(l-r) Phoebe Aldridge (LUCY MORRIS), Roy Tucker (IAN PEPPERELL), Hayley Tucker (Lorraine Coady) in The Archers

The Archers' outgoing editor Vanessa Whitburn has denied that the drama has been competing with soaps such as EastEnders for sensational storylines.

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Independent Crossword

Rattled BBC chief attacks rivals for poaching formats

THE BESIEGED BBC1 controller, Peter Salmon, came out fighting yesterday as he launched his channel's crucial autumn line-up.

Last bears of Europe struggle for survival

SOME OF the world's most endangered bears are struggling for survival in parts of Europe, according to a new report published today by the World Wide Fund (WWF) for Europe.

Crisis on sturgeon roe

As production slumps and prices soar, caviar is in short supply for the millennium celebrations

Rugby League: Halifax call for action over `Wigan poachers'

HALIFAX HAVE launched a furious attack on Wigan for "poaching" one of their brightest young prospects. David Hodgson, a 17-year-old winger or centre described by Halifax as as "a future international", has signed for Wigan for next season, by which time his current contract will have expired, writes Dave Hadfield.

My love affair with the crossbow

A thousand years after its power was first unleashed, this curious weapon still has the capacity to terrorise and fascinate. By John Walsh

Books: A high price for ivory

Rachel Halliburton trumpets the virtue of this unforgettable flight of fancy from a jumbo-sized talent

Arts: The elephant woman

Animal Farm, Watership Down, The Jungle Book... writers normally use animals in fiction to say something about human nature. In her ambitious novel about elephants, however, Barbara Gowdy is trying to tell us about them. By Rachel Halliburton

Shawl trade wiping out rare antelope

A WORLD ban on luxury shahtoosh wool shawls has failed to stop the slaughter of theTibetan chiru antelope, shot for their fine hair.

On The Air

LUCKY DAVID Matthews. He rose on the flood-tide of British composers who made their name in the Eighties, but he escaped the frothy fate of a fashion object. When the tide receded it left trendier names beached.

Africa's top game show

Jeremy Atiyah sips gin and tonic at sundown in Botswana's swish wildlife parks but misses out on the big adventure

BIG GAME BOYS

It took one 54-year-old American about three hours to track and kill this fully grown giraffe. A few months later its stuffed head will adorn his living-room wall. Kevin Pilley joins the trophy hunters

Hockey: Crutchley called up

BOBBY CRUTCHLEY, Cannock's 28-year-old-striker, is the surprise choice in the England squad announced yesterday for June's elite Champions' Trophy event in Brisbane. The jury has been out on Crutchley on occasions but he scores highly for his club and has just finished top National League goalscorer for the fourth successive year. Perhaps he should play his club goal-poaching role for England.

The Sweeper: Mascot on the mat

Name: Poacher the Imp.

Rhinos reach record number

THE ONE-HORNED rhino lives. Seven months after 39 of the highly endangered leathery behemoths were swept to their deaths by catastrophic flooding that forced hundreds more to flee, a census completed at Kaziranga National Park in Assam, north-east India, on Saturday revealed an increase in rhino numbers of more than 40 per cent over five years.
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Johnny Marr talks relationships and reunions

He's worked with Modest Mouse, the Pet Shop Boys and Beck, to name a few, and recently released his first solo album. So why, wonders Johnny Marr, do people still hark on about The Smiths?
After the flood: From Haiti to Britain, one man has captured the devastation of our increasingly deluged lands

In pictures: After the flood

From Haiti to Britain, one man has captured the devastation of our increasingly deluged lands
Death becomes her: Meet the very modern mortician who champions 'cool' funerals

Death becomes her: A very modern mortician

Ever considered baking a loved one's remains into a cake or putting their ashes in fireworks? If so, talk to Caitlin Doughty, champion of the alternative death industry.
How long can the 'Keep Calm' trend carry on?

How long can the 'Keep Calm' trend carry on?

At first it seemed clever and cute. Then the 'Keep Calm' motif went mad, spawning endless offshoots.
The man who built Brum: A lament for the demise of John Madin's Brutalist Birmingham

John Madin: The man who built Brum

The architect's buildings were supposed to leave an indelible, futuristic mark on his beloved hometown but they are now being inexorably torn down.
School of chop: Learning the art of butchery at the Ginger Pig

School of chop: Learning the art of butchery

How do you butcher a lamb? Or make Mexican street food in a British kitchen? Christopher Hirst finds out.
James Pembroke: The man who's eaten everywhere

The man who's eaten everywhere

Few people know more about restaurants than James Pembroke, who only spent five mealtimes at home during his entire childhood.
A Berliner in 1963 – but did John F Kennedy once admire Adolf Hitler?

A Berliner in 1963 – but did John F Kennedy once admire Adolf Hitler?

The young JFK praised 'superior' Nordic races during visits to Germany
Banned Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof to attend Cannes Film Festival 2013, his first public appearance since prison

Banned Iranian director to attend Cannes Film Festival

Mohammad Rasoulof to make his first public appearance since being imprisoned three years ago
Seeing the larger picture: Inspiring images of space

Seeing the larger picture: Inspiring images of space

An exhibition explores images how photography has shaped astronomy
Eat Spam and carry on: Wartime pamphlets could teach us a thing or two about healthy, thrifty eating

Eat Spam and carry on

Wartime pamphlets could teach us a thing or two about healthy, thrifty eating
Facial hair: Cat beards and the purrrsuit of excellence

Facial hair

Cat beards and the purrrsuit of excellence
The 10 Best salt and pepper sets

The 10 Best salt and pepper sets

Whether they're for everyday use or to make your dining table look just right, it's worth getting a stylish shaker...
Ferran Soriano: Predicting success if Manchester City 'vision' is followed

Ferran Soriano: Predicting success if Manchester City 'vision' is followed

Chief executive says trophies will come if a 'core' of suitable players is in place
Thomas Müller: We couldn't handle losing a Champions League Final again

Thomas Müller: We couldn't handle losing a Champions League Final again

The Bayern Munich forward tells Tim Rich his side have to shed chokers' tag after two recent final defeats