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What happened As the Tories prepared for their party conference in Manchester, debate continued to rage over Rishi Sunak’s decision to delay the introduction of key climate policies. The Prime Minister announced the plan last week after details were leaked to the BBC. Under his new schedule, a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars will come into force in 2035, rather than 2030. The transition from gas and oil boilers to heat pumps will also be delayed, and tougher energy-efficiency targets for landlords will be dropped. Sunak pledged to block any laws that deterred people from eating meat, or flying, or that imposed overly onerous recycling obligations. Boris Johnson condemned the move, saying the UK “cannot afford to falter” on its goal of hitting net zero…

Laurence Fox, who was suspended from GB News for refusing to retract his “unacceptable” comments about a female journalist. During a BBC discussion about men’s mental health, Ava Evans had said that she didn’t think there was a need for a minister for men and that calls for one fed into the culture war. Talking to GB News’s Dan Wootton, Fox described her as a “pathetic” feminist that no “self-respecting man” would “climb into bed with, ever”. Ending his tirade, he asked: “Who’d want to shag that?” Donald Trump, after a New York judge ruled that he had committed fraud by massively (and repeatedly) exaggerating the value of his holdings to banks, insurers and others, to get better deals. Among other things, he’d claimed his penthouse in Trump Tower was…

32% of people in the top quarter of household incomes (earning more than £40,000 a year) identify as working class, according to the latest British Social Attitudes Survey. However, in the poorest households (earning less than £19,000), 48% identify as middle class, or say they have no class identity. 77% of Britons think that class adversely affects social mobility, up from 66% in 2012 and 70% in 1983. The survey, conducted last year, reveals that only 9% of adults now think that same-sex relationships are “always wrong”, down from 50% in 1983. But the proportion who say they are “not prejudiced” towards transgender people fell to 64% last year, from 82% in 2019. Among 18- to 34-year-olds, the “not prejudiced” figure was 69%. Daily Telegraph/Guardian…

Elon Musk’s Boswell When Walter Isaacson started his biography of Elon Musk, he told the entrepreneur: “If I am going to do this I have to be at your side for two years and I want to talk to you almost every day – I want to be like Boswell doing Doctor Johnson.” What followed, he told Gillian Tett in the FT, was “a wild ride”. He joined Musk at meetings before his takeover of Twitter; at family dinners – even at negotiations with the Ukrainian government over its use of SpaceX’s Starlink technology following Russia’s invasion. And he also witnessed Musk’s “manic” mood swings. “There are times he gets really dark and he goes into what Grimes [the mother of three of Musk’s ten children] calls ‘demon mode’.” He’ll…

In 2021, a Danish conceptual artist was paid 530,000 kroner (£62,000) by Kunsten Museum of Modern Art in Aalborg to create two works made of used banknotes: they were meant to be made of piles of cash totalling the average income in Denmark. In the event, Jens Haaning submitted two empty frames entitled Take the Money and Run. A court in Copenhagen has now rejected Haaning’s argument that his work was an artistic commentary on low pay, and ruled that he must repay the money, minus a fee for his time. A builder involved in a long planning row with the local authority in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, has escalated his dispute by erecting a gargoyle depicting the local council leader. Michael Thomas, 71, installed the foot-tall sculpture of Stewart Palmen after…

CANADA How India will get away with murder The Globe and Mail (Toronto) We may never know for sure who ordered the hit on the Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, says Gary Mason. A vocal advocate for the creation of a separate Sikh homeland, who had moved to Canada in 1997, he was shot dead by two masked gunmen in June outside a Sikh temple in Vancouver. Ottawa blames the killing on agents of the Indian government, but to substantiate that allegation would require India’s full cooperation – a non-starter of an idea, given the dismal state of Canadian-Indian relations. But even if a clear link were established, there’s little a middle-ranking power such as Canada could do about it. See what happened when China kidnapped two innocent Canadians in…

Rupert Murdoch is a good hater. According to his biographer Michael Wolff, he has become “a frothing-at-the-mouth” opponent of Donald Trump, and often wishes for Trump’s death, saying: “How could he still be alive, how could he? Have you seen him? Have you seen what he looks like? What he eats?” This week, his fellow press baron Conrad Black recalled that after the death at sea of their competitor Robert Maxwell, Murdoch telephoned him to “celebrate”. Black told Murdoch that although Maxwell was a scoundrel, he didn’t like to think of him floating around dead in the Atlantic. “I do,” was Murdoch’s reply. In her recent cabaret show in New York, Brooke Shields reflected on her long career in showbiz. “I performed at Sea World…” she reminisced, “with Lucille Ball.”…

“Many people retire to Wales in search of a more gentle pace of life,” said The Times, “and good luck to them.” But the decision by its Labour government to impose a default 20mph speed limit in built-up areas is surely a step too far. A very large number of people in Wales are not retired, and are reliant on their cars to get to work; and the point of a car is that its “velocity generally exceeds that of a walking human”, or an ambling sheep. Having 20mph zones near schools and hospitals is defensible, on safety grounds. But a blanket limit will force drivers to “crawl” down every residential street, “eyes glued to the speedometer rather than the road ahead”, which doesn’t sound very safe at all. Many…

Usually, when a marathon world record gets broken, it’s by no more than a few seconds, said Matt Lawton in The Times. That’s not how it was in last Sunday’s Berlin Marathon, however. Ethiopian runner Tigist Assefa didn’t just break Brigid Kosgei’s 2019 world record of 2hr 14min 4sec; she “obliterated” it. The 26-year-old became the first woman in history to break the 2hr 14min barrier – and the first to break the 2hr 13min and 2hr 12min barriers, too. Assefa shaved 131 seconds off Kosgei’s time to finish in a “staggering” 2hr 11min 53sec. What makes that victory even more remarkable is that Assefa only ran her first marathon last year, said Sean Ingle in The Guardian. Before that, she was a middle-distance specialist. She first showed her potential…

Sexism was “the norm” To The Guardian I am in my 50s, not my 30s. Everything Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett says [about sexual harassment today] was true of the mid-to-late 1980s. I worked in a pub at the age of 18. I faced relentless sexual harassment as young men getting drunk on “lager tops” took bets on how long it would take to make me cry – they did it with all the new female bar workers, they told me. Despite being locked in the cellar while I changed a barrel and them banging on the door, singing Like a Virgin and refusing to let me out, I didn’t cry. One lad congratulated me on passing this appalling test, and I actually remember feeling proud. A few years ago, while taking…

by Rose Tremain Chatto & Windus 192pp £16.99 The Week bookshop £13.99 Rose Tremain isn’t often thought of as a funny writer, but in this novel, her 17th, “she can be brilliantly wry”, said Lucy Atkins in The Guardian. Set between the 1950s and the 1970s, the book is an “engrossing character study” of Marianne, a girl from the Home Counties who, aged 15, falls passionately in love with a floppy-haired 18-year-old named Simon. The relationship soon ends – Simon moves to Paris – but it defines much of Marianne’s subsequent life. In 1960s London, which is “anything but swinging”, Marianne is “lonely and miserable” as she first enrols at secretarial college, and then works as an assistant for a Fleet Street agony aunt (a job Tremain herself once did).…

What the experts recommend Origin City 12 West Smithfield, London EC1 (020-4568 6240) This “nose-to-tail” restaurant, on the south side of London’s Smithfield meat market, is possibly the most traditional I’ve reviewed this year, says Jay Rayner in The Observer. The “comfortable” dining room, with its large tables and non-intrusive music, has a “1990s power-lunch vibe”. And head chef Graham Chatham, formerly of Rules, treats his ingredients with “old-school care”. But Origin City doesn’t need to break new ground, because it’s “doing something rather less celebrated: it’s cooking up a total storm”. Homemade charcuterie – coppa, salami Milanese, ham – has impressive “piggy power”, and comes with toast and “ludicrously intense” ’nduja butter. Triple-cooked chips are “crunchy and golden and speak of time and effort” – and “the cooking of…

● Try to keep your emotions in check and avoid tearful goodbyes; but maybe put a card in their suitcase for them to find later. ● You can’t prepare them for everything, but do prepare them for the basics: make sure they know how to use a washing machine, dry their clothes, cook a simple meal. ● Manage their expectations: the first term can be tough. But have lots of little conversations, rather than a “big talk”. ● Remind them of the need to eat well and get enough sleep. They will be exposed to drugs and alcohol. Maybe ask: “What would you do if one of your friends overdid it?” This will encourage them to think about the issue, but assumes they are sensible. ● Remind them that it…

Roger Whittaker 1936-2023 Roger Whittaker, who has died aged 87, was never fashionable – but he was phenomenally successful, said The Guardian. Known for his “smooth baritone voice”, distinctive whistling ability and sentimental songs backed by “keening strings”, he had a very large and very loyal international following. He was particularly popular in Germany, where by the 1980s he was acknowledged as the country’s most successful recording artist; but he had several chart hits in the UK, and he was a household name in many countries. As one writer for The Boston Globe noted of his concerts: “No one gets high. No one gets hysterical with excitement. And yet Roger Whittaker is one of the most popular entertainers in the world.” Whittaker himself would say that he represented the “silent…

Rupert Murdoch’s bombshell “retirement” announcement appeared to end the dynasty’s succession question “without any of the drama of the HBO show”, said Matthew Garrahan in the Financial Times. The “ascension” of his elder son, Lachlan, was widely expected and greeted favourably by investors. Fox’s stock jumped 3% on the news; News Corp rose 1.3%. So far, so good. The patriarch’s plan, according to one former News Corp executive, is to “cement Lachlan in the job while he is still around”. But with the Murdochs, the succession drama never seems to end. As majority shareholder of the family trust that controls both companies, Rupert is still firmly “in charge”, said DealBook in The New York Times. The real battle will come when he dies and his four adult children – Prudence,…

What happened Tens of thousands of ethnic Armenians fled the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region of the Caucasus this week, after Azerbaijan declared that it had brought the enclave fully under its control. By Wednesday, a third of the region’s 120,000-strong ethnic Armenian population had left, to escape what Armenia’s PM described as “ethnic cleansing”. Many more were preparing to leave. On Monday, 68 people were killed by an explosion at a fuel depot as they queued to fill their cars. Last week, local forces in Nagorno-Karabakh – most of which has been under Armenian control since the fall of the Soviet Union, though it is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan – were routed by the Azeri military in a 24-hour operation to reclaim the mountainous territory. Fears of such an…

John Bercow is to become the latest prominent former politician to move into reality TV, following on from George Galloway, Ed Balls, Matt Hancock, Ann Widdecombe and others. The former speaker of the Commons is reportedly slated to appear in the second season of The Traitors US, alongside stars of Big Brother and RuPaul’s Drag Race. Bercow resigned as speaker in 2019; and last year a report concluded that he had “repeatedly and extensively” bullied Commons staff. Spotify has used AI to clone the voices of some of its top podcasters, so that they can appear to be presenting their podcasts in other languages. The firm said the “Voice Translation” option would make the listener experience more “authentic”.…

The Liberal Democrat leadership’s attempt to drop national house-building targets was rejected at the party’s conference this week. Lib Dem leader Ed Davey has been trying to mould the party to appeal to wavering Tory voters: this week he moved to scrap a pledge to raise income tax by a penny in the pound; he has also committed to not building on the green belt. But in a blow to his authority, delegates in Bournemouth refused to drop the 380,000 homes a year building target. Speaking before his speech, Davey ruled out any postelection deal with the Tories, but refused to comment on a possible deal with Labour.…

Paris Legal woes for Le Pen: The Paris prosecutor’s office has said that the far-right leader Marine Le Pen, and 23 other members of her party, should stand trial over the misuse of EU funds. The recommendation, which judges must now consider – arises from a seven-year investigation into allegations that, between 2004 and 2016, the then National Front (now the National Rally) paid staff working for the party with money that should only have been used to pay MEPs’ parliamentary assistants. If found guilty, Le Pen, tipped to be a frontrunner in the 2027 presidential elections, faces a potential ten-year jail sentence and a fine of €1m. Paris Arthouse audit: France’s subsidies to its movie business have long been the envy of film-makers around the globe, allowing its auteurs…

1 Some Nights by Jeff Bhasker, Nate Ruess, Andrew Dost and Jack Antonoff, performed by Fun 2 Forever Young by Martin Gold, Bernhard Lloyd and Frank Mertens, performed by Alphaville 3 Wand’rin’ Star from Paint Your Wagon (1969) by Alan J. Lerner and Frederick Loewe, performed by Lee Marvin 4 Piano Man, written and performed by Billy Joel 5 This Is the Day by Matt Johnson, performed by The The 6 To Win Just Once by Leo Moran and Davy Carton, performed by The Saw Doctors 7* Can’t Take My Eyes Off You by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio, performed by Andy Williams 8 Andante, Andante by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, performed by Abba Book: Equine Sports Medicine and Surgery by Kenneth W. Hinchcliff, Andris J. Kaneps and Raymond J. Geor Luxury: a camper van * Choice if…

At the time, there was great surprise that the Labour Party – historically steeped in hostility to gambling – should have pushed through the Gambling Act 2005. In theory, it recognised that gambling could not be prohibited and sought to regulate it. But it went much further than that, in line with New Labour’s light-touch approach to regulation: it allowed gambling to be freely advertised, rather than just tolerated. There was uproar that the Act would authorise eight new “super casinos”. In the event, eight was reduced to one, and Gordon Brown cancelled that when he became PM. Less noticed at the time was that the Act also authorised online gambling in the UK for the first time. This coincided with two other changes: the launch of the iPhone in…

Trump turns on the pro-lifers Jonathan Chait New York Magazine Donald Trump has just thrown the pro-life lobby under the bus, says Jonathan Chait. In an interview last week, he declared that he didn’t share his party’s ideological opposition to abortion, and regarded himself as more of a neutral arbiter. He denounced the law Ron DeSantis passed in Florida, which outlaws abortions after six weeks of pregnancy: “I think what he did is a terrible thing and a terrible mistake.” It was an attention-grabbing pivot on Trump’s part that reveals some important truths about the presidential race. One is that the former president is a “more supple” politician than critics think. He is “not a smart person. But he does have the advantage of not caring at all about policy.”…

A treatment for acute migraines is becoming available on the NHS in England and Wales for the first time. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has recommended a drug called rimegepant, which is made by Pfizer, noting a “high unmet need” for treatment options. It works by preventing the protein in the brain that is thought to cause the pain from binding to its targets. As well as intense throbbing pain, migraines can cause vomiting, nausea, light sensitivity and disturbed vision. Sufferers have referred to migraines as an “invisible disability” because of the way they interfere with their day-to-day lives. Rimegepant, or Vydura, will initially be available at specialist clinics to patients who have tried two triptans (a form of headache medicine) without success and to people…

Forget all the talk about cars, recycling bins and whether or not we’ll be taxed for eating meat, said Robert Colvile in The Sunday Times. The key question when it comes to Britain’s net-zero ambitions is whether we’ll be able to generate enough power. If we’re going to switch to electric cars and use heat pumps to warm our houses, that means taking “arguably the two biggest chunks of energy demand in the UK and hooking them up to the grid, at the same time”. That’s a tall order as things currently stand. The UK has been great at decarbonising its electricity supply, but poor at making long-term plans to expand capacity. An “infamous” clip from 2010 shows Nick Clegg explaining that he doesn’t support a new nuclear project because…

“By the time a man realises that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he is wrong.”Clergyman Charles Wadsworth, quoted on The Knowledge “The only known cure for presidential ambition is embalming fluid.”Attrib. Morris Udall, quoted in The Times “I always have a quotation for everything – it saves original thinking.”Dorothy L. Sayers, quoted in The Knowledge “The genius of you Americans is that you never make clear-cut stupid moves, only complicated stupid moves, which make us wonder at the possibility that there may be something to them we are missing.”Attrib. President Gamal Abdel Nasser, quoted in the Los Angeles Times “Any company that has an economist has one employee too many.”Warren Buffett, quoted on GuruFocus “Chance is a word void of sense; nothing can…

To The Daily Telegraph It is said that every man secretly dreams of the glory of the Roman empire, and that all politicians are yearning for a continent under the Pax. However, I am more ambivalent. Despite the reputation of centuries of imperial might, the Roman empire squandered its wealth and power in nearly incessant civil war and was frequently split by rival factions. More than half of the emperors were either assassinated or killed in battle during a rebellion. The Roman empire was effectively dominated by its army, and its rulers were generals and strongmen. Our thousand-year Britannic kingdom is a much more resilient system, and an exemplar that is better to emulate than the crumbling ruins of the failed Romans. Robert Frazer, Salford, Lancashire To the Financial Times…

by Jonathan Raban Picador 336pp £22 The Week bookshop £17.99 The Seattle-based (though British-born) novelist and travel writer Jonathan Raban completed this “last testament” shortly before his death, aged 80, in January, said Anthony Quinn in The Observer. It is largely a memoir of the devastating stroke he suffered 12 years ago – which left the “entire right side” of his body paralysed (though his brain, thankfully, remained unharmed). Raban alternates this “autopathography” with an account of his parents’ early marriage, which was disrupted by his father, Peter Raban, going off to fight in the Second World War. Both sections are “beautifully” written, and show that Raban’s remarkable literary abilities – best seen in works such as Coasting and Hunting Mister Heartbreak – weren’t unduly diminished by his stroke. Of…

Fernando Botero, whose paintings of “rotund, inflated yet sensuous figures” made him one of the most famous Latin American artists of the 20th century, died in Monaco last week at the age of 91, said Tim Johnson in The Washington Post. Botero’s “exuberant style” drew upon the trend for magical realism to blur the boundaries “between the real and the fantastical”, yet in a way that reflected his natural “cheekiness”: a typical canvas might see “a humongous ballet dancer en pointe at the barre”, or a bulbous likeness of Marie Antoinette “sauntering through the cobblestoned street of a Colombian town”. Botero was born to a family of modest means in Medellín, Colombia, in 1932, said The Times. Although he would spend much of his life abroad, he would mine his…

Freddie’s back from his summer of DJing, but admits to Vince that it was a disaster. Ruth confronts Stella about Pip. Fallon and Emma are incredulous as Tom and Natasha share their plans for the Tea Room; Fallon’s adamant she won’t accept the manager job. Pip and Ruth are at odds as they talk about Pip’s relationship with Stella. Downcast about his prospects, Freddie snaps up Vince’s offer to become a trainee manager at the abattoir. George encourages Emma to go for the Tea Room job. Harrison is doubtful when Fallon explains how she’ll grow her upcycling and catering business. Vince shows Freddie around the abattoir – it’ll be a challenge but Freddie’s ready for it. After talking to Jolene, Fallon decides she has to take the manager job, and…

As the darker days of autumn descend, I often find myself yearning for a bowl of healing chicken soup, says Julius Roberts. There are many versions of this much-loved classic; this one is a bit different in that it is based on these divine chicken meatballs. Zingy with lemon and rich with ricotta, they have the most delicate texture, and are as light and juicy as can be. Serves 6 For the meatballs: 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs 120g fresh breadcrumbs 150g ricotta 1 egg yolk a generous bunch of fresh tarragon (15-20g), finely chopped zest of 1 unwaxed lemon 10g flaky sea salt and a generous crack of pepper olive oil, for frying For the broth: 1 large onion, finely chopped 3 celery sticks, finely sliced 3 carrots, halved lengthways and…

Calm is a mindfulness and meditation app to help with anxiety and stress. It has a vast content library with guided meditations, sleep stories, breathing exercises and relaxation tools (£40/year; calm.com). Headspace has science-backed tools to reduce stress, build resilience and aid sleep via mindfulness, with a huge library of meditations plus resources for children and teens (£50/year; headspace.com). Chat with a trained counsellor at any time via Talkspace, which offers 24/7 online therapy, including teen and couples therapy, via live video chats, phone calls or text (from £199/month; try.talkspace.com). 7 Cups is a 24/7 free confidential digital text service connecting teens and young adults experiencing emotional distress with trained listeners (free; 7cups.com). Mindscape, developed in consultation with mental health charity Mind, provides tools and tips to help with anxiety…

The Copper Canyon by train Winding over Mexico’s Sierra Madre mountains from the Pacific coast to the city of Chihuahua, the “legendary” El Chepe railway passes through the Copper Canyon, a series of ravines and gorges that rival the Grand Canyon in their beauty and grandeur. It’s a glorious journey, says Adrian Bridge in The Daily Telegraph – and there’s now a particularly splendid train in which to make it. Launched five years ago, the Chepe Express is “a joy to the eye”, with its deep-green and royal-blue carriages, and offers “comfortable” accommodation including a glass-domed observation car in first class. Spend a day or two in Posada Barrancas, to explore the canyon on foot, by horse and via zip wire, and take the train from nearby Divisadero to El…

Edith Grossman 1936-2023 In 2003, the American scholar Edith Grossman produced what has come to be regarded by some as the definitive English translation of Cervantes’ epic novel Don Quixote. A monumental challenge, it took her two years, said The Times – and became one of the first books to feature the translator’s name alongside the author’s on its front cover. She had felt uneasy when her lawyer first suggested that she demand the credit, but that feeling soon gave way to delight. It was about time, she said, that translators were treated as more than mere “anonymous handmaidens-and-men”, working in the shadows of great writers, their translations appearing as if by some kind of “immaculate conception”, or with the waving of a “magic wand”. Translation, she argued, is an…

The shortlist for the £30,000 FT/Schroders prize has been announced. Together, the six contenders “provide a highly readable guide to the future of business”, said FT editor Roula Khalaf. Material World: A Substantial Story of Our Past and Future by Ed Conway. Explores the origins and uses of six key minerals that make up “the bedrock of our lives today”. Right Kind of Wrong: Why Learning to Fail Can Teach Us to Thrive by Amy Edmondson. Drawing on her research into “psychological safety”, the Harvard professor outlines how to “fail better”. How Big Things Get Done: The Surprising Factors Behind Every Successful Project by Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner. Explores why big projects “almost invariably run over time and over budget”. Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson. A “closely reported” account…

Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao In 2021, Linacre College, Oxford, announced it would “rebrand” itself Thao College, to mark a £155m donation from Vietnam’s richest woman. Fans of the 15th century scholar Thomas Linacre will be pleased to learn the deal is off – as the cash “failed to materialise”, said The Sunday Telegraph. Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao has a colourful history. Born in Hanoi in 1970, she began “importing fax machines, plastic and rubber” into the Soviet Union before launching VietJet Air in 2007 – making her fortune when the “bikini airline”, famed for ads depicting scantily-clad flight attendants, floated a decade later. Thao still has plenty of cash, but the politics have changed. Questions were raised about why she wanted “to take millions out of Vietnam”; the government put…

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The King and Queen, who received a warm welcome on their state visit to France. On a walkabout in Paris, Charles and Camilla were greeted by crowds of well-wishers, and shouts of “Vive le Roi!”. Libèration dedicated its front page to “Charly in Paris”. Later, the couple moved on to Bordeaux, where they toured a local winery. One struggling small-scale vintner said that French news footage of Charles sampling her organic wine had led to such a torrent of orders that it had saved her business. Budget-conscious brides, with news that Sainsbury’s is launching its own bridal collection, under its Tu label. The collection includes a sleeveless white dress that costs just £22.…

Hundreds of London’s armed police handed back their weapons permits last weekend, in protest at the decision to charge a Metropolitan Police officer with murder over the shooting of an unarmed man, Chris Kaba, last year. One ex-Met officer told the BBC that firearms specialists were concerned that the risk of being prosecuted, for decisions made in a split second, had become too great. Soldiers were put on standby to fill the gap, but by Monday, enough officers had come back to duty for the Army to be stood down.…

Union City, New Jersey Senator charged: A Democratic senator for New Jersey has been indicted on federal corruption charges. Bob Menendez and his wife are accused of accepting bribes – including gold bars, a Mercedes car and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash from New Jersey businessmen with connections to the Egyptian government – in exchange for political favours. Menendez, who escaped separate corruption charges in 2017 when a jury was unable to reach a verdict, has stepped aside from his chairmanship of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, but has refused to quit the senate. Prominent Democrats are urging him to go, fearing his presence will cost them vital votes in a forthcoming state election, undercut their efforts to paint the Republicans as the party of corruption, and…

“It would be easy to dismiss Radio 4’s In Our Time as a throwback: a 45-minute encounter between three academics called in to the BBC to speak in learned conference, overseen by Melvyn Bragg. But this simple format has proved an enduring success. The eclectic range of topics discussed, and available in its online archive – photosynthesis, the South Sea Bubble, Iris Murdoch, Kant’s categorical imperative, and neutrinos among them – is a remarkable exercise in public education. That it is one of the BBC’s most downloaded podcasts, and one of the most popular among listeners under 35, is a standing rebuke to faddish approaches to broadcasting.” The Times…

Creating chaos in the name of equality Fred de Fossard The Daily Telegraph A virus has been spreading through the public sector, creating chaos and dysfunction in its wake, says Fred de Fossard. It goes by the name of the 2010 Equality Act (EA). Introduced with the worthy aim of guarding against undue discrimination, it has morphed into a tangled web of laws obliging public bodies to advance the cause of diversity with reference to a list of “protected characteristics” that include age, race, sexual orientation and religion. We have the EA to thank for the recent row over RAF recruitment: senior officers blocking the promotion of white male fighter pilots in the name of diversity. We must also thank it for the 52-page report produced by HS2 Ltd, the…

Job stress linked to heart disease Working in a high-pressure job, and feeling undervalued for it, appears substantially to increase a man’s risk of suffering from heart disease, researchers have found. For the study, a team at the Smidt Heart Institute in Los Angeles looked at two types of work stress, identified by previous research. One was work strain, which is experienced when the job is demanding, but the worker’s control over it is low. The other relates to an effort-reward imbalance, when the person is working hard, but feels unfairly compensated, in terms of pay, promotion or job stability. Some 6,000 white-collar workers were assigned to different groups, according to whether they fell into one or both or neither of these categories, and tracked for 18 years. The results…

For years, Russell Brand “bestrode British society like a skinny-jeaned colossus”, said Bagehot in The Economist. Evolving from bit-part TV presenter to household name in the 2000s, he hosted radio shows, starred in Hollywood films, wrote books and interviewed politicians. Now, he is the subject of a police inquiry into allegations of “non-recent” sex offences; the Met says several women have come forward since a Times/Channel 4 investigation laid bare two decades of his misogynistic behaviour, with allegations ranging from rape and sexual assault to bullying (Brand denies all the claims). Countless organisations have cut their ties with him; the broadcasters who employed him are in retreat. And yet, the most serious allegations aside, little of what was in the exposé was new: most of it was about behaviour Brand…

For the better part of three decades, people in politics and the media “have obsessed over the question of who would succeed Rupert Murdoch”, said the FT. Last Thursday, “the most powerful person in news across the English-speaking world” seemed “to settle the psychodrama once and for all”. Murdoch declared that, aged 92, after 71 years in business, he was stepping back from chairing his companies, and relinquishing power to his elder son Lachlan. Murdoch is “indisputably the foremost and boldest media proprietor in history”, said Conrad Black on UnHerd. He took over his father’s “modest provincial Australian newspaper”, The Adelaide News, in 1952, and expanded first into Britain, and then into the US. He transformed several industries: the tabloid and broadsheet press; TV networks; cable news; film-making; sports broadcasting.…

When Warren Gatland returned last December for a second stint as Wales head coach (his first had been between 2008 and 2019), he found himself confronted by a team in crisis, said Alex Lowe in The Times. Widespread discontent within the squad caused by the Welsh Rugby Union’s delay in issuing new contracts was compounded by an unimpressive run of recent results – including defeats by Italy and Georgia. And Gatland’s vow to “change the narrative” initially looked hollow: in a torrid Six Nations campaign, Wales only won one match and the players came close to striking. But now, on the sport’s biggest stage, things have begun to fall into place. After impressive victories in their first two games in the World Cup against Fiji and Portugal, Gatland’s men put…

Cricket England’s ODI against Ireland was abandoned due to rain. England won the three-match series 1-0. Football Chelsea are 14th in the Premier League after their worst start to a season in 45 years. On Sunday, Mauricio Pochettino’s side lost 1-0 at home to Aston Villa. Tennis Team World defended the Laver Cup with a 13-2 victory over Team Europe. Formula 1 After a rare defeat the previous week, Max Verstappen returned to winning ways with victory in Japan. He stands on the brink of a third world title.…

Running time: 2hrs 30mins “How do you take one of the great TV series of the past 50 years and make it feel both familiar and new on stage?” That’s the challenge dramatist-of-the-moment James Graham (Dear England, Quiz, Sherwood) set himself, said Dominic Maxwell in The Times. He partially succeeds, but not fully. Boys from the Blackstuff – Alan Bleasdale’s seminal drama about a group of unemployed Liverpudlians trying to eke out a living – was first screened in 1982 as unemployment passed three million. Angry and “blackly comic”, it was received as a damning indictment of the Thatcher government. Graham’s adaptation is typically adroit – he “trims, tweaks, restructures, adds flourishes of his own” – but it feels more “like a tender, tragicomic tribute” than a play in its…

At the start of this “anguished think piece”, the naturalist and TV presenter Chris Packham offers his “desperate thoughts about the climate crisis”, said Jack Seale in The Guardian. As he speaks, his words are accompanied by the “unforgettable sight” of his face being slowly smothered in “thick, black crude oil” – an appropriate opening to a film that grapples with “profound” questions about how we should be living our lives, now that “the climate apocalypse is here”. With “fires and floods around the world”, Packham confesses that he has lost faith in the political system to prevent a catastrophe, and wonders if “radical” activism is now necessary and justified: his interviewees include Andreas Malm, the Swedish author of How to Blow Up a Pipeline. After all, he reminds us, Nelson…

Don McCullin: Journeys Across Roman Asia Minor, 2023 (Cornucopia £95). McCullin is best known for his images of war, but he has been photographing Rome’s frontiers for just as long. Here he gives us the Roman ruins of western Turkey, capturing epic battles between sunlight and shadow, cloud and sky. Every image in this magnificent volume speaks of beauty under threat. The Fall of the Ottomans by Eugene Rogan, 2015 (Penguin £12.99). Rogan, a distinguished Oxford don, got lost on his way to his great-uncle’s grave in Gallipoli. Coming upon a monument to the multitudinous Ottoman dead, he asked himself why he knew so little about them. He makes up for lost time in this thrilling, sprawling history, charting the heroism, desperation, and genocidal madness of the last pashas as…

Programmes Boiling Point A new drama series spun off from the acclaimed 2021 film about the tensions in a busy restaurant kitchen. Stephen Graham and Vinette Robinson star. Sun 1 Oct, BBC1 21:00 (60mins). Union In the first episode of four, historian David Olusoga looks at early attempts to form a united Britain, including the Plantation (colonisation) of Ulster in the 1600s. Mon 2 Oct, BBC2 21:00 (60mins). Partygate Factual drama about the goings-on in Downing Street during the pandemic, drawing on the Sue Gray report. Tue 3 Oct, C4 21:30 (85mins). Storyville: If the Streets Were on Fire Exhilarating documentary about a group of young Londoners who find, in cycling, an alternative to gang violence. Tue 3 Oct, BBC4 22:00 (70mins). Soldier New five-part series examining what it takes…

Luxury Crete villa for six Stay 7 nights in Villa Felicita and enjoy outstanding views over olive groves and down to the sea. From £607pp self-catering (excl. flights). 020-3993 0736, cvvillas.com. Arrive 14 October. Sjusjøen winter holiday Spend 7 nights at the cosy Rustad Hotel, situated high on the fjells above Lillehammer in Norway. From £1,635pp halfboard (incl. flights). 01653-617001, inntravel.co.uk. Depart 6 January. Madagascar adventure Create your own wildlife-filled jungle jaunt across the island and its hotspots on this 14-day adventure. From £2,080pp b&b (excl. flights). 0808-274 5111, intrepidtravel.com. Arrive 11 November. Nine days of exploring Touchdown in Vietnam, travel through Cambodia and hop over to Thailand’s capital, Bangkok. From £787pp b&b (excl. flights). 020-8004 8886, theadventurepeople.com. Arrive 2 November.…

London Stock Exchange Group: California dreaming The Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, has been on the US west coast bigging up London’s stock exchange as “Europe’s Nasdaq”, said Katie Prescott in The Times. He told Big Tech bosses and Silicon Valley investors such as Andreessen Horowitz about the push to turn the UK into a “science and technology superpower”. We’re not there yet, he said. But with 160 resident “unicorns” (tech startups worth $1bn-plus), the days of scoffing at the claim that “we want the next Google to be British” are gone. Hunt has proposed reforms that would enable institutional investors “to allocate more funds” to UK startups. He may go further yet, said the FT. One “radical option” being considered is “an additional Isa allowance” for investing in UK companies. “Worries…

The battle for dominance in AI Editorial The Economist More than $40bn in venture capital flowed into artificial intelligence firms in the first half of the year, says The Economist. But it seems “ChatGPT mania” has peaked. It racked up 100 million users within two months of launching late last year. Now, though, “the craze for consumer experimentation” has cooled. In its place, “a serious new industry is taking shape”. “Three forces will determine what it eventually looks like” – and whether ChatGPT creator OpenAI “stays dominant, or other players prevail”. The first is computing power; the second is availability of data; and the third is cash. AI uses “eye-watering” amounts of all three. Although OpenAI, with its vast number of users, and Google, with its deep pockets, clearly have…

The week’s best shares BAE Systems The Daily Telegraph Elevated geopolitical risk means the era of skimping on military spending is over. The defence giant’s sales are up 11% and profits by 10%. The Ball Aerospace takeover looks a “sound investment”. Buy. £10.59. GB Group The Sunday Times GB, which makes fraud prevention software, processes 210 million transactions daily for clients such as Volvo and HSBC. Interest rises have hit growth, but demand is rising. A possible takeover target. Buy. 218p. Keystone Law Investors’ Chronicle The law firm has been squeezed by the UK’s tight labour market. But the hiring blockage that restricted growth is easing, enabling it to increase the caseload and boost profits. Buy. 483p. MJ Gleeson The Daily Telegraph The housebuilder and developer targets affordable housing in…

THE WEEK CROSSWORD 1382 An Ettinger pass holder and two Connell Guides will be given to the sender of the first correct solution to the crossword and the clue of the week opened on Monday 9 October. Send it to The Week Crossword 1382, 121-141 Westbourne Terrace, London W2 6JR, or email the completed grid/listed solutions to crossword@theweek.co.uk. Tim Moorey (timmoorey.com) This week’s winner will receive an Ettinger (ettinger.co.uk) travel pass holder in assorted colours, which retails at £115, and two Connell Guides (connellguides.com). ACROSS 6 Groom about to enter enclosure (5) 7 Most hoping for pain relief (7) 9 Well-informed replacement – good and honest (10) 10 Engaged in doing what often precedes date (2,2) 11 Various water-birds (6) 12 Left single girl in a friendless way (8) 13…