http://www.independent.co.uk/?service=Rss http://www.independent.co.uk/extras/indybest/food-drink/the-50-best-food-shops-1823609.html http://www.independent.co.uk/extras/indybest/food-drink/the-50-best-food-shops-1823609.html ]]> Food & Drink Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:45 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/top-10-paid-iphone-apps-1823629.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/top-10-paid-iphone-apps-1823629.html ]]> <p> We run through the top applications downloaded for Apple's iPhone over the last week. </p> Features Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:41 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/features/perfect-products-the-best-in-modern-industrial-design-1823688.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/features/perfect-products-the-best-in-modern-industrial-design-1823688.html ]]> <p> The Serpentine Gallery first opened its doors to the public in 1970. </p> Features Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:37 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/gaming/the-10-bestselling-games-1823623.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/gaming/the-10-bestselling-games-1823623.html ]]> Gaming Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:25 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/comedy/features/will-the-real-michael-mcintyre-please-stand-up-1823680.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/comedy/features/will-the-real-michael-mcintyre-please-stand-up-1823680.html ]]> <p>Michael McIntyre never stops beaming, never stops punctuating his commentary with hearty laughter, not even when he is recounting how, not so very long ago, he broke down in public and sobbed at the failure of his career to take off.</p> Features Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:17 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/tories-accuse-brown-of-selling-out-the-city-in-deal-with-france-1824924.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/tories-accuse-brown-of-selling-out-the-city-in-deal-with-france-1824924.html ]]> <p>Gordon Brown was accused yesterday of failing to protect the British national interest by handing the French a powerful European post which could allow them to shackle the City of London.</p> UK Politics Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/the-oprah-winfrey-channel-1824955.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/the-oprah-winfrey-channel-1824955.html ]]> <p>"Big day ...tune in my tweet friends." So read the short message on Twitter from a certain Oprah Winfrey yesterday morning. As if they, and everybody else, weren't tuned already. Word had been leaked late Thursday that this was going to be the fateful date on which America's Great Aunt of Talk would finally hand in her notice.</p> Features Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/a-warm-welcome-from-the-pope-sows-anglican-unease-1824948.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/a-warm-welcome-from-the-pope-sows-anglican-unease-1824948.html ]]> <p>Pope Benedict XVI will today greet Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury and leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion, for the first time since the Vatican announced the creation of a canonical structure to receive groups of Anglican converts en masse.</p> Europe Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/fake-that-the-uncanny-world-of-americas-biggest-celebritylookalike-convention-1823681.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/fake-that-the-uncanny-world-of-americas-biggest-celebritylookalike-convention-1823681.html ]]> <p> Holy mackerel! Look over there! Isn't that Richard Gere, with his dreamy silver hair and professorial wire spectacles, taking a leak in the Gents? And OhMiGaaaad, am I seeing things or is that Sarah Palin holding a conversation with (pinch me, somebody) Arnie Schwarzenegger in a serious gun shop? </p> Americas Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/dylan-jones/dylan-jones-young-is-better-than-old-pretty-is-better-than-ugly-movies-are-better-than-music-and-anything-is-better-than-politics-1823675.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/dylan-jones/dylan-jones-young-is-better-than-old-pretty-is-better-than-ugly-movies-are-better-than-music-and-anything-is-better-than-politics-1823675.html <p> If there is one book that sums up the maelstrom of superficiality, white-hot ambition and old-world/new-wave glamour of Andy Warhol's New York years it is former Interview editor Bob Colacello's awesome Holy Terror: </p> Dylan Jones Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/first-person-a-hitandrun-led-me-to-the-priesthood-1823679.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/first-person-a-hitandrun-led-me-to-the-priesthood-1823679.html ]]> <p>I was in my mid-twenties and had started working in a chocolate factory. That was how I came to be on the road at 6.30am on a dark winter's morning. A car came out of nowhere, smashed into the back of my car and sent me flying into a ditch. I can remember vividly feeling that I had to get out of the car quickly. I don't know where I got the strength from, but I managed to get to the road and walk to a phone box to call for help. </p> Profiles Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/extras/puzzles-and-games/quizzes/the-saturday-quiz-1823678.html http://www.independent.co.uk/extras/puzzles-and-games/quizzes/the-saturday-quiz-1823678.html <p>1. 'Eureka' is the motto of which US state?</p> Quizzes Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/minor-british-institutions-fishermans-friends-1823677.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/minor-british-institutions-fishermans-friends-1823677.html ]]> <p> Almost a century and a half ago, a Fleetwood pharmacist named James Lofthouse developed a menthol and eucalyptus liquid for fishermen to take with them on their excursions into the cruelly cold waters of the North Atlantic. </p> This Britain Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/my-secret-life-helena-christensen-supermodel-40-1823676.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/my-secret-life-helena-christensen-supermodel-40-1823676.html ]]> <p> <b>My parents were</b> <b>...</b> a dream to have. </p> Profiles Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/recipes/mussel-broth-with-potatoes-and-saffron-1823690.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/recipes/mussel-broth-with-potatoes-and-saffron-1823690.html ]]> <p>Mussels make a great-flavoured base for a soup, and can be prepared the day before if necessary. You can serve it like a broth with all of the mussels out of the shell, or leave a few in. Don't be tempted to buy cheap saffron, especially that stuff they try to flog you at markets abroad. Good-quality saffron is expensive, but you just need a small pinch and it's well worth paying the extra.</p> Recipes Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/motoring/road-tests/skoda-yeti-elegance-1823689.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/motoring/road-tests/skoda-yeti-elegance-1823689.html ]]> <p> The new Skoda Yeti. It's not remotely abominable and it's certainly not made of snow. Nor does it have a big footprint – whether you're talking about the carbon variety or the amount of space it takes up on the road. </p> Road Tests Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/anthony-rose-chainstore-massacre-1823687.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/anthony-rose-chainstore-massacre-1823687.html <p> The news that the high-street wine merchant Thresher has gone into liquidation, with 373 stores and 1,738 jobs to be axed, brings mixed feelings. </p> Features Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/wine-something-for-the-weekend-1823686.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/wine-something-for-the-weekend-1823686.html ]]> <p> <b>2009 Tesco Finest Ken Forrester Chenin Blanc </b> </p> <p> A lively fresh spritz to this food-friendly Cape chenin complements the grape's crisp apple and pear freshness, slicing like a sushi knife through the honeyed fruit concentration. </p> <p> <i>£4.99, until 1 December, down from £6.99, Tesco</i> </p> Features Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/reviews/allium-1-london-road-market-place-fairford-gloucestershire-1823685.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/reviews/allium-1-london-road-market-place-fairford-gloucestershire-1823685.html ]]> <p>Allium is the umbrella name for a genus of plants and vegetables that include onions, shallots, leeks, scallions and garlic. It's an excellent name for a restaurant, suggesting pungency, variety and honest-to-God, vegetable-garden produce. It's a one-word harvest festival. And the restaurant – which appears in the current Good Food Guide 2009, voted Readers' Restaurant of the Year for south-west England – has a growing reputation for cosy-Cotswoldy comfort and gutsy flavours. It seems just the place when you're driving through Gloucestershire on a rainy Sunday.</p> Reviews Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/extras/puzzles-and-games/quizzes/the-saturday-quiz-answers-1823684.html http://www.independent.co.uk/extras/puzzles-and-games/quizzes/the-saturday-quiz-answers-1823684.html <p>1. California.</p> Quizzes Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/mussel-bound-the-perfect-easy-supper-1823683.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/mussel-bound-the-perfect-easy-supper-1823683.html ]]> <p>Mussels are such a simple meal to prepare at home and there are so many things you can do with them apart from the classic moules marinière, which is itself a great starting point for other similar-style dishes using local spices and seasonings from around the world. </p> Features Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/features/future-shock-alexander-mcqueens-second-line-mcq-combines-high-drama-with-street-style-1823682.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/features/future-shock-alexander-mcqueens-second-line-mcq-combines-high-drama-with-street-style-1823682.html <p>If there is one name in fashion that can at once summon both the glory of the avant garde and the cachet of commercial success, then it is Alexander McQueen. Known as a modern visionary, he is one of few current designers able to straddle the boundaries of high conceptualism and highly sought-after style.</p> Features Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/pets/features/your-questions-my-cat-wont-go-outside-and-i-dont-know-why-1823698.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/pets/features/your-questions-my-cat-wont-go-outside-and-i-dont-know-why-1823698.html <p> <b>I recently moved house with my cat, Felix, and our new place has a garden. He won't go outside and I don't know why. How can I persuade him to get out and about? </b></p> <p> <b>Graham, via email </b></p> Features Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/pets/features/pet-of-the-week-the-rescue-dog-1823697.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/pets/features/pet-of-the-week-the-rescue-dog-1823697.html ]]> <p> <b>Who's this lovely lady?</b> </p> <p> This is Claudia, a seven-year-old Collie who is currently enjoying a temporary sojourn at the Dogs Trust's centre in Kenilworth, but where she'd really like to be is in a safe and loving home. </p> Features Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/house-and-home/gardening/weekend-work-there-is-still-pruning-to-be-done-1823696.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/house-and-home/gardening/weekend-work-there-is-still-pruning-to-be-done-1823696.html <p> <b>What to do</b> </p> <p> There is still pruning to be done. Young fruiting cherries need their leading branches shortened by half for the first four years. As they mature, take out only wood that has died or whole branches that are rubbing or crossing. </p> Gardening Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/house-and-home/gardening/top-of-the-world-the-horticultural-high-life-1823695.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/house-and-home/gardening/top-of-the-world-the-horticultural-high-life-1823695.html <p> Would the supply of green paint last out? That was the big question when we were in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh recently, just a week before the Dalai Lama's visit. </p> Gardening Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/cyclotherapy-unleashing-thousands-of-bikes-on-terror-vortexes-like-the-elephant-and-castle-could-be-well-messy-1823694.html http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/cyclotherapy-unleashing-thousands-of-bikes-on-terror-vortexes-like-the-elephant-and-castle-could-be-well-messy-1823694.html <p>I'm the cycle snob who looks down his nose at hapless riders and their rubbish bikes. But during a recent trip to Montreal I was the one eliciting scornful glances from local pedal pushers. Not because my bike was rubbish – it wasn't bad – but because, with my spidery limbs and hunched form, I looked like I'd ridden out of a Quentin Blake illustration.</p> Green Living Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/recipes/thai-mussels-1823693.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/recipes/thai-mussels-1823693.html ]]> <p>Thai spices and herbs go really well with mussels and this recipe makes a really refreshing and light starter either served individually or served in a large bowl in the middle of the table for people to help themselves to. Thai herbs and spices are fairly easy to get hold of these days and some supermarkets even sell packets of galangal, lemon grass and lime leaves all ready to go. </p> Recipes Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/recipes/mussel-and-bacon-salad-1823692.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/recipes/mussel-and-bacon-salad-1823692.html ]]> <p>This is simple salad to knock up; and the bigger the mussels the better. You can use a single crisp-leaf salad such as cos hearts or little gems. Or add some tasty small leaves and herbs too.</p> Recipes Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/recipes/spaghetti-with-mussels-chilli-and-garlic-1823691.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/recipes/spaghetti-with-mussels-chilli-and-garlic-1823691.html ]]> <p>This is rather like a spaghetti alla vongole but made with mussels. However, it's a cheaper option as clams have thick, heavy shells and by the time you have steamed and removed them from the shells, they can work out pretty expensive. </p> Recipes Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/kakuta-rises-from-the-ruckus-1824827.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/kakuta-rises-from-the-ruckus-1824827.html ]]> <p>Carlo Ancelotti, the Chelsea manager, claims Gaël Kakuta, the youngster at the centre of the club's transfer scandal, is the best 18-year-old he has seen and that bringing the French playmaker to Stamford Bridge was worth all the fuss. </p> Premier League Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european/mourinho-heat-is-on-barccedila-1824826.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european/mourinho-heat-is-on-barccedila-1824826.html ]]> <p>Swine flu and Jose Mourinho all in the same week – it could be a very difficult few days for Barcelona's European champions. </p> European Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/grand-old-men-prove-yorke-is-off-target-1824825.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/grand-old-men-prove-yorke-is-off-target-1824825.html <p>Dwight Yorke, interviewed in these pages recently, wished for a management break as promising as Gareth Southgate's at then-Premier League Middlesbrough. The League Managers Association's celebration this week of the elite band to have overseen 1,000 matches should have made him reconsider.</p> News & Comment Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/london-caught-in-matchfixing-raids-1824824.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/london-caught-in-matchfixing-raids-1824824.html <p>A Europe-wide investigation into "the biggest match-fixing scandal that European football has ever seen" led to an initial 17 arrests yesterday during raids in four countries, including England, and the seizure of around £900,000 in cash suspected of being gained by illegal means. </p> News & Comment Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/rooney-not-ready-for-club-captaincy-1824823.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/rooney-not-ready-for-club-captaincy-1824823.html <p>A new dad and captain of his country, Wayne Rooney returns to domestic duty today after being told he is behind at least five other players in Sir Alex Ferguson's pecking order for the Manchester United armband. </p> Premier League Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/lampard-joins-rush-to-placenta-healer-1824822.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/lampard-joins-rush-to-placenta-healer-1824822.html <p>Frank Lampard has become the latest Premier League star to seek the healing hands of the mysterious horse placenta woman Marijana Kovacevic. The Chelsea midfielder was in Serbia yesterday for treatment on his torn thigh muscle that has ruled him out of his club's game against Wolves today. </p> Premier League Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/hughes-hoping-city-can-impress-torres-1824821.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/hughes-hoping-city-can-impress-torres-1824821.html ]]> <p>Manchester City travel to Anfield today in the belief that victory might set in motion a train of events that could take Fernando Torres to Eastlands. </p> Premier League Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/who-will-go-fourth-and-conquer-1824820.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/who-will-go-fourth-and-conquer-1824820.html ]]> <p>The task of resurrecting Liverpool's season always did look like the mother of all ventures so it's as well that Rafael Benitez has been looking in the right place. "Are you married?" he asked yesterday, when asked to expand on how the process of slapping horse placenta on his injured players has left his side in a fit state to meet Manchester City this lunchtime. "Ask your wife," he replied.</p> Premier League Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/james-lawton-henry-is-a-cheat-ndash-and-a-replay-could-have-proved-it-on-wednesday-night-1824819.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/james-lawton-henry-is-a-cheat-ndash-and-a-replay-could-have-proved-it-on-wednesday-night-1824819.html <p>We can appraise however we like the moral strength of Thierry Henry's belated statement that it really would be quite a good idea to replay the World Cup match he distorted so profoundly. However, we cannot hope to be within a long throw of the central issue. </p> News & Comment Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/allardyce-bolton-was-a-fantastic-time-a-great-era-for-me-1824818.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/allardyce-bolton-was-a-fantastic-time-a-great-era-for-me-1824818.html ]]> <p>Rain hammering down on Pendle Hill from storm clouds as black as night: it is an early morning scene in Lancashire that Sam Allardyce has observed a thousand times before, but there seemed to be a particular poignancy in it yesterday as he wondered whether he would ever know a different landscape. </p> News & Comment Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/internationals/keane-savages-mentally-weak-ireland-players-1824817.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/internationals/keane-savages-mentally-weak-ireland-players-1824817.html <p>Roy Keane yesterday launched a savage attack on the Republic of Ireland players and the Irish football establishment for their complaints about Thierry Henry's handball and told them they were just sympathy-seeking, "mentally weak" hypocrites who should "get over it". </p> International Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/internationals/henrys-replay-call-wrongfoots-french-1824816.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/internationals/henrys-replay-call-wrongfoots-french-1824816.html ]]> <p>Thierry Henry's extraordinary admission yesterday that France's World Cup qualifier against the Republic of Ireland should be replayed wrong-footed the French football federation (FFF): officials in Paris had not authorised it and they have no intention of supporting his sentiments. </p> International Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/questions-of-cash-im-not-getting-anywhere-with-my-carphone-warehouse-complaint-1824617.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/questions-of-cash-im-not-getting-anywhere-with-my-carphone-warehouse-complaint-1824617.html <p><b>Q. I have been in contact with Carphone Warehouse (CW) since July regarding problems with my new mobile phone. I raised this as an official complain on 9 September, but I have hit a brick wall. CW says it can't resolve my complaint because of the Data Protection Act. It has asked for personal information from me that I am not willing to divulge as I do not believe its email system is secure. To make matters worse, emails to CW are either returned as undelivered, or go into a long queue. I have been without a phone for six weeks while the company tries to repair it, during which time I have paid for a phone that I do not have and which has not been in proper working order for four months. I purchased a Samsung I8510 on an 18-month contract in December 2008. NS, Edinburgh.</b> </p> Spend & Save Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/aliceazania-jarvis-i-try-to-avoid-shops-at-this-time-of-year-1824616.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/aliceazania-jarvis-i-try-to-avoid-shops-at-this-time-of-year-1824616.html <p>You know how I said I'd developed immunity from premature Christmas rage? And how I doubted it would last? Well, I was wrong. And right. Wrong in that I hadn't, in fact, succeeded in ignoring the horrifying eagerness with which shops deck themselves out in the run-up to Christmas. And right in assuming that it wouldn't last.</p> Spend & Save Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/consuming-issuse-the-phoney-supermarket-price-war-1824615.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/consuming-issuse-the-phoney-supermarket-price-war-1824615.html <p>Tesco and Asda are said to be locked in a festive price war, handing hard-up customers some festive cheer in the recession. Before cracking open the bubbly, it's worth remembering that Father Christmas visits only once a year and the last time he descended my chimney he wasn't wearing the liveried uniform of a supermarket chain.</p> Spend & Save Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/derek-pain-printingcom-is-riding-out-the-recession-in-style-1824614.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/derek-pain-printingcom-is-riding-out-the-recession-in-style-1824614.html <p> In these days of exceptionally low interest rates, the shares of Printing. com must look enticingly attractive to any income-seeking investor. </p> Spend & Save Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/ben-yearsley-mitons-spot-on-for-the-riskaverse-1824613.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/ben-yearsley-mitons-spot-on-for-the-riskaverse-1824613.html ]]> <p>When selecting funds, investors have several clear choices to make. Index-tracking or active management? Developed or emerging markets? What often gets overlooked is the choice between a fund that will stay fully invested and one that is more proactive with asset allocation.</p> Spend & Save Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/money-insider-rising-inflation-hits-savers-1824612.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/money-insider-rising-inflation-hits-savers-1824612.html ]]> <p>The sharp rise in the rate of inflation announced this week spells potentially bad news for millions of savers.</p> Spend & Save Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/simon-read-everyone-should-be-able-to-keep-warm-1824611.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/simon-read-everyone-should-be-able-to-keep-warm-1824611.html <p>Fuel povery is not a condition that anyone should face. Yet some 6.6 million households in the UK simply won't be able to afford to turn up the heating this winter. The rest of us probably take for granted that we can keep our homes as warm as we need, but millions will be forced to wear extra jumpers or blankets simply to keep the worst of the chill off. </p> Spend & Save Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/make-the-most-of-your-gift-to-charity-1824610.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/make-the-most-of-your-gift-to-charity-1824610.html ]]> <p> Charity cards are as much a part of Christmas as turkey and presents, but not all retailers extend the festive spirit to good causes. The worst hand over a miserly 6 per cent of their sale price, according to research from Which?</p> Spend & Save Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/santander-takes-pole-position-in-charges-battle-1824609.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/santander-takes-pole-position-in-charges-battle-1824609.html ]]> <p> Current accounts are set to get much more competitive. Santander – owner of Abbey and Alliance & Leicester – this week announced plans to launch a fee-free account in January. Meanwhile the Supreme Court will announce its decision on the long-running bank charges case next Wednesday and is expected to support the Office of Fair Trading's right to challenge expensive charges.</p> Spend & Save Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/skiing/samo235ns-a-resort-that-goes-down-a-treat-1824608.html http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/skiing/samo235ns-a-resort-that-goes-down-a-treat-1824608.html ]]> <p>As a Francophile who only recently returned to skiing after a long hiatus, I was less than enamoured by the idea of the French Alps. Too many British people and concrete villages. But surely there was an authentic slice of France somewhere among the dozens of resorts that run from the Jura to northern Provence. I asked a few people from the Rhône-Alpes region where I could find a resort that could more or less guarantee snow, wasn't completely anglicised, had more than two restaurants and didn't resemble a Sixties modernist horror. "Samoëns," they chorused. "Where?" I asked. </p> Skiing Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/herman-who-the-world-greets-new-eu-president-1824932.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/herman-who-the-world-greets-new-eu-president-1824932.html ]]> <p> Limp waves of polite puzzlement circled the globe yesterday as leaders adjusted to the news that the much ballyhooed EU President would be a mild-mannered, competent manager rather than a charismatic new "face" for Europe. </p> Europe Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/blair-happy-to-be-out-of-race-for-europe-job-1824931.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/blair-happy-to-be-out-of-race-for-europe-job-1824931.html <p>Tony Blair will not seek another big international job after being rejected for the new post of "President of Europe", his allies said yesterday.</p> Europe Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/news/burnley-riots-play-banned--in-burnley-1824930.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/news/burnley-riots-play-banned--in-burnley-1824930.html ]]> <p>It is based on the true stories of white and Asian teenagers from Burnley attempting to rebuild their lives in the aftermath of the 2001 riots, and has received widespread acclaim for its portrayal of the town's racial tensions.</p> News Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/rain-clouds-usually-leave-as-quickly-as-they-arrive-but-not-this-time-1824929.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/rain-clouds-usually-leave-as-quickly-as-they-arrive-but-not-this-time-1824929.html <p>Weather experts talk about a moving "conveyor belt" of rain when describing Britain's continuous exposure to weather systems as they roll in from the North Atlantic. But the conveyor belt of rain over north-west England and southern Scotland over the past three days got stuck over the hills of Cumbria and southern Scotland.</p> Home News Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/authorities-powerless-to-prevent-this-disaster-1824928.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/authorities-powerless-to-prevent-this-disaster-1824928.html <p>The calamity which has befallen Cockermouth and Workington offers a grim lesson for flood defence planners: there is only so much you can do. </p> Home News Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/carjacker-who-crippled-mother-told-he-faces-jail-1824927.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/carjacker-who-crippled-mother-told-he-faces-jail-1824927.html <p>A crack addict carjacker was convicted yesterday of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to a mother-of-four by running her over in her own vehicle, leaving her with such severe injuries she is confined to a wheelchair.</p> Crime Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/for-some-people-everything-has-gone-1824926.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/for-some-people-everything-has-gone-1824926.html <p>They knew the rain was coming in Cockermouth but nobody could have guessed how much and just how quickly it would fall. Yesterday, as the waters began to recede from the worst flood in memory, a thick layer of sludge coated the outsides of the pastel-coloured shops in the Georgian market square. Here, where a young William Wordsworth first mused on daffodils and the beauty of the Lakeland scenery around him, nature had shown a different more brutal face on Thursday night.</p> Home News Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/news/ill-have-my-lobster-electrocuted-please-1824925.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/news/ill-have-my-lobster-electrocuted-please-1824925.html ]]> <p>The heart-rending sound that a lobster makes as it is boiled alive puts off many a home chef from preparing the dish for a dinner party.</p> News Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/travel-agenda-kendal-mountain-festival-dean-street-townhouse-viceroy-snowmass-homecoming-scotland-1824899.html http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/travel-agenda-kendal-mountain-festival-dean-street-townhouse-viceroy-snowmass-homecoming-scotland-1824899.html News & Advice Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/my-life-in-travel-angela-griffin-actress-and-television-presenter-1824898.html http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/my-life-in-travel-angela-griffin-actress-and-television-presenter-1824898.html ]]> <p>Angela Griffin has starred in <I>Emmerdale</I>, <I>Coronation Street</I>, <I>Cutting It </I>and <I>Waterloo Road</I>.</p> News & Advice Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/open-jaw-dining-out-on-tales-of-the-pudding-shop-1824897.html http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/open-jaw-dining-out-on-tales-of-the-pudding-shop-1824897.html News & Advice Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/something-to-declare-le243n-spain-lebanon-colombia-via-florida-answers-on-australia-1824894.html http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/something-to-declare-le243n-spain-lebanon-colombia-via-florida-answers-on-australia-1824894.html News & Advice Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/travel-challenge-a-new-year-gettogether-in-england-1824893.html http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/travel-challenge-a-new-year-gettogether-in-england-1824893.html <p>Every week we invite competing companies to give us their best deal for a specified holiday. Today: a self-catering break over the new year. Prices are for seven nights' rental (commencing 28 December) for properties that sleep at least 10 guests.</p> News & Advice Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/48-hours-in/48-hours-in-bermuda-1824892.html http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/48-hours-in/48-hours-in-bermuda-1824892.html ]]> 48 Hours In Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/basques-of-the-net-bilbaos-iconic-football-team-1824891.html http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/basques-of-the-net-bilbaos-iconic-football-team-1824891.html ]]> <p>The picture that shows you what makes Bilbao tick cannot be found in the Guggenheim. For all its undeniable magnificence, the Frank Gehry-designed gallery that rises sleekly beside the Nervió*River does not contain the famous photo of the celebrations after Athletic Club, the city's football team, won the Spanish league and cup double in 1984 (without the help of the hand of God). To find that, you'll have to go to the bar or, more accurately, you'll have to end up in one of the many bars in the city that display this striking image on the wall. </p> Europe Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european/on-the-road-the-kindness-and-spontaneity-of-syrian-strangers-1824890.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european/on-the-road-the-kindness-and-spontaneity-of-syrian-strangers-1824890.html <p>I feel like I've been taken hostage, but in a good way. True, I've been bundled into a car and taken to an unknown destination somewhere in the old city section of Homs. But there are no dank cells or handcuffs here. Instead it's just endless cups of tea and a table groaning under the weight of huge plates of food. This is Syria and, yet again, I've been befriended by a local family and brought home for lunch. This is a nation that takes hospitality very seriously. </p> European Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/asia/a-kaleidoscope-of-colour-in-kolkata-1824889.html http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/asia/a-kaleidoscope-of-colour-in-kolkata-1824889.html ]]> <p>Eight o'clock on a Tuesday morning and already a dozen or so of Kolkata's legal clerks were hard at work. At their makeshift offices of tarpaulin and bamboo that fringe the exterior of the imposing 19th-century High Court, they were clattering away on sturdy manual typewriters, their multiple carbon copies clipped together with clothes pegs. India, the land of IT, was showing an endearingly antiquated face. </p> Asia Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/simon-calder/simon-calder-the-seven-classes-of-man-antarctic-style-1824888.html http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/simon-calder/simon-calder-the-seven-classes-of-man-antarctic-style-1824888.html <p>Imagine checking in for a 12-hour, 6,000-mile flight, yet not needing to show a passport because it's a domestic journey. No, this is not a trip across all 11 time zones of Russia: it is a flight chartered from Qantas by a firm in Sydney with the suburban-sounding name of Croydon Travel (00 61 3 9725 8555). The passengers are looking forward to a trip on the world's biggest passenger aircraft, an Airbus A380, on the last day of the year, from Sydney to Sydney – via Antarctica.</p> Simon Calder Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/brian-viner/brian-viner-sorry-roy-but-ireland-played-like-superstars-1824844.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/brian-viner/brian-viner-sorry-roy-but-ireland-played-like-superstars-1824844.html ]]> <p>The furore concerning the Thierry Henry handball has moved into a new dimension of weirdness, with the player himself agreeing that the controversial World Cup qualifier should be replayed, while former Ireland captain Roy Keane, with his customary charm, asserts that the Irish got what they deserved.</p> Brian Viner Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/racing/stan-hey-65-against-1824843.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/racing/stan-hey-65-against-1824843.html <p>In theory it should be a treat for London to host the ATP World Tour Finals, featuring the top eight men's singles players – well, top seven plus Sweden's Robin Soderling. What makes it tricky is finding a player who isn't physically exhausted or mentally switched-off.</p> Racing Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/ausandpacific/travellers-guide-to-antarctica-1824896.html http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/ausandpacific/travellers-guide-to-antarctica-1824896.html ]]> Australasia & Pacific Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/hotels/24hour-room-service-grand-h244tel-stockholm-sweden-1824895.html http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/hotels/24hour-room-service-grand-h244tel-stockholm-sweden-1824895.html ]]> <p>Any coastal town or city worth its salt has a Grand Hotel; those that host political shindigs – Eastbourne, Scarborough and Brighton, for example – seem to be particularly partial to them. All too often they are grand in size, rather than quantifiably opulent. Victorian edifice, "promenade" location, luridly patterned carpets, conference facilities – you know the sort. But the Grand Hôtel Stockholm is of a different breed. In Sweden, style is written into the genes, so Stockholm's Grand is just that: opulent, dazzling and every bit as grand as you'd expect. </p> Hotels Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/racing/chris-mcgrath-kauto-stars-on-every-stage-but-one-1824842.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/racing/chris-mcgrath-kauto-stars-on-every-stage-but-one-1824842.html ]]> <p>Kauto Star is the sceptre among steeplechasing's crown jewels, but to the BBC he is just another paste gem. The corporation has gladly washed its hands of Haydock, as of so many tracks, and so leaves to Channel 4 the champion's reappearance this afternoon in the Betfair Chase. </p> Racing Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/motor-racing/a-final-twist-in-the-road-for-brawn-1824841.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/motor-racing/a-final-twist-in-the-road-for-brawn-1824841.html ]]> <p> Everyone knows that in motor racing, Britain's got talent. After all, the past two years have yielded two British world champions. </p> Motor Racing Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/others/sport-in-brief-yates-takes-on-leading-role-at-skys-new-team-1824840.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/others/sport-in-brief-yates-takes-on-leading-role-at-skys-new-team-1824840.html <p> <i>Cycling: </i>Sean Yates has become Team Sky's latest signing after agreeing to join the British road team as sports director. </p> Others Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/cricket/tendulkar-celebrates-20-years-with-century-1824839.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/cricket/tendulkar-celebrates-20-years-with-century-1824839.html <p>Twenty years and five days after his first Test appearance, Sachin Tendulkar made his 43rd century yesterday. It was less dazzling than most of the previous 42 but there was a sense of inevitability that he would mark his two decades as an international batsman and it ensured that India saved the first Test match against Sri Lanka in Ahmedabad.</p> Cricket Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/cricket/panesar-starts-healing-process-on-the-highveld-1824838.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/cricket/panesar-starts-healing-process-on-the-highveld-1824838.html ]]> <p>As the rain pelted down here yesterday the forgotten man of English cricket was in a contrastingly sunny mood. Monty Panesar is spending the winter in South Africa trying to rediscover some semblance of the talent that not so long ago propelled him to fame, fortune and a seemingly enduring international career. </p> Cricket Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/international/jones-looks-for-wales-to-rediscover-cutting-edge-1824837.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/international/jones-looks-for-wales-to-rediscover-cutting-edge-1824837.html <p>The Wales captain Ryan Jones wants a bold and ruthless approach from his team when they aim to rediscover their scoring touch against Argentina at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff today. </p> International Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/club-rugby/darcy-keen-to-stake-claim-on-centre-stage-1824836.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/club-rugby/darcy-keen-to-stake-claim-on-centre-stage-1824836.html <p>Gordon D'Arcy, the experienced centre, insists there is greater depth to Irish rugby, from provincial to national level, than ever before. </p> Club Rugby Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/international/johnson-desperate-to-avoid-a-mauling-1824833.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/international/johnson-desperate-to-avoid-a-mauling-1824833.html ]]> <p> By and large, Englishmen do not know a fat lot about winning games of rugby against the All Blacks. Only two men in red-rose history – Jason Leonard and a chap by the name of Martin Osborne Johnson – have tasted the glory of it more than once, and of those, only Johnson can claim to be in hat-trick territory. </p> International Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/news-comment/brian-ashton-all-blacks-show-how-to-nurture-smarter-players-1824832.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/news-comment/brian-ashton-all-blacks-show-how-to-nurture-smarter-players-1824832.html ]]> <p> Some of the rugby I've seen played in the British Isles of late, including major international contests, has set me thinking anew about what I consider to be one of the burning topics in the modern game: the relationship between coaches and players, both before a match and during it. </p> News & Comment Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/murray-i-can-beat-federer-twice-in--a-week-1824831.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/murray-i-can-beat-federer-twice-in--a-week-1824831.html ]]> <p>According to Phil Anderton, chairman of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, ticket sales for next week's event at the O2 Arena make it "the equivalent of 15 sold-out Led Zeppelin concerts". </p> Tennis Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/golf/advantage-westwood-as-mcilroy-wilts-1824830.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/golf/advantage-westwood-as-mcilroy-wilts-1824830.html ]]> <p>Aptly enough for a man in a desert with a thirst to satisfy, Lee Westwood is refusing to be blinded by the glare. While Rory McIlroy admits to still being distracted by the numbers in the Order of Merit race, Westwood's focus is solely on taking one step at a time towards the Dubai World Championship. The Englishman calls it "a plodding game" and he has managed to plod his way into a two-shot lead. </p> Golf Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/agassi-got-away-with-lies-ndash-some-people-do-says-atp-1824829.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/agassi-got-away-with-lies-ndash-some-people-do-says-atp-1824829.html <p> Adam Helfant, the executive chairman and president of the Association of Tennis Professionals, said yesterday that he had told Andre Agassi he was "disappointed" with the American's comments in his autobiography about drug taking. </p> Tennis Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/neil-warnock-i-couldnt-get-into-spirit-of-friendlies-ndash-so-i-went-to-watch-scrooge-instead-1824828.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/neil-warnock-i-couldnt-get-into-spirit-of-friendlies-ndash-so-i-went-to-watch-scrooge-instead-1824828.html <p>I had a tough decision when it came to England v Brazil. How big a box of popcorn should I order? I spent the week leading up to the match telling people it would be a joke, a waste of two hours of their lifetime. So when they kicked off I was at the pictures, watching A Christmas Carol in 3D. It is amazing watching a film though those glasses, I really enjoyed it, though as I said to Sharon, "I'm glad no one's got a photograph of me wearing them." </p> News & Comment Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/skiing/chalet-holidays-a-snow-place-like-home-1824607.html http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/skiing/chalet-holidays-a-snow-place-like-home-1824607.html ]]> <p> The identity of the inventor of the ski-chalet holiday is a matter of some dispute. According to one school of thought, it was a British-based Austrian woman named Erna Low, who in 1932 placed an advertisement in the Morning Post (or possibly the New Statesman – accounts vary) that announced "Viennese undergraduette taking party to Austria, fortnight £15". The cost of the holiday in Sölden included the return train fare from London, full-board in a guest house, ski hire and tuition and German lessons.</p> Skiing Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/skiing/obergurgl-a-blast-from-a-past-master-1824606.html http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/skiing/obergurgl-a-blast-from-a-past-master-1824606.html ]]> <p> As we speed up the mountain on one of Obergurgl's newly built, state-of-the-art chairlifts, conversation turns to the subject of marmot fat. There are lots of marmots up here, close to the border with Italy. In fact, we have been skiing over them, snug beneath the snow in their hibernation quarters. </p> Skiing Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/skiing/rail-travel-that-hits-the-heights-with-carbon-footprint-site-1824605.html http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/skiing/rail-travel-that-hits-the-heights-with-carbon-footprint-site-1824605.html ]]> <p> <b>What does Snowcarbon provide for the traveller?</b> </p> <p> Everything you need to know in terms of getting from the UK to a ski resort by train. If you take the carbon footprint of a typical Alpine ski resort, 73 per cent of it is made up of how people get there. So a train is the most important thing that you and a resort can do in terms of preserving the ski slopes. </p> Skiing Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/international/elsom-casts-giant-shadow-over-scotland-1824835.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/international/elsom-casts-giant-shadow-over-scotland-1824835.html ]]> <p>Rocky was back on the big stage in the west end of Edinburgh yesterday. In his role as Australian captain, Rocky Elsom was leading Robbie Deans' Wallabies through their eve-of-battle paces at the home of Scottish rugby. Scotland and their head coach, Andy Robinson, can brace themselves for another Rocky Hero Show at Murrayfield this afternoon.</p> International Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/news-comment/dylan-hartley-haka-will-make-hairs-on-my-neck-stand-up-1824834.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/news-comment/dylan-hartley-haka-will-make-hairs-on-my-neck-stand-up-1824834.html ]]> <p>Dylan Hartley usually gives newspapers a wide berth, but as he spent last week at the England team headquarters in Surrey rather than on the dark side of Planet Zog, he could not help detecting just a whiff of pessimism concerning the immediate survival prospects of the red-rose pack. "Everyone thought we were going to be bullied by the Argentines," he says, grinning from ear to ear. "But we weren't bullied, were we? We won 80 per cent of the hits against a scrum rated the best in the world. I bet none of you saw that statistic coming."</p> News & Comment Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/skiing/ski-gear-ready-to-wear-this-winter-1824604.html http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/skiing/ski-gear-ready-to-wear-this-winter-1824604.html ]]> <p><b>Burton Supreme boots </b></p> Skiing Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/skiing/ski-news-so-far-so-good-for--this-seasons-snow-1824603.html http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/skiing/ski-news-so-far-so-good-for--this-seasons-snow-1824603.html <p>Anyone who mentions how good the autumn snow has been this year might be accused of jinxing the coming 2009-10 ski season. But the truth is that the pre-season to the coming winter has so far equalled, if not exceeded, the start of the snowy spectacular 2008-9 ski season.</p> Skiing Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/skiing/high-anxiety-the-biggest-liftserved-verticals-1824602.html http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/skiing/high-anxiety-the-biggest-liftserved-verticals-1824602.html <p> Last winter, I was fortunate to ski the biggest lift-served verticals on both sides of the Atlantic. In the Alps, this means the long-standing leader by this measure, the Vallée Blanche above Chamonix. At approaching three vertical kilometres, it is the world's largest. However, across the Atlantic a new contender, the resort of Revelstoke in British Columbia, in its second season of operations, has wrested the crown from Whistler. It boasts the biggest rise from base station to highest lift on the continent. So how do they compare?</p> Skiing Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/worlds-biggest-cruise-ship-goes-on-display-1824596.html http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/worlds-biggest-cruise-ship-goes-on-display-1824596.html ]]> <p> The world's biggest cruise ship - boasting its own open air park and amphitheatre - was officially unveiled today. </p> News & Advice Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:25:33 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/man-walks-free-after-killing-wife-in-bad-dream-1824520.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/man-walks-free-after-killing-wife-in-bad-dream-1824520.html <p> A man who strangled his wife during a nightmare in the belief he was attacking an intruder walked free from court today after the case against him was withdrawn. </p> Crime Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:09:19 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-26yearold-victim-of-the-first-world-war-1824135.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-26yearold-victim-of-the-first-world-war-1824135.html ]]> <p>Maité Roël is just 26 and she is the youngest victim of the First World War. And when she walks to meet me past the old churchyard in her village of Bovekerke, she limps, ever so slightly, on her left leg, the living ghost of all those mutilated, long-dead men whose memory the world honoured on Armistice Day earlier this month. She even holds a First World War veteran's card – "mutilée dans la guerre" – and when she shows it to the local railway ticket inspectors for reduced fare train trips, they suspect her – with awful inevitability – of stealing it from dead grandfather or great-grandfather.</p> Europe Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/johann-hari-the-real-reason-obama-is-not-making-much-progress-1823863.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/johann-hari-the-real-reason-obama-is-not-making-much-progress-1823863.html ]]> <p>Almost a year after Barack Obama ascended to the White House, many of his supporters are bemused. His healthcare bill is a hefty improvement but it still won't provide coverage for all Americans, and may not provide a public alternative to the over-charging insurance companies - if it passes at all. His environmental team is vandalising the vital Copenhagen conference by saying the US – the single biggest emitter of warming gases – will not sign up to any legally binding restrictions there. He has placed the deregulation-fanatics who caused the New Depression, like Lawrence Summers, in charge of the recovery. Despite the real improvements on Bush – such as the end of torture, the resumption of stem-cell research, and opposition to the coup in Honduras – many people are asking: why he is delivering so little, so slowly? </p> Johann Hari Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000