http://www.independent.co.uk/?service=Rss http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/thousands-of-voter-details-on-stolen-council-laptop-1821853.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/thousands-of-voter-details-on-stolen-council-laptop-1821853.html <p> A laptop computer containing personal data on more than 14,000 voters has gone missing from the offices of a local authority, it emerged today. </p> Home News Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:43:57 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/comment/james-moore-majestics-enthusiasm-is-rewarded-1821852.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/comment/james-moore-majestics-enthusiasm-is-rewarded-1821852.html <p> Raise a glass to Majestic then, after the wine warehouse chain reported a set of results that, while not exactly fizzing with optimism, suggested a few celebratory glasses would definitely be in order. </p> Business Comment Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:37:43 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/sailing/sir-keith-mills-turns-attention-to-americas-cup-1821686.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/sailing/sir-keith-mills-turns-attention-to-americas-cup-1821686.html ]]> <p> London Olympics and World Cup bid playmaker Sir Keith Mills has turned his managerial eye on what he describes as a structure "not fit for purpose" as he tries to lead a £150m British assault on a game close to his heart, sailing and the quest to capture the America's Cup. </p> Sailing Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:01:19 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/the-ten-best-buggies-1821698.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/the-ten-best-buggies-1821698.html ]]> <p> Chosen by Kate Hilpern </p> Features Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:23 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/leading-articles/leading-article-the-army-will-ultimately-benefit-from-this-scrutiny-1821759.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/leading-articles/leading-article-the-army-will-ultimately-benefit-from-this-scrutiny-1821759.html <p>Two-and-a-half years ago, a court martial of seven soldiers accused of causing the death in 2003 of a Basra hotel receptionist, Baha Mousa, came to end with all but one of the accused cleared. That verdict provoked anger in some quarters at the fact that these soldiers had been put on trial in the first place. The Army and the Government were accused of hanging our brave servicemen out to dry. Yet that initial reaction now looks more misplaced than ever.</p> Leading Articles Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/the-best-films-never-made-1821716.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/the-best-films-never-made-1821716.html ]]> <p>Can you imagine if The Godfather had never been made? If Star Wars, E.T. and Pulp Fiction had never graced our cinema screens and become classic movies of their time? It's hard to think of cinema history without films like these and yet it could all have been so different. For every film that's made it to the silver screen over the years, there are plenty that could have been equally as good, equally as successful if only they'd got off the ground. It's not often that those "if-only" films are given any thought, especially at a film festival – until now. This Thursday, for the first time, the annual Cine City Brighton Film Festival is introducing a "never-mades" strand – a dummy film programme that reveals the British films that won't be playing at the cinema.</p> Features Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/obama-hits-out-at-chinas-censorship-1821747.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/obama-hits-out-at-chinas-censorship-1821747.html ]]> <p>Barack Obama used his first day in China to offer a carefully worded critique of Beijing's record on freedom of speech, telling an audience of students that it was good for leaders to be forced "to hear opinions that [they] don't want to hear". </p> Asia Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/why-robinson-crusoe-island-is-at-risk-1821710.html http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/why-robinson-crusoe-island-is-at-risk-1821710.html ]]> <p>It takes about two hours by light aircraft to fly to the remote Pacific islands of the Juan Fernández Archipelago, 414 miles off the coast of Chile. That's all it takes to destroy the 4 million-year isolation that has protected this oceanic jewel from biological destruction. </p> Nature Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/you-can-be-beautiful--and-still-be--a-feminist-1821741.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/you-can-be-beautiful--and-still-be--a-feminist-1821741.html ]]> <p> Girls who spend time making themselves beautiful are not betraying any feminist principles and should be allowed to "have fun" and be taken seriously, the leader of Britain's top private girls' schools said yesterday. </p> Education News Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/christopher-maume-the-british-national-party-is-right-about-one-thing-the-country-is-filling-up-1821711.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/christopher-maume-the-british-national-party-is-right-about-one-thing-the-country-is-filling-up-1821711.html <p>I am not a fan of the BNP, honest. Nick Griffin, patron saint of the benighted and cross-eyed, is as about as high on my list of People To Hug Before I Die as Melanie Phillips or the Grimes twins are. By way of consolation, they all enjoy exalted placings in the list of People To Hang Before I Die. But the British National Party are right about one thing: the country is filling up. Bill Bryson could have called his love letter to Britain Notes from a Small Island With Too Many People, Especially in London.</p> Columnists Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/jeremy-laurance-why-belle-de-jour-wont-be-giving-up-the-day-job-1821714.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/jeremy-laurance-why-belle-de-jour-wont-be-giving-up-the-day-job-1821714.html <p>Until Belle de Jour disclosed her day job yesterday, I had never heard of the Bristol Initiative for Research of Child Health (BIRCH). The author of 'The Intimate Diary of a London Call Girl', who kept the world guessing about her identity for six years, outed herself as Brooke Magnanti (PhD, informatics, epidemiology and forensic science) at the Bristol-based organisation, and a picture of her sitting demurely on a bench – hands in lap, knees together – next to two colleagues appears on its website. </p> Features Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/ghosts-octagon-theatre-bolton-1821718.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/ghosts-octagon-theatre-bolton-1821718.html ]]> <p>For his second production at Bolton Octagon, David Thacker has returned to Ghosts, Ibsen's scathing commentary on 19th-century morality. His earlier production, in the 1980s, starring Vanessa Redgrave and Tom Wilkinson, won an Olivier. This latest revival – sometimes fascinatingly watchable yet also frustratingly mediocre – is unlikely to win it many new admirers, far less awards.</p> Reviews Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/yo-la-tengo-the-roundhouse-london-1821720.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/yo-la-tengo-the-roundhouse-london-1821720.html <p>Yo La Tengo have a certain way with a song. It can be trundling along nicely but not necessarily grabbing you, when a sound emerges that makes your ears prick up and suddenly all the divergent parts of the music come alive and the song becomes great. In their opening track, "My Heart's Reflection", it's James McNew's rumbling bass; in their second, "More Stars Than There Are in Heaven", it's Ira Kaplan's guitar solo followed by McNew's sweetly pitched backing vocal, that bring their songs into sharp, brilliant focus. </p> Reviews Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/last-nights-television--im-a-celebrityget-me-out-of-here-itv1-the-queen-in-3d-channel-4-enid-bbc4-1821722.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/last-nights-television--im-a-celebrityget-me-out-of-here-itv1-the-queen-in-3d-channel-4-enid-bbc4-1821722.html <p>There was always the suggestion that Enid Blyton's cuddly image and jaunty signature concealed something to taint the raspberry jelly and ginger beer. Those with only scant knowledge (me) might have been vaguely aware of marital strife and accusations of racism – she liked a golliwog, did Enid. But who knew the brains behind Noddy and the Famous Five was such a massive, well, bitch. Harsh words, but it was tough not to feel antipathy towards Blyton in BBC4's <b>Enid</b>. The sober biopic barely touched on the racism – an oblique reference during a row with husband number one – but it was unsparing in its portrayal of Blyton as a selfish, deluded, vindictive egomaniac. Or, as the writer's daughter, Imogen, put it in a recent interview: "My mother was arrogant, insecure and without a trace of maternal instinct."</p> Reviews Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/brown-urges-talks-to-speed-afghan-retreat-1821734.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/brown-urges-talks-to-speed-afghan-retreat-1821734.html <p>An international conference paving the way for an exit strategy for British troops in Afghanistan should be held in London in January, Gordon Brown proposed last night.</p> Asia Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/corruption-fight-boosted-by-afghan-fbi-1821733.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/corruption-fight-boosted-by-afghan-fbi-1821733.html <p>A new anti-corruption squad trained by British and American law enforcement agents will investigate high-level Afghans implicated in their country's vast criminal circles, Afghanistan's Interior Minister announced yesterday. </p> Asia Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/conservationists-fight-for-galapagos-of-plants-1821732.html http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/conservationists-fight-for-galapagos-of-plants-1821732.html <p>Leading conservationists have drawn up a blueprint to save one of the world's most important sites for conservation known as the "Galapagos for plants" because of its exceptionally rare native plants.</p> Nature Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/consultant-who-tried-to-poison-pregnant-lover-a-liar-and-a-cheat-1821731.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/consultant-who-tried-to-poison-pregnant-lover-a-liar-and-a-cheat-1821731.html ]]> <p>A hospital consultant who tried to poison his pregnant lover with drugs to induce an abortion was described as "a liar, a cheat and a predator" yesterday as he was jailed for six years.</p> Crime Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/antiterror-police-arrest-five-men-in-morning-raids-1821730.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/antiterror-police-arrest-five-men-in-morning-raids-1821730.html <p>Five men were arrested yesterday as part of an investigation into the alleged recruitment of terrorists to join training camps in Afghanistan.</p> Crime Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/the-day-that-all-hell-broke-loose-in-basra-1821729.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/the-day-that-all-hell-broke-loose-in-basra-1821729.html ]]> <p>The war was over, soldiers felt safe enough to wear berets and to patrol the streets of southern Iraq in soft-skinned jeeps. But the sense of improving security in Basra was tragically short lived. </p> Asia Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/officer-charged-with-assault-at-g20-protest-1821728.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/officer-charged-with-assault-at-g20-protest-1821728.html ]]> <p>A police sergeant has denied assaulting a woman during G20 protests, <I>writes Martha Linden.</I></p> Crime Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/jeremy-laurance-are-we-expecting-too-much-from-medicalised-sex-1821727.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/jeremy-laurance-are-we-expecting-too-much-from-medicalised-sex-1821727.html <p>The launch of Viagra in 1998 was a landmark. Within weeks it became the world's fastest-selling drug, within four years it was being used by 20 million men worldwide, and within a decade it had spawned a dozen rivals.</p> Commentators Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/we-did-it--to-avenge-our-fallen-comrades-1821726.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/we-did-it--to-avenge-our-fallen-comrades-1821726.html ]]> <p>A former soldier who had kept his silence for six years broke ranks yesterday to accuse his superior officer and former comrades of the brutal beating and torture of Iraqi prisoners which ended in the killing of an Iraqi civilian.</p> Home News Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/in-court-the-carer-accused-of-being-londons-notorious-night-stalker-1821743.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/in-court-the-carer-accused-of-being-londons-notorious-night-stalker-1821743.html ]]> <p>Dressed in a police-issue white tracksuit and flanked by two female custody officers, Delroy Easton Grant stood in the dock at Greenwich magistrates' court yesterday morning. The unassuming 52-year-old spoke only to confirm his name and address during the brief hearing.</p> Crime Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/baroness-susan-greenfield-we-agonise-too-much-over-looks-1821742.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/baroness-susan-greenfield-we-agonise-too-much-over-looks-1821742.html <p>It is a complete nonsense to suggest that only airheads can look attractive and that brainy girls are condemned to a life of dowdiness.</p> Commentators Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/plans-to-put-details-of-violent-men-on-register-1821740.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/plans-to-put-details-of-violent-men-on-register-1821740.html <p>Women should be given the right to know whether their partner has a history of committing domestic abuse, and violent men who drive their wives and girlfriends to suicide could be charged with killing them, police said yesterday.</p> Crime Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/relatives-hear-evidence-at-nursing-home-blaze-inquiry-1821739.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/relatives-hear-evidence-at-nursing-home-blaze-inquiry-1821739.html <p>Relatives of elderly residents who died in a fire at a care home have been giving evidence at a fatal accident inquiry into the tragedy.</p> Home News Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/wicker-man-star-woodward-dies-aged-79-1821738.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/wicker-man-star-woodward-dies-aged-79-1821738.html ]]> <p>Edward Woodward, the actor best known for his roles in the 1973 film The Wicker Man and The Equalizer television series, has died, aged 79. </p> News Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/greens-urge-tuna-ban-1821737.html http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/greens-urge-tuna-ban-1821737.html <p>Environmentalists called for a global ban on the trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna, after the body responsible for managing stocks cut quotas but did not suspend fishing of the threatened species. </p> Nature Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/spy-bosses-to-give-evidence-to-iraq-war-inquiry-1821736.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/spy-bosses-to-give-evidence-to-iraq-war-inquiry-1821736.html <p>Past and present chiefs of MI6 are to be among the first witnesses to give evidence to the official inquiry into the Iraq war, it was disclosed yesterday. </p> UK Politics Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/troop-numbers-breach-guidelines-1821735.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/troop-numbers-breach-guidelines-1821735.html <p> Thousands more more troops will be needed in Helmand for there to be a viable chance of fighting Taliban terrorist tactics, according to the British military's new guide to counter-insurgency. </p> Asia Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/thomas-sutcliffe/tom-sutcliffe-the-overcomplicated-life-of-belle-de-jour-1821768.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/thomas-sutcliffe/tom-sutcliffe-the-overcomplicated-life-of-belle-de-jour-1821768.html <p>I wonder how many men looked at the photograph of Dr Brooke Magnanti – who outed herself the other day as the real Belle de Jour, blogger horizontale – and thought to themselves, "Yeah ... well I reckon I'd pay £300 for that". I know I did – and it's not because I'd pay £300 for that. </p> Thomas Sutcliffe Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/kevin-rudd-australians-have-a-duty-to-admit-their-past-crimes-ndash-and-say-sorry-1821767.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/kevin-rudd-australians-have-a-duty-to-admit-their-past-crimes-ndash-and-say-sorry-1821767.html <p>I recognise this is a difficult, complex and sensitive area of policy. But the nation must continue to lift its game in doing whatever practicably can be done to provide for the proper protection of children. Let us today, in this Great Hall of this great Australian Parliament, seize this day and see this national apology to our Forgotten Australians and our Child Migrants as a turning point for the future. </p> Commentators Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/the-big-question-what-is-the-queens-speech-and-does-it-serve-any-real-purpose-1821766.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/the-big-question-what-is-the-queens-speech-and-does-it-serve-any-real-purpose-1821766.html ]]> UK Politics Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/arabella-weir-have-it-all-if-only-men-would-let-us-1821765.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/arabella-weir-have-it-all-if-only-men-would-let-us-1821765.html <p>So the headmistress of a private girls' school wants her pupils to realise they "can't have it all", ie a good career and a fulfilling family life. Actually, she's wrong, because statistically those girls are likely to end up with well-paid careers, meaning they'll be able to afford childcare having gone back to work after having kids.</p> Commentators Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/michael-mccarthy-tis-the-season--for-berry-baskers-1821764.html http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/michael-mccarthy-tis-the-season--for-berry-baskers-1821764.html <p>In New England, such is the breathtaking beauty of the autumn foliage, people make special trips to gaze open-mouthed on the leaves turning russet and crimson, and they've even been given a name: "leaf-peepers". They have their own hotlines. </p> Nature Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/mary-dejevsky/mary-dejevsky-yes-we-can-slash-the-budget-deficit-that-is-1821763.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/mary-dejevsky/mary-dejevsky-yes-we-can-slash-the-budget-deficit-that-is-1821763.html <p>One of the priorities of this end-of-term Government, to be presented in tomorrow's Queen's Speech, is something called a Fiscal Responsibility Act. As outlined by Gordon Brown to the Labour Party conference, it will oblige the Government to cut the budget deficit in half over the next four years.</p> Mary Dejevsky Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/letters/letters-world-bank-and-climate-change-1821762.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/letters/letters-world-bank-and-climate-change-1821762.html <p>The Chancellor is right to point to the need to invest in green technology, such as forestry and clean energy ("There are substantial barriers to a climate deal", 6 November). He also says that the IMF and World Bank will play a major role in climate finance, though they are not purpose-built for the task.</p> Letters Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/leading-articles/leading-article-sexual-revolution-1821761.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/leading-articles/leading-article-sexual-revolution-1821761.html <p>"Love is the answer," said Woody Allen, "but while you're waiting for the answer, sex raises some pretty interesting questions." Indeed. And in that particular field, few subjects have inspired quite so much inquiry as the female orgasm. Some of the greatest male minds, from Sigmund Freud to Billy Chrystal, have wrestled with the subject. Does it exist? What is its evolutionary purpose? Can it be faked?</p> Leading Articles Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/leading-articles/leading-article-mr-obamas-chinese-diplomacy-1821760.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/leading-articles/leading-article-mr-obamas-chinese-diplomacy-1821760.html <p>President Obama's talks in China offer a precious opportunity to strengthen and recalibrate the world's most important bilateral relationship. Few dramatic public breakthroughs are likely as a result of his visit; his public urgings at his town hall-style meeting with students in Shanghai on human rights are unlikely to be any more successful than similar appeals by his predecessors in improving Beijing's dismal record in this field. But in his private session with President Hu Jintao, the stakes could hardly be higher.</p> Leading Articles Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/johann-hari-peter-mandelsons-assault-on-science-1821758.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/johann-hari-peter-mandelsons-assault-on-science-1821758.html <p>The political class has been entranced for a year now by the camp charm of Peter Mandelson: the Comeback. The de facto Deputy PM glides from yacht to Downing Street, receiving awed applause for the cut of both his suits and his jib. It feels almost vulgar, then, to mention his policies. Yet Mandelson is enthusiastically pushing Britain further down a path that is damaging one of the great tools for human progress – scientific research – and slowly corrupting the medicine you take and the air you breathe. </p> Johann Hari Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/dominic-lawson/dominic-lawson-can-we-please-stand-up--for-michael-mcintyre-1821757.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/dominic-lawson/dominic-lawson-can-we-please-stand-up--for-michael-mcintyre-1821757.html <p>Like most parents of teenagers, I have grown used to the experience of the television's sound being turned off when I walk into the room. It is a reversal of the relationship that used to exist between the generations. Forty or so years ago, parents would do this to shield their children from something which might shock them. Now it is our children who turn the sound down to protect our ears from obscenities which they regard as suitable only for adolescents.</p> Dominic Lawson Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/czechoslovakia-the-unfinished-revolution-1821756.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/czechoslovakia-the-unfinished-revolution-1821756.html ]]> <p>The patron saint of the Czechs stares from his plinth in the centre of Prague with a genial, perplexed expression. It is 20 years since Good King Wenceslas last looked out on the frozen and cheerless political landscape of Communism. But each day, he still confronts rival forces contending for the soul of the Czech people. The equestrian statue of the martyred 10th-century King of Bohemia gazes out at well-dressed Czech shoppers – in ranks deep and crisp and even – as they make for Marks & Spencer and Debenhams and the two McDonald's on Wenceslas Square.</p> Europe Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/iron-lady-of-the-north-in-late-bid-for-eus-top-job-1821755.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/iron-lady-of-the-north-in-late-bid-for-eus-top-job-1821755.html ]]> <p>Flame-haired Latvian Vaira Vike-Freiberga, known as the "Iron Lady of the North", is leading a pack of late contenders who have dashed into the closing round of the race to become the EU's first president. </p> Europe Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/you-can-put-a-price-on-happiness-and-new-study-says-its-a-bargain-1821754.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/you-can-put-a-price-on-happiness-and-new-study-says-its-a-bargain-1821754.html <p>Money can't buy me love, The Beatles sang, and the best things in life are free – but according to new research, they couldn't have been more wrong. Not only is the happiness of falling in love indistinguishable from that of winning the pools but, says a leading Australian economist, it's worth a lot less. </p> Science Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/vanessa-mock-shadowy-race-but-with-the-right-result-1821753.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/vanessa-mock-shadowy-race-but-with-the-right-result-1821753.html <p>It is nothing new for the EU to be blasted for being an opaque and shadowy bureaucratic behemoth, but the search for an EU President has triggered some of the most strident criticism yet of the way Brussels operates. </p> Europe Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/gaddafis-night-in-with-500-attractive-girls--and-the-koran-1821752.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/gaddafis-night-in-with-500-attractive-girls--and-the-koran-1821752.html ]]> <p>The mysterious host asked the Italian hospitality agency for "500 attractive girls between 18 and 35 years of age, at least 1.7 metre high", and if the women who answered the call were in the dark about their duties, they must have felt confident that the event would be an interesting one.</p> Europe Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/dominic-macintyre-palestinians-throw-down--challenge-to-obama-and-un-1821751.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/dominic-macintyre-palestinians-throw-down--challenge-to-obama-and-un-1821751.html <p>As so often in the Middle East, we have been here before. The latest suggestion – that a frustrated Palestinian leadership would unilaterally declare a state and invite international recognition for it – is not new. It was made a decade ago by Yasser Arafat when Benjamin Netanyahu, then as now, was Prime Minister. It was made again after the collapse of the Camp David talks a year later, when then Prime Minister Ehud Barak, like some of Mr Netanyahu's more hawkish ministers now, threatened to annex the most populous settlements in the West Bank in retaliation. And as the second intifada – and Israel's determined military response to it – gathered momentum, nothing came of it. </p> Middle East Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/some-african-countries-are-just-not-viable-says-philanthropist-1821750.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/some-african-countries-are-just-not-viable-says-philanthropist-1821750.html <p>A month after withholding a $5m African leadership prize because there was no suitable recipient, the wealthy philanthropist Mo Ibrahim has caused another stir by saying that some countries on the continent are too small to survive.</p> Africa Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/pandora/pandora-no-romanian-holiday-for-boris-1821749.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/pandora/pandora-no-romanian-holiday-for-boris-1821749.html <p>Boris Johnson became the first London Mayor to open the World Travel Market last week, riding by train to the venue to cut the ribbon. </p> Pandora Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/david-usborne-the-president-knows-china-has-the-power-to-spoil-his-agenda-1821748.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/david-usborne-the-president-knows-china-has-the-power-to-spoil-his-agenda-1821748.html <p>These foreign trips of Barack Obama are always such heady affairs. Thousands cram castle plazas in Prague or – even before his election – boulevards in Berlin. But China is proving quite a lot different. Rather than witnessing another love-fest, we are left to ask, who is more afraid of whom during this visit?</p> Commentators Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/more-storms-ahead-to-batter-britain-1821746.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/more-storms-ahead-to-batter-britain-1821746.html <p>More stormy weather will batter Britain later this week, forecasters predict. By Thursday more downpours are expected to add to already high river levels, particularly in Wales, the south west, north west and west Midlands.</p> This Britain Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/harman-attacks-call-to-scrap-queens-speech-1821745.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/harman-attacks-call-to-scrap-queens-speech-1821745.html <p>The Government has hit back at Nick Clegg's call for tomorrow's Queen's Speech to be scrapped, accusing the Liberal Democrat leader of "pointless political posturing".</p> UK Politics Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/son-of-a-lion-shooting-with-the-enemy-1821744.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/son-of-a-lion-shooting-with-the-enemy-1821744.html ]]> <p>As any Hollywood director will tell you, finding the perfect match to play the protagonist in your film can be a notoriously time-consuming and frustrating procedure. First you have to hold auditions, separating the few grains of wheat from an often wide field of chaff. Then once you've found a star, you have to deal with their money-hungry agents and the non-stop demands of Hollywood's elite.</p> Features Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/sharewatch/investment-column-there-are-stronger-miners-than-lonmin-1821850.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/sharewatch/investment-column-there-are-stronger-miners-than-lonmin-1821850.html Sharewatch Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/sharewatch/market-report-whitbread-buoyed-by-premier-inn-hopes-1821849.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/sharewatch/market-report-whitbread-buoyed-by-premier-inn-hopes-1821849.html <p>Whitbread rose yesterday as the FTSE 100 swung to its highest level since September 2008, with traders piling in on hopes that the hospitality and leisure group would remain resilient even as the broader sector faced another year of soft revenues. </p> Sharewatch Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/qe-has-not-yet-improved-lending-says-sentance-1821848.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/qe-has-not-yet-improved-lending-says-sentance-1821848.html <p>Fresh doubts about the strength and sustainability of Britain's economic recovery emerged yesterday. One of the nation's leading economic think-tanks suggested that a "double dip" recession could come next year, and a senior Bank of England policymaker warned that the Bank's inflation forecast might prove too optimistic – implying that rates may rise sooner an faster than expected. </p> Business News Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/britains-16313bn-new-sub-astute-sets-sail-1821847.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/britains-16313bn-new-sub-astute-sets-sail-1821847.html <p>When the nuclear-powered HMS Astute slipped quietly out of the shipyard at Barrow on the Cumbrian coast at the weekend, it was more than just the climax of 15 years' hard work and hi-tech engineering. As the first of an entirely new class of submarine, Astute's departure for 18 months of intensive Royal Navy trials also embodies the successful rebuilding of once-lost industrial capacity. And its state-of-the-art military capability will be used to argue for continued investment in submarines in next year's review of military spending. </p> Business Analysis & Features Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/eads-shares-take-off-despite-losses-1821846.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/eads-shares-take-off-despite-losses-1821846.html <p>EADS, the European aerospace giant that owns Airbus, reported its first quarterly loss for two years yesterday, blaming uncertainty about aircraft sales and the weak US dollar.</p> Business News Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/boe-chief-backs-catastrophe-insurance-1821845.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/boe-chief-backs-catastrophe-insurance-1821845.html <p>The Bank of England's financial stability chief has thrown his weight behind the development of a market for "contingent capital" as an alternative to breaking up financial firms that are deemed too big to fail.</p> Business News Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/majestic-wine-uncorks-9-per-cent-rise-in-profits-1821844.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/majestic-wine-uncorks-9-per-cent-rise-in-profits-1821844.html <p>Majestic Wine promised not to pass on the 1 January VAT increase to its customers for a month yesterday, as it toasted a jump in half-year pre-tax profits which was ahead of market expectations.</p> Business News Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/lloyds-to-rescue-debtladen-admiral-1821843.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/lloyds-to-rescue-debtladen-admiral-1821843.html <p>Admiral Taverns has confirmed that Lloyds Banking Group is working on a financial restructuring of the struggling pubs group that is thought to involve a £600m debt-for-equity swap. </p> Business News Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/comment/james-moore-the-contract-crackdown-is-just-hot-air-1821842.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/comment/james-moore-the-contract-crackdown-is-just-hot-air-1821842.html <p>So the Financial Services Authority is to get the power to rip up the contracts of bankers if they look like they offer too much financial encouragement to indulge in casino capitalism. It's going in the Queen's Speech and everything. "Look, look, voters, we're doing something about those dreadful bankers and their big bad bonuses."</p> Business Comment Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/japanese-growth-beats-expectations-1821841.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/japanese-growth-beats-expectations-1821841.html <p>The British economy sank further down the international league table yesterday when Japan announced stronger-than-expected growth figures. </p> Business News Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/business-diary-asos-can-afford-to-be-complacent-on-strike-1821840.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/business-diary-asos-can-afford-to-be-complacent-on-strike-1821840.html <p> "You love them or hate them, but we still use them. Customers want their products delivered as quickly and cheaply as they can and Royal Mail is still one of the cheapest," said Nick Robertson, boss of online fashion specialist Asos, pictured right with his finance director Nick Beighton. </p> Business News Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/gm-to-begin-repaying-us-taxpayers-1821839.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/gm-to-begin-repaying-us-taxpayers-1821839.html <p>General Motors, the American car giant driven to bankruptcy by the global recession, will begin paying back bailout money from the US government as early as next month.</p> Business News Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/british-shops-plead-for-end-to-eu-trade-war-on-shoes-1821838.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/british-shops-plead-for-end-to-eu-trade-war-on-shoes-1821838.html <p>Britain's shopkeepers have joined forces with the Government to urge European Union countries to vote against extending punitive tariffs on leather shoes from Asia at a crucial meeting on Thursday.</p> Business News Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/christmas-sales-will-be-worst-for-shops-since-1980s-1821837.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/christmas-sales-will-be-worst-for-shops-since-1980s-1821837.html <p>Shoppers will spend less this Christmas for the first time since the late 1980s, as sales of non-food items fall by a massive £1.3bn, retail experts predicted yesterday.</p> Business News Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/foster-wants-out-of-united-to-claim-england-no-1-shirt-1821789.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/foster-wants-out-of-united-to-claim-england-no-1-shirt-1821789.html ]]> <p>Manchester United's Ben Foster is considering asking Sir Alex Ferguson for a loan deal to boost his chances of seizing a starting place for England in next summer's World Cup.</p> News & Comment Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/transfers/chelsea-will-splash-out-says-terry-1821788.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/transfers/chelsea-will-splash-out-says-terry-1821788.html ]]> <p>The Chelsea captain, John Terry, has said he expects the club to have a very busy January as they try to cram three transfer windows' worth of deals into one month.</p> Transfers Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/babel-upset--at-playing-role-of-liverpools-supersub-1821787.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/babel-upset--at-playing-role-of-liverpools-supersub-1821787.html <p>The Liverpool winger Ryan Babel has spoken of his growing frustration over his lack of first-team opportunities under manager Rafael Benitez this season.</p> Premier League Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/ferguson-set-for-defeat-over-referee-demands-1821786.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/ferguson-set-for-defeat-over-referee-demands-1821786.html <p>Manchester United's demands for fitter, elite referees to officiate in top fixtures are destined to be rejected, with the football authorities satisfied that the current regime does not need improving.</p> News & Comment Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/who-needs-the-magic-sponge--van-persie-turns-to-newage-healer-1821785.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/who-needs-the-magic-sponge--van-persie-turns-to-newage-healer-1821785.html ]]> <p> Robin van Persie has been permitted by Arsenal to visit a Serbian doctor who has been known to use fluids from placentas to heal her patients, although the Arsenal medical department have serious misgivings over her credentials and whether she will have any effect on his ruptured ankle ligaments. </p> News & Comment Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/internationals/trapattoni-must-gamble-to-pass-his-greatest-test-1821784.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/internationals/trapattoni-must-gamble-to-pass-his-greatest-test-1821784.html ]]> <p>How extraordinarily intelligent of the Football Association of Ireland to hire a Joycean manager for Dublin. The streams of consciousness that have been babbling out of Giovanni Trapattoni in the momentous past few days have been as baffling and as endearing as ever.</p> International Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/deal-for-irelands-playoff-rights-to-go-to-wire-1821783.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/deal-for-irelands-playoff-rights-to-go-to-wire-1821783.html <p>Fears that fans of the Republic of Ireland will face a television blackout of tomorrow's decisive World Cup qualifying match against France were played down last night by broadcasting sources, who said that an 11th-hour deal is "the most probable outcome". </p> News & Comment Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/transfers/barcelonas-tour-hints--at-united-or-chelsea-move-1821782.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/transfers/barcelonas-tour-hints--at-united-or-chelsea-move-1821782.html ]]> <p>Unsettled Barcelona midfielder Yaya Touré is ready to leave the Nou Camp, with Chelsea or Manchester United his favoured destination.</p> Transfers Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/internationals/levein-frontrunner-as-scots-sack-burley-1821781.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/internationals/levein-frontrunner-as-scots-sack-burley-1821781.html ]]> <p>The Scottish Football Association's third managerial search in less than three years was underway last night after George Burley's ill-starred 22-month stint in charge came to an end. The straw that broke the camel's back was Saturday's 3-0 defeat to Wales in Cardiff but Burley's overall record of three wins in 14 matches tells its own story. </p> International Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/internationals/world-cup-in-brief-fifa-reckless-for-going-ahead-with-playoff-after-team-bus-stoned-1821780.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/internationals/world-cup-in-brief-fifa-reckless-for-going-ahead-with-playoff-after-team-bus-stoned-1821780.html <p>Midfielder Khaled Lemmouchia has said that his country's qualifier away to Egypt should have been called off by Fifa after their team bus was attacked in Cairo. </p> International Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/motor-racing/mercedes-hope-to-keep-hold-of-button-1821779.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/motor-racing/mercedes-hope-to-keep-hold-of-button-1821779.html ]]> <p> Mercedes want to keep world champion Jenson Button as one of their drivers after taking over the Brawn GP team. The German manufacturer insisted yesterday that contrary to speculation, the Oxfordshire-based team will remain "international" in make-up. Whether they will retain Button's services, however, depends on the Englishman being prepared to accept considerably less than the annual salary of £7m he is currently demanding. </p> Motor Racing Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/others/james-lawton-pacquiao-and-mayweather-can-put-on-a-show-worthy-of-ali-or-leonard-1821778.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/others/james-lawton-pacquiao-and-mayweather-can-put-on-a-show-worthy-of-ali-or-leonard-1821778.html ]]> <p>Boxing's ability to reinvent itself against heavy odds was never better illustrated than on the turn into the 1980s. Muhammad Ali was beginning his journey into a darkening world and it seemed reasonable to presume that the old game would never be the same again. It was as though the sun had gone in.</p> Others Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/cricket/south-africa-join-replay-rebellion-1821777.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/cricket/south-africa-join-replay-rebellion-1821777.html <p>For all its obvious merit, Test cricket and those supposed to govern it are often made to look dafter than a village batsman facing Shane Warne. It happened again yesterday when it emerged that the officially ratified policy to use modern technology in umpiring decisions has been ditched before it has begun.</p> Cricket Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/international/all-blacks-wary-of-twickenham-test-says-read-1821776.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/international/all-blacks-wary-of-twickenham-test-says-read-1821776.html <p>No New Zealander ever took victory for granted, which may explain why the All Blacks win as often as they do. Kieran Read, first-choice No 8 ahead of the vastly more experienced Rodney So'oialo for much of the southern hemisphere season, could be heard saying the right things yesterday, predicting that England's much-criticised pack will be in "battle royal" mode at Twickenham this weekend.</p> International Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/international/do-england-really-need-another-veteran-1821775.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/international/do-england-really-need-another-veteran-1821775.html ]]> <p> Simon Shaw, recent autobiographer and senior citizen of the red-rose engine room whose exploits for the British and Irish Lions on the high veld of South Africa last summer could not have been more energy-charged had he been in his late teens rather than his mid-30s, was back in camp yesterday as England launched their preparations for this weekend's meeting with the New Zealand at Twickenham. No doubt Shaw performed brilliantly in training, reminding Martin Johnson – the man who kept him out of the national side for years – of his all-embracing skill set ahead of the last, and most thankless, of this year's Tests. </p> International Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/cricket/flower-takes-the-moral-high-ground-in-arthur-skirmish-1821774.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/cricket/flower-takes-the-moral-high-ground-in-arthur-skirmish-1821774.html ]]> <p>On being offered a perfect opportunity to engage in verbal skirmishes with South Africa yesterday, Andy Flower dashed for the moral high ground. It was a smooth and dignified manoeuvre by the England coach who, given the tactics adopted by the opposition, may yet have to turn the other cheek a time or two in his principled eyrie.</p> Cricket Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/racing/quartano-victory-lifts-greatrex-1821773.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/racing/quartano-victory-lifts-greatrex-1821773.html ]]> <p>Cheltenham and Plumpton may both be left-handed but that is where the similarity ends. Oaks, though, have to start somewhere and, after a veritable forest of talent spread its branches over some valuable prizes in the sport's flagship arena over the weekend, several acorns may just have taken root at yesterday's bread-and-butter meeting at the little East Sussex track, a tight, tricky rectangle just nine furlongs around.</p> Racing Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/ready-for-the-duel-at-the-dome-1821772.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/ready-for-the-duel-at-the-dome-1821772.html ]]> <p>There have been times when it might have been more appropriate for the competitors to turn up at the men's end-of-season championships with crutches rather than rackets. Usually at this stage of the year there is hardly a player who is neither exhausted nor carrying an injury or three. When the tournament went to Shanghai for the first time in 2005, only one of the top four players made it to the start line.</p> Tennis Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/edward-woodward-star-of-callan-the-equalizer-and-the-wicker-man-1821771.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/edward-woodward-star-of-callan-the-equalizer-and-the-wicker-man-1821771.html ]]> <p>Two espionage series made Edward Woodward a television star on both sides of the Atlantic. First, British viewers saw him as the cold, unglamorous British Intelligence hit-man in Callan, a brutal, uncompromising drama intended by its creator, James Mitchell, to be an antidote to spy fantasy programmes such as The Avengers and the jet-set lifestyle depicted in The Troubleshooters. </p> Obituaries Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/lord-steinberg-bookmaker-who-left-belfast-after-being-shot-by-the-ira-and-became-a-tory-grandee-1821770.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/lord-steinberg-bookmaker-who-left-belfast-after-being-shot-by-the-ira-and-became-a-tory-grandee-1821770.html <p>Leonard Steinberg's eventful life took him from running an illegal backstreet bookies in Belfast to a seat in the Lords and high position in the Conservative party. Along the way he made a fortune, and was shot by the IRA. He became one of the grandees of the British bookmaking industry, building the Stanley Leisure Group into a concern with more than 600 betting shops and almost 50 casinos. He once said, probably with affected modesty, that he was not a great businessman but was "a great contacts man". None the less, his business acumen propelled him into the Rich List with a personal fortune of up to £100m.</p> Obituaries Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/dickie-peterson-front-man-for-the-influential-american-power-trio-blue-cheer-1821769.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/dickie-peterson-front-man-for-the-influential-american-power-trio-blue-cheer-1821769.html <p>The original anthem of teenage frustration, "Summertime Blues" has proved one of the most enduring songs of the rock era, and has been covered by many acts over the five decades since its creator Eddie Cochran took it into the charts in 1958. It featured in The Who's repertoire from 1967, and their heavy version from the Live At Leeds album made the Top 40 on both sides of the Atlantic in 1970.</p> Obituaries Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/to-sea-and-back-by-richard-shelton-1821721.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/to-sea-and-back-by-richard-shelton-1821721.html <p>The opening is magical. Skirting the threat of killer whales and dolphins, a cock salmon, fattened by three years of rich feeding in the Arctic seas, begins the "sequence of navigational steps that would return him to the Highland burn where his life had begun". After encountering the scent of his watery birthplace, the fish has to wait months in deep pools for the winter thaw that permits his journey upstream. Snagged by an angler's hook, he experiences "the unpleasant realisation that, for the first time... he was being led captive by powers he did not understand".</p> Reviews Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/reviews/lynn-painterstainers-prize-exhibition-painters-hall-london-1821719.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/reviews/lynn-painterstainers-prize-exhibition-painters-hall-london-1821719.html ]]> <p>Representational painting is alive. Of course it is, you fool. But at what level of creativity can it be said to be alive? Is it a little moribund and wistfully backward-looking? One place to look for an answer would be The Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize, currently on display in one of the City's livery halls. This particular prize has been in existence for five years. It exists to encourage not only representational painting in general, but also to nurture skills of draughtsmanship. The rewards for winning it are not to be sniffed at: a first prize of £15,000, and lesser sums for the runners up. This year more than 80 works have been chosen from a little under 1,000 submissions. The means are relatively traditional – oil on board, oil on canvas, acrylic on canvas, etc. The range is, at first glance, familiar: landscape, ruminative portraiture, still life. </p> Reviews Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/alesha-dixon-shepherds-bush-empire-london-1821717.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/alesha-dixon-shepherds-bush-empire-london-1821717.html <p>Alesha Dixon has come a long way, and yet scepticism has never been that far behind. First, there was her decision to embark on a solo career following the demise of garage trio Mis-Teeq in 2005, which was muddied by doubts over her ability to hold a note. Dixon was mainly relegated to those ultra-speedy rap chats, tagged with the overused but ever-so-catchy "And away we go!". Then, when she was chosen by Pharrell to star in the N.E.R.D frontman's video for "She Wants to Move", it appeared her only input was to simply be the pretty young thing who could shake it like a Polaroid picture.</p> Reviews Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/how-to-beat-the-winter-bugs-1821715.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/how-to-beat-the-winter-bugs-1821715.html ]]> <p>It is going to be an unusual year for winter viruses. First, it is normally the elderly who are at greatest risk but this year, thanks to swine flu, it could be the young. Then we may have seasonal winter flu to contend with as well as swine flu, though that is still uncertain. On top of that we can expect all the other winter viral illnesses – colds, coughs, bronchitis, vomiting and diarrhoea. Hospitals are likely to come under pressure, as they do every year, but this winter the burden on intensive care is expected to be particularly heavy – again because of swine flu. Winter is never predictable, but this year especially it is important to be prepared. </p> Features Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/were-dreaming-of-a-black-christmas-1821713.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/were-dreaming-of-a-black-christmas-1821713.html ]]> <p>When most of us will be slumped in front of the telly eating leftovers or stuck on a motorway going to see those relatives we didn't want to spend Christmas with, increasing numbers of black British families will be making Boxing Day the start of their celebrations. It's only been around for forty-three years, but for millions (The official festival website puts it at 40 Million) of black westerners, the seven days of Kwanzaa is fast becoming a more significant winter festival than Christmas.</p> Features Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/hit-and-run/hit--run-would-we-care-if-he-were-alive-1821712.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/hit-and-run/hit--run-would-we-care-if-he-were-alive-1821712.html ]]> <p>Imagine that this year's breakout novelist is a 56-year-old Russian-American called Vladimir Nabokov, whose 12th work of fiction, Lolita, is making waves. On Radio 4's Front Row, his agent explains that yes, it has taken a while to be published in the UK or the US, but it's available from a Parisian porn imprint called the Olympia Press. He explains it's a monologue by a posh, unregenerate paedophile called Humbert Humbert, and his 12-year-old "nymphet" stepdaughter, with whom he absconds across America, for extremely sexual purposes, after her mother dies. </p> Hit & Run Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000