening prayer at a council meeting in Alaska has been delivered by a member of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Wearing a colander on his head, Barrett Fletcher – a Pastafarian pastor – prayed that the Spaghetti Monster would “rouse himself from his stupor and let his noodly appendages ground each assembly member in their seats”. Previously, such invocations could only be made by members of “official” churches, but a ruling by the Alaska Supreme Court has paved the way for other religions to participate. A vegetable model of the leader of the House of Commons reclining on a parliamentary bench has won second prize at the Newent Onion Show in Gloucestershire. Hester Feld, 44, carried off the prize of a Crunchie bar…

TURKEY A once mighty president is now bleeding Ahval (London) “Each day that passes, it seems, Turkey’s mighty president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is walking on thinner ice,” says Yavuz Baydar. His autocratic rule seems to have failed, “because of over-ambition coupled with incompetence and administrative illiteracy”. Turkey faces a “deepening economic crisis”, with rising unemployment and unrest. Little is functioning in Ankara, where “flunkeys and losers” occupy key posts merely because their loyalty can be counted on. “Everybody is waiting for the day he is gone” before they do any real business, says one well-informed source. Erdogan remains as outwardly self-confident as ever, but politically, he is “bleeding”. In April’s municipal elections he sustained heavy losses: worst was “the farce-like repeat of voting in Istanbul”, which he lost anyway. Key…

In 2017, scientists discovered that when their fields are crowded, sunflowers grow in a zigzag pattern, to maximise the amount of sunlight each receives. Now, a team has found that the plants also cooperate at a subterranean level, to share nutrients. Each sunflower has a main root, off which smaller ones grow. In a lab experiment at the University of Alberta in Canada, researchers found that when a single flower was planted in a small fertile patch of soil, it sent out lots of these smaller roots, allowing it to consume more nutrients; but when two were planted, both sent out fewer than they normally would. This, they say, suggests that the plants are not only aware of the presence of others, but also react to it. The finding adds…

In 2014, David Cameron was overheard claiming that the Queen had “purred down the line” when he telephoned her with the result of the Scottish referendum. It was, as he has admitted, a major breach of protocol, for which he has “grovelled a lot”. Yet last week, he was at it again, said Matt Chorley in The Times, revealing yet more details of his private dealings with the Queen. In a documentary to promote his new memoir, he explained that he was visiting Balmoral when, just before the Scottish referendum, a Sunday Times poll put the Yes campaign ahead. As panic set in around Whitehall, the PM asked if Her Majesty could help. He hadn’t suggested she do anything “improper” or “unconstitutional... just a raising of the eyebrow, even a…

“Serial philandering and ethical sloppiness” are part of Boris Johnson’s “shtick”, said Benjamin Mueller in The New York Times. But this week the patience of even loyal supporters may have been tested by reports in The Sunday Times that, during his time as London mayor, Johnson failed to declare a series of potential conflicts of interest over his “close friendship” with an American model turned technology entrepreneur. The paper alleged that Jennifer Arcuri, then in her late 20s, was granted £126,000 in public funds while he was mayor – and that, overruling officials, he took her on overseas trade missions. He is also said to have paid regular visits during working hours to her flat in east London, where a chrome dancing pole took “pride of place” in the living…

Last time Danny Willett played in the BMW PGA Championship, he was ranked the 462nd best golfer in the world, said Derek Lawrenson in the Daily Mail. The Sheffield native was almost unrecognisable from the man who had, in 2016, become only the second Englishman in history to win the Masters. But at Wentworth on Sunday, he was back to his best: he closed with a score of 67 to seal “a momentous triumph”. Willett’s seventh European Tour victory of his career, it was his first in the UK. And it came in the best edition of Europe’s flagship golf event in years. Against a world-class field that included Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose, Willett was superb; in the final round, he “dismantled” Jon Rahm. When Willett won the Masters,…

To The Times Daniel Finkelstein warns that the case about Parliament’s prorogation risks immersing judges in politics. But courts are constantly asked to adjudicate on matters that have political impact, including judicial review of the legality of cycle or rail routes, the length of criminal sentences or the granting or refusal of immigration status. Judges do not pronounce on the merits or policy of these issues, but instead ensure that the decision is within the legal power of the decision-maker. Similarly, the present case asks simply whether the PM’s decision to prorogue Parliament was exercised with the purpose of preventing Parliament from exercising its powers of scrutiny of the executive. If the Supreme Court holds that this is an improper and unlawful purpose, it will in no way be entering…

The Farewell Dir: Lulu Wang 1hr 40mins (PG) Bittersweet Chinese family drama According to Chinese custom, when a family member is diagnosed with a terminal illness, their relatives are supposed to keep the news from them and let them enjoy their last days in blissful ignorance. And that’s exactly what happens in this “softly observed comedy of familial errors”, said Tom Shone in The Sunday Times. It’s a film that should appeal to anyone “whose family has ever sat on a lie, which is to say – everyone”. The rapper-turned-actor Awkwafina stars as a Chinese-American New Yorker dismayed to learn that this is her family’s response to her grandmother’s cancer. She returns to China to say a silent goodbye to a woman who doesn’t know she’s dying. In a restrained…

Catherine Story at Cooke Latham Gallery The British artist Catherine Story has called her new exhibition Pasquino, after the first and most famous of Rome’s “talking statues” – so known because for centuries, citizens of the city have affixed anonymous criticisms to its base. It’s one of a number of works of public art that have inspired her; others include the 1920s bas reliefs on the front of the Bonwit Teller department store on Fifth Avenue in New York – which were destroyed to make way for Donald Trump’s eponymous skyscraper, despite his earlier promises to save them for posterity – and the art deco friezes of cinemas in London’s West End. Her small paintings and sculptures are rather haunting: the former category consists of de Chirico-like images of ruined…

Brits are lapping up new-era beaujolais that “sings of the soil it comes from, whether it be the fruity, pierres dorées (golden stones) wines of the south, or the more complex, granite soil of the cru village wines of the north”, says Jane MacQuitty in The Times. Try the plum-packed 2018 Beaujolais Le Ronsay, Jean-Paul Brun (10.49; de Burgh), or the juicy 2017 La Perlière Beaujolais-Villages (£9.99; Majestic). For a richer cru, Morgon’s hearty 2017 Côte du Py from Domaine Rochette (£16.95; Lea & Sandeman) is “hard to beat”. A less rich, but still classic cru is the floral 2016 Brouilly Les Brulées from Henry Fessy (£18; Waitrose Cellar). The 2018 Morrisons The Best Fleurie (£9.25) is great value, with tangy red fruit and soft, silky tannins. And 2017 Régnié,…

Drawing to a close this weekend, the York Food & Drink Festival sees a chunk of the city centre transformed into an outdoor kitchen for talks and demonstrations (until 29 September; ticketed events from £2; yorkfoodfestival.com). During the four days of feasting on the banks of the Fal that is the Falmouth Oyster Festival, there are likely to be excellent oyster bars, shucking contests, live music and even boat races (10-13 October; free; falmouthoysterfestival.co.uk). Manchester Food and Drink Festival has live music, street food, supper clubs and a plant-based night, as well as tastings and food walks around the city’s restaurants (until 7 October; ticketed events from £15; foodanddrinkfestival.com). Set in England’s smallest city, the Wells Food Festival celebrates the region’s rich farming heritage with over 150 stalls showcasing everything…

Hiking California’s wilder shore Stretching for 100 miles between the tiny town of Rockport and the “Victorian charmer” Ferndale, the Lost Coast is one of northern California’s rare stretches of roadless shore. Here, the King Range mountains plunge into the sea, making for wonderful, hiking, says Elaine Glusac in The New York Times. The Lost Coast Trail – North is a 25-mile, three-day trek that takes you along “spongy” black-sand beaches and over craggy rocks, through pine forests, “grassy” woodlands, and dunes speckled with desert wildflowers. There are sea lions and elephant seals to spot; you might see black bears and migrating whales too. Stay at the “homey” Tides Inn in Shelter Cove, and don’t miss Mi Mochima, a “sunny” new Venezuelan restaurant there. Permits from the Bureau of Land…

RBS: Rose rises The choice of Alison Rose to succeed Ross McEwan as chief executive of RBS is “cause for celebration”, said The Observer. She’s the first woman to lead one of the UK’s big four banks – a stunning achievement for the RBS veteran of 27 years, who has no doubt battled sexism at every rung of the ladder. Forgive me if I don’t get too excited, said Lucie McInerney in The Independent. The appointment brings the total number of female FTSE 100 CEOs back to “the heady heights of 2017 when the tally stood at... seven”. That’s fewer than the number of CEOs called Stephen, and the same number as those called David. And the 7% of chief executives who are women earn just 4.2% of total…

Four games of global chicken Nouriel Roubini The Guardian The fate of the global economy currently hinges on “four games of chicken”, says Nouriel Roubini. And if any one of them ends in a head-on “collision”, then a global recession and financial crisis are the likely result. To play chicken, two drivers race towards each other: the first to swerve is the loser, but if neither swerves, both will probably die. The four “geo-economic” stand-offs now playing out are: (a) the contest between the US and China over trade and technology; (b) the brewing dispute between the US and Iran; (c) the brinkmanship of Boris Johnson and the EU over Brexit, with a chaotic no deal threatening to cause a Europe-wide recession; and (d) the looming clash between Argentina and…

A new tech company says it is “democratising” private swimming pools by enabling owners to rent them out by the hour using an Airbnb-style app. Swimply only launched in a test version last year, but it now lists pools in 26 US states, as well as in Mexico, Australia and Canada. Its founder says he was inspired by his childhood in New Jersey, when he and his 11 siblings were allowed to swim in their neighbour’s seldom-used pool in return for paying a quarter of its running costs. Lego is trying to cash in on the mindfulness trend with its first book for adults. Entitled Build Yourself Happy: The Joy of Lego Play, it promises to help readers “practise mindfulness, explore creativity and unwind”.…

Class A drug use in England and Wales has hit a record high, largely because of the growing number of young adults taking them. According to Home Office figures, nearly 9% of those aged 16 to 24 took Class A drugs last year, the highest proportion in 16 years; among people aged 16 to 59, the proportion was 3.7%, the highest since records began in 1996. Experts say huge coca harvests in Colombia may help explain the rise in Class A drug use. They also point to the proliferation of the “county lines” gangs that send young people from the inner cities to sell drugs in provincial towns.…

Paris Drugs trial: The long-awaited trial of the French pharmaceutical giant Servier for manslaughter and deceit opened this week in Paris. The charges relate to a drug produced by the company which is now thought to have killed up to 2,000 people in France. Mediator was developed in 1976 to treat excess weight in type-2 diabetes patients, but was soon being prescribed as a general appetite-suppressant. Doubts about its safety – it was suspected of causing heart and pulmonary failure – led to it being banned in other European countries in the early 2000s, but France’s medicines agency continued to allow its sale until 2009. The agency, which has been accused of colluding with Servier in masking its dangers, is also in the dock for manslaughter by negligence. The trial…

1 Le Jardin Féerique by Maurice Ravel, performed by Marielle and Katia Labèque 2 It’s Raining Today, written by Scott Walker and performed by Scott Walker 3* Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On), written by Talking Heads and Brian Eno, performed by Talking Heads 4 Freeman Hardy & Willis Acid, written and performed by Aphex Twin and Squarepusher 5 After the Gold Rush, written and performed by Neil Young 6 Talk About The Passion, written and performed by R.E.M. 7 Blue Horizon, written and performed by Sidney Bechet 8 Lilac Wine written by James Shelton, performed by Nina Simone Book: Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki Luxury: recording studio * Choice if allowed only one record…

Over the past five years, the polar region has been warmer than at any time since 1900, when records began. And since 1979, the Arctic has lost 40% of its sea ice, according to a report for the UN Environment Assembly earlier this year. This week, an analysis of satellite data by Nasa found that the extent of Arctic sea ice at the end of the summer was the joint second lowest on record, tied with 2007 and 2016. It is generally estimated that the Arctic ocean will be ice-free in the summer by 2050, and possibly long before that. Climate scientists are particularly concerned by the “ice-albedo feedback” effect. The white surface of ice reflects up to 80% of incoming sunlight; but when it melts, the dark surface of…

Taking our guns would be a disaster James Bovard The American Conservative “Hell, yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47.” So exclaimed Beto O’Rourke during the recent Democratic primary debate, endorsing the idea of mandatory buy-backs of assault weapons. It has become “the newest purity test” for Democratic candidates, says James Bovard, but little thought has been given to the consequences of enforcing such a policy. There could be as many as ten million so-called assault weapons in private hands in the US, and moves to confiscate them would be fiercely opposed. At the very least it would require suspending Americans’ constitutional right to trial by jury, as it’s all too easy to imagine juries in, say, rural Montana refusing to convict firearms violators the way “Massachusetts juries…

The sugar tax on soft drinks has proved highly successful, leading to a 29% reduction in the amount of sugar in these drinks between 2015 and 2018. But overall, the English are consuming slightly more sugar than they did four years ago – and many manufacturers are defying government pressure to slash by 20% the sugar content of key products by 2020 to help tackle obesity. According to a Public Health England report, overall sugar levels in food have only fallen 2.9% since 2015. And while there have been more significant reductions in certain products (the amount of sugar in breakfast cereals has fallen more than 8.%, and in yoghurts by 10%), the amount of sugar in chocolate treats is down just 0.3%, and confectionery and puddings have got fractionally…

The Labour Party briefly took time out from the “civil war” dominating its conference “to set out what is arguably the most radical left-wing agenda for the education system that Britain has seen”, said The Times. Labour had been planning to scrap charitable status for private schools, introduce VAT on fees and place a cap of 7% of all university admissions for private pupils. In the end, the delegates passed a motion to do all that and more; they voted “to integrate all private schools into the state sector” and “redistribute” their assets to improve the lives of all children. This amounts to “class war”: not only an ideologically driven attack on a great British success story, but also a “chilling threat to expropriate private property”. “Call it class war…

“Politics is about shooting the crocodile nearest the boat.” Norman Tebbit, quoted in The Times “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Eleanor Roosevelt, quoted in The Sunday Telegraph “An artist’s job is to bite the hand that feeds him, but not too hard.” Nam June Paik, quoted in The Times “A theory should not seek to explain all the facts, because some of the facts are wrong.” Francis Crick, quoted on The Browser “The worst of our faults is our interest in other people’s faults.” Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib, quoted in Forbes “Reputation is what other people know about you. Honour is what you know about yourself. Guard your honour. Let your reputation fall where it will.” Novelist Lois McMaster Bujold, quoted in The Times…

Rugby World Cup Wales scored six tries in their 43-14 win over Georgia. Ireland beat Scotland 27-3. France beat Argentina 23-21. Formula One In his first win for 13 months, Sebastian Vettel leapfrogged his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc to win the Singapore Grand Prix. Cricket Essex beat Worcestershire by four wickets to win the T20 Blast title for the first time. Football Bernardo Silva scored a hat-trick in Manchester City’s 8-0 victory over Watford. Liverpool beat Chelsea 2-1.…

Competition is meant to be good for industry, said Tara Conlan in The Guardian, and there’s no doubt that Britain’s TV industry is set to benefit hugely from the escalating competition between the big US television streaming services. The biggest of these – Netflix – has spent the past decade trying to make its position unassailable: it is investing a massive $15bn this year in new content and has 700 original TV series on its roster. But now it finds itself battling competition both from its long-standing rival, Amazon Prime, and from a host of new entrants. And as part of its effort to beat off the competition – Netflix CEO Reed Hastings revealed last week – it will be spending $500m on creating new shows in the UK this…

It has long been noted that a ghostly image of a woman lies beneath the surface of The Old Guitarist (1903), one of the most famous paintings of Picasso’s blue period. In 1998, conservators used X-rays to reveal more clearly what Picasso had painted over: a picture of a seated woman holding out her left arm. It came to be known as La Femme Perdue. Now computer scientists at University College London have gone one better, says the MIT Technology Review. Using new imaging technology, they have recreated the lost painting in something like its original glory. The technique, called neural style transfer, uses advanced machine learning to distinguish paintings by different artists, and to convert any image into a distinct style: Leonardo da Vinci, say, or late Vincent van…

Ian is against taking on Freddie as a kitchen porter, but agrees to a trial shift. Eddie tells Brian he’s worried about Will. He doesn’t think he should be around guns and asks Brian to get him fired. Lily and Elizabeth are shocked by Hugh’s resignation. He’s going to cover Ian’s paternity leave at Grey Gables. Freddie tells Lily that his shift was tough. Ian gave him a roasting before he’d even started. Kate rounds on Ruth about her lack of support for rewilding, accusing her of being a sore loser. Ruth is grateful when Pip defends her. Kate, annoyed that Jakob keeps ending their dates early so she can get back to Peggy, arranges for Joy from Beechwood to keep her grandmother company. Peggy, reeling from Joy’s visit, admits…

The Lookout by Gardener’s Cottage Calton Hill, Edinburgh (0131-322 1246) The Lookout forms part of a bold development in the restored City Observatory, at the top of Edinburgh’s Calton Hill, said William Sitwell in The Daily Telegraph. The space is modern and stunning, with vast floor-to-ceiling windows and views that make you feel as though you’re “floating above the city”. But frankly, the food is so superb they could have hung up blinds and closed them and I’d have been “just as happy”. We enjoyed perfect sourdough and local cured charcuterie; a very good chicken ballotine; hake with mussels and broad beans – “every morsel cooked to perfection” – and “exemplary sea buckthorn tart”. But the star of the show was an astonishing egg yolk ravioli: a fluffy circle…

The best… autumn fashion trends Ruffles This season, power-dressing is all about femininity. This chic, ruffled blouse is a good option for everday elegance (£180; libertylondon.com). Silk scarves Autumn is always about the scarf. This Cercle 70 silk Hermès classic has bold primary colours that will look good day or night (£260; hermes.com). Padded gilets To straddle the waistcoat revival and the ongoing trend for puffa coats, wear this padded Sylvester gilet under a coat. You’ll be fashionable and warm as the temperature drops (£125; thenorthface.co.uk). Statement earrings These inexpensive gold-plated earrings will make an outfit look more expensive while complementing neutral tones (£58; matthewcalvin.com ). Wide-leg trousers A perennial that flatters most shapes, wide-leg trousers are back again. These generously cut ankle-skimming ones are from Boden (£90; boden.co.uk). Trench…

Croydon’s countryside Two nights at the Victorian De Vere Selsdon Estate Hotel, with breakfast and dinner on the first night, costs from £118pp (two sharing). 020-8657 8811, devere.co.uk. Arrive 31 October. Five-night Rome break Stay at the charming Hotel Emona Aquaeductus, located a short distance from the Trevi Fountain, from £162pp b&b, including Manchester flights. 020-3897 1185, loveholidays.com. Depart 25 November. Exotic Moroccan escape A seven-night stay at the sophisticated 5-star Sofitel Agadir Royal Bay Resort costs from £503pp half-board, including London flights. 020-3598 4710, superescapes.co.uk. Depart 10 December. Art deco Miami hotel Within walking distance of Miami’s top sights, the Lennox Hotel Miami Beach offers a 5-night stay from £378pp, excluding flights. 001 305 531 6800, lennoxmiamibeach.com. Arrive 3 November.…

The OECD downgraded its forecasts for global growth, and warned of recession in the UK. It said a no-deal Brexit would slice 3% off UK economic growth over the next three years, and 0.6% in the rest of the EU. Germany reported its worst slowdown in factory activity since the financial crisis, intensifying fears of recession in Europe’s largest economy. The US Federal Reserve said it would inject another $90bn into the short-term money markets to help reduce volatility and hit its key target rate, which it cut by a quarter of one percent last week. EDF said its Hinkley Point C nuclear plant in Somerset will cost up to £2.9bn more than thought, a total of up to £22.5bn, and might not be ready by 2025 as planned. Two…

● Black gold Last week’s spike in the oil price following the drone attacks on Saudi processing facilities caused all kinds of ripples in the markets, says Jonathan Jones in The Daily Telegraph. BP and Shell shares rose, along with defence stocks, gold and government bonds, while travel stocks fell. But what if you want to take a punt on the price of “black gold” itself? One option is exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that track the oil price, such as ETFS Brent Crude. Other ETFs, such as Invesco Bloomberg Commodity, track a range of assets, but with significant exposure to oil. Alternatively, specialist energy funds – such as BlackRock World Energy – invest heavily in oil, as do broader funds, including Aberdeen Standard Investments UK. ● Fee-free exit Hargreaves Lansdown, the…

Alex Chesterman The founder of Zoopla had planned a long break after he sold the property portal for £2.2bn, and personally banked more than £100m. Instead, Alex Chesterman’s holiday lasted just seven days, says Liam Kelly in The Sunday Times. After seeing a TV ad, Chesterman, 49, started researching the US used car website Carvana, which floated in 2017 and is now worth $11.5bn. The serial entrepreneur – a “striking, wolfish figure” who also founded LoveFilm – wrote a business plan for Cazoo, its UK equivalent, in “one fevered Sunday” last October, and has now raised £56.5m in funding. Cazoo isn’t just a copycat, he says, but he admits he’s happier going second. If you’re innovating, you’ll “spend more and make more mistakes”, he says. “Your chances of success go…