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The Independent (London, England)
The Independent is a Monday to Sunday newspaper, owned and published by Independent Print Ltd and headquartered in London, England. It was first published in 1986 in reaction to the conservative views held by the London Times and the London Telegraph. It has a liberal slant. The Independent's audience is London based, with 54 percent of its readership living in London and its surroundings. Other notable qualities of its readership are: the average reader is 43 years old; 59 percent are employed; 62 percent are married; 48 percent have a college degree or higher; and 73 percent own their own homes. Regions covered include: London and South East, South West, Midlands, North and North East, North West, Scotland, and Wales. The Independent is the youngest of Britain's daily newspapers and is notable for challenging London's more established and conservative daily newspapers. The daily edition was named National Newspaper of the Year at the 2004 British Press Awards. In 2010, Simon Kelner, Editor-in-Chief of The Independent, and Johann Hari, a regular columnist in the paper, each received a Comment Award, similar to the U.S. Pultizer Prize. Oliver Wright is Whitehall editor; Oly Duff is home news editor, and Katherine Butler is comment editor.
Articles from December 5, 2006
A Brave New World Beckons as BT Finally Launches Its Long- Threatened Pay TV Assault ; OUTLOOK
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Such a wonderful song does not deserve to be used in the following, irreverent manner, I admit, but for some reason the long expected launch of BT's stab at the pay-TV market - BT Vision - brings to mind the lyrics of Sam Cooke's famous civil rights...
A Diamond in the Rough ; ROAD TEST ++ MERCEDES-BENZ GL 420 CDI ++ Mercedes' New SUV Is a Superbly Able Machine on Any Terrain, but Just a Little Profligate. and, Asks Sean O'Grady, Do We Really Need It?
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When Mercedes-Benz offered me the opportunity to drive its latest off-roader, I thought I'd do something really mentalist with it. I did, too. I took it off road. Well, not mentalist as such, because that's what the GL-Class is designed to do; more very,...
A Far from Magical 'Ring' ; Opera ++ Wales Millennium Centre CARDIFF ++ THE RING CYCLE
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Cardiff no doubt had its super-duper new theatre, as much as the network of Russian connections formed through Welsh National Opera, to thank for this single performance of the Ring cycle by the Mariinsky company (formerly the Kirov) under Valery Gergiev....
A Foolish Decision, Made in Haste ; DEFENCE ++ LEADING ARTICLE
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The Prime Minister's announcement that Britain's Trident nuclear deterrent is to be renewed was as disappointing as it was unsurprising. Whatever arguments Mr Blair marshalled yesterday to justify the spending of [pound]20bn or so on new submarines,...
AMY'S VIEW ; You Write the Reviews. ++ Richmond Theatre LONDON
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Written by David Hare and directed by Peter Hall, this production, which has now transferred to London's Garrick Theatre, is a dull show that needs sharpening and fine-tuning if it is to impress audiences. Despite the fast and furious dialogue ricocheting...
A New Owner with the Means to Match Abramovich ; the [Pound]450m Needed to Buy Liverpool Is Small Change to Dubai's Ruler Sheikh Mohammed. Nick Harris Believes the Investment Portfolio Pay-Off May Be Considerable
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What do buy when you are one of the world's richest men and you already own everything most other people can only dream of? Yesterday's confirmation that Dubai International Capital, an offshoot of the empire controlled by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid...
A United Front to Bridge the Skills Gap ; A New Partnership Promises Trade Unionists Discounted Courses. Yvonne Cook Reports
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Trade unions have long bargained for better pay and conditions for their members, but a new item is now high on their agenda - better education. This October, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) signed a memorandum of understanding with the Open University...
Battle of the Bugs ; in the US, Bird-Flu Panic Has Spawned a Whole New Market in Gadgets Dessigned to Keep Infectious Germs at Bay. Now They're Coming Here. but Can They Really Protect Us? Katy Guest Investigates
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Professor John Oxford is a fan of the Greek goddess Hygieia. As a professor of virology at Barts and the London, Queen Mary's School of Medicine, he follows her teachings on health, cleanliness and sanitation almost religiously. "You could have all the...
Beamer's Boxer Rebellion ; THE VERDICT ++ BMW F800S ++ What, No Flat-Twin Engine? Never Mind. Practical, Safe, but Never Boring, It's the Perfect Machine to Get Ex-Bikers Back on the Road, Says Tim Luckhurst
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BMW knows a niche, and there is a big one made up of born-again motorcyclists keen to get back on two wheels but anxious not to be scared. Nearly 10 million Europeans have motorcycle licences but do not own bikes. The middleweight, parallel-twin cylinder...
BERTRAND POIROT-DELPECH ; Academician of 'Le Monde'
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For more than 50 years, the critic and novelist Bertrand Poirot- Delpech was on the staff of the daily newspaper Le Monde as legal reporter, theatre critic and, most notably, literary commentator and columnist. From 1986, with his election to the Academie...
Bolton Is Forced to Quit UN Ambassador Post ; WORLD
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The White House bowed to the inevitable yesterday and announced the resignation of John Bolton, the controversial US ambassador to the United Nations whose position had been made all but impossible by the Democrats' midterm election victory. The exit...
Brown to Raise [Pound]1bn by Doubling Air Passenger Duty ; BUSINESS
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Gordon Brown will use tomorrow's pre-Budget report to double air- passenger tax in a move that will raise [pound]1bn a year and show off the Chancellor's green credentials. Although the package of measures is being finalised, Mr Brown is expected to...
BT Takes the Battle to Sky with Premiership Football Deal ; BUSINESS
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BT turned up the heat on its broadband rivals Sky and NTL yesterday, setting ambitious growth targets in the UK television market after the launch of its BT Vision service. The telecoms giant said it plans to attract up to 3 million viewers over the...
Can Phone Harm a Pacemaker? ; Casebook
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HANGING ON THE TELEPHONE My brother has been fitted with a pacemaker. He was told that he should not use a telephone on the side of the pacemaker. Unfortunately, that side is the only side that he can hear on - he is nearly deaf in his other ear. He...
Cavalier's Redemption through Discipline ; THE ASHES 2006-07
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Michael Clarke has resurrected his cricket career with a superbly constructed century. Admittedly, this Adelaide track is dead, but the hosts were under pressure when the 25-year-old took guard - besides which a substantial innings was needed to prolong...
Chavez Promises Further Revolution as He Hails Poll Victory as Defeat for 'Devil' Bush ; WORLD
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Emboldened by a landslide election victory, the Venezuelan leader, Hugo Chavez, is poised to forge ahead with his "Bolivarian revolution" - but analysts warned that the US may continue to try to undermine him. Mr Chavez secured about 61 per cent of Sunday's...
Chess ; EXTRA
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The 41st Capablanca Memorial Tournament finished in Havana last Thursday in victory for Vassily Ivanchuk, after an impressively controlled performance. The winner of the 40th edition in May 2005 with a massive 9.5/ 12, Ivanchuk wasn't quite so dominant...
CLAUDE VIRGIN ; 'Vogue' Photographer of the Fifties and Sixties with a Reputation for Creative Exuberance
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Nowhere in the Britain of the late Fifties and the Sixties would you find a mix of the talented and the original, the raffish and the beautiful as you would on the King's Road, Chelsea. Even amongst this stiff opposition, the photographer Claude Virgin...
DIY Doctors ; They're a GP's Nightmare - Patients Who've Diagnosed Themselves on the Web. A Little Knowledge Can Be a Dangerous Thing, Says Steve Curtis
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Patients used to be a compliant lot. They'd come in, list their symptoms, and listen attentively to the wise advice the doctor would give them. Nowadays, all too often, they come in, root around in their bags, produce a sheaf of print-outs from the internet...
Don't Be Fooled by This Hardline Tory ; EDITORIAL & OPINION
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So, happy birthday David Cameron. In case you hadn't noticed, Mr Cameron celebrates his first anniversary as Conservative Party leader tomorrow. It would be churlish to deny him a moment of satisfaction. Young as he is (40 last October), he outshines...
Dylan Jones ; EXTRA
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Last week, I ate Tony Blair's balls. It's not a dish I have ever eaten before, and I'm not sure I'm in a hurry to eat them again - but eat Blair's balls is what I did. And you know what? I liked it. Over the past six years or so, the journalist, keen...
Expect the Unexpected at the ICA ; Music ++ LONDON MUSICIANS' COLLECTIVE 15TH ANNUAL FESTIVAL ++ ICA LONDON
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This is the second year that Benedict Drew, producer for the London Musicians' Collective (LMC) - an educational music charity that promotes experimental music - is programming the annual festival, now in its 15th year. How difficult is it for experimental...
Fight Back against the Barmy Army ; EDITORIAL & OPINION
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Do you remember streakers? These were men and women who would strip their clothes off and run naked across the pitch during a big sporting event. During the 1970s it seemed as though no international fixture was complete unless it had been interrupted...
From Paris to Beijing without Any Borat ; FEATURE ++ MERCEDES-BENZ ENDURANCE DRIVE ++ More Than 30 Mercedes- Benz Saloons - Accompanied by Their Own Diesel Tankers - Have Made the Arduous 8,500-Mile Journey from France to China. John Simister Joined the Team in Russia and Kazakhstan
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From Paris to Beijing, by car. Via Kazakhstan, notional land of Borat. I had to say that last bit because everyone makes the connection, a bitter-sweet route to fame for this vast land of minerals, steppes, wheat and jettisoned Soviet-era baggage. So,...
From Time to Time the Attention of the World Falls upon Gaza ; A Critical Quest: To Offer Hope Where There Is Only Despair
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From time to time the attention of the world falls upon Gaza. But once the violent drama of Israeli incursions or Palestinian rocket attacks is over, the media spotlight moves on. Yet for the children and old people of the region - the innocents who...
Grid Surrender Likely over Pricing Review ; OUTLOOK
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Regulatory reviews almost always follow the same pattern. In the lead up to the review, there are a series of dire warnings from the utility as to the consequences if the regulator doesn't agree to the gold-plated investment plans proposed and the usually...
Henry 'Upset by Wenger' to Leave Future in Doubt ; FOOTBALL
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They put up a united front yesterday but as details of the dispute between Arsene Wenger and Thierry Henry emerged, it is evident that in private, the Arsenal captain is still upset at the way he has been treated by his manager. Henry himself decided...
Hester Coup Rescues Bears' Tame Attack ; AMERICAN FOOTBALL
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The Chicago Bears became the first team this season to confirm their place in next month's play-offs, but the manner of their 23- 13 win over the Minnesota Vikings continues to raise questions about their credentials as Super Bowl contenders. The Bears...
HOLLYWOOD'S BIGGEST TABOO ; When Two of America's Brightest Young Actors Decided to Come out of the Closet, There Were Hopes the Industry Was Learning to Practise What It Preached. but Homosexuality Is Still the Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name, Reports Andrew Gumbel ++ Gay Rights and Wrongs
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Sometimes, Hollywood's secrets spill out in the most surprising ways. Back in October, two of the stars on Grey's Anatomy, the hottest hospital drama show on American television, had a raging fight on the set. Isaiah Washington was ready to go with a...
Hospital Closures Will Save Lives, Government Says ; HOME
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Closing hospitals saves lives, the Government will claim today. Campaigns to keep local accident and emergency departments and small specialist units open may cost more than 1,000 unnecessary deaths a year, according to a report. The Government's chief...
How Birds Adapt Song to Cope with Urban Jungle ; HOME
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Sing high, sing fast. This is what songbirds have to do to survive in the din of city life, a study has found. Songbirds living in forests sing more slowly and in lower frequencies than their cousins who have opted for an urban lifestyle, according to...
If Only Estelle Morris Had Learned French ; EDITORIAL & OPINION
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It's now been two years since the Government, at the instigation of the then Education Secretary, Estelle Morris, dropped any compulsion for students to study any foreign language after the age of 14. The effects of this anti-initiative are now being...
Infantryman with a Secret Weapon Rises from Trenches to Stars ; THE ASHES 2006-07
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Matthew Hoggard would be a hero in any age of sport because he has the kind of bloody-minded character that takes him to the core of his business, bowling seamers hard and long in any conditions you care to put in front of him. In the celebrity age,...
Injury Concerns over Captain Overshadow Hoggard Heroics ; THE ASHES 2006-07
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ENGLAND 551-6 DEC & 59-1AUSTRALIA 513A tired but contented Matthew Hoggard led England off at the Adelaide Oval after taking the third sevenwicket haul of his Test career. His corner of the visitors' changing room, when Australia were finally bowled...
Jokes ; Top Ten
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1 We thought we'd start with a classic, at the expense of poor old Skoda, who virtually gave birth to the car joke. Here we go. How do you double the value of a Skoda? Fill the tank. 2 Here we go again. What's the difference between getting out of a...
'Kelsey Grammer Told Us How Much He Loves Our Television Show ' ; the 5-Minute Interview ++ Kim& Aggie ++ Television Presenters and Cleaning Experts
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The 'Queens of Clean', Kim Woodburn, 64, and Aggie MacKenzie, 51, who present 'How Clean Is Your House' on Channel 4, are preparing for the launch next year of their eco-friendly cleaning product range, Squeeki Clean. If I weren't talking to you right...
Legal & General Rises on Takeover Speculation ; MARKET REPORT
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Bid fever seems to be showing no sign of taking a winter break and yesterday's rumours surrounded talk of an offer for Legal& General. Traders said the most likely source of a bid was its UK rival Prudential. Although the volume on L&G was unspectacular,...
Let Priests Marry, Urges Cardinal ; EUROPE
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A senior cardinal in the Catholic Church has raised the possibility that priests may be allowed to get married. Claudio Hummes, 72, Archbishop of Sao Paulo in Brazil and a strong candidate for pope in the event of a vacancy, gave his views to a Brazilian...
Light, but Not Slight ; FEATURE ++ PIAGGIO X8 ++ This Super-Scooter Is the Sane Choice for Those Wanting Fun and Practicality at Low Cost, Says Tim Luckhurst
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Blame my fondness for C S Forester's Horn-blower novels, but when I hear the term "flagship", my mind is filled with images of oak three-deckers bearing stout, gout-ridden admirals. So, invited to ride Piaggio's flagship super-scooter, the X8 400ie,...
LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS ; Theatre ++ Menier Chocolate Factory LONDON
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This show is, basically, all about the plant. Being as it is a staple of the amateur dramatic circuit, the comic appeal of Little Shop of Horrors has always revolved around watching a fat bloke trying to sing, while dressed (unconvincingly) as a speaking...
Litvinenko Affair Will Damage Our Relationship with UK, Warns Russia ; EUROPE
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Russia's Foreign Minister warned against a "politici-sation" of the Litvinenko affair as British police arrived in Moscow to pursue their investigation into the poisoning of the former Russian intelligence officer in London. Sergei Lavrov launched a...
Log on to I-Mate as Founder Gears Up for Assault on US Market ; THE INVESTMENT COLUMN
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Our view: Buy Share price: 167p (+4.5p) Despite having achieved a near-fortyfold increase in profits over the past four years, Jim Morrison, the founder and chief executive of i-mate, believes the company's most exciting times lie ahead. The Dubai-based...
Magnusson Puts Case amid Foreign Investment Boom ; International Businessmen Are Increasingly Recognising the Premiership's Financial Potential. West Ham's New Icelandic Chairman Tells Jason Burt His Plans for His Latest Venture
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Eggert Magnusson yesterday started his first official day as the man running West Ham United. It should be some ride. Before the home game against Sheffield United two Saturdays ago, the Icelander was in the club store at Upton Park playfully asking...
MARISKA VERES ; Singer with Shocking Blue
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With its acoustic guitar intro, piano riff and haunting vocals by Veres-most memorably on the chorus, "I'm your Venus, I'm your fire, at your desire" - the single "Venus", by the Dutch group Shocking Blue, made the Top Ten across Europe in 1970, including...
Maybe They Are Just Conveniently Forgetting ; A Critical Quest: To Offer Hope Where There Is Only Despair
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Maybe they are just conveniently forgetting other periods in Gaza's turbulent and blood-stained history, but most Gazans will tell you that 2006 is the worst year they can remember. In Gaza City's deserted gold souk, people are not even coming to sell...
Mellon and New York Bank Create Giant with $16Bn Deal ; BUSINESS
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Bank of New York unveiled plans to buy its rival Mellon Financial for some $16.5bn ([pound]8.3bn) yesterday, creating a global banking powerhouse with combined assets of $16.6 trillion. The new company, to be called Bank of New York Mellon Corporation,...
Mourinho Takes Patriotic Stand against Rivals ; FOOTBALL
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Jose Mourinho may have already qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions' League but the Chelsea manager could not resist a dig at Cristiano Ronaldo before Manchester United face Benfica tomorrow night.A proud Portuguese patriot, Mourinho said...
National Grid to Accept [Pound]5bn Investment Plan from Regulator ; BUSINESS
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National Grid is poised to accept new price controls unveiled yesterday by the energy regulator which will permit [pound]5bn of investment in Britain's gas and electricity transmission networks over the next five years. The company, which runs the transmission...
NATO Troops Kill Up to 80 Militants in Helmand ; WORLD
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Up to 80 Taliban fighters are reported to have been killed by Nato troops in a battle near a Helmand town where a peace agreement was signed recently with tribal chiefs, paving the way for British troops to withdraw from the area. The deal at Musa Qala,...
Online Ad Revenues Set to Soar, Says Zenith ; BUSINESS
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The internet will take more than one-fifth of all UK advertising revenues by 2009, according to a leading media forecaster. ZenithOptimedia predicted that advertisers' spending on the internet will jump from [pound]1.6bn in 2006 - level with national...
Our Duty to Help the Real Victims of Conflict ; CHARITY APPEAL ++ LEADING ARTICLE
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In a few days' time we will tell you the story of Jahad, a 14- year-old Palestinian boy who was lying in bed when he felt weird vibrations deep inside his gut. Yet he did not feel sick. Perhaps it was an earthquake, he thought. He was not to know, but...
Our Own Shining Star ; CLASSIC CARS ++ FORD ZODIAC MK II ++ Tons of Chrome, Fins, Bench Seats; It Must Have Been Made in Detroit. Actually, It Was Dagenham, Says Sean O'Grady
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In his masterful, definitive account of the history of the Ford Motor Company in Britain, Martin Rawbone describes the Ford Zodiac Mark II thus: "The Mk II looked good from any angle. Rarely has a car been possessed of such balanced proportions." He...
Pfizer Takes Its Medicine after Cholesterol Disaster ; BUSINESS ANALYSIS
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On Thursday, it was "The Most Important New Development in Years". Two days later, it was history. Investors had been just starting to get their tongues around the name of Pfizer's promising new heart disease medicine, Torcetrapib, which formed the centrepiece...
Playing the Blame Game in Moscow ; EDITORIAL & OPINION
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Dmitry Peskov is one of a refreshing new breed of Kremlin spokesmen. The deputy spokesman for President Putin is not ashamed of speaking fluent English, and gives an apparently straight answer to a straight question. The most troubling thing in his office...
PM's Approach Is MAD - It's Called Atomic Logic ; THE SKETCH
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Lesser politicians say one thing and mean another. Our Prime Minister says one thing and its opposite and believes them both at the same time. As we're on the subject of atomic weapons we might consider applying Heisenberg's famous Uncertainty Principle...
Pop-Up Goes the Supermodel ; Picture Post
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Well, well. If it isn't Kate Moss Hoovering up a line of white powder from a CD case on her lap, somewhere in the depths of a west London recording studio. Pull a lever, and... Whoosh! Her eyes roll back, a portion of the powder disappears, and you are...
Premier Takeover of RHM Creates UK's Top Food Maker ; BUSINESS
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Britain's biggest food producer, spanning a vast range of iconic brands from Bisto and Mr Kipling cakes to Golden Shred marmalade and Smash instant potato, is to be created through the [pound]2bn takeover of RHM by Premier Foods. The chief executive...
Race-Hate Charges Rise by 28 per Cent ; HOME
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The number of suspects charged with race-hate crime soared by more than a quarter in the past year, figures show. A total of 7,430 people has been charged with racially aggravated offences, up 28 per cent on 2004-05. Prosecutions for religiously aggravated...
Recurrence of Flintoff's Injury Adds to Problems for England ; CRICKET
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On the hottest, sunniest day of the Ashes series so far, a dark cloud loomed over England. With the second Test at stake, their captain and talisman, Andrew Flintoff, appeared to suffer a recurrence of his old ankle injury.He bowled only four overs on...
Relatives Charged for Iraq Inquest Documents ; HOME
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Families of servicemen and women who have died during the Iraq war have had to pay for documents used at the inquests into their deaths, the Government revealed yesterday. One relative paid [pound]600 for access to papers the Army and coroner already...
Replacement Is the 'Cheapest Option' but Will Cost Up to [Pound]65bn ; HOME / THE DEFENCE WHITE PAPER
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The Defence White Paper says upgrading the Trident submarine fleet at a cost of [pound]15bn to [pound]20bn is "cheaper" than other options for maintaining Britain's nuclear weapon system. However, senior defence sources at the MoD confirmed that the...
Retailers Face Nervous Christmas as Shoppers Dip and Sales Struggle ; BUSINESS
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Shoppers deserted the high street last month while the volume of cash spent was virtually stagnant, according to two reports that will fuel fears among retailers of a feeble Christmas. The number of visitors to the UK's main shopping zones fell by 7.3...
REVELATIONS ; Dance ++ Queen Elizabeth Hall LONDON
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Watching Revelations, by the physical theatre company Stan Won't Dance, you can see the kind of show it wants to be: how dark, how sexy, how dangerous. It doesn't come close. This is 95 minutes of dancers trying very hard to be cool. The company, founded...
RICKY GERVAIS: FAME ; Comedy ++ Apollo Theatre LONDON
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It may be indicative of the ever-growing cult of personality of Ricky Gervais that, two years ago, the warm-up gig before his national tour was held in The Soho Theatre's 160-seater auditorium, but this time around he has filled the 550-seater Bloomsbury...
Romance Leads a Love Affair with Bloodstock ; RACING
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The bloodstock and racing business can be a metaphor for life; the haves and have-nots, equine and human, in terms of talent, wealth, nous, luck. At Wolverhampton yesterday the lower orders were scrabbling round for prizes of less than [pound]2,000;...
ROSE MATTUS ; Co-Founder of Hagen-Dazs
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In 1959 Rose Mattus and her husband, Reuben, created the first nationally available American luxury ice-cream brand. It was high in butterfat (some sources say as high as 17 per cent) from using real cream, had plenty of egg yolks and other natural ingredients...
Same Old Song, but It Strikes a Chord ; Last Night's TV ++ THE CHOIR BBC2 ++ DISAPPEARING BRITAIN FIVE ++ CORONATION STREET ITV1
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Hard on the heels of Young@heart, the documentary about a superannuated choir in New England, comes The Choir, a three-part series set at the other end of the register: a bunch of comprehensive schoolchildren who need to be licked into shape in time...
Saved by a Rave Drug ; When Kate Weston's Brain Was Attacked by a Deadly Virus, Her Family Were Told to Expect the Worst. but Then Doctors Tried a Radical Treatment. by Natasha Courtenay-Smith
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When, last August, Kate Weston started experiencing headaches and dizzy spells, she thought she was suffering from exhaustion. At the time, she had two jobs - as a nursery assistant and as a nanny - and assumed running around after children all day was...
Seduction in Soho ; Patrick Marber's New Play Moves the Story of Don Juan to Modern-Day London. Paul Taylor Accompanies Him on a Tour That Would Have Inspired the Legendary Lothario
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Off to Soho to meet the dramatist, screenwriter, director, actor, former comedian and ex-gambler turned family man Patrick Marber. Several women friends of mine turn a vague shade of green when I mention this assignation. One of them even outlines exactly...
Spies and Seduction as the Shadow of Fascism Spreads over Europe ; the Tuesday Book
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THE FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT By Alan Furst WEIDENFELD & NICOLSON, [pound]12.99. Generally speaking, authors hate categorisation and like to think they write novels that don't lend themselves to easy labels. Conversely, bookshops like it: after all, booksellers...
Takeover Will Help Liverpool Match Up to Big Spenders ; FOOTBALL
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Liverpool's potential new owners made it clear last night that their proposed [pound]450m takeover will be just a starting point for "significant" investment in the club, including substantial long- term transfer funds to allow the club to compete with...
'The Biggest Threat to Life in Egypt Isn't Bombs, Pirates or Bird Flu - It's Cairo's Drivers. Absolutely Crazy' ; Tales of the City
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It's 1.20pm at Heathrow Terminal 4 and the scene at the departure gates is tense. Those of us flying British Airways to Egypt have heard that traces of polonium-210, the radioactive poison that did for Alexander Litvinenko, were found on BA planes. We're...
The City's a Stage in This Musical with a Message ; A New Opera Project Aims to Make the Square Mile Environmentally Aware. Jonathan Brown Trod the Concrete Boards
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The suited figure in the back of the Range Rover Sport vehicle speaks animatedly into his mobile phone as his chauffeur threads his way through the grinding traffic. It is an everyday scene in the City of London. But today an insistent voice urges me...
The Government Must Make Part-Time Students a Priority in Its Funding Review ; OPEN VIEW
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In an increasingly sophisticated technological society the UK urgently needs to upgrade the skills profile of a very large proportion of its citizens; it has already shed most of its manufacturing jobs to low-cost economies and delivers more in the way...
THE GREAT CELEBRITY QUIZ ; Reckon You Know More about Britain Than Andrew Marr, and Can Outsmart Fay Weldon on Novels and Novelists? Now's Your Chance to Prove It - and Win a [Pound]500 Hamper to Make Christmas Better Than Ever. So, First Question: What Are You Waiting For?
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Literary life Fay Weldon 1 Who was the father of Rebecca West's child? 2 Who was Edward Burne-Jones's nephew by marriage? 3 Whose nephew was one of the writers of "Yes, We Have No Bananas"? 4 Which novelist assisted the architect of the chapel at the...
The Sun's in My Heart and I'm Ready for Love, Mrs Semple ; EDITORIAL & OPINION
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Today, I am bringing you an agony column with a difference, probably the first in the world where all your intimate problems are answered, not by an agony aunt, but by a weatherman. Yes, today the well-known meteorologist, Hubert Sandys, brings his own...
The Ten Best Corkscrews ; EXTRA
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1 Suck UK Pocket [pound]15 When wine simply can't wait, having this on your keychain ensures you won't have to resort to pushing in corks or sneaking into restaurants. www.suck.uk.com; 020-7923 0011 2 True Utility Corkscrew [pound]10.49 A simple,...
THEY'RE BACK FOR MORE JOLLY JAPES ; the Return of the Famous Five ++ Their Names Have Been Changed - and That's Not the End of It. Disney Is Planning to Give Enid Blyton's Adventurous Quintet a 21st-Century Makeover in a New Television Cartoon Series. Cahal Milmo Reports
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Julian pulled his hoodie over his baseball cap so his face would be hidden from the CCTV cameras and adjusted the straps on his new Nike Air Pro trainers. While Timmy, the pedigree pitbull, strained on his leash, Julian said to Anne, Dick and George:...
They Think It's All Voice-Overs ; Motoring
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WHEN I put my old newspapers out for recycling on a Sunday night I always make sure I wear a spangly cloak, lime-green plastic hot pants and a revolving red light on my head so passers-by will definitely notice me. There's a valid reason for this attention-...
This Year, Give the Gift of Learning ; Vouchers for Taster Courses Could Offer Loved Ones the Boost They Need
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Still searching for that perfect Christmas present? If you've done the designer underwear and the hot-air balloon flight, how about a treat for the mind? The Open University has just launched a range of gift vouchers which can be redeemed against any...
Time to Hatch a Cunning Plan ; CAR CHOICE ++ A Motorhome Is a Tough Act to Follow, but These Roomy and Frugal Diesel Hatchbacks Fit the Bill. by James Ruppert
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Don Rogerson is selling his Mercedes Sprinter motorhome, and he wants to replace it with something much smaller and diesel-powered. His only other means of transport is a 200cc Gilera scooter. As winter begins to bite, he needs to be tucked up inside...
Today in the Premiership ; FOOTBALL
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ARSENAL Gilberto Silva says he is not worried about taking penalties. "I enjoy taking them," the 29-year-old midfielder said. But the Brazilian is happy for others to help: "With the second [penalty against Tottenham on Saturday] I asked other players...
Trident - a Word That Terrifies This Timid Government and Its Subservient Ministers ; EDITORIAL & OPINION
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No other single word has the power to terrify this timid government more than "Trident". For an administration defined by what happened in the 1980s Labour's support for unilateral nuclear disarmament is an especially nightmarish memory. Whisper "Trident"...
Trident Ensures Britain Is Not Reliant on US Protection, Says PM ; THE DEFENCE WHITE PAPER
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Tony Blair has argued that Britain needs to buy a new generation of nuclear weapons because it might not be able to rely on the United States to protect it if it were attacked. The Prime Minister, who flies to Washington tomorrow to discuss an exit strategy...
Turner Prize Judges Opt for Painter over Conceptual Artists ; HOME
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The result may not placate those who condemn the Turner Prize as an insult to Joseph Mallord William's memory but this year's winner is at least a painter. From the choice of an installation artist, a video artist and a sculptor, the judges of Britain's...
Utley Nets Millions from Sale of Equity to Australian Insurer ; BUSINESS
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The insurance entrepreneur Neil Utley and the private equity group Duke Street Capital cashed in a multi-million pound profit yesterday, as they sold on the UK's fifth-largest motor insurer, Equity Insurance Group, just 18 months after taking it private....
VW Gets Sexy ; FEATURE ++ VOLKSWAGEN IROC ++ Half Trainer, Half Spacecraft, the Iroc Is a Preview of the New Scirocco, Due in 2008. Jason Barlow Applauds
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Uh-oh. Not the "e" word. A year ago a senior Mercedes designer tried to convince me that the new S-class was all about "emotion", that its incongruous wheelarch blisters were "emotional". Utter nonsense, of course, especially in the context of a car...
Want to Avoid Road Pricing? Just Drive Less ; Motoring
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I'VE HEARD quite enough about road pricing, thank you very much. And what I have heard I have not liked. I also happen to think I've got a couple of ideas that Rod Eddington didn't give due weight to in his report last week. Allow me to expound on them...
Was This the First Casualty of Lebanon's New Civil War? ; WORLD
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A poster of Ahmed Ali Mahoud looked down on the wailing crowd who had gathered to mourn his death. Written underneath the photo of Ahmed, 21, were the words "a martyr for national unity". But many of the people who gathered outside the Husseiniyah, the...
Watford Weather the Storm to Leave Pearce Frustrated ; FOOTBALL
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MANCHESTER CITY 0WATFORD 0After their excellent away victory against Aston Villa last week, Manchester City were back to their frustrating worst last night. Watford's goalkeeper, Richard Lee, led a superb defensive effort, and Stuart Pearce had praise...
What Is the Green Belt, and Do We Really Need to Preserve It? ; the Big Question
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Why is this important now? In 2003, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown commissioned a senior economist, Kate Barker, to take a long, hard look at the supply of housing. Her report, published in 2004, warned that while demand was rising all the time, there was...
Why Cycle Paths Are a Danger - to the Cyclist ; the Cycling Column
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ALTHOUGH BRITAIN'S cycling infrastructure has undoubtedly improved significantly over the past few years, a good proportion of the new cycle paths and routes around our cities seems to have been terribly ill-conceived. Any regular cyclist in London (and...
World Markets ; Business
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London The FTSE 100 ended up 0.5 per cent at 6,050.4, buoyed by cross- sector bid speculation and mining stocks. Miners were lifted by steady base metal prices and the dollar's rebound from a 20-month low against the euro. Xstrata added 2.5 per cent;...
